The Metro

This Saturday is Record Store Day, an industry holiday created in 2008 to support independent record stores when the record industry was in shambles. Every year, music fans and collectors flock to their local shop to see what’s going on, enjoy live music and DJ's, discounts, and exclusive new releases. 

After more than 15 years, we wanted to know how Record Store Day has changed since its inception, and the state of record-collecting today.

To find out The Metro’s David Leins caught up with Dave Lawson, prolific record-collector and host of The Shake Out on WDET, Tuesday nights from 8-9 p.m. 

He says there is something to enjoy at most every independent record store in Southeast Michigan. In addition to your local shop, these stores are independently owned and have something special on offer.

Metro Detroit's infrastructure is old. Many of the homes people live in, the streets they drive on, and the drainage systems they use were constructed many decades ago. And most of that infrastructure is considered grey — it's made of concrete, steel, and asphalt. The good news is that green infrastructure projects are cropping up around metro Detroit.

What do those look like? Why do they matter? Jim Nash is the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent.

House Republicans introduced bills to eliminate Michigan's 2040 clean energy requirement and limit community solar programs to 1% of utility sales. Host Robyn Vincent examines the competing arguments over energy costs and affordability with Michigan Advance reporter Kyle Davidson.

In 2019, Michigan’s largest utility ended what's called net metering. That meant if you had solar panels, you no longer got full credit for the extra energy you sent back to the grid. So, instead of getting a dollar’s worth of credit, you might get 30 cents. But in Ann Arbor, this didn’t slow down rooftop solar, or make it less attractive financially. Solar installations exploded there. From 17 per year before 2019 to 180 per year since 2020.

This is partly because of a program called Solarize — neighbors banding together to get group discounts on solar installations. Now it has spread across metro Detroit. Julie Roth launched Solarize. She spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.

Detroit teenagers have been gathering in large numbers downtown over the past few weeks. On its face, there's a simple explanation: as the weather warms up, teens are looking for somewhere to be. But there was a time when Detroit teenagers already had those places. So what happened to them?

Pete Saunders, an urban planner and publisher of the Substack The Corner Side Yard, thinks these gatherings are signaling something deeper about how American culture changed. He joined the show to discuss why these teen gatherings are happening  across the U.S.

This summer, up to 200 Detroit high school students will have the chance to turn their creativity into a paycheck through the Summer Arts Employment Training program, also known as SAET. Young people ages 14 to 17 will receive hands-on arts training while gaining real-world job experience.

The program is led by Heritage Works in partnership with Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts (DEYA), along with Grow Detroit’s Young Talent and over 10 arts groups across the city.

Nafeesah Symonette is the co-founder and executive director of DEYA.  Alvin “AJ” Lockett is the founder of Que Blackout Youth Theater. Both joined The Metro's Tia Graham to talk more about summer jobs and having a space for teens to learn and grow.

Why is it so hard to find information on local candidates? And, how can you fill that information gap this election season? Josh Altic from Ballotpedia joins The Metro to explain how the “digital encyclopedia of American politics” does it.

This week is national Black Maternal Health Week. It's not only a time to raise awareness, but a time to have honest conversations about what families are experiencing right now.

In the U.S., Black women are still significantly more likely to face serious complications or even die from pregnancy-related causes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was nearly 45 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024.

And those disparities remain consistent regardless of income or education. 

What would it look like to center families, to bring birth back into the community? What would it look like for families to have options like birthing centers? 

Leseliey Welch is the co-founder of Birth Detroit and Birth Center Equity. She is a poet and social entrepreneur. She joined The Metro’s Tia Graham to explore the culture of birthing in this country and what needs to be done to protect Black moms.

In Washtenaw County, health officials spent nearly $100,000 containing just seven measles cases. Oakland County is now spending an additional $300,000 on vaccines as immunization rates continue to drop.

Oakland County Health Officer Kate Guzmán joins Robyn Vincent to break down what outbreaks actually cost when herd immunity can no longer do the job.

St. Clair County's medical director, Dr. Remington Nevin, is re-shaping the county's public health. He has helped lower the barrier for school vaccine waiver applications and fought to eliminate fluoridated drinking water in the county.

His positions on a number of public health issues reflect a growing skepticism of medical doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. They also reflect many of the views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Nevin tells Bridge Michigan's Eli Newman that he welcomes the comparison: “To the extent that some residents may be comparing us, I would consider that a great compliment and honor. One underestimates him and the strength of his convictions at their peril.”

Nevin received medical training at Johns Hopkins University and has been the part-time medical director of St. Clair County since 2023.

Eli Newman, health reporter for Bridge Michigan, joined The Metro to share his reporting on Dr. Nevin and how he is changing public health policy and perceptions in St. Clair County.