Cover Story
The People Issue 2018: Meet more than 15 people making moves in Michigan
It’s that time of year again. The Metro Times editorial staff gathered around our conference room table, shut the door, and came up with a fresh list of movers and shakers for our annual People Issue. Our only real requirement: The subjects had to be doing something cool in Michigan. We searched high and low.…
Singer-songwriter Jess Williamson goes for the gut at El Club
“Tell me everything you know about consciousness,” Austin-based singer-songwriter Jess Williamson begs on “I See White,” from her stunning third record Cosmic Wink. On the record, Williamson gets hung up on time — time spent, time passed, and time left. Williamson embodies the styles of contemporaries like Cat Power and Feist, with hints of Jefferson…
Red Bull Arts Detroit’s latest artist residents go big and bright for opening
In the latest residency program for Red Bull Arts Detroit (formerly known as Red Bull House of Art), Debra Lynn Manville, Jason Pulgarin, and Nathan Smith flex their bright paint palettes and unique perspectives. Manville, of New Jersey, explores her interpretation of “silent art” through the use of abstract digital art. Los Angeles-based Jason Pulgarin…
You can finally check out the floating halfpipe on the Detroit Princess this weekend
When Jordan Garland spoke with Metro Times in June, he admitted that it was his dream to put a halfpipe on the Detroit Princess riverboat. After postponing the event’s original date due to an overwhelming response, the wait is over. The “Cruise for Culture” will take passengers down the Detroit River during two different voyages…
Detroit’s own Kem heads to Chene Park for a special double-header
It wasn’t until the Detroit-raised Kim Owens, better known as Kem, embarked on a journey of spirituality that he discovered his musical path. After writing, producing, and financing his debut album using only his credit card and funds saved from singing top 40 songs in a wedding band and waiting tables, Kem was soon scooped…
Michigan Supreme Court rules anti-gerrymandering proposal can go on ballot
Michigan residents will vote in November on a proposal designed to end partisan gerrymandering of the state’s legislative districts. On Tuesday night, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that a proposal developed by the nonpartisan group Voters Not Politicians to create an independent redistricting commission as a fix for gerrymandered legislative districts can go on…
Looking for a fall internship? Metro Times is seeking editorial interns
Ever wonder what a day in the life at Metro Times is like? Well, now is your chance, because we’re currently accepting new applications for our internship program. As an editorial intern, you will receive hands-on experience working in a newsroom which includes pitching stories, transcribing interviews, and editing copy. This internship can be everything you want…
Bernie Sanders coming to Michigan for last-minute rallies with Abdul El-Sayed
With just a week to go until the Aug. 7 primary, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has announced plans to hold a pair of last-minute Michigan rallies for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The rallies will be held Sunday, Aug. 5 in Detroit and Ypsilanti. Word of Sanders’ visit comes a week after the progressive Democrat…
ACLU sues Flint Police Department for handcuffing 7-year-old boy at school
The ACLU of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit today against the Flint Police Department for placing handcuffs on Cameron McFadden while at school, who was 7 years old at time of the incident. “Putting handcuffs on a 7-year-old child and locking his hands behind his back is inhumane. It’s barbaric. It violates every rule of…
Punk’s not dead this weekend with All-Star Garage Rock Punk Revue III
Returning for a third year of Motor City mayhem is the All-Star Garage Rock Punk Revue. The one-night celebration will bring the Hysteric Narcotics, the Motor Dolls, the Boners, Cinecyde, the Flipsters, the Seatbelts, and the Algebra Mothers, and more. This year also marks the return of the Detroit All-Star Band, a supergroup featuring some…
Japanese newspaper looks to Detroit as a model for urban revitalization
Japan has earned a reputation for taking American ideas and perfecting them. So in a way, it’s no surprise that the country might look to Detroit, our quintessentially American city, as a role model. According to an article published today in Japan’s national daily newspaper, The Mainichi, some Japanese experts are studying post-bankruptcy Detroit for…
Detroit extends deadline for residents looking to save foreclosed properties
The deadline to apply for Detroit’s Right of Refusal program has been extended to assist low-income residents from losing their homes due to tax foreclosure. The deadline is now Aug. 31, but applicants must sign up by Aug. 24 in order to qualify. The program is geared toward the city’s low-income residents who live or…
Charivari plots Detroit return with new August dates
Grassroots music festival Charivari is making moves to return to West Riverfront Park this summer with brand new dates. The event, which historically has been held during the first weekend in August, is pushing things back a bit with a new date of Aug. 17-19. Charivari (pronounced “Shahr-uh-vahr-ee”) is a term that dates back to…
Open Streets Detroit to celebrate third year in Southwest
Open Streets Detroit is putting the neighborhood front and center by taking over the streets of Southwest Detroit on Sunday, October 7. In its third year, the event spans over a 3.5 mile stretch of road from Beacon Park to Michigan Avenue and into Southwest along West Vernor Highway and turns the streets into safe, car-free…
Detroit’s ADULT. will perform in a hangar at the airport because they can
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus of ADULT. and they’re here to fuck shit up. Leave it to Detroit electro-clash duo ADULT. to release their upcoming record at a hangar at Colman A. Young International Airport because in their 20 years of provocative pleather-clad synth dungeon rock they’ve proven…
Strike averted: Detroit janitors see $15 per hour demand met
Janitors who clean Detroit’s schools and downtown skyscrapers will remain on the job after ratifying a new contract that gives them all a path to at least a $15 per hour wage. The Service Employees International Union janitors last week threatened an industry-wide strike if that demand was not met. Under the previous contract that…
Man with mini-meth lab in van found overdosed in Detroit
On Monday afternoon, Michigan State Police found a man unconscious in the driver’s seat of a blue GMC van on I-94 and the Lodge freeways. The police also found a small, one-pot methamphetamine lab in the van. At approximately 4:10 p.m., police responded to a call that a man was unconscious and slumped over the wheel…
Multinational corporations, wealthy CEOs funding Duggan-backed Dems in state primary
Multinational corporations, insurance companies, wealthy CEOs, Republican donors, and other powerful outside interests are pouring money into State House and Senate campaigns of Detroit Democrats backed by Mayor Mike Duggan. Metro Times examined campaign finance records filed with the Michigan Secretary of State and found donors’ cash is being funneled through the Duggan Leadership Fund, the…
Cinema Detroit to host free screening of short films by Native American filmmakers
In Jáaji Approx Sky Hopinka of the Ho-Chunk Nation encapsulates the complexities of memory, ancestry, and travel through recordings of his father — in only eight minutes. For one night only, specialty film house Cinema Detroit will explore six Sundance Institute selected short works from Native American filmmakers. “Our mission has always been to spotlight underrepresented…
Abdul El-Sayed says ‘powerful’ Democrats think he won’t win because he’s Muslim
Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed knows his candidacy is a long-shot, but that doesn’t mean that he’s going to back down in his quest for Michigan’s governor — even if that means fighting against some of the party’s most powerful Democrats. In an interview with Vice News Tonight on HBO set to air Monday evening, El-Sayed…
Michigan declares state of emergency for cities plagued with water contamination
Michigan is once again fighting a public battle with water contamination. On Sunday, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley declared an emergency in response to the discovery that two western Michigan townships tested positive for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Most commonly referred to as PFAS, the human-made substances, which previously have been used in the production of…
Michigan foster care applications have increased in excess of 3000 percent
Michiganders are hoping to lend a helping hand to refugee families separated at the border of US and Mexico by providing foster services. Bethany Christian Services is Michigan’s only fostering agency under federal contract to place children separated at the border due to Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy. And even though the court-imposed deadline to reunify…
Watch Michigan candidates discuss Line 5 pipeline in new documentary
In recent months, Enbridge Energy’s controversial Line 5 oil and gas pipeline has become one of those rare flashpoints of bipartisan unity. Even pro-business Republicans like Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette have called for a timeline to decommission the 65-year-old Great Lakes pipeline, which has been under even more intense scrutiny following an…
Detroit resident offers reward for the plant-napping of ‘Big Al’
Last year, the Washington Post published an article titled “Millennials are filling their homes — and the void in their hearts — with houseplants” “They’re each your own little baby,” one of the article’s subjects admits, while another confesses that their plant hoarding is a little obsessive. The thesis? Millennials need something to nurture. Such…
How Planned Parenthood plans to fight back in the age of Trump
For the majority of its 102-year existence, Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest women’s healthcare provider, has been under siege. Republican legislators in many states have passed measures to divert family planning funds away from Planned Parenthood, proving detrimental to low income, women of color. It’s withstood a bludgeon of attacks from anti-abortion activists, including the…
Detroit’s Anchor Bar will be sold to Parc restaurant owner
Detroit’s nearly 60-year-old Anchor Bar — a regular spot for Red Wings, Tigers, and Lions fans to presoak ahead of home games — will be sold. Deadline Detroit reports owner Vaughn Derderian sold the building to Zaid Elia, who owns Parc in Campus Martius, and 220 Merrill in Birmingham. The deal is expected to close for an…
Father and son fish for trash in Detroit River
Last month, in our inaugural boat issue, we brought you the story of two Detroiters who spend some of their free time magnet fishing for metallic objects at the bottom of the city’s canals. Now, we’ve discovered another pair of people who partake in a form of alternative fishing. But they’re not on the prowl…
DNR poised to rubber stamp five more years of Belle Isle Grand Prix with few changes
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is ready to rubber stamp billionaire Roger Penske’s proposal to keep the Grand Prix on Belle Isle while addressing zero concerns voiced by park users opposed to the controversial race. Let’s start drafting that lawsuit. The DNR will announce on Aug. 2 a final decision on a five-year contract.…
Motor City Muscle Festival lineup unveiled, featuring Ace Frehley, Death, Iceage, Dead Kennedys, and more
Rev your engines, folks: Detroit rock city is about to get even rockier as Motor City Muscle announced its entertainment lineup this past week and it’s pretty insane. The free, three-day “Rock-n-Muscle Car Festival” will invade downtown Detroit from Friday, Aug. 17 through Sunday, Aug. 19 — just in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise.…
There’s now an electric scooter rideshare program in downtown Detroit
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could come across a fully functional scooter, hop on for a quick ride, then leave it for the next needy passerby? Well, now you can: Electric scooter company Bird has expanded to Detroit with a pilot program. Bird’s scooters don’t require docking stations like MoGo bikes, but rather can…
Paxahau is turning the clock back on Detroit with 20 year anniversary party
Detroit loves a good party, and that’s something that Paxahau promises to deliver with its newly announced event celebrating the hometown promoter’s 20-year anniversary. Taking place on Sept. 8, the Movement Music Festival organizers are giving a tip of the hat to the fans that have stuck with them for the past two decades with…
Cardi B drops out of Bruno Mars tour to be a mama, okuuuuuuurt?
Cardi B isn’t coming to Detroit with Bruno Mars after all. But she’s got a damn good reason to cancel. The 25-year-old rapper announced her pregnancy during a performance on Saturday Night Live in April. Since then the Invasion of Privacy star has taken to social media to share everything from odd pregnancy cravings, exhaustion,…
Greta Van Fleet receives standing ovation during ‘Tonight Show’ debut
OK, OK — so we’ve obviously been sipping upon the brothers Kiszka Kool-Aid, but we’re not alone. Greta Van Fleet took to the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon stage Thursday night to perform their latest single, “When The Curtain Falls,” where it received a standing ovation by Fallon’s audience. Fallon’s response: “Not bad.” The shaggy-haired retro-rockers from Michigan’s…
An interview with ‘Eighth Grade’ writer and director Bo Burnham
Lanky, scruffy, and possessed of the relaxed demeanor of a clerk at a suburban skate shop in early afternoon, 27-year-old comic Bo Burnham is not actively seeking any mantle of generational spokesman, but you could do far worse in searching for one in him. The goofily laconic Burnham broke out a little over a decade…
Here are some of the most progressive Democrats running in Michigan’s primaries
In Michigan’s 2016 Democratic presidential primary, progressive, populist candidate Bernie Sanders pulled off a stunning upset over establishment candidate Hillary Clinton. His win suggested enthusiastic support for economic ideas that are further left than those previously offered by state politicians and the political establishment. It also revealed that the fault lines running through the Democratic Party…
New map shows if your Detroit neighborhood is filled with Trump voters
As we all damn well know by now, Donald Trump scrounged up nearly 11,000 more votes in Michigan in 2016 than Hillary Clinton, helping him win the presidency. But where exactly did those votes come from? A detailed, interactive map released today by The New York Times paints the clearest picture of 2016 yet, giving…
10 must-see artists at this year’s Mo Pop Festival
It’s that magical time of year again— Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29 West Riverfront Park will transform into a musical wonderland thanks to the ever-delightful Mo Pop Festival. Spin recently named Mo Pop one of their favorite music festivals for its laid backness. Not only is there an arcade, a bevy of delicious…
Convicted pedophile Larry Nassar seeks resentencing in Ingham County
Lawyers of Larry Nassar, the 54-year-old former physician for the Michigan State University and U.S. Gymnastics teams, have filed two motions for resentencing in Ingham County on the basis of alleged court bias. Nassar’s lawyers argue that Judge Aquilina’s now infamous threat — “I just signed your death warrant” — that she proclaimed during the case’s…
Trump’s approval rating is in the pooper in Michigan
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump famously defied the odds by narrowly breaking through the so-called Midwestern “blue wall,” which included Michigan. A new poll from NBC News, however, shows that wall could be being rebuilt. In Michigan — which Trump won by less than 11,000 votes — only 36 percent of registered voters…
Someone untied Betsy DeVos’ $40 million yacht from a dock in Ohio
The Seaquest — Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ 163-foot, $40 million yacht — was untied and set adrift while docked at a marina in northern Ohio over the weekend The Toledo Blade reports that the captain of the Seaquest contacted police around 6 a.m. Sunday morning after discovering that the yacht had been untied from…
Mr. B’s launches Johnny’s, a new ‘secret speakeasy,’ in downtown Royal Oak
A new “speakeasy” that’s part of the recently updated Mr. B’s Gastropub in Royal Oak is set to open Saturday. The door to the basement restaurant, called Johnny’s, is disguised as the entrance to a walk-in cooler, accessible through an exterior kitchen door in the back of the building. Reservations are required, and can be made by texting 248-794-1261 for…
Review: ‘Leave No Trace’ lives on the edge
Leave No Trace, Debra Granik’s first fiction film since Winter’s Bone, opens on a father and daughter living isolated on a scrappy but well-wrought campsite, nestled away in a dense forest somewhere on public land. Granik shoots the film’ early scenes from high angles, framing the characters in distant and overwhelmingly green long shots, exposing…
Bernie Sanders endorses Democrat Adbul El-Sayed for Michigan governor
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for governor, giving the underdog candidate a key boost in a state where Sanders picked up a primary win in his bid to become president two years ago. “As governor, Dr. El-Sayed will fight for a government in Lansing that represents all the people, and not…
Michigan boy with autism is fighting to keep his emotional support ducks
What the duck is wrong with people? Parents of 12-year-old Dylan Dyke have turned to crowdfunding to help offset legal costs in their fight so their autistic child can keep Nibbles and Bill;—;his emotional support ducks. “These ducks are his everything,” Dylan’s mother, Jen Dyke told WOOD-TV. “They’re his whole life.” The Dykes and their…
Poll shows dead heat in Detroit’s Congressional race
Three Democrats are in a dead heat in a crowded primary race to replace John Conyers in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, a new poll shows. According to a survey conducted by Target Insyght, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones is at 21 percent, Westland Mayor Bill Wild is at 20 percent, and former state Rep.…
Report: Larry Nassar assaulted in prison
When Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced Larry Nassar for mutliple sex crimes in January, she issued an icy warning: “I just signed your death warrant.” Aquilina’s dark warning was likely in reference to the fact that the 54-year-old doctor is serving a de facto life sentence, with 60 years in federal prison, and an additional 40…
Here’s how much an average Detroit apartment costs by neighborhood
There are few categories that Detroit ranks well in compared to most other major U.S. cities: one is rental prices. In a recent monthly report by Zumper, Detroit ranked low on a list of cities with the most expensive rental markets in the nation, coming in at 97. The report showed no significant shifts in…
Michigan’s biggest bank to relocate headquarters to Detroit, bringing 500 workers
So long, mid-Michigan. Hello, Detroit. Chemical Bank has announced it’s relocating its headquarters from Midland to downtown Detroit, in a move that will bring at least 500 new workers to the city. The plan was announced this morning at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Elizabeth Street, where a 20-story building will be developed to…
We already have alcohol and tobacco — do we need marijuana?
I watched a short clip of Will Jones giving a keynote speech at a Healthy and Productive Michigan event held recently at Wayne County Community College District. His argument against marijuana is that we already have two dangerous drugs that are legal — why add a third? “Two is enough,” he said in fingering alcohol…
Detroit dressmaker Harry Rich Clothier brings teenage dreams to life
On a warm evening in early June, a small crowd gathered outside a home in Grandmont Rosedale to watch a Cass Tech student embark on a rite of passage: senior prom. A backdrop image of stage curtains hung from the garage, a red “carpet” made of tissue paper was rolled out down the driveway. At…
Mike Flores continues to build the LGBTQ community at Affirmations
When Metro Times last spoke to Mike Flores, the year was 2001 and the then-20-year-old had just come out as gay. A native of Houston, Texas, the first-generation Latino-American (his mother is from Nicaragua, his father from El Salvador) moved to Michigan to study business at University of Detroit Mercy. Despite being a young gay…
The undeniable coolness of Detroit rapper Curtis Roach
For Curtis Roach, it’s simple: You either sink or swim. And so far, Roach is doing more than staying afloat — he’s making waves. Just months before his graduation from Cass Tech, the 19-year-old Detroit rapper independently released his breakthrough mixtape, 2017’s Highly Caffeinated — an incredibly well-rounded and seamlessly produced homage to an era…
With Crash Lights, Stephen Trimboli finally lives his artist dream in Detroit
In 2013, longtime residents of Brooklyn, New York, were shocked to learn that Stephen Trimboli was leaving the performance space and resale shop that he had operated in Bushwick since 2004 and was departing for Detroit. Longtime Detroiters may not find Trimboli’s decision so outrageous. The 65-year-old Italian-Irish cross, born and bred in Sheepshead Bay,…
Horoscopes (July 25-31)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 Wondering if and when your ship will come in has you weighing your options. The security issue is huge. And what was supposed to come through is still stuck in limbo. With that in mind you are looking at patching things together until the time comes. There are a…
As rapper Tiny Jag, Jillian Graham unleashes her inner beast
When Jillian Graham was in grade school, she gravitated toward the in-your-face metal of System of a Down and the saccharine pop of the Spice Girls with equal enthusiasm. This might explain why she spent years feeling like an outsider. Or, it might have something to do with the fact that she grew up in…
Greg Willerer is cultivating more than lettuce at Brother Nature Produce
As the founder of a salad farm, 49-year-old Greg Willerer has found a measure of success in growing greens. Having grown up in suburban Detroit, he was drawn to the city early, and spent 15 years as a teacher, most of them in Detroit, before “teaching to the test” and the push to produce numbers…
Michele Oberholtzer helped Detroiters stave off foreclosure — now she’s running for state rep
The year is 2014 and Detroit is in the midst of the largest municipal bankruptcy in American history. Approximately 33,000 households will have their water shut off by year-end, and nearly 9,000 occupied homes will be sold in a government tax-foreclosure auction. Michele Oberholtzer, a Michigan native, has recently returned to the area from New…
Jerry Hebron’s Oakland Avenue Farm is for the North End, by the North End
When Jerry Hebron returned to Detroit’s North End in 2008, she found a neighborhood much different than the one in which she grew up, went to school, and played with her friends and family in the parks and alleys. What she found in 2008 was tall grass, drug dealers, burnt-out street lights, and, as Hebron…
How two refugees in Detroit are embodying the American dream
The story of Nadia Nijimbere and Mamba Hamissi is an especially important one in the United States in 2018. They fled their war-torn home of Burundi in recent years, landed here with next to nothing, sought political asylum, and later this year are opening a highly anticipated restaurant on Woodward in New Center. They are…
Ali Rose VanOverbeke’s Genusee Eyewear turns Flint’s used water bottles into glasses
Ali Rose VanOverbeke is settling into a new apartment in downtown Flint when we catch up with her on a morning in mid-July. The only furnishings are a bed, two nightstands, and an air mattress for her business partner, whom she’s just picked up from the airport. The purpose of the move? To launch Genusee…
Under Shahida Mausi, Chene Park is a family affair
Chene Park is a crown jewel of the Detroit River. While much of our city’s riverfront was long ago handed over to industry, the outdoor amphitheatre stands as one of metro Detroit’s best concert venues, booking top-notch acts against a breathtaking backdrop that is unparalleled in the city. But what many people might not know…
James Xavier Slade brings treasure to Corktown with Xavier’s 20th Century
James Xavier Slade is dressed for the weather on this hot afternoon, wearing a Hilo Hattie Hawaiian top set off with white shorts. The shirt flutters slightly in the fan-driven air as he shows off some of the pieces in his store: a Detroit Public Schools light fixture from the turn of the last century,…
Anna Baghina forges the way for other artists
The talk of artists moving to Detroit is nothing new. With big-name establishments like Red Bull Arts Detroit and other residencies and galleries opening up at a rapid rate, Detroit is making its mark as an international hub for the arts. But what does that mean for the local artists that have been in Detroit…
How Kalimah Johnson’s SASHA redefines rape culture for women of color
Activist, educator, and survivor Kalimah Johnson is a hugger. She will tell you this almost immediately. But she always asks consent before reaching for an embrace, as her life’s work is her dedication to defining boundaries, parameters, and compassion. Johnson, more than a hugger, is a healer. Over the past 23 years, Johnson has served…
Why Paulina Petkoski and Samantha Bankle Schefman decided to go all in on Detroit artists
Fate played a role in Playground Detroit founders Samantha Bankle Schefman and Paulina Petkoski’s eventual partnership which has, since conception, resulted in close to $200,000 a year in the pockets of local emerging artists. Formed in 2012, Playground Detroit operates as an independent gallery and an agency that represents creatives. The objective: to retain and…
How Boggs School principal Julia Putnam is rethinking education
Julia Putnam, the 42-year-old principal of Detroit’s James & Grace Lee Boggs School, is the most recent in a long line of strong women helping to build the next generation — dating back to her great grandmother, the first in her family to come to Detroit from Alabama, a woman called “mother” by all in…
