Cover Stories
How to eat when you’re on campus at Michigan colleges
The typical college kid palette is pretty fascinating. At that age, your main food groups could be described as salty, greasy, cheesy, and sugary. Condiments are laid on thick. Ranch runs through kids’ veins. Flavor is the name of the game, and much of what’s consumed during the collegiate years is stuff that will lead…
How to survive as a broke college kid
College students are generally broke; I was broker than most. I attended school in very expensive Boston with — quite literally — not a dime to my name. I’d walk an hour to parties to save on the then-$1.25 train fare, hitch rides from strangers because I couldn’t afford cabs once the train closed (not…
How not to get screwed over by student loans
It’s supposed to be the American dream: If you wanted to get a well-paying job, you’d have to go to college, and to go to college, you’d probably have to take out a student loan. And so it was that millions of fresh-out-of-high school, college-bound students signed on the dotted line with hope for a…
How to figure out what the fuck to do with your life
OK, so you’re heading to college this fall, eager to drench your liver in a rainbow of different flavored bottles of Burnett’s. You’re planning on taking coursework on intersectional feminist theory, getting stoned between classes, and saving your psychedelics for the weekends. You’re young, free, and still have that glimmer of hope in your eye.…
Metro Times’ 2018 College Guide
Welcome to college — what is sure to be one of the most educational experiences of your life. Let’s start by letting you in on a little secret: They don’t teach you everything in school. But worry not — once again, the Metro Times College Guide is here to teach you what you need to…
Meg Remy’s U.S. Girls will perform free show at El Club
Meghan Remy is the core of U.S. Girls — an experimental pop project that is an exhilarating blend of influences, from 1950s-era Betty Hutton and more recent indie pop acts like Joanna Newsom and Tennis. Remy launched the project in her hometown of Chicago and relocated to Toronto where her record Half Free earned a…
Big things are poppin’ — Juicy J and T.I. team up for ‘Return of the Legends’ at Chene Park
“Bandz” might make her dance, but what really gets people going is a loaded lineup led by hip-hop favorites Juicy J and T.I. In keeping with Chene Park’s dynamic booking, Return of Legends hip-hop edition welcomes former Three 6 Mafia man and master collaborator Juicy J to the stage. Atlanta rapper and actor T.I. has…
Whoa — catch midnight madness screenings of ‘The Matrix’ at the Main Art Theatre
Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity return to the big screen for a double-dose of ass-kicking midnight madness nostalgia. 1999’s hella-dystopian sci-fi thriller The Matrix follows computer hacker Neo played by Keanu Reeves, who soon discovers that the reality most humans are disposed to is, in fact, merely a computer simulation. Well, sort of. Now nearly 20…
Good Karma: Boy George and the B-52’s relive the ’80s at DTE Energy Music Theatre
What happens when you cross a “Karma Chameleon” with a “Rock Lobster”? Aside from a groovy hybrid creature, you get an ’80s summer bash featuring Boy George and Culture Club and the B-52’s. While George gears up to release Culture Club’s first record in 19 years, Life (due out in October) fans can expect a…
Rodriguez returns home for Detroit Garden Theater performance
The unbelievable story of Sixto Rodriguez — an unassuming Cass Corridor musician who curiously became a cult musical phenomenon in South Africa — was unearthed in 2012 when fans tracked the mysterious man down, making him the subject of an Academy Award-winning documentary Searching for Sugarman. His unexpected superstardom that came with the resurrection of…
Taylor Swift holds moment of silence for Aretha Franklin in Detroit, Ariana Grande to perform at funeral
What has been made most apparent during the two weeks since Aretha Franklin’s death is that she has had a profound influence on young songstresses. Among them are Taylor Swift, who led a moment of silence for the late singer during her Detroit Reputation tour stop Tuesday night, going on to say that the Queen…
Detroit ‘Gamers’ Gala’ event will bring video game soundtracks to life
Anyone who has played video games as a child might find that those soundtracks could prove to be real earworms — even as an adult, long after you turned the console off. Gamers’ Gala, “a night of video game themed music” set for Detroit’s El Club on Friday, will bring those sounds to the stage for a…
Detroit officer that left K-9 in a hot vehicle is under investigation
A Detroit K-9 officer is under investigation for the death of a working dog that was left unattended in a hot car. The incident occurred on June 26 when the K-9 handler left the donated black German Shephard locked in the police SUV on site of the K-9 training grounds. The handler started the vehicle…
Thousands gather at Charles H. Wright to pay their ‘Respect’ to Aretha Franklin
Mourners gathered at the Charles H. Wright Museum Museum of African American History today to pay their final respects to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The lines wrapping around the museum did not suggest a morbid tone. On the museum grounds, a DJ mixed in Aretha’s greatest hits, museum personnel passed out free water,…
Japanese restaurant Katsu targets November opening in Woodbridge
Japanese izakaya Katsu Detroit is shooting for a November opening in Woodbridge. Izakayas are Japanese-style gastropubs that are increasingly popular in the U.S. Eater reports that Katsu will feature a traditional yakitori charcoal grill used for preparing skewered meats, small plates, a selection of noodle bowls, and a full bar stocked with Japanese beer, sake, and…
Detroit now has two electric scooter services
The Motor City might as well be the Scooter City, with not one but two electric scooter services now available for tech-savvy Detroiters. On Tuesday, dozens of the electric scooters from tech company Lime appeared on Detroit streets. The scooters join those from Bird, a rival company which deployed its scooters in Detroit at the end…
Texas couple arrested after leaving daughter at home to see Godflesh concert in Detroit
Things that are metal: fire skeletons, eating bats, drum solos. Things that are not metal: leaving your 11-year-old daughter home in Texas to drive cross country to see elusive industrial metal band Godflesh at Detroit’s El Club. John Guerrero, 48, and Virginia Yearnd, 39, of Spring, Texas were arrested Monday night on second-degree child endangerment…
Larry Nassar moved to ‘safe’ prison for cops, informants, and sexual deviants
When the grandstanding Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced Larry Nassar for multiple sex crimes in January, she issued a warning: “I just signed your death warrant.” Apparently she didn’t consider that Nassar could be sent to Coleman II United States Penitentiary in Sumterville, Florida, near Orlando. Nassar is currently being held at the Oklahoma Federal Transfer Center,…
Report: State knew of elevated PFAS levels in Flint River prior to switch
State officials knew about increased levels of PFAS in the Flint River’s water prior to switching the city’s water source in 2014. MLive writes that a report released in May 2015 by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services noted that Michigan Department of Environmental Quality tests between 2011 and 2013 showed elevated levels…
After 12 years, Detroit native Jemele Hill is reportedly leaving ESPN
After a 12-year tenure at ESPN, Jemele Hill is reportedly leaving the sports broadcasting giant this week. The Athletic reports that Hill and her longtime friend — Kelley L. Carter, another metro Detroit native — are launching a production company called Lodge Freeway Media. James Miller, author of New York Times bestseller Those Guys Have All…
Kuzzo’s is planning a Midtown location
Avenue of Fashion fried chicken and waffles purveyor Kuzzo’s is plotting a second location that will open in Midtown. Crain’s reports that owner Ronald Bartell has signed a five-year lease for a 4,000-square-foot location in The Woodward @ Midtown development, which is being planned by Detroit-based developer Queen Lillian II. The site is at Woodward…
Remembering Detroit rapper Eastside Snoop
On Monday, Aug. 20, Eastside Snoop of the hip-hop group Team Eastside was shot four times and killed while sitting inside a black Dodge Challenger on Flanders Street in Detroit. He was 28. Team Eastside (which also includes emcees D. Nice, Babyface Ray, Dam, Lil P., and Lou Dram) has been one of Detroit’s most…
We Came as Romans vocalist Kyle Pavone, dead at 28
Kyle Pavone, the longtime vocalist for metro Detroit based metalcore band We Came as Romans, was pronounced dead Saturday morning at the age of 28. The news of Pavone’s death was confirmed on social media by his bandmates Sunday. “Kyle’s tragic loss came too early in his life and those of his bandmates,” the band…
Whitmer, Gilchrist, Duggan, El-Sayed to join forces for Detroit rally
As if right on cue, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer and running mate Garlin Gilchrist have announced they will hold a rally in Detroit on Monday. The announcement comes after the Whitmer campaign took some heat from Detroit politicos for announcing Gilchrist — a Detroiter ostensibly tapped to grow her support in the city —…
Vegan fast food restaurant Unburger Grill opens in Dearborn
Unburger Grill, a vegan fast food restaurant focused on plant-based burgers and sides, is open in west Dearborn. The shop at 22018 W. Michigan Ave. is a product of brother and sister Christopher Oliver and Jane Beckwith who make vegan burgers like the Classic Mushroom Cheese (single Black Bean and portobello patty served with lettuce, tomato, onion,…
Report reveals continued ‘shell game’ with Michigan education dollars
Michigan children will be missing out on almost $1 billion in funding this school year, and a new report blames what it calls “state budgeting gimmicks.” Voters approved the School Aid Fund more than two decades ago to support K-through-12 education. But research from the Michigan League for Public Policy shows over the past nine years,…
Time Magazine names Detroit Foundation Hotel one of the ‘World’s Greatest Places’
Since opening in 2017, Detroit Foundation Hotel has helped to shift public perception about the current state of the city’s downtown development. The boutique hotel took over the former headquarters of the Detroit Fire Department that had been sitting empty since 2013 before being purchased by Chicago-based Arpium Hotel Group. The site, which opened in…
Snyder continues to plead for civility and we continue to say, ‘Oh, fuck off’
Gov. Rick Snyder doubled down on his call for civility on Thursday, posting an update to his open letter on the website civilityforus.com. The move follows Snyder’s “open letter regarding civility in public discourse” published in The Detroit News last month, in which more than 220 individuals ranging from politicians to corporate leaders signed on…
DeVos draws backlash for mulling plan to put federal funds toward school guns
Grant money designed to pay for things like art, music, technology, and mental health programs in the country’s poorest schools could eventually be used to help schools buy guns, under a plan being considered by Betsy DeVos’ education department. Related The idea was reportedly prompted not by a grizzly bear attack, but by school shootings…
One community’s fight against Asian corned beef egg rolls
Asian corned beef egg rolls — Detroit’s next great regional food, or a smelly blight on a peaceful upper-middle-class neighborhood? That’s the question at the heart of an effort by Detroit’s Green Acres neighborhood to thwart plans for a new Asian Corned Beef restaurant in the vacant building that formerly housed Stanley’s Other Place. The property…
Soon you’ll be able to charge your phone using an upcycled windmill at Eastern Market
Eastern Market visitors will soon be able to charge their cellphones using green energy as they shop. A pair of wind-powered generators designed by Detroit artist Carlos Nielbock is set to be installed in the district later this month. The first windmill, to be located near Eastern Market’s Shed 5, is slated for unveiling next week,…
Free Aretha Franklin tribute concert to be held at Chene Park
Many have paid tribute to the Queen of Soul the week following the legendary her death. That includes Chene Park Amphitheatre, which will host a free tribute concert on the eve of Aretha Franklin’s funeral. The concert, which will take place on Thursday, Aug. 30, will feature performances by over 20 artists across R&B, gospel,…
End to backdoor admissions to Detroit’s most prestigious schools results in more district students enrolling
Detroit Public Schools Community District changed the way it selects which students can attend its best schools, this year requiring all students to take a screening exam — a move which has led to more students from the district getting in. By streamlining the application process, the district has clamped down on number of students…
Thieves are busting through Detroit coney island walls to steal ATMs
Thieves who are ramming vehicles into coney islands in the middle of the night, grabbing ATMs, and fleeing have hit as many as five metro Detroit restaurants in two months. The latest incident occurred at 3 a.m. Wednesday when a white Silverado SUV rammed through a 24-hour Grandy’s Coney Island at Holbrook Avenue and the…
Sterling Heights man hit with $5k ticket for illegal dumping in Detroit’s North End
A Sterling Heights man who operates a carpet cleaning company was charged with a blight violation for allegedly illegally dumping toxic fluids in Detroit’s North End neighborhood. In early August, Jerry Hebron, a North End resident and owner of the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm, watched a man from Mystic Touch Carpet Cleaning dumping liquid on…
One more thing on Gretchen Whitmer’s pick for lieutenant governor
We said this week when Gretchen Whitmer tapped Garlin Glichrist to be her running mate that he checked off a few boxes for both Democrats and the candidate from East Lansing: Gilchrist adds diversity to Democrats’ all white female field of candidates for statewide office, and as a Detroiter he could help boost Whitmer’s appeal there.…
Former MSU gymnastics coach lied, had knowledge of Nassar assaults
Ex-Michigan State University gymnastics coach Kathie Klages is being charged on two counts of lying to authorities related to her knowledge of sexual assault by Larry Nassar. On Thursday, Special Independent Counsel Bill Forsyth announced that the Michigan Department of Attorney General charged Klages for previously claiming that she had not been aware of allegations…
DIME celebrates rising stars with release party
The Detroit Institute of Music Education has been a stalwart figure in the growth and grooming of Detroit area musicians. Having taken the likes of Metro Times cover girl and American Idol runner-up Jena Irene Ascuitio under its wing, each year the school preps and primes aspiring superstars for the spotlight. In continuing with their student sessions…
Michigan ballot committee clears hurdle in fight for 12 goddamn dollars
A ballot initiative that would boost Michigan’s minimum wage to $12 per hour by 2022 has cleared another legal hurdle ahead of the Nov. 6 election. On Wednesday, A Michigan Court of Appeals panel ruled against a restaurant industry group’s opposition to the proposal, ordering the state to “take all necessary measures” to put the…
Aretha Franklin to be honored with pink Cadillac motorcade in Detroit
Aretha Franklin will be honored in a way only the Queen of Soul could for her upcoming Detroit funeral. A motorcade of more than 100 pink Cadillacs is set to line up along Seven Mile Road outside the singer’s funeral at Greater Grace Temple, a reference to Franklin’s 1985 hit “Freeway of Love.” The cars are…
This map claims that Michigan actually elected ‘Nobody’ in 2016
The Trump administration has been entrenched in more scandal and faced more questions about its legitimacy than any of its predecessors. That includes everything from Trump winning the election with fewer votes than Hillary Clinton to Russians interfering in the election, all of which has made him the recipient of strong criticism. Just yesterday, Trump’s former campaign…
Detroit police body cameras support 30 percent of claims against officers
Last year, Detroit launched a $5.2 million experiment to outfit the city’s police officers with body cameras. And so far, the results demonstrate that there are two sides to every story. A look by the Detroit News into the first six months of the program found that the cameras helped prove 30 complaints against police…
Report: Detroit Land Bank is hoarding houses
Detroit’s Land Bank was established in 2011 to sell Detroit’s blighted homes, which have ballooned in number following the last decade’s subprime housing and tax-foreclosure crises. So far, the organization has accomplished one part of its mission, amassing tens of thousands of vacant homes. The only problem is — the quasi-governmental agency doesn’t seem to…
Cinema Detroit to premiere Nicolas Cage’s ‘Mandy’ with fundraising party
Detroit’s independent movie house Cinema Detroit has teamed up with the organizers of the Nicolas Uncaged film festival for a special advance premiere of Nicolas Cage’s latest absolutely insane thriller Mandy as well as a pre-recorded Q&A with the actor. Midtown’s Cinema Detroit served as host to the first incarnation of Uncaged fest, an event…
‘Detroit Skybridge’ will turn into a ‘a floating bar of light’ this weekend
The pedestrian bridge linking downtown Detroit’s Guardian Building and One Woodward is set to get a colorful makeover this weekend. The bridge will be outfitted with lights that will shift in color, becoming “a floating bar of light hovering over the streets of downtown Detroit,” according to a press release from Detroit’s Library Street Collective…
Vinsetta Garage owners open Latin restaurant Gran Castor (Great Beaver) in Troy
The latest restaurant from the team behind Vinsetta Garage is up and running in Troy. Gran Castor — “Great Beaver” in Spanish — opened on Aug. 20 in a former Hooters at Rochester and Big Beaver roads. Curt Catallo and Ann Stevenson — whose Union Joints restaurant group also runs spots like Clarkston’s Latin-inspired Honcho and…
Here’s how to get young people registered to vote across Michigan
It’s no secret that increased voter turnout most often helps Democrats win. That’s why Republicans like those in the Michigan Legislature try to make it more difficult for people to vote — particularly those with liberal leanings. Fortunately, there are some ways to offset the damage done by voter ID and other registration laws that…
Nicki Minaj postpones upcoming tour, including Detroit stop
Detroit is forced to wait a bit longer for “Barbie Tingz” as Nicki Minaj is the latest pop queen to dip out of an upcoming tour. Live Nation announced late Tuesday night that Minaj will delay her North American tour by five months so that the singer can “reevaluate elements of production on the NickiHndrxx…
Detroit graffiti artist Sintex pays tribute to Aretha Franklin with new mural
Detroit graffiti artist Sintex has paid tribute to Aretha Franklin with a larger-than-life mural of the Queen of Soul in her younger years. Beside the image of a dazzling Franklin are the words “Rest in Respect, Queen.” Related Social media users spotted Sintex putting up the piece on Sunday. It’s located at the corner of Linwood…
Legal marijuana is on the ballot in Michigan – but is the fight over?
On Nov. 6, Michigan voters will cast their votes on the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act. So far the support campaign by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol — the group that got the issue on the ballot — is something of a snooze-fest. In fact, the Healthy and Productive Michigan anti-marijuana…
Horoscopes (Aug. 22-28)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 The need to be receptive to alternative methods, alternative approaches, and alternative people is all over your story right now. To adhere too hard to the party line will keep you stuck and make it nearly impossible to make the most of this moment in time. On any other…
Don’t call L.A. Witch goth — they give a spellbinding tour through many influences
L.A. Witch is a trio from you can guess where, and the first thing you’ll notice is that they certainly do cast a spell with their reverb-drenched, trance-like garage rock. An L.A. Witch song can feel like you’re on a midnight’s drive, the convertible top down as you glide through foreboding fogs on a moonless…
Bassist Ian Hill on maintaining the firepower of Judas Priest
Ah, yes. Face-peeling demons, the rising flames of hell, poisonous air, war, executions, and blood-filled oceans. These are the things nightmares — and Judas Priest’s latest record, Firepower — are made of. But what is surging at the core of metal’s most malevolent and beloved pioneers is something far less sinister — surprisingly, it’s a…
Review: Clementina’s $5 tacos are all style and no substance
Though some will still complain when they see tacos priced over $1.50, it seems we’re getting closer to the point where people understand that insisting that Mexican food should be categorically cheap is a tad offensive. So $5 tacos are not a bad thing. I recently ate some priced between $5 and $13 that were…
