The Metro

Elin Warn Betanzo helped uncover the Flint water crisis. Years later, she sat on a federal panel advising the government on drinking water — until she signed a letter warning the EPA was abandoning its mission, and the agency removed her two days later. Now she's suing to get her seat back.

She joins Robyn Vincent to talk about Flint, the lawsuit, and what happens to the rest of us when the government tells its scientists to stay quiet. The Metro contacted the EPA, which said it does not comment on pending litigation.

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Many Americans say political polarization is wearing them out. According to the Listen First Project, 86% feel exhausted by the division, and 87% call it a threat to the country. So how do you actually talk to someone you disagree with? In Washtenaw County, a conservative and a liberal co-lead a chapter of Braver Angels, a group built to replace hostility with curiosity. They join producer Sam Corey to explain how it works — and why healing might start with something as small as grabbing a bagel and walking the dog.

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The Detroit Football Club’s supporting group, the Northern Guard, began Prideraiser in 2017. Every goal scored over the course of June would generate money for the Ruth Ellis Center, a social services agency fighting for LGBTQ+ youth since 1999.   

Director of Development and Advancement at the Ruth Ellis Center Jake Lenz and North Guard Supporters board member Jam Johnston join The Metro to tell the story of how these grassroots organizations came together to improve the lives of young queer people.

This weekend is filled with events for film enthusiasts, and The Senate Theater is offering a way to start the summer off. 

The theater is launching its “Hot, Sweaty and Weird” summer film series of B-movies to keep audiences engaged this summer.

The series is launching with a Pride-themed event on Saturday, June 27 at 5 p.m. The screening will also feature the documentary “The Cockettes” and John Waters’ “Multiple Maniacs.” 

The event is hosted in partnership with the Motor City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

More people are in therapy than ever, but starting in March, Blue Cross Blue Shield will stop covering some private-practice counselors, and thousands of Michiganders could lose the therapist they see now. Blue Cross says it's protecting patients by paying only for care from fully licensed clinicians.

Therapist David Sniderman joins Robyn Vincent to explain who stands to lose access — especially rural and low-income patients — and to make the case that what heals people most isn't the method, it's the trust between a therapist and client. 

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Sylvia Moy built a career at Motown as a songwriter and producer on some of the label’s biggest tracks. She also played a role in developing Stevie Wonder’s career as he began to notch multiple hit songs. Moy, however, was not given official credit for any of the songs she wrote and produced, and for many years, the scale of her impact remained unknown.

Dr. Margena Christian joined the program to discuss Moy in her new book “It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown’s Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy.” In it, she chronicles Moy’s early life, and her struggle to receive credit for her contributions to Motown and music history.

Many residents in metro Detroit — home to the nation’s largest Lebanese community — are mourning as the war between Israel and Hezbollah brings devastation to Lebanon. Since March, relentless fighting has left southern towns and villages in ruins. By May, at least 62,000 buildings were destroyed, more than 1 million people were displaced, and over 4,000 have been killed.

Mirvet Makki is the owner of Divine Dine Detroit, a catering business in Dearborn. She immigrated to Michigan from Lebanon in 1990, and she’s been using earnings from her business to make donations to folks in Lebanon. She joined host Robyn Vincent on The Metro to reflect on the heartbreak unfolding in Lebanon and how it reverberates through metro Detroit’s Lebanese community.

For comedians, every crowd is different.

Sam Tallent is a comedian, novelist, and host of the Chubby Behemoth Podcast. He's headlining the second What’s So Funny About Detroit comedy showcase of the summer on Thursday, June 25. The event will feature some of the funniest comedians in metro Detroit, including Blaine Hill and Johanna Medranda.

Tallent joined the show ahead of his appearance at What’s so Funny About Detroit to discuss stand-up comedy crowds, his creative process, and his upcoming novel “Brut.”

America's biggest landlord, Greystar, charges renters a pile of extra fees — for trash, for pest control, even for "managing the boiler." It paid $24 million to settle claims that it hid those fees on top of advertised rent. Greystar says it did nothing wrong.

Investigative reporter Tracie McMillan spent months searching the leases and court records, and joins Robyn Vincent to explain what renters — including thousands across metro Detroit — are really paying, and what to look for on your own lease.

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"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker is a tale that spans 40 years, following a Black woman named Celie living in the early 1900s American South as she searches for her sister.

The story has been adapted for the screen and several live performances. Now the Detroit Youth Choir (DYC) is performing the story at The Hawk Theatre in Farmington Hills. They have four shows planned from June 26-28. 

Jala Jackson is the director of theater production for DYC. DJ Whitfield is a recent graduate of Taylor Preparatory Academy; he's playing the lead role of Mister. Sydney Thomas is a rising Junior at Novi High School; she's playing the lead role of Shug Avery. 

They joined the show to chat more about upcoming performances and why "The Color Purple" was chosen.