The Detroit Evening Report

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover new incentives for utilities to improve reliability. Plus, construction begins on I-696 east.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover emergency response improvements from the city, an Interfaith Day of Unity and more.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].

Tonight on The Detroit Evening Report, we cover new water rates, upcoming road closures, proposed legislation for transfer students and more.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will deliver her seventh State of the State address at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 26. She’s expected to outline her administration’s plans for the next year in the address, covering key topics like her plans for job growth, lowering costs and improving the state’s roads. 

Plus, motorists throughout metro Detroit are preparing for the closure of eastbound I-696 in the city’s northern suburbs.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].

About 190 families displaced by last week’s water main break in Southwest Detroit are still in hotels as repairs and cleanup continues. City officials say repairs to the most-damaged homes should be completed within the next six weeks. Plus, the nonprofit Michigan Immigrant Rights Center is applauding the Trump administration's decision to rescind a freeze on funding that pays for attorneys to represent unaccompanied migrant children.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].

Nearly all federal departments and agencies seem to be under the corporate cost-cutting strategy that President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are bringing to the U.S. government: veteran affairs, defense department, department of education to name a few. 

There is one agency that gets less attention, but has a direct impact on Americans’ wallets. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, protects Americans from fraud, scams and unfair business practices.

Earlier this month, over 100 CFPB employees were laid off with many more expected. A federal judge ordered the CFPB to pause its plans for mass layoffs on February 14. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for March 3. 

Angela Hanks is the former Associate Director of External Affairs at the CFPB. She was a Biden-Harris appointee and left the CFPB as part of normal administration transitions. Hanks joins the show to discuss what will happen if the nation’s consumer watchdog agency is gutted by mass layoffs. 

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

The Democrats took a lot of hits in November at the national level. Republicans now control both chambers of Congress in addition to the Supreme Court and the White House. 

In Michigan, the bleeding wasn’t as bad, but Democrats did lose the state House. Many claim they missed many opportunities during November’s lame duck session. 

Losses can be painful, but they are also an opportunity to do something differently. 

It’s a chance to win back power, and so far Democrats have been positioning themselves as a party of collaborators. This seems especially true after Governor Gretchen Whitmer went to the White House on Saturday to “find common ground.” 

Building trust with Republicans seems to be part of the plan. 

Curtis Hertel Jr. is the new chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, a former state legislator and congressional candidate. He joins The Metro to discuss Democrats' overall goals and the lessons learned in 2024.

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

Federal departments are under scrutiny by Trump and Elon Musk, under the guise of making the government more efficient. Although Musk wasn’t elected by anyone, he’s been making sweeping changes and massive cuts to federal agencies — many of which regulate his companies.

His so-called Department of Government Efficiency, approved by Trump, has fired 1,000 National Parks Service employees; 3,400 U.S. Forest Service workers and 2,400 people at the Veterans Affairs department. 

These moves have frustrated many people and sparked some heated moments across the country. In town halls held this past weekend, Republican lawmakers were confronted by angry voters demanding answers. 

Doug Collins, the Trump-appointed Veterans Affairs Secretary, has said the department isn’t cutting critical health care or benefits. 

Joining us now is Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. She represents Michigan’s 6th Congressional District and she’s been sounding the alarm about cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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

The Dearborn Police Department is investigating a road rage incident that resulted in the death of a 19-year-old Dearborn Heights girl. Plus, Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County says the organization is scrambling for funding after the Trump administration froze spending promised to help resettle refugees.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation on Friday to preserve Michigan’s lower minimum wage for tipped workers and to modify the law that requires most employers to provide paid sick leave — just hours after the bills were sent to her by the Legislature. Plus, local leaders are saying cuts to the U.S. Department of Education could affect the state if President Donald Trump shuts down the agency.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at [email protected].