Cover Stories
The law is a crazy business: The story of Detroit’s ‘greatest fighting judge’
In today’s world, conservative pundits routinely deny racial profiling, defend “stop and frisk,” inveigh against “activist judges,” or declare the existence of a “war on cops.” But it’s really nothing new: Almost as long as there have been judges and constables, there have been complaints that they’d be better able to do their job if…
Detroit’s cocktail renaissance is in full swing, even in ‘dives’
Ten years ago, if you went into almost any “upscale lounge” in metro Detroit, you’d be handed a “martini menu” — with no gin on it. It would be cluttered with franchise liquors, trademark symbols, and mixers loaded with corn syrup, and each concoction would be shoehorned into stemware to make it look respectable. How…
Distilling in the D
Detroit has been called many things including, most famously, Rock City and the Motor City. It could just as easily be known as Booze City, given its long love affair with hooch — a love so strong not even the heavy hand of the state could quash it. It’s been that way from the beginning.…
15 metro Detroit cocktails we love
Thanks to the cocktail revival, there’s arguably never been a better time to imbibe in Detroit. Bartenders are stepping it up a notch, and many local watering holes seem to be in a friendly competition of one-upmanship when it comes to creating inventive new concoctions or dusting off forgotten classics. To celebrate our city’s drinking…
Detroit Drunken Historical Society: Because even a D-centric drinker has some catching up to do
It’s Saturday night at Tony V’s Tavern, formerly Alvin’s Cafe, on Cass Avenue in Detroit. The energy in the bar’s commodious back room is building as the Detroit Drunken Historical Society gets ready for its October event. But tonight is a departure from the usual discussions of bearded 19th century dudes, machinegun-toting gangsters, and Hamtramck…
Update: Former EAA principal cuts deal with feds, pleads guilty to bribery and tax evasion
… and we rehash Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s time in the D.
Comfort dinner menu returns to Mudgie’s Deli in time for fall
Cooler temperatures increasingly becoming the norm this time of year call for some indulgent comfort food to help get you through the frigid fall and winter months. Just in time for the change in seasons is Mudgie’s comfort dinners, reintroduced today via social media. Dig in on four meat ‘n potato, open-face sandwich entrees, including…
Detroiters band together to raise cash for owners of Yum Yum Donuts in Melvindale after bakery was destroyed in fire
When one Detroiter is down, we all step in to help.
What cities made it (and didn’t) onto the perfect U.S. road trip map?
Did Detroit make it onto that road trip? What major cities didn’t? Have a look.
Detroit Land Bank director terminated
The news comes on the heels of Charlie LeDuff’s accusation that the city’s blight removal efforts “don’t add up.”
Michigan’s new Legoland needs help deciding which Detroit landmarks to re-create in Lego form
As the Legoland Discovery Center Michigan gears up to open next year, management is seeking ideas for a Motor City “Miniland.”
One ad agency’s advice to Volkswagen: Move to Detroit, rap about it
Could this rap save Volkswagen?
Don’t panic: It’s not petcoke, it’s coke breeze
Great news, everybody! The new pile of coke on the riverfront is AOK!
Show preview: The Neighborhood play the Fillmore tonight
This might be your last chance to catch them in a relatively intimate venue; dudes are blowing up! Doors are at 6:30 p.m., and Bad Suns and Hunny open up the show. Tickets are still available; they start at $25.
The top 10 names for Detroit’s medical marijuana dispensaries
On Monday, Detroiters debated proposed regulations to the city’s burgeoning medicinal marijuana scene. According to the Detroit Free Press, some citizens are concerned that there is not enough regulation for the estimated 150 or so dispensaries operating in the city. Others said the industry, which was approved on a state level by voters in 2008, was…
Show preview: “An Evening of Spatialized Sound Experiments with Four Quadraphonic Sets from Four Artists” at Trinosophes tomorrow, Wed., Oct 14
Tomorrow, Wednesday October 14, Trinosophes hosts “An Evening of Spatialized Sound Experiments with Four Quadraphonic Sets from Four Artists,” featuring Detroit area artists Ben Miller, Viki Viktoria, Sam Hooker and Tyler Hicks.
Royal Oak’s shuttered Incognito is being replaced by a Project Pie
Royal Oak’s retail imprint continues to diminish to make way for more dining establishments. Such is the case at former boutique Incognito, which closed its doors at the end of 2013. It is now being replaced by a growing pizza chain, Project Pie. Though the former longtime retailer’s signage remains, banners and help wanted posters…
Show preview: Woolen Men with puppet show, tomorrow night at Elijah’s
Woolen Men are arguably the best band in Portland, Oregon right now. They retain the strange grit of some of the best West Coast punk — you know, stuff like the Wipers, Dead Moon, the Urinals. The best stuff!
Vertical Detroit wine bar and restaurant to open a week from today
The countdown is on for downtown’s first wine bar and restaurant.
Detroit’s Christopher Columbus statue vandalized
It appears that someone has vandalized the bust of Columbus located outside of Detroit’s Renaissance Center with what looks like a bloody hatchet.
Detroit-born designer Kevan Hall to headline 2015 Fashion Speak
Detroit is a hotbed of creativity. Nationally recognized music, art, and film are made here, but fashion design has never been one of our biggest exports, despite the number of talented individuals that live, work, and create here. Karen Buscemi, former StyleLine editor and founder of the Detroit Garment Group, has long hoped to shed…
Report: Some Detroit cops make six-figure incomes with overtime
A new report by the website Michigan Capitol Confidential offers a look into previously reported possible claims of overtime abuse in the Detroit Police Department. According to documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, at least 529 DPD employees logged more than 4,000 hours last year — the equivalent of 77 hours a week. At least…
Show preview: Melissa Etheridge plays Orchestra Hall tonight, Oct. 12!
Simply with guitar in hand, the ’90s icon, gay rights activist, and Grammy winning artist will take the stage to perform songs from her 13th studio album, This Is M.E., as well as some of her greatest hits like “Come to My Window,” “I’m The Only One,” and “I Want to Come Over.”
Rest in peace, Stooges saxophonist Steve Mackay
Yesterday we learned that Steve Mackay, the monster of a sax player on the Stooges’ ‘Fun House,’ passed away in Daly City, Calif. from sepsis at the age of 66.
Southfield baby boutique celebrates grand opening
Are you just OVER Babies ‘R’ Us?
Chef Brion Wong heads to upcoming Peterboro in Detroit’s old Chinatown
Could the upcoming restaurant Peterboro pay homage to Detroit’s old Chinatown?
Protomartyr’s Joe Casey: ‘I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for touring with Tyvek’
Unfortunately, some of our Protomartyr article had to be cut for space constraints — like this nugget.
Which Michigan city was named in ‘Top 10 Cities for Singles’?
As the years have gone by, we’ve noticed a definite uptick in Top Ten lists. (“And you won’t believe No. 4!”) Who knows what metrics were used to compile them, because the results often seem silly to us. (Westland is the 50th best city to live in?) Honestly, we think it’s just a bid for…
Ciders and seasonals invade Oktoberfest at Royal Oak Farmers Market this Saturday
A short history lesson: Oktoberfest is the largest Volksfest in the world. Each year, halfway through September the 16-day festival attracts upwards of six million people to Munich, Germany where countless ounces of Oktoberfestbeir are consumed by the masses. Oktoberfestbeir (also known as Marzen, also known as Munich Beer, also known as Bavarian Beer) is…
Aaron Foley: “No one person is ‘more Detroit’ than the next’
Aaron Foley’s candid TED Talk examines the issue of “Old Detroit” vs. “New Detroit.”
Welcome to Flower House, a living art installation in Hamtramck
Armed with petals and stems, florists from around the country are bringing new life to an abandoned home in Hamtramck. Next weekend, 11751 Dequindre Street will be drenched in evergreen, and fitted floor to ceiling in flowers. This is the passion project of Lisa Waud, who bought the foreclosed property on auction last year to…
Detroit City Distillery welcomes new Homegrown Rye to its lineup
It’s fall, where’s your rye whiskey?
NLRB: Teach for America corps members have a right to unionize
Dismissing an appeal by a Detroit charter management organization, the NLRB reiterated its July decision that the votes of TFA corps members should have been included in a union election that was held last spring at University Prep.
Detroit high school museum on wheels needs help, memorabilia
A museum celebrating Detroit’s classic high schools might be coming to a street near you.
‘Netflix and chill’ gets a little more expensive
Here’s some advice, kids: Condoms are cheaper than Netflix!
Check out this map of Detroit’s electric rail system in 1915
In 2015, we’re all very excited about our 3.3-mile streetcar line, since electric rail is largely regarded as one of the biggest boosts you can give to urban development these days. Crews have been hard at work for almost two years now. They now say they’ll be ready for passengers in 2017. But did you…
Two Detroits, headed in two different directions
The latest post-bankruptcy data from the Pew Charitable Trusts is both upbeat and disturbing.
Super Happy Funtime Burlesque leader says ArtPrize ‘killed’ Grand Rapids’ underground scene
The director of the Super Happy Funtime Burlesque troupe has a biting critique of ArtPrize.
Gov. Snyder asks lawmakers for $6 M to reconnect Flint to Detroit’s water system
Gov. Rick Snyder announced Thursday that he supports Flint’s efforts to reconnect to Detroit’s water system, following a public health emergency that showed raised levels of lead in Flint’s water supply after it decided in 2014 to start drawing water from the Flint River to save costs. The governor is asking state legislators for $6 million…
Michigan highway named most scenic autumn drive in the U.S.
Local leaf peepers need not travel far this fall to catch the best colors — Michigan’s M-22 near the Lake Michigan shoreline was recently rated the top scenic autumn drive in the nation by USA Today readers. We beat out other top contenders, including the Hocking Hills Byway in Ohio and the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway in…
Craigslist post seeks ‘high level Cleric or Druid’ to purify Flint’s water
For all of you readers who were popular in high school, it’s a ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ reference.
BBC explores DIA’s art sale scare
It may be old news, but it is an interesting listen.
Star tracking: Sugar House recasts as Bill Murray; Chef Mario Batali tours Detroit food scene
Bill Murray, where you at?
Painter Matt Gondek will make his first ever Michigan appearance in November
Ferndale’s StoreFront Gallery has an exciting event on its calendar. Painter and illustrator Matt Gondek will make his maiden voyage to Detroit, appearing at the first solo exhibition of his work in Michigan inside the gallery on November 21. Gondek is probably best known for painting iconic cartoon characters with their faces blown off. Homer Simpson,…
Erin Brockovich highlights the Flint water fight
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich took to Facebook on Tuesday to slam Michigan authorities regarding Flint’s drinking water controversy — and offered a shoutout to Metro Times and contributor Curt Guyette for covering the issue. Brockovich posted a photo of Brad Wurfel, the Communications Director at Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, captioning the image with a lengthy tirade calling Wurfel a…
Stir it up: The bottom line
Mulenga Harangua looked stern as he stood in front of his ramshackle squatter house on a lost and overgrown Detroit block. He’d sent me an email from a computer at the public library to come see him. He’d hinted that something big was afoot. When I got there a few days later it was like…
Politics & Prejudices: Guess who stole our port authority?
OK, kids, this may be a hard one. But here are a couple of clues. A) Who was the most corrupt mayor in Detroit’s modern history, a guy still in federal prison? B) Who is the most selfish and greedy billionaire you can name, an 88-year-old who thinks $1.8 billion isn’t enough, and who cares…
Chvrches play the Masonic on Thu., Oct. 8
Chvrches has been on that 1989 tip since way before anyone else thought it was cool. In 2012, to be specific, when Taylor Swift was still considered a country artist, Carly Rae Jepsen was just the “Call Me Maybe” singer, and Ryan Adams was presumably not working on any kind of semi-ironic covers record, Chvrches…
Hollywood Casino Toledo offers a deal to you
Hollywood Casino Toledo would like to invite you to Ohio for Wine Wednesdays. Just a short hour drive down I-75, is scenic and delightful Toledo. The city has a lot going for it, and that includes Hollywood Casino, which opened in 2012. Inside the 125,000-square-foot space, you’ll find more than 2,000 slot machines, 60 table…
Sweet Soul Bistro puts a Motown twist on bar food
News flash: Greater downtown is not the only area where Detroiters are making a go at opening up restaurants. Entrepreneurs all over the city are taking a crack at joining Detroit’s culinary revitalization, serving the needs of people in their neighborhoods. They’re doing so without competing for startup incubator grants. They’re doing so without the…
How a generation became drenched in hot cinnamon insanity
The trends sweeping our drinking culture aren’t limited to craft distilling and high-end cocktails. We have also seen an explosion of flavored whiskeys, infused with everything from honey to maple syrup. (Flapjacks, anyone?) But no beverage has transformed the way people drink out of shot glasses like the cinnamon-flavored shooter known as Fireball. The 66-proof…
Weekly reader responses
Record-breaking Last week, we presented our “15 Best New Bands” issue. Reader Don Handy of Mount Clemens wrote in with praise — but didn’t seem to dig the cover photo shoot, which featured the artists gleefully smashing a couple of boxes of bargain bin records: Loved the cover story on the 15 new bands. It’s…
Horoscopes (October 7 – 13)
This week’s Horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Void-of-Course Moon, that will keep us on hold until the wee hours of the morning, on Tuesday. Sitting in the last Decan of the sign Cancer, running on the heels of hard hitting aspects to both Uranus and Pluto, if we’re feeling a little…
Savage Love
Q: I’m a gay man who is ready to start cheating on my boyfriend. We’ve had a wonderful 3.5-year-long relationship full of respect, affection, support, and fun. I love everything about our relationship, and our sex life was great… until he moved in eight months into the relationship. At that point, he lost all interest.…
Hamtramck Neighborhood Arts Festival returns with art (and bloody marys) galore
Hamtramck’s art community is steadily growing — witness the growth of the Hamtramck Neighborhood Arts Festival. Now in its sixth year, the fest is bigger than ever: a mix of open studios, off-the-cuff music performances, and other DIY happenings that highlight Hamtramck’s makers, musicians, and other creative types. “It started out really small. I don’t…
Craft beer store opens second location in Detroit
8 Degrees Plato has opened a second storefront this month in Cass Corridor, joining a number of small businesses that make up Midtown’s thriving dining district and Detroit’s ever-growing entrepreneurial scene. Expanding on the concept of the original Ferndale location, 8 Degrees of Plato Detroit is not only a bottle shop, but also a bar…
Drink up
Gilded Age Vodka by Detroit City Distillery 44% ABV | 88 Proof Detroit City Distillery, discreetly nestled in historic Eastern Market, has quickly become a go-to destination for Detroiters looking for boutique spirits and handcrafted cocktails. The small distillery is the brainchild of eight childhood friends from Bath, Mich. who had a shared dream of…
Protomartyr throws a weekend-long release party at Marble Bar
Protomartyr is on the eve of their third album’s release. The songs on the massive The Agent Intellect are different from their previous records. It’s darker, and more introspective. But it all still sound like Protomartyr; they’re one of those distinctive acts who have lots of different kinds of songs, in the extended family of…
