In America, we have a lot of very big problems, including climate change, income and wealth inequality and hyper partisanship.

How should we tackle these problems? 

Paul Fleming is an associate professor of public health at the University of Michigan. He believes we need to focus more on preventing problems from occurring in the first place.

It’s that mindset, detailed in his book, “Imagine Doing Better,” that he hopes will help us get to the root of the problems we seek to resolve before they turn into crises.

WDET’s Sam Corey spoke with Professor Fleming. They began by talking about why policy is important to focus on at all.

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Global Detroit is launching the New American Leadership Academy. It’s a free leadership program to empower people of color, with a focus on supporting immigrants, in developing leadership skills.  

Participants will learn how to network and engage their local government in seven sessions between Oct. 28th and Nov. 22.

Interviews will be scheduled with potential participants. Email Summer Baraka at summer@globaldetroit.org for more information.  Applications close Oct. 15.  

Additional headlines from Monday, October 6, 2025

Detroit Crime Report 

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says violent crime is down this year. He and other officials will presented the latest figures today. He talked about new state funding for the city’s community violence intervention program.

Last year Detroit saw the lowest number of homicides in the city since the 1960s, although the murder rate remained high because of the drop in population over six decades. 

Detroit Fire Prevention Week  

The City of Detroit is hosting Fire Prevention Week between Oct. 5-11th. During the week, the Detroit Fire Department will host open houses and share fire prevention resources. Also carbon monoxide detectors, CPR training, and fire extinguisher training will be provided.

Events take place October 8th from 4-7 p.m. at Engine 54, located on 16825 Trinity St. and on October 11 from 12-3 p.m. at the Kemeny Recreation Center, located at 2260 S. Fort St. Food and entertainment will be provided. 

Toast of the Town 

Detroit’s Tech Town is hosting it’s 11th annual Toast of the Town. That’s a lineup of several Detroit food trucks, entrepreneurs and networking opportunities. The event takes place Oct. 10 from 5-9 p.m.

About 700 people are expected to attend. Tickets are $150. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Language translation devices are available in branch offices  

The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) is launching a new handheld device to provide language translation services at Secretary of State offices. MDOS says they will roll out the Pocketalk devices to all branches by the end of October. 

Last week, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced the launch of the device at the Mexicantown Community Development Corporation as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

It works by allowing people to speak into the device, translating the information in text and audibly. MDOS staff are also using the devices at mobile offices, Restoration clinics, and for driver assessment.  

The department already provides a language support line with interpreter services; however, they say the handheld device provides instant in person translation, streamlining the process.  

Translations are provided in Bangla, Spanish and Arabic, as well as 80 other languages. 

Entrepreneurship program  

The International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit is hosting a free 10-week entrepreneurship hybrid course for Detroit residents.

Classes meet on Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. from Oct. 14 through Dec. 16. The live classes will be held at The International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit, at 111 E. Kirby Street, Detroit.

Registration for in-person and online sessions closes on Oct. 14.   

Check out their Facebook page or call 313-600-7618 for more information.  

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to bring attention to a crisis that touches far too many families.

This month is a reminder that life can feel overwhelming as we juggle family, work, friends, and everything in between. Too often, what gets left behind is our own well-being. And when mental health goes unaddressed, the consequences can be devastating.

Suicide rates in the U.S. climbed between 2000 and 2018, dipped briefly, and remain elevated today. On average, one person dies by suicide every 11 minutes. Behind those numbers are real people—neighbors, loved ones, friends—whose struggles too often remain invisible until it’s too late.

Lori Edelson, a psychotherapist and the owner of Birmingham Maple Clinic, joined the show to raise awareness and share how we can spot the warning signs.
 

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Last week, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison joined Mayor Mike Duggan and other officials in announcing the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan.

Under the new plan, minors age 15 and under must be with a parent after 10 p.m. The curfew for children ages 16 and 17 is 11 p.m. The plan also calls for increased curfew enforcement, illegal block party enforcement, and higher fines for breaking curfews.

The “crackdown” on curfew violations is in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city. But how effective can that be in stopping violent crime, and what else is the city doing to stop violence at the root?

Bettison joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the city’s new violence prevention plan and talk about why violence tends to spike during the summer months.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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The firearm store that sold the gun used in the Oxford High School shooting is asking the Michigan Court of Appeals to dismiss a liability lawsuit filed by the family of a survivor.

In a filing with the court, Acme Shooting Goods argues that it’s too far removed from the crime to be held culpable. The business said store personnel had no way of knowing the 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun would be used in a mass shooting, or that James Crumbley was making the purchase for his teenaged son.

The brief, which uses the killer’s initials instead of his name, argues the claim requires assumptions that are not reflected in the record.

“E.C. stated that he asked his dad to purchase the gun for him; that he gave his dad money for the gun; that he picked out the gun; and that the gun was not kept in a locked container. But E.C. did not testify—and the complaint does not allege—that any of these statements or actions occurred in the store during the sale,” said the brief. It also said the plaintiffs did not identify “red flags” that should have alerted staff the purchase was a “straw sale” being made by the elder Crumbley for his son.

In the lawsuit, the family of Elijah Mueller, who was 14 at the time he was injured in the 2021 shooting, said they can show the dealer knew this was a straw sale by the shooter’s father for his teenaged son.

Matthew Turner, the attorney for the Mueller family, told Michigan Public Radio he can show the gun store skirted the rules when it allowed the shooter and his father to walk out with the gun used in the shootings.

“And we believe that there’s plenty of facts that, if we are fortunate enough to get to discovery, that will demonstrate that they knew that this gun was being purchased for the minor, who’s name I’m not going to use,” he said. “We think that there’s an important societal purpose and benefit to hold gun dealers accountable when they don’t follow the mandates of the law and something bad happens.”

Michigan and federal law make it difficult to sue gun dealers and manufacturers, but Lekha Menon, an attorney with Giffords Law Center, said there are cases being pursued across the country to hold the firearm industry more culpable for mass shootings.

“And I think claims like this against negligent dealers allow individuals to say, well, you had a duty to act a certain way, you violated that duty, and so we can hold you accountable,” she said. “And the more successful claims that we have like that, I think the more similar cases we’ll have popping up in relation to shootings like that.”

Detroit officials announced the launch of a new teen violence prevention plan in response to recent shooting incidents involving children in the city.

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At a news conference on Monday, Mayor Mike Duggan said the city will enforce a 10 p.m. curfew as part of the plan, adding that over the past month, 12 of the 20 shootings involving minors happened late at night or in the early hours of the morning.

“Whatever trouble teenagers may get into in the afternoon and the evening as you start to get to 11, 12, 1 in the morning — whether they’re drinking, whether they’re using substances, whether they’re just beefing — the behavior gets worse and worse,” he said.

Duggan says he will ask the Detroit City Council to raise the fines for parents whose kids are caught outside after curfew without adult supervision. 

Duggan is also authorizing more overtime for the Detroit Police Department, so officers will stay out later to enforce the curfew against groups of teenagers. 

Watch Duggan and Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison’s announcement about the effort here.

Reporting by Russ McNamara, WDET News

Other headlines for Monday, July 7, 2025:

• The city of Dearborn has unveiled another ability inclusive playscape. This third installment can be found at Lapeer Park, joining Ford Woods and Crowley parks in providing activities for children with special mobility needs. Dearborn Parks & Recreation worked with disability groups and families to design the park.
• Michigan residents now have the option to take the written portion of the driver’s education course online. The “KnowTo Drive” test can be taken at Michigan Secretary of State branches and offices, and is available in different languages. Eligible Michigan residents over 18 must verify proof of identity and pay a $6.50 convenience fee. They will also have to use a webcam to prove their identity.
• Detroit Documenters is a program that trains and pays people to take notes at public meetings in Detroit. Documenters is hosting a network-wide Virtual Note-taking Practice Session from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 9. Participants must complete an orientation training before participating in the note-taking training. The Documenters are also hosting a photo documenting workshop in Tech Town on July 15.  

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