Cover Story
Jemele Hill returns to Detroit on top of her game
Last Wednesday night, ESPN correspondent and columnist Jemele Hill attended a private Nike event in Washington. D.C. For some journalists this would be an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best, well-dressed athletes in the league. For Hill, it was the perfect opportunity to grab a quick interview with NBA player Carmelo Anthony,…
Redford Theatre to screen ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ unrestored for film’s anniversary
Fifty years ago, the incomparable Stanley Kubrick launched the sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey into the universe. To celebrate its 50 revolutions around the sun, the Redford Theatre will screen the 1968 masterpiece in 70mm “unrestored” film print from original negative, just as Kubrick intended. Considered one of the most influential films of all…
Schuette, Whitmer win Michigan gubernatorial primaries
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Bill Schuette will face off in the general election for Michigan governor in November. The candidates each won their respective party primaries Tuesday, after polls consistently showed them leading their opponents in the run up to the election. The AP called the Democratic race around 10 p.m., as Whitmer led…
Schuette declared winner of Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary
The Associated Press has declared Attorney General Bill Schuette the winner of Michigan’s Republican gubernatorial primary. The call was made with just 17 percent of precincts reporting, as Schuette led Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley by 27 points. Schuette had 51 percent of the vote and Calley had 24 percent. State Sen. Patrick Colbeck and businessman…
Detroit’s famed Club Heaven needs your help to restore rare soundsystem
Detroit’s Club Heaven may be long gone, but a piece of history surrounding it remains – and needs your help. Last month, Detroit Sound Conservancy launched a Kickstarter campaign to restore the famed sound system from Detroit’s long gone LGBTQ dance floor, Club Heaven. Once located at Seven Mile and Woodward, Club Heaven was an…
Detroit slumlord crackdown sees just 11 percent of rentals brought up to code
Detroit is notorious for its crappy landlords — the ones who let mushrooms grow in their buildings, allow tenants to live next to units ravaged by fire, or lease to people without paying their property taxes — leaving residents out on their ass once the property is seized. This winter, city officials said an estimated 20,000 rental…
Detroit actually isn’t the number one city for car thefts
Good news, Detroit isn’t number one for car thefts! An infographic compiled using data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting shows that Detroit (though still in the top 10) isn’t as plagued by car theft as other “more attractive” major cities. According to 2016 data, metropolitan Detroit ranked eighth for most vehicle…
At least 14 Detroit area polling sites affected by power outages
The power was out at at least 14 Wayne County polling sites this morning following a round of overnight storms, DTE reports. Voters are casting ballots in a statewide primary election today. As of noon, five of the affected sites were still without power, but were due to be back online by 2 p.m, DTE…
Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda is heading to Detroit for his first solo tour
Linkin Park co-founder Mike Shinoda announced details of his forthcoming solo jaunt and his first tour since the suicide of the Chester Bennington in 2017. Shinoda, who released his deeply personal Post Traumatic EP last month will headline the 2018 Monster Energy Outbreak Tour to support. The 20-plus date North American trek will kick off in…
Chance the Rapper cuts head off Little Caesars mascot for new horror flick
The big screen debut of Chance The Rapper will be served cold ‘n dead-y with a side of Crazy AF Bread according to the latest poster for Slice. The poster features a beheaded version of the Little Caesars mascot paired with the tagline “Dead. In 30 minutes or less.” It’s coming #SliceMovie @A24 pic.twitter.com/undYX0YWSj — Chance The Rapper…
Justin Amash, a libertarian, seems unaware that he can vote for a libertarian
Ahead of today’s primary election (go vote!), Republican Rep. Justin Amash — a self-described lowercase “L” libertarian — tweeted his support of Lt. Gov. Brian Calley for governor, on the basis that “there are no libertarians among the Michigan GOP candidates.” There are no libertarians among the Michigan GOP candidates for governor, so I’m voting for the…
It’s primary election day. Here’s what’s on ballots in metro Detroit
Approximately 2 million Michiganders are expected to cast ballots in today’s primary election, in what could be the most energizing primary the state has seen in 40 years. Competitive statewide contests and active down-ballot candidates are said to be boosting voter turnout (absentee returns are up 50 percent from 2014) — particularly among Democrats who…
Squirt alert: The Great Ferndale Water Gun Fight is upon us
Jesse Shephard-Bates is trading Handgrenades for water guns. After performing with his band the Handgrenades during a spring-time street festival in Indianapolis this past spring, Shephard-Bates and company found themselves in the friendly crossfire of a water gun rivalry between the event’s staff. He loved it so much, he decided to pull the trigger on organizing…
Michigan GOP rep brings unregistered loaded gun to airport, avoids charges
A Michigan House representative who says he unknowingly brought an unregistered loaded handgun into a northern Michigan airport last month will not face charges. Emmet County Prosecutor James Linderman said in a Monday statement that he had declined to charge House Speaker Pro Tempore Lee Chatfield, citing an apparent loophole in Michigan law Linderman wrote:…
‘Amish Uber’ is now a thing, at least in one Michigan town
In a town that doesn’t even have Lyft, there’s now one fine citizen who is offering a whole new ridesharing concept: “Amish Uber.” Over the weekend in Colon, Mich., Timothy Hochstedler brought out his horse and buggy to offer visitors something a little out of the ordinary. Instead of the typical quiet Uber ride, Hochstedler,…
Detroit’s ‘Once Around Belle Isle’ race set for this weekend
In its seventh year, the ultimate competition of stamina and floatability — “Once Around Belle Isle” — will return to the international waters of the Detroit River. Each year, OABI invites stand-up paddle boarders, kayakers, and surf-skiers to partake in a 7-mile natural and non-buoyed race course around Belle Isle. A 2.5 mile course is…
‘FRIENDS! The Musical Parody’ heads to Detroit next year
Somehow — despite 10 years of Ross being literally the most toxic, controlling boyfriend ever, a slew of problematic punchlines via Chandler’s slight transphobia, and the never-OK “Fat Monica” routine — NBC’s Friends has somehow survived as a beloved staple in the annals of pop culture. And now, it has gotten a musical makeover. The off-Broadway misadventure FRIENDS!…
Gordon Food Service opens first Detroit store
Chances are you’ve had their food, even if you didn’t know it. Gordon Food Service has been offering catering, food delivery, menu management, and culinary research services to Detroit restaurants for decades. But today marks the first time the Wyoming, Michigan-based company has had an actual supermarket serving Detroit proper. A Gordon Food Service Store…
Michigan on pace to have highest primary voter turnout in 40 years, expert says
Michigan may see its highest primary voter turnout since 1978 tomorrow, based on at least one expert’s assessment of the number of absentee ballots requested and returned. The Detroit News reports that as of last Thursday, 50 percent more Michigan residents had requested absentee ballots and 39 percent more had returned them than approximately the…
Report: Immigrant Entrepreneurs Important to Fabric of Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – While the immigration debate tops national headlines, immigrant entrepreneurs are busy strengthening Michigan communities, according to a new report by the Michigan League for Public Policy. The report says immigrants account for 12 percent of business owners in the state, and 20 percent of Main Street business owners. These are smaller-sized,…
Detroit’s Serration Pulse announce Third Man Records EP release
Detroit goth wave duo Serration Pulse has released details on its first proper output — a self-titled, self-recorded, and self-produced three-song EP to be released on vinyl by Third Man Records on Aug. 10. One of Metro Times’ “Bands to Watch in 2018,” Serration Pulse is comprised of metro Detroit natives Daniel Tomczak (Terrible Twos)…
‘Vacant Not Blighted’ event aims to showcase potential of Detroit neighborhoods
Detroit neighborhoods have seen some rough times over the years, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t hope for the future. That’s what Vacant Not Blighted hopes to educate people about, anyway. The event hosted by The Michigan Historic Preservation Network and Detroit Land Bank Authority is a guided tour through some of Detroit’s neighborhoods…
Man takes sledgehammer to Comerica Park, shattering windows and doors
The gleaming Comerica Park is looking a lot like one of Detroit’s tens of thousands of abandoned properties this morning. Plywood covers a window and two doors at the baseball stadium’s gear shop, after Detroit police say someone shattered them, possibly with a sledgehammer, around 2:30 this morning. Police say the incident was caught on…
Here’s how to vote in tomorrow’s Michigan primary
Tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 7, you, Michigan resident, have the chance to exercise your greatest right — the right to vote. The primary election features candidates in races for governor, Congress, state House and Senate, and more. Because it is a primary, you can only vote for one of three parties — Democrat, Republican, or Libertarian.…
Details announced for Metro Times’ Best of Detroit party
It’s that beautiful time of year again when we celebrate the best the city has to offer! The Metro Times Best of Detroit Party returns Friday, Aug. 24 to celebrate the best metro Detroit restaurants, bars, clubs, businesses, entertainment, and more. We’re taking the party to the water this year! The party starts at 6:30 p.m.…
Detroit has electric scooters now, so we tried them (and didn’t die)
Before today, I was guilty of perhaps not appreciating life as I should, because before today I had never ridden an electric scooter. Just last week, Los Angeles-based electric scooter rideshare company Bird landed its pilot program in Detroit, releasing a flock of matte-black machines into our downtown. Bird, which operates in 22 states in…
Could an antique barn land near Ford’s Detroit train station project?
People with property near the old Detroit train station have the chance to sell for big bucks as Ford gets set to move some of its operations to the site. But one couple with an empty plot of land a block away isn’t planning to sell. Of all things — they’re hoping to construct a…
Detroit cop beating: Is repeatedly punching an unruly hospital patient allowed?
via GIPHY Last week, after a veteran Detroit police officer was caught on film brutally beating a naked, possibly mentally ill woman at the hospital, Police Chief James Craig said he found the incident “disturbing,” but cautioned that the officer might not be guilty of any wrongdoing. Craig suspended the officer upon reviewing the video…
Kid Rock’s childhood Macomb County home to be listed for sale
When Kid Rock was, well, just a kid, he grew up on a sprawling, 5.5-acre estate in Macomb County’s Bruce Township, where his father owned a car dealership nearby. His family has reportedly decided to part ways with the property, which could be yours for just under $599,000. A posting for the property appeared on…
Tony Hawk is giving out grants for public skate parks in Michigan
Skate icon Tony Hawk’s Tony Hawk Foundation is offering up to $1 million in matching grants for four Michigan communities with skate parks. It’s partnering with the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to help fund parks in Detroit, Ferndale, Ypsilanti, and Port Huron. The Built to Play Skatepark Program is meant to provide youth with a…
Big Sean blasts NFL, EA Sports for censoring his Colin Kaepernick lyric in ‘Madden’
Detroit rapper Big Sean took to Twitter on Thursday evening to call out the NFL and video game developer EA Sports after it was discovered that his lyric name-checking Colin Kaepernick was edited out of the upcoming Madden NFL 19. The company soon issued an apology, saying the edit was “an unfortunate mistake.” Earlier on Thursday,…
State investigating Duggan-backed candidates over possible campaign finance violations
Three candidates backed by Mayor Mike Duggan and a nonprofit pushing Duggan’s “driver’s choice” auto insurance plan are under investigation by the Michigan Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections for possible felony campaign finance violations. Fred Woodhams, a Secretary of State spokesperson, tells Metro Times that Adam Hollier, Marshall Bullock, Terra DeFoe, and the Detroiters for…
Tunde Olaniran teams up with Detroit artist Ellen Rutt for “I’m Here” video
There can only be one Tunde Olaniran and he has graced us with what will easily become your new pull-up with the squad jam. The magic of Olaniran is undeniably present in the uplifting self-described “technicolor kingdom” of “I’m Here” crafted in collaboration with Detroit-based international muralist Ellen Rutt. Olaniran refers to the making of…
Apparently Google has been renaming Detroit neighborhoods
Has Google Maps’ designation of place names and street names ever struck you as odd and possibly incorrect? Apparently, you’re not alone. In a New York Times story published Thursday, it was reported that Google Maps has inadvertently renamed neighborhoods in cities across the nation, including Detroit. The process to determine these place names seems…
Detroit police chief reacts to officer beating naked woman
An 18-year veteran of the Detroit Police Department has been suspended and is under criminal investigation for the brutal beating of a naked woman at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Cell phone video captured by a witness and shared with Fox 2 News shows the officer, whose name is being withheld, repeatedly punching the woman. The incident…
Hamtramck Labor Day Festival lineup includes Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Stef Chura, Awesome Dre, and more
The lineup for the 39th edition of the Hamtramck Labor Day Festival has been announced. For nearly four decades, Hamtramck has celebrated the working class with a kick-ass blowout along the main drag of Joseph Campau. The festival, which will take place Sept. 1-3, will keep with tradition, returning with Hamtramck Yacht Club’s Canoe races, the…
Nolan the Ninja vows ‘to kick that mumble rap shit to the curb’ on ‘Numb’
For the past few years, Detroit emcee and producer Nolan the Ninja has made his garish, poetic cadence (that he spits at a supersonic speed) his trademark flow. Enter his newest single, “Numb” — a slow 808-pounding cut in which Nolan raps just a bit faster than the pace of a normal conversation. In the…
Sterling Heights carpet cleaner busted dumping in Detroit’s North End, thinks it’s OK
Residents in Detroit’s North End neighborhood on Wednesday caught a Sterling Heights carpet cleaning company dumping waste in their neighborhood. Naturally, the residents aren’t thrilled. Jerry Hebron tells Metro Times she witnessed a man from Mystic Touch Carpet Cleaning dumping liquid on a street that borders an urban farm she runs. Hebron tells us she…
Amanda Seales from HBO’s ‘Insecure’ is ‘Smart, Funny, & Black’
Amanda Seales is a truth-teller. Seales went viral last summer after she eloquently schooled Caitlyn Jenner at a live-streamed dinner hosted by Katy Perry after Jenner expressed misguided love of Trump’s America. “The reason I am so passionate — and I’m not hostile, I’m passionate — the reason I am so passionate is because I’ve had…
Detroit’s Murals in the Market ranked one of the best mural festivals in the world
The sprawling sheds and warehouses of Detroit’s Eastern Market district have been the main features of the nation’s largest historic public market for decades. In recent years, however, visitors to the weekly markets have seen the neighborhood undergo a beautiful evolution as the Murals in the Market festival has stepped in to provide some much-needed…
Arctic Monkeys covered the White Stripes’ ‘The Union Forever’ in Detroit
Against all odds, British band Arctic Monkeys survived the mid-2000s post-garage rock hangover to become one of the biggest rock bands of 2018. Exhibit A: the band’s sold-out Masonic Temple show in Detroit on Wednesday night, where the crowd went positively bananas. The band returned the Motor City love by paying homage to one of Detroit’s…
Blue Cross has given more cash to Whitmer than any Michigan gov candidate in past decade
On a frigid Wednesday in early March, dozens of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan employees ventured from their downtown Detroit offices to a nearby restaurant for a fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer. They’d been asked to the luncheon by Blue Cross executives who double as officers for its political action committee. Invitations —…
Ben Folds, Awolnation, and Eddie Money top Arts, Beats, & Eats lineup
Arts, Beats, & Eats announced details regarding the beats portion of the Royal Oak-based festival Wednesday afternoon and it’s full of 90’s earworm makers and one aging shaker. Eddie Money and Awolnation;top the bill along with “Father of Mine” rockers Everclear, Gin Blossoms, and longtime quirky piano man Ben Folds. They will all take to…
Collect all 10 of these vintage-style Detroit postcards
There’s no doubt that downtown Detroit has undergone some significant changes over the last several years. What used to be akin to a ghost town is now showing signs of a returned vibrancy that we had not seen since long before the global recession. Now with newly opened parks, cute boutiques, and a brand new skyscraper…
Zoning ordinance will limit Detroit to 75 marijuana facilities
Zoning ordinances are making Michigan’s burgeoning marijuana industry a little more complicated. On Tuesday, the Detroit City Council voted unanimously to approve zoning laws which would limit the total number of marijuana facilities allowed to operate in the city to 75. In addition to the number of operations, the zoning law will also regulate specifically…
Teenage bluesman Creighton Wodarski takes the stage at the Lager House
Fans of the blues may want to take special notice of an upcoming live gig by an up-and-coming adherent of the style. And when we say “up-and-coming,” we mean it. We’re talking about 17-year-old Creighton Wodarski, who plays at PJ’s Lager House this weekend. The youngster from Wayne says he was a toddler when he…
Judge strikes Michigan GOP’s straight-ticket ban, says it discriminates against black people
Once again, Michigan’s Republican Party appears to have been caught crafting policy intended to strengthen its power, constitution be damned. A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama put an end to Michigan’s Republican-led ban on straight-ticket voting on Wednesday, ruling that the law “intentionally discriminated against African-Americans.” In his ruling, U.S. District Judge…
Detroit’s newest music venue Deluxx Fluxx is a custom acid-drenched art-cade
Detroit’s latest entertainment venue looks to be a trippy experience rivaling few others in the city. Slated to debut this Friday in downtown’s Belt alley, Deluxx Fluxx is a custom creation brought to life by Brooklyn, New York-based artist duo Faile (Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller) and street artist Bast. Part music venue and part…
The ‘sushi doughnut’ craze is coming to metro Detroit
The Instagram-ready sushi doughnut craze took off in 2016, and of course that means it was only a matter of time before it trickled down through the interwebs and landed in our humble Midwestern burg. That time is nigh. A new restaurant named Blu Bar Sushi set to open in Beverly Hills will offer the region…
Detroit’s first vegan coney island opens today
Detroit’s first vegan coney island, Chili Mustard Onions, opens today in Detroit’s Brush Park. The small 30-seat shop at 3411 Brush St. offers meatless — and mostly organic — versions of many of the coney standards. There are coney dogs, chili cheese fries, a version of the Hani, a gyro, a “beetball” sub, a chicken…
Julia Govor is bringing her Jujuka label to life with new multidisciplinary project
Julia Govor has no intention of following in someone else’s footsteps. The petite yet spunky Russian-born DJ has carved a path for herself by pursuing the merit of her gut instinct — and so far, it’s paid off. “I haven’t been to Detroit since 2010,” Julia says by phone from Berlin, where she’s still recovering…
How the Detroit All-Star Garage Rock Punk Revue went from punk scene reunion to a full-blown festival
Known as “Smitty” to all of his cohorts, 60-year-old Michael Smith changed his stage name long ago when he realized “there’s about 6 million Michael Smiths out there.” The Detroit punk scene veteran says he knew from a very young age that he was destined to be different: “I consider myself very lucky that I…
Horoscopes (Aug. 1-7)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 A bird’s-eye view of your situation would show you that your life is in the middle of a game of 52 pickup: All the cards are in the air and your free will has to step up to the plate. In some cases it’s quite obvious that nothing can…
State of the state of drunkenness: Taking stock of Detroit’s bar scene
Last July, I had the chance to sit down in New Orleans for some raucous talk about the state of Detroit’s drinks scene with some of its best bartenders at the annual Tales of the Cocktail convention. There were swimming stunts and faux Zimas, ice luges shaped like the Spirit of Detroit, and plenty of…
Savage Love: Differences
I’m gay and have been dating a guy for 10 months. He’s great overall, and I would say for the most part we both want it to work out. But I am having a problem with his friends and other lifestyle choices. All of his friends are straight, and almost all of them are women.…
Michigan Democratic gubernatorial candidate voter guide
Michigan voters go to the polls Tuesday, Aug. 7 to cast their ballots in a primary that will determine which Democrat and Republican candidates go on to the November general election. At the top of the Democratic primary ballot will be gubernatorial candidates Abdul El-Sayed, Detroit’s former health director; businessman Shri Thanedar; and former Michigan…
Review: At Brome, you can have it both ways
At Brome, downtown Detroit’s newest burger restaurant, I tried four burgers and fried haddock and liked or loved most. But its marketing gave me pause. Brome tells us on its website, “Every day we wake up and make a conscious effort to minimize the negative impact we have on our planet.” Thats funny, since if…
Rapper Black Milk talks his latest sonic rebellion
For more than 15 years, the producer and emcee known as Black Milk has made a name for himself as one of the most credible beat makers and solid emcees to emerge from Detroit soil — releasing more than 10 collaborative projects, three EPs, eight solo projects, and contributing on hundreds of others songs. He…
