Cover Story
‘White Boy Rick’ goes to Hollywood
There is a moment in White Boy Rick, the big-screen biopic opening Friday based on local living legend Richard Wershe Jr., where the teen FBI-informant-turned-druglord looks to his father and asks a question. “How come we stay, Dad? In Detroit.” “Son,” replies his father, also named Richard, “the lion don’t leave the Serengeti.” Nor the…
Lyft will pay Detroiters $550 to give up their cars for a month
Lyft is daring Detroiters to ditch their cars this month – and it could mean big savings in transportation costs. Equal part substitute for Detroit’s faltering public transportation system, equal part push to supplant all alternatives of transportation with ride-sharing, Lyft’s latest campaign challenges Detroiters to shake-up their morning commute. The San Francisco-based ride-sharing company…
Cobb’s Corner Bar plots return to a revitalized Cass Corridor
A memory of “Old Detroit” will now have a place in the “New Detroit” as Cobb’s Corner Bar plots its comeback. Recently, hiring signs appeared in the space at the corner of Willis Street and Cass Avenue, which has been under-utilized since the closure of Spiral Collective. When it opens this fall, the new Cobb’s…
Father John Misty, Local Natives headline Audiotree Music Festival in Kalamazoo
He may be music journalists’ most divisive subject and modern-day existentialism’s poster boy, but one thing is true of God’s Favorite Customer — Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman, is probably on LSD. But this rebellious spirit is just what Audiotree, the Chicago-based studio session company is all about, which is why the self-medicated prophet…
Hillberry Theatre presents two-week run of raunchy puppet musical ‘Avenue Q’
Boasting one of the most unique warnings in Broadway history, Avenue Q wants you to know that it is full of puppet sex — full-on puppet sex. The debaucherous “triple crown” (that’s best musical, best book, and best score) Tony Award-winning musical spins PBS into XXX territory. The show follows puppet Princeton, a broke college…
J.Cole heads to Little Caesars Arena amid rumors of Kendrick Lamar collab
Detroit has played an unsuspecting role in J. Cole’s 2018 chart-topping record KOD, which he dropped by surprise in April. The first artist to be signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label in 2010, the 33-year-old rapper has said that KOD was conceived shortly after taking in Kendrick Lamar’s Detroit performance last year. (This appearance furthered rumors…
Winston Churchill’s granddaughter visits Detroit for potential public art installation
Detroit is no stranger to public art installations, nor to notable people making their mark on the city. But it is not every day that the city’s art arrives from across the pond, especially from a descendant of one of the most famous leaders of the 20th century. Edwina Sandys, though, can deliver on both…
TED X Detroit includes a powerful roster of leaders and forward thinkers
“Thanks for coming to my TED Talk” might be one of 2018’s most viral and esoteric memes, but all joking aside, this year’s TED X Detroit speakers have insight that will outlive social media sarcasm. A single-day event, TED X Detroit will spotlight some of the area’s leading creators, entrepreneurs, educators, and artists, and will…
Graham Coxon of Blur prepares for the end of the world at El Club
One of the most contentious feuds of the ’90s was a Britpop battle: Blur vs. Oasis. While there may never be a clearly defined winner, Graham Coxon from team Blur has been going it alone for quite some time and doing a bloody good job. Most recently, though, the 49-year-old has ventured into scoring, making…
Trump-loving Grosse Pointe Shores councilman posts memes joking about sex assault
Updated at 12:56 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 19: But wait, there’s more: Originally posted at 11:48 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18: A Grosse Pointe Shores councilman and Trump supporter apparently finds Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s alleged attempted rape of a girl while in high school so insignificant that he’s taken to joking about it…
Video: Michigan Senate candidate wishes ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ was real life
Are you a fan of Christian theocratic dictatorships? Did you watch or read The Handmaid’s Tale and think “Hm, Gilead might be a tight place to live”? Well then do we have the political candidate for you. Say hello to the guy running to replace Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow: a Trump-aligned Republican who apparently believes…
Modular apartments are coming to Corktown – starting at a cool $1,100 per month
Corktown is getting a facelift near the site of the former Tiger Stadium. Today, The Corner, a mix-use development property at the intersection of Trumbull and Michigan Avenue, began dropping the first of many modular residences that will outfit the complex. The mods come pre-fabricated from an offsite factory, cutting down construction time and allowing…
Now’s your chance to see Murals in the Market artists paint the town
And they’re off. The fourth annual Murals in the Market — recently ranked one of the world’s top five mural festivals by Smithsonian magazine — kicked off last Wednesday, with more than 50 local and international muralists creating a brand new set of pieces throughout Eastern Market. This week, you can catch the artists at…
These are the best-fed Michigan lawmakers of 2018
Who says corporate dollars can only flow to a lawmaker’s campaign coffers? Thanks to lax laws surrounding the wining and dining of elected officials, the people tasked with making decisions about what to do with your money are eating good too! Members of the GOP (and even a few Dems) are raking in as much…
Wayne County Commissioner calls for regulation of ammunition, mental health checks
Wayne County Commissioner Reggie Davis called for limiting the purchase of ammunition and a mental health background check on ammunition purchasers in press event at Woodlawn Cemetery Tuesday morning. Davis — flanked by members of his staff, community activists, and parents with children who have been victims of gun violence — says that ammunition, not guns,…
Keegan-Michael Key gives a lesson in Detroit slang
She says, “yo~tsu!” He says, “What up doe?” The Predator co-stars Olivia Munn and Keegan-Michael Key give a lesson in slang words in a new clip for Vanity Fair’s “Slang School” series. For Munn, it’s Japanese she picked up while growing up on an air base in Tokyo. For Key, it’s Detroit slang from his years…
Detroit residents to Ford: Want tax breaks? Give us jobs, affordable housing
OK — off the top, Ford will most likely get the $240 million in tax breaks it’s seeking for its planned Corktown campus, regardless of what it promises Detroiters living in the area. The community benefits agreements big developers receiving significant city incentives are made to strike with residents have so far amounted to little more…
Bees In The D holds fundraiser after car plows through its hives
Detroit-based bee breeders Bees In The D are turning to the community for help after an out-of-control car plowed through the nonprofit’s fence and destroyed four hives that were each home to 60,000 bees. A witness said the driver first slammed through the Downtown Boxing Gym’s fence, destroying children’s artwork in the process, then ran over…
Schuette running mate’s home burned down in crème brûlée accident
It has been reported that the source of the fire that destroyed the two-story home of Bill Schuette’s gubernatorial running mate Lisa Posthumus Lyons was a kitchen torch being used by one of the candidate’s children. During a press conference on Monday, Posthumus Lyons discussed the details of the fire that has displaced the family of…
Bob Seger announces final tour without a Detroit date
After more than 50 years of performing, it was announced Tuesday that the legendary Michigan rocker Bob Seger would put his “Night Moves” to rest as he plots his final tour. The Travelin’ Man Tour finds Seger accompanied by his Silver Bullet Band for a final trek across the U.S. which includes several makeup dates…
Detroit named 10th most welcoming city for immigrants
Detroit is one of the most welcoming cities in America for immigrants, according to a new study released by advocacy organization the New American Economy. Detroit ranked at No. 10 on NAE’s Cities Index, which measures local policies and socioeconomic outcomes across the 100 largest cities in the United States. Detroit earned a 3.78 out of…
Little Libraries is hoping to make a big splash in Livernois this month
Take a book; share a book. Residents of Detroit’s Livernois section will be seeing a lot more of this prompt due to the 19 birdhouses for books that will decorate the neighborhood known as the Avenue of Fashion for the remainder of Detroit’s Month of Design. Inspired by Grand Rapids’ annual ArtPrize event, Detroit Little…
Canadian pot smokers, workers entering Detroit face tougher border policy
While Canada prepares to federally legalize recreational marijuana on Oct. 17, the nation’s pot smokers, workers, and investors must contend with stricter U.S. border policy, even in weed-friendly border states like Michigan. Although Michigan has been a medical marijuana state since 2008 and is projected to legalize recreational marijuana on Nov. 6, cannabis will not…
Newly unveiled ‘People’s Bills’ would boost hiring, combat water shutoffs in Detroit
Detroiters would see increased job opportunities and fewer water shutoffs and home foreclosures under a series of bills to be introduced over the coming months in Detroit City Council. The so-called “People’s Bills” designed to “create economic upward social mobility for Detroiters” were unveiled today in a news conference by Councilmember Mary Sheffield. They include…
‘Miss Independent’ Kelly Clarkson includes Detroit on upcoming tour
Sixteen years after rising to fame as America’s first ever American Idol and 13 years after Steve Carell famously blurted her name during his painful on-screen chest waxing in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Kelly Clarkson is now contemplating the Meaning Of Life. Grammy-Award winner, children’s author, a friend of the Obama’s, and happy-go-lucky coach on NBC’s…
Dearborn schools scraps food service privatization plan amid accusations of wrongdoing
Dearborn Public Schools has stopped looking for a private food service company to take over management of its schools’ kitchens. The district spent the last several months seeking proposals for a $300,000 to $800,000 contract from institutional food service companies. The move comes after an attorney asked the state and Dearborn Public Schools Board Of…
Surprise, surprise: Study shows Michiganders enrolled in Medicaid expansion have more money
A new study from the University of Michigan provides hard evidence for what many could have inferred: Michigan’s Medicaid expansion has helped its low-income enrollees be less broke. More than 650,000 residents have enrolled in Healthy Michigan since 2014, when the state opted in to the program with broader eligibility requirements than traditional Medicaid. The…
Corktown’s Ima is planning a Madison Heights location
Corktown chef Mike Ransom is building out a second location for his Japanese-inspired noodle bar, Ima. The new space is in a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Madison Heights, the Free Press reports, but it should be open by November. When it opens, the new 2,000-square-foot restaurant will seat around 65 and hold the same minimalist vibe…
Greta Van Fleet keeps selling out shows, announces two more Detroit dates
Greta Van Fleet just can’t seem to keep up with demand. On Wednesday, the Michigan-bred rock band announced that they would be returning to Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 27 at the Fox Theater, a venue capacity upgrade from their sold-out three-night run at the Fillmore in May. Within minutes of tickets going on sale this morning,…
White Boy Rick’s sister blasts filmmaker: ‘You have not acknowledged me from day one’
It appears White Boy Rick’s sister may be harboring some resentment toward the filmmakers bringing her brother’s story to life. That tension boiled over during a Novi screening of the White Boy Rick movie yesterday when Rick’s sister Dawn Scott — who is represented on screen — reportedly lashed out at the movie’s director after…
Michigan judge stops state from shutting down nearly 100 dispensaries
Nearly 100 dispensaries that the state had ordered to close now have until at least Dec. 15 to operate thanks to a preliminary injunction issued yesterday by a Michigan Court of Claims judge. The state had imposed a Saturday shutter date on medical marijuana businesses that had not filed final applications by June 15 to…
Eminem really got visited by Secret Service after Trump diss
On Eminem’s latest record, Kamikaze, which unexpectedly dropped last month, he raps on track “The Ringer” that President Donald Trump sent the Secret Service to question him following a blistering freestyle takedown of Trump and his supporters that aired during last year’s BET Awards: These verses are makin’ him a wee bit nervous And he’s too…
Muslim boxer files civil rights complaint against USA Boxing over beard
A Muslim boxer barred from competition for wearing a beard is fighting a USA Boxing waiver system that he claims unfairly discriminates against boxers with religious exemptions. The Michigan Chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) filed a Michigan Department of Civil Rights complaint on behalf of Basheer Abdur-Rahman, 18, Thursday morning. CAIR-MI says that…
Review: The story of ‘White Boy Rick’ is big — maybe too big
Richard Wershe Jr., better known as “White Boy Rick,” had been largely forgotten until a 2014 magazine article reacquainted many with the strange tale of the Detroit boy who, in the mid-1980s, became a drug kingpin and FBI informant before reaching the ripe age of 16. But Detroiters never forgot. And White Boy Rick, the new…
Annual Tour de Troit rolls through iconic Detroit neighborhoods this weekend
There is power in numbers and when it comes to the annual Tour de Troit event, the number is more than 5,000 expected wheeled participants with a to-date total of $250,000 raised to aid in the development of urban greenways and to promote bicycle safety in Detroit. Saturday, Sept. 15, Tour de Troit will return for…
Detroit rapper Coach Joey drops ‘Raw 2.5’
Joseph McFashion, aka Coach Joey, has made a name for himself as a top-notch producer, entrepreneur, and expert talent evaluator. (Previously, he’s collaborated with Detroit rappers Payroll Giovanni and Kash Doll.) He has a knack for knowing what combination of emcees to put together to make a track work. Raw 2.5, the latest single off his…
The bar that invented the Buffalo wing is opening its first Michigan location
Buffalo, New York-based Anchor bar — the restaurant that claims to have invented the Buffalo wing — is opening its first Michigan location in Rochester Hills. The approximately 7,000-square-foot space at 2945 S. Rochester Rd. opens Friday, and will offer more than two dozen flavors of chicken wings. The restaurant will also hold “two distinct atmospheres…
U-M, Harvard partner to address economic mobility in Detroit
The University of Michigan has formed two new partnerships with Harvard University designed to bolster economic opportunity in Detroit and to combine resources and expertise to fight opioid addiction, the schools announced Wednesday. The news comes as Harvard President Lawrence Bacow, who grew up in Pontiac, is slated to speak at Crain’s Detroit Business’ Detroit…
Democrat turns up the heat in bid to flip Michigan’s 8th Congressional District
A new attack ad by Democrat Elissa Slotkin shows she’s not messing around in her bid to oust Republican Rep. Mike Bishop from Michigan’s 8th Congressional District. Drawing from the story of her mother’s unsuccessful battle with cancer, Slotkin takes aim at Bishop for his vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, accusing him trying…
Bill Schuette on the Affordable Care Act: Then and now
Bill Schuette has softened his position on government-subsidized healthcare as of late. In February, he did not join a federal lawsuit filed by 20 other states that argue the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Yesterday, he told the Associated Press that Healthy Michigan, the Medicaid expansion program that came into existence because of the Affordable…
Joris Voorn is bringing a ‘Spectrum’ of electronic music to MOCAD
For Joris Voorn, settling into one art concept or niche is too black and white — he prefers to see the full spectrum. The Dutch DJ has spent his career coloring outside the lines of traditional underground music with track curation skills that tease everything from hard-hitting techno to even a few pop melodies. His…
Detroit’s top chefs plan feast made from food waste
Later this month, some of Detroit’s favorite chefs like Selden Standard’s Andy Hollyday, Mabel Gray’s James Rigato, and Ederique Goudia from the soon-to-open Gabriel Hall will get together at the Eastern Market and prepare a dinner. It will undoubtedly be delicious, but this one will be different from what’s on their respective menus, because it…
Michelle Obama includes Detroit on upcoming book tour
In the year following the end of Michelle Obama’s radiant second term as First Lady of the United States, she has been all but still. While ferociously advocating for women’s education, diversity in the workplace, and enforcing her youth-based health and fitness initiatives, she has also been writing a book. Announced Wednesday, Obama will embark…
‘It would be wrong’: Congressman weighs in on deportation of deaf Nigerian, longtime Detroit resident
One of ICE’s latest targets — a deaf Nigerian citizen and decades-long resident of Detroit — could be granted a green card if legislation introduced Wednesday by Representative Dan Kildee passes through Congress. According to the Detroit Free Press, Francis Anwana, came to the U.S. from Lagos, Nigeria on an F-1 student visa at the age of…
UFO Factory plots October reopening after a year of uncertainty
More than a year after UFO Factory was declared condemned by the city, co-owner Dion Fischer announced exclusively to Metro Times that the Detroit music venue is set to reopen Oct. 26. Fischer says the venue will reopen in its original Corktown location at 2110 Trumbull Ave. looking just as we left it, though with…
Jensen Tjhung of Australia’s Deaf Wish on why they love playing Detroit
Deaf Wish thrives as a live band. That’s not to say that their recordings aren’t excellent, because they are. But an album is complete once it exists, whereas a live show is a mutating thing that proves to be different every single time. For Deaf Wish, there’s a magic to how the four-piece fills the…
Michigan student stabbed to death in classroom with kitchen knife
A 16-year-old female student of Fitzgerald High School in Warren was killed Wednesday morning after being attacked by a fellow student with a kitchen-style knife. The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11 when a fellow 17-year-old-student attacked the victim in a classroom. The school resource officer rushed to the scene to immediately…
Report reveals payday loans are draining millions from Michiganders
Consumer advocates say strong reforms are needed to better regulate the payday lending industry in Michigan, and they just might have the data to prove it. A new report from the Center for Responsible Lending found that in the past five years, payday lenders have taken more than half a billion dollars in fees from…
Detroit’s $2M school water ‘solution’ looks like this
Following reports of elevated levels of copper and lead in Detroit’s public school drinking water, district superintendent Nikolai Vitti is now proposing a $2 million water filtration system to be installed in all schools — similar to systems used in Flint, Royal Oak, and Birmingham. Vitti made the announcement at a board meeting on Tuesday. According to…
Detroit City Council just rejected new development in the name of workers’ rights
Detroit City Council has rejected a bid from the Crowne Plaza Hotel to build a second tower in downtown Detroit, reportedly expressing concerns over worker pay and the company’s refusal to sign an agreement that could have increased the likelihood of workers forming a union. Also at issue, councilmembers said, was the condition of the…
Naughty or nice — Greta Van Fleet will perform at the Fox Theatre in December
It should come as no surprise that a young rock band from Frankenmuth — a Bavarian suburb that boasts the “world’s largest CHRISTmas store” — would choose to bring it all back home for the holidays. The elvish foursome known as Greta Van Fleet will perform their largest Detroit show to date with what is…
Detroit-area White Castles now serve meatless ‘Impossible Burger’ sliders
We can now feel less guilty about those late-night, post-bar White Castle binges: White Castle is now serving Impossible Burger sliders. The chain will now offer the meatless sliders at all 377 of its restaurants nationwide, following a pilot program launched at White Castle locations in New York, New Jersey, and Chicago in April. The plant-based…
Jack White announces new concert film release on Amazon Prime Video
Jack White recently announced the release of his upcoming concert film, Jack White: Kneeling at the Anthem D.C. The new film gives fans the opportunity to get a front-row seat to experience White’s performance at the Anthem in Washington D.C. last May as part of his Boarding House Reach tour. Directed by Emmett Malloy and…
Bobcat Bonnie’s is headed to the soon-to-close Zeke’s location in Ferndale
Bobcat Bonnie’s will open a new location in the former Zeke’s Rock & Roll BBQ space in downtown Ferndale Owner Matthew Buskard tells the Detroit News that his new restaurant will open next month, keep some Zeke’s menu items like the veggie poutine, and hire on any Zeke’s staff members who want to stay. Bobcat Bonnie’s…
Detroit’s Murals in the Market goes 3-D
Big things are in store for this year’s edition of Murals in the Market, the Eastern Market street art festival thrown by print shop and art gallery 1xRun, now in its fourth year. It’s a good year to switch things up. Last month, Smithsonian magazine ranked it as one of the top five murals festivals…
Runyaro Richardson’s handcrafted handbags are a nod to the ’80s
To borrow from everyone’s favorite summer mantra, Runyaro Richardson is “living her best life.” The 30-something songstress and entrepreneur’s custom Musicnaire cassette handbags made their runway debut at this year’s New York Fashion Week, and they’ve already been gaining in popularity. Runyaro (who goes by Runyaro Brilliant — Runyaro means “brilliant” in Swahili) says she…
Review: Dearborn’s Peacock Indian Cuisine has a lot to be proud of
To those who visited Peacock on its first few days and quickly denounced it on Yelp, I’d advise patience. There’s a reason us seasoned pros wait till a restaurant has had time to settle in. Peacock, across from the old City Hall, shares only a name with the nearby Peacock Tandoori that delighted many back…
Market on the Avenue offers a taste of Detroit’s Livernois-McNichols redevelopment
It was an uncommonly cold Saturday in early September but I wanted to check out the Market on the Avenue that takes place twice a month on Livernois across from the University of Detroit Mercy. So I headed out on a cloudy afternoon. Apparently, most of the folks in the neighborhood chose to chill at…
How a Michigan-made marijuana testing company went national
There have been a lot of people with dreams of making it big in the marijuana business. A few years ago investors were flooding into lawyers’ offices seeking partnerships with locals, and the ideal was to figure out what worked so you could franchise it across the state — and ultimately across the nation. That…
Savage Love: Gay and lonely
I am a gay man in my late 50s and have never been in a relationship. I am so lonely, and the painful emptiness I feel is becoming absolutely unbearable. In my early 20s, I hooked up off and on, but it never developed into anything. I have always told myself that’s okay; I’m not…
Horoscopes (Sept. 12-18)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 Dial back about 12 years. Since then, time and experience have changed you to the point where whatever you thought you were doing no longer applies. Whether you are aware of it or not, the rest of your life is ready to begin. While you will be able to…
