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Actress Selma Blair takes on a role of a lifetime in new documentary about life with MS
Selma Blair is on fire. The Michigan-born actress is in New York City on her first press junket in what feels like forever and she’s excited to walk to get coffee and soak in the east coast autumn air. She’s thrilled to have bumped into a friend, and pleased that she and the person were…
Gymnast Simone Biles leads ‘Gold Over America’ tour with fellow Olympians at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena
If you’ve been bumming since Aug. 9., the day after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics wrapped, don’t flip out — or do, just remember to stretch first. Detroit is getting some face time with some of the greatest gymnasts of all time, including, well, arguably the greatest gymnast of all time. Serving up Olympic gold realness…
New York rap wunderkind and rising star MIKE heads to Sanctuary in Hamtramck with latest record
At 22 years old, New York hip-hop wunderkind MIKE knows a thing or two about feeling as if the weight of the world balances on his shoulders. Born in New Jersey, raised in London, and now back in the states, MIKE’s catalog of beat-driven stories are documents of his ongoing quest for peace as he…
‘Immersive van Gogh’ exhibit pushes Detroit’s opening date to 2022, citing venue concerns
Remember the confusion when it was announced that not one, but two competing projection-based events profiting off the life and work of tortured artist Vincent van Gogh (who allegedly died penniless, selling only one painting while alive) would pass through Detroit? Well, things are a bit less confusing now that one of the aforementioned events…
Black leaders to rally in Detroit to oppose new redistricting maps that favor white candidates
Lawmakers, community activists, clergy and union leaders are hosting a rally on Wednesday afternoon in Detroit to oppose new redistricting maps that would wipe out all 17 majority-Black districts. The rally begins at 12:30 p.m. at the TCF Center in downtown Detroit and will be followed by a public hearing before the Michigan Independent Citizens…
Megan Thee Stallion ushers in chill girl winter with ‘Big Holiday Show” with Lil Baby, Trick Trick, and more in Detroit
With “Hot Girl Summer” in our rearview and “Sad Girl Autumn” fully underway, does that mean we’re approaching chill girl winter? It sure the hell feels like it. Grammy award-winning “Hot Girl,” self-proclaimed “hood Mona Lisa,” and the woman who really titled her debut record Good News just four months after being shot, Megan Thee…
Michigan reports its first case of COVID-19 in a cat
An Ingham County cat is the first domestic pet with a confirmed COVID-19 infection in Michigan, the state announced Tuesday. The domestic shorthair cat was in close contact with it owners, who both tested positive for the virus, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said. The cat tested positive for COVID-19 about a…
Detroit Fall Beer Festival returns for 12th annual tasting event with 800 Michigan-made craft beers
Don’t get us wrong: we love fall. No, seriously. It’s practically our religion. Though nothing beats autumn in Michigan, the minute the leaves begin changing and pumpkin spice mania takes over, us midwesterners know what’s coming next: six months of cold, dark, motivation-less months of painstaking boredom, malaise, and, yes, S.A.D. Before we get too…
Sheefy McFly mural in Detroit ‘censored’ following complaint
Detroit artist Sheefy McFly was driving around town Monday night showing his artwork to a friend who was visiting from Los Angeles when he realized somebody had altered one of his murals in Eastern Market. The mural, located next door to Louisiana Creole Gumbo and created in 2018 for the Murals in the Market festival,…
Former Detroit Piston Ben Wallace launches cannabis brand
Another Detroit sports legend has entered the cannabis industry. Former Detroit Piston and NBA Hall of Famer Ben Wallace has teamed up with Rair, a Jackson-based cannabis company, to develop his own line of cannabis products. “As a former pro athlete, I’ve got aches and pains and different stresses than before. Cannabis has helped with…
CVS names Khaldun VP and chief health equity officer
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, who stepped down last month from her role as chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), has a new role. CVS Health on Monday announced that Khaldun is the company’s new vice president and chief health equity officer. “As a health…
Amid foul odor, Detroit residents demand meeting with Stellantis but are rebuffed
Detroiters who have been complaining about a pungent paint odor emanating from the new Mack Assembly Plant on the city’s east side were turned away Monday when they tried to deliver petitions demanding environmental protections. At issue is an overwhelming, headache-inducing stench that has been coming from the year-old Jeep Grand Cherokee assembly plant, which…
BAMN announces plans to file lawsuit against Whitmer, Detroit public schools over vaccination mandate
Civil rights organization By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) is seeking to mandate masks and vaccines in Detroit public schools by any means necessary. The organization plans to file a lawsuit against Governor Whitmer and the Detroit Public Schools Community District in an effort to get the administration to mandate masks and vaccinations across the Detroit…
Group behind caregiver crackdown urges cannabis businesses to offer free or low-cost products to seriously ill patients
The Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association is encouraging its members to provide free or low-cost cannabis products to patients with severe or terminal illnesses. Related MCMA’s Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution last week that asks member companies to create a program to ensure seriously ill patients have access to low- or no-cost cannabis products…
Michigan postal workers concerned by mail slowdowns, reduced hours
Post offices across Michigan and the nation are implementing service changes in an effort by the agency to cut costs, but labor leaders say the move could have major repercussions for workers and customers alike. Since October 1, service standards have been altered to slow the pace of delivery for some first-class mail, while cutting…
An HBCU, Kid Rock’s replacement, more James Craig: the top Detroit Metro Times headlines this week
This week, our readers were most interested in the potential reopening of Michigan’s only Historically Black College and University, the Lewis College of Business. Our readers also found a local reporting skateboarding during a live broadcast as entertaining as we did. There also was interest in former police chief and gubernatorial governor candidate James Craig…
The Weeknd cancels arena tour — including Detroit date — and we can’t feel our face
All we want to do is get our sad little fuck on. Is that so much to ask? Apparently it is. Save your tears for, like, a few minutes from now until after you read the following announcement: notable Canadian sadboi and purveyor of sexy new wave-steeped pop tunes, the Weekend, will not be coming…
Battle Creek Kellogg workers picketing against contract givebacks are part of ‘Striketober’
Almost 1,400 union workers at four Kellogg plants, including Battle Creek, have been on strike since last week — and they’re part of a growing national movement that supporters like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have dubbed “Striketober.” “After years of being underserved and taken for granted – & doubly so during the pandemic –…
Weekend-long Pig & Whiskey fest returns to Ferndale with music from Laith Al-Saadi, Goober and the Peas, Tart, and more
What’s spookier than a celebration of barbecued meat, top-shelf whiskey, and local live music taking place on Halloween weekend? We could argue not attending a celebration of barbecued meat, top-shelf whiskey, and local live music is pretty damn scary. Don’t fear the FOMO: Pig & Whiskey, the annual Ferndale blowout co-produced by Metro Times and…
Oakland County police say mosque vandalized by white man not a hate crime
A man was arrested Friday for allegedly vandalizing a Rochester Hills mosque earlier this month. Ryan Lee Ahern, 33, of Rochester Hills, is accused of breaking glass in a door at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center with a hammer. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office says it identified Ahern using surveillance footage, but adds that it…
Princeton Gerrymandering Project grades Michigan’s redistricting maps
A national gerrymandering project from Princeton University has graded Michigan’s 10 preliminary district maps headed for public comment after they were approved this week by the state’s independent citizens panel. The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) on Monday gave the greenlight to four maps redrawing the state’s congressional districts and three apiece for the…
There’s vomit on Ford Field already, Mom’s Spaghetti?
Bengals guard Jackson Carman has some dining recommendations for those visiting Detroit, and eating at rapper Eminem’s recently opened Mom’s Spaghetti (yes, that is the restaurant’s real name) is not one of them. During the Bengals vs. Lions game Sunday — which the Bengals handily won 34-11, their first “back-to-back road win since the 2015…
Whitmer may be forced to give up $3.4M in excess campaign contributions
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s reelection campaign may have to part with $3.4 million in excess contributions by the end of the year, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in a court filing. Whitmer previously claimed she is not beholden to the donation limits normally imposed on candidates because of an administrative ruling that allows officeholders facing…
Anti-mask parents are wrong: Schools with no mask mandates in Michigan have more COVID-19 cases
School districts with no mask requirements in Michigan have higher rates of coronavirus transmissions than those without mandates, according to new data from the University of Michigan. School districts with no mask requirements averaged 73 coronavirus cases per 100,000 students as of late September, compared to 45 cases per 100,000 students in districts with mask…
Woman at Faster Horses Festival died of complications from obesity, drug and alcohol use, officials say
The cause of death of the 30-year-old woman who died at Michigan’s Faster Horses Festival this summer was natural causes, according to a death certificate recently obtained by MLive. According to the death certificate, Melissa Donna Havens died due to complications of obesity, with drug and alcohol use also playing a factor. While a man…
Behold, American Coney Island’s new ‘Houdini Weenie’
The great Harry Houdini died in Detroit 95 years ago on Halloween night, shortly after his final performance ever at the Garrick Theatre. To honor the famous illusionist, Detroit’s American Coney Island is throwing a party from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 24, the date of Houdini’s final performance. The Garrick Theatre was located…
Danny Brown’s annual Bruiser Thanksgiving returns to Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center
Looks like Danny Brown’s annual Bruiser Thanksgiving show is back on. Brown made the announcement on social media on Thursday. Tickets for the show, which will now be held at Detroit’s Russell Industrial Center, go on sale at noon on Friday, Oct. 15 — today. You can find them at venuepilot.co. This is the eighth…
Polarizing indie rock star St. Vincent will bring ‘Daddy’s Home’ to Detroit’s Fillmore
St. Vincent discourse in 2021 has been, well, rather exhausting. Do you remember when the Texas-born indie rock darling Annie Clark, who performs as St. Vincent, “killed” a rather benign interview with a U.K. music writer while doing press for this year’s ’70s-steeped record Daddy’s Home, which, the performer had said, was inspired by her…
Fellow cops slam James Craig for never actually getting law enforcement license in Detroit
Law enforcement officials are slamming Republican gubernatorial candidate James Craig for masquerading as a cop for years without bothering to become a certified police officer. When Craig served as police chief in Detroit from 2013 to June of this year, he often wore a police uniform and badge, even though he was not licensed to…
Dearborn’s AlTayeb named one of the best 50 restaurants in the U.S. by the New York Times
Kudos are in order for Dearborn’s AlTayeb, which was the only Michigan spot to make The New York Times’ new list of the top 50 restaurants in the U.S. The Lebanese restaurant, located on Warren Avenue, originally opened in Garden City four years ago. It opened its doors in Dearborn just before the COVID-19 shutdown…
Popular Corktown brunch spot Brooklyn Street Local closes, which sucks
First Detroit Institute of Bagels closes, and now its brunch-slinging neighbor, Brooklyn Street Local, too? Say it ain’t so! The owner of the popular Corktown eatery announced Thursday that it would be closing its doors. But is it really the end? Well, sort of. Known for serving up quiche, poutine, and a variety of vegetarian…
Taco Bell tests new plant-based protein menu in Detroit
Is there anything better than biting into a Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell after a night out? Honestly, no. Well, if you’re a vegetarian, you might not have ever got to experience the pure joy of this — until now. Taco Bell is testing its new “Cravetarian” menu exclusively in Detroit all this month.…
Fifth Annual Trans Stellar Film Festival will once again spotlight LGBTQAI+ voices in film at Hamtramck’s Planet Ant
While Texas lawmakers continue to push for some of the most oppressive, unjust, and potentially dangerous anti-transgender bills, here in Michigan, we recently decided that our ethnic intimidation law does in fact apply to and protects transgender folks because one thing is certain: trans people are sacred. Returning to Detroit’s cinematic landscape is the fifth…
New York rapper Princess Nokia will bring big gemini energy to Detroit’s Majestic Theatre
Everything is beautiful, bitch. Or is it that everything sucks? For New York rapper Princess Nokia, who is one of few people to master Korn’s Jonathan Davis-style “Da boom na da noom na namena,” both are true. Destiny Frasqueri, who performs hype emo rap as Princess Nokia, is all about duality. In 2020, she dropped…
EGOT John Legend will bring ‘Bigger Love’ to Detroit’s Masonic Temple
After 2020 we have a new rule: positive vibes only. OK — so, while we’re actually super dark and twisty and want daddy to choke us, we also desperately need to feel shiny and happy every now and then. Thankfully, R&B crooner, The Voice coach, and Chrissy Teigan’s less insufferable better half (but also we,…
You can meet Frodo Baggins, er, Elijah Wood at this year’s star-studded Motor City Comic Con
We detect some magic. Fire up the Bat-Signal, pick up your invisibility cloak from the cleaners, and activate those lightsabers because a beloved metro Detroit event has respawned. For 32 years (well, not last year, which was practically Thanos’s by a viral super villain) Motor City Comic Con has provided an exciting meeting ground for…
KISS will finally say goodbye to metro Detroit after band contracted COVID-19 last month
Will this be the last time we write about beloved wearers of flame-retardant space armor and clown paint? It’s possible, seeing that the members of controversial campy rock band KISS are finally saying goodbye to the touring life as their massive farewell world tour is finally passing through metro Detroit Rock City after they were…
Calvin Johnson and Bishop Edgar Vann are Grand Marshals of this year’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Detroit
The in-person return of America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to downtown Detroit is one of signs that things are getting back to whatever definition of “normal” we have previously known. There’s always something to look forward to as the parade marches down Woodward Avenue, from the Distinguished Clown Corps to the local high school marching bands.…
Sick! Detroit reporter shreds live on air at new skatepark
Bro, this is too gnarly for the local news. WDIV-TV reporter and “resident thrasher” Victor Williams wowed during a Wednesday segment about Detroit’s forthcoming Chandler Skatepark, where a 46-year-old man who goes by “Mr. Premium” is offering free skateboarding lessons to kids in the community. At the end of the segment, Williams, in a full…
Couple behind failed northern Michigan ‘glamping’ venture ordered to issue refunds
It looks like the 2020 election wasn’t the only alleged fraud happening in Michigan’s Antrim Country. (Note: there was no actual election fraud in Antrim County.) A Michigan couple who advertised a “glamping,” or upscale camping, experience in Antrim County that was never built pleaded no contest and must refund customers, Michigan Attorney General Dana…
After delays, Happi, Michigan’s first cannabis-infused beverage, finally launches
A new line of cannabis-infused sparkling water that’s the first of its kind to be sold in Michigan is finally available for purchase at dispensaries, following weeks of delays. Happi, which debuted with a launch event in Detroit in August, was initially aiming for a Labor Day release. That got pushed back to September, and…
Four security guards charged with involuntary manslaughter for 2014 death of Black man at Northland mall
Four security guards have been charged with involuntary manslaughter after pinning down a 25-year-old Black man at Northland Center mall in Southfield as he gasped, “I can’t breathe,” in 2014, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday. Lucius Hamilton, John Seiberling, Gaven King, and Aaron Maree are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges in…
Detroit News perpetuates lies about election fraud by running Craig op-ed with false claims
The Detroit News on Tuesday amplified falsehoods about election security by running an op-ed by Republican gubernatorial candidate James Craig that claimed “there are serious examples and ongoing cases of voter fraud in the state of Michigan.” The former Detroit police chief made the claim after meeting with former President Donald Trump on Sept. 29…
Feds raid Texas facility to seize counterfeit Ooze vape pen batteries
Michigan-based Ooze’s stylish Slim Twist vape pens are among the most popular on the market — so much so that a Texas facility was caught distributing counterfeits. According to a press release sent by Ooze parent company Cannatron, the U.S. Marshals raided a distribution center in Houston on Oct. 7 and seized counterfeit Ooze vape…
MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan blasts racism as source for Benton Harbor’s water crisis
For the last three years, Benton Harbor has seen a steady increase in the amount of lead in the city’s tap water. The lead levels have now hit a peak, and residents are asked to not use the contaminated water because it could be dangerous. Benton Harbor’s water crisis is coming on the heels of…
Finally, the Canadian border will open for vaccinated people
For the first time since the pandemic started, the U.S.-Canada border will finally reopen to non-essential travel — but only those vaccinated against COVID-19. According to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the administration “will begin allowing travelers from Mexico and Canada who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 to enter the United States for non-essential…
Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit restaurant to be replaced with Michigan-themed spot following split with Little Caesars Arena
Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit restaurant at Little Caesars Arena will be replaced with a Michigan-centric restaurant called Mixing Board. According to The Detroit News, it’s one of two new restaurants coming to LCA. Mixing Board will draw from automotive and musical themes, with a Michigan-based menu, while a “betting-themed pub fare” spot called PointsBet…
Republicans parrot conspiracies at Trump-endorsed Michigan rally for so-called election ‘audit’
At the urging of former President Donald Trump, a crowd of about 400 supporters flocked to the Michigan Capitol steps Tuesday to spend the cloudy afternoon demanding a “transparent forensic audit” of the 2020 presidential election that the one-term GOP president lost. GOP activists in Michigan and other states have called for an Arizona-style audit.…
Lung damage from black market vapes was less common in states with legal pot, like Michigan, study finds
States that legalized marijuana may have avoided the worst outcomes from a respiratory disease outbreak tied to unregulated cannabis vaping products, a federally funded study found. In late 2019 and early 2020, a vaping-related lung disease called EVALI led to 68 deaths and nearly 3,000 hospitalizations in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control…
ICYMI: Biden endorses Duggan, Columbus Day now Indigenous People’s Day, vape ban ends, and more news you might’ve missed
President Joe Biden endorsed Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan for a third term, calling him “one of the best mayors in America.” The endorsement isn’t a shocker. Biden endorsed Duggan for a second term and even recorded a robo call encouraging Detroiters to re-elect the mayor in 2017. Duggan was an early supporter of Biden’s presidential…
The decline and fall of American democracy is here. To fix it, we must acknowledge its presence.
In North Carolina last week, three members of the conservative legislature’s ultraconservative freedom caucus announced an investigation into election fraud in the state. So we’re clear: Not only did Donald Trump win North Carolina, but the state’s Republicans improved their position in the legislature, won a U.S. Senate race, and swept nearly all of the…
Facebook is a public health hazard
Last Tuesday, former Facebook data scientist Frances Haugen testified before a Senate subcommittee, putting words to what we all knew but couldn’t quite articulate: Facebook is the modern-day Philip Morris, the tobacco giant that knowingly and intentionally advertised and sold cigarettes to children. Indeed, harrowing accounts portray Facebook’s algorithm leading struggling teens down dangerous rabbit…
Washtenaw county’s domestic violence shelter rocked by allegations of victimizing and traumatizing survivors seeking help
Nicole Beverly is a survivor of domestic violence. In 2012, Beverly’s former partner threatened to murder her and their two children over a child support dispute and the fact that Beverly had filed a police report about his physical abuse. Beverly’s abuser reportedly called his ex-wife between 30 and 100 times a day and sent…
Detroit’s Joe Louis Southern Kitchen is a brunch heavyweight champ
Just north of Stevie Wonder Avenue lies a restaurant named for Black Bottom’s most famous son. My guess is that the adulation Joe Louis earned from Black Americans during his 12-year reign at the summit of boxing, 1937-1949, went unmatched till 2008. Imagine the joy, during the Depression, of seeing a Black man, a former…
KISS, Motor City Comic Con, John Legend, and more things to do in metro Detroit this week
KISS Friday, 10/15: Will this be the last time we write about beloved wearers of flame-retardant space armor and clown paint? It’s possible, seeing that the members of controversial campy rock band KISS are finally saying goodbye to the touring life as their massive farewell world tour is finally passing through metro Detroit Rock City…
An age gap mind fuck
Thirty-year-old trans woman here, Dan, and I have a question about what is surely one of your favorite subjects: the “age gap discourse.” About four years ago, I had a sexual experience that I go back and forth on whether to label as sexual assault. When I was 26 years old, I met a 19-year-old on…
Free Will Astrology (Oct. 13-19)
ARIES: March 21 – April 19: According to my understanding of the upcoming weeks, life will present you with unusual opportunities. I suspect you will find it reasonable and righteous to shed, dismantle, and rebel against the past. Redefining your history will be a fun and worthy project. Here are other related activities I recommend…
