Cover Stories
The post-college guide to skating the transition between school and the real world with grace
Congrats! You’re finally in your last (and likely most stressful year) of college. Besides the stress of final projects, capstone courses, remembering to register for graduation — and subsequently forgetting to register for graduation — there’s also the stress of every family member asking you, “So, what are your plans for after school?” or your…
Teachers, students reeling as Marygrove abruptly closes undergrad program
Mere weeks before the start of the new semester, students and faculty at Detroit’s Marygrove College were told it would be their last. On Aug. 9, the historic Catholic school announced it would cease its undergraduate program in winter 2018, shifting focus instead to its graduate program. But while faculty of the historic Catholic school…
What if the University of Michigan never left Detroit?
My roommate’s alarm buzzes. It’s the second weekend of my first year at the University of Michigan, and I could swear it’s still the middle of the night. I look out our dusty window to the East Quad courtyard; students in spirit gear are packed into every available space. I smell takeout from the nearby…
How to deal with being the weird roommate
You never forget your first roommate. Whether it’s for a good reason or a bad one, your roommate’s reach will follow you throughout your college years and maybe years after that. Even those who had the lucky chance to choose their first roommate leave with some kind of story. Let’s face it, living with some…
How to get involved on campus even if you commute
Not everyone decides to live on campus when they head to college, and you don’t need to in order to get the full college experience. However, some students who commute can find it hard to stay connected and find things going on. “I would say there’s two ways to be involved, like a student organization,…
A roundup of our favorite on-campus cafés
Whether you’re a seasoned senior or a terrified freshmen, knowing your local restaurants is just as important as scoring a deal on those expensive-as-hell text books. We quizzed our summer interns from Wayne State, Michigan State, and University of Michigan to find out where their favorite spots are for the late-night munchies, early morning hangover…
How to master self-care on a college budget
The self-care phenomenon has taken social media by storm, becoming the new “it” priority. Recently NPR chalked it up as yet another millennial “obsession.” But aside from all those awkward facemask Instagram selfies, millennials may actually be onto something. Self-care has proven benefits that go deeper than beauty — like diminishing burnout and improvement of…
Earn-and-learn training programs offer students pathways to debt-free education
We live in a post-vocational education world. The problem? That same world still needs skilled trades workers. In fact, in a 2015 report on employment and occupations in skilled trades released by the state of Michigan, researchers estimate that by 2022 skilled trades jobs will grow by almost 14 percent — about 6,600 jobs —…
AJJ’s Sean Bonnette talks sophomore record’s ten year anniversary tour
AJJ is a folk-punk band with honest songs. Since starting in 2004, it has had only two consistant members — frontman and songwriter Sean Bonnette and upright bassist and backup vocalist Ben Gallaty. Even though the band has collected more permanent members over the years, Bonnette and Gallaty are going on a ten year anniversary…
River Bistro’s Max Hardy on helping black chefs break into Detroit’s restaurant industry
Maxcel Hardy is attempting a daunting feat — opening three new restaurants in less than a year. His River Bistro, a casual Caribbean-soul eatery, is already up and running on Grand River near the Southfield Freeway. COOP, a chicken restaurant planned for the Detroit Shipyard shipping container development, is set to debut in the Cass…
Beck opens for U2 at Ford Field this weekend
In 2015 you, like us, probably never thought you would say Beck and Beyonce in the same sentence let alone find them battling it out in the Grammy category for “Album of the Year.” But when songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Beck won for Morning Phase over Queen Bey’s self-titled banger, it was akin to when Scorsese…
John Mayer to perform at DTE this Friday
It’s hard to believe that John Mayer, the curly haired crooner who made us believe our bodies were wonderlands (and yes, that he would in fact use his hands) in 2003 would become a staple in the vocabulary of rock’s most influential guitarists. Philanthropist, author, and touring member of the remaining Grateful Dead outfit (yeah,…
Betty Who brings her excitable synth pop to the Magic Stick
Betty who? No, no, it’s Betty WHO, the Australian power-pop priestess. As viral as she is chart-able (her hits are frequent flyers on the Billboard Dance chart) there’s no question that Who’s quirky confidence and penchant for excitable synth pop puts her in the ranks alongside the likes of pop greats Roybn, Katy Perry, and…
Mambo Marci to give salsa lessons in Detroit tomorrow night
The Cube, an event space located across the atrium from Orchestra Hall within the Max M. Fisher Music Center, hosts a slew of unique events including a popular yoga series plus concerts and dance parties. Their widely attended Salsa Dance Party will return and this time it will feature dance lessons with the award-winning Latin…
Detroit launches first-of-its-kind government-run news site
This mayoral election season, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has been hard at work dispelling the notion that he neglected the city’s neighborhoods during his first term in favor of spurring development in the city’s affluent mid- and downtown. There have been at least weekly announcements of some initiative or another aimed to help struggling Detroiters…
Music, fashion, and art to converge at Saint Andrews Hall
This presentation encompassing mediums like live music, fashion, visual art, hair design, performances, and more, is put on by Raw, an independent collective of local makers and doers with hubs in cities across the U.S. Fixate is in its second year and will feature over 60 local artists including KaraLyn Street, Paulette Brockington, Amber Zakala,…
Recalling the 1967 People’s Tribunal and critiquing the film ‘Detroit’ at the Wright
As we all know by now, the Algiers Motel Incident — the story at the center of the recent film Detroit — ended with the acquittals of the police and co-defendants. That outcome provoked especially bitter reactions among black Detroiters. In fact, when H. Rap Brown, organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, spoke to…
Detroit Mayor Duggan predicted Hillary Clinton’s downfall and wants to chair a Biden bid in 2020
Hillary Clinton’s economic message wasn’t going to resonate with an average Detroiter, and it wasn’t going to resonate in other blue collar areas of the country. It was as if Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was holding a crystal ball as he conveyed that sentiment to Clinton’s then-campaign chief, John Podesta, at a meeting of Democrat…
Kid Rock will have a restaurant inside Little Caesars Arena
Not only will Kid Rock perform six shows at the soon-to-open partially-tax-payer funded Little Caesars Arena, but he will also have his very own restaurant — Kid Rock’s Made In Detroit restaurant and bar. Have we officially reached peak Kid Rock? The Detroit Free Press reports that the restaurant will serve, “classic Detroit and Southern-influenced dishes,”…
Metro Detroiter stranded in Houston is asking Michiganians to send aid
Sherrie Handrinos is currently stranded in Houston. The metro Detroit native owns her own public relations and marketing company, and splits her time between the two major cities. She was headed to the now-beleaguered Texas city for a work trip when meteorologists predicted Hurricane Harvey would produce a mere 5 to 8 inches of rain per…
Flint Eastwood shares new music video for song ‘Rewind’
Detroit’s Flint Eastwood just shared her latest music video for the song “Rewind” off her latest EP called Broke Royalty. Not only is this one of our favorite cuts from the EP, but it also features fellow metro Detroiter DJ and Producer GRiZ. Flint Eastwood (aka Jax Anderson) said in a statement on Facebook that,…
Alternative R&B siren SZA will perform at the Fillmore tomorrow night
Although her debut album Ctrl is only two months old, SZA (pronounced Sizza) is making waves as a neo-soul, alternative R&B siren. Earning herself an MTV Music Video Award nomination for “Best New Artist” (a category she shared with breakout star Noah Cyrus, but lost to Khalid), SZA’s opulent arrangements and diary entry rawness have…
Hillary Clinton will stop in Ann Arbor for ‘What Happened’ book tour
Now that she’s out of the woods and finished making badass speeches at college graduations, Hillary Rodham Clinton is gearing up for a book tour for her upcoming memoir What Happened, which will follow her experience during the 2016 election. Luckily for us, one of her 15 tour dates will happen in Ann Arbor at…
Detroit’s QLine to charge fare after Labor Day
As they say, all good things come to an end. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 5, the QLine will begin charging fare. Rides on Detroit’s newest streetcar have been free since it opened in May, with the initial trial period extended to Labor Day so operator M-1 Rail could work out some kinks. Fare will be $1.50 for…
The 16-foot-tall fence at Takoi has diners commenting
When it comes to Takoi — the restaurant formerly known as Katoi — we can’t help but lightly rehash the reporting of Tom Perkins, who pointed out many considered the restaurant’s name offensive. That reporting played at least some role in getting the restaurant to change its name. Now, we don’t want to appear to harbor…
Taco Bell has not applied for a liquor license for new Royal Oak “Cantina”
Word spread like wild fire on Friday that Royal Oak would soon be home to an alcohol-serving Taco Bell. The “Cantina” is a rare, new concept for the fast food giant, one that combines their quasi-Mexican dishes along with boozy Baja Blasts, among other drinks. But, according to Royal Oak’s Downtown Development Authority, the chain…
Eminem got 90,000 people to chant “Fuck Trump” at a concert over the weekend
Just like every other level-headed person in this country right now, Eminem doesn’t like Donald Trump. If that wasn’t clear to you when he released a surprise single last fall called “Campaign Speech,” his words at some shows in Europe over the weekend really solidify his feelings towards POTUS. Related Slim Shady’s smear campaign of…
Trump appointees approve Nexus pipeline in Michigan and Ohio
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump filled out the board at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. With a voting quorum restored, FERC has now given formal and final approval to the Nexus natural gas pipeline, which will traverse 255 miles of Ohio and the southeastern portion of Michigan into Canada. Compared to the numerous other…
Private prison worker fired for refusing to serve rotten potatoes to inmates
A prison worker with Trinity Services – the Florida-based company that serves the Michigan Department of Corrections’ meals – was fired for refusing to serve inmates at Michigan’s Kinross Prison rotten potatoes last week, the Freep reports. The employee recounted what happened to the Freep: “It was the most disgusting thing I’ve seen in my life,” said…
Detroit indie pop duo Valley Hush release first new single since debut LP
It’s coming up on almost a year since Detroit’s Valley Hush released their self-titled debut album that landed them on Metro Times’ 2017 bands to watch list. Now the duo is back with a new single just in time for the end of summer, and let me tell you, it is a delicious musical treat.…
Pietrzyk Pierogi Polish street food to pop up at Nancy Whiskey’s
Metro Detroit pierogi-maker Erica Pietrzyk returns to the Nancy Whiskey with a full pop up dinner on Sunday. The menu is divided into two main parts: The pierogi and zapiekanka, the latter of which isn’t too dissimilar from an open-face sandwich on a baguette that’s topped with all sorts of Polish goodness. Pietrzyk’s pierogi menu…
Refugee-run restaurant Baobab Fare wins $50K in Hatch contest
Two Burundian refugees who plan to launch the Baobab Fare East African restaurant, juice bar, and grocery store in West Village won $50,000 grand prize in the Hatch contest. The husband and wife team of Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba fled political violence in Burundi several years ago and stayed in Southwest Detroit’s Freedom House while…
Fundraiser launched after vandals hit gay bar
Supporters of downtown Ann Arbor gay bar Aut Bar are raising money after the bar was vandalized early Friday morning. Owner Keith Orr told MLive that the damage wasn’t significant, but his staff found light bulbs smashed, fascia board damaged, and colorful streamers and pride flags torn down. Via Facebook, Orr said: Right now I…
Duggan considers renaming Cobo Center amid national debates over racist symbols
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is reportedly considering renaming Downtown Detroit’s Cobo Center. The move comes amid a a national debate about racist monuments and symbols following the recent clash over a Confederate monument in Charlottesville, Virginia. In Detroit, you won’t find any monuments to the Confederacy, but there has been mounting backlash of controversial statues in recent…
Michigan apple crop is down four million bushels — what it means for local apple orchards
The last few days have been cool and fall-like in Michigan, leading many an Ugg-loving millennial to begin once again sharing this beloved video. But, news from the Michigan Apple Committee reveals that Michigan’s apple crop is down by four million bushels. Due to a late frost at the beginning of May, some fruit was…
DIME artist releases politically-charged ‘Dear America,’ an open letter to U.S. government
DIME artists certainly don’t seem afraid to share their opinions, no matter what ire they make spark among the masses. Earlier this year American Idol runner-up Jena Irene Ascuitto released a pro-pot track called “So I Get High” via 1265 Recordings, DIME’s in-house label. Now, two DIME students have collaborated to release a politically charged…
Preservationists call on Ilitch family to halt ‘illegal’ demolition plans in Cass Corridor
Historic preservationists are keeping a watchful eye on three brick multi-level buildings that stand in the shadow of the Little Caesars Arena after getting word last week that Ilitch family-owned Olympia Development had planned to demolish them without permission. The company’s contractors had previously obtained demolition permits for the more than hundred-year-old buildings, but according…
Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees did not get along yesterday
In case you missed the big news in sports yesterday, the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees got into a giant brawl during the sixth inning that resulted in Detroit Tiger Miguel Cabrera and New York Yankee Austin Romine fighting with both teams emptying the dugouts to break-up/fight some more. It basically turned into…
Detroit Street Filling Station vegan restaurant opens today in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor’s newest vegan venture, Detroit Street Filling Station, opens to the public today in Kerrytown. It’s the fourth vegan food operation for co-owners Phillis Engelbert and Joel Panozzo. They debuted The Lunch Room food cart in 2011; opened their first brick and mortar in Kerrytown, The Lunch Room Restaurant & Bar, in 2013; and started…
Bar Botanica is planning an inclusive ‘tropical speakeasy’ for Jefferson Chalmers
Natasha Fernandez-Silber is a former bartender who describes herself as a foodie and craft cocktail enthusiast. She’s also queer, and is proud of her Puerto Rican heritage. But she finds those things don’t always feel super compatible, as the culture around craft cocktails isn’t usually geared toward people of color. That will change next year…
How the documentary ‘Street Fighting Men’ told a Detroit story correctly
There’s a very interesting piece in The Utah Review this week about a Detroit documentary that was shot several years ago. The documentary is called Street Fighting Men, and it was based on a cover story by John Carlisle — then known to MT readers as Detroitblogger John — concerning retired Detroit police officer James “Jack Rabbit” Jackson.…
Yet another Detroit Land Bank director resigns
There has been more churn at the Detroit Land Bank Authority. Multiple outlets are reporting that director Rebecca Camargo has resigned effective Sept. 1. She took the job earlier this year, and has worked with the agency since 2014. It’s the latest in what has been a leadership churn at the beleaguered agency. Camargo’s departure follows that…
Michigan State University has largest African American freshmen class of any Big 10 school
Not only does Michigan State University have the largest African American freshmen class of any Big 10 school this coming fall, but they are also expecting 8,000 first-year students, one of school’s largest incoming classes ever. The university says that their high enrollment is partially due to its long-standing land grant tradition and that they…
Detroit has a bed bug problem
While every major city tends to have some bed bug issues, Detroit’s bed bugs seem to be on a different level of infestation. A report from the pest control company Terminix says that Detroit ranks as the third-worst city for bed bugs, following our neighbors from the south in Cincinnati and Cleveland. While the third-worst…
Bob Seger will be the last performer to grace the stage at the Palace
The fate of the Palace of Auburn Hills has been partially decided today — the last performer to ever take the stage will be Bob Seger when he headlines the arena on Sept. 23. Rumors have been swirling about the fate of the Palace since it was announced that the Pistons planned to move to…
How a park dedicated to labor history is now planned for the Rouge River
Along Fort, just down the road from the new tower at Marathon Refinery as part of its $2.2 billion expansion to process tar sands oil, people might be jarred to take in the changes over the last 10 years. The Fort Street Bridge is working now, remade into a $50 million bascule bridge crowned with…
Katoi changes its name following criticism from LGBT and Thai communities
Katoi announced Wednesday that it’s changing its name before it reopens on Aug. 28 following a February fire. The move comes after a Monday Metro Times article pointed out that members of the Thai, Southeast Asian, and LGBT communities found the name offensive, and called on Katoi to change it. Three straight white people in…
A charcuterie restaurant is opening in Eastern Market
Detroit is beginning to look like the place to be for meat-lovers far and wide. At the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Jay Street lies the building that once housed Detroit Candy, as well as a meat processing store and, presently, a residential area. The Detroit Free Press reports that its owners are joining forces…
Michigan hates cold pizza more than any other food
There is a new dating app called “Hater” (because the dozens of existing ones are apparently not good enough) that matches you with people that have similar dislikes as you. Since the app has a ton of information on what people hate, they have compiled data and figured out what is the most hated thing…
Iceland airline to offer $99 flights from DTW
That Europe trip you’ve always dreamed of may finally be within reach. Beginning on April 26, 2018, Iceland’s WOW air will provide service through the Detroit Metro Airport as part of the airline’s expansion in the United States. Airports in Cleveland, Cincinnati, and St. Louis are also hopping onboard. Service to Iceland will be available four…
Analysis casts doubt on Kid Rock’s Senate race lead
In late July, a poll was released which gave Kid Rock an edge over Sen. Debbie Stabenow — giving plausibility to the rap-rocker’s teased (but as of yet unconfirmed) bid to be Michigan’s next Senator. The story quickly went viral, and was even shared by Kid Rock. However, a new analysis from FiveThirtyEight suggests the…
Notes from Bernie Sanders’ and John Conyers’ Detroit town hall
After a gray, rainy Tuesday afternoon, the sky opened up and people began lining up outside Fellowship Chapel Church for the Bernie Sanders and John Conyers town hall. The event was held to discuss the issues of healthcare, specifically single-payer medicare-for-all, as well as jobs and unemployment. “I’m concerned with the quality of life [in…
Squished by the Duggan Machine
Mike Duggan has, in most respects, been a superb — and superbly effective — mayor of Detroit. He did get the streetlights on, when other mayors couldn’t, or wouldn’t do it. Certain areas of the city are booming. He’s made some shrewd and effective deals. He seems financially honest, strong, effective, savvy, and about to…
‘Emergent Strategy’ is food for thought during the time of Trump
Somebody put a copy of adrienne maree brown’s new book in my hands a couple of months ago. Then a few weeks ago I was in a workshop for which she was the facilitator. After that I decided to actually read her book and scheduled time early last week to read brown’s Emergent Strategy: Shaping…
Horoscopes (Aug.23-29)
ARIES (March 21- April 20): You keep getting feedback that makes you feel kinda shaky about some of your choices. None of it is right or wrong. At this point all you can do about all of this well meant advice is: Consider the source and file it. Nobody knows better than you do how…
Savage Love: Don’t fuck Nazis
Q: A few years ago, my dad was busted by the cops for using an online forum to solicit escorts. The arrest and infidelity destroyed his marriage to my mom. My brother and I were in our mid-teens at the time and were angry enough with him that we asked him to not seek custody.…
‘The Only Living Boy in New York’ is dead on arrival
Packed almost nauseatingly full with interesting dramatic situations such as a father-son rivalry, a marital affair, generational angst, and coming-of-age disillusionment, The Only Living Boy in New York seems at first glance like a winner, and a sexy one at that. But a closer look reveals misshapen pieces and performances pasted haphazardly into a jigsaw…
Review: Where’s the beef at Caucus Club?
The recreated Caucus Club, reopened in May by a new owner after a five-year hiatus, is self-consciously retro. It’s a vigorous nod to the restaurant’s history as a hangout for downtown power brokers, happy to gorge on steaks and lobster tails. Potatoes twice-baked or scalloped, wedge of iceberg, onion soup, creamed spinach, table-side Caesar salad…
The sci-fi hip-hop of Shabazz Palaces
The earthlings of Detroit are in for a treat Thursday, in the form of experimental hip-hop group Shabazz Palaces. Fresh off the release of two sci-fi concept albums, the Seattle duo is bringing their off-kilter beats and hazy, starlit verses about a traveler from outer space to El Club. Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines and…
Lillie Mae Rische finds a home with Third Man Records
Lillie Mae Rische never set out to strike it big as a solo artist. Yet she appears poised to take the Americana-country scene by storm. Her debut solo album, Forever and Then Some, was produced by none other than Jack White. But the way Rische describes it, her life has seemingly been strung together by…
Angsty glam-pop duo Tart adds a +1 on new EP
The last time Metro Times checked in with on-the-rise duo Tart, they were just that — a duo. But as they gear up for a midwest tour and the release of their third EP Toothache, Tart has reached a turning point. Known for their theatrical live performances and penchant for dynamic genre-defying glitz, best friends-turned-roommates-turned-lovers-turned-bandmates…
