Cover Story
Activists call for a review of all cases tied to a Detroit detective who terrorized young men to get false confessions
Part II of a series about wrongful convictions in Detroit. Part I: “A Detroit detective terrorized young men into making false confessions. Some are still behind bars.” Detroit detective Barbara Simon was accused for years of coercing and lying to suspects and witnesses, often confining them to tiny rooms for hours and depriving them of…
‘We the Poisoned’: Flint water scandal uncovered in explosive new book
A decade after the Flint water crisis began, a new book chronicles the devastating impact on the city’s residents and how local and state officials covered up the disaster. We the Poisoned: Exposing the Flint Water Crisis Cover-Up and the Poisoning of 100,000 Americans was released Tuesday, and the 296-page book by investigative reporter Jordan…
Metro Times two-part series on Detroit detective featured on popular podcast ML Soul of Detroit
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter M.L. Elrick’s popular podcast is shining a spotlight on “The Closer,” Metro Times’s two-part series about a Detroit detective who terrorized young Black men and elicited false confessions and witness statements for two decades. The nearly 90-minute episode on ML Soul of Detroit explores the series with Mark Craighead, who was exonerated…
Detroit’s Shinola Hotel launches ‘Living Room Jazz Nights’
The Shinola Hotel is launching an intimate live music series in its lobby lounge. Dubbed “Living Room Jazz Nights,” the series kicks off Sunday from 5-8 p.m. The first edition features singer Kathy Kosins. The Living Room lounge features an assortment of couches and sofas, as well as art curated by Detroit’s Library Street Collective.…
Acoustic Rodriguez tribute concert coming to Detroit
Friday, Aug. 9 will mark one year since the death of Sixto Rodriguez, the cult-favorite folk rock musician from Detroit whose politically charged songs drew acclaim from around the world. He was 81. Detroit musicians will join together on the anniversary to honor the late artist with a tribute concert at Detroit’s Trinosophes venue. The…
Lawsuit alleges Dearborn cop killed father of four by kneeling on his neck
A federal lawsuit alleges a Dearborn cop killed a 38-year-old father of four by pinning him to the ground at a motel and kneeling on his neck as he suffocated to death in September 2021. Salvatore “Sal” Cipolloni was in mental distress and yelling for help at the Falcon Inn Motel when the manager called…
Sabrina Nelson brings the spirit of James Baldwin to Detroit
Detroit artist Sabrina Nelson says that during a trip to Paris in 2016, she met the spirit of James Baldwin. Since then, she has become deeply acquainted with the iconic writer and activist, and has drawn him over 100 times. She often does it from memory, and at this point, she says she could easily…
The mastodon is one step closer to becoming U.S. first-ever national fossil
A long time ago, massive mastodons roamed North America, including Michigan. However, the prehistoric beasts went extinct more than 10,000 years ago, possibly due to overhunting by early humans. Now, the mastodon is on track to become recognized as the first-ever national fossil of the U.S. Bipartisan legislation called the National Fossil Act recently passed…
Michigan Medicine unions fight for better pay, staffing
Two labor unions are fighting for their first collective bargaining agreements with the University of Michigan’s Michigan Medicine. Workers held an informational picket outside University Hospital last week, to protest what they say is U of M’s ongoing refusal to agree to what they call fair contracts that would address issues of understaffing and low…
Lapointe: Trump and his bumpkins take the low road
At the mature, old age of 72, the Oxford-schooled Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana is far too wise, much too educated, and way too refined to run his fat mouth like some cocky young punk. But the sharp-tongued Republican chose to do just this last week with personal insults about Kamala Harris, the vice president…
Metro Times investigation leads Detroit police commissioners to demand probe into ex-detective’s cases
Detroit police commissioners are calling for an internal, full-scale investigation of cases handled by a former Detroit detective after Metro Times published a two-part series exposing her aggressive and illegal tactics that led to false confessions and wrongful imprisonments. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Barbara Simon was known as “the closer” because of her…
A tour of famous hip-hop locales is coming to Detroit
As the lore of Detroit hip-hop’s yesteryear continues to grow, so has the desire to see all the legendary locations associated with it. The movie 8 Mile boosted the notoriety of the Shelter (within Saint Andrew’s Hall), while The Hip Hop Shop was more recently featured on Netflix’s The Evolution of Hip-Hop. Enter Kris Hoff,…
Moosejaw is quietly closing its last remaining stores
Dick’s Sporting Goods is getting ready to shutter its last three remaining Moosejaw stores in the U.S. and completely dissolve the brand, Metro Times has learned. Multiple workers confirmed the impending closures to Metro Times, though the company’s corporate office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The workers say the stores will remain…
Teen describes inhumane conditions at Wayne County juvenile jail after arrest
While Nicole Walker fretted over the whereabouts of her arrested 16-year-old daughter Saturday, the Detroit teenager was confined to what she describes as an overcrowded, understaffed juvenile jail in Hamtramck that didn’t even have cups for water. The teenager claims Wayne County authorities prevented her from calling her mom and left her alone in a…
Jack White to play intimate Saint Andrew’s Hall gig
The roll-out for the latest Jack White record continues to be anything but usual. After surprise releasing the album as an unmarked test pressing quietly given away for free to customers at his Third Man Records store last month, the rock star and his new band are embarking on a tour of small venues. That…
Michigan program unlocks free college education
A new $23 billion education budget plan in Michigan is opening the door for recent high school graduates to attend a community or tribal college, tuition-free. The “Michigan Achievement Scholarship, Community College Guarantee” was signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in July — and is expected to save over 18,000 students almost $5,000 each…
50 years ago: The Major League debut of Ron LeFlore
A half-century ago, Thursday, August 1, 1974, on a cool, summer evening in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 26-year-old Ron LeFlore made his Major League Baseball debut for the Detroit Tigers. The Brewers were hosting the Tigers at Milwaukee County Stadium. Game time was set for 8:30 p.m. A crowd of only 9,000 passed through the turnstiles that…
All hail Hamtramck’s awesome Yemeni restaurant-old school doughnut shop
At the corner of Caniff and Conant in Hamtramck is perhaps the most Hamtramck business one could find for this moment in time — an old-school doughnut and coffee shop mixed with a Yemeni restaurant, and it might just also have the area’s best fried chicken. Family Donut, which has operated the small shop for…
Michigan Supreme Court orders new trial for mother in 2006 shaken baby case
A Wayne County woman who spent nearly 20 years in prison for allegedly shaking her child to death has been granted a new trial after the doctor who performed the original autopsy changed his opinion on the cause of death. Chazlee Lemons was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 after a judge found her…
Michigan Supreme Court ruling paves way for $15 minimum wage
Thanks to a Michigan Supreme Court ruling Wednesday, the state’s minimum wage is poised to rise from $10.33 per hour to $15 per hour in the next several years. In a 4-3 ruling, the Democratic-majority state Supreme Court decided that the former Republican-controlled Legislature improperly blocked two ballot proposals in 2018 that would raise the…
Modern Vegan to soon open in metro Detroit
For all the plant-based baddies eagerly anticipating a metro Detroit location of popular Las Vegas-based chain The Modern Vegan, the company’s new Royal Oak spot is ready to celebrate its grand opening. Located at 304 Main St., this marks the chain’s second-ever location and the first franchise of the eatery. Founded in Las Vegas in…
Michigan leads nation in toxic methane emissions from landfills
The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating underreported methane emissions from landfills nationwide, and a recent report names Michigan as a major offender. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and a key focus in combating climate change. Experts warn methane emissions are spiraling out of control as they leak from landfills. The advocacy group Industrious Labs…
Free Will Astrology (July 31-Aug. 6)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): One meaning of the word “palette” is a flat board on which painters place a variety of pigments to apply to their canvas. What would be a metaphorical equivalent to a palette in your life? Maybe it’s a diary or journal where you lay out the feelings and ideas you use…
