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Sarah Hulett

Sarah Hulett became Michigan Radio's assistant news director in August 2011. For five years she was the station's Detroit reporter, and contributed to several reporting projects that won state and national awards.

Sarah considers Detroit to be a perfect laboratory for great radio stories, because of its energy, its struggles, and its unique place in America's industrial and cultural landscape.

Before coming to Michigan Radio, Sarah spent five years as state Capitol correspondent for Michigan Public Radio. She's a graduate of Michigan State University.

Contact Sarah Hulett at sarah@michiganradio.org.

  • Flint, Mich., started drawing its tap water from a local river in April 2014. The water is so corrosive that it's causing lead to leach out of aging pipes, resulting in serious health issues.
  • JPMorgan Chase will invest $100 million into the Motor City. The bulk of the money will go to small business development, blight removal and job training. Michigan Radio's Sarah Hulett reports.
  • Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium is getting a little help from its friends in Washington, D.C. The National Aquarium closed late last year after more than 100 years. Thousands of dollars' worth of equipment went to the Motor City, where its own century-old aquarium is beautiful and historic — but starved for resources. Budget shortfalls forced its closure in 2005. But a scrappy team of volunteers has worked to open it to the public on a limited basis, and they hope the fake coral, fiberglass tank props, and other equipment from D.C. will help it regain some of its luster.
  • It became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy. Its former mayor was sentenced to 28 years in prison. And a TV personality compared it to Chernobyl. But a new year is on the horizon, and for some parts of Detroit, things are looking up. Really.
  • In Detroit, many business owners hope that filing for bankruptcy will help the city start fresh and ultimately become a thriving urban center mirroring other cities that recovered from near financial ruin.
  • In Detroit, the predominantly black city and predominantly white suburbs have feuded for decades over finances and control of assets. A recent suburban vote to help a city institution offers hope for better cooperation. But old tensions are still roiling over a proposal to put a beloved city park under state oversight.
  • Their families have sued the state of Michigan, arguing it has failed to provide remedial help to students whose reading skills are years behind. The outcome of the lawsuit could affect how school districts around the country deal with remediation.