Pat Batcheller is a host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET, presenting local news, traffic and weather updates during Morning Edition. He is an amateur musician.

Batcheller joined WDET in 2007 after nine years at WWJ, where he was a news editor, producer and reporter. He started his broadcasting career in 1989 and has lived and worked in Michigan his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Specs Howard School of Media Arts. He has won multiple awards for excellence from the Associated Press, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Society of Professional Journalists. He is an amateur musician, playing percussion in the Downriver Community Band.

Local meteorologist says weather service layoffs risk public safety

The Trump administration's purge of federal workers includes layoffs at the National Weather Service.An NWS spokesperson would not say how...

Michigan DNR prepares for wildfire season

Michigan averages more than 200 wildfires per year. The Department of Natural Resources says fires burned almost 1,500 acres statewide...

GOP state rep. explains why she voted for minimum wage and sick leave changes

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bills last week to raise Michigan's minimum wage and guarantee sick leave for workers.The hourly rate...

DNR says avian flu kills wild birds as well as poultry

A backyard poultry farm in Monroe County is the latest Michigan flock hit by the highly pathogenic Avian influenza. Hundreds of...

MDOT to close part of I-696 for two years

The Michigan Department of Transportation plans to begin the final phase of its Restore the Reuther project on March 1,...

MDOT aims to end Fort Street train delays Downriver

Before President Joe Biden left the White House, the Federal Railroad Administration approved almost $74 million to fix a recurring...

IRS increases deductions for 2024 income taxes

It's tax season. The Internal Revenue Service began accepting 2024 returns on January 27, 2025.  IRS spokesperson Luis Garcia says...

Detroit journalist creates tool to monitor misinformation in Spanish language media

English speaking media are not the only news sources fighting the rising tide of misinformation and disinformation infiltrating American politics....

Wayne State group revives old words in new year

If you resolved to beef up your vocabulary in 2025, Wayne State University's Word Warriors are here to help.Each year,...

Lake Superior State University shares Banished Words List for 2025

If certain words and phrases make you cringe, you’ll appreciate Lake Superior State University’s Banished Words List for 2025. It’s...

Five communities approve new senior services millage

Voters in four of the Grosse Pointes and the city of Harper Woods approved a new millage for senior services...

National Weather Service seeks winter weather spotters in Detroit

The National Weather Service expects a warmer and wetter than normal winter in southeast Michigan. But that doesn't rule out...