Plan to partially remove Flat Rock Dam moving forward

The Season Fair is a free non-profit contemporary art fair. This second edition of the fair is titled "Detroit Presents: Other Routes," exploring how six featured artists came into their craft and how their personal journeys shape their art, down to the non-traditional materials they use. Amani Olu is the founder and curatorial director of Season Fair. Oshun Williams is a featured fine artist on the Detroit Presents Artist Platform. They join The Metro not only to describe the event, but also emphasize the importance of investing in art.  The fair is at The Shepherd in Detroit, on Sept. 11-13. 

In Michigan, a local campaign believes residents can have a stronger, more representative democracy if political spending by some big-time actors is limited. The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics measure, which is now on the November ballot, would change some aspects of how money gets into the hands of politicians and political candidates. Voters decide Nov. 3, though opponents have asked the Michigan Supreme Court to block it. Executive Committee Co-Chair for the Michiganders for Money out of Politics campaign Sean McBrearty spoke with producer and host Robyn Vincent about the consequences if the ballot measure passes.

Detroit voters created a board of civilian commissioners in 1974 with the power to investigate their own police department. Eleven members. Its own staff of investigators. Since May, those investigators can no longer pull body camera video themselves. Victoria Camille represents District Seven on the oversight board. She’s circulating a petition to get that access back. Commissioner Camille spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent about what the police oversight board can actually do to hold cops accountable and whether some of its power has weakened. Editor's Note: After this segment aired, the motion to limit public comment options to solely in-person attendees was rescinded. 

Since the pandemic, Michigan schools have faced a persistent problem: Students are not showing up enough to class. In Detroit public schools, the chronic absenteeism rate has been higher than the rest of the state’s. Recently, that number has been decreasing. In just one school year, chronic absenteeism dropped 10 percentage points. Even in comparison with other high-poverty school districts, a recent report shows Detroit public schools have been the most effective in the state at boosting attendance rates. Jeremy Singer is an assistant professor of education policy and leadership at University of Michigan-Flint, and does research with Wayne State. He helped write that report, and spoke about it with The Metro's Robyn Vincent. 

Michigan is in the national spotlight because of the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. If Democrats lose, their path to a Senate majority all but closes. The race can tell us a lot about the direction of the Democratic Party — what is seen as acceptable to voters, and what appears too extreme. Adrian Hemond is the CEO of the bipartisan advocacy firm, Grassroots Midwest, and a longtime Democrat. He spoke with The Metro's Sam Corey. Clarification: In the conversation, Hemond said Dr. El-Sayed has associated himself with people who have committed acts of antisemitism. He did not name anyone on air, and we did not press him to at the time. We should have. WDET asked Hemond afterward for specifics and reviewed what he provided. None of it involved conduct by Dr. El-Sayed, and we found no evidence supporting the claim as stated. 

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.  Danielle Atkinson, Tia Graham and Omari Maynard 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.