Features

Feature Story Restorative justice advocates Lauren Fardig-Diop (left) and Angel McKissic

Beyond punitive justice: Restoring harm in DetroitResilient Neighborhoods Feature

Locking up offenders doesn't repair the broken relationships underlying most crime. Metro Detroit Restorative Justice Network says we can do better – and create a safer community in the process.

Longform Supplemental Science student Madison Taylor with her exhibit on soil samples at a science fair at WAY Academy in Detroit.

Metroparks offer year-round hands-on science classes in 2 Detroit schools

Through the Supplemental Science program, Huron-Clinton Metroparks staff work with school staff to offer science lessons in schools, usually multiple times a week throughout the school year. 

Feature Story Consumer's Energy Four Cities Metro Pipeline project will occur from 2026 to 2029.

Natural gas pipeline project to update aging system in four Metro-Detroit cities

Consumers Energy will invest $182 million to replace eight miles of outdated natural gas pipeline in four Metro Detroit cities from 2026 to 2029. The company claims this project will improve the safety and reliability of its natural gas system, but environmental advocacy groups argue that money and resources could be better invested in renewable, cleaner energy sources.

Feature Story The chapel of St. Mary's Academy

Vacant for 20 years, historic Monroe building will be repurposed for community goodNonprofit Journal Project Feature

In Monroe, the former St. Mary’s Academy building left an empty space in the city’s downtown when it closed in 2003. Demolition was on the table until a developer with a personal connection to the building stepped up to save it.

Feature Story Melany Sanchez first participated in Leaders in Training during her freshman year of college

Preparing Southwest Detroit youth for power and purposeResilient Neighborhoods

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives’ Leaders in Training program equips Southwest Detroit youth with career skills, mentorship, and leadership opportunities rooted in community development.

Longform Shelley Roossien, Accessibility and Inclusion Specialist at KDL, leads children through a building exercise.

Inclusive Literacy Alliance fosters early reading in Kent County kids with developmental differences

The Inclusive Literacy Alliance is a collaborative, county-wide effort to improve early reading outcomes for children with developmental differences. Parents, educators, service providers, and advocates are piloting solutions that make early literacy more accessible and effective for children who are blind or low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, or autistic.

Longform Cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.

Community mental health partnerships with first responders a win-win for communities

Across Michigan, community mental health (CMH) agencies are redefining crisis response through deep partnerships with EMS, law enforcement, and fire departments. These cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.  

Feature Story Albert Kahn Building

HISTORY LESSON: Telling Detroit's immigrant story through its architecture

Today, as immigrants are being vilified, scapegoated and pulled off the streets by masked agents, it’s important for us to remember that the Detroit that so many are nostalgic for was designed and built by immigrants.

Longform sunglasses

Cincinnati’s school dental clinics bring relief to thousands

Serving 24,000 patients annually, the Cincinnati Health Department dental program brings year-round care to students and community patients through an innovative public-private partnership.

Feature Story Forgotten Harvest CEO Adrian Lewis

USDA cuts could worsen food insecurity, reverse progress to improve nutrition for most vulnerableResilient Neighborhoods

USDA programs, which once helped Southeast Michigan emergency food providers source food, are being slashed. With over a billion dollars cut nationwide, experts warn of long-term consequences for food access, nutrition and local economies.  

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