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70 things we’ve learned during quarantine (and hope to remember afterward)
Chances are, if you are a human on the planet Earth, you’ve recently spent six weeks (or more) in some type of quarantine — self-imposed, government-mandated or a combination of both. Unless, of course, you’re a health care worker, essential employee, or have other extenuating circumstances that meant you couldn’t safely lock yourself away at…
Why reporter M.L. Elrick supports the Metro Times Press Club
I’ve been a fan of the Metro Times long before 2014, when they named me “Best Local Journalist Who’s Not Charlie LeDuff,” a category that I understand has since been retired from the annual “Reader’s Choice” poll. My relationship with the paper goes back to the 1980s, when it was really the only place to…
Michigan becomes the fourth state to surpass 5,000 coronavirus deaths
Michigan topped 5,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, with 102 new fatalities reported in the past day. The actual number of coronavirus patients who died in the past 24 hours was 59. The other 43 deaths came from a review of backlogged death certificates. Michigan’s death rate peaked in mid-April, when 148 people on average died…
Zombo pulls the plug on Theatre Bizarre this year, promises vengeance-fueled return in 2021
There you have it, folks. The pandemic officially canceled Halloween and all things hedonistic, and honestly, we want Satan to choke us. The greatest masquerade on Earth, better known as Theatre Bizarre, is officially canceled. According to a post on Tuesday, organizers said they tried to envision what the post-COVID-19 world would look like come…
‘Movement at Home’ Memorial Day weekend livestream will feature Carl Craig, Kevin Saunderson, Matthew Dear, and more
Detroit’s Movement electronic music festival is postponed due to the coronavirus — but until we can safely dance at Hart Plaza, we can at least pretend. Producers Paxahau will honor the electronic music festival’s long-running Memorial Day weekend date with a “Movement at Home” livestream. The event, which will be streamed on Paxahau’s website and…
‘Everybody Vs COVID-19 Unity Festival’ livestream to feature Big Sean, Mayer Hawthorne, Sada Baby, and more
Made-in-Detroit artists like Big Sean will appear as part of a just-announced two-day “Everybody Vs COVID-19 Unity Festival” on May 29 and 30. A partnership between the City of Detroit and Detroit Vs Everybody, the livestreamed festival will raise awareness about COVID-19 and encourage Detroiters to fill out the 2020 Census. In all, the fest…
Oh, health yeah! Michigan brewer launches Healthcare Heroes Beer
Healthcare workers are going to need to crack a cold one when this is all over. And thanks to a Michigan brewery, they’ll be able to sip on a frosty brew dedicated to their hard work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Joining the trio of tribute beers brewed and released by Holland-based Big Lake Brewing is…
Coronavirus was spreading in Michigan at least 10 days before the first case was confirmed
Hundreds of Michigan residents were infected with the coronavirus before the state confirmed its first case on March 10, according to state data. State health officials identified 13 people who were exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms on March 1, which means they were infected before then and had the potential to spread the virus. The number of…
Founders Brewing Co. re-opens Detroit and Grand Rapids taprooms for curbside pickup
Founders Brewing Co. is re-opening its taprooms in Detroit and Grand Rapids — for curbside delivery only, due to the coronavirus. The taprooms are set to open Thursday after being forced to close in March due to the coronavirus crisis. The Grand Rapids taproom is open for beer and food pickup, but a representative told…
Southwest Detroit’s Honey Bee Market will close for six days to give employees paid vacation
While big-box grocery retailers drag their feet in reluctantly giving their essential workers pay increases and other benefits to help weather the COVID-19 pandemic, Honey Bee La Colmena in Southwest Detroit is giving its “busy bees” a much-needed break. The meticulously stocked market — and home to copious containers of in-house made guacamole — at…
Michigan mailing absentee ballot applications for the August, November elections to every active voter
Michigan election officials will mail absentee ballot applications to all 7.7 million active voters in the state to make it easier for them to vote without showing up in person to the August and November elections. “By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to…
Detroit Zoo reportedly losing $2.5 million per month since closing due to coronavirus
Since closing in mid-March in compliance with coronavirus-related statewide stay-at-home orders, the Detroit Zoo reports it has lost $2.5 million per month. Though the zoo remains closed to the public, 24/7 care continues for the 2,500 animals it houses, amid staffing cuts and budget concerns. Detroit Zoological Society CEO Ron Kagan told Fox 2 News…
Whitmer lifts some coronavirus restrictions in northern Michigan and U.P. as new cases plummet
As the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths in Michigan continues to plummet, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she’s relaxing some restrictions in northern part of the state. Starting Friday, bars and restaurants will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity in the entire U.P. and in 17 northern Michigan counties. The businesses…
Gage Cannabis Co. is expanding to Lansing
Gage Cannabis Co. will open its fourth Michigan store in Lansing on Friday, May 22. The store, which is open to medical marijuana card-holders only at this time, is located at 3425 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. The company says it plans to eventually offer recreational marijuana sales. Due to the coronavirus, it is open…
The tragic backstory behind Chuck E. Cheese’s new ‘premium’ takeout pizza
Why is it that so many children’s stories are synonymous with suffering? We’re talking lots of dead dogs, dying trees, a dead spider, and one existentially doomed stuffed rabbit. But perhaps no story is as tragic as that of orphaned rat-turned-entrepreneur Chuck E. Cheese, who recently launched a new premium pizza brand so that he…
Marijuana dispensary New Standard donates $10,000 to Hazel Park for Main Street Relief Fund
Talk about making a green space. Marijuana dispensary New Standard presented Hazel Park City Councilman Mike McFall a $10,000 check last week to support the city’s Main Street Relief Fund, which will be matched by funding from Oakland County for downtown retail businesses. New Standard CEO Howard Luckoff says an additional donation for a local…
Housing advocates press for rental and mortgage assistance program
Housing advocates predict a massive wave of evictions and foreclosures once the moratorium on evictions is lifted, unless the state puts together a comprehensive program to assist families thrown out of work by the COVID-19 crisis. Michigan is home to more than 2.5 million renters and many are suffering. Kirsten Elliott, vice president of development…
ICYMI: Metro Times report on violent anti-Whitmer Facebook groups is making waves
On Monday, Metro Times reported on private Facebook groups where members called for violence against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in graphic, disturbing detail — a violation of the company’s policy against hate speech. The story had an immediate and far-reaching impact. Whitmer addressed Metro Times’ reporting directly at a press conference that day, calling on Republicans…
Justin Amash no longer seeking Libertarian Party bid for president
Well, that was fast. Less than three weeks after announcing he was exploring running for president as the Libertarian Party candidate, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash has now dropped out of the race. The former Republican and Grands Rapids-based Congressman made the announcement on Twitter on Saturday. “After much reflection, I’ve concluded that circumstances don’t lend…
After backlash, Kroger offers workers additional coronavirus ‘thank you’ bonus
Kroger has agreed to pay its full-time workers a $400 bonus and its part-time workers a $200 bonus as “Thank You Pay” for working during the coronavirus pandemic. The $130 million deal follows a $2 per hour “Hero Bonus” the company started paying in late March with an initial planned duration through April 18. That…
Michigan is a long way from returning to normal, despite progress in coronavirus battle, Whitmer cautions
Although Michigan is making good progress combating the coronavirus, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday warned that prematurely reopening the economy and schools could cause a second deadly wave “that could make what we’ve just done look easy.” Since the coronavirus outbreak began two months ago, Michigan has recorded more than 50,000 positive COVID-19 cases and…
As White Bee, singer-songwriter Shannon Barnes fuses funk, rock, and jazz vocal stylings on debut full-length
Shannon Barnes learned early in life that music mends the soul. The act of singing is among her earliest memories. Emotions, whether celebratory or cathartic, were always channeled through the voice. “I was really raised to sing,” she says. “I loved to sing as a kid and I loved performing. I would do all the…
New Battle Creek dispensary will offer recreational marijuana delivery all the way to metro Detroit
A new Battle Creek dispensary plans to begin offering home delivery of recreational and medical marijuana products all the way to metro Detroit, a roughly 120-mile, one-way trip. Beginning Thursday, Quality Roots will launch its recreational sales and next-day delivery service to metro Detroit. Same-day delivery is available for customers in the Calhoun County area.…
Detroit man charged with making alleged death threats against Gov. Whitmer and AG Nessel
A 32-year-old Detroit man was arrested and charged for allegedly threatening to kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel. Robert Sinclair Tesh was charged on April 22 with false report of threat of terrorism, a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday. Prosecutors allege…
Whitmer may allow small gatherings by the end of May if coronavirus cases continue to shrink
As the state gets better control of the coronavirus, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that she may ease some social-distancing measures so residents can visit friends and family. “My hope is at the end of this month we can maybe permit gatherings of 10 or less,” Whitmer said during a Facebook Live interview with MLive.…
Here’s how you can stream films from Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca, and Toronto film festivals
You don’t need to be an A-lister or a foot-loving director to catch some of the many films that once hit the big screen at international film festivals. Hell, you don’t even have to leave your house … or your sweats. Since March, the coronavirus pandemic has forced entire industries to a standstill, including those…
The DIA is now selling a face mask depicting ‘The Scream,’ which just about sums up how we feel these days
“Exit through the gift shop” has a new meaning with this slightly apocalyptic face mask on sale from the Detroit Institute of Arts. The museum announced on Friday a new line of fine-art-themed face masks for art aficionados who want to comply with coronavirus prevention guidelines in style. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…
Lansing’s armed protesters are a hot potato nobody knows how to deal with — except for Trump
On Thursday, dozens of protesters — some brandishing guns, and at least one brandishing an ax — gathered at the Capitol, demanding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer end her coronavirus stay-at-home order, which they say is killing the economy and limiting their freedom. (Or “FREEEDOM!!!” as one large banner put it.) It was the third such gathering…
Axes and AKs: Fashion had a major moment at the Nazi LARP at Michigan’s Capitol
Curious what’s hot for fall? Look no further than the hundreds of trendsetters, fashionistas, human mayonnaise packets, and armed militia who strutted their stuff — and defied Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her coronavirus “sham-demic” policies — on the Capitol steps on Thursday. Watch out, Paris fashion week! Take a hike, New York! Go back to…
Detroit right-to-literacy settlement includes payments to student plaintiffs, $94.4M proposed legislation for district
In the wee hours of Thursday morning, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office sent out a press release saying that a settlement had been reached in the landmark lawsuit in which Detroit students sued the state, arguing that they were denied their fundamental right to an education while the schools were under state-appointed emergency management. Under the…
Detroit’s 2020 Mo Pop festival called off due to coronavirus
It’s unsurprising but official: Detroit’s 2020 Mo Pop Festival has been canceled — due, of course, to the coronavirus. The festival made the announcement on social media on Thursday, saying “it is the right thing to do.” “We are deeply disappointed to announce that Mo Pop 2020 will not be taking place, due to the…
Green Peak Innovations launches new Two Joints flower line in support of marijuana crime expungement
Smoking weed is cool. But smoking weed and working to release people behind bars for marijuana-related crimes is even cooler. Green Peak Innovations, Michigan’s largest vertically integrated marijuana company, has launched a new affordable flower line in partnership with the Last Prisoner Project Clemency Initiative, a criminal-justice reform nonprofit with a focus on record expungement and…
Join the Metro Times Press Club and help us continue to bring alternative news to Detroit
We’re not dead yet. In March, Metro Times — like many other businesses in Michigan and beyond — was dealt a powerful blow by the arrival of the coronavirus. Officials ordered most of the economy shut down to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus, and as concerts were canceled and bars and restaurants…
Thursday’s armed rally in Lansing presents ‘powder keg dynamic,’ AG warns
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed concerns about a possible coronavirus outbreak among protesters who plan to rally with no masks Thursday at the Capitol in defiance of social-distancing measures. “When people congregate, they take it back to their communities,” Whitmer said at a news conference Wednesday. “We’ve seen that over and over again.” The number of…
Ferndale’s first recreational marijuana sales set to begin at LIV
Ferndale’s first recreational marijuana store will soon be open for business. Recreational sales start at LIV Cannabis Company on Friday May 15. Any adult age 21 or older can purchase, no medical marijuana card needed. According to a press release, LIV will offer curbside pick-up and some home delivery. And the company will give away…
Everyone is extremely horny for the Blue Angels — except me
On Tuesday, the Navy’s Blue Angels flew over Detroit as part of a nationwide “salute” to coronavirus frontline workers, leaving a trail of swooning Michiganders in their wake. (And also chemtrails … maybe.) Basically, it seems like everyone is extremely horny for these six F/A-18 Hornets. Just look at the Free Press’s breathless headline: “In…
You can now get pizza again from Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizzeria and Deli in Midtown
If you’re like us, then you miss nomming on big ol’ floppy pizza slices from Midtown’s Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizzeria & Deli. While it may be a long time until we’re sliding our greasy pizza fingers into some bowling ball holes at the Garden Bowl, the wait is over for pizza time, at least. Located in…
Michigan aims to save $80 million by temporarily furloughing 31,000 employees through July
The State of Michigan announced Wednesday that it would temporarily lay off more than half of all state employees to compensate for the state’s growing deficit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that those 31,000 employees expected to be impacted — which do not include state-employed frontline workers, such as…
Praise be to bread — Detroit’s Avalon International Breads announces reopening
In non-crummy news — but also deliciously crumby — Avalon International Bread’s flagship bakery in the Cass Corridor has announced its plans to reopen for curbside pick-up and takeout services because maybe god isn’t dead after all. “We are thrilled/relieved/nervous/grateful to announce that Avalon on Willis will be re-opening on May 19th!” a social media…
Michiganders are growing restless of Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, according to cellphone data
Michigan residents are tired of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order and have started leaving their homes again. In fact, according to one analysis, the Great Lakes State saw the largest drop in people staying home over the past week — despite the fact that our stay-at-home order, meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus,…
Facebook removes groups threatening violence against Gov. Whitmer
Facebook has removed three private groups whose members were promoting violence against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and organizing rallies in Lansing in defiance of social-distancing measures. The social media company disabled the groups in response to a Metro Times story on Monday that chronicled paranoid and violent rants that included calls to hang, behead, shoot, and…
That tiny little Meijer announced in 2017 is finally opening in Detroit … in 2021
Imagine if grocery retailer Meijer had a little baby with the Whole Foods in Midtown. That’s what’s about to pop up along East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit next summer after a four-year delay. Construction for Detroit’s first small-format Meijer is expected to start in the next two months after first being announced in 2017. At…
Aimee Stephens died before a ruling was reached in her transgender rights Supreme Court case
Aimee Stephens did not live long enough to see the ruling of her trailblazing discrimination lawsuit. The case was one of three before the Supreme Court that could become a landmark for transgender rights. According to The New York Times, Stephens died on Tuesday at age 59 from complications related to kidney failure. A decision…
‘Ovid and the Art of Love’ imagines Ancient Rome with a Detroit twist
Ovid and the Art of Love Not rated Run-time: 120 minutes Despite its bawdy, sex-positive tone, temporal pastiche of a setting (Rome under Augustus meets present-day Detroit), and wide-ranging location shooting, Ovid and the Art of Love feels wedded to convention. Roughly mashing the biography, texts, and habitat of the popular poet with contemporary architecture,…
Savage Love: Change the locks
It’s taken a lot to do this, but here goes. I am a 38-year-old gay male. I’ve been dating this guy for one year and 10 months. It’s been a lot of work — he’s cheated on me numerous times. He lives with me and doesn’t work, and I’ve been taking care of him for…
Horoscopes (May 13-19)
ARIES | March 21 – April 20: It’s your attitude that matters more than anything. On the surface, you’re pretty sure that you’ve got that covered. Underneath it all, lapses in confidence, along with memories that carry your own brand of doubt, color everything you’re trying to bring about. If you’ve been wondering why the…
How prolific Detroit rapper GMac Cash has turned going viral into an art form
Detroit rapper Gmac Cash says it only took “about an hour” to write “Justice for Ahmaud” — an emotional two-minute-and-30-second track dedicated to Ahmaud Arbery, the unarmed Black man slain by two white men — one of whom was a retired law enforcement officer — while jogging in his Georgia neighborhood in February. The song, written and recorded last…
