The city of Detroit approved a three year, $2.7 million contract for surveillance cameras and lighting in four parks across the city.

Detroit-based Bayview Electric Company will provide the service for public walkways in Chandler Park, Eliza-Howell Park, Maheras Gentry Park and Rouge Park. 

According to council members, this is part of the answer to community public safety concerns in these areas. The contract comes after residents have voiced concerns over privacy and surveillance from third party companies, most recently Flock cameras and ShotSpotter.  

Council Member Denzel McCampbell said he was particularly concerned about whether data would be stored on a private, third-party server.

According a city report, the cameras will collect data on locations, vehicles, and individuals at the parks.

Though a third-party vendor will install the cameras, all data will be stored and monitored by the city’s video management system. Video will be kept for up to 30 days unless it contains criminal evidence.

Cameras will be connected to the Detroit Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center. Requests to access surveillance data will be reviewed and approved by the city’s Law Department.  

Additional Headlines for Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026

Michigan Arts and Culture Council grapples with staff cuts

The Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC) is reacting to a roughly 40% cut made to its staff. Officials say they were blindsided when three of its seven staff members were dismissed without warning.  

Nafeesa Symonette is vice chair of the council’s board. She says she worries the cuts may deal a blow to Michigan’s $15 billion arts and culture economy.  

“Artists won’t get to do the kind of work they do for a living. One of the goals in the sector is to keep artists here…to produce art here. If they don’t have the resources to do that, they go elsewhere.”

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), which oversees the Arts and Culture Council, confirmed to WDET that it approved the cuts.

The MEDC says it part of a larger 15% reduction to its workforce.  

Romulus warehouse being sold by the Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security is selling a Romulus warehouse it had planned to use as a detention center for immigrants. Michigan Advance and Project Salt Box (an investigative newsletter) report DHS is also selling six other buildings nationwide. The government bought the Romulus facility for almost $35 million dollars in February.

It scrapped plans for a detention center after residents who live near the warehouse protested that it was too close to their neighborhoods. 

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include the ‘earn a buck’ pilot program being approved by the Michigan Natural Resource Commission and corrected to reflect the ‘one buck rule’ only applies to areas in the Lower Peninsula.

The Michigan Natural Resource Commission (NRC) has approved new regulations for deer hunters in the Lower Peninsula. The policy changes are reigniting long-standing tensions between hunters and the state.

‘One Buck Rule’

Starting in 2027, hunters in the Lower Peninsula will be limited to harvesting one antlered deer (buck) per season. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is encouraging hunters to take more does, which could help the state curb exploding deer populations in the southern portion of the state.

The rule could also help younger bucks live longer, meaning more mature bucks in the herd.

The Natural Resource Commission also approved an ‘earn a buck‘ pilot program in five Lower Peninsula counties that will allow hunters who have harvested a doe to purchase an additional antlered deer tag. Those counties are Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Barry, Ingham and Lapeer.

End of the line for the rifle line

Starting November 15, 2026, hunters will be able to use high-powered rifles in southern Michigan, below the ‘rifle line,’ an area which had previously been restricted to shotguns, muzzleloaders and straight-wall cartridge rifles.

Kevin Vistisen hosts the Deer Hunter Podcast and he says tension between hunters and state bodies Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and governor-appointed Natural Resources Commission (NRC) have been an issue for years.

“A lot of people in this country are just like, mentally wounded by being lied to by establishments for decades, and does that trickle down to state level policy? Yeah certainly.”

Vistisen joined Owen Armentrout on The Metro alongside MDNR specialist Brent Rudolph to discuss the recent deer hunting policy changes in Michigan, and how hunters are responding.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and stream on-demand.

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Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Primary for the U.S. senate seat, even though he did not win the majority of votes in Wayne County. 

He says that stems from historic tensions between Arab and Black residents. Speaking on the WDET program The Metro, El-Sayed said the mistrust among Black voters is valid. But President Donald Trump poses a bigger threat to the state. 

“[Trump threatens] our ability to afford the basic things, and certainly the Arab and Muslim community, and certainly the well-being of the Black community. You think about the assault on the Voting Rights Act, led by the folks that he appointed to the courts. We have to come together beyond differences to recognize that we’re all in the same boat now, and we’ve got a responsibility to come together to build the future that we want.” 

El-Sayed argues his Republican opponent in the general election, Mike Rogers, will back any policy Trump wants to pass. Rogers says El Sayed’s progressive views are too extreme. 

Additional headlines for Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

Pet vaccinations

The state veterinarian is reminding pet owners to make sure their furry friends are up to date on vaccinations.

Dr. Nora Wineland says pets are exposed to contagious diseases through wildlife, other animals, ticks, mosquitoes and pathogens in the environment.  Wineland says summer activities increase pets’ risk of exposure to contagious diseases. 

DNR hosts Beginner Backpacking

Anyone interested in being guided through their first hiking and backpacking experience can sign up this week for a DNR training in September.

Beginner Backpacking at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park will teach the basics of backpacking as hikers set up their first camp along the shores of Lake Superior before hiking through the woods and along Mirror Lake to the highest peak in the park.

The training is Sept. 18- 20. Registration closes Friday, Aug. 14.

Planet Ant party

Planet Ant’s Colony Fest and Summer BBQ are happening this Saturday. From 2 p.m. until midnight, the community can celebrate the training and performance space in its Black Box building with food, yard games, Mario Kart and a beer tent. Admission is free.

The Colony Fest Improv Tournament happens at Ant Hall across the street from 8-10 p.m. The event is a comedy showdown with the four troupes who won improv battles in July competing in a head-to-head championship. Tickets are $12.51.  

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