Earlier this year, a University of Michigan student from China voted in November’s presidential election. He was part of a group of likely 16 noncitizens in Michigan who voted in that election.

That number accounts for a tiny fraction of the vote, less than .0003 percent. And those votes didn’t impact the 2024 November election results. 

But a number of people were upset by noncitizens voting. Last month, Republicans gathered to launch a ballot initiative to strengthen existing laws that ensure non-American citizens can’t vote in Michigan elections. To do that, their initiative would require voters to show photo identification to cast a ballot. 

Many liberals, including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, are against this measure. The voting official says, if passed, the initiative could suppress the vote. 

So what’s in this new measure? And, what case is Americans for Citizen Voting making to Michiganders to gather the hundreds of thousands of signatures needed to get on the 2026 ballot?

Producer Sam Corey spoke with Paul Jacob, chair of Americans for Citizen Voting in Michigan.

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Tribal members and environmental advocates delivered letters urging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and EGLE Director Phil Roos to reject Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel. EGLE’s comment window on wetlands and bottomlands permits closes Friday.

Enbridge Energy says a concrete-lined tunnel deep beneath the lakebed would minimize spill risks and ensure energy reliability. 

Sean McBrearty of Oil and Water Don't Mix joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss the coalition's specific request and the evidence behind its concerns.

EGLE’s public comment period for the permits tied to wetlands and bottomlands closes this Friday, August 29. Here's how to add your voice:

Editor’s Note: Enbridge is a financial supporter of WDET. Our newsroom observes a clear boundary between funders and editorial content, and we do not serve the agendas of those who support us.

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Detroit is a manufacturing city and with this comes hazardous waste – toxic, reactive, flammable, and corrosive material that’s dangerous to people. 

So what happens to all this hazardous waste? Federal and State Laws require facilities to obtain a license to store, dispose or treat it. 

That includes EQ Detroit Inc., which operates a hazardous waste site in Midtown near the I-94 and I-75 interchange. The company’s license is up for renewal, and not all residents are in support. 

But public sentiment is not the law, said Tracy Kecskemeti at the public informational meeting on Aug. 13. She’s the acting materials management division director for the Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy. EGLE is the state regulator that oversees these hazardous waste sites. 

Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke to Detroit Documenters Colleen Cirrocco and Lynelle Herndon to learn more about what community members had to say. The next meeting on this issue is Sept. 4 at Tech Town. 

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The Michigan Department of Transportation recently announced postponing a planned I-375 reconstruction project citing increasing increased costs and community feedback.

The project was characterized as repartive, a way to correct past injustices that occured when primarily Black neighborhoods were demolished to build highways. 

While engaging the commuity, MDOT presented on the history of the notable Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighoborhoods that thrived in the area 1-375 now sits.

Marcia Black and Lex Draper Garcia Bey from Black Bottom Archives joined Tia Graham on The Metro to share their reaction to the I-375 redesign project being postponed.

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Starting out as a recreational league at Belle Isle in 2010, Detroit City Football Club has grown its footprint in Detroit and Metro Detroit, quickly amassing a loyal and passionate fanbase. 

Now, over a decade later, a new stadium is helping usher in a new era for DCFC. AlumniFi Field is set to open for the 2027 USL Championship season. 

Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of this year in the Corktown and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods, pending Detroit City Council’s approval.

Detroit City Football Club Stadium Neighborhood Advisory Council will begin to accept nominations. Any Detroit residents who live within the impact area and are over 18 are eligible to serve.

CEO and Co-founder of DCFC Sean Mann joined Tia Graham on The Metro to talk more about the stadium and the community that AlumniFi will call home.

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

The City of Detroit launched a pilot composting program for the first 200 people to sign up last week. 

Demand was so high that the first openings are filled and hundreds of others are on a wait list. That enthusiasm is good news for proponents of urban agriculture in Detroit. 

The City of Detroit’s Director of Sustainability, Tepfirah Rushdan, and the city’s Deputy Director of Urban Agriculture, Patrice Brown, joined The Metro to discuss the enthusiasm for the program, and the future of urban agriculture and sustainability in Detroit.

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

Dan Gilbert’s Hudson’s tower was sold as a symbol of comeback for Detroit — a shiny promise of jobs, growth, and a Woodward Avenue reborn.

But behind the glass, there is a more complicated story. 

State officials approved over $600 million in tax breaks across several Bedrock projects, including Hudson’s. Locally, Gilbert also won a $60 million city tax abatement, with the Downtown Development Authority playing a key role in downtown financing.

But the returns are uncertain. A University of Michigan study projects the incentives could generate benefits through 2052. 

Critics say many promised jobs are simply relocations from GM’s headquarters and other Gilbert buildings, rather than net new opportunities for Detroiters.

Meanwhile, the flow of public money remains murky. 

To see if the subsidies are paying off, the Detroit Free Press is now suing the Michigan Department of Treasury to gain access to state records. Detroit Free Press reporter JC Reindel is helping lead the fight for information. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how this story asks a deeper question about public subsidies and if they serve Detroiters or developers.

Jermond Booze, professionally known as Chef Booze or simply Booze, was born and raised in Arkansas and has turned Detroit into home. His southern roots are foundational to who he is and to the way he views food as a conduit for larger conversations.

Through hosting music-themed dinners, mentoring kids, and winning “Chopped,” Booze has become instrumental in Detroit’s food scene.

Like his mother and many family members, Booze graduated from the historic Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. The school is known for the Little Rock Nine, the brave Black students who integrated the school in 1957. He says he did not fully understand the significance of that history, or the role his family played in the civil rights movement in Arkansas, until he was an adult.

When COVID-19 shutdowns were enacted and social distancing became the norm, restaurants and public spaces emptied out. Streets across the country went quiet. But people, cities and businesses adapted. Many set up temporary outdoor seating. It provided a much-needed solution in a public health and economic crisis.

In Northville, as the pandemic crisis waned, outdoor dining remained. The city’s downtown was reminiscent of cafes and public plazas in other, more walkable, less car-dominated cities around the world. 

City residents and elected officials wanted to make the innovation permanent. 

In 2023, the Northville City Council voted to close the two main streets in downtown Northville, Center and Main, during summer months. Residents were drawn to the city center like never before. But not everyone was happy with the changes.

Community groups were formed, for and against. Let’s Open Northville has filed multiple lawsuits to end street dining and seasonal road closures in downtown Northville. Community Over Cars and Northville City Council are in favor of street dining and seasonal road closures.

On July 9, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Charlene Elder ordered Main street and Center streets opened back up, saying seasonal road closures violated the city's charter. The City of Northville appealed Judge Elder's ruling and on October 1, she’ll make a final ruling.

Kristi Wysocki and Peter Hoffman from Community Over Cars joined the Metro to discuss their group's efforts to preserve seasonal road closures and outdoor dining in downtown Northville.

The Metro contacted the City of Northville and the group Let’s Open Northville. We haven’t heard back.

Guests:

Nicole Melnyk is a comedian known for her energy and sharp wit. The Lansing native has performed at WDET's What's So Funny About Detroit event in the past, and now she's headlining on August 28.

She joined Tia Graham to talk about what inspired her comedy, why she reps Lansing so hard, and her love of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

You can buy tickets for next week's Old Miami performance at wdet.org/events.

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