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How Detroit’s arson investigators and a local prosecutor are extinguishing the flames
The vast majority of fires in the city are arson. But under Chief Charles Simms, all that is changing. What’s behind Detroit’s 8,000 annual fires, and how they’re being snuffed out.
New photo series takes a look at Detroit’s Delray neighborhood
Delray, the neighborhood on Detroit’s southwest side that is slated to become a site for a new bridge to Canada, is the subject of a new story for NPR and WDET by photographer Karpov and journalist Laura Herberg. Titled Delray: Beyond Isolation, the story uses photography and audio to document life in the community amid the proposed bridge…
Target is closing 11 stores, 3 in Michigan
Target, the store to get anything from a bacon bowl to a new pair of jeans, just announced that they’re closing 11 of their nearly 2,000 stores, three of which are in Michigan. The Northland, Bay City, and Monroe Target stores will be closed as of February 1, 2015. In fact, our state has the most…
A Detroit filmmaker is looking for someone with “exceptionally long and uniquely ‘disgusting'” blackheads to pop on camera
We gagged three times just typing out that headline – but it’s true. It is so true and so disgusting. Detroit filmmaker Colin Duerr (you may remember his work from The Ded Dave Show) recently posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a human being with anomalous and freakish blackheads to be popped and possibly…
Pssst — send your Detroit gossip tips to DDays
Did you spot Ben Affleck at the bar when he was taking a break from filming Batman v Superman? Did you see Charlie LeDuff urinating in public (again)? Do you have the scoop on when that hot new restaurant is supposed to open its doors? Send your tips to ddays@metrotimes.com — we love gossip. Related Stories
Trial for women’s rights advocate Rasmea Odeh begins today
The trial for a Palestinian American activist and women’s rights advocate who’s accused of lying on her U.S. naturalization application about being arrested and convicted in Israel nearly a half-century ago began Tuesday morning. To say the circumstances surrounding the case appear problematic would be an understatement. For what supporters say is nothing but an…
Oh yeah, actor Jeff Daniels also plays music
Most people may only know Jeff Daniels as Jim Carrey’s opposite in Dumb and Dumber (and the excellently-titled upcoming sequel, Dumb and Dumber To). However, in addition to roles in films like Looper and the HBO show the Newsroom — as well as working as a playwright and founder of his hometown Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre — Daniels is also…
LIVE BLOG: Election Day 2014 — AP calls race for Snyder
___________________________________________________________________________________________________UPDATE (11:15 p.m.): Barring a complete goof, a la the Rashida Tlaib “call” in the state Senate primary race earlier this year, Rick Snyder has won his re-election bid, according to the Associated Press. At this point, Schauer hasn’t conceded. But it looks like that’s how things are going to shake out. if anything changes…
The Problem with Reporting on Detroit’s Dining Scene
What’s the problem with reporting on Detroit’s fascinating, ever-evolving dining scene? Foremost, it’s the competition between several different websites all pining to be first to say that a hotly anticipated restaurant is open.
Bridge magazine names the 10 worst campaign ads of the 2014 election season
Election Day is tomorrow, meaning the punishing amount of campaign ads will come to a welcomed end. One thing about campaign ads: They tend to be extremely misleading, willfully distort basic facts, and make the time between commercials of “The Blacklist” more painful to endure. Thankfully, the kind folks at the Center for Michigan and…
Furry Hungarian hog promises to take pork lovers to ‘pig heaven’
A motley group of Michigan breeders, restaurant people and food writers were treated last night to four courses of cuts from the famous Mangalitsa pig, at a dinner sponsored by Pure Mangalitsa [puremangalitsa.com], which is promoting the porkers in the U.S.
Massage Envy gives free massages to military members
Massage Envy has a special Veterans Day treat planned for next Tuesday The Rochester Hills location of the spa chain, along with a few other participating locations in the area, will be doling out free massages to military members that day. On Nov. 11 military members and their spouses can receive a free hour-long massage, but…
Election Day is tomorrow. Find out what your ballot will look like and go vote.
If you’re registered to vote, tomorrow is a big day: Michigan voters will choose its next governor, U.S. senator, as well as a number of local, equally important races. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you want to see where your precinct is located, click here; if you want to…
Elektricity celebrates third anniversary this weekend
Aww, they grow up so fast. Pontiac’s Elektricity club celebrates its three-year anniversary this weekend with, fittingly, three nights of festivities. Friday, Nov. 7 features entertainment by Chicago natives the Regulators and Detroit’s DJ Godfather. Saturday, Nov. 8’s lineup is the Elektric Circus, featuring burlesque dancers, stilt walkers, fire performers and music by DJ Troublemakr.…
Yeehaw! ‘Beer, Bacon, Bullets’ comes to Hamtramck’s Public Pool
Is anything more American than beer, bacon, and bullets? The answer, of course, is no. That holy trinity is also the name of an art show featuring work by Matthew Hunt, Angelo Conti, and Alexander Buzzalini that opens this Saturday at Public Pool gallery in Hamtramck. The three artists each represent a different “B.” Hunt humorously…
Detroit’s Official Christmas Tree Arrives on Wednesday
Put away those skeletons and tombstones, quick! Halloween is over, which means one thing: It’s Christmastime! Much like stores and radio stations, there’s no pause for Thanksgiving – we’re going full throttle into celebrating the wonderful time of the year. Detroit’s Christmas tree will arrive this Wednesday and it’ll go up in Campus Martius between…
This is how far $100 goes in Michigan
According to a new analysis by the Tax Foundation, Michiganders get a little extra bang for our buck. The study, which pooled data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, quotes the value of $100 in Michigan at about $106, which goes a long way on dollar draft night. While it’d sure be nice to have…
Monica Conyers turns 50 today
If you were to pick a Most Valuable Player when it comes to keeping all eyes on City Council for the wrong reasons, you’d have to select Monica Conyers, who, fittingly, celebrates her 50th birthday today.
Cherrie Amour to do poetry reading and book signing appearance in Detroit
Poet and author (and former Detroiter) Cherrie Amour will read from her first book of poetry, Free to Be Me: Poems on Life, Love and Relationships at the Plymouth United Church of Christ at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30. “I found my poetic voice in Detroit during the eight plus years I lived and worked…
Free donuts, cheap Chipotle, and other Halloween treats you can snag today in Detroit
National chains often celebrate holidays by giving away freebies, and Halloween, it seems, is no exception. Krispy Kreme is offering folks who stop in wearing a costume a free donut of their choice – Here’s a handy list of local outlets. Chipotle is sponsoring its annual Boo-rito deal for costume clad customers. Stop in to…
Open casting call for ganjapreneurs
The Marijuana Show, season two, is looking for the next big marijuana millionaire. It’s billed as “Shark Tank meets The Apprentice.” Auditions will be held in Denver on Nov. 15-16. Those ganjapreneurs who wanna be on the show should show up with a “business plan [two copies], idea, invention or next revolutionary product that will…
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos in Southwest Detroit this Sunday
Mexicantown will be celebrating Dia de los Muertos this Sunday with an inaugural event at Clark Park. The First Annual Dia de los Muertos Procession and Community Altar will feature a traditional procession after which ofrendas will be placed on a DIA-sponsored community altar that was built by local artists. The event is free, family-friendly,…
Eat a Dawg and Save a Dog tomorrow afternoon
Detroit Dog Rescue, Atomic Dawg, and the Sausage Emporium are teaming up for a deliciously adorable event tomorrow. Eat a Dawg, Save a Dog is a dog adoption drive that will take place tomorrow at Atomic Dawg in Berkley. The gourmet hot dog restaurant will have some of Detroit Dog Rescue’s most eligible pups on…
Slowdive into Heaven at The Majestic
Dead leaves, cold rain, and a chill in the air that brings pink to your cheeks set the tone for last night’s Slowdive concert at the Majestic. The dreary weather created the ideal atmosphere for wrapping one’s self in the gauzy guitar sounds from one of the U.K.’s first creators of Shoegaze music. Before disbanding…
Detroit fires down during first Angel’s Night
The number of fires during the first day of Angel’s Night in Detroit were lower than year-over-year statistics, Mayor Mike Duggan’s office announced today. More than 3,500 volunteers signed up to patrol this year; only 1,700 volunteered in 2013. Between midnight Wednesday and midnight Thursday, there were 28 fires in Detroit, down from 33 during…
ACLU: Legislature purposely blocked public from right-to-work debate
When the Michigan Legislature expedited right-to-work (RTW) legislation during the lame-duck session in December of 2012, it purposely prevented the public from witnessing the debate and historic vote, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. The ACLU, which filed a motion late Wednesday in Michigan’s Court of Claims to ask the court to…
And the most widely distributed Halloween candy in Michigan is…
Bubble Tape? We were hoping we’d represent some of the good stuff like King Sized Snickers, or something more regional like Cherry Republic sours. At least we’re not as anti-Halloween as New Mexico, the state that thinks pencils are an appropriate seasonal treat. What are you planning to give out to the neighbor kids this Halloween?…
Construction to begin on $7 million M-1 Rail technical center by end of year
Construction of a $7 million technical center for the 3.3-mile M-1 Rail streetcar line should begin by the end of this year in Detroit’s New Center neighborhood, according to a press release issued this week. The facility, which will serve as a maintenance and storage center for the project’s streetcars, will be located near the…
Third Wave Music is coming, fundraising show planned
Speaking of arsons … the Forest Arms building, heavily damaged by a fire in 2008, is undergoing renovations and if all goes according to plan it should see a new musical instrument store among its tenants. Third Wave Music is in the midst of a fundraising campaign to bring a store to the space, which culminates…
Longtime Detroiters: Are they obstacles or assets?
It all goes back to a deeper point about our habit in Detroit of seeing neighboring institutions as obstacles instead of assets. As competitors instead of contributors. As adversaries instead of partners.
Shade 45 host ‘Rude Jude’ to make a Michigan in-store appearance
The Pontiac native will return to Michigan for a book-signing at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30. at West Bloomfield’s Barnes & Noble, located at 6800 Orchard Lake, West Bloomfield Township.
It’s National Cat Day
Hug a cat, pet a cat, adopt a cat, pretend to be a cat: Whatever you do, it’s National Cat Day. The pseudo holiday is presented by Blue, which is a cat food, so take that for what it’s worth. But we thought we take this moment to let you know that today is a…
Idolator premieres new Jessica Hernandez music video
‘Round here, we talk about Detroit music darling Jessica Hernandez a lot. We’ve had her on the cover, we blog about her a lot, and we even like to review her shows. So, we thought it was fitting that we share her new video for her song “Sorry I Stole Your Man,” which just premiered…
Psychedelic poster artist Gary Grimshaw showcased at Detroit Historical Museum
The work of rock poster artist Gary Grimshaw will be on display at the Detroit Historical Museum, with an opening reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30. The Detroit Historical Museum is located at 5401 Woodward Ave., Detroit. More information is available at detroithistorical.org. The Detroit Historical Museum is located at…
Detail: Earth Rated Poop Bags
Sick of carrying around a stash of noisy, bulky grocery bags every time you have to take old Fido for a walk? Then Cass Corridog has just the thing for you. Earth Rated Poop Bags come in a stylish and discreet bean-shaped container that easily latches onto your bag or belt loop, making carrying shit…
Savage Love: Inanimate objections
Q: My son is 15 going on 16, and he’s been experimenting with masturbation. At the moment, I pretty much just think fine, whatever, he’s a teenager, there’s very little I can do about it. So long as he doesn’t get porn-obsessed and start letting his grades slip, it’s fine. The issue is that, a…
Cass Corridog grows up
Cass Corridog is a small store, but it’s bigger than it used to be. For its first three years it was found in the lobby of the Detroit location of Canine to Five, a space no larger than 200 square feet. A year ago, the store moved to the strip of Cass Avenue that’s currently…
For Meiko Krishok, food is a pathway to the past and the medicine of the future, one meal at a time
At 6 p.m. every Thursday, unless it’s too cold outside, 28-year-old Meiko Krishok sets up shop in a lovingly tended old Airstream trailer on Vermont Street between Temple and Spruce streets. On the day we drop by, a gentle snap is in the breeze, but the warm tones of Latin music are radiating from speakers…
Five O’clock Somewhere: War declared on college drinking
Now that the school year is well underway and classes at college are in full swing, we can all begin our annual nationwide freakout over binge-drinking. Students are drinking! Well, what a shock that is. I mean, American children get told from the get-go that alcohol is forbidden. They get pumped full of Sunny D…
Arson investigators yet to unravel fire at Detroit’s First Unitarian Church
The church stands one block north of where the Midtown development around the new Red Wings hockey arena will be built, making the land underneath the church increasingly valuable.
Detroit Rapper Miz Korona makes her name in a ‘boys game’
“Aren’t you that girl from the movie 8 mile?” Miz Korona has heard this question more times than the number of traffic lights blown through on a Detroit Slow Roll. She oftentimes has to fight back the urge to sigh and roll her eyes as she answers back as if on cue: “Yep. That was…
Raise the Bar: Goodnite Gracie offers a carefully curated menu
Step into Goodnight Gracie’s in downtown Royal Oak and the disco ball will probably already be spinning. It’ll be dim and the walls will look purple, though we suspect that’s just the lighting. And while this place bills itself as a jazz and martini bar, it’s likely current popular music will be playing. We think…
No city has fire flaring up in its history quite like Detroit
Perhaps no other city in the world has the relationship with fire that Detroit does. If you could create a time-lapse image of the city’s 313-year history, you would see a city building itself up and burning itself down, over and over again.
Hot Shotz: Mike St. Louis adds his own twist to the classic Manhattan
The funny thing about Mike St. Louis is that he got his start bartending at Applebee’s. And he recommends that people who want to learn the business do the same thing he did: Learn the basics and then get out of that corporate shithole. St. Louis left Applebee’s for a gig at TGIFridays, where he…
Youmacon is Detroit’s colossal Japanese pop culture convention
Fourteen years ago, Morgan Kollin was in the Navy. He was stationed in Chicago and one fateful weekend a buddy asked him to Anime Central, a convention that, at the time, was only in its second year. “I was inspired by what I saw there,” says Kollin. Two years later he visited Ohayocon in Columbus,…
Synth-pop duo Unkept minds the gap from both sides of the pond
When Detroit native Austin Grebinski met Aaron Baker of Southend, England, on a vacation in the Dominican Republic in the spring of 2013, they were already well on their way to becoming a successful modern electronic pop act — and they were both still in high school. Grebinski had taken piano and guitar lessons as…
Burger Quest hits up Dearborn’s Famous Hamburger Grill & Café
Every burger joint has a story. Whether it’s a family-run business three generations deep or an upscale slider joint appropriating a historic space, we find that we spend a fair amount of time in our “burger column” talking about the history of these places — and with good reason. Burger joints rely on repeat business,…
Ben Goraj makes art out of aluminum cans and blunt wrappers
Anyone who’s ever worked an office job knows that being tethered to your desk all day can get pretty boring. Between phone calls and emails, Ben Goraj from Dearborn Heights has a bit of downtime working as an office clerk at U-M Dearborn. Fortunately, he can spend it making “modular metal origami.” “My job, luckily,…
Politics and Prejudices: Matty Moroun’s very own congressman
Matty Moroun wants to keep his monopoly, even though he is very old, very rich, and may very well be dead before a new bridge could ever open.
What’s behind Detroit’s 8,000 fires a year, and how they’re being stopped
Arson investigators yet to unravel fire at Detroit’s First Unitarian Church How Detroit’s arson investigators and a local prosecutor are extinguishing the flames No city has fire flaring up in its history quite like Detroit
Ask a Juggalo: Why are the old Juggalos ostracizing the newbies?
Q: An email from “Psycho the Clown” asks, “I’ve noticed something lately in my state and it bothers me. Why are the old Juggalos ostracizing the newbies? As someone who considers myself an old-school Juggalo, I have to say that us judging each other bothers me. We’re all family. One shouldn’t be disgraceful to the…
Ollie’s Lebanese Cuisine gives a taste of the ‘Paris of the Middle East’
Few cuisines are as misunderstood in metro Detroit as Middle Eastern. The average non-Arab diner might imagine it as a monolithic cuisine, with people wolfing down fattoush salads and gnawing on falafel sandwiches from Tunisia to Turkey to Turkmenistan. It’s more accurate to say “Arabic food” is actually a family of many different cuisines, from…
MT readers sound off on Driving Miss Daisy, John Varvatos, and more
DRIVING MISS FUCKNG DAISY We received a number of comments on Jeff Meyer’s feature on Metro Detroit’s theater scene and its race problem. I appreciated the article about Driving Miss Daisy. I completely agree with you. Except you’re missing one thing: The Detroit Repertory Theatre. We’re still standing here after 58 years, in an inner-city…
Windsor International Film Festival hits 10-year anniversary
If you told the organizers of the Windsor International Film Festival in 2005 how much their event would grow over the next decade, they probably never would have believed you. “I always knew we had a good thing, but every year it sincerely amazes us,” says WIFF executive director Vincent Georgie. Organizers will be celebrating…
Horoscopes (October 29 – November 4)
ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 20): It would be easy for anyone to wonder how you keep it all afloat. As everything converges into a vortex of variables it will help you to notice that there are a few things that are going well. You’re still here, for starters; and the craziness of the last two years…
Drink Up
Ole Smoky Moonshine Ole Smoky Moonshine offers what they like to refer to as a “true moonshine experience.” Packaged in a canning jar with an old-timey label, this unaged corn whiskey certainly does feel legit. It’s made from a centuries-old recipe using corn grown by local farmers in eastern Tennessee. The grain bill makes up 80…
Shop Talk: Sit on It Detroit makes bus benches, table tops, bars, and more
Kyle Bartell and Charles Molnar are the two guys behind the Sit on It Detroit benches. They teamed up two and a half years ago after meeting at Wayne State University and since then, they’ve placed 24 benches at bus stops around the city. “We’re both really interested in place-making activities in Detroit,” says Bartell.…
Face Time: A word with Brenna Sanchez, director of ‘Burn’ doc on Detroit firefighters
“Burn” offers an extremely intimate view of the day-to-day grind of fighting fires in the city.
Stir It Up: Musical chairs
This is not a city council that’s going to fight tooth-and-nail for progressive issues.
All Dolled Up: Angie Yaldoo is always looking fabulous
Angie Yaldoo bills herself as a “retail therapist,” and this black-haired beauty sure knows what a new pair of sunglasses and a rose-gold knuckle ring can do for the soul. She splits her time between Incognito Eyewear and Saffron in Royal Oak and is always looking fabulous, whether she’s dolled up like a dark angel…
The Blueflowers get darker on ‘At the Edge of Disaster’
The first time we saw the Blueflowers live a few years ago, our impression was that — while having no doubts concerning the quality of musicianship and songwriting — they were a touch (pardon the impending series of obvious references here) flowery for our taste. But with age, those flowers have hardened into something a…
DDays does the Crofoot, Motown the Musical, and more
Tune-Yards got Childishly Primal at the Crofoot If there is one way Merrill Garbus makes her existence known to the world, it’s through the pounding of her drums. At least that’s where it starts. There are also loop machines, layers of voices (sometimes out-and-out screams) all declaring with childlike stubbornness her right to be on…
5 songs to help you get through rush hour traffic
Nine out of 10 homicidal motorists agree that it works. Whoosah! “Water” | Hypnotic Brass Ensemble This cover of Fela Kuti’s “Water No Get Enemy” by the eight-piece Chicago brass ensemble doesn’t necessarily match the sheer awesomeness of the Afrobeat original, but it comes pretty damn close. Released in 2010, it’s almost impossible to dislike…
Pistons hire NBA’s first female DJ
We wouldn’t be too far off if we called the National Basketball Association an old boys club. Sure there are some female dancers and some cheerleaders, but the players, coaches, managers, and owners are predominantly — OK, almost totally — men. This year Becky Hammon was hired as a full-time assistant coach, making her the…
