You can’t trust everything you see and hear nowadays, especially text messages and emails.

One of the most common scams recently are fake toll road fines that are sent via text message. The FBI calls it “smishing,” which combines the abbreviation for text messages, SMS, with phishing.

The problem has gotten so big that the Michigan Secretary of State’s website has as pop-up warning at the top of their homepage, reminding Michigan residents that the Secretary of State will never solicit payment via text message.

Among the most vulnerable for cyber scams are senior citizens.

Last year in Michigan, seniors reported scam and fraud losses of $92 million, according to the FBI’s IC3 2024 Elder Fraud Report. That breaks down to around $29,000 per claim.

The leading categories of fraud and scams are investments, personal data breaches, identity theft, romance, and tech support.

This tracks with the national trend. Last year reported cybercrime losses in the U.S. topped $16 billion.

What’s behind the text message toll road scams? How can people identify a scam? What makes seniors so vulnerable to cyber scams?

Lexi Lutz joined the Metro to help answer those questions. Lutz is the senior corporate counsel for privacy and cybersecurity at Nordstrom, and she appeared on The Metro in her capacity of founder of Opt-Inspire, a nonprofit that works to keep seniors cyber-secure, and helps them use digital technology safely to connect with loved ones.

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Bipartisan bills are stuck in legislative gridlock in both the Michigan House and Senate. 

Since the legislative term started in January, only six bills have been passed and landed on Governor Whitmer’s desk. That’s despite lawmakers introducing hundreds of bills. What is going on?

Two reporters from Gongwer News Service, Elena Durnbaugh and Nick Smith, joined the Metro to explain how dysfunctional things are in the State Houe and Senate right now. They co-reported the piece “House, Senate not taking up each other’s bills amid low number of public acts.”

Guests

• Elena Durnbaugh covers the Michigan House of Representatives for Gongwer News Service
• Nick Smith covers the Michigan Senate for Gongwer News Service

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60 years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, the Jackson Home, a civil rights movement landmark, is coming to The Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI.

The Henry Ford, which includes the Museum of Innovation and Greenfield Village, acquired the Jackson house in 2023. It was owned by Dr. Sullivan Jackson and Mrs. Ritchie Jean Sherrod Jackson and was the site of organizing for the Selma to Montgomery Marches that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Detroit Public Library is hosting a presentation by Amber Mitchell, Curator of Black History at The Henry Ford. She will discuss the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act being signed into law and the role the Jackson Home played in the Selma to Montgomery Marches. The discussion will be at the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library, 6 p.m., Wednesday, August 6.

Guest: Amber Mitchell, Curator of Black History at The Henry Ford

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This summer is tracking to be the hottest on record… but it could be among the coolest summers we have for the rest of our lives. That’s the takeaway of a recent article from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit made up of climate scientists founded at MIT in 1969. Scientists have warned of global warming for decades now, and the need for more urgent action. That’s because avoiding the worst effects of manmade climate change will require cooperation on a global scale.

But a large paradigm shift must involve city governments and local power players too. Detroit’s primary election for mayor and city council is this coming Tuesday, August 5, and whoever takes the reins as Detroit’s next mayor will be in a unique position to get Detroit ready for the climate that has already changed significantly.

Ellen Vial is the Detroit Program Manager for the Michigan Environmental Council. The council is a coalition of organizations that have created a thorough, 48-page environmental voter guide, and Ellen is on The Metro this morning to discuss the depths of our climate crisis and what Detroiters can do about it.

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The deer herd in Michigan is estimated to be two million strong. In southeast Michigan, that number has been growing.

There were more than 58,000 deer-vehicle crashes reported in Michigan in 2023, according to Michigan State Police. That’s an average of 158 per day.

There is a growing coalition of cities and townships in metro Detroit that have taken action to curb deer populations in their communities. Farmington Hills is one of the cities leading this effort, with the city council recently approving organized deer culls. The resolution, which allows sharpshooters to shoot and kill deer in suburban areas where overpopulation is a problem, also includes safety provisions and directs harvested venison to be donated to food banks.

Bryan Farmer, deputy director of the city of Farmington Hills Special Services Department, joined The Metro to talk more about the resolution. Then, Cervid and Wildlife Interactions Unit Supervisor at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Chad Stewart, joined the conversation to help us understand what’s behind the deer uptick in metro Detroit’s suburbs.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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Climate change is affecting the trees in metro Detroit.

The Eastern U.S. experienced an oppressive heat wave recently. There were also a handful of severe thunderstorms that inevitably brought down branches, limbs, or even whole trees across the region. 

In Detroit, fewer than 60% of households have air conditioning, according to American Forests. That makes shade a vital source of relief from the heat.

So how is Detroit’s tree canopy doing in the face of climate change? And if you want to plant your own tree, what species will be resilient for decades to come? To find out, Metro producer David Leins spoke with Lawrence Law, urban forester and partnership coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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