The Metro

The thousands of domestic violence calls Warren police receive annually are pushing law enforcement to act differently, to move faster and meet survivors where they are.

In May, city police launched Operation Cycle Break, a new program designed to close the gaps in how domestic violence cases move through the system. The goal is fewer repeat calls, and fewer incidents overall. The effort brings together the Warren Police Department, prosecutors, a nonprofit that supports survivors, and researchers at Wayne State University.

Detective Sergeant James Twardesky and Captain Brent Chisolm of the Warren police department are the architects of Operation Cycle Break. They joined the show to explain the initiative. 

Michigan’s cannabis industry has become one of the largest in the nation. Last year alone, people here bought over $3 billion worth of legal weed, second only to California.

Now, the state wants to take that success and pave roads with it. State lawmakers just passed a new 24 percent wholesale tax in the state budget, set to begin in January. It will raise an estimated $420 million a year for transportation projects.

Supporters call it smart budgeting, “pot for potholes.” But others see a troubling shift: a young industry, still finding its footing, being asked to carry the weight of Michigan’s infrastructure.

The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association is taking the debate to court. It has filed a complaint arguing the new wholesale tax unlawfully alters a voter-initiated cannabis law under the state constitution.

There is also a deeper tension. For decades, Black people in Michigan were nearly four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people.

When voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis in 2018, it came with a promise: that the people most harmed by prohibition would share in the new prosperity.

This new tax could test that promise if higher costs push small, Black- and brown-owned businesses out of the market.

So today, The Metro explores these tensions and concerns through the perspective of people in the cannabis industry.

First, we hear from Jamie Lowell, a longtime cannabis advocate. He’ll help us step back: how does Michigan’s market compare with other states?

Then we turn to Al Williams, owner of DaCut dispensaries, and president of the Detroit Cannabis Industry Association.

In metro Detroit, we’re accustomed to highways. They’re everywhere around these parts. They get us to where we’re going quite quickly. But they also have drawbacks, creating noise and air pollution and keeping potential businesses and neighbors further from each other. 

A Detroit-based organization and the state are working to change that. The project to cap I-75 could allow pedestrians to stroll between downtown Detroit and certain parts of the city. 

Eric Larson, Chief Executive Officer of the Downtown Detroit Partnership, spoke with Robyn Vincent about what's included in the plan and more.

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

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and one local non-profit is recruiting men to help end the abuse.

While men are typically the perpetrators of violence, 23% of men in Michigan experience intimate partner violence, rape or stalking. This places men in a very unique place in which they can discuss, amongst themselves, both the impacts of violence on victims and discuss how their experiences could lead to violence.

Haven, a non-profit in Oakland County, has been calling on men to raise their voices on this issue. The organization aims to eliminate domestic violence and sexual assault and provides resources to survivors in their time of need.

Haven is currently recruiting 100 men to lend their voices and support their communities in eliminating domestic violence. There's a Men of Haven recruitment event coming up on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 6-8 p.m. at Haven's headquarters in Pontiac.

Christine Kinal is the CEO of Haven. She joined the show to discuss men’s roles in addressing this very important issue.

Detroit is a city with many musical connections. But one musical connection might be helping pay for your retirement. 

Between 2010 and 2019, Michigan's treasury pension fund invested $1.1 billion into music royalties. It significantly invested in Concord, an entertainment company that holds the copyrights to over 300,000 songs. 

Its catalog includes timeless acts like Billie Holiday, Phil Collins, Cyndi Lauper, and more modern artists like Brent Faiyaz and Tyla. Every time their songs are streamed, Michigan pensions grow. 

These investments are becoming more popular thanks to streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music. 

It raises questions about how an influx of financiers could impact the music industry. And considering so few artists own their catalog, what does it mean for the earnings disparity between the musicians who make the music and the investors who profit from it?

Helping us sift through this is the founder of CAD Management, Clayton Durant. He is also an adjunct professor of music business at New York University.  

The city has started enforcing new truck routes in Southwest Detroit this week. 

For many years, residents have been blowing the horn on trucks clogging up residential streets, shaking homes, and emitting pollution in Southwest Detroit. 

Detroit’s Chief of Infrastructure Sam Krassenstein said on The Metro, community input has led to these changes in one corner of the city.

This is a step in the right direction, but community groups like The Trucks Off Our Street Coalition are calling for a citywide ordinance to address truck troubles in more neighborhoods. 

Changes in Southwest Detroit were previewed at The Trucks Off Our Street Coalition meeting last week. Producer Jack Filbrandt got into these changes and community concerns with Detroit Documenters Katerli Bounds and Noah Kincade. 

Dance is typically understood as a physical artform. A non-verbal expression of creativity, emotions and narratives. Dance is a cultural pillar that brings communities together under shared goals: to create and perform. 

Ajara Alghali is a cultural organizer who believes that dance can also be a tool for transformation and equity, and a connection between ritual and our shared environment. With these principles in mind, she co-founded the TéMaTé Institute for Black Dance and Culture in 2018. 

The organization hosts an annual dance convening that demonstrates that vision through workshops and performances from experts who span the African diaspora. This year, it takes place October 18 and 19 at the Andy Art Center and Detroit School of Arts.  Ajara joined The Metro to discuss the upcoming event.

Ferndale officials say automatic license plate readers from Flock Safety make the city safer. Residents are urging a ‘no’ vote on the technology, saying is poses significant risks to civil liberties. Ferndale City Council is expected to vote on a contract renewal in coming weeks.

Prasad Venugopal and Kathleen LaTosch are members of the Ferndale Inclusion Network. They joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss why they are urging the city council to vote no on the contract.

“Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value,” former President Joe Biden used to say. 

What he meant was that budgets aren’t just numbers on a page. They represent the things that we prioritize, the stuff we want expanded, and the work we want to shrink. 

The 2026 Michigan state budget took some time to sort out, but late last week a $75.9 billion budget was finally passed. 

Robyn Vincent spoke with Zach Gorchow, the president of Gongwer News Service Michigan to learn more about what the state budget reveals.

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

William Shakespeare is regarded as one of the greatest drama writers in recorded English language history. His work has lived on through the centuries, and today's writers and directors have found ways to keep his works alive. 

Shakespeare in Detroit is one group that has made a name for themselves being the premiere space for classical performances.

Beginning as an initiative in 2012 called Shakespeare Against Cancer, the group traveled across Michigan hospitals, healing through classical performances.  A year later, Shakespeare in Detroit hosted the cities first ever public show, a Shakespeare in the park experience.

Since then, the grassroots organization has expanded its offerings, working with kids and teens, helping the next generation of theater folks find their niche. 

Next week as part of the company’s intimate 2025 fall limited run series, "Jane Anger" will make its Michigan debut. The dark comedy takes place in the 1600s during the plague.

Samatha White the founding artistic and executive director of Shakspeare in Detroit. She is also the director of Michigan’s premiere of "Jane Anger". 

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