In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we highlight a community sailing center that’s looking for help. Plus, a preview of this weekend’s sports and more.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Sailing center seeks assistance

The Detroit Community Sailing Center is looking for support for its youth programs. The center’s mission is to spread the joy of sailing to communities who otherwise may not have the opportunity.

For years, the Challenge the Wind youth sailing program has taught hundreds of youth to sail. Staff say increased rent at the Belle Isle Boathouse, hikes in insurance premiums and increased boat maintenance costs have created financial challenges for such programs. To help them continue these efforts, visit sailingdetroit.org.

Arab and Chaldean Festival returns

This weekend, the 52nd Arab and Chaldean Festival is taking place at Hart Plaza in Detroit. On Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27 from noon to midnight, the public is invited to a free, family-friendly event that features a variety of ethnic foods, a cultural gallery and impressive Middle Eastern live performances. There will also be folk dancers, kid-focused activities and a fashion show. This is the largest Arab and Chaldean-American cultural event in North America. To learn more, visit arabandchaldeanfestival.com.

Shinedown to perform at LCA

Multi-platinum rock band Shinedown is stopping by the Motor City today with a performance at Little Caesars Arena. They are celebrating their album, Dance, Kid, Dance, that debuted earlier this year. English rock band BUSH and singer-songwriter Morgan Wade will open up the show. For more information, go to visitdetroit.com.

Tigers v. Blue Jays

The Detroit Tigers continue to face the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Comerica Park as part of a four-game weekend affair. The Tigers lost to the Blue Jays 11-4 in a tough match up where the Jays turned up and didn’t look back in the 6th inning. The Tigers are still on top of the American Central Division with 60 wins and 44 losses. The Blue Jays are on top of the American Central East with 61 wins and 42 losses. First pitch for today’s game is at 7:20 p.m.

DCFC v. Westchester

The Detroit City Football Club faces the Westchester Soccer Club as a part of the USL Cup at Keyworth Stadium on Saturday, July 26. They are currently ranked third in Group D with two wins and one loss. The game starts at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN 2. For more information, visit detroitcityfc.com.

Public media loses federal funding

Government funding for public media has been eliminated. That means WDET will lose $500,000 in cash and in-kind support for 2026. If you believe in fact-based journalism, community voices and music with depth — now’s the time to stand up for it.

Become one of the 1,000 additional members we need to close the gap. You’ll be supporting programs like The Detroit Evening Report. Give now at wdet.org/support.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

This week on MichMash, gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II sat down with WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben to explain why he’s running for governor of Michigan and how his engineering background could help.

Plus, we take a look at fundraising progress from the rest of the gubernatorial candidates.

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

In this episode:

• Why is Lt. Gov. Gilchrist running for governor?
• How much money have Michigan gubernatorial candidates raised so far?

Engineering change

Gilchrist graduated with two engineering degrees from the University of Michigan. Now as he runs to be the next governor of Michigan while still serving as lieutenant governor of Michigan, he views both jobs as serving the same purpose.

“I have one job, and that is to have as many conversations as possible with people across Michigan every single day … and then to take what they tell me and go make something happen,” he told MichMash. “People need a problem solver in office and that’s what I do as an engineer. I make systems work for people.”

Fundraising updates

All gubernatorial candidates, including Gilchrist, were required to report their first fundraising hauls this week. But despite this major milestone, the race is far from determined.

Democratic candidates include Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. Benson has raised $3.5 million in the first six months of her campaign, Swanson has raised $1 million and Gilchrist has raised $750,000. 

While the Democratic field has appeared to settle, the Republican field seems more in flux. Former House Speaker Tom Leonard entered the race just a month ago, and a few weeks ago, 2022 Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Tudor Dixon announced she would not be running in 2026. Other candidates may still enter the race, and it’s possible that U.S. Rep. John James may back out of his gubernatorial bid amid pressure from President Donald Trump to maintain his congressional seat.

But for now, the main Republican candidates are Leonard, Senate Republican Leader Eric Nesbitt, James and former Attorney General Mike Cox. As the deadline to submit fundraising reports isn’t until 5 p.m. on Friday, we didn’t have all the data at the time this episode was recorded on Thursday afternoon. But we do know that Cox has raised $1.4 million and and that James moved $500,000 from his congressional committee to his gubernatorial committee earlier this month.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is also running for governor as an Independent, and his fundraising report had not yet been submitted at the time of this recording.

A new state pilot program kicking off this fall aims to reduce turnover and attract talent in early childhood education by offering affordable benefits packages for educators.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The two-year pilot program, facilitated through the Small Business Association of Michigan (SBAM), will include health insurance, life and disability benefits, and 401(k) options for early education teachers and child care workers.

Michelle Beebe, chief revenue officer with the Small Business Association of Michigan, told WDET the high turnover rate in the childcare industry is bad for kids.

“Every time you adjust a caregiver it’s impacting a child’s life, it slows down the learning process,” she said. “You have training, it costs the business owner money to constantly be in a state of hiring, and this allows for stability within that industry.”

Beebe says the SBAM hopes to develop tiered benefits packages, where the base plan will be subsidized by the state and employers can buy into higher tiers.

–Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET

Other headlines for Friday, July 18, 2025:

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has promised a better semiconductor deal for Michigan after the SanDisk Corporation pulled out of an agreement to build a chip factory near flint.
• Detroit has demolished thousands of vacant homes since
  voters approved Proposal N five years ago. The $250 million
  bond program enabled the city to tear down blighted
  properties while salvaging other homes to be renovated and sold. A contractor will carry out the 8,000th demolition under the proposal on Friday.
• The Detroit Tigers will face the Texas Rangers on Friday, July 18, at Globe Life Field. The Tigers are currently No. 1 in the American league with a 59-38 record; and as they enter the second half of the season they are facing the 48-49 Rangers. First pitch is at 8:05 p.m. ET.
• Detroit City FC will also face the Pittsburgh Riverhound SC on Friday at Keyworth Stadium. This game could determine positioning in the eastern conference playoffs. The game starts at
  7 p.m.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

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

In this episode:

• Why SanDisk pulled out of the semiconductor plant deal
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s reaction to the deal’s collapse
• A case against Michigan’s proposed bottle bill expansion

The $63 billion project proposed by SanDisk — a computer technology company — was a lofty goal for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who in a statement on Wednesday blamed the project’s collapse on “massive economic uncertainty at the national level.”

“Their board came to this decision amid national economic turmoil, which is at risk of worsening amid threats of even higher tariffs,” the emailed statement read. “Michigan’s Mundy Township site was the company’s preferred destination to build their massive facility.”

Both Whitmer’s office and local economic development groups have said the roughly 1,300-acre site is ready for other businesses, but Kasben cautioned against hope for such a deal.

“If economic uncertainty is the reason SanDisk pulled out, what are the odds of another company existing in this same economy being ready and willing to take on a similar project?” Kasben said.

Speaking with Roth and Kasben about the proposed expansion to Michigan’s bottle bill, Csapo explained his reasoning for not fully supporting the initiative.

“It’s not necessarily that we’re opposed to expansion. It’s that we need to be mindful of the law of unintended consequences,” he said. “If our goals are to continue to expand Michigan’s circular economy and capitalize on the economic, environmental and supply chain benefits of recycling, then any change to one part of the system has to consider the impacts and the other parts of the system expansion.” 

With Michigan’s bottle return rate decreasing, a solution for increasing the state’s recycling efforts remains difficult to conceive.  

More from WDET:

• Whitmer sets goal of winning microchip factory before leaving office
• Why it’s time to reform or repeal Michigan’s bottle return law
• MichMash: How to recycle bottles more efficiently

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

• How did the $20 million grant for Beydoun’s nonprofit get approved?
• What role did MEDC play in getting the funding approved?
• How much did the governor’s office know?

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office opened an investigation into the $20 million grant awarded to Beydoun’s nonprofit business accelerator last April, after reporting by The Detroit News highlighted how the funding was being misused.

The $20 million grant — which has since been canceled — had been earmarked in the state Legislature’s 2022 budget for the nonprofit Global Link International, which was incorporated just 10 days before the spending bill’s passage.

But the latest reporting from Mauger and LeBlanc have led to new questions about the circumstances behind the grant’s approval, and what exactly the MEDC and governor’s office knew at the time it was approved.

“There’s a lot more going on here than the governor’s office has informed voters of ever before,” Mauger said. “Essentially the governor’s team has tried to put this all on former House Speaker Jason Wentworth and saying basically that [state] House Republicans put this $20 million grant into the budget at the last second and the governor just signed off on the budget.”

An email obtained by The Detroit News last week sent by MEDC CEO Quentin Messer Jr. to state officials showed that Beydoun had advocated for a similar $15 million grant that had been included in Whitmer’s initial budget recommendation in February 2022.

“We know that eventually in the budget there was a direct earmark for [Beydoun] with language that is very very similar to that international business accelerator,” LaBlanc said. “…the common thread through all of that is Beydoun’s involvement, and the fact that she would qualify for this [grant] at the end of the day.”

Whitmer has not responded to Mauger and LeBlanc’s latest reporting on the matter.

More from WDET:

• Nessel charges politically connected former legislative staffer with corruption
• Detroit Evening Report: A MichMash lookahead; Detroit eases business licensing + more
• MichMash: State Sen. Jeremy Moss seeking more transparency in Michigan government

Chase Bank is teaming up with the Detroit Police Department this summer to help educate seniors on how to avoid scams through local workshops. 

Gail Taylor, vice president of community management at JPMorgan Chase, has been leading the workshops. She spoke with WDET about how scam calls and other ploys to defraud seniors are affecting metro Detroiters.

Recent data from the Federal Trade Commission shows a 25% increase in consumer losses as a result of fraud in 2024, compared to the prior year. Michigan residents lost over $200 million to fraud and scams during that timeframe, according to the FTC.

Adults ages 60 and older submitted the most fraud complaints of any age group last year, according to the FBI’s latest annual report, with an average loss of $83,000.

The most common scams targeting older adults are scam callers impersonating IRS, Medicare, Social Security and other government or financial institutions.

Taylor says these scam calls can deceive anyone — not just seniors — and shared a personal example of a time when her niece nearly fell victim to a scammer claiming she would go to prison if she failed to follow their instruction.

“These scam calls are here to create fear and panic and urgency so that you can not think rational,” she said. “So just imagine — if she is a young lady and that is how quick it was, imagine a senior.” 

Over 40% of the scammers are adult children, Taylor said, noting that a lot of them might know the victims personally. She says she hopes to help local seniors look out for warning signs by spreading awareness about these scams and sharing tips for financial wellness at the workshops.

“Our goal is to build trust in our communities and then offer financial help, education, access to tools and resources, so that communities can be financially savvy,” she said. 

Other banks such as American Bankers Association, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and more are also taking steps to help seniors and other customers avoid similar scams.

View a list of upcoming financial wellness workshops from Chase Bank below:

• Lunch and Learn: Ways to help protect your finances as you age (open to seniors) – Thursday, July 3 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Chase’s Corktown Community Branch, 1620 Michigan Ave., Ste 121, Detroit
• Homebuyer’s Workshop – Saturday, July 12 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Chase’s Harbortown Branch, 3300 E Jefferson Ave., Detroit
• Understanding and Building Credit – Tuesday, July 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Chase’s Corktown Community Branch, 1620 Michigan Ave., Ste 121, Detroit
• Lunch and Learn: Cyber Safety for Good (open to seniors) – Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Chase’s Corktown Community Branch, 1620 Michigan Ave., Ste 121, Detroit

Learn more about how to spot financial scams here. 

This week on WDET’s Michigan politics podcast MichMash, Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc of The Detroit News join the show to discuss the criminal investigation into Fay Beydoun.

Beydoun, who served on the executive committee for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is accused of misusing $15 million in funds the state awarded to her nonprofit for the purpose of bringing international businesses to Michigan.

Listen and subscribe to MichMash on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, NPR, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Other headlines for Wednesday, July 9, 2025:

• The Detroit City Council recently approved ordinances to help making the licensing process easier for small businesses, BridgeDetroit reports.
• Two R&B legends are coming to Detroit this week: Keisha Cole’s The Way It Is Tour will stop at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday, July 10, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the singer’s debut album of the same name. And super songstress Fantasia will perform at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre on Friday, July 11.
• The Detroit Tigers will face off against the Tampa Bay Rays at Comerica Park on Wednesday, with the first pitch at 5:10 p.m. following a rain delay.
• Detroit City Football Club will play against Hartford Athletic at home on Saturday, July 12. The team is hoping to bounce back from their 2-0 loss to the Oakland Roots SC 2-0.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Efforts to attract and settle immigrants in Detroit may have been a contributing factor in the city’s recent population growth, according to recent reporting from The Conversation.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Research shows that Immigration has a positive impact on the economy through a larger employee talent pool, increased social and civic engagement, and offsetting the decrease of Detroit native born children.

Despite a national shift in tone towards immigrants, cities like Detroit are prepping for a globalized future by investing in programs that encourage and support immigrants looking to start a life here.

Organizations like Global Detroit are encouraging entrepreneurship That includes programs like the Global Talent Retention Initiative, Global Talent Accelerator and Global Entrepreneur in Residence via Global Detroit, as well as community resources and education opportunities through Detroit’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.

The top five countries of origin for immigrants in metro Detroit include India, Iraq, Mexico, Yemen and Lebanon, according to U.S. Census Data.

Other headlines for Tuesday, July 8, 2025:

• Detroit Rapper and entrepreneur Icewear Vezzo joined City Council President Mary Sheffield on his childhood block to call attention to the work local organization Gracious Hands is doing to support the homeless.
• Air travelers may not need to take off their shoes for TSA at certain U.S. airports as early as this Sunday, as the agency plans to abandon the additional security step that’s been in place for about 20 years.
• The Detroit Tigers are facing the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday at Comerica Park. The Tigers are close to locking up their division and are proving to be the team to beat. This may be the year of the Tiger after all. First pitch for today’s game is at 6:40 p.m.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

Michigan-based nonprofit Rank MI Vote is campaigning for signatures to get ranked choice voting on the November 2026 ballot.

This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben talk with Rank MI Vote Executive Director Pat Zabawa to learn more about this new voting style and why he says it would be better for Michigan.

In this episode:

• What is ranked choice voting?
• Is ranked choice voting a better system?
• What other ballot proposals are groups trying to get on the 2026 ballot?

Ranked choice voting has steadily increased in popularity across the country for the past decade — most notably in the Democratic mayoral primary race in New York City.

This alternative voting method allows voters to rank their choice of candidates on the ballot in order of preference.

Rank MI Vote’s effort to get ranked choice voting on the ballot recently passed the state board of canvassers. Pat Zabawa, the organization’s executive director, says this method would be helpful in making our voting system more efficient. 

“Michigan increasingly is being represented by candidates who haven’t won more than 50% of voters’ support,” Zabawa said. “That’s true in general elections, and that’s true in primaries. We see that the 2016 U.S. presidential race and Michigan 2024 U.S. presidential race, ranked choice voting addresses the issue that voters see and make sure that voters are represented.”  

Still, Kasben says opponents will likely call the proposal confusing, and “fight back against the idea that it wouldn’t cause a delay in getting results,” she said. “Some also say it goes against the ‘one person one vote’ rule.” 

Supporters of the Rank MI Vote initiative will need to collect more than 440,000 signatures that are needed to get the initiative on the ballot in 2026. 

More from WDET:

• The Metro: The case for ranked choice voting in Michigan
• Detroit Evening Report: Trump order aims to dismantle US Department of Education; March Madness + more
• The promises and drawbacks of ranked choice voting 

Michigan State Police Director Col. James Grady II is expected to testify before the state House Oversight Committee this week after ongoing attempts to oust him from the role.

This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Zach Gorchow explain the brewing tensions surrounding the MSP director. Then later, Michigan Association of State Universities CEO Dan Hurley stops by to discuss the various challenges state universities have faced in the last several months. 

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

In this episode:

• What led to the no-confidence vote of Col. James Grady II
• How state universities are navigating recent funding challenges
• A breakdown of how public universities receive funding

Earlier this month, two police unions representing state troopers and MSP command officers announced that more than 90% of their members voted no confidence in Grady and his second in command, Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe.

The vote was the latest in a series of tensions that have arisen since Grady’s appointment by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2023. 

Now lawmakers are getting involved, with Republican legislators beginning to call for Grady’s resignation, saying “he’s lost the confidence of his employees.”

“This week, leadership of the House Oversight Committee began deposing some members of the state police behind closed doors, in what appeared to be an effort to get sworn testimony about Grady’s performance,” Roth said, adding that Grady and the Attorney General’s office are saying the body has “no authority” to depose members of the executive branch.

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are rallying behind Grady, Roth said, with the legislative Black Caucus this week calling Grady’s criticism “unwarranted, given Grady’s qualifications,” suggesting that he is getting criticism that a white leader of the department would not get.

Whitmer’s office has also expressed support for Grady.

“In the past when Republicans have called for a department director to resign, the governor and her staff tend to turn the other cheek thinking they don’t want to dignify those types of requests,” Gorchow said. “But her press office is making clear that Gov. Whitmer stands behind Grady.” 

Roth and Gorchow also spoke with Dan Hurley, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Association of State Universities, about the recent reductions in funding for state universities, crackdowns on DEI policies, and other challenges education institutions are currently facing.

“The one thing the universities need are sustainability, stability, and good forecasting,” he said, “and their model has been shaken up.”  

Hurley said despite the added pressures from the current administrations, these universities, collectively, have been around for a while and will weather the storm.

—WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

More from WDET:

• Detroit Evening Report: Federal government revokes visas for international students at WSU, universities nationwide
• Future of DEI at University of Michigan under the microscope
• Attorney for Racial Justice Project responds to report on discriminatory policing by MSP

The city of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation has announced the return of its annual Detroit Bike Summit at Chandler Park this weekend.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The ride will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, and is free and open to all ages. This year’s theme is “Eastside Bound,” focusing on community, clean transportation and active mobility on Detroit’s east side.

“Detroiters deserve access to safe, fun, and convenient ways to get around their neighborhoods,” said Tim Slusser, chief of the Office of Mobility Innovation, in a press release. “We’re excited to bring the Bike Summit to Chandler Park and highlight the importance of active mobility and community-led solutions.”

In addition to a full day of riding, there will be food trucks on site, music and more. The first 100 people to register will be eligible to receive a prepaid lunch voucher. The actual bike ride begins at noon, leaving from Chandler Park. Riders will bike to Detroit’s Maheras-Gentry Park and back — a seven-mile ride.

Visit detroitmi.gov for more information. 

Other headlines for Friday, June 27, 2025:

• The city of Detroit is one of 50 finalists in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ sixth Mayors Challenge — a competition to encourage innovation in local government that improves life in cities around the world. The city will receive $50,000 to test its idea for improving Detroit’s property information systems.
• Detroit’s Rouge Park is turning 100 years old this year. To celebrate the milestone, the nonprofit Friends of Rouge Park is hosting a free, three-day festival at the park this weekend, June 27-29.
• Since May 31, local nonprofit group Black Leaders Detroit has been participating in the national Ride for Equity — a 1,600-mile bike ride through the midwest aiming to raise money and create awareness around equitable funding practices for entrepreneurs of African descent.
• The Rocket Classic continues this weekend at the Detroit Golf Club, with more than 150 athletes taking part in the 7th annual tournament. It will be televised on CBS Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.

The political leadership in Michigan will go through some major changes with the multiple elections being held in the next couple of years.

This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Services’ Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben discuss the future of Michigan politics and who has the best chance to win their respective races in the state. 

Also, Michigan political consultant and co-host of the Baldly Bipartisan podcast, Adrian Hemond, and Resch Strategies VP Anna Heaton joined the conversation.

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

In this episode:

• Sen. Gary Peters’ retirement
• Mike Duggan’s chances as an independent in the governor’s race
• How the voting landscape is changing

Michigan has never had an open governor’s race and an open senate seat in the same year, until now.

Many were surprised when Sen. Gary Peters announced his retirement earlier this year. Hemond said that Peters retiring breaks the norm for politicians.

“…the United States Senate is an exceptionally old institution and someone voluntarily retiring when they are around Medicare eligibility is actually unheard of,” he said.

Several candidates have thrown their hat in the ring to fill the open seat, including Democratic candidates Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, veteran Rachel Howard, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, and Michigan House Speaker Joseph Tate.  

On the Republican side, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, Kent Benham, Frederick Heurtebise and Genevieve Scott have all launched campaigns. Independent candidates in the race are Lydia Christensen and Craig Henley Johnson. 

When asked about the governor’s race, Heaton spoke about the challenges Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will face running as an Independent.

“When he first announced, Republicans were a little smug, thinking he’s just going to draw from the Democratic base,” she said. “In the most recent poll that I reviewed, you know, he’s equally liked by Republicans and Democrats — and really high favorability ratings.” 

Still, Heaton said name recognition across the state could pose a significant challenge for him outside the metro area.

Despite those challenges, Hemond thinks it would be a mistake to bet against Duggan.

“If there’s anyone in Michigan politics that can do it it’s Mike Duggan, both because of the skill that he has and the Rolodex that he has — outside of just politics right, which I think is super important; but also he has sky-high name ID in the metro Detroit media market, which is where half the people in Michigan live,” he said.

More from WDET:

• MichMash: Sen. Gary Peters’ retirement; Duggan on running for governor as an independent and more
• MichMash: Duggan endorsement shakes up governor’s race; Sen. Camilleri advocates for K-12 budget
• Michigan House adopts voter ID bills, sends it to Whitmer for likely veto

It has been an eventful year in Michigan politics with the Michigan Legislature dynamically evolving. This week on WDET’s MichMash, Gongwer News Services’ Zach Gorchow and Alethia Kasben analyze the major events in a live recording at the Go Comedy! Improv Theater in Ferndale.

They were joined by Detroit Free Press Politics Editor Emily Lawler and
Politics Editor for The Detroit News, Chad Livengood.

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

In this episode:

• Whether the Michigan Legislature will make its July 1 deadline
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her approach to working with President Donald Trump
• How Michigan compares on the national stage in 2025

There has been a major sea change in Michigan politics this year.

With Republicans taking over the state House, President Donald Trump back in the White House, and Democrats maintaining their majority in the state Senate — their is a new dynamic in the state capitol.

“This is the first time that I’ve covered one chamber in Democratic control and one in Republican control,” Lawler said. “…It’s been just an interesting dynamic to watch and sort of see what the chambers are teeing up for each other and what of those things they actually expect to move — which I think is a smaller pool than I initially anticipated.”

Livengood called the current relationship between the chambers a “legislative Red Rover.”

“Getting the actual votes on some of these big issues, like roads, is going to be the real test,” he said.

Kasben pointed out that the Legislature was able to compromise on major legislative efforts like paid sick leave and minimum wage packages in February.

They also talked about the notable shift in how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has navigated national political dynamics this year, and specifically her relationship with President Trump.

Despite their fraught history, the pair have taken a friendlier tone towards each other in recent months, as they discuss future plans and initiatives for the state of Michigan.

“She’s engaged with him on things that she’s wanted to get done, and I’m not sure that all of those will get done, but certainly Selfridge Air Force Base — the upgrades coming there, the new mission coming there — is significant, that’s something that Michigan has wanted for years,” Lawler said.

But Lawler also noted that Trump isn’t someone Whitmer can rely on politically, pointing to recent discussions about pardoning some of the individuals convicted for conspiring to kidnap her.

–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

More from WDET:

• MichMash: Live in Lansing!
• Whitmer ‘not happy’ about possible pardons for men involved in her kidnapping plot
• Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall says education budgets could be done by July 1

The city of Detroit announced this week that its free community shuttle service, “The Connect,” will return next month with an expanded route and new features.

Subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The pilot program first launched last summer to help address the growing need for efficient, modern transit options in the area, according to the city.

The service will become available to residents beginning July 7, with plans to become fully autonomous after a four-week transition period. Trained safety operators will continue to monitor the operations to ensure passenger safety, the city says.

“Detroit has always been at the forefront of mobility innovation, and The Connect AV shuttle is another step toward making our city more accessible, efficient, and environmentally friendly,” said Mayor Mike Duggan in a statement. “With the transition to full autonomous operation, we are not just embracing the future of transportation, we are leading it.”

The program was brought back this summer thanks to a $1.67 million grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The shuttles will have expanded route offerings to loop Michigan Central, Downtown Detroit and East Jefferson Riverfront. They’ll run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday for the first four months and will revert to the regular hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. by November 2025.

Visit detroitmi.gov for more information about the program.

Other headlines for Friday, June 20, 2025:

• June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month and Chase Bank is teaming up with the Detroit Police Department to help seniors learn how to avoid scams through local workshops being held throughout the summer.
  The next workshop will be on July 3. Reach out to your local Chase Bank branch for more details.
• There is a major heat wave set to envelop Michigan and large parts of the U.S. this weekend into early next week, with temperatures expected to near 100 degrees. Many communities will be opening cooling centers to help provide relief for residents.
• Earlier this month, Michigan health officials closed three Oakland County beaches to swimmers due to dangerously high levels of E. Coli contamination, the Detroit Free Press reports. Eagle Lake in Waterford still remains closed, while Sylvan Lake and Elliott Lake have since been reopened. Visit EGLE’s MiEnviro – Beachguard website for the most up-to-date closure information.
• Club NYC and RELEASE Detroit are partnering to host a Choreographer’s Showcase at Big Pink Detroit on Thursday, July 31.

Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.