Linguist John McWhorter: “Profanity Is Something That Everybody Is Interested In”
Language has long ritualized greetings and terms of endearment, but why do seemingly all languages also have words considered to...
“Water Is Life” Is Theme of Day 1 of Protests to Shut Down Enbridge Line 5
I’m standing next to this little two-lane road in the country, and on one side is the pumping station that...
Winfrey: Detroit Charter Revision Commission Missed Deadline to Submit Final Charter for August Primary
The Detroit Charter Revision Commission missed its deadline to submit the final version of the document it had spent the...
Officials to Enlist Doctors’ Help in Combatting Michigan’s Lagging Vaccination Rates
Earlier this week, Michigan hit the 55% vaccinated benchmark to remove work-from-home requirements. Now state officials are trying to figure out a...
Metro Detroit Food Businesses Adapt to Ramadan Traditions During Pandemic
During the month of Ramadan, Muslim-owned restaurants in Metro Detroit extend their hours for late-night customers looking to break their fast after...
Plastic Debris Is Getting Into the Great Lakes, Our Drinking Water, and Our Food
There’s been a lot of news about the amount of plastic debris in the oceans. But, plastic pollution is also affecting the Great...
Canton Residents Are Missing the Community’s “Third Place”
This story is part of WDET’s Crossing the Lines: Canton Battles COVID series, reconnecting listeners with the people they met and issues they...
New U-D Mercy Law Dean Is Dedicated to Advancing Anti-Racism and Equity in Her Role
The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law recently appointed professor Jelani Jefferson Exum to the role of dean. Exum is...
Chilly Temps May Delay Brood X Cicadas In Michigan, But Not For Long
Shannon Potter/Unsplash Brood X is coming to Michigan parks, forests, backyards, schoolyards -- heck, basically everywhere that's literally not inside a human-created structure...
New Book “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe” Puts COVID-19 Into Broader Context of Other Crises
COVID-19 has been a generation-defining event for the entire world, but especially here in the United States where more than...
On Eve of Line 5 Shutdown Deadline, Enbridge Vows to Defy Michigan Order
Last November the Department of Natural Resources concluded that Enbridge was in violation of its 1953 easement agreement. That easement...
Culture D-Tour: Raffa Reuther Creates Playful, “Gender-Euphoric” Fashion For All
Courtney Wise Randolph writes about Detroit’s movers and shakers for Detour Detroit. Once a month, she stops by CultureShift to chat with a...