At a recent Detroit City Council meeting, a number of people spoke during public comment period about Detroit’s Solar Neighborhood Initiative. 

People are making allegations that blight tickets are being used by the city to take property in the name of solar developments. 

While residents say they’re not opposed to renewable energy, some are questioning the city’s process for constructing solar neighborhood arrays. 

The city’s Legal Department will provide an update at Tuesday’s city council meeting on the solar neighborhood initiative. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Detroit Documenter Hannah O’Neal and Coordinator Noah Kincade to learn more about the development. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

More stories from The Metro

Bees’ pollinating presence helps to ensure the vitality of our food systems. 

The work of bees isn’t just happening in fields of wildflowers or quiet suburban gardens. Bees in urban neighborhoods also have an important role to play.

The nonprofit Detroit Hives has turned vacant lots into thriving pollinator habitats and community green spaces. That work includes planting pollinator-friendly trees in neighborhoods that need canopy, beauty and biodiversity. One of the group’s recent projects was at the Finney Community Arboretum and Botanical Garden, which they hope to transform into a thriving community space for pollinators and residents alike.

Detroit Hives Co-founders Tim Paule Jackson and Nicole Lindsey joined The Metro on Monday to discuss their work. 

–Segment produced by WDET’s Amanda Le Claire.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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

More stories from The Metro

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

The Detroit Documenters play a crucial role in improving our access to public information. They’re at Detroit’s public meetings, taking thorough notes on what local officials and community members are saying. 

But their coverage also includes Highland Park, the small city surrounded by Detroit. Water has been an ongoing problem for Highland Park and it’s in the early stages of replacing its 115-year-old water system. 

Residents faced two boil water advisories in the last month, but still remain hopeful that system updates can lead to a more reliable system and cheaper water bills. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt talked to Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade and Michigan Public Data Reporter Adam Rayes to learn more about Highland Park’s system updates and water history. 

Rayes is also a Highland Park resident. Out of the many places he’s lived, he says the water bill has been the highest in Highland Park.

Residents are charged about $90 in additional fees that goes to system repairs and paying off the city’s Great Lakes Water Authority debt. 

“I’m looking at a bill of over $100 and if it wasn’t for those fees, I’d be paying way less,” Rayes said. “So it’s quite a hefty fee.”

The Heat and Warmth Fund, Wayne Metro Water Affordability Programs, and The Human Utility offer payment assistance and support to people living in Highland Park and across the metro area. 

Along with WDET, Michigan Public is one of Detroit Documenters’ media partners. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 14:

• New series explores health care education, access for Bangladeshi women
• Detroiter tapped to lead National PAL’s youth mental health and wellness program
• New campaign demands accountability, systemic change for survivors of child abuse
• New book reexamines chronic absenteeism and potential solutions

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

Eyes are glued to the NCAA’s March Madness, but there’s a different kind of March Madness going on in local government across Wayne County.  

Cities are wrapping up budget sessions and preparing for fiscal year 2025-26. 

Outlier Media, Bridge Detroit and Detroit Documenters have teamed up to cover all of the city’s 46 budget sessions in Detroit.  

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade and BridgeDetroit Reporter Kayleigh Lickliter.  

City budgets are the first glimpse at how officials are responding to residents’ concerns and the year ahead, Lichliter said.  A big part of budget session conversations this year is uncertainty surrounding federal funding going to cities. 

“I think for most cities, including Detroit, what they are looking to do is kind of reducing the reliance on federal funding.” Lichliter said. “And so fortunately, Detroit has a pretty stocked up rainy day fund.”

The last day for Detroit city council to vote on the budget is April 7 and it could be approved on April 15. 

The Detroit Documenters train and pay residents to cover local government meetings in southeast Michigan. You can hear conversations with the Detroit Documenters every Monday on The Metro. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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