Detroit, MI
'Heat island effect' contributing to warmer temperatures in Detroit, study shows – WDET 101.9 FM
As global temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, environmental factors in some urban communities are amplifying the heat even further.
Heat islands are defined as urbanized areas that experience higher temperatures than more rural areas due to the prevalence of buildings, roads and other infrastructure that absorbs and re-emits the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests and water bodies.
In 2023, the nonprofit Climate Central found that the urban “heat island effect” is elevating local temperatures by at least eight degrees Fahrenheit in 44 U.S. cities — including Detroit — exposing residents to higher risks of heat-related illness and higher cooling costs. In some cities, like Chicago, New York City and San Francisco, the effect can boost temperatures by 10 degrees or more, the organization reported.
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Jen Brady, a senior data analyst at Climate Central, joined The Metro on Friday to explain the heat island effect and offer suggestions for how to cool down urban communities in metro Detroit. She says many factors can contribute to the heat island effect, including the way a city is designed.
“Sometimes it’s just the design of the city, how the city grows. Detroit is an old city with lots of old buildings, old structures, stone structures left of pavement. So it may just be how the city has grown over the years,” Brady said. “A lot of northern cities are actually designed to hold heat in because we think of the cold weather in the winter. And we want to hold that heat in. But now that’s becoming a problem.”
Planting more trees in urban landscapes, having green roofs, and painting roofs and pavement lighter colors could help to reduce the heat island effect, Brady says, but emphasized that there must be a joint effort within the community to see real results.
“Because the other thing is, if you have a whole neighborhood, it’s very warm, and one person lightens the roof, it’s not going to really lighten the whole neighborhood. So, it really needs to be a big collective effort,” she said.
Many nonprofits and municipalities in the U.S. are already working towards warding off scorching temperatures by planting trees. Right here in Detroit, the nonprofit The Greening of Detroit plans to plant 70,000 trees over the next five years, which can help scatter the heat and provide more shade.
Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Brady.
More headlines from The Metro on May 17, 2024:
- Today marks 70 years since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision. Terah Chambers, the associate dean for Michigan State University’s College of Education, joined the show to discuss how the landmark case has affected the education system and its future direction.
- A group of metro Detroiters sent a letter to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan this week asking them to revisit ideas for the future of I-375 in downtown Detroit. Their concerns included a lack of community engagement, vision, safety, urban design, and restorative justice for those affected by the freeway’s original construction. Michigan Department of Transportation senior project manager Jon Loree joined the show to provide a response to the negative feedback from residents about the project.
- According to a new study from Michigan State University, many U.S. workers find the jobs available to them boring. WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley spoke with Kevin Hoff, lead researcher on the report, about what can be done to help bridge the gap between the workforce and the work.
- The Detroit Women of Comedy Festival is taking place this Friday and Saturday at the Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck. The show’s producer, Kate Holmes, joined the show to share more about the unique event.
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Detroit’s QLINE streetcar system: Quick facts to know
Detroit’s QLINE streetcar system offers a 3.3-mile ride along Woodward Avenue, connecting key downtown and midtown destinations with a modern, battery-powered transit option.
More than a decade ago, a juror in a Detroit public corruption trial that ended with three men getting convicted in a $97 million bribery scheme exclaimed: “Hopefully this is the end of this nightmare … this is a whole new beginning.”
It didn’t quite go that way as the following years saw two city councilmen indictments, a dozen school principal bribery convictions, a towing scandal, as well as a toxic dirt and demolition fiasco.
And now there’s this.
In a new criminal filing in U.S. District Court, a former city official in charge of the Detroit People Mover shuttle is charged with taking $300,000 in bribes from a businessmen who reportedly billed the city for work that was never performed — all with the help of his connected associate.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday, June 2 in U.S. District Court, the alleged scheme involves 55-year-old Michael Anderson, a former director with the Detroit Transportation Corporation, who allegedly helped Detroit businessman Terrence Parker bill the city for nearly $305,000 in information technology work that was never performed.
Moreover, court records show, Parker’s company has no experience with IT work, but rather performs restoration work on homes damaged by storms and natural disasters. Still, the FBI says, Parker managed to submit 22 phony invoices to the DTC for IT work, including fixing computer monitors — and got paid for all of it. That’s because Anderson was approving his phony invoices from the inside, the government says, and getting money in exchange for his help.
Anderson and Parker both are charged with conspiracy and federal program theft/bribery and face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted. They were released on bond following their initial appearances in U.S. District Court. Their court-appointed lawyer could not be reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Anderson, who was hired by the city in 2022, was in charge of overseeing People Mover operations until he was fired in April for conduct unrelated to the pending criminal case. Parker owns a business called Total Care Restoration (TCR), which performs restoration work on homes damaged by fire, water, windstorms, or other elements.
According to the government, Parker was billing the DTC for information technology services, even though his company has no experience in that field, nor has it ever submitted a bid proposal to the city for such work, or signed any contract with the DTC.
Still, the government alleges, between 2023-25, the DTC paid nearly $305,000 to TCR for 23 invoices it had submitted, 22 of those invoices charged for IT services.
“Anderson approved the invoices and Parker deposited the checks into TCR’s bank account. TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments before Anderson was hired as Procurement Director. Likewise, TCR did not submit any invoices or receive any payments after Anderson was fired as Procurement Director,” the complaint states.
According to the government, Anderson did actually procure and manage IT contracts with a number of companies while he worked for the DTC. But TCR was billing the city for work that those companies had been contracted to do.
“At least six TCR invoices listed work that was actually contracted to (another company),” an FBI agent wrote in his affidavit attached to the criminal complaint.
Also noteworthy, the FBI agent writes: “Most of TCR’s invoices contained a charge for debris removal. In my experience, debris removal is a common line item for restoration projects but not for IT work.”
According to the complaint, the FBI figured out that Parker was funneling money to Anderson by reviewing their bank records, and noticing that their deposits and withdrawals coincided. For example, on Aug. 16, 2024, Parker deposited a DTC check for $23,934 and withdrew $18,000 cash. That same day and over the next several days, Anderson made cash deposits into his account for $1,500, $1,300, $1,000, $700 and $1,850.
“There is probable cause to believe that Parker paid Anderson a portion of the money from the TCR invoices,” the FBI agent writes.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
Javier Báez hits home run in 2026 spring training with Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez talks to reporters during spring training February 27, 2026, at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The Detroit Tigers shut down two of their shortstops on the injured list.
The biggest name?
Javier Báez.
The 33-year-old has been shut down from baseball activities after meeting with a specialist Monday, June 1, about the lack of progress in recovery from a right high ankle sprain, which he suffered April 28. (The Tigers also shut down Trey Sweeney, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder strain since spring training and needs further medical evaluation.)
“We’re still dissecting all the diagnoses and what’s going on with him,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Báez before Tuesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s just not progressing very quickly, and right now, rest is still part of the equation.”
The Tigers tried to start Báez’s return-to-play progression with running, hitting and fielding drills.
He still felt symptoms of the high ankle sprain.
“I’m not a doctor,” Hinch said, “but I understand it watching Javy go through a very slow process of the swelling and the bleeding and all the things that go on inside that type of sprain.”
How long until Báez returns to baseball activities?
The timeline is unknown.
He isn’t expected to need surgery, which means he should return at some point after the All-Star break in 2026.
“From what I was told, we’re on the right path and everything is going well,” Hinch said. “These are just really tricky. The path that we’re on, we’re just going to go slow. Baseball activity is going to slow down because we’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of the symptoms.”
Before the injury, Báez played in 24 games for the Tigers, hitting .256 with two home runs, two walks and 16 strikeouts. The injury occurred while running to first base against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, as he tried to avoid a tag with an awkward slide.
The 13-year MLB veteran’s contract with the Tigers runs until November 2027. He is in the penultimate season of a six-year, $140 million contract from December 2021.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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