Whitmer is right, the stay-at-home order is working as cases and deaths plummet
For seven straight weeks, Michigan has been under a stay-at-home order to combat the coronavirus. By all measures, it has worked. The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths has fallen for three consecutive weeks. For 26 straight days, the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations has declined. And over the past 20 days, number of patients…
Michigan’s adult-use marijuana industry made $91 million in sales so far
Michigan’s budding recreational adult-use marijuana industry is blooming with $91,592,936 in sales since it opened for business late last year, according to new numbers shared by the state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency. The sales since recreational stores were authorized to open on Dec. 1, 2019 have generated $9,159,294 in excise tax and $6,045,134 in sales tax…
Faster Horses Country Music Festival slated for July is still going to happen, according to Live Nation email
It’s full steam ahead for Michigan’s Faster Horses Country Music Festival. According to an email exchange between a concerned Faster Horses fan and Live Nation acquired by MLive, the country music festival will announce its decision to either pull the plug on this year’s event, which attracts upwards of 40,000 festival-goers, or move forward with…
Michigan GOP leaders condemn death threats against Whitmer, but oppose banning guns from Capitol
Republican leaders in Michigan denounced the numerous death threats made against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ahead of an armed rally planned for Thursday in Lansing. “These folks are thugs and their tactics are despicable,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said from the floor Tuesday, The Detroit News reports. “It is never OK to threaten the…
Eastern Market’s Flower Day is a go — but it’ll be online
While many beloved traditions and events have wilted in the wake of the coronavirus, Flower Day at Eastern Market is in full bloom — but it won’t look at all like the Flower Day festivities you’ve come to expect. The annual event, which draws upwards of 100,000 people and takes place each year on the…
Select Art Van Furniture stores in Michigan may get a second chance — and a new name
Art Van Furniture, once the most popular furniture retailer in the Midwest, may get a second chance after announcing it would be closing all of its company-owned stores in early March. Last week, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved a $6.9-million agreement that would allow a Texas-based private-equity firm called U.S. Assets, Inc., to purchase 17…
Ann Arbor’s Bloom City Club cannabis provisioning center expands to Flint area
Ann Arbor’s Bloom City Club has expanded, with a new location in Burton, outside of Flint. The store, located at 4086 Davison Rd., opened on Monday. It’s only open to medical marijuana card-holders now, but plans to offer recreational marijuana sales “in the near future,” according to a press release. To comply with Gov. Gretchen…
Whitmer responds to death threats, urging patience as state drives down coronavirus pandemic
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for patience and restraint on Monday as her stay-at-home order continues to curtail the deadly spread of the coronavirus. In the past three weeks, Michigan has dramatically driven down the rate of new COVID-19 deaths and cases, while boosting its testing capacity. The promising results mean the state is getting closer…
Libertarian Justin Amash could be the marijuana candidate
Justin Amash of Michigan has thrown his hat in the ring to be the Libertarian Party candidate for president. One way he could distinguish himself from his major-party competition is with marijuana. Despite the fact that support to legalize marijuana is at an all-time high — a 2019 poll found two-thirds of Americans say marijuana…
People are losing it over a Hamtramck funeral home’s online estate sale, offering caskets, dolls, and vintage ‘Playboy’
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure — especially if that trash happens to be from a funeral home and includes a crucifix, a box of naked baby dolls, an embroidered casket, the most lamps you’ve ever seen, and a big ol’ stack of vintage porn. An online estate sale listing for Krot Funeral Home…
Was (Not Was) singer Sweet Pea Atkinson dead at 74
Hilliard “Sweet Pea” Atkinson, who had a run of improbable hits in the 1980s with surrealist art-funk outfit Was (Not Was) before becoming an in-demand session singer, died of a heart attack May 5. He was 74 years old. “He was one of the most underrated soul singers around. I never felt he quite got…
Kroger to discontinue ‘Hero Bonus’ for frontline workers, unions urge for an extension, safer conditions
It may be the end of the aisle for a meager hourly bonus for essential grocery workers risking their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. In late March, Kroger announced that it would provide thousands of its hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy, and call center associates with weekly $2 per hour pay increase, or…
Blue Angels will fly over Detroit to honor COVID-19 frontline workers with tone-deaf display of appreciation
Nothing says “thank you for risking your lives during a global pandemic” quite like a flashy — and expensive — military aircraft performance. Detroit is next up on the “America Strong” tour led by the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, aka the Blue Angels, and the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, aka the Thunderbirds. The…
People of color still targeted for marijuana in traffic stops despite legalization, study finds
With marijuana legal in many states, police are less likely to conduct searches for marijuana at traffic stops — but the bar for searching Black and Hispanic drivers is still lower than it is for white drivers. That’s according to a recent study published in Nature: Human Behavior earlier this month conducted by researchers with…
Armed militia vows to prevent police from shutting down Owosso barber shop
Armed militia members are pledging to block police from forcing the closure of an Owosso barber shop that is open in defiance of the Michigan’s stay-at-home order. State police have issued two citations to Karl Manke, a 77-year-old barber who refuses to close Karl Manke’s Barber & Beauty Shop. The Michigan Attorney General’s Office plans…
Gov. Whitmer becomes target of dozens of threats on private Facebook groups ahead of armed rally in Lansing
Dozens of angry Michiganders, fueled by conspiracy theories and disinformation about the coronavirus, are promoting violence and mobilizing armed rallies against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Facebook, in violation of the social media company’s policies. Metro Times gained access to four private Facebook groups that can only be seen by approved members. The pages, which have…
Opinion: Supporting community organizations confronting COVID-19
COVID-19 is killing Black Americans and many of the residents of other communities of color at alarming rates. In cities like Chicago, Black residents make up one third of the city’s population, yet 70% of deaths related to the coronavirus were among Black residents. Similarly, in Detroit, where Black residents make up 80% of the…
101.1 WRIF’s Riff Fest 2020 canceled due to the coronavirus
101.1 WRIF’s RIFF FEST 2020, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 18 at DTE Energy Music Theatre, has been canceled due to the coronavirus. The festival was to feature performances by Rob Zombie, Halestorm, Beartooth, The Blue Stones, Escape the Fate, Joyous Wolf, The Black Moods, and South of Eden Refunds are available at point of…
Michigan is slowly defeating the coronavirus
Over the past 24 hours, Michigan recorded 50 deaths from COVID-19, the third lowest figure since March 28. It was the sixth consecutive day with fewer than 100 deaths. In April, the state averaged 117 fatalities a day. The number of positive cases also is falling, especially in metro Detroit, the epicenter of the virus…
Whitmer, Nessel support gun ban in Capitol following coronavirus protests
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel have both said they support banning firearms in Lansing’s Capitol Building following a pair of protests last month that included armed protesters. “I think it’s long overdue, and I absolutely support that change,” Whitmer told NBC News earlier this week. “You shouldn’t be intimidated going to…
Trump team considering drive-in MAGA rallies due to coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has put a pause on almost every aspect of life in the United States — including political rallies. But President Donald Trump’s team has reportedly been at work considering possible workarounds. One idea floated involves holding rallies at drive-in theaters around the country. According to The Daily Beast, Trump’s team plans to…
Avalon, Zingerman’s, and other Michigan bakeries named among U.S.’s top 100 by ‘Food & Wine’
Not a day of quarantine has passed without us having a major craving for a snack from Midtown’s Avalon International Breads. So we feel a bit triggered that the Detroit staple has been in the national news lately. The bakery was one of five in Michigan to be recently named among the “The 100 Best…
Aimee Stephens, transgender woman at center of pending landmark Supreme Court case, is in hospice care
Aimee Stephens made national headlines when she said she was fired from her job at metro Detroit-based GR & RG Funeral Homes in 2013 after coming out as a transgender woman. Stephens then sued her employee for discrimination, and the case is now before the Supreme Court. But now, Stephens might not live to see…
Paxahau plans Movement Memorial Day weekend livestream since fest was postponed due to coronavirus
We still can’t believe this upcoming Memorial Day weekend is the first in a very long time that we won’t be donning our finest candy and heading down Detroit’s Hart Plaza for Movement Music Festival — due, of course, to the coronavirus. On Thursday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the state’s stay-at-home executive order through May…
Justin Caldbeck: How to Think Like a Venture Capitalist – Insights from Binary Capital Co-Founder and Former Duke Alumni
Recently, we spoke with angel investor and former Lightspeed Venture Partners Managing Director and Binary Capital co-founder Justin Caldbeck; we got to ask Justin Caldbeck questions about what it is like to work in venture capital, and how individuals looking to enter the industry or switch careers can best prepare to work in VC. According…
Conservation groups cheer state’s Line 5 permit decision
Conservation groups are praising the state for handing the Line 5 pipeline replacement project another setback. The State Department of Great Lakes, Environment and Energy has asked Enbridge to rewrite its permit application to rebuild an oil and gas pipeline underneath the Straits of Mackinac and include alternative options. David Holtz, communications coordinator for the…
Factory owner responsible for toxic green ooze to be released early from prison due to coronavirus pandemic
The owner of a contaminated factory that sent a hazardous, bright green ooze onto I-696 in Madison Heights will be released early from federal prison because of the coronavirus pandemic. Gayer Alfred Sayers, owner of Electro-Plating Services, was supposed to be jailed until Nov. 9, according to the Bureau of Prisons. Instead, the 70-year-old will…
Michigan shows strong signs of controlling the coronavirus as new cases, deaths continue to decline
Day by day, Michigan is slowly bending the coronavirus curve, with metro Detroit leading the way. The state reported 93 new coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing the state’s total to 4,343. Michigan now has more than 45,600 confirmed cases, up 592 in the past 24 hours. At the peak out of the outbreak in early…
Detroit runners to honor the birthday of slain Black Georgia man Ahmaud Arbery
Black run clubs in Detroit are coming together to honor the slain Georgia runner Ahmaud Arbery on what would have been his 26th birthday. Video footage released this week reveals Arbery’s tragic final moments while jogging in the Satilla Shores neighborhood outside Brunswick, not far from where he lived, on Feb. 23. Arbery was shot…
Gov. Whitmer extends coronavirus stay at home order to May 28
Looks like we’re stuck inside for at least a little bit longer — including Mother’s Day and Memorial Day weekend. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended her stay-at-home executive order coronavirus response through May 28. The order, originally issued March 23 and extended subsequent times, was previously set to end May 15. While executive Order 2020-77 extends…
Duggan says coronavirus field hospital at TCF Center closed because Detroiters did a good job social distancing
At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, officials canceled the first-ever summertime North American International Auto Show to turn the TCF Center into a 900-seat field hospital for COVID-19 patients. But on Thursday, officials said the field hospital is closing down after never operating at full capacity. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan called the closure “a…
No, Gov. Whitmer did not delete sexual harassment tweet as ‘Detroit News’ claimed
In an op-ed published by The Detroit News Wednesday, columnist Ingrid Jacques claims Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has “ditched” women to support former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, who has been accused of sexually assaulting former congressional aide Tara Reade in 1993. In her column, Jacques writes that a tweet about sexual…
Whitmer executive order expedites unemployment benefits after some waited more than a month for pay
Last week, Metro Times spoke to people who had been waiting for weeks for their unemployment checks amid the economic shutdown due to the coronavirus crisis — and some who had been waiting nearly two months. On Wednesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order that should help speed things up. Executive Order 2020-76 allows…
Banning guns at Michigan Capitol will likely require legislative action
A commission that oversees the State Capitol does not appear to have the authority to ban guns inside the building. John Truscott, vice chairman of the Michigan State Capitol Commission, told the Associated Press that “early indications” from the panel’s lawyer suggest that “we do not have jurisdictions to prohibit weapons in the building. That’s…
Royal Oak Commissioner Kim Gibbs busted for shoplifting after being censured for attending Operation Gridlock
Royal Oak City Commissioner Kim Gibbs, who came under fire for attending a rally against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak, was busted for shoplifting at Meijer on Wednesday. Gibbs, an attorney who is running for reelection, is accused of failing to pay for about $100 worth of groceries at a self-checkout scanner.…
Michigan reports fewer than 100 coronavirus deaths for fourth consecutive day
For four straight days, Michigan reported fewer than 100 new coronavirus deaths. The state’s death toll rose to 4,250, up 71 in the past day. Michigan averaged 83 deaths per day in the past week. This is the third week in a row that the average number of new deaths declined. For 20 straight days,…
Coronavirus lands in Detroit: Reflections on the latest plague
On the plane to Germany, which departed from Detroit Metro airport on February 27, I sat next to a young woman to whom I half-apologetically offered an antibacterial wipe. The news about the coronavirus and its potential implications was just beginning to diffuse through the media as I was planning a weeklong visit to Europe…
Legislature sues Whitmer over emergency powers
The Michigan House and Senate filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Court of Claims challenging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s authority to extend the state of emergency unilaterally. House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, announced the suit at a news conference in the Capitol. The debate hinges on whether Whitmer can…
Both Democrats and Republicans will blame Justin Amash for running for president as a Libertarian if they lose, poll finds
For weeks, outlets have reported almost as a given that should he clinch the Libertarian Party nomination for president, U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, an independent from Grand Rapids, would harm Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign, and not Republican Donald Trump’s. The notion defies common sense — Amash was a Republican until he left the party last…
Some Michiganders are losing their shit for being told to wear face masks at stores to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
A Roseville woman is accused of assaulting an employee at a Nino Salvaggio market in Saint Clair Shores after being asked to leave for not wearing a face mask. When police arrived, she resisted arrest and spit at them. This incident is one of several in Michigan in which store employees have been attacked —…
Wayne County seeking to expedite release of 168 inmates as coronavirus spreads in prisons — but they need the victims’ help
As the coronavirus rages through Michigan prisons — where nearly half of all tested inmates held in state-run prisons are testing positive for the virus — the Michigan Department of Corrections has been working to expedite the parole of 168 eligible prisoners who have served their minimum sentences. The MDOC is asking Wayne County prosecutors…
Gov. Whitmer turns down Detroit rapper’s gift of Cartier Buffs, money will instead go to charity
We regret to inform you that it appears Gov. “Big Gretch” Whitmer will not actually be sporting a pair of Buffs. The governor earned the endearing nickname from Detroiters for her response to the coronavirus crisis, inspiring an eponymous track from the prolific Detroit rapper Gmac Cash. After the track took off, Cash started a…
Mayor Duggan touts rapid coronavirus testing on Rachel Maddow Show
Mayor Mike Duggan credited rapid testing for the dramatic decline in new coronavirus cases and deaths in an interview on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC on Tuesday evening. Maddow said she invited the Detroit mayor on the show because the city has taken a unique and effective approach to testing that could be mirrored…
With all allegations, people will believe what they want to believe. Biden’s are no different.
For weeks, Joe Biden’s campaign acted as if a rote denial was sufficient to snuff out an ember before it sparked. For a while, they were right. The coronavirus helped keep Tara Reade’s story on the backburner. But the national media also greeted her claim skeptically, leaving it to progressives outraged that Democrats weren’t holding…
Savage Love: Amazed and confused
I’ve been with the same amazing man a dozen years. We’ve had our ups and our downs, same as any other couple, but these days life is better than it ever has been for us. Except in the bedroom. A few years ago he started having fantasies about sucking dick. Specifically, he wanted to suck…
Horoscopes (May 6-12)
ARIES | March 21 – April 20: The path is open. If you know what you’re after, let it rip, but be mindful of the fact that no one is exempt from whatever our homework involves. If you’re older and wiser, chances are you’ve handled the better part of your karmic dues, but stay vigilant:…
