The Metro

A number of candidacy announcements at the top of the year has expanded the pool of individuals running for mayor of Detroit. Eight people have emerged who want a shot at claiming the city’s top job. WDET All Things Considered host Russ McNamara has been keeping a close eye on the race and he’s already spoken to a few candidates. He joined The Metro to share what he has learned.

The rise of water main breaks, extreme weather events and flooded streets in Detroit have become far too common. 

In August 2023, historic rainfall combined with aging pipes and sewage systems left thousands of metro Detroit basements flooded and backed up with storm and sewer water. Five thousand of those homes were in Detroit.

Wayne County was one of nine counties in Michigan to receive emergency designation from FEMA. This meant affected residents could apply for federal aid to repair the damage but not the city of Detroit. 

However, a recently announced $346 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded to the city of Detroit aims to improve the community's climate resilience. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says some of the grant money will be used to repair collapsed alley drains and old sewer infrastructure that can lead to broken water mains and flooded homes. Detroit also plans to build flood-resistant affordable housing with the funding to reduce the chances of flooding during extreme weather events.

The city has up to 120 days to create an Action Plan to determine how specifically the funds will be used. 

Nick Schroeck, professor of environmental law and interim dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss why Detroit homes are so vulnerable to flooding and how the new HUD Block Grant can help.

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

On Monday, residents of Southwest Detroit woke up to their cars submerged in water, their basements flooded, and their electricity and furnaces off after a 54-inch steel water transmission main ruptured in the area of Beard and Rowan streets, amid freezing temperatures. To provide more info about the relief efforts and how residents are holding up, WDET's Bre'Anna Tinsley joined The Metro. We also spoke with Greg Martin, executive director of Disaster Relief at Work — an organization that’s been on the ground, supporting disaster relief efforts.

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

Today on The Metro, we’re celebrating looking at what Black history means to the city of Detroit. in the face of systemic obstacles, Black leaders and thinkers are still finding ways to uplift the community and envision a future where Black people can thrive. We're joined by University of Detroit Mercy Professor Roy E. Finkenbine and University of Michigan Professor of Practice in Urban planning Lauren Hood. 

While you might look amazing in your latest clothing purchase from Temu or Shein, its journey will most likely end in a landfill. 

The 7th annual Rags $2 Riches fashion show wants to highlight thrifted clothes, give them a high-end twist and show you can still look fly in second hand apparel. This is a celebration of sustainability, style and the long lasting impacts of buying used clothes. 

Stephanie Bedell founded the Rags $2 Riches Fashion show and she is also a wardrobe consultant, specializing in plus size fashion. She joins the show to talk about thrifting and the runway styled garments from Salvation Army Stores that will be featured at the event.

This has been one of the coldest weeks of winter, but it's warm inside the LOVE building. 

Tomorrow night is the final instalment of the Love@Nite:The Sun Inside series. The evening is sponsored by local non-profit Arts and Scraps and audiences can expect live soulful performances from three local artists. 

The evening will also feature warm charcuterie provided by Yum Village and non-alcoholic drinks to wash it all down. The event is free and open to the public with an RSVP. 

Executive Director Kwaku Osei joins the show to talk about the LOVE Building and Love@Nite:The Sun Inside.

It’s been 60 years since a pivotal moment in the fight for equality in America. 

In March 1965, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led protestors on a three-day, 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Marchers were met with violence by Alabama State Troopers. The appalling scene was broadcast on live television on what is now called “Bloody Sunday.” 

Images of Alabama state troopers using whips, batons, and tear gas to beat back the peaceful protestors shocked Americans. It was a watershed moment that eventually led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. 

Since then, as years become decades, the struggle for equal rights and freedoms for all Americans has taken many turns. The fight for equal rights today looks very different in some ways. In other ways, it feels the same as it ever was. 

To reflect on what’s changed and what stayed the same, we’re joined by Vice President of the Brennan Center for Justice Kareem Crayton.

Today on The Metro, we're looking at the promises and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in the news. Technology Lead at the American Journalism Project’s Product & AI Studio Liam Andrews joins the show to discuss how AI is starting to be implemented. Executive Director for the Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security Margaret Sullivan also joins the show. She writes "American Crisis," a Substack newsletter about journalism and democracy. 

Detroit is one of the most important music cities in America. We’re finally getting some credit for being the birthplace of Techno music, sounds that came out of Motown can still be heard on rotation, and we often talk about Jazz and its influence on Motown. 

But there’s a common thread that weaves all this music together — the Black church.

Deborah Smith Pollard is a professor emeritus of English literature at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She is also the long-time host of 'Sunday Morning Inspiration.' Pollard joined The Metro to talk about the state of Gospel music and why Detroit is so influential to the genre.

ShotStoppers is Detroit’s most prized crime reduction program. For a little over a year, the community intervention violence project has helped stop violence before it happens.

But the program may not continue beyond 2025. ShotStoppers rests on federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, which will soon fade.

Producer Sam Corey sat down with interim Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison to learn more about the program and how he’s advocating for sustained funding.