Cover Story
The triumph of We Came As Romans
We Came As Romans was on the brink of collapse. “We almost broke up,” drummer David Puckett tells Metro Times. “We didn’t know what to do.” The Troy-based metalcore band was prepping for what was supposed to be its comeback tour when tragedy struck: Singer Kyle Pavone was found unconscious following an accidental heroin overdose.…
Michigan’s cannabis regulators warn customers of Fwaygo Extracts products after failed testing
The Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) alerted consumers to be aware of Fwaygo Extracts products that may pose a public health risk. According to a Marijuana Consumer Advisory Bulletin, Space Rocks by Fwaygo Extracts may have been produced with untested cannabis. The affected product would have been manufactured between Nov. 10-17, 2022. On Sept. 16, 2022,…
Olga’s Kitchen teams up with McClure’s for Shrimp Po’Boy
Michigan-based Olga’s Kitchen has announced a new partnership with Detroit’s McClure’s Pickles for new menu items, including a new Shrimp Po’Boy sandwich. “At Olga’s Kitchen, we honor our rich history of more than 50 years by continuing to innovate new menu items and explore new flavors for our fans to enjoy,” Olga’s director of culinary…
Michigan cops accused of ‘horrific’ sexual harassment, discrimination of female officer
Iron Mountain’s first and only female officer is suing the city, alleging she was groped, harassed, and discriminated against before she was forced to resign. Teresa Williams says in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court that she endured years of harassment and retaliation for being a woman on the Upper Peninsula police force. She…
Gourmet popsicle chain Popbar announces Detroit expansion
New York-based popsicle chain Popbar is expanding into Michigan, with the chain announcing a Detroit location set to break ground this year. While the exact location of the store has not yet been revealed, the company says more metro Detroit locations will follow. “We choose to grow at a measured pace by hand-selecting franchisees to…
Record number of guns seized at Detroit Metro Airport in 2022
A record number of guns were intercepted at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in 2022. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers seized 100 handguns at security checkpoints, more than twice the number in 2019. About 88% of the guns were loaded. “Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is an expensive, dangerous mistake that far too many people are…
With an anniversary re-release, ‘Titanic’ proves unsinkable
Intimate and personal in a manner belying its scale, James Cameron’s work on Titanic holds up as well as ever, making its new 25th anniversary re-release an opportunity well worth prioritizing. Fully self-aware as a work of high melodrama, the film opens with a disarming sort of confessional frame. Cameron deploys Bill Paxton (potent as…
Somehow, this Eminem ‘Mardis Gras’ remix works
What would Eminem sound like if instead of hip-hop he took on Dixieland jazz? Well, it might sound something like this. A popular music social media account called “There I Ruined It” mashed up Em’s “The Real Slim Shady” with what appears to be the jazz standard “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” for what it’s dubbed a…
‘Dilla World Weekend’ honors Detroit’s late J Dilla with events
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it to music@metrotimes.com. Dilla World Weekend: Raise the Flag and Big Fella Records are coming together to throw a stellar series of events to honor the legacy of the late great hip-hop producer J Dilla, who died 17 years ago this month at age 32. The series kicks off…
At Michigan State, survivors of a mass shooting walk in silence, mourn
Maya Manuel had barely slept. The day before was Valentine’s Day, and the 20-year-old Michigan State University junior had forgotten about the lovers’ holiday. She stands before a mourning crowd of hundreds outside the state capitol building in downtown Lansing, gathered to peacefully protest, to bear witness. Less than 48 hours earlier, a masked gunman…
New report shines troubling light on guns used in crimes in Michigan
More than 43,500 guns linked to crimes in Michigan were recovered by law enforcement officials between 2017 to 2021, according to the most expansive federal report in more than two decades on guns used in crimes. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) published a 242-page report to create a statistical snapshot to…
Karamo beats DePerno in Michigan GOP chair race, moving the party further right
She lost her 2022 race for Michigan Secretary of State by double digits, falsely asserted that the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was a false flag operation and has connected Satan to everything from yoga to Beyoncé to churches that hang rainbow flags. And now she’s the leader of the Michigan Republican Party. Delegates at the…
Officials call off search for Lake Huron ‘UFO’
The truth is out there… but we may never know it, because we blew it up to smithereens. According to reporting by The New York Times, officials in the United States and Canada have given up on their search for the wreckage of three unidentified flying objects that they resorted to shooting out of the…
Teen cannabis use continues to decline, according to study
Opponents of cannabis have long claimed that legalizing it for adults would lead to an increase in teen use. They were wrong, according to a new federal report. Cannabis use among teenagers dropped from 2019 to 2021, hitting the lowest number in at least a decade. That’s despite more states legalizing its use for medical…
A requiem for Detroit’s legendary ‘Black Ghost’
Growing up in Detroit, Gregory Qualls never thought too much about the black 1970 Dodge Challenger his father Godfrey kept under blankets in the garage — until his dad occasionally brought it out. “It was loud and it would shake the house,” the younger Qualls recalls. It was only after his father died in 2015…
Lapointe: MSU shooting shows CBS News Detroit not yet ready for prime time
Some day — perhaps soon — metro Detroit television viewers may enjoy innovative journalism on Channel 62, known primarily now as CBS News Detroit and, technically, as WWJ-TV. Its fresh approach to local TV reportage — from an ambitious, new operation launched in late January — may eventually provide fast, fair, and feisty competition for…
Sheefy McFly is dropping his own cannabis brand on 313 Day
Detroit artist Sheefy McFly does whatever the fuck he wants. Right now he wants to drop his own cannabis strain, so on 313 Day, aka Detroit Day, or whatever else you wanna call March 13, McFly will release his weed brand CRUD. The artist is well known for his colorful abstract paintings of mashed-up and…
Looks like Eastern Market’s Bunny Bunny isn’t closing after all
Bunny Bunny, a fusion restaurant that opened three years ago on Gratiot Avenue in Eastern Market, is officially reopening this weekend. The restaurant announced its closure back in September 2022. But owners Justin Tootla and Jen Jackson decided to give it another go — at least until their lease expires next year. “As everyone has…
Author Kelsey Ronan explores the complexities of grief in ‘Drown the House’
This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com. Artist of the week: Kelsey Ronan You could say Kelsey Ronan’s relationship with her hometown of Flint is complicated. It’s the place where she grew up. Where her mother struggled with chronic…
Black market bust seizes more than 5,400 cannabis plants in northern Michigan
Michigan State Police busted a large-scale cannabis growing operation in Ogemaw County on Wednesday as authorities continue to crack down on the black market. Police seized more than 5,400 cannabis plants and more than 100 pounds of processed cannabis in Richmond Township. The two residential search warrants were carried out by the state police’s Marijuana…
Democrats introduce gun-control package following MSU shooting
Just three days after the mass shooting at Michigan State University, Democrats in the state Senate on Thursday introduced a package of gun-control bills. The legislation would require background checks and safe gun storage, as well as enable courts to temporarily seize guns from people deemed a danger to themselves or others. The bills mirror…
A witch-themed bar called The Black Salt is coming to Hamtramck
You can sit for a spell at The Black Salt, Hamtramck’s latest bar set to open next month. The menu is divided into two parts: classic cocktails and “spell” cocktails, which use seasonal ingredients and include a ritual, with both bartenders and guests participating. Owner Zoey Ashwood says her west Michigan roots mixed with her…
Starbucks workers in Allen Park move to unionize
Continuing a wave of union activity at coffee chain Starbucks, workers at a Downriver store have also moved to organize. According to a press release, “an overwhelming majority” of the hourly workers at 23005 Outer Dr., Allen Park signed union authorization cards Monday morning. “We are a strong team that believes a union is the…
Detroiter sues police department after cop shot her dog, stuffed it in a trash can
A Detroit woman is suing the city’s police department after one of its officers shot her dog and dumped it into a trash can without telling her. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on Feb. 8, alleges a Detroit cop violated the Fourth Amendment rights of Tiffany Lindsay in September 2021 when he jumped…
Detroit’s PizzaPlex announces closing and crowdfunding campaign to help employees
Since 2017, PizzaPlex has been the cool Neapolitan-style pizzeria on Detroit’s Southwest side. Over the years, the restaurant has offered more than pizza, hosting fundraisers to support local food banks and introducing other worldly foods to their menu like Filipino BBQ and Italian pastries like cornetti and tiramisu. Related But now, after nearly six years…
Opinion: Michiganders deserve transparency about how DTE Energy does its business
DTE Energy is leaving us in the dark. Many of us in Michigan pay our heating bills to this corporation, yet they may be engaging in some pretty shady business. I’m not just talking about their plans to raise rates for you and me so they can continue to make record profits. Nor am I…
Date for Detroit 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Parade announced
It’s official: Corktown’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is set for Sunday, March 12. This year marks the 65th year of the annual parade celebrating Irish culture (and for many, pretty much an excuse to get drunk). The parade begins at 1 p.m. near Sixth Street and Michigan Avenue and continues west to 14th Street in…
MSU shooter had handguns, additional ammo, and a note with a possible motive
The 43-year-old gunman who killed three Michigan State University students and critically wounded five others was carrying two unregistered handguns, nine magazines filled with ammunition, two bus tickets, and a letter when police spotted him nearly four miles off campus. Without saying a word to police, Anthony McRae ignored commands to raise his hands and…
Metro Detroit dispensaries are giving away paczki on Fat Tuesday
Every stoner knows all to well that cannabis makes food taste better. We can only imagine what delicious paczki would taste like while under the influence of the muchies. Well, there’s an opportunity coming up. Oak Park’s Star Bakery has teamed up with a number of metro Detroit dispensaries to give away free paczki on…
Depeche Mode is coming to Detroit as part of its ‘Memento Mori Tour’
English electronic rock band Depeche Mode has announced a string of North American tour dates, including a Motor City stop. The band’s “Memento Mori Tour” will make its way to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 8. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 at 313presents.com, livenation.com and ticketmaster.com. Information…
Berkley’s Casa Amado Taqueria serves up top-notch tacos and hot dogs
Casa Amado Taqueria chef-owner Amado Lopez says he was surprised by his recent designation as a semifinalist in the emerging chef category by the prestigious James Beard Foundation. The restaurant, he says, is a modest place for everyone. He quit the world of fine dining a while ago because “I realized my dad can’t even…
‘Flint is still broken’ residents say ahead of federal court hearing
Flint Water Crisis, Michigan News, Flint Rising
How data brokers sell your personal information
The thought of the vast amount of personal information being collected by data brokers can be overwhelming. But the truth is that giving up some personal data is the cost of using phone apps or online accounts for free. While it may not be possible to completely halt data brokers from collecting information, there are…
Pistons and Red Wings are helping Detroit’s homeless dogs
The Detroit Pistons and Red Wings are teaming up to help homeless dogs in the city. The two teams are working with Friends of Detroit Animal Care and Control, a nonprofit that works with the city’s shelter to help animals that are in need of a permanent home. On March 9, the nonprofit is celebrating…
Calling all visual artists: Detroit is looking for mural proposals
Detroit is looking to add more public art to several projects around the city. The city has invited Detroit-based artists to submit proposals for murals at the Godfrey Hotel, DTE Substation in Corktown, Stein Park in the Cody Rouge-Warrendale neighborhood, and other locations. The Godfrey Hotel and new Corktown Substation are looking to add murals…
Michigan House bills seek to curb mass shootings without addressing guns
A day after the mass shooting at Michigan State University, state lawmakers introduced a bipartisan package of bills aimed at improving safety at schools. But the state House legislation fails to address the main culprit of mass shootings — guns. Instead, the legislation focuses on mental health, a confidential tip line, safety plans, and improved…
Biden renews a call for action on gun control following Michigan State mass shooting
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden at an annual meeting with county leaders on Tuesday said there is much more work to be done on gun control legislation — such as banning assault-style weapons, which are typically used in most mass shootings. The call again for gun control came after a school shooting at Michigan State…
MSU shooting: Déjà vu for two survivors of school gun violence
The deadly shooting spree at Michigan State University Monday night was another tragic American event involving firearms. But for at least two MSU students, it brought up horrific memories. A lone gunman opened fire at an academic building and the student union, killing three students and critically injuring five others. It was the second time…
Free Will Astrology (Feb. 15-21)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries director Francis Ford Coppola was asked to name the year’s worst movie. The question didn’t interest him, he said. He listed his favorite films, then declared, “Movies are hard to make, so I’d say, all the other ones were fine!” Coppola’s comments remind me of author Dave Eggers’: “Do not…
