Cover Stories
Michigan 2018 Election Guide
It seems like just about every election year, we’re told this is “the most important one yet.” But this year, there’s some truth to that claim as we approach the first big election since the one that gave us Donald Trump. The 2018 midterms are largely expected to serve as a rebuke on Trump’s presidency,…
Michigan 2018 Election Guide: U.S. Congress
Two U.S. House races exhibiting both the “Blue Wave” and the #MeToo movement are playing out right here in metro Detroit. 11th Congressional District: Epstein vs. Stevens This race features two first-time female candidates. Haley Stevens is a centrist Democrat known for helping bail out Michigan’s automotive industry. Lena Epstein is a Republican businesswoman-turned-politician who…
Before there was #MeToo, there was Gretchen Whitmer
A little more than two weeks before the election, the campaign offices for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer in Detroit’s North End are nearly empty. After a bit of back-and-forth negotiating, Metro Times lands 20 minutes with the candidate during a particularly busy day that has her mostly on the road. Just before our scheduled…
Michigan 2018 Election Guide: Statewide races
A number of key state-level positions are up for grabs this election due to term limits. In addition to the governorship, Michigan voters will elect the state’s next attorney general, secretary of state, and two state Supreme Court justices. Michigan Governor: Gretchen Whitmer vs. Bill Schuette It has been said that the midterm elections will…
Michigan 2018 Election Guide: Proposals
Three proposals will appear on the nonpartisan section of the ballot. One would legalize recreational marijuana and the others would help strengthen our democracy through policies aiming to ease the voting process and make every vote count equally. Prop 1: Marijuana legalization This initiative would allow people 21 and older to possess, use, and buy…
Elvis Costello touts four decades of music at the Fillmore
“What’s so funny ‘bout peace, love, and understanding?” Though the jury is still out on the age-old question posed by Elvis Costello back in 1979, one of the coolest guys in rock is still kicking around existential pop wisdom. Costello, who was dealt a cancer diagnosis earlier this year, forcing the 64-year-old singer to undergo…
Julien Baker leads Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus at the Majestic Theatre
Though Baker, Bridgers, and Dacus will be performing individual solo sets, there’s a likelihood of some crossover considering their self-titled debut EP as supergroup Boygenius was released this month, and it’s everything fans of folk-heavy emotional indie rock could dream of. While Baker peddles last year’s Turn Out the Lights, Bridgers is riding the wave…
Film celebrates thirty years of Sonic Youth’s ‘Daydream Nation’ at MOCAD
Thirty years ago, Sonic Youth dragged the underground into the light with the band’s fifth and seminal album Daydream Nation. In fact, the collection containing “Teen Age Riot,” “The Sprawl,” and “Rain King” was preserved by the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its cultural importance. To celebrate Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo,…
Bad boy Martin Lawrence brings ‘Lit AF’ comedy tour to Detroit
Without question, one of the most definitive moments in black comedy was when on-the-rise Def Comedy Jam comedian Martin Lawrence scored his own sitcom on Fox in 1992. Martin quickly launched Lawrence into comedic superstardom and now we know him as the star of films like Bad Boys, Big Mama’s House, Blue Streak, and Death…
Detroit’s Bill Harris celebrates new collection with launch event at Detroit Public Library
Celebrated Detroit writer, professor, and Kresge Foundation Eminent Artist Award recipient Bill Harris takes on the Civil War in his latest collection of short stories. I Got to Keep Moving (published by Wayne State University Press) contains 25-interlinked stories spanning a cast of characters who are both pre- and post-Civil War, each one facing their…
Opinion: Reporter shouldn’t have been fired for having opinion
There is a Trump-led war on the media going on right now. The president routinely attacks reporters and media outlets, calling them “Fake News.” All of this is against a backdrop of an endangered industry that has been badly wounded by the rise of the internet. Shamefully, one Michigan newspaper just unwittingly played right into…
Shakespeare in Detroit gives ‘Twelfth Night’ a jazz era twist
“Be not afraid of greatness.” This is not a declaration made by inspirational TJ Maxx personal office art, but words spoke’th by one of the most celebrated playwrights of all time, William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night will mark Shakespeare in Detroit’s final performance until 2020, as the organization focuses on restructuring so that SiD can have…
Dems will run Michigan Attorney General Office for first time in 16 years
A Democrat will hold the Michigan Attorney General’s Office for the first time since 2002. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Democrat Dana Nessel leads Republican House Speaker Tom Leonard 48.5-46.8 percent, according to the Associated Press. Leonard refused to concede until Wednesday morning. She is the first openly gay person to hold state office…
Infamous Stringdusters bring bluegrass to Pontiac’s Flagstar Strand Theatre
Ryan Adams refers to Nashville jam band and recent Grammy Award winner the Infamous Stringdusters as the “Star Wars of Bluegrass.” In other words, this ain’t your grandpappy’s bluegrass. Since its formation in 2005, the five-piece, foot-stomping Stringdusters has sharpened its harmonizing and honed in on its ability to redefine the genre’s traditionalism. What has…
Michigan approves constitutional amendment that will strengthen voting rights
Michigan voters have approved a measure to make it easier for the state’s residents to vote. Proposal 3 — which enshrines in the constitution automatic voter registration, same-day voter registration, no-reason absentee voting, and straight-ticket voting — was approved with 67 percent support, according to WDIV. The move was designed to help safeguard the provisions…
Michigan elects its first Democratic Secretary of State in 24 years
A Democrat will hold Michigan’s Secretary of State office for the first time since 1996. With 58 percent of precincts reporting, Democrat Jocelyn Benson held a 52.9-43.9 advantage over Republican Mary Treder Lang, according to the New York Times. Benson declared victor earlier in the evening. Benson takes over from Ruth Johnson, who is term…
Gerrymandered no more: Michigan approves redistricting reform
Michigan voters have approved Proposal 2, the first step in ending the shady political practice known as “gerrymandering,” or rigging elections with unfairly drawn district maps. With 45 percent of precincts reporting, the measure had 60.5 percent support, according to the AP. In Michigan, those maps were drawn in 2010 by Republicans to favor (you guessed…
Debbie Stabenow defeats controversial Republican John James
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow held off a challenge from Republican candidate John James. With 49 percent of the vote tallied at 11:09 p.m., Stabenow had a 52.2-45.8 lead, according to the New York Times. Stabenow — the definition of a centrist Dem — led by as much as 23 points in September polls, but the…
Gretchen Whitmer defeats Bill Schuette in Michigan governor’s race
With 22 percent of the vote counted, the Associated Press is projecting Gretchen Whitmer to win Michigan’s gubernatorial race. The former Democratic state Senate minority leader leads Republican candidate and Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette by about 68,000 votes, according to the New York Times. Schuette was a Trump-style candidate who made immigration a focus…
Rashida Tlaib will be the nation’s first Muslim woman in Congress
Rashida Tlaib will be the nation’s first Muslim woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Multiple outlets have called the race. She ran unopposed in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, easily surviving a write-in campaign from primary opponent Brenda Jones. “The first thing I think about when somebody says you’re going to be the first…
Let’s get high: Michigan just voted to legalize recreational marijuana
The people of Michigan have spoken: It’s now 4:20 forever. OK, chill out. Obviously, that’s an exaggeration. But still, there’s plenty of cause for stoners to rejoice. Michigan just joined nine other states, the District of Columbia, and Canada in legalizing recreational marijuana. That’s right: We’re now as radical as Canada. Cowabunga! With 55 percent…
Detroit polling stations met with enthusiasm from young women voters
At a fire station on the corner of 2nd Ave and Burroughs, Hannah Kessler had the opportunity to vote in an election for the first time. “I felt really bad that I missed the 2016 election,” said Kessler, a 21-year old student at the College for Creative Studies. “This year, there’s just a lot going…
Former Fox 2 anchor opens Corktown marijuana shop on election day
A new dispensary has opened in Detroit’s Corktown — just hours after Michigan polls opened to ask voters to vote on marijuana legalization. It’s been two years, almost to the day, that news anchor Anqunette Jamison Sarfoh — better known as Q — left Fox 2 during the height of her battle with multiple sclerosis.…
Black Republican John James took campaign cash from white supremacists
Republican John James — a black man challenging Debbie Stabenow for her Senate seat — accepted campaign money from a group linked to white supremacists. Campaign finance records filed with the Federal Elections Commission show that the U.S. Immigration Reform PAC donated $500 to James’s campaign on Sept. 5. The PAC’s founder and president is…
Shelved for 46 years, Aretha Franklin’s gospel film finally gets a release date
How sweet the sound (and sight) — one of the most profound pieces of musical lore has finally been given a release date after 46 years. Aretha Franklin’s estate has come to an agreement with producer, Alan Elliott regarding the future of Amazing Grace, the never-before-seen 1972 film surrounding Aretha Franklin as she recorded her…
Late poll shows Whitmer extending lead, Stabenow ahead
(Ed. Note: Whitmer won.) (Ed. Note: So did Stabenow.) A last minute poll shows Democrat Gretchen Whitmer with a double-digit lead over Republican Bill Schuette in the race for Michigan governor, and Democratic incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow leading Republican challenger John James by seven points. The Mitchell Research & Communications poll of 700 likely voters…
Grammy-winning artist Alessia Cara’s performance at DIME gets picked up by Rolling Stone
Detroit Institute of Music Education (DIME) is making headlines – in Rolling Stone no less. In October, GRAMMY-winning artist Alessia Cara came to Detroit to do a Q&A with DIME students ahead of her forthcoming album The Pains of Growing. Rolling Stone picked up the story after Cara took to DIME’s humble stage to perform…
Use these ride-sharing discounts to help get you to the polls on Election Day
From finding time to get out of work to get to the polls, to finding a candidate that doesn’t suck, voting ain’t easy in this country. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, more than 15 million people couldn’t vote in 2016 because they lacked transportation. So this time…
Muse plots Detroit stop with new record and virtual reality experience
How a-musing. Copping the moody neon color pallet made popular by Bladerunner 2049, for their eighth studio record Simulation Theory (Warner Bros., Nov.9) Muse dabbles in a cyberpunk world that screams Tron: Legacy pinball rather than soul-searching replicant. This is par for the course, though, when it comes to the long-time tech-obsessed progressive rock band…
Shigeto’s Live Ensemble to perform free ‘Dance for Democracy’ event for voters
Tuesday, Nov. 6 is a very important day. On Tuesday, residents across the state of Michigan will head to the polls to make very important decisions that will affect the future of our state. Decisions such as whether Bill Schuette or Gretchen Whitmer should be Michigan’s next governor, or whether incumbent Debbie Stabenow will be…
Detroit’s longest running techno club is facing eviction and needs your help
The Works is Detroit’s latest victim of gentrification. The techno club – which has held down 1846 Michigan Ave. for more than two decades – is facing eviction. Related On Saturday, Nov. 3, The Works raised the alarm about the nightclub’s future by sharing a link to a GoFundMe fundraiser created to raise money to open…
Here are the two Democrats running for the Michigan Supreme Court
In case you forgot or are new to voting, candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court are “nonpartisan” and listed on the Nov. 6 ballot with no party affiliation. However, justices are almost always affiliated with the Republican or Democratic parties, or another party. The two Democratic Party-backed judges up for seats on the Nov. 6…
Green Space adds plant-based comfort foods, Otus Supply launches brunch
Ferndale plant-based restaurant GreenSpace Café is adding a list of comfort food entrees and other items to its menu, including loaded nachos with seitan chorizo and cashew sour cream; a shiitake Bac’n Cheezburger; an al pastor Cubano with pineapple-marinated jackfruit; and a three-bean Sloppy “Joel.” The menu expansion, which is GreenSpace’s first since it opened three…
This picture of Bill Schuette in front of a burning building is a perfect metaphor for his campaign
Updated 5:01 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3: The photographer, Alex Haggart, asked us to remove the photo from this post, so we obliged. If you missed it, just look at the meme above and imagine Bill Schuette standing in front of a graffiti’d, burning Detroit house. It’s basically the same. Originally posted 4:12 p.m. on Thursday,…
East Coast Democrat tells Michiganders to vote no on marijuana legalization
Former Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy is telling Michiganders to vote no on a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana because it would allow for the sale of pot with “potency levels of up to 99 percent.” Kennedy’s message is being delivered via robocall to residents around the state with just days to go until…
Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins on the art of choosing a good cover song
Third Eye Blind has proven time and time again that they’re more than a one-hit wonder. More than 20 years after the release of their platinum self-titled debut album featuring popular hits “Jumper,” “Semi-Charmed Life,” and “How’s it Gonna Be,” the Bay area rockers are still going strong – on the road and in the studio.…
Massive Attack will head to Detroit in 2019 with Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser
Twenty years after the release of its seminal album Mezzanine, British trip-hop group Massive Attack has announced that they’re returning to the road — and will be coming stateside, with a Detroit date. The newly announced 10-date North American tour will follow a European stadium tour which kicks off in early 2019. The tour is…
Detroit entrepreneur gives MAGA hats a Detroit-inspired makeover
Raphael Wright wants to make the hood great again. The 29-year-old entrepreneur and Detroit-native started selling hats with his take on President Trump’s caustic campaign catchphrase last summer for reasons not entirely dissimilar to the Cheeto chief. “I started with the same purpose he claims by improving economic, social, political, and educational issues in America’s…
Rudy Giuliani backs ‘Don James’ for Michigan Senate – who is not actually a candidate
Fuck you, autocorrect. Former Mayor of New York City and Trump’s puppet-ass lawyer is stumping for Michigan’s fictional, non-existent Republican candidate for Senate, Don James. Not, John James, the guy whose beliefs are more that of The Handmaid’s Tale than not. And certainly not the John James that neglected to “notice” a swastika featured in a…
Please vote to legalize marijuana for me, a stoner, but also other good reasons
On Tuesday, Michigan will vote on whether to join nine others states, Washington, DC, and Canada in legalizing recreational use of cannabis for adults over the age of 21. Fellow Michiganders, I need you to do me a solid and vote yes on Proposal 1. My name is Lee DeVito, and I like pot. To…
Put-in-Bay hopes to end Christmas in July, blaming busloads of visitors from Detroit and unruly crowds
Put-in-Bay’s annual Christmas in July festivities are not an official celebration, in so much as they’re not recognized and promoted by the local tourism bureau and haven’t been since 2013, but people still arrive en masse anyway. Citing an already busy summer schedule, as well as “busloads of visitors from Detroit” and general discontentment with…
Belle Isle documentary presents footage of the island park’s hidden wildlife
Each year, for about three months, the Detroit Grand Prix turns Belle Isle — Detroit’s 982-acre island park — into a construction zone that culminates with tens of thousands of people tearing up the island during race weekend. There’s little regard for its environmental impact, and Grand Prix organizers and the Michigan Department of Natural…
Eminem bought out a metro Detroit movie theater for ‘Bodied’ fan screenings
“You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow” — because this shit is first come, first served. Eminem took to social media Thursday afternoon to announce he has bought out AMC Forum 30 in Sterling Heights on Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 3 for 6:40 p.m. screenings of Bodied — a…
Detroit Hustles Harder plans new collaborative retail space on Woodward Avenue
A new retail location that will feature clothing from Detroit Hustles Harder, glass art and creations from Detroit artists is slated to open on Woodward Ave. later this month. For now, the only indication of a new occupant in the long-vacant space located near the corner of Charlotte Street and Woodward Avenue is a mannequin…
The strange story about ousted county clerk Karen Spranger now involves fecal worms
If you were not following the deranged details surrounding Macomb County Clerk Karen Spranger’s firing, perhaps the words “fecal worms” will catch you up to speed. Seven months ago, a judge ruled to remove Spanger from office following a federal whistleblower lawsuit filed by two of her aids after it was revealed that she had…
$102k reward offered for arrest in case of Tamara Greene, the alleged Manoogian Mansion stripper
The search for information that could solve the 2003 murder of Tamara Greene, a then-27-year-old stripper rumored to have attended an alleged Manoogian Mansion party under Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, has been revived — thanks to a hefty $102,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest. An anonymous donor added $100,000 to the reward this…
Detroit was never going to reward the GOP for its revival
A story out this week from the Associated Press discusses how some Republicans are lamenting that the GOP is unlikely to reap any rewards on the Nov. 6 election. Although the party shepherded Detroit through bankruptcy and into economic revival, Democrats are still expected to win big this election. “During their eight years in control of Michigan’s…
Danny Brown brings Bruiser Thanksgiving to Masonic Temple’s roller rink
In the past year, Danny Brown announced a new record, underwent a dental makeover, made an appearance in the film White Boy Rick, and released an unofficial mixtape via the gaming service Twitch. Oh, and he gave some sound advice: “Never spend $70,000 on samples for an album that no one buys cause you will…
Fried chicken restaurant planned for downtown Detroit
Fried chicken restaurant Penny Red’s is among several new food and booze options planned for the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit. The Free Press reports that James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini is opening the small shop next to a year-round beer garden called the Brakeman that will feature midwestern beers. Penny Red’s will be accessible to Brakeman…
PREMIERE: Detroit’s Kesswa gets down to earth in ‘To Find’
Detroit vocalist and artist Kesswa, born Kesiena Wanogho, preaches the power of creating your own destiny in her debut music video for “To Find.” The video, directed by Kai Dowridge, is set in an enchanted forest and follows Kesswa on a journey to self-actualization. She is joined by a troupe of goddess-like women that represent…
Controversial Project Green Light comes to Corktown
You’re about to start seeing some more of those Great Gatsby-esque blinking green lights around the city. Mayor Duggan and the Detroit Police Department announced today the expansion of the controversial real-time surveillance program, Project Green Light, to Corktown, a neighborhood that has seen massive investments recently. The thinly stretched Detroit police department has increasingly…
Fourth annual Circus of Whiskers promises beards a’plenty — and all for a good cause
Brad Petrinec competed in his first facial hair competition in Somerville, Massachusetts six years ago. At the time, Petrinec rocked a full beard and took in first place for his freestyle facial creation. As Detroit’s premiere facial hair celebration, Circus of Whiskers enters its fourth year, and circus founder Petrinec says the circus itself is…
Aretha Franklin’s estate is for sale — and it’s actually pretty affordable
Though you can’t put a price tag on R-E-S-P-E-C-T, $800,000 is all you need to snag a sprawling piece of music history. Weeks following her epic celebration of life ceremony, Aretha Franklin’s Bloomfield Hills estate hit the market last week for a surprisingly reasonable price. Located within a gated community, Franklin’s custom-built estate was erected…
Man shot and killed while passing out voting fliers on Detroit’s east side
Two individuals were shot, one of them fatally, Tuesday evening on Detroit’s east side. The male and female victims, aged 24 and 19, respectively, were walking the 6000 block of Drexel Street at approximately 6:50 p.m. when shots were fired, The Detroit News reports. The man was killed from his injuries. The female victim has…
Bill Schuette’s campaign has apparently run out of money
We now have an idea why Republican gubernatorial nominee Bill Schuette’s Detroit campaign office is starting to look like an abandoned property: It seems his campaign has run out of money, with just a week left until election day. The Associated Press reports that Schuette’s campaign had pulled nearly $445,000 worth of TV ads across the…
Medical and recreational marijuana activists need to fight side by side
The quarrel over cannabis is in high gear in Michigan and across the country. To a certain extent this is much ado about something nobody has a great handle on understanding. We know a lot about cannabis. There’s plenty about marijuana already in the books for someone who cares to look beyond their fears. There…
Why so many people choose to lose themselves in cosplay at Youmacon
When 27-year-old Crystal Jeske first discovered Japanese anime it was, like for many other Americans, through Cartoon Network’s late-night Adult Swim programming. Specifically, it was Inuyasha, a show about a time-traveling teenage school girl, a half-dog demon, and some highly desirable sacred jewel shards. “We really aren’t in Tokyo anymore, are we?” the series’ protagonist…
Review: Does Detroit’s first vegan coney island live up to the hype?
Few restaurants elicit quite the response that Brush Parks’ Chili Mustard Onion did when it opened around three months ago. Some called the city’s first vegan coney island a blasphemy. Most were thrilled, however — finally, vegans could experience all that Detroit coney joy without the beef hearts and ground up digestive parts. From a…
How ‘Uncle John’ helps to integrate new Americans in Hamtramck
The first day Rahin Rahman remembers being in America, he was trying to get a haircut. Living just within the borders of Detroit’s east side, Rahman wandered over into the neighboring town of Hamtramck, a space he knew was home to other Bangali-Americans like him who had recently immigrated to the U.S. “I was really…
Savage Love: ‘I have not been able to have sex with penetration since having our second child’
I’m a 40-year-old married straight woman. I gave birth to our first kid in 2015 and our second earlier this year. My perineum tore and was stitched both times. I have not been able to have sex with penetration since having our second child. My OB/GYN says I’m “a little tighter now” due to the…
Horoscopes (Oct. 31-Nov. 6)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 If the straw just broke the camel’s back, it wouldn’t surprise me. We never know what will lead us to see when enough is enough. Viewing the expanse of possibilities that are about to fill the void that recent decisions have created, if you wonder how it will all…
Review: ‘Halloween’ brings up some interesting ideas, but fails to sink its teeth into them
Early in the new sequel (reboot?) of John Carpenter’s Halloween, a journalist (Jefferson Hall) approaches the 40-years-incarcerated Michael Myers — speaking, as the script seems to imply, for fellow fans of the original. “I’d like to know more about that night,” he says, brandishing Michael’s mask. “Do you ever think about them, Michael? [Do you]…
