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The Metro: Smartphone ban coming to Michigan K-12 classrooms

✇WDET 101.9 FM
David Leins

Michigan will be enacting a statewide school phone ban for students from kindergarten through 12th grade this fall.

Many schools already have some form of phone restriction in place during the school day. Three researchers from the University of Michigan wanted to know what could be learned from different phone ban policies prior to the statewide mandate going into effect.

Justin Heinze, Brian Jacob and Elyse Thulin compared nearly 800 schools in Michigan with phone use limits in place and shared their findings in an article published by The Conversation Detroit. In their article, they examine what different bans districts use and key points to consider when picking a policy.

Eleanore Catolico, an editor at The Conversation – Detroit joined The Metro to discuss what Heinze, Jacob and Thulin found in their study.

Read the full article of findings here.

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

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Support local journalism.

WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

The post The Metro: Smartphone ban coming to Michigan K-12 classrooms appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

The Metro: ‘The most magnificent public utility.’ Libraries are making a comeback

✇WDET 101.9 FM
David Leins

 Almost 70 years after National Library Week was founded, the amount of time we spend reading something pales in comparison to what we watch. Americans spend about 15 minutes a day reading, but two and a half hours a day watching something on a screen.

National Library Week (April 19-25, 2026) was established in 1958 to encourage library use at a time when TV and radio were taking over as dominant information and entertainment sources.

In the last 5 years, a different story has started to take shape. Since hitting pandemic-era lows, library participation is surging. Visits have doubled since 2021. People are coming back to libraries, and they’re getting more than books out of the experience. 

More than books

Did you know you can check out more than books most libraries? That includes physical media like DVD’s and CD’s, but also tools, or seeds for a vegetable or herb garden.

Community programming is also brining people back to libraries. Story time for children is a regular occurrence at libraries. So are book talks, like one coming up at the Ferndale Area District Library on May 28, 2026 with Lisa Peers, author of “Motor City Love Song.”

Tia Graham spoke with two people who are experiencing the love for libraries first-hand.

Jeff Milo is the head of marketing and communications at Ferndale Area District Library, and host of the podcast “A Little Too Quiet.” He’s also the host of MI Local on WDET, Tuesdays, from 9-10 p.m. EST.

Lisa Peers is the author of the book “Motor City Love Song,” a romance novel set in a fictional version of Detroit’s garage rock scene of the early 2000’s.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

Support local journalism.

WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

The post The Metro: ‘The most magnificent public utility.’ Libraries are making a comeback appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

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