Anyone who goes to Belle Isle in the peak months of May and June and thinks this is an appropriate event to take place in a public park is not an advocate for the DNR mission “committed to the conservation, protection, management, use, and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources of current and […]
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Researchers predict a combined heatwave and blackout in Detroit could be worse than Katrina. Here’s why.
Last July as strong storms moved through metro Detroit, Highland Park resident Michelle Jones lost power for three days. At the same time, the area was experiencing 90-degree temperatures. Since Jones couldn’t run her window air conditioner or fans, she went to stay with her daughter. Two days later she came home expecting the power […]
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From the Headlines – May 24-28, 2021
Remove the damn roads: An article in the New York Times looks at removing expressways in Detroit and other U.S. cities as a way to reconnect neighborhoods, make cities more walkable and reduce pollution from cars and trucks. Historically, many of these highways demolished Black neighborhoods; Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood was razed to create I-375, which is now […]
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The dream and reality of environmental justice on display in Michigan
The aspirational environmental justice goals of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and those of President Joe Biden were on full display last week as top executives from both administrations made the case for an increased focus on environmental justice. In his campaign, Biden made EJ a centerpiece embedding it in infrastructure and climate change plans. Whitmer […]
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PARKS REPORT – Riverside Park: Sick moves, views of the Detroit River, and geese grazing amid trash
View on Instagram >>> Find your way to this park! Riverside Park At the crossroads of industry and international commerce lies the scenic patch of Riverside Park located at 3085 W. Jefferson Avenue, directly underneath the Ambassador Bridge. This 29-acre stretch includes a skatepark, playground, dog park, basketball court, and picnic area. Visitors can reach […]
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From the Headlines – May 17-21, 2021
Recovery doubtful: RecoveryPark has seen better days. The project, which received millions in foundation funding and oodles of positive press in recent years, aimed to employ people facing obstacles due to incarceration and drug abuse. Last year, most of the farms’ approximately 20 employees, some of whom had been incarcerated, were laid off, and the farm […]
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COVID-19 brings renewed urgency to the fight over Detroit’s air quality
As residents contend with high rates of ailments like asthma and COPD, activists see an opportunity to leverage increased awareness brought by the pandemic. On the eastside of Detroit, Beniteau Street resident Robert Shobe is watching the construction of the expanded Fiat Chrysler Automobiles facilities rising up over his neighborhood and wondering how much more […]
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PARKS REPORT: Maheras Gentry Park
View on Instagram>>> Find your way to this park! Maheras Gentry Park Summer weather is finally here, and this weekend at Maheras Gentry Park there were lots of people enjoying themselves! A colleague and past Planet Detroit journalist Jena Booker gave me a tour of this park located at 12550 Avondale Street. She’d heard that […]
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From the Headlines – May 10-14, 2021
Still flowing: Petroleum continues to flow through Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, despite Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order that the company shut it down by May 12. Here’s the latest on the situation: Enbridge said that only the federal government has the power to shut down Line 5. But the U.S. State Department stated that the […]
Posted inAccountability
Zug Island: Reflections on an industrial icon in President Biden’s utopian future
An “idled” steel mill hangs by a thread as President Biden bets big on his futuristic infrastructure plan We’re in a period of transformation, it seems. I added the qualifier because in the era of Covid-19, not much is certain. We’re barely four years past former President Donald Trump’s retreat from environmental protection. A retreat […]