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Struggling to breathe in 48217, Michigan’s most toxic ZIP code
This article is part of a series of stories exploring environmental racism in Michigan. Struggling to breathe in 48217, Michigan’s most toxic ZIP code Communities of color are dumping grounds for toxic waste in Michigan Lead poisoning endangers generations of Detroit children, with no end in sight Carmen Garrison avoids the outdoors because she’s certain…
Detroit’s Museum District to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with free programming
Just two months before embarking on his historic March on Washington, D.C., in 1963 when more than 200,000 people descended upon the National Mall in support of economic and civil rights, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the largest march against racial injustice ever in Detroit. More than 125,000 people participated in Detroit’s Walk to…
Rebirth Brass Band brings New Orleans sound to Ferndale’s Magic Bag
The New York Times has referred to the Rebirth Brass Band as “a New Orleans institution,” and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea once called the ensemble “free as a ray of light,” adding “there is not a band on Earth that is better.” For more than 35 years, the Rebirth Brass Band has upheld…
Pres. Obama’s former National Security Adviser Susan Rice visits the Detroit Public Library with memoir
Susan Rice is calling bullshit. The Rhodes Scholar and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and national security adviser to President Barack Obama tore into President Donald Trump after he blamed the Obama administration for funding the very missiles that struck Iraqi bases last week. “This is another series of despicable lies by President Trump,”…
Early aughts R&B darling Ashanti heads to Detroit’s Sound Board
When you hear Ja Rule let out a “Woo! Right back atchya,” you just know that an early 2000s Ashanti banger is about to drop. Since signing to Ja’s Murder Inc. Records at just 21 years old — which is when she released her No. 1 bop “Foolish” and an award-winning, self-titled debut record —…
Stacey ‘Hotwaxx’ Hale, the Godmother of House Music, is celebrating her birthday at Marble Bar — and you’re invited
Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale is in a league of her own. As a shy child, Hale avoided socializing by turning to the art of crafting her own scrappy mixes of her brothers’ records and songs from the radio on a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Thus, the Godmother of House Music was born from the desire to make…
Bowlero Lanes & Lounge teams up with Charivari Festival for Detroit DJ nights
While it was recently redesigned with a decidedly rock ’n’ roll vibe, Royal Oak’s Bowlero is the perfect home for a new biweekly DJ night hosted by Charivari, the free, three-day electronic music festival set to return to Detroit for its seventh year in August. The groovy lounge calls to mind the nocturnal playboy described…
Rochester indie-rock outfit the Doozers to play at the Loving Touch with Who Boy, Mover Shaker, and more
High energy, shimmery, and radio-ready tunes? That sounds like Rochester natives the Doozers, who are doing a damn fine job expanding on the Strokes-sounding strain of quick and cutting indie rock that we never stopped loving. Which makes sense, considering the four-piece started in high school during 2015 and emerged from Rochester’s School of Rock.…
Hazel, Ravines, and Downtown to undergo temporary Crab Trap makeover, will offer fresh stone crab, grouper, and more
Winter in Michigan means one thing: everyone is so dang crabby. The lack of sunlight, the promise of snow, frigid temperatures, and, to top it off, the perfect hair day is beyond out of reach, thanks to this stupid hat and static electricity. Though spring break may feel like an eternity away, the folks over…
Jeff Ponders II to bring smooth, feel-good jazz stylings to Cliff Bell’s
Detroit-born Jeff Ponders II knows the secret to how one becomes “better than Batman,” as evidenced by his 2019 TedX Detroit talk, where he describes how he, like Bruce Wayne and his caped crusader alter ego, balances a double life. An Ivy League graduate, family man, and innovator, Ponders has helped countless companies (Walmart, Samsung,…
Detroit’s Dogleg will deliver punch-dance fueled tunes to Ferndale
Detroit’s Dogleg just wants to punch-dance their rage out, OK? And that’s exactly what Alex Stoitsiadis, Chase Macinski, Parker Grissom, and Jacob Hanlon’s latest track, “Fox,” makes us want to do, too. The track, released in November, made a Fader roundup of best rock songs out right now, sharing space with Best Coast, Haim, and…
There is no spoon, but there are screenings of ‘The Matrix’ at Detroit’s Redford Theatre
“One, nothing wrong with me. Two, nothing wrong with me. Three, nothing wrong with me. Four, nothing wrong with me.” Why are we singing the lyrics to Drowning Pool’s 2001 banger “Bodies” in a blurb intended for the 1999 film The Matrix, you may ask? Well, first of all, mind your own business. Second, YouTube user…
Accuracy of breathalyzers thrown into question amid Michigan State Police investigation
Michigan State Police are investigating three contract employees who ensure the accuracy of breathalyzers used during traffic stops after authorities discovered “performance-related issues” and possible fraud. State police notified law enforcement officers across the state to stop using more than 200 breathalyzers from longtime vendor Intoximeters. The investigation focuses on three Intoximeters contract employees, who…
Detroit-area Bishop calls for Catholics to refuse to participate in US wars
As the U.S. comes off of a tense standoff with Iran, a Detroit-area Bishop known for speaking truth to power has now set his sights on the prolonged U.S. wars in the Middle East. Writing in CounterPunch, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Archdiocese of Detroit has called for Catholics to refuse to participate in further…
Urban explorer finds what appears to be cremated human remains in abandoned Flint funeral home
An urban explorer found what appears to be cremated human remains, bottles of chemicals, and dirty embalming tools inside an abandoned funeral home in Flint that was shut down by the state more than two years ago. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) suspended the mortuary science license for Swanson Funeral Home…
Kermit the Frog, America’s favorite amphibian, to be displayed at DIA
Oh, Kermy! Oh, we’ve missed you so! The Detroit Institute of Arts will be putting a Kermit the Frog puppet created by Jim Henson in 1969 on display starting on Jan. 17. The puppet, first gifted to the DIA in 1971, resembles the Kermit we saw on The Muppet Show when it debuted in the mid-’70s —…
Rep. Tlaib tackles environmental racism in PFAS cleanup bill
Vulnerable and disadvantaged communities disproportionately exposed to pollution would be the first to receive federal funding to clean up drinking water contaminated by PFAS under a bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, along with two other Democrats, co-sponsored an amendment to the bill, which would regulate PFAS, a…
Corktown’s Gold Cash Gold could close its doors next month
Gold Cash Gold expects to close its doors on Feb. 2. The Corktown Southern-influenced staple, which opened in 2014, has had issues with maintaining steady business, according to an email written by chef-partner Brendon Edwards and obtained by Crain’s. “… we have battled with keeping weekday business which often is a hindrance to our bottom…
Triggered Trumpers call for violence against Michigan Democrats and Muslims in vile Facebook page
Editor’s note: The following story contains graphic language. An anti-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer group on Facebook devolved into a vile platform that promoted violence against Democrats and Muslims and churned out degrading comments about women. But on Friday afternoon, the group’s creator deactivated the page in response to questions from Metro Times. The public group, “People…
Marianne Williamson, Michigan’s gift to the 2020 presidential race, just dropped out
Looks like the White House won’t get a much-needed sage-burning cleanse that Marianne Williamson likely would have implemented on Day One as President of the United States. The former Detroit-area new age-y church leader, self-help guru, and long-shot 2020 Democratic candidate for president announced on Friday that she was dropping out of the race. “I…
T3 and Young RJ keep breathing new life into Slum Village as they head to Ann Arbor
Ty Dolla $ign, Questlove, Erykah Badu, and Common are among those who have cited Detroit’s late great rapper and producer J Dilla as an inspiration. Dilla, who died due to complications from lupus in 2006, left his mark on his hometown and the world of hip-hop at large in so many ways — leaving behind…
N’Namdi Center for Contemporary Art to host performance by celebrated Detroit composer Pamela Wise
For more than three decades, Afrocentric composer Pamela Wise has dedicated herself to expanding the breadth of traditional African music by giving it what she calls a “Detroit spin.” The 2016 Kresge Arts awardee draws from personal experiences and current events, and, much of the time, she makes music that pays homage to her ancestors…
Michigan’s Teeq Tequila is expanding to California, Florida
Michigan’s Teeq Tequila is going national. The little tequila company that could was voted best Michigan tequila brand by Metro Times readers last year, and it will be expanding to the warm states of California and Florida by the end of January. Teeq Tequila has released three tequilas to date: Teeq Coconut Lime Blanco Tequila and…
Finally, Michigan Supreme Court rules to allow cell phones, electronic devices in courts statewide
The Michigan Supreme Court will allow cell phones, tablets, and laptops in courtrooms across the state starting May 1. A 6-1 ruling Wednesday amends Michigan Court Rule 8.115 that left the decision up to each court’s chief judge. MSC Communications Director John Nevin said in a press release that the change improves court access and…
Green Peak Innovations’ Ann Arbor Skymint recreational marijuana store is now open
Ann Arbor is continuing to lead the way for recreational marijuana sales in Michigan with another new option for buying legal weed. Green Peak Innovations, Michigan’s largest vertically integrated marijuana company, opened its first Skymint-branded store on Thursday. “This is a historic moment for our company, but more importantly, it’s another step towards destigmatizing and…
‘Preoccupations: Palestinian Landscapes’ explores the Israeli occupation of Palestine via landscape art at Detroit’s Holding House Gallery
For Preoccupations: Palestinian Landscapes, the word “preoccupations” is a double entendre — it can refer to both Palestinians’ longstanding preoccupation with landscape art, but also Israel’s occupation of Palestine, which has transformed the terrain with military checkpoints and the West Bank wall. Curated by Kathy Zarur, the show features photos, paintings, and mixed-media from Palestinian…
‘American Paintings,’ a collection from a ‘turbulent epoch,’ comes to Oakland University Art Gallery
American Paintings from Nancy and Sean Cotton Collection is a partnership with the Detroit Institute of Arts that exhibits 40 paintings made during a period that includes the Civil War, World War I, and the outset of World War II. The collection, “drawn from a turbulent epoch, presents a fascinating historical snapshot,” according to organizers.…
Actual ‘Biggest Loser’ Jillian Michaels says we shouldn’t celebrate Lizzo’s body because of diabetes
Supposed fitness expert, author, and the notoriously sadistic former host and trainer on the controversial NBC weight-loss competition The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels is, once again, being criticized for making fatphobic comments — this time, targeted at body positivity superstar, Lizzo. Lizzo, who swore off Twitter earlier this week before the Michaels rant, took to…
The Gashounds gear up for a record release at Hamtramck’s Ghostlight
Kennedy Greenrod, Gary Chechak, Matt Harbison, and Jim Faulker of the Gashounds call to mind the rock ’n’ folk of singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, with elements of indie rock’s Deer Tick, and Neil Young when he’s on one. Formed in 2016, the Gashounds released four singles last year, including “All the Tears” which finds the foursome…
Keeping the early aughts emo sound alive is Detroit’s Antighost, which will play in Pontiac
Emo is alive and well in Detroit, folks, thanks to the high-energy, headbang-and-break-shit outfit Antighost. The band has incited a mosh pit at Vans Warped Tour (RIP) and has literally performed to, like, six people in a random garage in Indiana. Last year found Sean Shepard, Dylan Vanderson, and Joe Bida backing Animal Panic!, the band’s…
C3’s massive new marijuana facility should help with Michigan’s weed shortage
It seems like you can’t roll out a recreational marijuana system without running into a shortage of supplies. Illinois started recreational sales on Jan. 1, and there are already reports of a severe weed shortage there. Michigan opened up recreational sales on Dec. 1, with reports of a weed shortage. Some retail owners with licenses…
Poll: Trump trails 5 Democratic candidates in key battleground state of Michigan
A new poll shows President Trump trailing five of the Democratic presidential candidates in Michigan — a key battleground state. Former Vice President Joe Biden holds the biggest lead against Trump, 50 percent to 43 percent, according to the Glengariff Group poll provided to The Detroit News. Former New City Mayor Mike Bloomberg held the second…
‘1619 Project’ creator Nikole Hannah-Jones will speak at University of Michigan
Nikole Hannah-Jones, the reporter behind The New York Times’ popular “1619 Project” — a sprawling package of stories that posits that the true beginning of United States history starts when the first African slaves arrived in Virginia 400 years ago — will speak at the University of Michigan. Hannah-Jones will speak on a panel with…
Rapper Berner’s Cookies weed dispensary is coming to Detroit
Bay Area rapper-turned-cannabis entrepreneur Berner will officially bring his Cookies cannabis brand to Detroit later this month. A Cookies marijuana dispensary will open at 6030 E. Eight Mile Rd., Detroit, with a grand opening on Friday, Jan. 31. The Cookies store will carry strains the company has become known for, including its eponymous Cookies, Lemonnade,…
Reps. Tlaib and Slotkin warn about impact of Trump’s actions after Iranian missile attacks
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib blasted President Trump’s “reckless and dangerous attempt to start a war” after Iran launched missiles at two bases in Iraq on Tuesday. Trump has come under fire from Democrats and some Republicans for ordering a strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a decision they say is bound to escalate…
Pour a stiff one because Detroit’s Tangent Gallery will, once again, pay tribute to the untouchable Tom Waits
When I was a tweenager, I figured rock poets like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Waits purposefully sang like shit. Like, their dramatic off-key affectations had to be a gimmick, right? Needless to say, I’ve grown older, wiser, and find myself worshipping at the altar of the gravel-throated, warbling storytellers, especially that of bourbon-soaked…
Anti-popstar Halsey to bring ‘Manic’ world tour to metro Detroit
In 2014, New Jersey native and Billboard-charting singer Halsey was simply known as Ashley Nicolette Frangipane. She’s been candid about her teenage bipolar diagnosis, suicide attempts, and the time she opted to spend her last $9 to buy RedBull to stay awake throughout the night because, at the time, she was homeless. “I’m just this fucked-up…
Designer Scott Klinker brings this week’s selfie photo op to Detroit
For Structures of Light, a joint show from Cranbrook Academy of Art and Playground Detroit, artist and educator Scott Klinker uses new LED neon technology to transform a downtown Detroit space into a light-up wonderland — “like entering the space of a glowing, geometric line drawing,” according to the event curators. Should make a great…
Danielle Adams is making sure there’s room in Michigan’s marijuana industry for the underdog
All kinds of people are trying to get into the cannabis business in all kinds of ways. Most of what we see in the media and in the storefronts represents millions of dollars invested. Some of those businesses squeezed in with just a couple million in the pot, and some of them have garnered big…
Savage Love: Shitty questions
I have a question about porn, and I can’t think who else I can ask that will give me an intelligent, educated answer. In modern porn, anal on women is gaining popularity. I’m a fan of anal with my boyfriend. However, in porn, it seems like the gaping asshole is a thing, a sought-after thing,…
Horoscopes (Jan. 8-14)
ARIES | March 21 – April 20: What happens when the dream fizzles out? Where does one turn when what we were counting on doesn’t come through? There’s nothing wrong with disappointment, but it’s lethal to get stuck there. You wound up in this spot because you expected too much, or you got too big…
Trump wags the dog
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A blustering president could get a lot of people killed — again
Second verse, same as the first/a little bit louder and a little bit worse. I was 23 in the run-up to the Iraq invasion, a just-out-of-college reporter for a local newspaper in Florida, part of a generation that had been shocked out of a brief era of unquestioned American hegemony by 9/11 and watched an…
Opinion: How U-M’s Center of Innovation at failed jail site will fail Detroiters
By the time PG Watkins heard the news, the wheels were already in motion. Last Oct. 30, the University of Michigan announced it was building a new Center for Innovation on a plot of land that was previously set to become the new Wayne County jail — a project that was scrapped back in 2013…
The grill masters at Motor City Sports Bar excel far beyond the burger
Is there a better burger out there than the one made at Motor City Sports Bar, the no-frills Hamtramck spot owned by two Albanian brothers who left the American Axle factory floor for the grill? Certainly not in Michigan. Some come close, but nothing tops it, and there isn’t really even a debate to be…
This is how Trump became president
On Oct. 16, 1980, armed with just $5,000 and a dream, original founders Ron Williams and Laura Markhan published the first issue of Metro Times. As we count down to our 40th birthday, we’ll be revisiting our archives. (And yes, there will be a party. Stay tuned.) 20 years ago in Metro Times: The closer…
‘1917’ is last year’s best film
During the World War I centennial remembrance last year, I wore my poppy proudly. I awoke at 6 a.m. Eastern time here in the United States to mark the “11/11/11” moment of silence. And I tried to imagine what it was like in the trenches for my great-grandfather and the millions of other men who…
