Cover Story
Black Detroiters are fleeing the city at an alarming rate
This is the first part of an ongoing series about racial and economic disparities in Detroit. Marcus Carey feels “perpetually stuck.” Despite having a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Howard University and plenty of experience in real estate, finance, and tech, Carey can’t find a good job in Detroit. “It’s tough to find opportunities…
Why Hell Fire Detroit’s ‘Hot Ones’-famous sauce is on fire, and more dining scene views
Chowhound is a bi-weekly column about what’s trending in Detroit food culture. Tips: eat@metrotimes.com. What’s so hot about hot sauces? Developed by a pharmacist in 1912, The Scoville Scale’s long since become the standard by which hot pepper potency is measured from varietal to varietal. The ubiquitous jalapeño, for example, rings in at an average…
Bailiffs violently clash with housing activists in Detroit to evict a terminally ill woman
Wayne County bailiffs and their movers violently removed housing activists who had locked arms to form a human wall on Tuesday to defend a Black woman from being evicted from her home in Detroit. The men punched activists in the face, pulled them to the ground by their hair, and kicked them during several clashes…
Thornetta Davis, Dave McMurray to headline Jazzin’ at the Vanity fest
Jazzin’ at the Vanity is set for June 10-11 this year. The free, outdoor jazz and blues festival takes over Detroit’s Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood for two days of music, vendors, food, and family-friendly activities. It returned for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. This year, headliners include Detroit’s Queen of the Blues Thornetta…
Danny Brown thanks fans and supporters during rehab stint
Last month, Danny Brown announced that he was checking himself into rehab for alcohol addiction. On Tuesday, the Detroit-bred rapper checked in with fans and on Twitter thanking them for their support during this time. “Thank to everyone showing love for me during this time don’t worry imma be back stronger than ever … everything’s…
An anti-trans moral panic led Kid Rock to shoot Bud Light cans with a semi-automatic rifle
Kid Rock shot up cases of Bud Light in a viral video as an apparent response to the beer’s parent company Anheuser-Busch teaming up with a transgender influencer and activist for a promotional campaign. While Kid Rock didn’t mention the reason for his violent tantrum, Bud Light’s partnership with Dylan Mulvaney has caused uproar among…
Skymint regains control over dispensaries amid receivership troubles, prepares for 4/20 prize giveaway
Skymint is chugging on despite being under receivership. The Lansing-based cannabis company has reopened three dispensaries that were caught in a legal battle with 3Fifteen Cannabis and is gearing up for a massive weed giveaway in the lead-up to 4/20. Skymint entered a court-appointed receivership in March following a lawsuit by Canadian investment firm Tropics…
How to Do Opening Day Like a Real Detroiter
As spring approaches, Detroit baseball fans eagerly anticipate the annual Opening Day. This year, the city will come alive with excitement as fans celebrate their beloved team’s return to Comerica Park. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just looking to enjoy the festivities, WYNK Seltzer + THC, has got you covered. WYNK’s THC and CBD-infused…
Body found near Cedar Point in 1980 identified as Michigan woman using new DNA testing
Thanks to funding for new DNA testing for cold cases, police say they have finally identified the body of a woman found on the beach near Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio on March 30, 1980 — precisely 43 years to the day of the discovery. According to officials, the woman was Patricia Eleanor Greenwood, who…
Gaylord revokes marijuana dispensary license
The city of Gaylord revoked the retail marijuana license of an Exclusive Brands dispensary last week for violating city ordinance violations. Since Wednesday, 25 employees are out of a job while the dispensary exercises the option to appeal to the city within 30 days. Narmin Jarrous, chief development officer at Exclusive Brands, told The Center…
On new EP, Detroit’s 2Lanes shares the ‘most raw and personal music I have ever released’
Got a Detroit music tip? Send it to music@metrotimes.com. 2Lanes goes deep: Detroit’s hard-groove cowboy 2Lanes is warming up record store shelves with some fresh heat this week via his new 12-inch Sid Ranger Redux. “I am very excited to share my most raw and personal music I have ever released,” says the producer. “It…
The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre announces its 2023 concert lineup
A concert at the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre (formerly Chene Park) is one of those things that defines summer in Detroit. The venue has announced its 2023 concert lineup and the return of its mid-week concert series Jazzy Nights. “It’s going to be another great summer in Detroit, and we’re excited to bring some of the…
Activists ready to defend Detroit woman facing eviction from tiny home
Housing rights activists are stationed outside of the home of a Black woman with a terminal illness to defend her against what they’re calling a “retaliatory eviction” on Detroit’s west side. Taura Brown, 44, is being kicked out of her 317-square-foot home that is part of a community of unique tiny houses in the Dexter-Linwood…
‘Mojo in the Morning’ co-host Spike says he’s parting ways after more than 23 years
A co-host on Michigan’s long-running Mojo in the Morning says after more than 20 years he’s left the talk show. “I am no longer on the Mojo In The Morning show,” Spike wrote on his Facebook page. “For more than 23 years, it has been a dream come true to entertain you. I never took…
Detroit’s JARS Cannabis rebrands as adult-use dispensary
JARS Cannabis celebrated the launch of adult-use sales at its Detroit flagship store with a “grand re-opening celebration” on Friday. The party featured food trucks, swag giveaways, and deals including a 31.3% discount. The store opened in 2020 for medical marijuana patients only. In a statement, JARS Cannabis general manager Monty Kattula said the store…
Lapointe: It’s about time — baseball fast-forwards into the past
Forget, for the moment, that the Tigers’ opened the 2023 season with a wretched three-game losing streak at Tampa Bay. Imagine, instead, balmy days of mid-season, when their home games start at their new weeknight time of 6:40 p.m. under baseball’s brisk, new pace of play. A Comerica Park game could end in two hours…
Grand Rapids named one of the most ‘beautiful and affordable’ places in the U.S.
Michigan’s No. 2 city ranked No. 2 on a national list for its beauty and affordability. Travel + Leisure recently named Grand Rapids one of the 10 most “beautiful and affordable” places in the United States. The magazine based its findings on lists compiled by U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 and 2023 rankings, which…
Detroit launches program to help renters become homeowners
The city of Detroit unveiled a plan Thursday to help as many 400 renters buy a home with up to $25,000 in downpayment assistance. The Downpayment Assistance Program, which is funded by $6 million from the American Rescue Protection Act (ARPA), is intended for lower- and middle-income residents who can afford mortgage payments. While primarily…
Detroit stops Grosse Pointe Park foundation from demolishing building along historic land
Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration ordered a Grosse Pointe Park foundation to stop demolishing a building this week along a historic stretch of land in Detroit. The Urban Renewal Initiative Foundation failed to get a permit to raze the former Grosse Pointe Park Department of Public Works building that is partially located in Detroit at the…
Report: Black workers need more opportunities for apprenticeships
Labor leaders and various industries recently celebrated the 85th anniversary of a federal law that laid the groundwork for registered apprenticeship programs in Michigan and across the country. However, policy experts say meaningful opportunities are still hard to come by for Black workers. Apprenticeships are positions where workers earn wages as they train for a…
Zoe Beaudry wants to open your chakras in latest exhibit ‘And And And And’
This feature highlights a different local artist each week. Got someone in mind you think deserves the spotlight? Hit us up at arts@metrotimes.com. Artist of the week: Zoe Beaudry Zoe Beaudry is deeply dissatisfied with the lack of connection between human beings in our conscious state. “On every level — an interpersonal level but also…
FDA approves Narcan for over-the-counter use
A life-saving medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses will soon become way easier to get. The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved naloxone, or Narcan Nasal Spray, for over-the-counter use. Naloxone has been available at most Michigan pharmacies without prescriptions since 2017, after the legislature passed a standing order to allow…
How a former construction worker became Detroit’s biggest small business advocate
Need advice on how to run a small business and market your products? Ask Jennyfer Crawford. Seriously, ask her. More than likely, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Small Business Advocacy” knows how to help. Crawford created All Things Detroit Day, the massive Eastern Market shopping experience with exclusively local businesses. When we say massive, we’re talking…
ARPA funds saved 4,200 occupied Detroit homes from being foreclosed
More than 4,200 homes in Detroit that were at risk of being foreclosed for delinquent property taxes won’t be seized because of an unprecedented partnership between activists and government officials. The Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF), a new federally funded state program, provided more than $12 million to Detroit homeowners who were behind on their…
Gov. Whitmer: ‘Michigan’s not a blue state’
Despite holding a trifecta of power for the first time in 40 years, state Democrats say they aren’t taking their newfound power for granted and downplayed Michigan’s perception as a Democratic stronghold. “No! Michigan’s not a blue state,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently told the New York Times. She added, “It would be a mistake for…
Detroit’s WSU makes it easier for former students to return, finish degree
Everyone starts college with pretty much the same dream — to earn a degree and have a better life. But sometimes life gets in the way, and dreams get postponed. One institution, Wayne State University, has developed a program to help students who left with debt and no diploma come back and finish what they…
Due to demand, food trucks return to downtown Detroit earlier than usual
Organizers say Detroit’s Downtown Street Eats food truck rally is returning one month earlier in order to meet lunchtime demand. The program kicks off on Monday, April 10 this year and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through October. More than 80 food trucks will be parked on a rotating basis along Cadillac…
YumVillage is taking over El Club’s kitchen with ‘Afro-Caribbean bar food’
YumVillage is coming to Southwest Detroit by way of El Club starting April 1. The Detroit-born Afro-Caribbean restaurant is taking over the music venue’s kitchen for the next six months. You won’t find YumVillage’s popular rice bowls on offer, however. Instead, owner and chef Godwin Ihentuge is planning to trick out the menu with curry…
While most Detroiters support reparations, a majority of white residents do not
Detroiters are far more likely to support reparations for systemic racial discrimination if they believe inequality still exists, according to a new University of Michigan survey that also found disparity in support for reparations based on the race of the respondents. Nearly three-quarters of residents who believe the legacy of slavery and discrimination continues to…
Thank Trump, Michigan senators for Silicon Valley Bank collapse
As fallout from the March Silicon Valley Bank collapse continues to ripple through the financial sector, many industry experts and politicians are pointing to one of the likely root causes — the 2018 rollback of the Dodd-Frank law put in place during the Great Recession, which provided stricter regulation of mid-sized banks. Then-President Donald Trump…
Feds postpone permit to build Line 5 tunnel under Great Lakes
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced an 18-month delay in permitting a controversial oil-tunnel construction project under the Great Lakes. Federal engineers said they need the extra time to study the massive volume of public comments submitted about the project. Sean McBrearty, campaign coordinator for the conservation group Oil and Water Don’t Mix,…
Free Will Astrology (March 29-April 4)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Sometimes, I give you suggestions that may, if you carry them out, jostle your routines and fluster your allies. But after trying out the new approaches for a short time, you may chicken out and revert to old habits. That’s understandable! It can be difficult to change your life. Here’s an…
