Microplastics are everywhere, including the Great Lakes. They come in many forms, but are typically smaller than 5 millimeters. 

Some wash up on beaches while others end up in the stomachs of fish and birds. 

Scientists are concerned about their impact on human health, too.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy will host its first virtual microplastics summit on October 22.

EGLE environmental quality analyst Eddie Kostelnik says microplastics are ubiquitous.

“We’ve found them in humans and organisms throughout our ecosystem,” he says. 

What are they?

Microplastics come in many types, including scented beads and synthetic clothing fibers. They can also form when larger items such plastic bottles break up over time.

Kostelnik says the summit will explore the risks microplastics pose to human health and the environment.

“I think there are still some holes in terms of human health effects,” he says. “But we have started to see some organism health effects trickle in.”

Experts will also examine how microplastics interact with other contaminants and where they go. 

Researchers make progress, but want to learn more

Kostelnik says research has produced better ways to detect and identify microplastics. He adds it is possible to reduce the amount of microplastics in the lakes.

“There are certainly ways that we can reduce plastic use and replace plastic products with reusable alternatives,” he says.

Kostelnik says anyone who’s interested in the issue can attend the virtual summit, whether they’re experts or not. 

Registration is free.

Detroit City Football Club celebrated the naming of its new stadium with food, music, and artist renderings of the project. 

Club co-founder Sean Mann says the new grounds in southwest Detroit will be called AlumniFi Field. AlumniFi Credit Union is the team’s official financial partner.

The stadium will be located between Corktown and Mexicantown. Representatives from Mexicantown joined Mann for the announcement at The Mercado on Bagley St.  

Mann says the next step in the process is to craft a community benefits agreement with the city and surrounding neighborhoods.

“We’ve been very mindful from day 1 of creating a very neighborhood-oriented facility,” Mann says. “We’ve done over 50 informal and formal meetings with block clubs in the neighborhood.”

More than just a soccer field

Mann says the project will also include 15,000 square feet of retail space around the stadium, a 420-unit parking deck, and 76 units of affordable housing. He also says since the project is privately owned and financed, the club will pay property taxes on it.

Before crews can start building the stadium, they have to tear down the vacant Southwest Detroit Hospital. Mann says they’ve already had a few challenges, including hazardous chemicals in the water on site.

“All the water has been pumped and filtered,” he says. “Now we have to update our environmentals, and that’ll clear the way for us to start demolition shortly.”

Players and supporters react

Mann says the goal is to finish the stadium and open it in time for the club’s 15th anniversary in 2027. Team Captain Stephen Carroll says he hopes to lead Le Rouge onto the pitch. He says he hopes fans and families will be able to enjoy the stadium for generations to come.

“I have a 1-year-old son now, and hopefully he’ll be able to play in this stadium when he gets old enough” the Irish defenseman says. “It’s obviously a great step forward for this club, and the city, and the sport in general.”

DCFC has played its home matches at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck since 2016. Northern Guard Supporter Jared Coke of Livonia says it’s a step in the right direction for the club and its fans.

“And not just for our team actually, but for the whole city,” Coke says. “We love soccer, this is a soccer city.”

Detroit’s mayoral candidates agree the city needs more affordable housing but have different ideas to solve the problem. 

Retired businessman Joel Haashiim says if he were mayor, he’d create a municipal building company to manufacture housing. 

“It’s a great industry,” he says. “It’s something where we can create 10,000 Detroit resident jobs.”

Haashiim also says it would diversify the city’s economy.

“We basically rely on the auto plants and the small service industries that maintain the local economy,” he says. “This will give us an opportunity to put billions of dollars into our city treasury, as well as in the community.”

Haashiim says he would also work with financial institutions to make buying a home more affordable.

“30- to 50-year mortgages are what we want to introduce into Detroit,” he says. “This will allow us to compensate for the high cost of building.”

If they build it, will people come?

By creating a larger number of affordable homes, Haashiim says he hopes to accelerate Detroit’s population growth. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city gained about 6,000 residents since the decennial head count in 2020. He says the key is to attract more business.

“We are an international city with no international companies,” Haashiim says. “I’m the only candidate who has done 15 international business delegations around this country, bringing in companies to this metro area.”

Haashiim says he would also invest in public projects and education to lure new residents to Detroit.

“We do want to bring in families,” he says. “We want to make sure we reach out to them as a city that’s interested in making sure that our children can compete in the 21st century.”

Haashiim is one of nine mayoral candidates on the Aug. 5 ballot. Arnold Boyd and Rogelio Landin are running write-in campaigns. The top two finishers in the primary will run against each other in November.

Mayor Mike Duggan is not seeking re-election. He’s waging an independent campaign for governor in 2026.

Learn more about upcoming elections with WDET’s 2025 Detroit Voter Guide »

Wayne State University will field a women’s soccer team in the fall of 2026. It will be the school’s first new varsity sport in over a decade.

WSU’s Director of Athletics, Erika Wallace, says the first order of business is hiring a head coach this year.

“We’re looking at someone who has ties to the area for recruitment purposes,” she says. “We’re also looking at head coaching experience, assistant coaching experience, some club coaching experience as well.”

Expanding opportunities for women

Wallace reviewed the athletic program when she took the job and found a need for more women student-athletes. She says adding soccer will help WSU comply with Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education.

“Proportionality is one of the prongs that you look at,” she says. “We have to make accommodations in order to stay relevant and in compliance with Title IX.”

Wallace says this will attract more students to WSU.

“We’re the only school in our conference that doesn’t have women’s soccer,” she says. “People will want to come here and play.”

The support is there

Wallace says funding for the new women’s soccer team will come from the athletic department’s general fund as well as philanthropic donations.

She also says Detroit’s soccer culture will sustain the program.

“We have some of the best clubs in the country here,” Wallace says.

Wayne State has a partnership with Detroit City Football Club, which fields men’s, women’s and youth sides.

Wallace says WSU will make some upgrades to the soccer pitch behind Tom Adams Field before the women’s team starts play.