Cover Story
The case for raising animals in Detroit
Detroit Farm and Cider was transforming an entire block in the Dexter-Linwood neighborhood into something the city had never seen before. It would be the only cider mill within city limits and, reportedly, the first Black-owned mill in the country. The farm hosted children’s equestrian programs, farming workshops, and farm-to-table brunches at its four-acre property.…
Tlaib intensifies anti-genocide message after Israel invades Rafah
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib slammed her colleagues Tuesday for continuing to send billions of dollars in aid to Israel after the invasion of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing. Tlaib condemned her colleagues and President Joe Biden for sending billions in aid “with absolutely no conditions on upholding human rights.” Fears are mounting that Israel is…
Detroit’s Slum Village has ‘F.U.N.’ on upbeat new LP
There are few artists that exemplify the spirit of Detroit: Motown… Eminem… and Slum Village. The legendary hip-hop group gave us the gift of J Dilla, Baatin, and a cache of hit songs and anthems. Earlier this month, SV released a new disco-inspired album aptly titled F.U.N. It’s the first LP from the group in…
Epiphany – Nain Rouge Kitchen opens in former Smith & Co. space
A new restaurant has opened at Midtown’s 644 Selden Street building — its third dining concept in five years. Dubbed “Epiphany – Nain Rouge Kitchen,” the restaurant is run by the nonprofit Soil2Service and is adjacent to the Nain Rouge Brewery. Both are named after the mythical red dwarf from Detroit folklore. The space formerly…
‘No Mow May’ takes root in Michigan
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Walking around Traverse City, it’s hard to miss the yard signs with a smiling cartoon bee proclaiming “No Mow May.” The signs are part of a conservation initiative aimed at raising awareness of how lawn care can impact…
Detroit rappers help Tigers unveil new uniforms
On Monday, the Detroit Tigers released a new hip-hop-inspired video highlighting their new “City Connect” uniforms. The video features several players driving through Detroit where they meet up at a warehouse for a cipher-like hip-hop show. The video features emcees P.L., Stretch Money, Valid, and GMAC Cash, with a cameo by none other than Eminem…
Brian McKnight’s Detroit concert canceled following ‘deadbeat behavior’ controversy
R&B singer Brian McKnight has been criticized as of late for being a deadbeat father, and Detroiters made it clear that they are not fans, potentially influencing the cancellation of his upcoming Motor City show. The 54-year-old vocalist is estranged from his older biological children, a situation made messier recently due to multiple incidents, such…
Lapointe: Has the RenCen’s future come and gone?
My favorite Renaissance Center moment came in the mid-1980s when Detroit Mayor Coleman Young spoke there at a long-forgotten public event. The RenCen was a proud achievement for the Motor City’s chief executive in that era and it had just undergone one of its periodic interior renovations. “It’s beautiful,” the mayor said, “but I still…
Found Footage Festival celebrates 20 years with tour stop at Hamtramck’s Planet Ant
You’ve seen America’s Funniest Home Videos. The Found Footage Festival is kind of like that, but weirder. Its creators bill it as “the world’s largest collection of strange, outrageous and profoundly stupid videos.” The show is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a tour, which stops by Hamtramck’s Planet Ant on Sunday. The festival is the…
Cops crack down on U-M anti-war protesters
On Friday, May 3, Michigan State Police responded to a tense but peaceful protest by University of Michigan students outside the U-M Museum of Art (UMMA) with pepper spray and physical force. Members of the U-M Board of Regents, who have refused to officially respond to student requests for a meeting to discuss university divestment…
Wayne State faculty, staff condemn ‘racist assault’ on protesters who demanded divestment from Israel
More than 100 faculty and staff members at Wayne State University denounced a “racist assault” on protesters demanding the school divest from companies linked to Israel. In an open letter this week, the employees condemned WSU President Kimberly Espy and the Board of Governors for their silence as campus police forcibly removed protesters from a…
High-end Modern Mexican eatery spices up Cass Corridor
A long-abandoned building in the Cass Corridor is now a high-end Modern Mexican eatery serving the traditional flavors of Mexico City and Oaxaca. Vecino, which means “neighbor” in Spanish, opened on April 19 and is unlike anything in metro Detroit. Using organic, heirloom corn from Mexico, Vecino makes tortillas, quesadillas, tostadas, sope, and tlayuda through…
More than 80 food trucks are coming to downtown Detroit
Detroit’s food truck season kicks off next week. The Downtown Street Eats food truck rally launches Monday, with a rotation of dozens of food trucks and other local restaurants in Cadillac Square and the Woodward Esplanade. The food trucks will be available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays through Oct. 10, as well as during special…
Detroit’s only Black-run grocery co-op opens, welcomes throngs of shoppers
Detroit People’s Food Co-Op, a Black-run, full-scale grocery store, has arrived on Woodward Avenue in Detroit’s North End. The store opened its doors for the first time Wednesday, welcoming hundreds of eager shoppers in just the first hour. The idea behind the ambitious undertaking, which took years of preparation, was to expand food access to…
Someday merges culinary and visual arts in Detroit’s North End
Walking into Someday, a new art gallery and bakehouse in Detroit’s North End, you’ll be embraced like a close friend. The space merges culinary and visual arts, all seamlessly blended with an essence of “inner child energy.” In March, Someday opened at 2857 E. Grand Blvd., connected to the comic book store Vault of Midnight.…
Here’s how to get $25 tickets to 170+ Michigan shows this summer
Music fans can score tickets to some of this summer’s hottest concerts for just $25, all-in. Now in its 10th year, Live Nation’s Concert Week promotion features discounted tickets to more than 170 shows in Michigan, including acts like Missy Elliott, Vampire Weekend, Jennifer Lopez, the Roots, Santana, Janet Jackson, Orville Peck, Thirty Seconds to…
Free Will Astrology (May 1-7)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The world’s record for jumping rope in six inches of mud is held by an Aries. Are you surprised? I’m not. So is the world’s record for consecutive wallops administered to a plastic inflatable punching doll. Other top accomplishments performed by Aries people: longest distance walking on one’s hands, number of…
