The Metro
"The Metro" covers local and regional news and current affairs, arts and cultural events and topics, with a commitment to airing perspectives and uncovering stories underreported by mainstream media in Detroit.
Most Recent Episode
'Venice of Detroit' faces a flood fix that could close its canals
Some customers reach Coriander Kitchen and Farm by boat — down a canal in Detroit's Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood, past backyards and boathouses.
Nearly every parcel in that neighborhood sits inside a federal flood hazard area. The city has $20 million to change that, and closing the canals is one option on the table. Residents beat back a version of the same idea in 2022. This summer, more than 200 of them took boats onto the water in protest.
Chef Alison Heeres and Traci Rubin of the Jefferson Chalmers WATER Project talk with Robyn Vincent about what the canals mean to the neighborhood, who pays when a seawall fails, and what it would take to keep the water open. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org
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What Republican candidates need to do to win Michigan
It’s said that all politics is local. But these days, that doesn’t appear to be so true. Instead, a lot of it is national because that’s where the drama is — much of it at the hands of President Donald Trump. The Republicans who disagree with the president are more likely to lose during an election year. That’s why Trump’s endorsements for Senate candidate Mike Rogers and gubernatorial candidate John James matter so much.
Dennis Darnoi is the founder of Densar Consulting, based in Farmington. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent about the Republicans advancing to the general election in both the Senate and governor’s race.
A room that left Detroit 100 years ago lives on through Rachel Lutz’s Peacock Room
The room that left Detroit 100 years ago lives on today.
When looking for a name for her boutique, owner Rachel Lutz drew from Detroit history, giving a nod to art collector Charles Lang Freer. Now the shop has evolved, making a name for itself with careful curation, styling expertise and intimate knowledge of the stories behind the pieces sold. The New York Times recently included The Peacock Room in a list of 25 favorite stores.
Rachel Lutz joins the show to talk about what's behind the success of her store and what lays ahead.
Abdul El-Sayed on winning Michigan's Senate primary
More than $60 million was spent trying to stop him, but Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary anyway — by fewer than 15,000 votes. He joins Robyn Vincent in the same WDET studio where he announced his run last April.
El-Sayed on why he blames the ads for losing Detroit, why he won't stop calling the war in Gaza a genocide, what he says to Jewish voters and to Black Democrats still angry about the 2024 "uncommitted" vote, and what he'd write into federal law on data centers. He faces Republican Mike Rogers in November.
The Metro has invited Rogers on the program several times and has not heard back.
Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org
How the evolution of visual culture changed Mexican cinema forever
Fantastico: Wild and Winsome Posters from Mexico’s Golden Age, 1936-1960 will open to the public for free on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 6 at Galerie Camille in the Cass Corridor.
There will be posters and lobby cards that feature genres such as Mexican film noir and rumberas movies, or cabaret melodramas made famous from their dance numbers.
Dalia Reyes, an interdisciplinary artist and arts administrator from Southwest Detroit, co-curated the exhibition. Reyes joined The Metro to discuss the art, culture, and innovation behind the timeless items of Mexican cinema.
Detroit expands public transit, one millage at a time
Wayne County residents overwhelmingly approved a millage that ensures everyone pays into the suburban public transit system, known as SMART. One of the people who led the effort to pass the millage is Megan Owens. She’s the director of Transportation Riders United, an organization that has been advocating for public transit expansion in Metro Detroit for 25 years.
Owens joined The Metro's Robyn Vincent to discuss Wayne County’s transit millage, and what it would take to create more expansive, interconnected public transit in the region.
Progressives win up and down ballot
Michigan primaries usually come and go with most people not voting. They’re low-profile, they’re in August, and turnout tends to land somewhere around a quarter of registered voters. Last night was different, with over 1.5 million votes casted in the Democratic primary alone.
Zach Gorchow is president of Gongwer News Service of Michigan and has covered this state's politics for a long time. He spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.
Is voting the least we can do, or the most?
If you voted this morning, or dropped a ballot in a box last week — have you done your part?
Eric Liu has spent more than a decade cultivating the answer to that question. He wrote speeches for Bill Clinton. Now he runs Citizen University, which holds Civic Saturdays: gatherings built like a church service, with singing, readings and a sermon.
He joins host Robyn Vincent on election day to talk about why he thinks the crisis in American democracy is cultural, what he found in Flint and Detroit, and why he says good citizenship means fighting more, not less. His new book is "Live Like a Citizen."
Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org
BasBlue encourages women to pursue entrepreneurship in Detroit
BasBlue, an organization of women and non-binary individuals, celebrated a five year anniversary by focusing on their Future Founders and Future Leaders program.
Ellen Gilchrist is the CEO of BasBlue. Fatoumata Sacko is an entrepreneur of Katii Café, a Malian inspired tea cart and a BasBlue Future Leaders member. They join The Metro to discuss how the business ideas and professional networks of people should be nourished early on to better their chances of success.
Discover What's So Funny About Detroit at the Old Miami tonight
What’s So Funny About Detroit? returns to The Old Miami Thursday, July 30. In the Groove’s Ryan Patrick Hooper will host comedians such as Zech, Brett Mercer and Heather Jowett.
Melanie Hearn, an actress and writer from Detroit, will perform as a second-time headliner. She joins The Metro to share more about her career and her connection to Detroit.
Michigan’s lesser-known strategy for fighting addiction
Since the pandemic, overdose deaths are continuing to decline in Michigan. The number is dropping quickly in Metro Detroit. State leaders say peer recovery coaches are a reason for the reduction. That work received significantly more money from the state.
What does it look like to create intimacy with someone struggling with addiction, and to help them recover? Pepper Catt is a peer recovery coach with the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities out of Troy. Catt spoke about addiction and recovery with The Metro’s Sam Corey.
Doing everything right, and detained anyway
A pending asylum application was never a legal status. But for decades, filing one within your first year — as the law requires — meant immigration agents largely left you alone while you waited. That's changed.
Attorney Kevin Piecuch runs a free legal clinic in Southwest Detroit. He tells Robyn Vincent that people with pending cases are now being picked up at their homes and their jobs. Robyn also speaks with a young woman detained while her case was still pending — we're not using her real name — and with Pastor Kevin Casillas of the First Latin American Baptist Church.
We asked ICE's Detroit field office to respond. It has not yet done so.
Have thoughts? Email the show: metro@wdet.org
The Belle Isle Art Fair guides people to art, music, and nature for an 11th year
The Belle Isle Art Fair will celebrate 11 years over the course of two days. There will be free admission for those with a state park pass. The festival will feature over a hundred juried artists from more than a dozen states, with a special emphasis on teenage creatives.
Mark Loeb is the director of Integrity Shows and the ongoing producer of Belle Isle Art Fair. Mady Chen is a featured artist of the Belle Isle Art Fair. She serves as the owner of Apple and Thistle Press and the organizer of We The People - A Resistance Art Exhibit.
They join The Metro to discuss what the public should expect from the event and how the revolution can be found through linocut printing.
WDET is supported by The Belle Isle Art Fair.
Wayne County finally sees drop in overdose deaths, but new drugs spark concern
Overdose deaths in Michigan have been declining since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic brought on concerning increase in drug-related fatalities. But, Wayne County's numbers stayed high until 2024 when it saw overdose deaths decrease by 42%.
Wayne County still leads the state in overdose deaths. Black Michiganders are disproportionately affected, with an overdose rate nearly double that of all other residents.
Accessibility to life-saving Naloxone (aka Narcan) and peer recovery coaches have been cited as a few reasons behind the decreases. However, experts say keeping people from becoming addicted to opioids has gotten tougher.
Avani Sheth, the chief medical officer for Wayne County, says the introduction of drugs like carfentanil pose a challenge for continued overdose prevention. Sheth spoke to The Metro's Sam Corey about why certain communities experience more deaths, what helps patients navigate recovery, and how expanding resources can help local communities.
Remembering the Ambassador of Techno John ‘Jammin’ Collins
Detroit remembers the legacy of John ‘Jammin’ Collins, who served as the vice chair on The City of Detroit Entertainment Commission. He did everything—from being a DJ, radio host, booking agent, and label administrator.
In 2021, Collins spoke to Conor Anderson, an audio engineer and producer for WDET. They discuss the shows he produced for the Underground Resistance, his experience with overseas techno, and his kidney transplant.
Why we're getting worse at catching outbreaks
Michigan is reporting more cyclospora cases than any other state with thousands sick from the food-borne parasite. But the outbreak is really a window onto something bigger.
Dr. Céline Gounder — infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist, and a doctor who still works the wards at Bellevue Hospital — joins Robyn Vincent to explain why America's public health apparatus is eroding. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org
Ppl Movin show tells the story of Detroit People Mover passengers
Ppl Movin is a social media talk show that brings people to Detroit's under utilized public transit, Detroit People Mover. The show is co-hosted by Layla McMurtrie and Deonte Bell.
Their show brings strangers, artists and changemakers onto the Detroit People Mover and asks two simple questions: What’s moving you and what’s your next stop?
Their storytelling brings a new, younger perspective to the changing landscape of Detroit.
McMurtrie and Bell joined The Metro to talk more about Ppl Movin and an upcoming event.