Laura Herberg is a civic life reporter for Outlier Media, telling the stories about people inhabiting the Detroit region and the issues that affect us here.

StoryCorps Detroit Podcast: Not Ready to Die

StoryCorps Detroiter Roy Sims was diagnosed with a serious heart condition that doctors told him would be his demise.  "It...

StoryCorps Detroit Podcast: “I Work Like a Woman”

StoryCorps Detroiter Carlena Murdy worked in an auto-parts factory at a time when being a woman in a trade-labor job...

Become A Gerrymandering Expert Just By Listening [PODCASTS]

On a hot summer day, there are few things cooler than learning about gerrymandering. Don't know what we're talking about?...

Does Michigan Have a District that Looks Like Homer Simpson? You Be the Judge

Public Back in 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry approved a voting map that had one district carefully drawn to favor...

Taking Public Stage Helps Muslim Woman Recover from Sexual Trauma

Click on the audio player above to hear the story. Six women formed a circle on stage and warmed up...

How Did We Get Here? A Visual Timeline of Mass Transit in Southeast Michigan

Did you know that commuter rail service ran between Detroit and Ann Arbor as late as 1984? Or that Detroit...

Should Funding Regional Public Transit in Southeast Michigan Be Optional?

The question of who should pay for public transportation in Southeast Michigan is once again up for debate. As part...

What Does it Mean to be Female, Arab American and Muslim in Dearborn?

An unconventional play entitled "Undesirable Elements/Dearborn" opens this weekend at the Arab American National Museum. The show is a live,...

Some Detroiters Can Swap Their Homes for Houses in the Land Bank

Maria Walkenbach lives with her four dogs, just around the corner from the construction site of the Gordie Howe International...

City Official Reflects on Implementing Home Swap Program [Transcript]

Construction began this year on the Gordie Howe International Bridge that's being built by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)...

What Would it Take to Get a Speed Bump in a Detroit Neighborhood?

WDET/Laura Herberg WDET Asks: What do you and your neighbors want in your community to make it better?   Detroiter Oliver...

New to Bus Riding? Here’s Help

A handful of people with the nonprofit Congress of Communities was standing on Vernor Highway in southwest Detroit. They were waiting to take the No. 49 bus, not to go anywhere...