Cover Story
An evening with Babyface Ray, the new face of Detroit rap
It’s 4 p.m. on a recent day in January, and downtown Detroit’s Saint Andrew’s Hall is bustling with all the moving parts needed for the evening’s show, a one-off record release performance featuring rising Detroit rapper Babyface Ray. The security team, dressed in all black from head to toe like the New Orleans Saints, are…
Organizers of Indigenous sugarbush ceremony shut down by Detroit police say it’s not the first time they were harassed
Members of Michigan’s Indigenous community have gathered for a sugarbush ceremony to collect and process maple sap in Rouge Park for the past three years. But when the Detroit Police Department shut down this year’s gathering with helicopters and threats of arrest, many say they were left traumatized. On Friday, at around 8 p.m., a…
‘To Make Is To Say’ showcases work from contemporary Arab artists across two Detroit galleries
This group exhibition presented by ARAB: A Real Arab Blueprint, dubbed To Make Is To Say, features more than 70 artworks by six artists: Farah Al Qasimi, Tarek Al Ghoussein, Shaima Al Tamami, Zeinab Saab, Yasmine Diaz, and Lara Atallah, co-curated by Nour Ballout of Habibi House and Roula David of Spot Lite. The goal…
Michigan’s Indigenous tribes want in on recreational marijuana industry
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow Michigan’s 13 Indigenous tribes to open up recreational marijuana businesses and receive a portion of the taxes levied on sales. The House legislation, which is expected to advance from a committee Tuesday, would enable tribal members to enter into compact agreements with the Marijuana Regulatory Agency…
Auburn Hills votes to opt out of SMART bus service
For the past two years, Christina Cowart has relied on the bus to get to and from her retail job selling baby clothes at the Great Lakes Crossing mall in Auburn Hills. The Pontiac resident takes the bus from the Phoenix Center to a bus stop on Baldwin on the west side of the massive…
A director plays a real-life escape artist in made-in-Michigan ‘Chameleon Street’
Having twisted a headline-grabbing story of a skillful, self-taught impersonator into an up-and-down tale of desperation, social climbing, and briefly intoxicating triumphs, Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s Chameleon Street has, since winning the Sundance Jury Prize in 1990, never gotten its due. Thanks to Cinema Detroit’s programming and a new restoration from distributor Arbelos Films, the…
Ex-MMA fighter announces bid for Michigan congressional seat in battleground district
Former mixed martial arts fighter Josh Bitterman is running for Congress in a battleground district that Republicans had long represented until 2018. Republican Josh Bitterman is stepping into the ring of the 11th District Republican primary election for a chance to take back the seat from Democrats. The newly drawn 11th District covers Farmington Hills,…
Detroit event space The Eastern to host live music, starting with indie rock band Soccer Mommy
An event space in Detroit that has until now been known more for hosting weddings and corporate events is gearing up to become what could be the city’s latest live music venue. The Eastern, located at 3434 Russell St. in Detroit’s Eastern Market, is set to feature a performance by acclaimed Nashville-based indie rock artist…
Few show up to protest election results, COVID protocols with Lansing ‘convoy’
A right-wing protest against COVID-19 mandates and supporting election fraud conspiracies at the Michigan Capitol building off the blockades at the border that shut down the Ambassador Bridge for a week has failed to gain traction for the last week. Around 10 people showed up to the Capitol building Sunday afternoon for what was billed…
Michigan’s first cannabis consumption lounge to open in Hazel Park
People who drink alcohol have bars. But where do Michigan residents go to smoke or vape cannabis with friends? Although recreational marijuana has been legal in Michigan for more than three years, there still isn’t a business that serves as a gathering spot for cannabis users. That’s about to change. If all goes as planned,…
PizzaPapalis will permanently close Greektown location
Nearly a month after hosting an estate sale selling nostalgic pieces of the restaurant’s history, PizzaPapalis in Detroit’s Greektown will permanently close. The pizzeria known for its Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas, struggled as many restaurants did during the pandemic. PizzaPapalis has been a fixture on Monroe St. since 1986, but the loss of traffic throughout the…
New ‘mental health activity center’ in Southfield offers ax-throwing and plate-smashing
Life is tough, and sometimes you just need to break stuff in the name of mental health. That’s the concept behind 1:11 The Collective, a new break room and ax-throwing facility that’s now open in Southfield. At 1:11 The Collective, located at 15618 W. 10 Mile Rd., one-hour sessions start at $30 and include plate-smashing,…
Michigan lawmakers failed to enact any gun laws as firearm violence continues to rise
As gun violence continued to increase in Michigan, state lawmakers failed to enact any new legislation to protect residents from firearms last year. Because of that, the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence on Monday gave Michigan a “C+” for its gun laws and said the state “should invest in community violence intervention programs,…
Detroit staple Louisiana Creole Gumbo forced out of Eastern Market, owner blames ‘gentrification’
For more than 50 years, there has been one place Detroiters frequented to get a little taste of New Orleans. Louisiana Creole Gumbo has been a staple at the edge of Eastern Market for decades, but now the restaurant’s original location at the corner of St. Aubin and Gratiot will close. According to Fox 2…
The penguins return, the masks leave, and Eminem takes a knee: The top ten Metro Times headlines of the week
This week was all about comebacks, as our readers checked out stories about a lot of our favorite things returning — even if they’ll be slightly different. The return of Detroit’s favorite pop festival, the penguins to the Detroit Zoo, and two local staples, Gibraltar Trade Center and The Fly Trap, had our readers clicking.…
DNR kills some beavers on Detroit’s Belle Isle
A decade ago, beavers returned to Detroit’s Belle Isle for the first time in a century, causing celebration among environmentalists. But now it seems the rodents have worn out their welcome on Detroit’s island park, or at least with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has run it since 2014. On Thursday, the department…
Michigan Attorney General files complaint against a Detroit health and wellness store
Detroit health food store Moor Herbs is facing civil action from Michigan’s attorney general for ignoring a cease-and-desist order, among other violations, according to the Detroit Free Press. On Feb. 11, Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) filed a complaint against The Moorish Science Temple, The Divine…
Businessman and former Duggan official Adrian Tonon announces bid for Congress
Adrian Tonon, a businessman and the city of Detroit’s first 24-hour ambassador, announced Friday he’s running for Congress. Tonon is running as a Democrat in the newly drawn 13th District, which covers Detroit, Hamtramck, and the Grosse Pointes. “A life of public service isn’t easy,” Adrian said in a statement. “I’ve been part of the…
Iggy Pop sampled on the Crystal Method’s new track, ‘Post Punk’
Detroit rock ‘n’ roll legend Iggy Pop lends his voice to the Crystal Method for the Las Vegas electronic act’s latest single, “Post Punk.” Produced by longtime Crystal Method collaborator Hyper (Guy Hatfield), the track samples a clip from Jim Jarmusch’s 2016 documentary about the Stooges, Gimme Danger. In the soundbite, the Stooges frontman says,…
Attorneys tells wife of Lee Chatfield to stop blaming the victim
The attorney for Rebekah Chatfield, who alleges she was repeatedly sexually abused when she was a teenager by her brother-in-law, former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, fired back at the ex-lawmaker’s wife for “blaming the victim.” In a statement released Thursday, Stephanie Chatfield’s attorney acknowledged “there is no question” Chatfield’s husband had a decade-long affair…
Biden unveils $1B plan to clean up polluted Great Lakes waterways, including 11 Michigan rivers
President Joe Biden rolled out a $1 billion plan Thursday to clean up polluted waterways around the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which is part of the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that Biden signed into law last year, will help clean up 25 polluted waterways and other “areas of concern” listed by…
Wayne County rescinds mask mandate for K-12 schools ‘effective immediately’
Wayne County on Thursday lifted its mask mandate for K-12 schools “effective immediately,” a day after state health officials dropped a statewide mask advisory. The county is no longer requiring students, teachers and other school employees to wear masks. But the rescinded order doesn’t impact local school districts that have their own mask rules. Wayne…
A new food hall is heading to Detroit’s Eastern Market
It looks like Detroit will be getting another food hall. A new food hall is planned for an upcoming $33 million, 100,000 square-foot mixed-use development dubbed The Mosaic in Eastern Market. The food hall is the first tenant announced for the project, which plans to also house other creative and entertainment businesses. According to a…
Investors bought record number of homes in majority-Black cities like Detroit in 2021, according to report
Last year, outside investors gobbled up houses in metropolitan areas across the country at an alarming rate, an analysis by The Washington Post found — and appeared to target many Black-majority cities. In fact, Detroit was one of the top 10 cities where investors bought the highest shares of homes, according to data from the…
Ex-Macomb County prosecutor sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraud scheme
Former Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith, who spent 15 years putting people behind bars, was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison on a felony count of obstructing justice. Smith, 55, of Macomb Township, misspent nearly $75,000 from his campaign fund through schemes from 2012 to 2019. Smith resigned from office in March 2020 and…
Best No Credit Check Loans With Guaranteed Approval: Top Loans For Bad Credit Online
If you’re seeking a quick loan to help you pay off your debts, the high-interest rates may be discouraging and dissuade you from receiving the financial assistance you require. When you add this to the difficulty of having a bad credit score, probably, you won’t be eligible for a loan at all. Before lenders trust…
Great Lakes Coffee workers in Detroit go on strike, demand better pay and working conditions
More than 100 people gathered outside Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co.’s flagship store in Midtown Detroit on Wednesday to support baristas and cooks who went on strike and are demanding better wages, improved working conditions, and union representation. The employees are asking for a fair contract that includes a starting wage of at least $15…
Rep. Jewell Jones pleads guilty to multiple charges
State Rep. Jewell Jones (D-Inkster) has pleaded guilty on several charges stemming from his 2021 arrest. According to The Detroit News, the lawmaker pleaded guilty to four misdemeanors: possession of a firearm while under the influence, operating while intoxicated, escape of lawful custody, and reckless driving. He also pleaded guilty to two felony counts of…
Macomb County man accused of selling COVID-19 vaccination cards using fake Facebook identity
The office of the Michigan Attorney General says it believes a Macomb County man posed as a woman to sell blank COVID-19 vaccination cards in a Facebook group for moms. According to a civil action filed by the state AG, a man named Christopher Holland is accused of selling the blank cards as a woman…
Beach House, the indie rock duo beloved by hip-hop
Over the past two decades, Baltimore indie rock duo Beach House — vocalist and keyboardist Victoria Legrand and the guitarist Alex Scally — has earned a following for its sparse yet mesmerizing take on dream pop that has found fans in the worlds of R&B and hip-hop. (The Weeknd sampled “Master of None” and “Gila”…
Things will surely get weird at this year’s ‘Nicolas Uncaged’ film fest in Detroit — for a good cause
Detroit’s deranged tribute to the prolific actor Nicolas Cage (“our one true god,” as event organizers describe him) is back. Like others, the folks behind the annual Nicolas Uncaged event took a year off due to the pandemic, and with the virus an ongoing concern, this year’s event is going to be a little different…
To mask or not to mask, that is not the question
As COVID cases continue to tumble, politicians of all stripes — even governors in liberal New Jersey, Delaware, and New York — are racing to declare that the pandemic is over. OK, to be fair, they’re not saying those exact words. But, in permanently ending long-term COVID precautions, they’re saying it without saying it. In…
Local chain Kimchi Box spreads the Korean taco gospel
When it comes to mixing and matching nations’ cuisines, few are hand-in-glove quite like Korean and Mexican — the former are masters at barbecuing meats that are right at home in a corn or flour tortilla. In southeast Michigan, Kimchi Box, a new suburban fast-casual mini-chain, is one of the few restaurants trading in the…
Detroit Zoo’s reopened penguin exhibit, Nicolas Uncaged, Beach House, and more things to do this week
Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Submit your events to metrotimes.com/calendar. Be sure to check venue websites for COVID-19 policies. Polk Penguin Conservation Center The Detroit Zoo’s penguin exhibit might be one of the zoo’s most beloved exhibits, and after a little over two years, it’s finally back open. The Polk Penguin Conservation…
Free Will Astrology (Feb. 16-22)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’re slipping into a phase when stuff that has been invisible will become visible, at least to you. You will have extra power to peer beneath the surfaces and discern the hidden agendas and study the deeper workings. Your interest in trivia and distractions will dissipate, and you’ll feel intensified yearnings…
