The Metro

What the Gordie Howe Bridge means for Detroit and Windsor

For a century, Detroit and Windsor have felt like one community split by a river. Now the Gordie Howe International Bridge — the first publicly owned bridge to connect them — is close to opening, amid a standoff between Washington and Ottawa over who controls it. Robyn Vincent talks with border-culture scholar Lee Rodney about what a new bridge can and can't reconnect — and who it's really for.  Thoughts? Email us at Metro@WDET.org

Windsor mayor says Gordie Howe Bridge ‘will transcend Donald Trump’s presidency’ when it opens

A new international span was set to open soon, but it has now been delayed. In an email statement Thursday morning, Mayor Dilkens said, “Although we would all like the Gordie Howe International Bridge to open, Canada need not fall on bent knee to make it happen.” Producer Sam Corey spoke with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens [https://www.citywindsor.ca/mayor-and-council/mayor-drew-dilkens] yesterday before the ribbon cutting had been canceled. He says the bridge is "the ultimate symbol of connection" and friendship. Thoughts? Email us at Metro@wdet.org [Metro@wdet.org]

'Dragged to Death' emerges as the prime murder mystery to read during Pride Month

Frank Anthony Polito [https://frankanthonypolito.wixsite.com/website] is an award-winning self-published author and playwright from Hazel Park, Michigan. Recently, he's been focuing on murder mystery series starring "Domestic Partners in Crime," Peter ‘PJ’ Penwell and JP Broadway.  "Dragged to Death [https://www.amazon.com/Dragged-Death-Domestic-Partners-Mystery/dp/B0GWLK5GPW/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ahiX0AA-YXvkjvwAJvIbBKJjdYLalDOYm8kLD16d9Ej1s7eE4REui_xhvnJiX-sFyumCasaASj9naP0AsFySFL_K1quJ0AO2DKpbzn_9gYml8bA6CJSKS1IPa2KOFfWN8qf67sfTVSWg-McmJX99SVFUPgMmZWqVPiVrBxLLbs4tQ8_lQrmYWtoIdUfdXyehhXJAz7N88o-m-Je2AdLqa8zLAMw3sSR5gYHH3UbiA5o.ZYfoCYlqlGX0EGqqskeX99PwtH9xznqTOPH_L-KlTo8&qid=1779207784&sr=8-1]" serves as the fourth installment of that series, where a young drag queen from the Detroit drag scene is smothered to death by her own wig. Polito joined The Metro to discuss his book, his lived experiences in Detroit and New York, and the perseverance necessary for the role of a self-publisher.

'When the economy catches a cold, Detroit gets pneumonia.' Cass Tretyak on hunger and the cost of living

Affordability is the word of the moment — and behind it is something stark. Nearly half of Americans can't cover their essential expenses, gas is up about a dollar a gallon since February, and more people are going hungry now than at the height of the pandemic. In Detroit, where food insecurity was already widespread, that squeeze lands even harder. "When the economy catches a cold, Detroit gets pneumonia," said Cass Tretyak, an outreach navigator at Community & Home Supports [https://chsinc.org/]. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to unpack how a punishing economy keeps failing people living in poverty — the rising demand for food and housing help, the toll of new federal rules tightening access to benefits like SNAP, and what it actually takes to keep her clients fed and housed.

A Place Called Heaven honors Detroit's Black queer history

When people don’t feel welcomed in a space, they create their own. In 1984, a third space came to life on 7 Mile and Woodward, that was Club Heaven. Decades later, the legacy of the community continues to thrive. This month, in celebration of Pride, The Love Building is hosting a LOVE@Nite session called "A Place Called Heaven.”  [https://www.thelovebuilding.org/love-list-events/lovenite-a-place-called-heaven] The gathering will center Black queer life through storytelling, music, and community connections, and a look back at more than 30 years of history. The Metro spoke with Chris “Inpaq” Sutton, director of the film "Heaven In Detroit" and broadcast studio manager for LGBT Detroit [https://www.lgbtdetroit.org/], alongside Kwaku Osei-Bonsu, project manager at the Love Building.  They talked about the impact of Detroit’s Black queer community, explored the need for safe physical spaces, and how their partnerships honors those who live their truths.