Grandmont-Rosedale residents came together to oppose an asphalt plant in their residential community – again.
Jena Brooker
Jena Brooker is BridgeDetroit's environmental reporter, covering food and agriculture, pollution and climate change. She has held three fellowships: a ProPublica fellowship, where she led an investigative project on heavy industry in Detroit neighborhoods; a Data Fellowship at the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism, where she produced award-winning coverage of Detroit's automotive industry and environmental racism; and a Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowship through CASW, AHCJ and SEJ. Her work has also earned the Michigan Press Association public service award three years in a row and recognition as Young Journalist of the Year in 2023. Before joining BridgeDetroit, she covered environmental issues across the Midwest as a Reporting Fellow for Grist.
Jena holds a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in The Guardian, Mother Jones, Salon, Slate, Grist, Next City, Chalkbeat and Planet Detroit.
Posted inEnvironment
Rainy season is coming. Here’s what you can do to prepare.
Apply for new city programs, purchase insurance and disconnect downspouts.
Posted inEnvironment
How smoking grass is preserving habitat in Rouge Park
Controlled burns preserve prairie habitat, less than 0.1% of the state’s rare tallgrass remains.
Posted inEnvironment
State moves to reduce ozone pollution controls in Detroit
Community groups say it’s too soon and that the decision could have harmful effects to Detroit and the region.
Posted inTransportation
Detroit’s I-375 project to bring highly valued real estate – who gets it?
When I-375 was constructed, the freeway destroyed two thriving Black communities and displaced more than 100,000 residents. Some want the land returned to the descendants.
Posted inPolitical and Public Policy Information
Community groups rally for automatic bill credits following power outages
Proposed legislation would mandate $5 credit for every hour without power.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Traffic out, trolleys in on Belle Isle
To reduce traffic and cars on Belle Isle, state parks officials are starting trolley service this summer.
Posted inJobs & Economic Development
People’s Food Co-op rewrites economics in Detroit grocery battle
The project seeks to expand access to healthy foods for a predominantly Black and low-income community where residents also face concerns of gentrification and displacement.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Celebrating Black ‘abstraction’ in Detroit
A new exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit celebrates Black abstraction and expression in a city known for its realism.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Detroit to take applications for recreational marijuana licenses
An unlimited number of licenses can be issued to growers, processors, transportation, safety, and event organizers.