Cover Story
In northwest Detroit, a people-powered food pantry restores dignity for stunned neighbors, one box of oatmeal at a time
Inside a house of worship lies a house for dignity. Cleanliness feels sacrosanct, and here people can shop for food without the shadow of shame. On this first Monday in May at Brightmoor Connection Food Pantry, Rev. Roslyn Bouier isn’t waiting for saviors. The pantry’s executive director sees an aggravating cycle of scarcity. “It is…
Federal judge orders Enbridge to shut down Line 5 in three years, pay tribe $5 million
Enbridge Inc. must shut down its Line 5 pipeline within three years and pay more than $5 million in profits to the Chippewa Indians Bad River Band, a federal judge in Madison ruled Friday. Judge William Conley reaffirmed his September 2022 ruling upholding the tribe’s claim that Enbridge has been trespassing on its land since…
New fast-food ‘Bob’s Big Boy’ spin-off coming to metro Detroit
The Big Boy restaurant chain’s iconic overalls-wearing mascot used to be an ubiquitous sight across the U.S. — especially here in the Detroit area, where the nearly 90-year-old company is headquartered. At its height there were nearly 1,000 Big Boys across the country, but their number has declined precipitously over the years as dining tastes…
Herbology launches Ypsilanti cannabis dispensary
Herbology Cannabis Co. is opening its newest adult-use dispensary in Ypsilanti, with grand opening festivities beginning Friday. The dispensary at 915 W. Michigan Ave. is giving away a free ounce of flower for the first 100 customers on each day, starting at 1 p.m., between Friday and Sunday. The grand opening festivities will feature DJs,…
Oak Park’s old-school Star Bakery is closing up shop
A Jewish staple in Oak Park that’s been around for generations is shutting its doors in July. Star Bakery at 26031 Coolidge Highway will serve its last loaf of rye on July 2. Owners Daniel Buckfire, David Schechter, and Stacy Fox cite rising costs of ingredients and labor for the closure, noting lingering difficulties from…
Local Buzz: Zilched drops new single with aptly gothic music video
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it it music@metrotimes.com. New single from Zilched: “I wrote most of the song at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit around the time it had been flooding in the city,” says Zilched, aka Chloe Drallos, of latest single “The Flood.” With the first single off of her upcoming album Earthly Delights,…
Red Bull Unlocked Detroit puts a spotlight on Detroit’s diverse bars, clubs and entertainers for one-night-only celebration at the Russell Industrial Center
Let’s be honest, a lot can happen in one night, especially in Detroit. You may not have had definitive plans aside from catching some serious FOMO from the comfort of your social media scrolling, but in a Detroit instant you may just find yourself dining at one of the city’s newest hot spots and, before…
Protesters stage Hamtramck rally after city banned Pride flags
LGBTQ+ residents and allies plan to converge on Hamtramck City Hall on Saturday afternoon to protest the all-male, Muslim city council’s decision to ban the Pride flag from all city properties. In response, Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib on Sunday pledged the city would not budge and baselessly suggested the protesters were outside agitators. “In the…
Here’s the music schedule for Hazel Park’s Sandbar Summerfest
Are you ready for Sandbar Summerfest? This new Metro Times event transforms Hazel Park into a tropical getaway with music, refreshments, games, and more. The block party will be held on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25 at John R Road and Nine Mile Road, adjacent to the newly reopened Eastern Palace Club, our…
Lapointe: On the political freeway, Trump accelerates his police-chase phase
More than six years ago, after Donald Trump upset Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, some wise guy wrote: “It is as if it is closing time at the bar and we have tossed our car keys to the biggest, loudest, meanest drunk in the joint and said to him, ‘Here, Butch, you get us…
LIV Cannabis Co.’s Detroit dispensary celebrates grand opening
One of Detroit’s first adult-use cannabis dispensaries is getting ready to open for business. LIV Cannabis Co., located at 12604 E. Jefferson Ave., is set to celebrate with a grand opening party on Saturday, June 17. The party is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. with deals, giveaways, food trucks and other vendors, and…
Warren councilman goes on homophobic rant, votes against anti-discrimination ordinance
A Trump-loving Warren city councilman launched into a homophobic and transphobic rant this week moments before his colleagues voted on an anti-discrimination ordinance. Councilman Eddie Kabacinski voted “absolutely not” on the ordinance, falsely claiming that LGBTQ+ people are “preying on the youth of our society to change their gender.” “For religious reasons, I cannot get…
Inagural Stevie Wonder tribute festival kickoffs at CCS this summer
Detroit’s newest summer festival will honor one of Motown’s greats. The inaugural “Health, Love & Music Festival: A Tribute to Stevie Wonder” is slated for Saturday, July 22 on the College for Creative Studies campus from 1-7 p.m. It will include a live performance from R&B singer Alise King, food trucks, a gospel choir competition,…
Detroit Zoo animals got Buddy’s Pizza for lunch
Even zoo animals like Buddy’s Pizza. In honor of National Detroit-Style Pizza Day, Buddy’s Pizza hit up the Detroit Zoo to give the animals a special treat. Polar bears, wolves, and grizzlies were all treated to lunch from the originator of Detroit-style pizza. (The pies were made animal-friendly, so don’t worry about the ingredients hurting…
Metro Detroit cities rally behind LGBTQ+ residents after Hamtramck’s Pride flag ban
Leaders of cities neighboring Hamtramck sent a clear message to LGBTQ+ residents this week: You are welcome here. The remarks came after the all-Muslim Hamtramck City Council banned Pride flags from all city properties. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan underscored that the state’s largest city displays its Pride flag outside of city hall. “The City of…
After White House meeting, Brinks says Michigan Legislature will take on abortion TRAP laws
Several Michigan lawmakers joined their colleagues in other states at the White House Thursday to talk about victories and barriers in expanding access to reproductive health care. It was a good opportunity to look at what other states are implementing and hear about what is coming down the pipeline on a federal level, state Senate…
Bakpak Durden’s ‘Intermedium’ is a cerebral experiment in time travel
Thank you for reading the Intermedium travel experience guidebook. You’ve come a long way, and we have quite the journey ahead of us. We’re going to be traveling through Detroit artist Bakpak Durden’s latest exhibit Intermedium at the University of Michigan’s Stamps Gallery. In this exhibit, the artist has developed a series of paintings, photos,…
Michigan bans hair-based discrimination
Whether it’s in twists, box braids or cornrows, Michigan’s civil rights laws now will include bans on race-based discrimination due to how someone wears their hair. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act into law in Lansing on Thursday, alongside Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), who introduced…
Fake grades scandal at University of Michigan leads to accreditation board investigation
The accreditation board that monitors the University of Michigan is investigating allegations that the school’s administration pressured department chairs to falsify grades while graduate student instructors were on strike over a labor dispute. In a letter last week, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) advised the graduate student instructors that it is reviewing complaints that false…
WOOD-TV asks reporters to tone down Pride Month coverage because of conservative viewers
So far, Pride Month is off to a pretty bad start in Michigan. We’re only halfway through it and already all-Muslim City Council of Hamtramck voted unanimously to ban Pride flags from flying on city property, while someone swapped the books in the LGBTQ+ display at Ferndale’s public library with religious materials. Now, we’ve learned…
Judge stops Highland Park from issuing adult-use cannabis licenses following lawsuit
A judge has temporarily blocked the city of Highland Park from issuing licenses to recreational marijuana businesses following a lawsuit that alleges the city’s controversial cannabis ordinance is illegal. Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Denise Qiana Lillard issued a temporary restraining order Monday in what could be the first step before the ordinance is struck…
Achatz made a Faygo-flavored Rock and Rye Pie
Here’s a made-in-Michigan match we didn’t know we needed. Armada-based Achatz Handmade Pie Co. joined forces with Detroit’s Faygo to make a Rock and Rye Pie. The “mini pies” are five inches in diameter and feature a traditional pie crust with a filling made from Faygo’s vanilla and cherry Rock and Rye pop. The pies…
Pink FlaminGo To Go is finally a go in Detroit’s Palmer Park
Life hasn’t been particularly fair to Pink FlaminGo To Go, the brick and mortar space that grew out of the popular Corktown food truck of a similar name. Chef-owner Meiko Krishok in late 2019 opened the restaurant in a former Bread Basket Deli across from Detroit’s Palmer Park, but an attempted break-in a few months…
Hamtramck City Council bans Pride flag from city property
The all-Muslim Hamtramck City Council on Tuesday banned LGBTQ+ Pride flags from being flown on all city properties, drawing criticism that the diverse city chose bigotry over inclusivity. The so-called “neutrality flag resolution” also prohibits the display of religious, ethnic, racial, and political flags and states that the city won’t provide “special treatment to any…
Parking issues at Pine Knob caused fans to miss the Cure’s sold-out concert
By all accounts, English rock band the Cure played an excellent show at Pine Knob Music Theatre on Tuesday night — its first in the Detroit area in nearly 20 years. For the true goths in attendance at the sold-out concert, the rainy night at the outdoor amphitheater only enhanced the experience. However, a good…
Alice Cooper will drop new album ‘Road’ in August
School’s not out yet for Alice Cooper as the Detroit shock rocker announced he’s releasing a new album this summer. Cooper’s latest effort, Road, will drop on earMUSIC on August 25. While it’s still considered a solo album, Road features his longtime bandmates Ryan Roxie, Nita Strauss, and Tommy Henriksen on guitars, Chuck Garric on…
Detroit Metro Times archives to be digitized by WSU’s Walter P. Reuther Library
Soon, a new generation will be able to see what life in metro Detroit was like in the 1980s and ’90s — or “What’s happenin’,” as the earliest issues of Detroit Metro Times phrased it. On Tuesday, Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library officially announced it will digitize a significant portion of the Metro…
Free Will Astrology (June 14-20)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries-born Vincent van Gogh’s painting “The Potato Eaters” shows five people in a dark room barely illuminated by lamplight. Seated around a small table, they use their hands to eat food they have grown themselves. Vincent wanted to convey the idea that they “dug the earth with the very hands they…
