Legal expert warns Michigan lawmakers against weakening court-ordered wage hike
A prominent legal expert is warning Michigan lawmakers against rolling back a court-ordered minimum wage hike, calling it a direct assault on the state’s constitutional protections for voter-led initiatives. University of Michigan law professor Samuel Bagenstos, a former U.S. Justice Department official, sent a letter to legislative leaders on Monday urging them to let the…
Burglars ransack Pingree Detroit, stealing $5,000 worth of product
Thieves broke into Pingree Detroit’s workshop over the weekend, stealing about $5,000 worth of fine leather goods, petty cash, laptops, space heaters, gift and gas cards, and even a signed Pistons jersey gifted to the business for its work with U.S. military veterans. Surveillance video captured the two crooks as they rifled through a room…
‘Captain America: Brave New World’ is the definition of mediocre
I know it’s not cool to still like Marvel movies because they’re apparently the nadir of cinematic excellence, but I do… even when they keep letting me down. For two specific reasons will I keep turning up to watch this forever franchise: 1) After 35 movies and 26 shows, I’m invested in these character’s stories…
Mother demands answers about son’s death in a Southfield Hotel a year ago
A year after her 15-year-old son was shot and killed in a Southfield hotel, Tomika Alexander is still waiting for justice. Tyler Johnson was killed on Feb. 12, 2024, during a gathering with friends. Police recovered the gun, and multiple people were in the room when Johnson was killed, but no one has been held…
In Detroit Public Theatre’s ‘The Confederates,’ history repeats itself
When there’s more than one Black woman in a work setting, it can sometimes feel like the Hunger Games. Our scarcity mindset is triggered and we feel like we must assert dominance to show who is better. There’s a reason for this, and it can all be traced back to slavery. In her book, Post…
NBC’s ‘Grosse Pointe Garden Society’ brings drama to Detroit’s affluent suburbs
The first clear image you’ll see in the pilot for Grosse Pointe Garden Society, the glossy, trashy prime-time murder mystery premiering at 10 p.m. Sunday on NBC (Channel 4 in Detroit), is a giant rectangular sign proclaiming “Mack Avenue Garden Center.” Mack Avenue? On network TV? America, welcome to our little corner of the world.…
Lapointe: Yes, Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing
“Trump Derangement Syndrome” is a valid and logical reaction to the deranged behavior of President Donald J. Trump. He is a dangerous buffoon and his second term in the White House may be worse than his first. His clown-car cabinet suggests the cast of characters in the 2006 Mike Judge film Idiocracy, with unqualified and…
‘Living Frequency’ follows the mycelial threads of Black Detroit art from past to present
There’s something really annoying that happens when Black History Month rolls around. Magically, corporations and public institutions remember that Black people exist and run virtue signalling campaigns or heavy-handed displays of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. They missed the memo that Blackness is neither confined to the Civil Rights movement or the past,…
Detroit tenants evicted for withholding rent as judges ignore housing code, advocates say
Tenants at City Club Apartments in Detroit are being evicted for legally withholding rent in escrow while judges are failing to enforce a code meant to protect renters from unsafe living conditions, advocates and tenants say. The 750 Chene Tenants Association and Detroit Tenants Association are calling on city officials to take immediate action to…
Will JD Vance save the Great Lakes from Trump?
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist, Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan, and WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region. Last year, Vice President JD Vance, then an Ohio senator, was part of a…
Whitmer’s plan to hike cannabis taxes would wreck Michigan’s industry
Welcome to The Straight Dope, a weekly series that explores the cannabis industry in Michigan. While Michigan’s legal cannabis industry continues to struggle with plummeting prices and business closures, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proposing to more than triple the state’s recreational marijuana excise tax as a solution to help fix the state’s crumbling roads. But…
Mabel Gray in Hazel Park named one of the best restaurants in America
Hazel Park’s celebrated restaurant Mabel Gray is getting a lot of love lately. USA Today just named it one of the top 44 restaurants in America, highlighting its innovative seasonal menu, “continuous excellence,” and creative leadership from chef-owner James Rigato. Known for its ever-changing menu and focus on local, fresh ingredients, Mabel Gray is approaching…
Michigan Stadium taps country star Zach Bryan for its first-ever concert
Country star Zach Bryan is coming to the Big House. The U.S. Navy vet-turned-country music sensation announced the Sept. 27 concert on social media on Wednesday. “Playing in Ann Arbor with some heroes and good pals of mine!” Bryan wrote on his Instagram page, adding, “Thankful is an understatement.” According to the Free Press, it’ll…
Four movies worth checking out for February
February has been a mellow month for movies so far, with studios front-loading theaters with the mid-size movies they don’t have a ton of faith in gaining box office momentum. This is pretty normal, as the studios usually wait until after the Oscars to start leaning into the films they’re excited about, so February historically…
Corewell Health restores gender-affirming care after public backlash
Corewell Health has reversed course and will restore gender-affirming care for transgender minors after a week of mounting criticism from civil rights organizations, elected officials, and the LGBTQ+ community. The healthcare system, one of the largest in Michigan, had halted new hormone therapy for minors following a controversial executive order from President Trump that threatened…
The Whitney launches limited-run ‘Hawaiian Celebration’ menu
For decades, The Whitney restaurant located in Detroit’s opulent David Whitney House has been known for its traditional upscale New American menu. But now the restaurant is trying something a little different to help Detroiters beat the winter blues. Starting Monday, the restaurant is launching a limited-run “A Hawaiian Ho’o Lau Le’a” menu, translated as…
Free Will Astrology (Feb. 12-18)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Love requires stability and steadiness to thrive. But it also needs unpredictability and imaginativeness. The same with friendship. Without creative touches and departures from routine, even strong alliances can atrophy into mere sentiment and boring dutifulness. With this in mind, and in accordance with astrological omens, I offer quotes to inspire…
