A local nonprofit is working to transform a former school property in Corktown into a community hub that will house an early childhood education program, host artist residencies and more.

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Co-founded by Paul Spiegelman and Hamsa Daher, Kintsugi Village aims to offer a “unique blend” of educational opportunities for Detroit families, from arts and culinary experiences and a community garden to events and programming promoting wellness and personal growth.

The initiative will be located in the former St. Vincent Middle School in Corktown, with plans to open the early childhood center by September 2025. 

Spiegelman and Daher joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the project and what inspired it. 

“After going through a really tough personal time about a year and a half ago, we sat around at the DIA one day and talked about maybe doing something new, and Hamsa was ready to take on a new challenge as well,” Spiegelman said. “We thought maybe there’s a way we could help in Detroit and help in a local neighborhood, bring the community together. And that’s where the inspiration started to pull all these initiatives together.”

The pair will hold a community meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 2 at McShane’s in Corktown to discuss their plans for the community hub and share additional details about the early education program and tuition costs. 

For more information about Kintsugi Village, visit kintsugivillage.org.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Spiegelman and Daher.

More stories from The Metro on Nov. 27, 2024:

• State Rep. Dylan Wegela and Downtown Detroit Partnership CEO Eric Larson joined the show to discuss GM and Bedrock’s redevelopment plan for the Renaissance Center and its $1.6 billion price tag.
• Filmmaker Tom Brown was diagnosed with HIV when he was just 18 years old. His 2016 feature film “Pushing Dead” — a dark comedy about an HIV-positive struggling writer — is inspired by his own personal journey coping with the disease for decades. Brown, who recently moved to Detroit, joined The Metro to talk about a screening of the film he’s organizing for World AIDS Day at the Senate Theater this Sunday.
• The way we string our sentences together with the metaphors or similes that we use to enrich a conversation can often change an individual or move a nation for better or for worse. Detroit’s poet laureate, jessica Care moore, joined the show to talk about reaching people where they are in the community or with their personal growth.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

City officials gathered in Detroit’s Mohican-Regent neighborhood on Monday to celebrate the first of many new gateway signs being installed in communities throughout the city.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Other headlines for Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024:

• General Motors and Bedrock announced a new proposal this week to fundamentally change the structure of Detroit’s Renaissance Center.
• The Detroit People Mover reopens Wednesday morning with expanded service hours.  The elevated train system had been closed since early September for rail replacement.   
• If you’re hitting the road for the holidays, the price of gas will be lower than last Thanksgiving, with prices averaging 10 cents cheaper than last Thanksgiving, according to AAA Michigan.
• A cold front is expected to pass through metro Detroit later this week, the National Weather Service reports. High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will peak at 32 degrees, with snow flurries possible throughout the week.
• The National Association of Black Journalists – Detroit Chapter is holding its “Show The Love” fundraiser event at 6 p.m. Tuesday at The Lager House in Corktown.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced last week that he will not seek reelection in 2025, ending a 12-year run that saw Detroit exit bankruptcy and begin the climb back to stability.

Anika Goss, CEO of Detroit Future City, joins Created Equal along with journalists John Gallagher and Darren Nichols to discuss what has happened over the last decade of Duggan’s leadership and what awaits the city’s next leader. 

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Goss discussed how Detroit’s rate of Black homeownership has increased to its highest level since the housing crisis and the percentage of vacant land in the city has decreased over Duggan’s mayorship. However, she says there are still large income gaps within Detroit’s middle class, rates of educational attainment continue to decrease, and the city is facing the loss of the Black middle class to the suburbs.   

Gallagher pointed out that although Duggan’s leadership has correlated with an improvement in the city’s economy, there were many local grassroots efforts in place to promote economic recovery prior to Duggan’s first term. Gallagher also discussed how the economic improvements were often focused on Detroit’s downtown and Midtown areas rather than Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Nichols discussed how last year’s NFL Draft in Detroit was a culmination of the good press and excitement Duggan had built around the city. Nichols suggested that some of Duggan’s success could be attributed to his skills as a campaigner who spoke directly to city residents and presented himself as a fresh voice for change. He believes that the next mayor will have to similarly humble themselves and address the whole city. 

Nichols also said he believes housing and poverty rates will be the most pressing issues for the city’s next leader to address.  

“We can build affordable housing, but do those people have the finances to be able to do that? Do they have the credit to be able to do that? We have to keep in mind our realism as to what Detroit’s poverty rate means for affordable housing,” he said. 

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation. 

Guests: 

• Anika Goss is the CEO at Detroit Future City.
• John Gallagher is a journalist, senior business columnist for the Detroit Free Press, and author of the book, “Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City.”
• Darren Nichols is a journalist and contributing columnist at the Detroit Free Press 

Listen to Created Equal with host Stephen Henderson weekdays from 9-10 a.m. ET on 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand.

Community members gathered in Detroit’s North End neighborhood on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of a new $7.3 million mixed-use affordable housing project.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

“The Beauton” will feature 29 new units, including 10 micro studio units, 15 studio units, two one-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units — with rents based on 50-120% of area median income (AMI), and over half of the units at or below 80%. Rents for the micro units will be as low as $700 per month, and affordability is guaranteed for the next 12 years under the agreement.

“North End has seen a lot of new investment that can bring rent pressures for existing residents,” said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan in a statement.  “The Beauton will bring 29 more units of much-needed affordable housing to North End to help make sure residents of all income levels can live in a growing and thriving neighborhood.”

Led by Detroit developer Charles Dickerson, the project was made possible by funding from several sources, including $1.5 million from the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund (DHFF); nearly $2.5 million from Capital Impact Partners; $1.5 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and additional support.

DHFF is a private investment fund aimed at directing funding to create and preserve affordable housing in Detroit. The fund is anchored by a $15 million commitment from JPMorgan Chase of the fund’s total $58 million raise and a $10 million guarantee from The Kresge Foundation.

Including The Beauton, the DHFF has funded 13 projects totaling 435 new or preserved affordable units in the city.

“Projects like The Beauton exemplify the power of partnership and the impact of the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund in creating affordable housing solutions that meet the needs of our residents,” said Julie Schneider, director of the city’s Housing and Revitalization Department.

Call 313-656-4233 for leasing information.

Other headlines for Friday, Nov. 15, 2024:

• A 3-year-old sloth bear named Jagger has found a new home at the Detroit Zoo. This is the first time a sloth bear has been in the zoo in decades, according to zoo officials. Officials also say that she’ll be spending the next few days getting acclimated to her new home before stepping outdoors.
• The 21st annual Detroit Tree Lighting ceremony is taking place from 4-9 p.m. next Friday, Nov. 22. The free event kicks off the holiday season with stellar performances by national and local musical acts and figure skaters. There will also be food trucks, and unique lighting attractions across Downtown Detroit.
• Tickets are still available for Dave Chappelle and Killer Mike’s Still Talkin’ That Sh*t tour stop at the Fox Theatre tonight at 8 p.m.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Michigan’s firearm deer hunting season officially opened on Friday, meaning thousands of enthusiasts from around the state and beyond are preparing to take part in the popular tradition — including our executive producer David Leins, who is in northern Michigan doing just that!

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For some, hunting is more than just a hobby. It’s a way of life — a way to feed their families. Others simply hunt deer for sport. But there are many Michiganders who’ve had little to no exposure to hunting, and one local organization is working to make it more diverse.

Antonio Cosme is a co-founder of “Black to the Land Coalition,” a nonprofit working to build back the connections between people of color and the natural world. Cosme joined The Metro along with avid hunter Andrea Di Cresce, who serves as global kids program coordinator for Black to the Land.

The Coalition offers hunting safety courses and they’ll be hosting a “hunters of color” network gathering next week, Cosme said.

“We just want to create a network, create some support opportunities,” Cosme said. “We’re really interested in helping urban hunters get access to private land. That’s something that we are particularly interested in because that is gonna be your best opportunity to hunt deer.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Nov. 15, 2024:

• Since Michigan legalized recreational marijuana five years ago, weed edibles have been getting into smaller and smaller hands. From 2020 to 2022, the Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center recorded a 75% increase statewide in unintentional youth cannabis ingestion. Detroit City Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway joined the show to discuss an effort to keep weed advertisements out of sight from kids.
• The Detroit Documenters play a crucial role in improving our access to public information. They’re at all the city’s public meetings, taking notes on what leaders and community members are saying. Public comment dominates these meetings, often stretching for an hour or two. The board could soon make changes to their public comment process that some worry could have a chilling effect on free speech. Detroit Documenters Coordinator Lynelle Herdon joined the show to discuss these potential changes. 
• Macomb is a swing county. That’s been true in previous elections and on Tuesday, Nov. 5, it was proven to be true as a lot of people came out to vote for President-elect Donald Trump. In Michigan, many of those voters were in Macomb County, with 20,000 more residents there voting for him this time compared to 2020. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel joined The Metro to share his thoughts.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

WDET’s CuriosiD series answers your questions about everything Detroit. Subscribe to CuriosiD on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of CuriosiD, we answer the question:

“Why are cider mills so popular in Michigan?”

The short answer

Michigan’s cider mills are more than places to grab fresh cider and doughnuts; they’re steeped in tradition. Over 125 licensed mills dot the state, offering Michiganders and tourists alike an autumn ritual that connects them to the local land and community. And while cider mill season is all about that first crisp sip, there’s more at play here: each mill blends its own unique apple varieties, adding seasonal layers to each batch of cider.

But you’re probably wondering: Which Michigan cider mill is the best? Well, it depends who you ask – most locals have a favorite they swear by.

The essence of Michigan’s cider mills

Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee, emphasizes the cultural significance of cider mills:

“It’s part of the heritage,” said Smith. “Being in Michigan and having that experience in the fall of going to a cider mill, getting your apples and doughnuts, it’s something people look forward to every year.”

These mills are more than seasonal attractions; they are integral to Michigan’s agritourism, providing families with opportunities to connect with local farmers and understand the origins of their food.

Crafting the perfect cider

Operating a cider mill involves meticulous processes to ensure quality and safety. Each mill must adhere to stringent licensing regulations, including food safety training.

A key aspect of cider production is blending various apple varieties to achieve a unique flavor profile that evolves throughout the season. Smith notes that the taste of cider can change dramatically from early September to late autumn, reflecting the diversity of Michigan’s apple harvest.

Read more: Apple growers wallop averages for the third year in a row

Michigan’s apple varieties: A bounty for cider-making

Michigan’s climate and soil conditions are ideal for apple cultivation, producing popular varieties such as Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji and Ambrosia. These apples contribute to the distinctive flavors found in Michigan’s ciders.

The state’s apple industry is a significant economic driver, with apples being Michigan’s most valuable fruit crop. This industry supports not only growers but also packaging and allied sectors, underscoring its importance to the state’s agricultural economy.

A tradition that resonates

For many Michiganders, visiting a cider mill is a cherished fall activity, offering a blend of tradition, community, and the simple pleasures of the season. The state’s cider mills provide a unique experience that combines the enjoyment of fresh cider and doughnuts with a connection to Michigan’s agricultural roots. 

About the listener

This month’s question came from WDET listener Adam Danis. Danis is a Chicago native who currently lives in Midtown Detroit. After spending time in the mitten state, his curiosity grew about Michigander’s love for cider mills all across the state.

More from CuriosiD:

• Is the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library haunted?
• Behind the Scenes: Celebrating 10 years of CuriosiD
• What is the history behind the Belle Isle Boathouse?

Skateparks are more than just a place to sharpen your skills. They’re a community hub that draws people of different backgrounds and skill levels together.

They are also a place where kids can build confidence — and with new skateparks popping up around Detroit in recent years, skateboarding is having a huge impact in the city.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Back in June 2022, Tony Hawk came to Detroit to help dedicate a new 15,000-square-foot skatepark in Chandler Park on Detroit’s east side. Hawk also helped design the new It Takes a Village Skatepark, located on the grounds of The Shepherd — an arts and cultural center also on Detroit’s east side — as well as the skatepark at Riverside Park in southwest Detroit.

The proliferation of skateparks in the city is a point of pride for many, with community members playing key roles in creating and maintaining them.

One organization that’s been integral in nourishing skating and skateboarding in Detroit is Community Push. The nonprofit, co-founded by Derrick Dykas and Evan Hutchings, funded the creation of The Wig DIY Skatepark in Midtown in 2014. The Wig is now a permanent skatepark and fixture in the community. 

Dykas and Hutchings joined The Metro on Friday to talk about Detroit’s skateparks and how they are unique from one another. Dykas noted how in 2019, when the Riverside skatepark first opened, many in the skating community thought it might be their only chance to have a state-of-the-art park. 

“We tried to get as much stuff included into it as possible, in case we didn’t get the second opportunity. But once we start getting, you know, a second park, a third park, and you get more of a catalog, it’s easier. You don’t want the same stuff here as over there. And, you know, you get to get a little bit more creative with each piece and kind of rework some things that are traditionally built one way,” Dykas said. “And it’s worked. And now a lot of the stuff that we’re building, those professionals are ripping us off and building it in other places across the world. And it’s cool to see. You know, you can’t really put a trademark on some of the stuff.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on Nov. 1, 2024:

• The Detroit Police Department is getting a new temporary leader. Former Detroit Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison will take over for Chief James White, who was hired to lead Wayne County’s largest mental health agency. Bettison has been the Detroit deputy mayor for the last three years, but he was in the police department for 27 years. Bettison joined the show to discuss his new position, which officially starts on Nov. 11.
• The music of Burt Bacharach will be celebrated this weekend at the Detroit Opera House. The Mark Morris Dance group is returning for “The Look of Love,” an evening of dance to the music of Bacharach. Ethan Iverson is the pianist and organizer of the event. He spoke with WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper about the magic of Bacharach’s songwriting. 
• The Detroit Documenters play a crucial role in improving our access to public information. They are at all the city’s public meetings, taking notes on what local officials and community members are saying. The parks are one of our favorite subjects to discuss on The Metro because we know they make an impact on our quality of life. To talk more about a project that sent Documenters to neighborhood parks across the city, Detroit Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade and WDET’s Jack Filbrandt joined the show.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The day before Halloween is referred to as Mischief Night in many parts of the country, but in Detroit, it used to be called Devil’s Night.

For decades, that night filled many with fear, as neighborhoods with abandoned homes or businesses prepared themselves for possible arson. City of Detroit Historian Jamon Jordan joined The Metro on Wednesday — the day before Halloween — to share more about the history of Devil’s Night in Detroit and how community members came together with the city to put an end to it.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Throughout the U.S. there’s always been pranks connected to Halloween — draping toilet paper on trees, throwing eggs at cars, and other mischief that didn’t cause the most damage. 

In the 1980s there were about 800 fires around Halloween, Jordan said. Community groups and the city took steps to wipe out Devil’s Night, oftentimes doing patrols the day before Halloween and enforcing youth curfews. In the ’90s, the community and city started doing joint patrols and renamed it Angel’s Night. 

“So these things begin to work in concert with one another, and there’s thousands of people who begin to volunteer. By this point, with so many people out on the street with eyes on almost every neighborhood, especially the vacant houses in the neighborhood, it begins to make it have an effect on stopping the fires,” he said. “Within a few years, the fires really go way way down and then eventually we don’t even talk about Devil’s Night…”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Jordan.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 30, 2024:

• Yesterday, a poll by The Hill showed Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump by five points. But polling has generally been very tight, and most political scientists believe this election could easily go either way. To discuss why the election is so tight in Michigan and how voters are feeling right now, we were joined by Matt Grossman, head of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. 
• In the latest spooky episode of CuriosiD, WDET’s Jeff Milo looked into chilling rumors that the Detroit Public Library’s Main Branch on Woodward might be haunted by ghosts. 
• Early voting is underway in Michigan, and we’ve heard from some of you that with more than 20 Detroit Public Schools Community District Board candidates vying for three seats, people are feeling overwhelmed with all the choices. To help us break down the race we’re joined by Chalkbeat Detroit Bureau Chief Lori Higgins.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Oftentimes, when we think of the immigrant story, we think about people coming to a new country for better opportunities and a safer place to grow a family. 

It’s often a scary and intimidating process, but that’s why the Patchwork Culinary Project exists. Created by a soviet immigrant, the nonprofit restaurant and education program aims to train new Michigan residents in the culinary arts. 

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s not just kitchen training and certification that goes on at the Patchwork Culinary Project. The space doubles as a restaurant and it’s also a kitchen many people in the program will work at.   

Nick Sanchez, founder and lead chef at Patchwork joined The Metro on Tuesday to share more about the project. He says the idea was born from his own personal experiences and wanting to help others find success in the U.S. 

“It came from being an immigrant myself, and starting a restaurant at a young age, and you know — learning how to deal with all the impediments and hassles of opening up a restaurant,” Sanchez said. “So I just figured we have an influx of folks coming into this country, so why not try to set them up for success?”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Sanchez.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 22, 2024: 

• The new Editor-in-Chief of Outlier Media, Erin Perry, joined the show to talk about her goals for the publication. Perry has worked at Outlier since 2021. She’s also a practitioner-scholar and uses her knowledge to make journalism more accessible. 
• It’s a pivotal time for Detroit Public Schools Community District. The results of the November election could change the makeup of the school board as over 20 candidates are vying for three open seats. If they’re elected, new board members could disrupt the current harmony on the board and make it more difficult for Superintendent Nikolai Vitti to achieve his goals. Proposal S would make a huge financial difference for the DPSCD if voters approve it. The proposal would pay off the school district’s debt and help make new investments. Robyn Vincent, co-host of The Metro, spoke with DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti about Proposal S and the school board election.
• The U.S. presidential election is just a few weeks away and while our focus is usually on how the election will impact us here in the United States, our neighbors in Canada are also watching the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris closely. So closely, in fact, that Canada’s national broadcaster, CBC Radio, teamed up with NPR’s The Middle and WDET to host a live call-in special from WDET on Sunday, featuring Jeremy Hobson — host of The Middle — and Ian Hanomansing, host of CBC’s nightly news program The National and Cross Country Checkup. Stephen Henderson spoke with Hanomansing ahead of the broadcast to discuss the relationship between Canadian and U.S. politics. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Detroit’s Poletown neighborhood is now home to a restored forest.  

Detroit Future City and Arboretum Detroit worked with community members, the city of Detroit’s Neighborhood Beautification Program and others to restore 1.3 acres of land back to nature. 

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Circle Forest is located along 12 Poletown city lots and will serve as a communal space for residents in the neighborhood. 

Arboretum Detroit Executive Director Birch Kemp and Park Maintenance Assistant Robyn Redding joined The Metro on Thursday to talk about the forest project and trail. 

The first step in the Circle Forest project was clearing 60 yards of garbage from the site, Kemp said.

“There’s this healing aspect that happens with liberating the land from garbage. And everybody who’s been a part of these volunteer work days has felt that, right?” Kemp said. “And planting a tree too, you feel like you’re actually doing something in this world [that] is very tangible, and we’re doing it together and basically building the Detroit we want to see.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Birch Kemp and Robyn Redding of Arboretum Detroit.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 17, 2024: 

• Detroit, like other cities around the country, is trying to reduce its emissions and ensure clean air, clean water, and safe green spaces for residents to explore. One recent step the city has taken to make Detroit more environmentally-friendly is  offering a new composting program. Patrice Brown, associate director of urban agriculture for the city of Detroit, joined the show to discuss the initiative.
• The fall colors are beautiful in Michigan. And while you’re admiring the trees, Michigan state officials are also asking people to keep an eye out for invasive Asian long-horned beetles, which pose a danger to trees — especially maples. To talk more about this invasive species, we’re joined by Axios Detroit reporter Annalise Frank. 
• For all you beer and Detroit Public Radio lovers out there, we’ve got something special brewing in honor of WDET’s 75th anniversary. WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper joined The Metro to talk about a new collaboration between the station and Batch Brewing commemorating the milestone. Our new WDET Beer – “It’s So Kölsch in the D” – will be unveiled at a special beer release party tomorrow night at Batch. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

There’s a new mental health center located inside the Islamic Center of Detroit.

ICD held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday for its faith-based My Mental Wellness center, which is open to all.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s believed to be the first mental health center inside a mosque in the U.S. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says ICD has come a long way from its humble beginnings.

“ICD is now the center of this community, and I’ve been here for food programs. I’ve been here for youth programs, been here for recreation programs, and now opening of a mental health clinic is going to serve the whole community,” he said. “It’s just a terrific day for Detroit.”

The clinic provides free on-site and virtual therapy and counseling sessions, as well as ASL services, career coaching, annual health fairs, and initiatives for the special needs community.

My Mental Wellness has served 200 people so far. ICD hopes to add additional health care services for the community in the near future.

For more information, visit mymentalwellnessicd.org.

Reporting by Nargis Rahman, WDET

Other headlines for Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024:

• Detroit is looking for a new top cop. Police Chief James White is set to become the CEO and president of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network after the group’s board of directors voted to appoint him to the role at their meeting on Wednesday.
• The Michigan Education Justice Coalition Youth Collective is hosting its second virtual statewide candidate forum on Monday, Oct. 21, called Student Strong.
• Six local Black tech founders have been awarded a total of $120,000 in grants from the “Community Regrant” program from Black Tech Saturdays and Rocket Community Fund. Each recipient received $20,000 for projects that will help bridge the digital divide in the city of Detroit.
• The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office and the city of Detroit are hosting a foreclosure prevention seminar for seniors and individuals with disabilities on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Perfecting Church, 7616 Nevada Ave., Detroit. Call 313-244-0274 to schedule an appointment and Lyft Service to the event. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Voters on Grosse Ile will decide whether to let the local government buy one of the two bridges connecting the island to other communities Downriver.

The gateways to Downriver

Nestled in the Detroit River between the United States and Canada, Grosse Ile is home to about 10,000 people. It has a grocery store, three golf courses, and an airport that was once a U.S. Naval Air Station. For those who don’t own a boat, a plane, or a helicopter, the only way on or off the island is by crossing the bridges over the Trenton Channel.

Most islanders use the Parkway Bridge — or the “free bridge” as they call it — near the south end of Grosse Ile. Wayne County, which owns and operates this span, estimates about 16,0000 vehicles cross it every day. It’s the older of the two bridges. Island historian Tony Krukowski says it predates the automobile.

“The free bridge was part of a rail line that was built in 1873 to carry cargo to and from Canada,” Krukowksi said. “It was built by the Canadian Southern Railroad. The Railroad stopped running in 1924 and the county converted the railroad trestle to a vehicle bridge in 1931.”

Competition arises

But the free bridge was not the first to allow automobiles to cross. In 1912, a man named Edward Voigt started building his own bridge. Krukowski says the German immigrant owned a farm at the north end of the island.

“He raised Percheron horses on his farm, and he also owned a brewery in Detroit,” Krukowski said. “So, he used the bridge to transport his Percheron horses over to Detroit to pull his beer wagons.”

Horses gave way to automobiles, and Voigt opened his bridge to vehicle traffic in 1913. He charged car owners a fee to cross. Today, the toll is $3.50.

The Voigt family still owns the toll bridge, but not for long. Edward Voigt’s great-grandson, Paul Smoke, is putting it up for sale, and giving the island’s government first dibs.

How would local leaders pay for it?

Grosse Ile Township trustees voted unanimously to put that question to the voters in the form of a new property tax. Township Supervisor Jim Budny says the 1.67 mill levy would raise $59 million to buy the bridge and upgrade it.

“The first step would be passing the proposal in November,” Budny said, “and then we can get into all the other stuff that we have to do, selling the bonds, getting the designs, getting the work scheduled.”

That work includes increasing the toll bridge’s weight limit of 7.5 tons per vehicle, which only allows commuters to cross. Heavier vehicles use the Parkway Bridge to deliver goods and services such as fuel and groceries. But the free bridge is in bad shape. Wayne County plans to close it twice in 2025 to repair damaged piers and pressure plates. Those closures could last weeks or months. Budny says that could put Grosse Ile in a bind.

“We couldn’t get any food to the island,” Budny said. “We couldn’t get any gas to the island, we couldn’t get any big trucks onto the island, we couldn’t get our waste OFF the island. We could get our emergency vehicles off the island. We couldn’t get emergency vehicles onto the island.”

Budny says the toll bridge needs work, too. But because it’s privately owned, he can’t force the current owners — or another buyer — to improve it. He says if the township owned the bridge, it could decide what kind of vehicles can cross and how much they pay.

Island residents consider their options

That appeals to island resident Fay Givens, who expressed her support at a public meeting in September.

“We’d be able to control the tolls coming off and on that bridge,” Givens said. “We would have, in cases of an emergency, we would be able to act quickly. We would not have to go through an owner that doesn’t live on the island.”

Givens says she’ll vote yes on the millage. Another resident, Brian Kostielny, isn’t sold yet. At the same meeting, he said he’d likely vote no unless he gets more information.

“I’m just looking to go ahead and get a breakdown of how much revenue the bridge makes, you know, what the cost of repair is with the sale of the bridge,” Kostielny said. “I don’t even know how they valued the bridge. I mean it’s not like you can Zillow the value of a bridge.”

That information is subject to a non-disclosure agreement between the township and the toll bridge’s owners, who declined comment for this report. If voters reject the millage, Budny says they probably won’t get another chance.

“If it doesn’t pass, then the seller will go to the open market and sell it to some other private individual,” he said. “There aren’t any municipalities that want it that I’m aware of around here. So, it’ll go to another private individual who would probably keep it the way it is.”

Voting ends Nov. 5

With absentee voting already underway, Grosse Ile residents will decide whether the millage is a bridge to the future or a bridge too far.

For more information about the Grosse Ile Parkway Bridge Projects, visit waynecounty.com.

It’s the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, and to celebrate, The Metro was joined by a Detroit musician, activist, historian, and educator who has dedicated his career to improving the lives of Latino residents in southeast Michigan. 

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Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera currently teaches at Wayne State and the University of Michigan. He also writes for “El Central” newspaper, serves on Detroit’s Historic Designation Advisory Board and is the former director of Southwest Solutions. He was instrumental in the creation of the Wayne State Center for Latino/a American Studies, established 1971. 

Rivera was born on the island of Puerto Rico but is a lifelong Detroiter. His father was a musician and early in life, Rivera became interested in both music and activism. If you attended this year’s Concert of Colors, you might’ve seen Rivera perform with his band Rican Struction, a Bomba music ensemble. 

Rivera joined the show to discuss the importance of Latino culture in southeast Michigan and work done to support the community. One of the issues in the Detroit Latino community that Rivera fought against was systemic racism in public schools.

“There’s some broad brushes to discuss in terms of just acknowledgement and civil rights, but specifically as it related to the Latino community in Detroit, there were issues with the lack of bilingual education,” Rivera said. “Actually, many students were funneled into special-ed classes only because they spoke Spanish. So La Sed … also put in a successful lawsuit against the Detroit Public School system for funneling, directing Spanish speaking students and some who weren’t even Spanish speaking, they were put in special rooms and some would say some closets. And so you have to fight for bilingual education and against standardization or delegitimizing Latin students.”

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with Rivera.

More headlines from The Metro on Oct. 15, 2024: 

• A new early childhood educator workforce index shows that child care wages remain low in Michigan and across the United States. Director of Multi-State and International Programs at Berkeley’s Center for the Study of Child Care Employment Caitlin McLean joined the show to discuss the new report.
• There are a lot of issues voters care about, but depending on your party, voter priorities are very different. We’re less than a month away from the presidential election, and that leaves us wondering what might turn out the vote most for either party. Joining us to discuss the upcoming election and what’s on voters’ minds, The Atlantic staff writer Tim Alberta joined The Metro. He’s covered politics with a close eye on both the white, evangelical christian movement in this country and the shifts happening in the Republican Party. He will also be speaking at an event called “Democracy at a Crossroads” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on Michigan State University’s campus.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is holding annual community walks across the country this weekend, allowing people to remember loved ones who died by suicide while also working as a community to create more mental health support. 

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Over the past 10 years, the suicide rate has increased 16%. The vast majority of the suicide deaths were men, and most were firearm-related.

To discuss the Metro Detroit Out of the Darkness Walk taking place on Belle Isle this Saturday, volunteers Alicia Lyon and Max Olive joined The Metro.

Olive said the most challenging moment he faced in his life was when his cousin died from suicide, three years ago.

“And going through it at the time, it’s so difficult, right? You wonder how someone could think that way, why that would be an option. And it takes a lot to understand that that is something you’ll never understand,” Olive said. “And what you can do, and what I think it did really well for us, is it galvanized us as a family. So I’m closer with my cousins and my uncle now, more than ever. And I think so highly of him, and my involvement in this is a way to really honor Ryan. And he was such a gorgeous, hilarious soul and owned the room.”

You can register for the walk online ahead of time or in-person beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. If you or someone else needs support, a trained counselor can be reached by calling or texting the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation with walk volunteers Alicia Lyon and Max Olive.

More headlines from Oct. 14, 2024: 

• New Detroit is a racial justice coalition that formed in response to the ‘67 rebellion. On Thursday, the organization is hosting its third annual Just Lead conference, recognizing community leaders and organizations that are working towards racial equity. New Detroit Director of Transformational Change Rebecca Irby and Director of Community Engagement Marshalle Favors joined the show to discuss the conference.  
• The Tigers lost to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, ending a miraculous season for the team. To help us recap the series and look ahead, we’re joined by Tigers staff writer for The Athletic, Cody Stavenhagen. 
• Womxnhouse Detroit is a collection of women creatives in the city who aim to spread their knowledge and crafts with interested folks while welcoming more people to the arts. This conversation is a continuation of an interview we did on The Metro last week featuring the co-founder of Women House Detroit Asia Hamilton, ceramics artist Michaela Ayers and fiber artist Cat Washington.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Detroit’s Palmer Park has seen many improvements over the years, from renovated tennis and pickleball courts and a new dog park to a variety of habitat restoration projects.

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Home to the largest old-growth forest in the Tri-County area — and one of only seven forests in the city of Detroit — the protection of the park’s 70-acre Witherell Woods has been a key focus for community groups working to restore and maintain the park.

People for Palmer Park President Stacy Varner, and Bobbi Westerby — whose company Environmental Consulting & Technology is leading the park’s latest restoration efforts — joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss their goals and the importance of this public space.

Varner described the scenery in Palmer Park as “magical,” noting that there is work underway to make improvements to both the park’s trail system and natural areas. 

“Just like with any living thing, [the park] needs maintenance, it needs nurturing, it needs preserving,” Varner said. “That’s part of this effort, of the habitat restoration project that is going on in Palmer Park.”

Westerby says part of their restoration work will include removal of invasive species, like buckthorn, from Witherell Woods to help promote native growth.

“We don’t want to do a lot,” said Westerby of the forest restoration efforts. “We want to remove the stuff that’s not supposed to be there and let the things that are supposed to be there thrive.”

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Varner and Westerby.

WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

Related: CuriosiD: Are the woods in Palmer Park a virgin forest?

More headlines from The Metro on Sept. 12, 2024:

• The city of Detroit and its fire department want to train all city employees in hands-only CPR. It’s already trained 100,000 residents on CPR and AED use – giving the city a “HeartSafe city” designation by a national preparedness program dedicated to improving outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest. To discuss their efforts and the importance of CPR/AED training, Detroit Fire Department Commissioner Chuck Simms and Medical Director Dr. Robert Dunne joined the show.
• Two University of Michigan professors have teamed up for an initiative aimed at increasing college-age voting called the Creative Campus Voting Project. They joined The Metro to discuss their efforts. 
• The Detroit Documenters recently attended a hearing by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy about possible changes to a permit for the Detroit Assembly Complex on Mack Avenue run by Stellantis. Residents are asking for the permit to be denied. To discuss what happened at the hearing, we were joined by Detroit Documenter Anna Harris and Coordinator Noah Kincade.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Outlier Media has a new and improved text service aiming to help residents get answers to essential questions. 

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Outlier Media Sarah Alvarez joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss how the TXT Outlier service is helping address information gaps about housing, utilities, and other critical community issues. 

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Alvarez says while traditional news outlets across various mediums provide an essential service to the community, “radio segments and news articles are not always the most useful way to get information to people.”

“…and they’re certainly not personalized enough for people who are in some kind of information crisis,” she said. “So what would it look like, I thought, for a news service to really try to fill information and accountability gaps, and what would it take to do that well?”

The service — first launched in 2016 — allows residents to text Outlier keywords for additional information on related topics; or to talk directly with a reporter about a specific issue they might be facing.

Detroiters can take advantage of the service by texting “Detroit” to 67485. For more information, visit outliermedia.org/txt-outlier.

Use the audio player above to hear the full interview with Sarah Alvarez, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Outlier Media, at the 25:23 mark.

More headlines from The Metro on Sept. 11, 2024: 

• About a week ago, Gen Z Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost toured Detroit and the state of Michigan to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris. During that time, Producer Sam Corey spoke with the Florida representative about the biggest concerns facing young people, and what will turn them out to vote in November.
• Pollution from trucks and factories — coupled with poverty — led the city to be named the third-worst place to live for people with asthma in a new report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Allergy expert and native Detroiter Dr. Garen Wolff joined the show to talk about the report’s findings and what Detroiters can do to improve their air quality.
• The Funky Ferndale Art Fair is taking place Sept. 20-22. Director of the fair Mark Loeb joined the show to talk about what makes it unique.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The city of Detroit is using money from the American Rescue Plan Act to help residents with disabilities make their homes more accessible.

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The Detroit Home Accessibility Program — a joint project of the city of Detroit, CHN Housing Partners and Detroit Disability Power — dedicates more than $6 million in ARPA funds to home modifications for eligible residents to add ramps or lifts, widen entrances, modify handrails, or add alarms to the entries and exits of their home.

“Detroit has more than 129,000 disabled residents. Members of this large, diverse and important constituency deserve the ability to fully engage in all that our City has to offer,” said Ani Grigorian, disability access consulting manager at Detroit Disability Power, in a news release. “This program is an important step towards greater accessibility, and therefore increased well-being.”

Homeowners who live in single-family homes who receive social security disability benefits, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Children’s Healthcare Services benefits or Veterans Administration disability benefits can still apply.

The program is expected to provide accessibility upgrades to at least 250 homes.

Applicants must also have homeowner’s insurance and be current on property taxes or in a payment plan. There are income requirements for participation. For more information, visit chnhousingpartners.org/Detroit/dhap or call 866-313-2520. 

Other headlines for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024:

• Mason K-8 Academy opened its newly renovated and stocked school library today. The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) chose Mason to receive 18,000 new books from the Council of Great City Schools and Scholastic.
• Cass Tech students who live in Hamtramck and “Banglatown” – an area close to Hamtramck – are asking DPSCD to provide bus transportation to the school. Education nonprofit 482Forward organized student and adult members to take their appeal to tonight’s school board meeting. 
• The Detroit Food Commons will host a concert series this fall. The Freedom Sounds fall concert series kicks off Sunday, Sept. 22 with jazz percussionist and Jazz at Lincoln Center alum Ali Jackson. Bassist and composer Marion Hayden will perform Oct. 27; and on Nov. 24, multi-genre percussionist and food justice advocate Aisha Ellis will perform. The series is curated by violinist and flutist Michelle May. The events, held in the Mama Imani Humphrey Banquet Hall on the second floor of Detroit Commons, cost $25 to attend with funds going towards Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network’s community programs. 
• The Hamtramck Parks Conservancy has a new director of programming and communications. Alicia Chiaravalli has a background in environmental science, play design and sustainability. She will be responsible for developing recreation programs, coordinating volunteers and community partnerships for the conservancy. 

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to be complete in 2025.

The bridge is being built in Detroit’s Delray neighborhood in Southwest Detroit — a place where, for years, residents have faced issues associated with heavy industry. Now, residents are dealing with the challenges that come with the construction of a roughly $4.2 billion international bridge. 

Simone Sagovac, director of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition, joined The Metro on Tuesday to help us understand the impact the bridge has had and will have on residents.

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In 2017, the group helped secure an almost $50 million benefits package for people living in the area. One of the overall issues people in the community face has to do with truck traffic, Sagovac says. During the coalition’s data gathering efforts, they counted 1,200 trucks driving on Livernois Street in one day.

“Something that wasn’t really anticipated was, you know, the scale of a development like this. It is the largest infrastructure project that both countries have had in 100 years and it’s 165-plus acres,” Sagovac said. “And when they’re in the thick of construction, and there’s no grass, and no trees covering that dirt – the dust has been a huge problem for the community. People have chronic sinus conditions. Asthma accelerated in the area. And the project is trying to do things with street sweeping but the dirt gets carried on the trucks and these trucks are allowed to drive on residential streets.” 

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Simone Sagovac, director of the Southwest Detroit Community Benefits Coalition.

More headlines from The Metro on Sept. 10, 2024: 

• The Detroit area is home to one of the largest groups of people with sickle cell disease in the country. The painful disease is caused by an inherited genetic mutation and most of the people who have it are Black. For decades, there weren’t many treatment options for the disease outside of pain medication. But in recent years, new medical technologies have helped alleviate and even cure sickle cell disease. Larenz Caldwell, a sickle cell patient who underwent a stem cell transplant six years ago; and Outlier Media Science Reporter Koby Levin joined the show to discuss. 
• The Detroit Fiber Club is hosting an immersive exhibit showcasing environmental- and fiber-based art at the Boyer Campbell Building in Milwaukee Junction through Sept. 28, as part of the Detroit Month of Design. To discuss the exhibit, we were joined by Co-Curators Sarah Rose and Lisa Waud, and Detroit Fiber Club Managing Director Meg Morley.
• Detroit Artist LeKela Brown is kicking off the College for Creative Studies’ Woodward Lecture Series. The CCS graduated joined The Metro to talk about her work and her first solo-presentation, “From Scratch: Seeding Adornment,” currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Officials in Detroit are again offering a photo identification card that allows residents access to various businesses and city services.