Cover Story
Detroit’s long history of evicting Black people for profit
Treasure Jackson, who lives in the city’s northwest corner, had heard bits and pieces about Detroit’s right to counsel ordinance from a mix of news reports and word of mouth. But because the city had done such a poor job implementing and publicizing the ordinance she was confused about what it meant for her situation.…
Illustrator ‘Darklord’ Escada Gordon nails satire with comics about life in Detroit
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: “Darklord” Escada Gordon While Metro Times was getting ready to publish last week’s cover story about Detroit’s history of evicting Black residents, local illustrator “Darklord” Escada Gordon was…
Metro Detroit art teacher is turning heads with her wintry masterpieces
While some people in Michigan create snowmen during the cold winters, Jennifer Ramirez takes things a step further by using her love of art to showcase her skills sculpting the snow. After last week’s snowstorm blasted through the metro Detroit area, Ramirez had the idea to sculpt great white sharks in her front yard. “It’s…
Black lawmakers call on Michigan Legislature to revive police reform bills after Tyre Nichols’s death
Michigan lawmakers have failed to pass any meaningful police reform measures since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020. For nearly three years, Democrats in the state Legislature have introduced numerous bills aimed at addressing police brutality. But under Republican control, the legislation went nowhere. That could soon…
High-end Korean steakhouse announced for Sakura Novi development
A Korean steakhouse has joined an Asian-themed mixed-use development in Novi that bills itself as Michigan’s first. On Tuesday, the developers announced that the Dancing Pine Korean Steakhouse is the latest tenant for the Sakura Novi project. The high-end restaurant is owned by Seven York Inc., which owns other Asian restaurants in metro Detroit including…
DIA to host film screening and discussion of Rosa Parks documentary
Rosa Parks’s legacy goes far beyond refusing to give up her seat on a bus in 1955. Her dedication to civil rights activism after the Montgomery Bus Boycott is explored in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, a documentary based on the biography of the same name. On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Detroit Institute…
Lil’ Wayne will bring his spring tour to downtown Detroit
It’s been nearly 20 years since Lil’ Wayne released his critically acclaimed album Tha Carter in 2004. This spring, the rapper will be heading on a 28-city tour named after that album. The “Welcome to Tha Carter” tour will make its way to Detroit’s Fillmore on Tuesday, April 11. Weezy F. Baby won a Grammy…
Cloud Cannabis is throwing a party to celebrate adult-use weed sales in Detroit
Cloud Cannabis began recreational weed sales at its Detroit location earlier this month, one of the first dispensaries in the city to become licensed to do so. Now it’s planning a big celebration in honor of adult-use cannabis sales finally being legalized in the city with food trucks, a DJ, deals on name-brand products, and…
Legalizing cannabis reduces opioid prescriptions, study shows
States that have legalized adult-use marijuana have a significant reduction in pharmacy-based codeine prescriptions, a new study shows. The study was published Jan. 19 in the Journal of Health Economics. Using data from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which tracks controlled substances across the U.S., the study looked at 11 states that had legalized adult-use…
Red Bull’s ‘Heavy Metal’ snowboard event heads to Detroit, and other local music news
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it to music@metrotimes.com. Two turntables and a microphone (and live keys): Everyone knows the weekend really starts on Thursday night – or maybe it’s that Detroit has too much local talent to fit neatly into the weekend. Either way, February is off to a strong start with a record…
Detroit journalist Gary Graff pens ‘Alice Cooper @ 75,’ a biography of the Godfather of Shock Rock
The name of the extraordinary new book is Alice Cooper @ 75. The question you’re asking: why would Detroit’s own shock-rock originator, who’s still performing and cutting off his head in arenas and stadiums around the world, want to call attention to his 75th birthday this Friday with a big splashy book? The answer: he…
DTE Energy left more than 128,000 customers without power in 2022
DTE Energy cut off power to more than 128,800 customers in the first 10 months of 2022, the third highest number of shutoffs among electric companies nationwide, according to a new report by Energy and Policy Institute (EPI), a fossil fuel industry watchdog group. That’s a 16% increase over shutoffs in the first 10 months…
Breeda Kelly Miller turns experience caring for ailing mother into a poignant one-woman play
No matter how old — or young — you are, there is one life event you will face as surely as that death and taxes thing: at some point you will need to care for an infirm parent or relative, or make arrangements to have them cared for. It happened to Breeda Kelly Miller, when…
This is not a drill: Olga’s Kitchen is selling Snackers-flavored chicken wings
Going to Olga’s Kitchen and not getting an order of Snackers is like going to the beach and not taking a swim. And now there’s a new way to enjoy them. The metro Detroit-born chain has announced new additions to its menu, which includes a new spin on its staple item — Snackers-flavored chicken wings.…
Fraudulent animal experiments at U-M prompts call for criminal probe
A national watchdog group is now calling for a criminal investigation of the University of Michigan and its researchers who were caught falsifying or fabricating data following experiments on rats. The request for an investigation comes after Stop Animal Exploitation Now! (SAEN) discovered a fifth research publication was retracted from a health journal because of…
Alice Cooper joins Rob Zombie for ‘Freaks on Parade’ tour this summer
Rob Zombie is back to digging through the ditches and burning through the witches. And this time he’s bringing the godfather of shock rock Alice Cooper with him. On Monday the pair announced their “Freaks on Parade” tour will make a pitstop at Pine Knob Music Theatre on Sept. 5. The pair will be joined…
Phillip-Michael Scales brings his bluesy indie rock to Ferndale’s Otus Supply
Growing up in metro Detroit, singer-songwriter Phillip-Michael Scales had plenty of local musical influences to draw from, from the Motown his parents listened to in the house to buzzy rock ’n’ roll bands like the White Stripes, the Sights, and the Von Bondies, in addition to more typical teenage fare of the era like national…
Best 5 Payday Loans And No Credit Check Loans In Michigan
Hey There! I go by the name of Randy and I work for an excellent company called Ready Payday Loans. We help our customers get through difficult financial situations with payday loans. Our company helps people locate loans all over America. We are always responding to our reader’s questions, especially from our audience in Michigan.…
Long-term unemployed Detroiters to get help landing jobs with new federal ‘Jump Start’ program
The city of Detroit selected 18 community organizations that will assist with a new program aimed at helping long-term unemployed residents land a job. Through the Jump Start program, the organizations will provide training, mentorship, and other supportive services to residents who have been without employment. Enrollment begins Tuesday. The program is being funded by…
Griffin Claw Brewing Co. is releasing its paczki-flavored vodka and beer
This year’s Fat Tuesday is shaping up to be a delightfully sinful mess. In addition to Detroit City Distillery’s popular Paczki Day Vodka, Griffin Claw Brewing Company is also releasing a paczki-flavored vodka — and a beer. The company named both “Sin, Repent Repeat,” a reference to the reason for the season, of course —…
Slotkin mulls U.S. Senate run after Stabenow announced retirement
Third-term U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin is “seriously thinking about” running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Debbie Stabenow, who announced earlier this month that she’s retiring at the end of 2024. The 46-year-old Holly Democrat met with Stabenow for more than an hour Thursday evening. “It’s an earthquake to have Sen. Stabenow leave Michigan…
Brooklyn artist brings absurdist ‘Plastic Bag Store’ installation to Ann Arbor
Brightly colored produce made of plastic line neat grocery store shelves. The bakery’s special is tarts topped with bottle caps, and the cereal aisle is filled with Shredded Waste, Yucky Shards, and Caps N’ Such. It doesn’t sound very appetizing, and it’s not supposed to be. This supermarket is an art installation called The Plastic…
Minimum wage increase in Michigan blocked by appeals court
A Michigan Court of Appeals panel delivered bad news to minimum wage workers on Thursday by siding with the former Republican-led Legislature. The panel ruled that state lawmakers had constitutional authority to weaken a minimum wage law approved by citizens through a petition process. For now, the ruling blocks the minimum wage from increasing from…
Yes, a Flint councilwoman called residents ‘janky’ — but not all residents
A video circulating on social media this week appears to show Flint City Councilwoman Ladel Lewis calling Flint residents “janky.” But the clip shared on TikTok and Facebook is an edited version of a longer video that Lewis posted in 2018 in which she sings about Flint residents who didn’t vote being “janky.” “I have…
Detroit’s Movement Festival announces initial 2023 lineup
Movement Music Festival is set to return to Detroit’s Hart Plaza Memorial Day weekend, and on Thursday organizer Paxahau announced a teaser lineup to whet the appetites of electronic music fans everywhere. As usual, the lineup includes a mix of artists spanning eras and genres, from Underworld, a seminal U.K. group formed in 1987, to…
Two Detroit emcees collab for a one-off free performance
You can catch two of Detroit’s most dynamic performers and hip-hop artists performing this Saturday. Mahogany Jones and Boog Brown are filming the show in hopes of landing a coveted spot on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” series. “The cool part is when Boog Brown reached out and said, ‘I want to do Tiny Desk things.’ I…
Melba Joyce Boyd is the 2023 Kresge Eminent Artist
At 72 years old, Detroit poet Melba Joyce Boyd is adding yet another accolade to her 50-year career. Boyd has been named the 2023 Kresge Eminent Artist, a lifetime achievement for artists that comes with a $50,000 award. The award-winning poet, essayist, editor, biographer, and filmmaker has received multiple Library of Michigan Notable Book Awards,…
The limits of ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody’
The primary accomplishment Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody makes is a successful argument that we must abandon the idea that movie biopics are the best vehicles to tell someone’s life story. Whose life can successfully fit into 90 minutes, 120 minutes, or even 180 minutes? And to think one can manage to tell…
Demas: Michigan Democrats can’t buckle on repealing Right to Work
Four decades ago, former Gov. George Romney reportedly had some wise words for Republican John Engler at his gubernatorial inauguration: “Be bold.” Bold Engler was, steering Michigan ever-rightward through the 1990s with an agenda cutting business regulations, ushering in school choice while demonizing teachers, and slashing the safety net. But the culmination of Engler’s vision…
At Sheila’s Taqueria in Melvindale, the vessels deliver
The vessels on which many Mexican lunches or dinners are served are perhaps at times a bit underappreciated part of the equation. A killer birria or piquant al pastor can make you ignore or forgive a standard-issue, pre-packaged tortilla in a taco, dough in a huarache, or bread in a torta. The very best spots…
Michigan’s largest cannabis dispensary is opening in a former Mexican restaurant
A former Don Pablo’s Mexican restaurant in Battle Creek that has been vacant for nine years will soon be reborn as Michigan’s largest cannabis dispensary. Pure Roots is behind the $5.6 million development, which sees the building at 5805 Beckley Rd. transformed into a state-of-the-art, 8,000-square-foot dispensary. “It was a complete interior gut and renovation,”…
Researcher out at University of Michigan following accusations of fraudulent experiments on animals
At least one researcher is no longer employed at the University of Michigan after it was found that researchers conducted animal experiments that were deemed fraudulent. Dr. Chung Owyang, formerly a gastroenterology researcher in Michigan Medicine, stopped working at the university on Jan. 3, university spokeswoman Kim Broekhuizen told Metro Times on Wednesday. Owyang’s research…
Here are the 2023 James Beard Awards Semifinalists from Michigan
It’s that time of year again when the culinary world starts buzzing with excitement about the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. Semifinalists for the coveted awards were announced on Wednesday, with several metro Detroit chefs making the cut. There are a few repeats from last year, like Baobab Fare’s Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere,…
Royal Oak’s Winter Blast rescheduled due to cold weather
The Royal Oak Winter Blast has been rescheduled due to impending weather, according to event organizers. Originally slated for Friday, Feb. 3-Sunday, Feb. 5, organizers have pushed the winter festival back two weeks so attendees and vendors won’t have to deal with frigid temperatures. The Winter Blast will now take place Friday, Feb. 17-Sunday, Feb.…
Faster Horses announces 2023 lineup — and it’s loaded
Nothing gets us excited for summer like festival announcements, and Faster Horses just announce the lineup for its 2023 festival. Headlining the July festival are Luke Bryan, Zac Brown Band, and the queen of country pop, Shania Twain. The three-day country music fest will also feature Chris Cagle, Dustin Lynch, Hailey Whitters, and a special…
Detroit City Distillery surprise releases Hometown Horseradish Vodka
There’s a hot new vodka in town. Ahead of the release of its highly anticipated Paczki Day Vodka, Detroit City Distillery has announced a new limited-edition “Hometown Horseradish Vodka” to go with it. It’s made from raw horseradish and 100% Michigan corn vodka. The company says it “packs a serious kick” and is “perfect for…
Consumer warning on gas stove emissions sparks controversy
The health risks associated with gas-burning stoves have caused a recent stir and fears of a government ban on the appliances, but a Michigan lawmaker said it would be going too far. Gas stoves are known to emit nitrogen dioxide, and without proper ventilation, studies have shown indoor air pollution can worsen, causing respiratory illnesses.…
