The recent stretch of U.S. Supreme Court decisions is making big headlines. There was the decision that returned the question of abortion rights to the states, another one that limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory power, and then there’s Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta. In this case, the majority ruled 5-4 that states do share jurisdictional authority with federal and tribal entities in the prosecution of crimes within Indian Country, when those crimes a non-Native American defendant and a Native American victim. In the 2020 Supreme Court decision from McGirt v. Oklahoma, the court held that the Creek Nation’s reservation in eastern Oklahoma had never been disestablished, meaning that the tribal and federal government had the jurisdiction to prosecute crimes by Indians on those lands. As a result, jurisdiction in these areas was shared by tribal and federal prosecutors. Kirsten Matoy Carlson, a professor of law at Wayne State University, explained that the state of Oklahoma was dissatisfied with this decision. “Post-McGirt, the state has been really hostile toward the tribes in Oklahoma,” Matoy Carlson said. “It has sought to overturn the decision in McGirt 40 times, which is unheard of.” Two years later, the Castro-Huerta decision gave the state a win. Looking forward, Carlson said a lot is unclear, from the practical questions of authority, to how long the Castro-Huerta decision will stand. “The case is unique because it has an extremely powerful descent by Justice Gorsuch,” Matoy Carlson said. “It is very clear to me that when Gorsuch wrote the dissent, he was giving arguments to people so they could make this opinion less important in the future. But it’s really hard to know whether that’s going to happen or not.”  

Median Detroit home prices hit $100,000, highest value ever By Arielle Kass The median sales price for a home in the city of Detroit topped $100,000 in June, the first time values have been that high, according to multiple listing and service data. The median sales price of $100,250 in the city is based on 381 sales in June, and is more than a third higher than a year earlier, when the median sales price was $72,500. The increase in values is beneficial for homeowners, particularly those who have held on to properties for many years. But it can also put houses further out of reach for the first-time buyers. In a city that has long been known for its cheap housing stock following the aftermath of the Great Recession there is also an “important psychological benchmark, of course,” in hitting $100,000, said Jeff Horner, associate professor of teaching in the department of urban studies and planning at Wayne State University. “Any time housing valuations are going up in the largest poor city in America, it’s going to be good.”

All week, students from Wayne State University have been working to uncover history at a home that once belonged to Malcolm X. The archaeological dig is looking to give new insight into the home and the surrounding neighborhood. Very few places that the civil rights leader resided in are still standing today, but thanks to members of an Inkster neighborhood, X’s early 1950s home is still up. “We have no expectations,” said Wayne State University professor and project manager Tareq Ramadan. “We’re hoping to find something maybe linked to the family or to Malcolm himself.” So far, they’ve found things like a stroller, picture frames and even an old Faygo can that will eventually fill the home once it is restored and turned into a museum. “We hope to fill the house with both materials we collected from the actual dig, but also stuff that we’ve collected,” Ramadan said “We have people who are donating period furniture and appliances from the 1950s to make the house look like it did when Malcolm would have lived here.”  

It has been over two years since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the ways we interacted as a community worldwide. While we have done a lot to fight the spread of the virus, many are wondering when the pandemic will officially end. In the meantime, the BA.5 Omicron subvariant – the most prevalent subvariant in the United States – is spreading and is four times more resistant to COVID-19 vaccines. Still, unvaccinated people are five times more likely to get infected and about fifteen times more likely to die from the disease than those vaccinated and boosted, according to the Mayo Clinic. While we know that those vaccinated are likely to have more mild symptoms than the unvaccinated, the death rate from COVID-19 is still much higher than the flu and other contagious diseases. Paul Kilgore, co-director of the Center for Emerging and Infectious Diseases at Wayne State University and the senior investigator for Henry Ford Health System’s Global Health Initiative, says exercise, a healthy diet, getting vaccinated and checking in with one’s physician is the best way to keep people safe and healthy while the Omicron subvariant spreads. “The real question is, what are the best health behaviors we can adopt now, for our own selves, but also for our family and children, that are going to protect us for years to come against chronic diseases and infectious diseases,” Kilgore said. 

By Kurt Nagl Wayne State University sociology students will be conducting a demographic study for the North American International Auto Show in September to give organizers a better idea of its audience. In addition to this student project, the university’s Mike Ilitch School of Business will host an executive speaker series with an emphasis on the issue of recruiting diverse talent in the automotive industry. The Detroit auto show, scheduled for September 14 to 25 will return to downtown Detroit for the first time since 2019. The new indoor-outdoor format seeks to attract a new type of audience and raises questions about how the event will fit in the industry’s show circle going forward. “Our partnership with Wayne State University is a great example of the community outreach we are undertaking this fall as part of the auto show,” Rod Alberts, executive director of the show, said. “Students will be directly engaged with the show, managing and completing a demographic study of the various audiences that the show attracts.” 

By Rasha Almulaiki Beginning Wednesday, a team from Wayne State University’s department of anthropology will be conducting three-day archaeological excavations at the one-time home of American civil rights leader Malcom X, located at 4336 Williams St. in Inkster. The home is owned by the Inkster-based non-profit organization Project We Hope Dream and Believe and is partnering with WSU for the excavation digs. Excavations will be led by Tareq A. Ramadan, project manager at Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe and adjunct professor in the department of anthropology, Krysta Ryzewski, chair of the department of anthropology and associate professor and Aaron Sims, founder and executive director of Project We Hope, Dream, and Believe. 

For the 12th straight year, Tigers legends Alan Trammell and Lance Parrish will host a baseball camp together at Wayne State University. This year’s camp will run from July 26 to 28 and is open to players age 7 to 18. Clinics and drills will be conducted on Wayne State’s athletic campus including Harwell Field, Tom Adams Field, Gary Bryce Field and the Doris J. & Donald L. Duchene Sr. Athletic Facility. Members of the Wayne State baseball program, including coaches, student athletes and guest coaches, will assist with drill work.  

By Eric Freedman  Michigan’s only venomous snake, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, has been suspected or proven responsible for at least 75 bites reported in the state from 2003 to 2020, according to a comprehensive tally of such incidents. However, “only a handful were actually confirmed bites from identified eastern massasaugas,” said Varun Vohra, a clinical toxicologist and director of the Michigan Poison & Drug Information Center at Wayne State University. “The majority of cases involved folks who were out hiking in and around wetlands when they were reportedly bit,” said Vohra. “There were very few (bites) resulting from an individual actually handling the snake. And I do not believe any were trying to pick one up in the wild to try and keep.” He said the most common symptoms are edema – swelling – followed by pain and redness, with the most frequent treatments being an antidote. None of the bites were fatal, according to a recently published study by researchers from the information center and the Detroit Medical Center.  

The education budget signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday has one of the biggest overall increases in university funding in state history, a boost to a higher education budget that was slashed for years and only now has recovered to levels from two decades ago. The $2 billion higher ed budget is up $214 million for the 2022-23 fiscal year, or nearly 12%. It was last near that point, at $1.9 billion, in 2001-02 – before an economic downturn led to a decade of cuts in operating support and financial aid programs that exacerbated tuition hikes. The three research schools, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University, will see 4% more in funding.  

The past several years have been difficult for the mental health of Americans of all backgrounds. But the burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic and consistent reports of police violence – dubbed a “racism pandemic” by the president of the American Psychological Association – have fallen more heavily on Americans who are Black, Indigenous, or other people of color (BIPOC). July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, and medical organizations, advocacy groups, and the U.S. government are highlighting the unique mental health needs of BIPOC people and trying to find solutions. Although BIPOC Americans have mental health disorders at similar rates as white Americans, their treatment – or lack thereof – is very different. According to the Department of Health, BIPOC Americans have less access to mental health care, are less likely to get needed treatment, and are more likely to delay care or not seek it at all. Some organizations are acknowledging BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month online, publishing resources and encouraging people to share information and personal stories on social media. It seems to be taking, at least with Generation Z. “This is a generation of young people that are fully immersed in TikTok and Instagram,” said Dr. Sasha Zhou, an assistant professor in the department of public health at Wayne State University and a co-investigator with the Healthy Minds Network. “These are platforms that highlight things like BIPOC mental health. [My students] discuss identities and mental health in a totally unique way. There’s more intentional learning and outreach.”  

In the 1980s, a group of community leaders from around metro Detroit began gathering regularly to talk about building community coalitions. At the invitation of New Detroit, they formed a racial justice organization in response to the 1967 Detroit rebellion. Leaders gathered to broaden the participation of communities of color and act together in difficult times or when there were social problems. Roughly 30 leaders met monthly, including representatives from the African and African American, Arab, Chinese, and Latino communities. At each meeting, a participating ethnic group presented their community and gave an update on art, culture, and the different socioeconomic issues afflicting them. By the early 1990s, Detroit had suffered from decades of white flight and financial disinvestment, and the relationship between Detroit and the mostly white suburbs was fraught with racial tension. With tension permeating the city, building networks of communities of color was imperative, and the participating leaders formed the Cultural Exchange Network, which would go on to organize the Concert of Colors as an event to bring people together around live music and improve people’s unconscious attitudes towards other cultural groups. As the immigrant populations grew, there was very little interaction between those communities, and at times the intra-community relationships were hostile. Issues often arose between Arab gas station owners in Detroit and the Black customers they served. “Yet there was no uprising or anything around Black Detroiters, and the Arab-owned gas stations. And the reason there wasn’t was because of the work being done behind the scenes,” said Shirley Stancato, member of the Board of Governors at Wayne State University and the former president of New Detroit. “You would be amazed at the things that didn’t happen because we were working together behind the scenes and having deep conversations. That’s the kind of work that helps build community and develops relationships. You sustain those relationships through the tough times, and that’s a big, big piece of the concept around the Concert of Colors.”  

Experts in business management, organizational development and communications will facilitate a new professional development certification program designed to help mid-level managers navigate the changing workplace. Crain’s New World of Work will feature instructors from Wayne State University and guest speakers from the metro Detroit business community. The program includes 28 hours of instruction over eight weeks in a hybrid model. Participants who complete the program will receive a leadership certificate from Wayne State University. Crain’s New World of Work was designed in partnership with the university’s Executive and Professional Development team.  

By Amber Ainsworth  Free naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, is now available from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. Naloxone is used to reverse an opioid overdose. It does not have any impact on a person who does not have opioids in their system, making it a good antidote to have in case someone may be overdosing. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Wayne State University Center for Behavioral Health and Justice and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to get the vending machine.  

The Federal Reserve has begun to raise interest rates – in the hope of cooling off the economy – to slow inflation. You have noticed that prices are going up. Gasoline at the pump, fruits and vegetables at the supermarket, and more or less all other products, suddenly cost more money. That is inflation. Experts provide context for the factors that drive prices up. Alan Reinstein, CPA, George R. Husband professor of accounting at Wayne State University, identifies a factor specific to the United States: deficit spending. “For an extended period of time, Reinstein observes, “under both Democratic and Republican administrations,” the government has spent far more money than it has taken in taxes. “The Federal Reserve increases the money supply to fuel deficit spending, feeding inflation,” Reinstein adds. Because, by definition, “inflation occurs when too much money chases too few goods, thus raising prices,” the increasing money supply generates inflation.  

Sitting atop a hill overlooking Italy’s capital, the American Academy plays host to a range of artists, composers, writers and scholars who gather in this distinctly Italian setting aimed at stimulating creativity and collaboration. Elena Past, a professor of Italian at Wayne State University, is among the artists and scholars working in fellowship at the American Academy. “It’s about creating community amongst the fellows – giving you a chance to talk about your work, your progress, to talk through problems, but also simply to deepen the relationships you have with the people around you,” she said. Past, a recipient of the Rome Prize scholarship, is writing a book and came to study the film stock of Italian cinema. “I’m thinking about analog and technologies – the materials that make the 20th century legible and memorable to us,” Past said.  

Wayne County and Wayne State University have finalized an agreement to partner in the operation of the county’s Office of the Medical Examiner for a five-year period, which was unanimously approved by the Wayne County Commission. The agreement anticipates the transfer of the oversight of the office from the University of Michigan to WSU on Oct. 1, subject to the terms of a mutually agreeable operating agreement. “This is good news for Wayne County,” said Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans. “Wayne State University has a great reputation, but equally as important is that this is an institution with longstanding ties to our community. They care about the people they serve in Wayne County because to them this is personal, and that’s so important for a relationship like this to work.” “The university, through its School of Medicine and our other health sciences programs, will provide state-of-the-art forensics services, public health research and education,” said Wael Sakr, dean of the Wayne State University School of Medicine and former chair of the department of pathology. “As part of the agreement, Wayne State commits to launching an aggressive program of retention and recruitment of forensic pathologists and associated professionals, and to initiate planning for a forensic pathology fellowship program. We look forward to providing this critical service to the residents of Wayne County.”  

From Amazon to Google and Starbucks, workers at more and more major companies are seeking union representation, some more successfully than others. After workers at Buffalo Starbucks locations voted to unionize in December 2021, a wave of union interest spread in Michigan and around the country. According to the National Labor Relations Board, union petitions were up 57% in the first half of the fiscal year from Oct. 1 to March 31. Marick Masters, a professor at Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business, has written extensively on labor issues and says that despite the measurable uptick, union membership in our state is still nowhere near what it used to be. “In 1960, 50% of workers in Michigan were unionized,” he said. It’s currently around 15%, when the private and public sector are combined. “So this is perhaps a tipping point, but it’s too early to tell whether or not this represents a sea-change in union success, either in Detroit, statewide, or nationally,” Masters said. He believes the COVID-19 pandemic was a huge catalyst for the recent wave of union interest. “There’s no doubt that the workers across the nation at Starbucks saw this as an opportunity and wanted to take advantage of it as quickly as possible. And I think that’s one of the reasons why they’ve had success,” he said.  

The Great Lakes Water Authority is contracting with Wayne State University to do research at its Waterworks Park treatment plant in Detroit. Inside the facility, there’s a 12,000-to-1 scale model of the water treatment system. It’s large enough for people to work inside and “mimics the operations of this huge full-scale drinking water plant,” said Carol Miller, a civil engineering professor and the director of Wayne State's Healthy Urban Waters Program. The university will use the model to find new ways the plant can convert river water into drinking water. Miller says there are many steps that river water goes through before it gets to your kitchen faucet. Researchers are looking at how impurities are removed in various steps in the process and to better understand how to handle new and emerging contamination threats. “The idea here is that you definitely don’t want to mess with the actual full-scale operating system that is working to deliver drinking water for our region until you’ve tested something out,” Miller said. Our group has been looking very closely at the group of contaminants that are just generally called PFAS compounds. Also, pharmaceuticals and personal care products.” Another key area for the project is workforce development to train people for jobs in the water utility industry. The pilot plant allows them to educate potential employees and students on the operation of the full-scale water treatment plant.  

It’s not news that mass shootings are common in the U.S. This past fourth of July, at least 10 people were killed in different mass shootings in Illinois, Indiana, New York and elsewhere. These tragedies occurred in the wake of the federal government finally passing gun control legislation. But many, including President Joe Biden, don’t believe the bill went far enough, which leaves questions about more needs to be done to prevent mass shootings. Stephanie Hartwell, dean of Wayne State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a professor of sociology, joins in a conversation about the implications of gun control measures. Harwell said fostering trust between people is one of the most crucial values in order to keep each other protected and safe against gun violence. “I’m always amazed at how wonderful human beings are,” she said. “...but losing that trust, and not being able to trust human beings, it impacts everything.”

Wayne State University president M. Roy Wilson joins Chuck Stokes in a conversation about his memoir, “The Plum Tree Blossoms Even in Winter.” (Full video now interview available).