Cover Story
How special interests are looking to cash in on Michigan’s homegrown medical marijuana industry
Frank Gallagher is pulled up to his bedroom desk in his wheelchair scribbling notes down on a pad of paper when we arrive at his house on a Thursday in early March. The 31-year-old medical marijuana caregiver has spent the better part of his week in this spot, trying to find out which southeastern Michigan…
The Detroit Promise problem: only a fifth of students attending community college for free graduate
Updated at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1 to include Kellogg Foundation grant As Detroit officials announce a $3.5 million infusion from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that will allow them to expand a program offering the city’s high school graduates the chance to go to a four-year college or university tuition-free, there’s concern over the…
Chris Bathgate to play ‘Dizzy Seas’ release show at Grand Rapids’ Founders’ Taproom
Chris Bathgate is back. The Ann Arbor-based folk artist (OK, Pinckney, actually) will drop his fourth LP, Dizzy Seas, on May 19. Released on Quite Scientific, it’s the follow-up to his 2011 record, Salt Year. (Full disclosure, I did the typography for Salt Year.) A record release show with Heavy Color and Samantha Cooper is scheduled at Grand Rapids’ Founders’ Taproom on…
Angel from above Carmen Harlan will voice on-board announcements for QLine
OK, so she won’t be actually whisper to you while you’re riding the QLine, but Carmen Harlan will be the voice for on-board announcements once the QLine is up and running May 12. Harlan, an actual angel from above, recently retired a few months ago from WDIV after 38 years with the station. This announcement…
Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas share new music video for ‘Run Too Far’
The countdown to the release of Jessica Hernandez and The Deltas’ sophomore album is fully underway, and this new music video from the band is just enough to hold us over until sweet summertime. While the album doesn’t come out till June 23, Hernandez has released another new music video from the upcoming EP titled…
Update: Cleveland shooter Steve Stephens has reportedly killed himself
Police confirmed to a Pennsylvania news site that Steve Stephens, who shot and killed a man in Cleveland on Sunday afternoon and posted a video of the murder on Facebook, is now dead after shooting himself while driving into Erie, Pennsylvania. The incident occurred at 11:10 a.m., according to police. Police have the area blocked…
New pizzeria and Intelligentsia open tomorrow in downtown Detroit
A new concept that includes an Intelligentsia coffee bar and several food options launches tomorrow when the Press Room Cafe and Market opens in the former Detroit News building, which is now a Bedrock property. Eater reports that Press Room is a concept geared toward downtown’s lunch crowd that will house the Intelligentsia along with…
More Michigan children are living in poverty compared to 9 years ago
A recent study done by the Michigan League for Public Policy shows that the child poverty rate has increased by 15 percent since 2008. In 2008, there were 455,357 children living in poverty in Michigan. In 2015, that number increased to 481,421. As far as overall well-being of kids by county, Ottawa, Clinton, and Oakland counties…
Flint Mayor Karen Weaver poised to announce long-term water provider
According to a report from NBC News, “Flint’s mayor is poised to make a recommendation on where the Michigan city should get its drinking water on the long term.” The announcement is expected today. The news brief notes that Mayor Weaver had remained committed to drawing Huron River water through the pipeline under construction by…
Betsy DeVos is ‘Secretary of Educatuon,’ according to White House
On Monday, whoever runs the official White House Snapchat misspelled Betsy DeVos’ title as the “Secretary of Educatuon” in the caption. Of course, this would just be an unfortunate typo in the best of times. But knowing the infamously disastrous education policies DeVos is poised to unleash upon the children of America, the screenshot below is…
New Ferndale brewery is ready for a May opening
Royal Oak-based Axle Brewing will open the Livernois Tap & Brewery in early- to mid-May. Axle president Dan Riley told Crain’s the $2 million, 9,000-square-foot project is about 95 percent complete. The Patrick Thompson designed building will seat 155 indoors/outdoors and hold a taproom, restaurant, beer garden, and brewhouse with “a classic European beer hall feel.” Around 15…
‘Rock This Town’ features artwork by rock stars, ‘Creem’ photogs
A rock ‘n’ roll-themed exhibition at Birmingham’s Robert Kidd Gallery will feature works by Creem magazine photographers as well as bona fide rock stars. The show, titled “Rock This Town,” features Creem magazine photographers Charlie Auringer, Ken Settle, Neal Preston, Bob Gruen, Elliott Landy, as well as with works of art by the likes of John…
New singles roundup: JunesFlow, Josef Coney, and more
JunesFlow, “Wake and Bake” “Wake and Bake” in an enjoyable carefree track about starting the morning off with a blunt, and finishing the day off with a blunt. The track was produced by Mark Cooper. Quotable notable: “Waking up with the sun, rolling up to for fun/I only trust my plug, don’t know where yours…
Tyga owes Michigan woman $248k, but refuses to pay up
Michigan native and Michigan State University student Shyanne Riekena (better known as Shyanne Queen on social media) claims she was injured while attending a Tyga concert in Grand Rapids back in 2012. She says a light stand fell on her head, and TMZ recently published photos of a four-inch head wound sustained during the incident.…
El Club plans to expand in Southwest with new Vernor Café
El Club, one of our favorite clubs that has opened in the past year, is already eyeing an expansion with a new venue called The Vernor Café right next door on Vernor Hwy in the Southwest neighborhood of Detroit. El Club opened last year and has booked some pretty amazing acts since then. ESG, Jessica…
‘Essence’ magazine names Kym Worthy to inaugural ‘Woke 100’ list
As Essence said in a 2010 post about Wayne Country prosecutor Kym Worthy, the attorney has been both hailed and vilified for her work. Her tenure has been an uphill battle — prosecuting Kwame Kilpatrick, but letting Flint police chief James Tolbert off the hook, raising awareness and funds to process over 11,000 untested rape…
Michael Twitty explains the cultural appropriation of food and culinary injustice
Perhaps nowhere is the cultural appropriation conversation cropping up with more frequency in recent years than in the food industry. And perhaps no one at the national level has been better at explaining the definition of cultural appropriation than African American-Jewish chef, food historian, and author Michael Twitty. The sharp and talented 39-year-old famously took down…
Just announced: Gorillaz at the Fox Theatre in September
It’s been 7 years since Gorillaz have done any sort of touring, so that’s why today’s announcement that the band is playing the Fox Theatre during a huge North American tour is so exciting. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the masterminds behind Gorillaz, have a new album coming out on April 28 called Humanz and features…
Under the radar event of the month: ‘Sahel Sounds’ at Trinosophes this Wednesday
Wednesday, 4/19: ‘An evening with Sahel Sounds’ @ Trinosophes Both Christopher Kirkley and Karen Antunes, who run the exceptional record labels Sahel Sounds and Songs from Home, will be here on Wednesday, April 19 at Trinosophes. They’re visiting from Portland, Ore. to show film clips, music videos, and collected footage from travels throughout West Africa (including…
Phobiac: NØMADS’ Nathan Lithgow on fear of the dark, and show at Third Man next week
Following the release of 2014’s full-length debut Free My Animal, New York City-based post-punk duo NØMADS are finally ready to release its follow-up, Phobiac. Hold your horses though, as this thing is set to trickle out at a rate of one song per month between now and February of 2018. Metro Times spoke with the band…
This month’s international banjo meet-up picks a winner: Detroit
Few Northern burgs have as much Southern flavor as Detroit. Thanks to the a half-century of immigration from the South, Detroit is endowed with everything from classic barbecue joints to outdoor blues jams to suburbs given the endearing suffix “-tucky.” And so it’s a little strange that we don’t have a little bit of everything…
Cleveland shooter Steve Stephens could be in Michigan, according to police
Updated: 12:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 18: Stephens has killed himself in Erie, Penn., according to police. Originally posted Monday, April 17: Sunday afternoon a Cleveland man named Steve Stephens allegedly uploaded a video to Facebook that shows him shooting and killing 74-year-old Robert Godwin Sr., and police have been searching for him ever since. The…
Ellen Degeneres surprised Royal Oak ‘spelling bee’ teacher and it’s adorable
We all know that Ellen Degeneres is a gift from above and none of us are worthy of her, but she just got even more amazing when she invited Royal Oak teacher Joe Dombrowski onto her show and surprised him just like Ellen loves to do. If you remember, Dombrowski recorded himself giving out a…
Exclusive: Hear Phat Kat rap his ass off on stream of ‘The S.O.S. Project’
It’s officially released tomorrow, but Metro Times has you covered with an exclusive premiere stream of legendary emcee (and collaborator with Slum Village, J Dilla, Elzhi and more) Phat Kat’s collaboration with DJ Dister, The S.O.S. Project. This is absolutely worth your precious time. We are absolutely stoked about this record. In addition to the…
One day only! Numero Group ‘Factory Outlet’ comes to Third Man Cass Corridor on Saturday, April 14
With their instantly recognizable design and completist approach, Chicago’s infamous collector-fronted record label Numero Group has enchanted the public for almost a decade and a half, now. From their own recontextualizations of otherwise neglected music from the past to their recent discovery of both indie-rock from the 1980s and ’90s and synthesizer-driven New Age music,…
2017 Detroit Music Awards to feature performances by Royce 5’9”, SRC, Jena Irene Asciutto
The 26th Annual Detroit Music Awards — basically the Grammy’s of Detroit music — will take place at the Fillmore Detroit on May 5. This year’s event will feature performances by rapper Royce 5’9”, Third Man Records’ alt-country rockers Craig Brown Band, the Theatre Bizarre Orchestra, American Idol runner-up Jena Irene Asciutto, The Fags, the Sphinx Organization, and Grande Ballroom…
Downtown Detroit’s new Avalon Café and Bakery is now open
The downtown Detroit Avalon Cafe and Bakery opened its doors to the public at 7 a.m. this morning. The new spot is located at 1049 Woodward Ave. on the corner of State Street. The 2,951-square-foot restaurant features a quick service counter as well as a dining area. In a first for the chain, this location…
Johnny Noodle King cuts a record, wins an award, takes Manhattan
It’s a bit of an understatement to say that Johnny Noodle King/Green Dot/Huron Room co-owner Jacques Driscoll had a rough week. Early Tuesday morning, someone broke into Noodle King. Around 24 hours later, a thief (or thieves) hit the Huron Room with a smash and grab. And yet, near the week’s end, we found Driscoll upbeat…
Settlement reached in Detroit ‘Illuminated Mural’ dispute
Detroit’s iconic (if controversial) “Illuminated Mural” has been spared from destruction, with the artist and building owner announcing a settlement agreement to preserve the work on Thursday. Artist Katie Craig filed a lawsuit against Princeton Enterprises in January 2016, seeking an injunction to bar the developer, which acquired the building the previous year, from destroying…
Girl taken to Detroit doctor for genital mutilation thought procedure would “get the germs out”
A Henry Ford emergency room doctor has been charged with performing female genital mutilation on girls between the ages of 6 and 8. A federal complaint says Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, of Northville, performed the procedure out of a medical office in Livonia. The procedure usually involves the surgical removal of a female’s clitoris and is often…
Heading to Coachella this weekend? Make sure you see Detroit’s Belleville Three
Ahh, Coachella. What was once a music festival that explored the depths of alternative and indie rock (but let’s be honest, it still does that to an extent) is now a double weekend music festival where most are concerned with spotting a celebrity than catching Radiohead’s headlining set. But despite the craze that Coachella brings…
Michigan woman and her dog unwittingly attend furry convention and adorable hilarity ensues
Sometimes the internet is a wonderful place. Especially, when we find Monroe resident Cheryl Wassus and her therapy-dog-in-training, Link, attended a furry convention under the assumption it was an event geared towards pets and pet owners. Boy, were they wrong. But, according to a series of tweets from Wassus’ son, the two still had a…
‘Say it Loud’ exhibit celebrates the boombox in Detroit
A new visual and sonic exhibition takes a look back at a blast from the past — the boombox. Say it Loud is now up at Detroit’s The Good Lab, a new exhibition space created by Cranbrook graduate student Ash Arder. The show was put together by frequent Metro Times contributor Kahn Santori Davison (who is…
Here’s a chance to try Liberian-Lebanese fusion cuisine
Ameneh Marhaba is a 22-year-old chef who’s starting to make a name for herself trading in Liberian and Lebanese cuisine via her Kitchen Ramarj pop up. As we previously noted, Marhaba isn’t just someone who co-opted the unrelated nations’ cuisines. Her mother is Liberian and her father is Lebanese. She lived in Lebanon as a child and…
A dress that can think: ‘Cognitive dress’ now on display at The Henry Ford
Forget about smart phones, smart TVs, and smart watches. Smart clothing is now a thing. The world’s first “cognitive dress” was created by IBM Watson Technology and Marchesa and first worn by model Karolina Kurkova to the 2016 Met Gala. The dress, which is designed with LED lights, responds to social media interactions and changes colors accordingly.…
Don’t miss ‘Bad Ass and Blind’ guitarist Raul Midon at Jazz Cafe Friday, April 14
WHAT: Special performance of genius guitarist and vocalist Raúl Midón WHEN: Friday, April 14 WHERE: Jazz Cafe at Music Hall SERIOUSLY, WHEN: 8 p.m. HOW MUCH: $30, here: http://www.musichall.org/events/Raul-Midon Detroiters who chose to attend Raúl Midón’s concert at the Music Hall’s Jazz Cafe this Friday are in for a extraordinary treat. Midón’s vocal and instrumental talents are…
How Detroit hip-hop’s ‘Blade Dance’ made it into the NFL’s red zone
We caught a fascinating article published at MichiganPreps.com yesterday. It was by Branden Hunter, and it concerned a dance often seen in pro football these days, and it’s a dance that has its origin here in the Motor City. The groove is called “The Blade Dance,” and it dates to at least 2004, the year…
The new Under Armour store opens tomorrow in downtown Detroit
You can now add another shopping destination to downtown Detroit with the grand opening of the Under Armour Brand House right on Woodward Ave. The newest Under Armour outpost of 2017 will offer all the basics: men’s women’s, and children clothes will all be available, as well as performance shoes and accessories. The grand opening…
Compared to a year ago, Rick Snyder still among most hated Governors
No matter how hard Governor Rick Snyder tries, the Flint Water crisis will rightfully follow the one tough nerd wherever he goes, including his approval ratings. While Snyder’s approval rating has gone up compared to other governors in the United States, he is still the fourth-least popular governor, according to a new report. 44 percent…
The Conserva is launching brunch service
The Conserva in Ferndale is offering the burb’s newest brunch. According to a press release sent by the restaurant, chef Matthew Bladridge built the menu “upon some of his fondest childhood memories, including his dad’s famous bacon, Miracle Whip, and peanut butter sandwich.” But Baldridge makes his version with smoked pork belly, peanut sauce, kewpie…
How a Detroit bus driver named ‘Boo-Yah’ brightens passengers’ days
Detroit may not be the easiest city to live in, but nothing helps you get by quite like an outgoing, friendly personality. Taking that extra moment to say hello, ask somebody how they’re doing, or even offer a handshake or dap can change the whole tenor of any encounter. You can likely attribute it to…
Huron Room latest restaurant hit in rash of break-ins in and around Corktown
Detroit police have confirmed that the Mexicantown seafood restaurant Huron Room was broken into this morning at approximately 2:30 a.m., making it the latest restaurant within a one-square-mile stretch of Detroit to be broken into in an approximately 24-hour span. According to police the suspect entered through the front window, which was broken, and stole some…
Here’s the trailer for ‘Detroit,’ the new film about the ’67 uprising
We now have a trailer for Detroit, the upcoming dramatization of the Motor City’s infamous 1967 summer of civil unrest. Annapurna Pictures released the trailer today, revealing an Aug. 4 release date. The film is directed by Academy Award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and stars John Krasinski, Anthony Mackie, Will Poulter, Jason Mitchell, and…
Detroit’s Whiskey Charmers kick ass on second LP
Wonderfully self-described “Ameripolitan” act the Whiskey Charmers just got back from one of their frequent mini-tours — this time to Omaha, Neb., and back. It’s a lot of work hustling for shows while working day jobs, but Carrie Shepard and Lawrence Daversa, the core members of the band, make it happen. Set to release their…
Inside Ingrid LaFleur’s Afrofuturist mayoral campaign
When Ingrid LaFleur officially announced her campaign for mayor of Detroit at the ONE Mile art space in February, it was almost certain to be the first time in the city’s history that such a speech was part of an evening of entertainment involving electronic music DJs and an illuminated sculpture of a UFO. At…
Horoscopes (April 12-18)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): You can’t be expected to know how to manage this. When life looks like the “52-Pick-Up Olympics,” hardly anything rests in our hands. The laws of serendipity are about to release you from this craziness, long enough to grab a hold of yourself. Certain things will never improve. You can…
Politics & Prejudices: No wonder we don’t trust ‘em
Phil Power is an all-too-rare example of a rich guy who deeply cares about Michigan. Half a century ago, he came back after a year as a sports editor in Alaska, and started buying some small newspapers in the suburbs. He bought some, started others, and built a thriving group of papers in Michigan, Ohio,…
Planting seeds on Detroit’s east side
Reprinted from A $500 House: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City by Drew Philp. With permission of the publisher, Scribner. All rights reserved. Spring had returned as it always does, the bright, generous whirling of the sun and the rain playing a symphony on the green things of the earth. The slate gray…
Review: Find the real flavors of Sichuan at Trizest
(Find a gallery of photos from Trizest here.) The term “Chinese food” covers a lot of turf, but perhaps the most familiar wing of the country’s cuisine is that from the Sichuan province. An Americanized take on Sichuan (then called “Szechuan”) spread around the country in the 1970s before restaurants on the coasts started serving…
Synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani comes to MOCAD
The music of Suzanne Ciani ranges from the purely commercial in the most literal sense to abstract, futuristic, electronic art tones. In the 1970s and ’80s, her company Ciani/Musica made electronic music and effects for commercials for clients like GE, Coca-Cola, and appropriately, Atari. She also collaborated with Bally to provide the futuristic bleeps and…
Entrepreneurs are using tech to connect a discreet marijuana industry
Michigan’s medicinal marijuana industry could rightly be described as experiencing growing pains. Overzealous law enforcement and the pervasive stigma attached to cannabis use can drive patients to live in the shadows, while growers have a reasonable reluctance to reveal the exact location of their operations for fear of theft. Amid such uncertainty, it can be…
Stir It Up: Fitzgerald neighborhood calls comeback question
It was an unseasonably cold rainy afternoon late last week when I cruised the intersection of Grove and Prairie streets. There were vacant lots on three of the four corners there, and the streets were gray and deserted. The neighborhood is ravaged. There are 40 lots on Prairie north of the Central Park intersection, and…
Flint Eastwood’s Jax Anderson preps EP release show
“It wasn’t until someone pointed out that I was a woman in music that I started viewing myself as a woman in music,” says Jax Anderson, the lead singer and brains behind her alter ego Flint Eastwood. “That’s what a lot of the new music is about — viewing myself differently.” This new view has…
