The life and legacy of the Packard Plant

Social media companies are distracting people, sowing division, and preventing kids from experiencing normal childhoods. Those are the big takeaways of the book, “The Anxious Generation”, by Jonathan Haidt. That book is a big reason countries, states and classrooms have been restricting social media and phone use.   The superintendent of the Novi school district gave copies of Jonathan Haidt's “The Anxious Generation" to anyone who wanted it. About one year later, how has the book influenced Novi students, teachers and parents? The Metro’s Sam Corey spoke with Novi Community School District Superintendent Ben Mainka to find out.

After decades of decay, the city announced a letter of intent with a developer to give Detroit’s historic Packard Plant new life. The plant as a whole has seen the heights of the automotive boom and the consequences of disinvestment and neglect. So which moments deserve to be preserved in its next chapter? Dave Marchioni, the industrial and automotive curator at the Detroit Historical Society, and John Lauter, historian of the Packard Plant, revisit key moments throughout it’s history to provide perspective. 

A child has been diagnosed with measles in Oakland County. DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township has been identified as the likely site of exposure. People who were in the Emergency Department of the hospital on Dec.  7, 2025  between 7:20 p.m. and 11:10 p.m. may have been exposed. Kate Guzman, Oakland County Health Officer, told The Metro the child was not vaccinated for measles and had recently traveled domestically. Vaccine recommendations changing at CDC, FDA This follows a series of major changes to federal vaccine recommendations and guidelines, made under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic and his views are becoming policy at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both of which are under his supervision. These changes include loosening recommendations for infants and toddlers regarding hepatitis B, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). More: New flu variant, vaccine guidance worry MDHHS’s top doctor At the FDA, Vinay Prasad, the chief medical officer and head of evaluation and testing, issued a statement forecasting a more time and cost-intensive process for new vaccine approvals. Members of the medical community including former FDA officials, have shared concerns for public health, saying the proposed changes would make thoroughly tested and safe annual vaccines like the flu shot too expensive and time consuming to adapt to new versions of the virus. Guests: Dr. Teena Chopra is a professor of infectious diseases and Assistant Dean of professional development in the School of Medicine at Wayne State University . Kate Guzman  is Oakland County’s health officer.

This Thursday, Dec. 18, Holiday Detroit will showcase professional dancers, singers and musicians alongside students from Voyageur College Preparatory High School in a festive performance.  Renowned choreographer Lisa McCall and The Temptations lead singer, Tony Grant joined the show to talk about working with students and more. 

On Sunday, a father and son killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Jewish people in that nation’s history. The attack is part of a larger trend of rising antisemitism. Since October of 2023, American Jews have reported a rise in antisemitism, including an uptick in violence against Jewish people. This past year alone, high-profile attacks happened in Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Colorado.  All of this has happened amid what scholars say is Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. What is the connection between Israel’s violence and violence targeting Jewish people around the world? The Metro’s Sam Corey spoke with Jewish scholars and community leaders to learn more. 

The Robocop statue commemorating the 80s sci-fi film was finally installed in Eastern Market after over a decade of planning. The movie centers Alex Murphy, a Detroit police officer who was killed on the job by criminal. A corporation tasked with reducing the city’s crime rate then uses his body to create a crime fighting cyborg.   The concept spawned multiple sequels, comics, an animated series, action figures and more. But what about the movie resonated so deeply with fans in Detroit that they were willing to help fund a sculpture to honor it? Curtis Sullivan, owner of the Vault of Midnight comic book stores, is a huge fan of Robocop. He joined the program to discuss the significance of the film, its relevance to Detroit, and the new sculpture.

Somewhere between the psychedelic 1960s and the arrival of punk in the late 1970s, Detroit had a unique imprint on American music with an avant-garde, noise rock scene. Destroy All Monsters was an influential band and art collective at the time. Their sound was radical, experimental, and noisy. The band was formed in Ann Arbor in the early 1970s by Cary Loren, Mike Kelly, Jim Shaw and Niagra. The group’s influence on art and music in Detroit is being recognized with a retrospective at Cranbrook Art Museum called “Mythic Chaos: 50 Years of Destroy All Monsters.” Also on display through March is a sister exhibition, “Noise, Vision, and Ruins” at the Detroit Public Library, Main Branch and curated by Cary Loren.  Both exhibitions are open through March. The Metro’s David Leins spoke Loren about the group’s origins, and what to expect from the exhibitions.

To some, the story of the Packard Plant mirrors that of Detroit. Built in the early 1900s, the building was a major site of auto manufacturing in the city. That was until the mid-1950s, when the plant closed. But that didn’t spell the end for the Packard Plant. The building continued to house industrial and commercial tenants into the 1990s, and was even home to some legendary Detroit raves. The site isn’t really a factory anymore. It’s a ruin. And now, two developers say they want to give that ruin new life. What are the plans for the redeveloped plant? Developers Mark Bennett and Oren Goldenberg spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent about that and more.

The project to reconstruct I-375 is meant to do two things at once: rebuild aging infrastructure and repair the harm caused by a highway that, decades ago, tore through Black neighborhoods and business districts in downtown Detroit. But as plans evolved, the cost of the I-375 reconstruction project was ballooning to $520 million. Criticism was mounting among nearby business owners who feared losing money and Detroiters who wanted to ensure the project would deliver reparative outcomes.  So in August the Michigan Department of Transportation paused the project. Then last month, it was revived with a different plan.  Jason Garza is the Michigan Department of Transportation Deputy Region Engineer. He spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.

Coup D’état is a one of two local shops in Michigan to be chosen for New York Times list of 50 Best Clothing Stores in America. The article states Coup D'etat is inspirational and distinctive in its approach to customers and its community.  Located on Detroit's east side, its nestled in a growing community of new and legacy Detroit residents. The store has embedded itself with local movers and shakers, making sure to be present and open to support local makers. In 2025, Coup D'état held an art exhibition honoring the legacy of Detroit photographer Bill Rauhauser, highlighting the work he did capturing everyday life in Detroit through the 20th century. Angela Wisenski-Cobbina is the owner and founder of Coup D’état. She wanted to make sure the boutique was than luxury shop, she wanted it to be inclusive for all people at all price points. Angela spoke with The Metro's Tia Graham about opening the space in 2019 and the journey so far.