The Metro

Since 1928, The Redford Theatre has been a fixture in the heart of the Detroit community. Standing just off of Lahser and Grand River in Detroit, the theater prides itself on showing unique films. 

Recently, the theater received a grant from the state historic preservation office to restore its iconic steel windows, helping maintain the historic space and keep the charm that makes it a special place to view a film. 

As one of the busiest times of the year for the theater, Halloween season has become a favorite among movie lovers. The line-up ranges from horror and gore to family favorites. 

Directly next door to the theater is the Motor City Cinema Society. Its main goal is to curate, preserve and showcase movies on film and provide an engaging and inclusive experience for our patrons. 

Redford Theatre programmer and volunteer John Monaghan joined the show to talk more about the importance of preserving and showing films of the past. 

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

A few years out of the pandemic, overdose deaths continue to drop. 

A new report found that overdose deaths declined by 37 percent from 2023 to 2024. Local EMS calls related to drug overdoses dropped as well.

What are Southeast Michigan government officials doing to try to continue lowering addiction and overdose rates since the numbers hit all-time highs?

Narcan availability is a big reason for this drop. But local governments are making more investments in physical and mental health care too. Oakland County just opened its 360 Care Center, which offers same-day services for non-emergency medical needs. 

Why is addiction a big problem for so many people in the first place? And what can health professionals and everyday folks do to try to stop it from ruining peoples’ lives? Producer Sam Corey spoke with Deputy County Executive for Oakland County Madiha Tariq to learn more.

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

In Michigan, some people coming home from prison face another kind of sentence — silence at the end of every rental application. State law does not prohibit landlords from denying housing because of a person’s criminal record. 

Lawmakers tried to change that last year with the Fair Chance Access to Housing Act. It would have asked landlords to look deeper and weigh time served, work history, and rehabilitation before they said no. But the bill never reached the floor.

Advocates want it revived, saying the need is even more urgent now. 

Michigan is short roughly 185,000 affordable homes for its lowest-income renters, and when housing is this scarce, those with records are quick to get shut out.

Landlord groups have resisted. They say they should exercise discretion over whom they rent to and that safety must come first.

So, the question before lawmakers — and all of us — is a simple one with hard edges: When does a person’s past stop defining where they’re allowed to live?

Tony Gant, an advocate for people affected by the criminal justice system, spent 20 years in prison. 

Gant joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss living in a gray area between rehabilitation and acceptance, and how he’s trying to make change in Michigan.

Nabeela Najjar is the creative force behind Seamstress Bee, where she works as a costume and fashion designer.

A graduate of the College for Creative Studies, Nabeela uses her vision to create mystical costumes and designs inspired by the dreamworld and nature. She hand-dyes flowy fabrics like silk and chiffon to form one-of-a-kind, ethereal garments.

Nabeela was named a Gucci Changemaker Scholar, and her work has been displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. Her designs range from everyday wear to conceptual pieces you’d see on the runway.

Funding for arts and culture grants in Michigan is preserved in the state budget for fiscal year 2026.

Last month's budget proposal passed by the Republican-led State House eliminated all funding for arts and culture grants from the state.

The entity that administers arts and culture grants for the state is the Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). In 2025, MACC grants awarded totaled over $10.5 million.

The council distributes grant funds to arts and culture programs throughout the state, providing funding for things like K-12 arts programs, cultural festivals and museums.

To better understand what arts and culture grants from the state fund, Cary Junior II spoke with Lauren Ward, director of the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan. They spoke on Thursday, before the final state budget had been passed for fiscal year 2026.

Editor's note: The state budget was passed on October 3. This conversation took place on October 2 as budget negotiations were underway. 

Employees at the Exclusive Brands Marijuana & Cannabis Dispensary have been striking for over a month. They say they’re expected to work more without any additional pay and that when they express their concerns, their hours are cut. Employees are attempting to join the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which already represents cannabis workers in Michigan, but they say Exclusive refuses to recognize their union.

Emily Hull, a striking budtender at Exclusive Brands in Ann Arbor, and Megan Carvalho, the national campaign coordinator for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union’s cannabis program, joined the show to discuss the working conditions at the dispensary and the state of the strike.

The Metro contacted the head of Exclusive Brands’ Ann Arbor facility. We have not heard back.

Leaders in Detroit's business and government sectors greatly invested in entertainment downtown. That investment has attracted more people to shop, eat and enjoy themselves in the city.

The economic activity generated from that is a real gain for the city, but keeping the streets clean and safe during events comes at a cost. 

In September, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan released a report that explores a ticket tax to that could pay for the upkeep. 

Pete Saunders, an urban planner and writer who covers Chicago, which has a version of this tax, joined the show to discuss what implementing it could look like.  

Before the 1970s, it was rare to watch or read news about Detroit reported by Black journalists.

An attorney named William V. Banks changed that when he purchased and launched WGPR-TV - the nation's first Black-owned television station. Programs like "The Scene" and "Big City News" became staples on the network and in Detroiter's homes.

Many Black journalists were trained at WGPR, then went on to be seasoned broadcasters. WGPR Historical Society is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding on October 4.

Joe Spencer, President of the non-profit and the former Director of Programming at WGPR, joined the show to discuss the station's legacy.

When Mike Duggan was sworn in as Detroit’s mayor more than a decade ago, much of the city was in the dark. Four out of every 10 streetlights didn’t work. His administration rebuilt the grid and relit neighborhoods block by block.

Blight became another target. Crews tore down thousands of abandoned houses that posed safety risks. With hundreds of millions in federal relief, Duggan stabilized the budget and funded neighborhood programs. Meanwhile, the city’s violent crime rate eased: just over 200 homicides last year, the lowest number since the mid-1960s.

Other markers point to momentum. Detroit’s population has inched up for two years in a row — rare for a city that has seen decades of decline. Moody’s even restored Detroit’s investment-grade bond rating. Duggan highlights these milestones when he calls himself "a fixer".

But Detroit’s recovery is uneven. Roughly one in three residents lived in poverty last year — the highest rate since 2017. The city has yet to fully address an estimated $600 million in property-tax overassessments that forced many families from their homes. Housing remains scarce. A city-commissioned study estimates Detroit needs more than 40,000 additional affordable rental homes for households earning under $25,000 a year — a 45,200-unit gap as of 2021.

The broader picture is mixed: while downtown investment is visible, many neighborhoods still face population loss and a lack of basic infrastructure.

Still, compared with the Detroit Duggan inherited in 2014, the city holds more promise today, and much of that transformation happened under his watch.

Now Duggan wants to take his record statewide. He’s running for governor of Michigan in 2026 as an independent — and asking voters across the state to buy into his version of Detroit’s turnaround.

The mayor joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss how his strategies can scale statewide.

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

Detroit is known for its cars, but it’s also known for creating a lot of space for those cars. 

Wide roads with many lanes cross the city and its suburbs.

But there’s a real push from Detroit planners to change that — to make our streets more compatible and safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and to slow down motorists. 

Three years ago, Detroit published a “Streets for People” report about how to improve its streets. 

And earlier this week, a city official told The Metro that Detroit plans to make a series of truck route restrictions in Southwest. That regulation is meant to prevent big trucks from navigating neighborhood blocks. 

Producer Sam Corey spoke with Wayne State Urban Planner Eric Bettis about why Detroit has wide roads, and whether the city is trying to durably change that.

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