The Metro

The Flat Rock Dam will be partially removed by the Huron-Clinton Metroparks after Flat Rock City Council voted not to purchase it for $5. Metroparks CEO Amy McMillan and Senior Director of River Restoration at American Rivers Brian Graber join The Metro to discuss the benefits of dam removal and the plan for Flat Rock Dam.

he FBI put out its 2025 crime numbers this month, andthey show the largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since estimations began in 1936. Robbery fell 18 and a half percent. Murder dropped by 18.5% — that rate is now tied with 1955 for the lowest ever recorded in this country. Detroit is part of that trend. The city ended last year with the lowest number of homicides since 1965. Carjackings dropped 46 percent.

What nobody fully agrees on is why. Andy Arena spent 24 years in the FBI and ran its Detroit division. He now leads the Detroit Crime Commission. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why violent crime is declining — and how to continue the trend. 

Animation fans have long awaited the release of "Coyote vs Acme."

The Looney Tunes film blends live-acting and animation into a movie that sees the character, Wile E Coyote, in a legal battle with Acme after the Acme products the Coyote uses to catch Roadrunner keep failing.

The project was finished, but it was shelved by Warner Brothers in 2023 for a tax write off. After fans pushed for the release, "Coyote vs. Acme" is now in theaters.

And the film has some local ties.

Detroiter Bennie Taylor plays a character role in "Coyote Vs Acme." Since 2020, he's played various character roles and continues to see his screentime grow.

In 2026, Taylor was featured in the film "Buddy," starring Keegan-Michael Key, a Michigan native, Patton Oswalt and Delaney Quinn.

Taylor spoke with The Metro's Tia Graham about his career, Detroit and the future.

In Her Honor - Detroit is a part of a three-day event using art, storytelling, remembrance and action to honor the mothers lost to maternal mortality. 

The Detroit Institute of Arts hosted a screening of the documentary ‘Aftershock’ to kick off the series.

The film follows stories of loss, grief and advocacy for Black and Brown mothers who have died from pregnancy-related complications. 

Omari Maynard is a Brooklyn-based artist, educator, and advocate. Maynard is featured in Aftershock. Audiences follow along as Omari reshapes his life after the death of his partner, Shamony Gibson.

Maynard created portraits of remembrance for Black and Brown women lost to a lack of support and resources in the maternal health system. 

One portrait turned into dozens. This spring the portraits were on display in Washington D.C. in front of 50 congressional offices, giving a name, face and story to alarming statistics. 

Alongside the portrait series in Her Honor, Maynard is the co-founder of the Ariah Foundation. 

Danielle Atkinson is the founding executive director of Mothering Justice. Mothering Justice is a grassroots advocacy organization. It empowers mothers, particularly mothers of color, to address the critical issues that impact their families and communities. 

Omari and Danielle joined The Metro to talk more about In Her Honor and Aftershock. 

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed ran the health departments of both Detroit and Wayne County. Three weeks ago, he won a U.S. Senate primary by roughly 15,000 votes statewide, and lost Detroit by nearly 2-1.

Seven miles away in Dearborn and Hamtramck, he took 78 and 82%, respectively. In Detroit, fewer people voted in this primary than in 2016. So the question in front of him now isn’t only whether Detroit residents will vote for him — it’s whether Detroit residents will turn out to vote.

Bishop James Williams is founder and senior pastor of Spirit and Truth Christian Ministries, and second vice president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity. That group supported Dr. El-Sayed during the primary. He joined host Robyn Vincent to speak about what his congregants make of the U.S. Senate race, and how their political preferences have been shifting.

Comedian T. Barb made a name for herself in Detroit. She’s become well known for her “Only in Detroit” social media reels, where she highlights unique scenes from around the Detroit streets.

Now she's making her way in Los Angeles, where her numerous gigs have included appearances on BET.

T. Barb is returning to Detroit this week to take part in WDET’s last “What’s So Funny About Detroit” comedy showcase of the summer. The show takes place on Thursday, Aug. 27 at The Old Miami on Cass Avenue.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.  All patrons must be 21+ to enter the venue.  Tickets are available online at WDET.org/events.

Three weeks ago, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. Within hours, a sitting U.S. Senator called him a terrorist. A sitting congresswoman called every Muslim holding public office in America “a Trojan horse.” Last year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) logged over 8,600 complaints nationwide, more than in any year since the group started counting in 1996. In Michigan, the chapter recorded nearly 500 — also a record, up 25% from the year before.

Amy Doukoure is the Lead Staff Attorney for CAIR-Michigan, a nonprofit dedicated to combatting anti-Muslim hate locally. She spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why anti-Muslim hate is rising, and what can be done to stop it.

What should we make of the climate movement’s accomplishments over the last decade?

On one side, the Inflation Reduction Act and Chips and Science Act helped distribute clean energy across the country. Those policies dropped solar prices — 90% over the last decade. Battery storage costs fell by the same amount from 2010 to 2020.

But the Green New Deal never passed, and many Republicans in Michigan and across the U.S. are against a clean energy transition.President Donald Trump has consistently said climate change isn’t real and the world continues to warm at a rapid clip.

Jay Inslee has been at the center of the climate movement. He was governor of Washington for three terms, and a presidential candidate in 2020 when he pushed Democrats to take climate change more seriously. What does he make of our climate politics today? And where should the climate movement go next? The Metro’s Sam Corey recently spoke with Inslee when he was in town stumping for Jocelyn Benson in her bid for governor.

A few notes about this conversation: Inslee mentioned a Washington ballot measure on climate that won 62% of the vote. That was a 2024 vote on whether to scrap the state's climate program — the one that makes big polluters pay for what they emit. Voters chose to keep it. 

He also cited a Washington vote on electric school buses. That wasn't a ballot measure — it was a bill, passed by the Legislature in 2024.

He said President Trump's White House construction and renovation projects will cost $800 million. According to Reuters, those projects are now more than $900 million.

Inslee said that 80% of rural voters supported a clean energy ballot initiative in Washington. We could not verify that.

The 25th annual International Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 31. This year’s theme is "25 Years On. Still Needed."

Overdoses are down across the country and in particular here in Michigan. Although numbers are trending down, education, the distribution of Narcan kits and peer recovery groups remain top priority for local organizations. 

Oakland County saw a 37% decrease in overdose deaths from 2023 to 2024. Part of the reason for that success is owed to the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities. The alliance launched in 2003 with support of Oakland Counties Office of Substance Abuse Services.

Jonathon Maxgay is an overdose prevention specialist with the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities.

Maxgay joined The Metro to talk more about the 25th International Overdose Awareness Day and how he’s personally been impacted by substance abuse. 

New white-tailed deer hunting regulations in Michigan are reigniting long-standing tensions between hunters and the state. Starting in 2027, hunters in the Lower Peninsula will be limited to harvesting one antlered deer (buck) per season. 

This year, hunters will be able to use high-powered rifles in Southern Michigan, below the 'rifle line,' an area which had previously been restricted to shotguns, muzzleloaders and straight-wall cartridge rifles. 

The Natural Resource Commission also approved an 'earn a buck' pilot program in five Lower Peninsula counties that will allow hunters who have harvested a doe to purchase an additional antlered deer tag. Those counties are Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Barry, Ingham and Lapeer.

Kevin Vistisen, host of the Deer Hunter Podcast, and Brent Rudolph, specialist with the Department of Natural Resources, spoke with The Metro's Owen Armentrout about the "One Buck Rule" and the end of rifle limitations in the state.