Cover Story
Michigan communities are raking in benefits of legalized weed
As cannabis sales continue to hit new highs in Michigan, communities that embraced legal weed are reaping the rewards with an influx of jobs, tax revenue, community benefits, and renovated buildings. The cannabis industry has seen tremendous growth since the state’s first adult-use dispensaries opened in December 2019, with sales hitting unprecedented levels year after…
At Detroit x Detroit, the city’s music scene celebrates itself
If there’s one thing Detroit loves, it’s Detroit — and one way the city celebrates itself is through its rich musical legacy. At the annual Detroit x Detroit festival, now in its twelfth year, local artists cover other local artists in a circle jerk of Motor City music love. Fifteen acts will play short three-song…
Tiff Massey pays homage to Detroit’s Black culture and style in upcoming DIA exhibit
At her first Detroit Institute of Arts exhibit, interdisciplinary artist and metalsmith Tiff Massey is shining with Detroit spirit. Titled 7 Mile + Livernois, the show highlights “Black Detroit” through large, “in your face” sculptures. “It’s the most ambitious exhibition that I’ve created to date,” Massey says. “I came to seduce and to make you…
Side Hustle Lounge opens in downtown Detroit just in time for the NFL Draft
Earlier this year, Detroit’s Mootz Pizzeria + Bar announced a big expansion with the opening of its new cocktail lounge “Bar Mootz.” Ahead of this week’s NFL Draft, the new space is now open, but with a different name. Dubbed “Side Hustle Lounge,” the new space offers a menu of cocktails and small plates with…
Racist billboards appeared across metro Detroit on Hitler’s birthday
Racist and pro-Nazi messages appeared on at least three digital billboards in metro Detroit over the weekend to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday. A group dubbed “White Lives Matter Michigan” took credit for the signs in Hazel Park, Mount Clemens, and Brownstown. “White Lives Matter Michigan permeated censorship to obtain three roadside billboards throughout Southeastern Michigan…
Palmer Park celebrates Earth Day with Art in the Trees
To celebrate Earth Day, Detroit’s Palmer Park is hosting its inaugural “Art in the Trees” event, which will feature large art installations and solo musicians throughout the park’s 70-acre Witherell Woods. Some of the art to be showcased was made out of recycled trash and natural elements, created by local artists including Donald Calloway, Tim…
Lapointe: For visitors, your NFL Draft city is the bedrock of the big leagues
Welcome back to Detroit, National Football League. Your 2024 draft festival marks the first time you’ve gathered en masse here in the Motor City since the Super Bowl of 2006. So let’s re-introduce you to a peculiar American sports town with deep roots in the Big Four pro leagues. Over the decades, those seedlings gradually…
Lawsuit alleges Detroit police commissioners ‘sabotaged’ efforts to resolve backlog of citizen complaints
A former top executive with the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners claims in a lawsuit that she was discriminated against because of her gender and that “a clique” of commissioners “sabotaged” her attempts to resolve a backlog of hundreds of citizen complaints against cops. The lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court on Wednesday alleges…
RFK Jr. secures ballot access in Michigan as potential spoiler
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a potential spoiler candidate who has spread misinformation about vaccines and COVID-19, will appear on Michigan’s presidential ballot. Kennedy, 70, gained access to the ballot after the Natural Law Party nominated him to be the party’s candidate. Michigan is the eighth state where Kennedy, the nephew of slain President John F.…
Pot-friendly Michigan music venue scales back programming
Organizers behind a new music venue billed as Michigan’s first to allow the sales and consumption of both cannabis and alcohol have scaled back its original plans for entertainment programming. The venue, dubbed Field of Greens, was supposed to launch on May 18 with “Bikers, Buds & Brews,” set to feature ’90s alternative rock bands…
Big Sean, Detroit Youth Choir to perform at Detroit’s NFL Draft
Detroit will be the center of the sports universe when it hosts the NFL Draft downtown next week, and guests will be able to enjoy some of its rich music culture, too. Organizers announced Thursday that a NFL Draft Concert Series will feature performances from homegrown acts like rapper Big Sean, the Detroit Youth Choir,…
Black women-owned cannabis cultivator Calyxeum opens its first dispensary in Detroit
Detroit-based cannabis cultivator and processor Calyxeum is getting ready to open its first retail dispensary this Saturday, April 20, the biggest day of the year for the cannabis industry. The company has partnered with Michigan cannabis retailer Moses Roses to unveil Moses Roses Powered By Calyxeum, which will open its doors at 6237 Federal St.…
Three local businesses are breathing new life into Ypsi’s beloved Go! Ice Cream building
Downtown Ypsilanti faced a tough blow from the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the city is continuing to make a comeback with a diverse array of new businesses opening up in the area regularly. One major community loss for Ypsilanti, however, happened in October 2023 when Go! Ice Cream owner Rob Hess announced he would close his…
Eastpointe agrees to unique settlement after ex-mayor’s public meeting outburst
A group of First Amendment attorneys reached a unique and powerful settlement with the city of Eastpointe after its then-mayor shouted at residents and refused to let them speak during a public meeting in September 2022. As part of the lawsuit settlement, the city agreed to designate Sept. 6, the day that Eastpointe Mayor Monique…
Property values soar for Detroit’s Black homeowners, study shows
Detroit’s economic recovery from its 2014 bankruptcy has resulted in nearly $3 billion in real estate wealth, a boon to the city’s Black and Latino homeowners, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. Released Tuesday by the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions, the report, titled “The Growth of Housing Wealth in Detroit…
Truly Free Laundry Detergent: Review of This Popular Eco-Friendly Laundry Brand
Many laundry detergents contain chemicals that can harm your skin and the environment. Truly Free offers safe alternatives with its line of plant-based, non-toxic, Earth-friendly cleaning products. In this review, we’ll explore this company and its offerings, including its top-selling Laundry Wash, and learn how it’s revolutionizing the industry, one bottle at a time. Truly…
Free Will Astrology (April 17-23)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I suspect two notable phenomena will coalesce in your sphere sometime soon. The first is a surplus supply of luck. I’m not sure why, but the fates will be sending surges of good karma your way. The second phenomenon is this: You might not be entirely alert for the potential luck…
