Cover Story
Rising costs and gentrification force locals out of Detroit’s downtown and Midtown
This is the second part of an ongoing series about racial and economic disparities in Detroit. Nine days before Christmas last year, dozens of seniors gathered in the lobby of the Himelhoch Apartments in downtown Detroit for a meeting with the building’s management. For decades, the seven-story building has housed seniors who receive rental assistance…
Rising star Camilla Cantu went from planning SW Fest to headlining it
Camilla Cantu doesn’t like to be put in a box, and her strong vision for her music prompted her to learn how to do it all. She can DJ; produce; play guitar, bass, piano, and vihuela; and sing and write songs in several genres and a mix of Spanish and English. She describes her music…
You can meet the women of ‘Evil Dead’ at Motor City Nightmares
Michigan filmmakers Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell struck gold with their scrappy 1981 supernatural horror film The Evil Dead, which told the story of MSU students who accidentally unleash a demonic force, becoming a cult classic that made both household names and spawned a franchise that included this year’s latest installment, Evil Dead Rise. Campbell,…
Detroit’s Sidewalk Festival returns for two weekends of community
Meet us on the sidewalk for this grassroots festival celebrating Detroit creatives and the city’s resilient neighborhoods. Sidewalk Festival returns on Saturday, July 29 in the East Canfield Village neighborhood and Saturday, Aug. 5 in the Joy-Southfield neighborhood with art installations, live music, performance art, workshops, and community vibes. Following this year’s “Lush/Sanctuary” theme, the…
The past and future of electric vehicles explored at the Ford Piquette Plant
No, Elon Musk did not invent the electric vehicle. Tinkerers have experimented with EVs since the 1880s, though Detroit arguably set the movement back when Henry Ford began mass-producing gas-powered cars, and National City Lines, a partnership of General Motors, Firestone, and Standard Oil of California, dismantled electric tram networks across the country. You can…
Detroit Zoo celebrates 95th anniversary with events in August
After a short-lived version opened in Corktown in 1883, the Detroit Zoo officially opened on Aug. 1, 1928. It was designed by Boston architect Arthur A. Shurtleff based on the practices of Heinrich Hagenbeck, a German animal merchant who advocated for enclosures without bars that resembled the animals’ wild habitats, which was a revolution at…
Last-minute fight to save Ilitch-owned landmark from demolition succeeds – for now
A historically significant building in Detroit’s old Chinatown neighborhood may avoid the wrecking ball after preservationists and a city councilwoman made a last-minute pitch to preserve the 140-year-old structure. Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a one-month delay in demolition to give city officials time to prepare a report about the historic and architectural…
Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles is finally reopening on the Avenue of Fashion with revamped menu
Comments on the Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles social media pages have been asking “When are you reopening???” for the past few months, and we can finally answer that question. The popular brunch spot on the Avenue of Fashion will reopen at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 28 following a complete makeover. Kuzzo’s first closed in…
Arts Beats & Eats announces 2023 lineup
Whether you’re into art, music, food, or all three (like me), Royal Oak’s annual Arts Beats & Eats festival is returning on Sept. 1-4. Organizers of the Labor Day weekend celebration have just announced this year’s lineup, offering a mix of fan favorites and new additions in all areas for its 26th anniversary. Headlining the…
Jack White is auctioning off his Tesla after speaking out against Elon Musk
Once an avid Tesla fan, it seems that Jack White has changed his stripes. The rock star’s label Third Man Records announced that White is auctioning off his green 2013 Tesla Model S, along with music memorabilia. The “Garage Sale” goes live at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at Everything But The House auctions. A portion…
Civil rights group opposes renaming Detroit’s Hart Plaza after Martin Luther King Jr.
A civil rights group is urging Detroit City Council to vote against a bid to change the name of Hart Plaza along the waterfront in downtown. The council plans to vote in September on a proposal to rename the waterfront park to “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.” The name change is a nod to…
Dave Chappelle is going on tour with Detroit stop in September
Dave Chappelle announced a 2023 U.S. tour on Tuesday with a stop at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena. The tour will come to town on Saturday, Sept. 9, but we have a few requests for the infamous comedian: stay away from Detroit weed and leave the transphobic jokes at home. During a 2015 stint at the…
Grosse Pointe’s Brine Oyster House has an opening date
Brine Oyster House will open the doors to its new “tide to table” restaurant in Grosse Pointe Park on Saturday, Aug. 5 — which also just so happens to be one of those fake holidays that you’ve never heard of, National Oyster Day. The nearly 4,000-square-foot two-story restaurant is located at 15033 Kercheval Ave., the…
This 16-year-old Detroiter wins all cases as juvenile defense attorney
For 16-year-old Detroiter Cayden Brown, social justice has always been at the forefront of his priorities. This is made apparent through the teenager’s work, which includes launching an online media platform to host open discussions on social issues, starting a nonprofit to serve underrepresented communities, and serving as a teen juvenile defense attorney. Brown feels…
Achatz Handmade Pie Co. is now ‘Pie Collective by Achatz’
While Elon Musk was busy changing the name of Twitter to “X,” a beloved Michigan brand was also reimagining itself. Michigan-based pie company Achatz Handmade Pie Co. says it’s changed its name to “Pie Collective by Achatz.” The new identity coincides with the 30th anniversary of the company, which was founded in Armada in 1993.…
Satori Shakoor’s one-woman show is a feminist anthem about sex, grief, and self-love
Satori Shakoor’s journey to finding her brilliance starts and ends on a plane to Hawaii. As she sits in the window seat before takeoff, Shakoor has a complete meltdown and has to get off the plane. It’s not because she’s claustrophobic or scared of flying. She’s having a flashback to the 1990s, when her life…
Fight to save Ilitch-owned landmark from demolition heats up at last minute
Activists and a Detroit city councilwoman are embarking on a last-minute effort to halt the demolition of a historically significant building that was once “the heart” of the city’s old Chinatown neighborhood in the Cass Corridor. The Ilitch family’s Olympia Development received a demolition permit from the city last week and plans to soon raze…
Miss Gay Michigan America pageant returns after nearly 30 years
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Miss Gay Michigan America pageant is back. Female impersonators from the Midwest and beyond will compete for more than $8,500 in prizes and a chance to proceed to the National Miss Gay America Pageant in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2024. On Monday, organizers announced details of…
Detroit’s Murals in the Market retooled as Murals in Islandview
The organizers of Detroit’s Murals in the Market festival have announced Murals in Islandview, a new mural festival located in and around producer 1XRUN’s new home. The festival kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 26 with a happy hour at the Spot Lite gallery, where people can meet the more than 20 participating artists. Other events…
Lapointe: Democrats benefit as Michigan GOP is consumed by infighting and conspiracy theories
With 16 Michigan Republicans now indicted for multiple felonies in a scam to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 Presidential election, GOP activists were aggressively defensive last week in the Donald Trump fortress of Macomb County. Unlike at other Republican gatherings this year in the Great Lakes State, they weren’t fighting among themselves. Instead, they met on…
R&B singer Monica jumps into crowd at Detroit concert to stop a man from hitting a woman
Detroit’s new Riverfront Music Festival came to a halt on Saturday night when an altercation broke out in the crowd, causing the singer Monica to leave the stage and personally break up the fight. Videos posted to social media show the 42-year-old singer climb down from the Hart Plaza stage after she appeared to see…
Michigan State Police delete ‘Barbie’ post after outrage from… seemingly no one
I never thought I’d see the day I actually sided with the police, but it’s 2023 and here we are. On Thursday, the Michigan State Police joined the Barbie movie hype train by posting a photo of a police officer Barbie and the caption “This Barbie is ready to serve the state of Michigan! When…
‘Barbie’ is existential brilliance — and also a lot of fun
We are living in difficult times. Girls’ self-harm and suicide rates are spiraling; women are more burned out than ever taking the second shift. Boys are slipping behind in school and struggling to graduate; men are more and more often the victims of deaths of despair. Could Barbie be to blame? It’s tempting to trace…
Vape cartridges sold across metro Detroit recalled for ‘banned chemical residue’
The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency has issued a voluntary recall bulletin for a line of vape cartridges that have been sold around metro Detroit. The cartridges — branded as Flight Live Resin Disposable Grease Monkey, Space Ether, and Bubblegum — were recalled due to the “possible presence of banned chemical residue exceeding the established action…
‘Oppenheimer’ does something all too rare in Hollywood: It trusts its audience
Christopher Nolan bases his ambitious biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) on a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of his subject’s life, American Prometheus, and the physicist’s shaping hand in the creation of the atomic bomb undeniably qualifies as the modern equivalent of stealing fire from the gods. Although Oppenheimer is spared Prometheus’ physical punishment for…
These two Detroit artists are manifesting liberation from the climate crisis through collages
Plants and mushrooms are the ones that will purify the earth as human beings continue to fuck it up. “Even where you have sites of ecological disaster all around Detroit, you have these mushrooms, mullein, milkweed, and plantain that show up to do the job of getting the earth back on track,” says artist Halima…
Detroit’s Theatre Bizarre 2023 is canceled
This October, revelers will not gather at Detroit’s Masonic Temple for Theatre Bizarre, the popular Halloween party that has been held there since 2011. In a social media post published Thursday evening, organizers said the 2023 event has been canceled due to scheduling conflicts at the venue. “A double-booking at the Masonic Temple has made…
Detroit’s Book Tower restaurants will include a rooftop bar
Bedrock’s $400 million development of Detroit’s historic Book Tower will feature five new bars and restaurants set to open in the coming months, including a rooftop bar. The real estate giant has partnered with national restaurant group Method Co. for the projects, according to a press release. They include the French-themed brasserie Le Suprême and…
Ex-Detroit police commissioner lied about paying prostitute $10 for sex
Unsurprisingly, it looks like a former Detroit police commissioner’s wild tale about how was caught with his pants down with a prostitute in his car appears to be a lie. Though he denied it to the public, Bryan Ferguson admitted to officers that he had paid the sex worker $10 for a blow job, according…
Inaugural MAP Fest brings Detroit’s creative forces together for a day of art and entertainment
The Detroit art scene is a community like no other, and the upcoming inaugural MAP Fest could be proof of that. The event’s name is an acronym for “music, art, and poetry,” three driving creative forces that organizers hope to bring together on Saturday, July 29 at Avalon Village. “Art is the way of expressing…
Employee Meal serves up Mexican dishes in Birmingham
The obvious first question about Employee Meal is whether it’s better than any number of places in Southwest Detroit, especially when tacos are two for $12 rather than four for $10. Since I live in Southwest, it’s not worth my drive to Birmingham, especially with some of the dishes rising no higher than OK. If…
Outdoor Black Bottom exhibit gets cut short following weather damage
Black people just can’t have nothing. The outdoor Black Bottom Street View exhibit at the Dequindre Cut has been cut short after being damaged by rain and wind over the weekend. The exhibit featured panoramas made from more than 2,000 photos of the historic Black neighborhood taken from 1949-1950, which had been archived in the…
Cannabis beverage CQ hits Michigan market
Soon, a popular cannabis-infused drink brand will be available in the Great Lakes State. Cannabis Quencher (CQ) of California announced a Michigan expansion this month through a partnership with Emerald Canning Partners, which counts local brand Blake’s Hard Cider founder Andrew Blake as an investor. “The Michigan market is thirsty for high dose alternatives to…
To-go cocktails are now permanent, and Michigan colleges can sell booze at games
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed two bills on July 18 that will make booze lovers happy: Alcohol sales at college stadiums and to-go cocktails are now both allowed in Michigan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a temporary change to aid Michigan bars and restaurants allowed cocktails to be sold to-go. Many states passed similar laws, and many…
Judge strikes down Highland Park’s recreational marijuana ordinance
Don’t expect to buy legal recreational weed in Highland Park anytime soon. Just before the city was expected to begin issuing licenses for dispensaries to open, Wayne County Circuit Judge Susan Hubbard struck down the Detroit suburb’s controversial marijuana ordinance. Hubbard ruled that Highland Park’s ordinance violated the Michigan Zoning and Enabling Act because city…
Urban farm Planted Detroit to cease operations
A buzzy, high-tech indoor farm that boasted it could grow produce year-round called Planted Detroit is closing its business next month, the company announced Wednesday. The farm opened its indoor growing facility in 2018 at 1000 Mt. Elliot St. in Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood, soon filling the 20,000-square-foot building and hiring up to 60 workers. In…
Detroit’s Omar Anani scores a victory on Chopped: American Showdown
Chef Omar Anani is now officially the “King of the North.” The Detroit chef and James Beard nominee, acclaimed for his Moroccan bistro Saffron De Twah, won his episode of Chopped: All American Showdown Tuesday night, beating chefs from Ohio, Minnesota, and Iowa. Chopped: All American Showdown is a competition amongst 16 chefs from around…
Once-ravaged Ypsilanti landmark sees new life as a dispensary
Michigan dispensary chain Quality Roots is opening a new location at a Ypsilanti landmark, hoping to promote historic preservation and racial equity. With a $2 million renovation project underway, the company has transformed a place on Ypsilanti’s Dangerous Buildings list into a fully operational cannabis dispensary, set to open in late July. The building, a 101-year-old…
Ferndale’s Plant Swap & Social is the perfect party for houseplant heads
Unsurprisingly, with everyone stuck inside, houseplants gained immense popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and enthusiasts can talk all day about their hobby. They’ll be joining each other at Plant Swap & Social for an afternoon of swapping and buying plants at 215 West in Ferndale on Saturday. There will be food from the pop-up Noodl,…
Chowhound: What it’s like to work at a ‘breastaurant,’ according to a Detroit foodie
Chowhound is a weekly column about what’s trending in Detroit food culture. Tips: eat@metrotimes.com. Past life regression: Erica Pietrzyk, a current Detroit restaurateur and former “breastaurant” employee, recently responded to our June, 21 column, “Boob jobs,” in which I waxed curious over what life was like for women working in this segment of food service.…
Free Will Astrology (July 19-25)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your deep psyche will soon well up with extra creativity and fertility. I hope you will eagerly tap into these gifts. You should assume that you will be more imaginative and ingenious than usual. You will have an enhanced ability to solve problems with vigor and flair. In what areas of…
