Renowned performers put on holiday show with Detroit students

The Empowerment Plan has been in service to metro Detroit’s homeless population since 2012.  Empowerment Plan employs people living in shelters. They manufacture coats made from sleeping bags that they distribute to people in need. That includes people in Detroit, across the nation, and in dozens of other countries.  Veronika Scott is the founder of Empowerment Plan. She talks about her struggles with poverty and homelessness as a kid. She remembers driving around with her mother, getting sent in circles from one caseworker in Detroit to another in Pontiac.  Years later, a class at College for Creative Studies called “Designing to Fill a Need" led her where she is today—and that’s helping people experiencing homelessness. This year, Empowerment Plan hand made its 100,000th sleeping bag coat.  Veronika joins host Tia Graham on The Metro to talk more about reaching this milestone and what’s next for organization.

For some of our listeners, arts and culture from kindergarten through high school were guaranteed. Woodshop, cooking classes and of course art classes were a part of the curriculum.  As the decades have gone by, less money to schools means less resources. Oftentimes the first things cut from the budget are the arts.  But, educators who work within the K-12 school system want the arts to stay. They say it's essential to a well rounded education and helps create more open-minded and empathic people.  Meghan Collins is Museum Educator for K-12 and Family Programs at the MSU Broad Art Museum. She is also an Assistant Professor of Art Education in MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design.  In 2024, she was named the 2025 Museum Educator of the Year by the Michigan Art Education Association. 

Tariffs, shifting hiring practices, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping the economy — but what do those changes look like on the ground? In this episode, Robyn Vincent talks with Michigan business analyst Mark Lee about how small business owners and workers are experiencing today’s economic shifts, and what it takes to adapt when the rules keep changing.

Michigan’s new State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Glenn Maleyko, steps into the job as schools face uneven academic recovery, high absenteeism, and growing demands beyond the classroom. Maleyko joined The Metro's Robyn Vincent to discuss his early priorities, particularly literacy, and how he plans to lead a system being asked to do more than it was designed to handle.

Some people welcome winter in Michigan with open arms, while others watch the calendar until spring's warmth returns. One way to overcome the long, cold winter here in Michigan is to get outside and try some new activities.  Laura Herberg, reporter for Bridge Michigan, joined The Metro to walk us through the Michigan Dreaming Winter Bucket List. 12 activities made this year's winter weather fun bucket list, with dog sledding in the Upper Peninsula taking the top spot and drop-in hockey on Belle Isle representing Southeast Michigan.

Empty office spaces and buildings continue to be an issue for owners the COVID-19 pandemic. Rent is too high for small businesses and entrepreneurs to fill in the gap.  Bamboo is a co-working space that has positioned itself to fill the need of office space without the large commitments required when renting a whole building. Bamboo has flexible options to obtain office space and common areas for any business related needs.  Bamboo now has five locations across Michigan, including one of its newest locations in Midtown.  Amanda Lewen says Bamboo started from a grassroots idea from a group of friends. She spoke with The Metro’s Tia Graham about Bamboo and the current state of Michigan’s small business ecosystem. 

In Oakland County, local leaders have gotten more attention in recent months. That’s because reports have shown potential conflicts of interest when some have voted on matters that affect their side jobs. Discussions arose about hiring an ombudsman to oversee county officials' operations, or having commissioners disclose their financial information. But in a recent Oakland County meeting, neither of those things happened.  Instead, county commissioners kicked the responsibility to the state legislature, urging those lawmakers to pass a bill mandating local officials to publicly disclose their assets. Why didn’t commissioners pass an ethics resolution?  Oakland County Commissioner Michael Spisz was originally advocating for the county to pass an ethics resolution, but changed course. He spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.

Double Up Food Bucks is a statewide program through the Fair Food Network. It matches SNAP benefits used to buy fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables at participating grocers and farmers markets. Back in November, SNAP benefit recipients were on edge, wondering if money would be available to feed themselves and their families.  The program extended its offerings in November, introducing Double Up bonus bucks, offering $40 vouchers for fresh fruits and veggies. Those incentives end December 31st.  Rachel Hoh is director of Double Up Food Bucks. They spoke to me about the program and its significance to shoppers and local grocers. 

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.