The Metro

The 13th district state Senate seat is open as Democrat Rosemary Bayer is stepping down after one term. There are several people running to represent a district that spans Northville, Plymouth, and West Bloomfield. One of those individuals is Cecil George. The owner of a landscaping company, George has never before held public office. The Metro's Sam Corey spoke to him about why he’s running.

A common assumption shapes American crime policy: that the people most exposed to crime — victims, and the officers who respond to it — want the harshest punishment in return. The evidence says otherwise. In a new survey from the Alliance for Safety and Justice, 8 in 10 officers said things like community violence intervention would make their jobs safer.

Officers want neighborhood programs. They want clinicians on certain 911 calls. They want job training, therapy, and addiction treatment instead of long prison sentences. Why is that the view from inside law enforcement? And if it is, why haven’t we built the systems to match?

Harvey Santana is the Michigan director for the Alliance for Safety and Justice. He’s based in Detroit. He spoke about all this with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.

In 2025, Jerjuan Howard joined The Metro and shared his future plans for a bookstore. 

Fast forward a year and the Howard Family Bookstore is open. 

Howard currently acts as the city of Detroit’s director of Youth Affairs. Due to the position, he took a step back from the day to day operations. The management of the bookstore is handled by Jerjuan’s aunt, Jamie Howard. 

In this conversation, we listen in on a past conversation, learning about Jerjuan's goals. In the latter half, we hear from Jamie and learn more about the importance the shop holds in the community. Jamie says watching her nephew grow into the man he is today is no surprise. 

Some cities raise you. Detroit claims you. That’s true for so many who’ve called this city home. It starts early, with the way you walk, the way you talk or the particular pride you carry when you sport the city’s iconic symbols like the old English D on a hat or a Tigers jersey. 

Jeremy Xido knows this. He grew up in an unstable home. A family that lived nearby recognized his situation and took him in and raised him in his early years. Some years later, he and his biological family moved to a different part of town and he lost touch. 

Xido is a white man who was embraced by a Black Detroit family. In his film “Sons of Detroit” he explores what happened to that family. 

The film took Jeremy on a 10 year discovery, not just of self but of community, love and connection. It’s part love letter, part detective story in which Xido reckons with the love he has for the city he left behind.

Don Was is a celebrated musician, producer, filmmaker and more. He's a six-time Grammy winner and president of the prolific jazz label Blue Note Records. But he puts more stock into a living legacy in the arts than any awards he's won.

He pours back into Detroit's arts scene and works to showcase music with soul. This week, he's being honored with a degree from Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts. 

Was joins The Metro's Cary Junior II to talk about his journey, reflecting on how he went from playing Detroit bars to international acclaim—and how he feels success doesn't change who he is at his core.

Oakland County Commission Chair Dave Woodward is the target of a recall effort. It started after an April meeting where the board approved a surveillance drone contract — and many residents never got to speak before the vote.

Woodward joins host Robyn Vincent on The Metro to address the recall, the meeting, and questions about his outside business ties.

This weekend Detroit will experience a legendary performance. The Detroit Opera House is hosting Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan May 9. The ensemble has been performing for over a century and is considered to be the world’s best mariachi band. The style of music grew in popularity after the Mexican Revolution and has remained a representation of unity for the country and its people ever since. 

Martina Guzman, a journalist and the founder and program director of VERDAD, and Detroit Opera's Director of Community and Audience Engagement Arthur White join the show to discuss Mariachi Vargas and the broader genre’s relevance today. 

High fuel costs are impacting everyone. One industry is being hit particularly hard. 

Truckers are seeing costs skyrocket as diesel costs have risen 41% since the United States and Israel started a war with Iran.  Jim Burg is the President of the James Burg Trucking Company in Warren. He’s been moving steel in the trucking business for decades. While he says costs are rising really fast, at this point, he’s only been modestly impacted by them.

Around 40% of Americans ages 45 and up report being lonely. That puts them at higher risk for all kinds of serious health concerns like dementia and stroke. Some public health researchers are turning to a new kind of prescription to address the problem. It's called “social prescribing.” 

Dr. Mary Henningfield is the executive director of the Wisconsin Research and Education Network at the University of Wisconsin. She joined the show to discuss why is loneliness so common, why it is difficult for people to overcome, and how "social prescribing" can help the healthcare can system address loneliness, instead of only its negative consequences.

A Michigan farming community of 2,300 voted against a $16 billion OpenAI and Oracle data center. The developers sued. The township settled rather than fight a trillion-dollar court battle. State Rep. Morgan Foreman tells host Robyn Vincent what her constituents lost.