One of the worst parts of World War II is coming to metro Detroit this month. And it’s scheduled to keep coming into January.

Each week about 25 semi-trucks will haul low-level radioactive waste from New York to a disposal site in Wayne County’s Van Buren township.

It’s by-products from the Manhattan Project, which created the atomic bombs dropped in Japan that ended World War II.

It’s also the latest in a series of toxic material shipments sent to Michigan raising concerns among some members of Congress and other officials.

That includes Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. He says there’s a disconnect between federal agencies that regulate hazardous waste, the company that owns the Van Buren disposal site and Michigan’s government.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material.”

-Wayne County Executive Warren Evans

Listen: Warren Evans on toxic atomic waste coming to Wayne County

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Warren Evans: I don’t believe that they level with us about what they’re doing. My trust level for them is almost zero. And it doesn’t lead to good results or good communications back and forth. The only time we hear about these waste issues is when a reporter writes a story and we read about it and they become automatically defensive. I’m concerned about the lack of notice (that shipments are coming to Michigan.) That leads me to be concerned about the level of hazardous waste in the material and the amount that’s coming and how it’s being transported.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: The Army Corps of Engineers has said they’re not required to notify anybody if they’re sending waste to a facility that’s allowed to take those kinds of shipments, which the one in Van Buren is. So when you say you don’t think that they’re leveling with you, what do you think needs to be changed?

WE: They said they’re not “required” to. What the heck does that mean? Does it mean there’s a prohibition about doing it? They’re hiding behind a rule that doesn’t require them to do it. But good public policy does require them to do it, them or somebody, I think. Hiding behind a rule that doesn’t make you do it just tells me the rule doesn’t make any sense and you’re not concerned about the reaction of the public’s health concerns about this. If that’s the way you feel, then I’m troubled by the whole thing.

QK: You’ve had a couple of town hall meetings about this and other toxic waste that came from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. What are you hearing from residents about the situations?

WE: It’s real clear that residents don’t want it here. And what we hear from the federal agencies is how safe they claim to be and what the rules and federal regulations are. That’s not what people are asking for. They are asking for clear answers about why so much of it is coming here and just how safe is it? It’s troubling to me, because the agencies are answering questions in a very bureaucratic way. “This is regulation 207 and we’re required to do that.” It’s double-speak to me. People are asking about the health concerns that they have, the health concerns that they’re afraid of in the future. They are asking for solid, honest answers. Part of that would be alleviated if there was more discussion about the actual hazardous waste, the toxicity of it, how it’s being transported and how it is being kept in the landfill. That would help people determine whether the safety valves are there or not there. When you hear the agencies talk about it, they say they have a stellar track record for keeping us safe. And every year you hear about catastrophes that occur and violations that occur at these different waste treatment places. Those two notions don’t square in my mind or the minds of anybody else that has any sense.

QK: So you still have some concerns when state environmental officials say that they’ve tested this latest waste coming from the Manhattan Project, that it’s within the limits that the site is permitted to take? And there’s only seven similar sites in the country, so you just gotta grit your teeth and bear with it?

WE: Yeah but that doesn’t really make sense. There’s a significant amount of it that’s coming and there’s certainly no legal prohibition against dividing it into some different landfills. Why does it all have to come here? Particularly since the waste is rated at a level that would allow it to go to many other landfills — and many other landfills that are closer to New York than here. They can talk all day about how this landfill provides added security. But if the waste is rated low enough that it can go just about anywhere, then why don’t you send it just about anywhere?

QK: I have heard that it was somewhat cheaper to dispose of it in landfills here as opposed to other places. Have you heard that same reasoning?

WE: Absolutely. And I think that that, in and of itself, calls for a state solution. It appears to me that there are two solutions that we ought to be working on as a community. One is, we ought to act legislatively, get our legislature to refuse to take it. In other words, change the rules about Michigan being able to take the hazardous waste. That’s why it’s coming out of New York, New York won’t take it. That’s one option. That’s a pretty drastic one, but a significant one. The other one is to raise the tipping fees such that it is not so profitable for those who want to deliver the waste here. I think both of those are solutions that bear some close scrutiny and, I think, support.

There are many states that are less populated than Michigan. Wayne County is the largest by population county in the state of Michigan. It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material. Nobody wants it. There’s no financial advantage to the county for accepting it. The disadvantages are creating a further health care risk. And we’re already rated poorly in the state of Michigan in terms of health indicators.

In August, Eva Goodman was placed in handcuffs and a jail uniform for sleeping in a courtroom during a field trip. Goodman, 15, was visiting with a group organized by the nonprofit the Greening of Detroit. During the visit, Judge Kenneth King of the 36th District court scolded the teen for her “attitude” and behavior.

Goodman’s mother told the Free Press after the incident that their family did not have permanent housing and got in late the night before. Judge King was temporarily removed from the court docket, and his classes at Wayne State University were reassigned due to his suspension.

Since the incident, the Created Equal team has been examining through conversations how society responds to people who live in poverty.

Subscribe to Created Equal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Rema-Vassar, a professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University, spent 20 years working in education and studies race, gender and class implications in schools. She says King’s response to the incident in court was inappropriate.

“My adviser at UCLA used to say, ‘all behavior is functional.’ There’s a reason for all behavior. So if the baby is sleeping in the court, the human response is to figure out why,” Vassar said. “Teachers get to come in and say, ‘I haven’t had my coffee. Don’t bother me for five minutes,’ right? A judge can say, ‘I have to take a recess, I need to compose myself and come back.’ Why aren’t children allowed to do that? Why can’t children say, ‘hey, I’m tired.'”

Vassar joined the show on Tuesday to talk more about how a student’s behavior in school can be a reflection of their circumstances at home.

Guest: 

• Dr. Rema-Vassar is a professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

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

A family is suing a Wayne County judge after he ordered a teenager into jail clothes and handcuffs during a field trip at the courthouse.

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

On a field trip with The Greening of Detroit Aug. 13, 15-year-old Eva Goodman was singled out by 36th District Court Judge Kenneth King for falling asleep and having what he considered a bad attitude, the Associated Press reported.

King had Goodman handcuffed, changed into jail clothes and threatened in front of her peers with juvenile detention. The family is accusing the judge of humiliation, false arrest and unlawful detention in the lawsuit filed on Wednesday, which seeks more than $75,000 in damages.

The lawsuit states that King’s actions were “extreme and outrageous and calculated for the purpose of inflicting fear and severe emotional distress.”

Goodman’s mother told reporters that her daughter was probably tired because they do not have a permanent residence.

King was removed from courtroom duties last week until he completes training. 

Reporting by Ed White, Associated Press

Other headlines for Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024:

• School starts next week for many districts, and Michigan State Police is reminding parents to check on the safety history of local school buses.
• The Episcopal Church of the Messiah will be hosting its third gun destruction event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 at the church, 231 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit.
• The community group Avalon Village is accepting applications for “Hood Camp,” a unique camping experience designed to teach urban survival skills to kids ages 12-18.

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

The man acquitted last month in the first-degree murder of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll will not face a retrial, a Wayne County judge decided Friday.

Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 29, of Detroit, was sentenced to 18 months to 15 years in prison for lying to police officers in relation to Woll’s stabbing death inside her Lafayette Park townhouse last fall.

The jury in the case was deadlocked on counts of felony murder and home invasion, leading prosecutors to seek a retrial in the case. However, Jackson-Bolanos’ attorneys filed a motion last month to dismiss the remaining charges, citing a 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case which held that deadlocked charges cannot be retried in a case where a defendant is acquitted of similar charges, per the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The judge affirmed the motion and dismissed both charges.

Prosecutors in the case called the 6-3 Supreme Court ruling “bad law,” insisting to the court that they plan to appeal the decision. Van Houten acknowledged that she agreed with prosecutors about the United States v. Scott Yeager ruling, but said she was legally bound and couldn’t “ignore precedent that has been set by the U.S. Supreme Court.”

While lying to police officers typically carries a maximum five-year sentence in Michigan, Jackson-Bolanos faces up to 15 years in prison for his status as a habitual offender, minus 243 days for time already served.

“Lying to a police officer is not some victimless crime that is not important or isn’t serious,” said Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Dominic DeGrazia before the sentencing. “Lying to a police officer is how innocent people get convicted in crimes.”

The judge said she took Jackson-Bolanos’ previous criminal history into account before sentencing, as well as the amount of times the defendant lied throughout the course of the investigation and subsequent trial.

“If lying was an Olympic sport, you would get the gold medal sir,” Van Houten said to Jackson-Bolanos. “Because you told lie after lie after lie throughout those interviews, interrogations and even a few on the stand. And the number of lies does factor into this.”

Defense attorney Brian Brown called the claims by the judge that his client lied on the stand “unsubstantiated,” and promised to appeal the sentence.

Detroit residents had a chance to vote in Tuesday’s primary election to select candidates that will appear on the November general election ballot. 

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In the 13th Congressional District, which includes most of Detroit and several Downriver communities, incumbent Democrat Shri Thanedar held off a challenge from City Councilmember Mary Waters.

Thanedar won the primary with 54% of the vote.  He had a large advantage in campaign finances and used part of that money to run a flurry of television ads in the days leading up to the election. Thanedar will face Republican Martell Bivings in November, who was unopposed in the GOP primary. 

James Hooper won the Republican primary in the 12th Congressional District, which represents about a third of Detroit.  He defeated Linda Sawyer 60% to 40%  Hooper will go on to face incumbent Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in November. Tlaib was uncontested in the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 12th District.   

Michigan voters also narrowed the list of candidates running for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin won the Democratic primary, defeating actor and entrepreneur Hill Harper by a 3-1 statewide margin. Former Congressman Mike Rogers prevailed in the GOP contest for Senate, outpacing former Congressman Justin Amash. Rogers and Slotkin will appear on the November ballot. 

In the Wayne County Sheriff race, incumbent Democrat Raphael Washington won the nomination for his party, defeating Joan Merriweather by a 2-1 margin. He’ll face Republican challenger T.P. Nykoriak, who defeated Republican Articia Bomer, in November.

Additionally Wayne County voters passed two ballot initiatives. Proposal P, a measure renewing a millage to help fund county parks for five years, passed by a large margin. Voters also approved Proposition A, which removes language in the Wayne County Charter requiring it find a new auditor every eight years.

Voters in Detroit overwhelmingly passed Proposal L, which renews the city’s Library Operating Millage for another 10 years, with 85% of residents supporting the measure.

For more primary election results, visit wdet.org/series/michigan-election-results.

Other headlines for Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024:

• The Jackson House will be honored during a ceremony at Greenfield Village in Dearborn Thursday night.
• The Detroit Police Department is holding annual National Night Out events this week, with some events planned for Wednesday night.

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

Many Bangladeshi Americans in Michigan are celebrating on Monday amid news that the country’s prime minister resigned and fled the country.

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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s decision to flee comes after weeks of protests against a quota system for government jobs descended into violence and grew into a broader challenge to her 15-year rule.

Student protestors have been asking the government to end the quota system, which allocated one-third of all government jobs to the descendants of those who fought in the Independence War of 1971. That left a small number of jobs for others in a country with more than 170 million people.

The government met protestors with force — killing hundreds and wounding and arresting thousands.  More than 200 people have been killed by government forces in the last few days as people demanded answers about the deaths of student protestors. 

Thousands of protestors celebrated the news of her resignation in the capital Dhaka.  But the celebrations soon turned violent in places, with protesters attacking symbols of her government and party, ransacking and setting fires in several buildings.

A community gathering is scheduled for 6 p.m. today at Jayne Field in Detroit. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Other headlines for Monday, Aug. 5, 2024:

•  The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it is providing more than $118 million in food benefits to 983,531 students through its new Michigan Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) program.
• The Michigan Department of Transportation is inviting the public to give online feedback about its five-year transportation program.
• The Hamtramck Police Department is seeking youth applicants ages 12-15 for the first Hamtramck Police Youth Academy.
• Central City Health is offering free dental exams and x-rays this month in Midtown Detroit.

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

Wayne County voters approved two ballot initiatives on Tuesday that will renew a millage to fund improvements to parks and recreational facilities and remove a requirement to find a new financial auditor every eight years.

Proposition P renews the county’s existing millage to provide continued financial support for parks and related facilities, generating approximately $14 million annually from 2026 to 2030. 

The funds raised through this millage will be directed toward capital improvements and infrastructure projects in major parks, including Hines Park, Elizabeth Park, Wayne County Family Aquatic Center at Chandler Park, and improvements to municipal parks in more than 40 Wayne County communities.

For a home assessed at $100,000, the renewed millage will add around $12 per year to homeowners’ property tax bill.

The proposal passed with more than 74% of the vote.

Voters also approved Proposition A, which removes language in the Wayne County Charter requiring it find a new auditor every eight years, and instead, allow any qualified auditing firm to be awarded a contract for services when the contract is competitively bid.

More information about the proposal, which passed with 52.4% of the vote, can be found here.

Lastly, voters in Detroit also approved Proposal L, which renews the city’s Library Operating Millage for another 10 years. The 3.9943 millage renewal — which will not raise residents’ taxes — will provide city libraries with almost all of its operating budget for the next decade.

Homeowners in the city will continue to pay $3.99 per $1,000 of taxable property value. The millage renewal also includes changes to Detroit’s tax capture policies that will boost library funding by an additional $3 million next year.

Officials said if the proposal had not passed, Detroit’s 22 libraries would have closed.

Detroiters voted overwhelmingly to renew the millage, with over 85% of voters approving the measure.

WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.