Cover Story
The Year of the Bird
Late that rainy night, in a cluttered room on a high floor of Detroit’s Pontchartrain hotel, they kept tapping on the door, soft, female knuckles knocking on hard wood. The young women said they only wanted the autograph of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, the sensational rookie right-handed pitcher of the Detroit Tigers. He signed for…
Macomb Prosecutor Lucido sexually harassed employees, used office for campaign, probe finds
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido repeatedly made lewd comments about women and used public resources for campaign-related activities, according to an independent workplace investigation. Butzel Long law firm conducted a months-long investigation that included interviews with 16 current and former employees of the prosecutor’s office. The employees described Lucido’s conduct as “rude,” “curt,” “unprofessional,” and…
Artist Rebecca Goldberg recorded soundscapes of Detroit and Michigan for BBC Radiophonic Travel Agency project
Detroit is known for its storied history with electronic music and experimental music, so it’s no surprise when the rest of the world looks to the Motor City for inspiration. The BBC recently tapped local DJ and producer Rebecca Goldberg to make field recordings for its BBC Radiophonic Workshop Travel Agency project. First launched on…
Former Fox 2 Detroit news anchor to host ‘high tea’ cannabis party
It’s tea time, and we’re not talking about your grandma’s stale crumpet party where everyone sits around with their noses turned up like snooty British royalty. At this “High Tea Party” at Detroit’s Jam Handy on Saturday, July 23, guests will be able to freely consume cannabis, marijuana-infused teas, edibles, and infused small plates —…
New Mediterranean restaurant Bohemia opens in Royal Oak
Bohemia is Royal Oak’s newest restaurant offering Mediterranean flavors like Israeli dips and salads, hummus, and kabobs. The new spot opens Tuesday, July 12 at 100 S. Main St. Menu highlights include branzino, lamb chops, vegan kafta, halloumi cheese, and bread fried to order in a tandoori oven. Bohemia also boasts an extensive list of…
Marijuana giant closes 4 dispensaries in Michigan, but plans to open 3 more at different locations
Michigan marijuana retail behemoth Lume Cannabis Co. abruptly closed four dispensaries on Monday, saying the closures are part of a “realignment for growth.” Lume, which has more than 1,000 employees and operates 29 dispensaries statewide, closed stores in Bay City, Christmas, Cheboygan, and Southfield. The laid off employees will be given severance pay and an…
In the span of 10 days, the Supreme Court took us back 10 decades
The Supreme Court is the odd duck of the American government. The justices aren’t elected. There are no limits to their appointments. And upon appointment, they’re almost entirely shielded from the political process. Nine unelected jurists with lifetime appointments get to make binding, fundamental interpretations about the U.S. Constitution. In fact, the Court’s legitimacy is…
Yum Village’s second Motor City location is now open in former Detroit Vegan Soul space
Yum Village’s sweet and sour plantains, jerk chicken, and jollof rice bowls are now available at a new location in Detroit’s West Village. The Caribbean restaurant’s second Detroit spot is open for business at 8029 Agnes St., which used to be Detroit Vegan Soul before it closed in January. Yum Village owner and chef Godwin…
Gov. Whitmer calls on Biden to OK over-the-counter birth control pills
Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday asking him to make birth control pills available over the counter, without the need for a prescription. “We all need to get creative and use every tool in our toolbox to protect reproductive freedom in Michigan and across the United States,” Whitmer said…
Activists submit signatures to put voting rights on the ballot in Michigan
Voting rights activists on Monday submitted nearly 670,000 signatures to trigger a ballot initiative in November that would create a constitutional amendment to protect and expand access to the polls. Promote the Vote calls for nine days of early voting, secure drop boxes, ballot tracking, public funding for postage on absentee ballots, and additional time…
‘Apples’ peels back the power of personal loss
A gray skyline, an empty couch, lonely bed pillows, a clutter of coffee cups, the antique lace that adorns the bust of a woman’s negligee. The first five, five-second shots of Christos Nikou’s Apples march forth to the staccato beat of what sounds like a drum but — as we find out in the sixth…
Street Beet’s Megan Shaw joins Ferndale’s Public House to oversee vegan kitchen
Ferndale’s reimagined Public House has hired Megan Shaw, a chef known for her work with the former Street Beet vegan pop-up and restaurant, as a permanent member of its management team. According to a press release, Shaw, who was also recently tapped by the restaurant as a consultant to help develop its expanded vegan menu,…
Insomnia Cookies opens in Detroit
In case you ever need a scoop of ice cream slathered in between two gooey cookies at 2 a.m., Insomnia Cookies is on its way. The late-night sweets shop is opening its first Detroit location on Tuesday, July 12. It will be conveniently located near Wayne State University, which makes sense because only college students…
Record number of signatures collected to put abortion rights on Michigan ballot in November
A coalition that launched a petition drive to amend the state’s constitution to affirm abortion rights plans to turn in a record 753,759 signatures on Monday. Reproductive Freedom for All must submit about 452,000 valid signatures for the initiative to appear on the November ballot. “The Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade will not…
Petty Cash opens, a ‘woke’ HVAC ad, and an infused pizza party: The top 10 Metro Times headlines of the week
This week, our readers were most interested in a local ice cream shop’s refusal to serve the men and women who protect and serve while they’re wearing body armor. A 2018 Metro Times story of a then-Michigan Senate candidate saying he wished The Handsmaid’s Tale was real life saw quite the boost this week. It’s…
Kwame Kilpatrick is under federal investigation for unpaid restitution to City of Detroit
It seems like former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick just can’t get it together. Kilpatrick is under federal investigation again, just over a year after having his 28-year prison sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump. Federal prosecutors opened the investigation Thursday in an effort to recover nearly $2 million in unpaid restitution Kilpatrick owes to…
Second case of monkeypox in Michigan confirmed in Detroit resident
A Detroit resident is the second person in Michigan to test positive for monkeypox, the state health department tells Metro Times. The first case was identified in a person from Oakland County on June 29. It’s unclear whether the two cases are connected. Officials from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services are investigating…
DJ Ash Lauryn hosts new BBC Radio documentary on history of techno
We all know Detroit birthed techno, but how did this radical music make its way across the globe to underground clubs in Palestine and Berlin? DJ and producer Ash Lauryn is here to educate us on the evolution of this post-industrial art form with a new documentary podcast called Techno: A Social History. The three-part…
Detroit’s Cass Cafe to close for good this month
Cass Cafe has been a hub for local artists since the early 1990s. When influential Detroit artist Gilda Snowden died in 2014, her repast was held there. A posthumous retrospect for Rico Africa was held there after his passing earlier this year. It was known as a place where the Detroit art community could gather…
Ima Izakaya is now open in former Gold Cash Gold in Detroit’s Corktown
Local Japanese-inspired noodle chain Ima has officially opened its newest location in the former Gold Cash Gold space at 2100 Michigan Ave. in Corktown, not far from where it opened its first location in 2016. The new spot, dubbed Ima Izakaya, soft launched in May for a Movement Music Festival-related party. On Wednesday, it announced…
Detroiters call for environmental protections caused by hazardous-waste plant
Dust, pollution, and noise are a way of life for Detroiters who live near U.S. Ecology, a hazardous-waste processing plant with a troubling history of environmental violations. Now residents, environmentalists, and elected officials are calling on city leaders to do something about it. U.S. Ecology is asking the state to renew its permit to operate…
Detroit City Council sets up reparations task force
After 80% of Detroit voters approved a measure last fall setting up a 13-person task force to study and address the issue of reparations, the Detroit City Council on Tuesday took the next step. The resolution, which passed unanimously, sets up a four-member executive committee of the task force consisting of a chair and three…
New restaurant Petty Cash opens on Detroit’s historic Avenue of Fashion
Black walls, gold accents, stylish light fixtures, and portraits of musical legends flow throughout the dining area of Detroit’s newest restaurant, Petty Cash. Described as a “moody, elevated and soulful,” the restaurant on Detroit’s west side is owned by Art Hicks, Kelly McBride, Rufus Bartell, and former NFL player Ron Bartell Jr., who also owns…
Detroit Kite Festival returns to Belle Isle
After a hiatus due to the pandemic, about 1,000 kites will fly again over Belle Isle at the Detroit Kite Festival, set to return this weekend. The free, family-friendly festival is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday, July 10. “We are very excited to be back after two years and continue the long tradition…
Complaint alleges Detroit Institute of Arts does not qualify for reaccreditation
Two years after an investigation found Detroit Institute of Arts director Salvador Salort-Pons presided over an “autocratic” workplace, the museum’s accreditation is being challenged. Nonprofit law firm Whistleblower Aid filed a complaint against the DIA in June, arguing it does not meet the criteria for reaccreditation through the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) due to…
Detroit’s Mac Saturn is ready for takeoff
Everything Mac Saturn does is authentic, from their electrifying performances to their hand-crafted album artwork. And all their work is infused with a Detroit flair. The rock ’n’ roll quintet comprises Angelo Coppola on drums, Nicky Barone on guitar and synth, Jive Moses on bass, Mike Moody on guitar, and Carson Macc as the band’s…
Momento Gelato and Coffee brings a scoop of Italy to Detroit
For all the glorious ice cream being scooped around southwest Michigan at spots like Treat Dreams, Blank Slate, Guernsey, Cook’s Farm Dairy, etc., there’s long been a noticeable hole in the landscape — gelato, Italian, or, one could argue, European ice cream. Let’s face it, we call Detroit the Paris of the Midwest, but it’s…
Free Will Astrology (July 6-12)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): My readers and I have collaborated to provide insights and inspirations about the topic “How to Be an Aries.” Below is an amalgam of my thoughts and theirs — advice that will especially apply to your life in the coming days. 1. If it’s easy, it’s boring. —Beth Prouty. 2. If…
Clown court: Extremists don’t care about torching SCOTUS’s legitimacy
Last month, five extremists on the Supreme Court dismantled abortion rights by giving states the right to dictate women’s health care choices. A few hours before I wrote this, on the heels of a series of mass shootings, those same extremists — plus a chief justice who appears moderate only by comparison — ruled that…
