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Communities of color are dumping grounds for toxic waste in Michigan
This article is part of a series of stories exploring environmental racism in Michigan. Struggling to breathe in 48217, Michigan’s most toxic ZIP code Communities of color are dumping grounds for toxic waste in Michigan Lead poisoning endangers generations of Detroit children, with no end in sight The dust and stench of rotten eggs and…
Movement organizers are taking the rave to Twitch, with exclusive sets and virtual festivals
The rave will go on! Paxahau, the producers behind Detroit’s Movement electronic music festival, are the latest to take their festival to streaming services, joining Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, and others in lieu of physical festival this year. But Paxahau is taking it a step further with a partnership with Twitch, where they’ll stream exclusive live sets…
Secret recording reveals illegal tactics in petition campaign to repeal Whitmer’s emergency powers
A California company hired to collect signatures to repeal the law that enables Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to impose restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic coached signature gatherers on running a dirty, illegal campaign. The illegal tactics included gathering signatures without witnessing them, circulating petitions on private property, deceiving voters, and committing perjury, according to a secretly…
Michigan restaurant workers can now receive coronavirus aid of up to $500
Thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the Michigan Department of Treasury, the state’s restaurant and hospitality workers impacted by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic can apply to receive payments of up to $500. According to a press release from the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, applicants “must be Michigan residents and demonstrate…
Royal Oak commissioner who downplayed coronavirus was infected with COVID-19 before she died
A Royal Oak city commissioner who declared the coronavirus pandemic “is over” in April was infected with COVID-19 before she died, according to an autopsy. Commissioner Kim Gibbs died Aug. 20 from brain damage caused by a diabetic coma that deprived her brain of oxygen, the Oakland County medical examiner told The Royal Oak Tribune.…
Ann Arbor has decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms and plants
Ann Arbor’s City Council unanimously voted Monday to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and plants. The resolution makes possession, cultivation, and purchasing of “magic” psilocybin mushrooms and other “entheogenic substances” — like ayahuasca, mescaline-containing cacti, and iboga — the lowest priority for local law enforcement. The measure was supported by Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor (DNA2), a group…
Michigan venues and promoters are asking for millions in relief funds
It’s been more than six months since most of us attended a concert where we ordered beers the size of our forearm, bumped into an ex only to grind all up on a stranger, all while standing totally united in telling the “Play ‘Free Bird’” guy to shut the hell up. And, unfortunately, it’s going…
Are trees the key to a sustainable building future?
Michigan is in a unique position to capitalize on innovative building technology that can improve the environment. Mass timber is created from smaller pieces of wood, such as two-by-fours, that are glued together to create beams, floors and other load-bearing building structures. Michigan State University’s new STEM Teaching and Learning Facility is the first building…
North American International Auto Show moved to September 2021
It’s been a rough year for Detroit’s big car event, the North American International Auto Show. First, it was moved from its longtime spot in frigid January to a new reimagined and expanded event in the summer, but those plans were scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic. (TCF Center, the longtime host of the show…
Novi ammo store bans mask-wearing customers because of ‘thugs,’ calls Whitmer a ‘bitch’
At a Novi ammunition store, masks aren’t just optional – they’re prohibited. Fenix Ammunition is flouting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order that requires customers to wear masks in businesses, notifying customers that they aren’t allowed inside the store unless they remove their protective face coverings. “DUE TO THE NATIONWIDE RISE IN VIOLENT ATTACKS BY MASK-WEARING THUGS,…
Hazel Park is getting another new marijuana store, and it’s hiring budtenders
Hazel Park will soon have a fourth marijuana dispensary, making it one of metro Detroit’s most dense cannabis shopping hubs. Common Citizen is expected to open its new store at 877 E. Eight Mile Road, Hazel Park, in October. It’s the Michigan-based company’s fourth location. Common Citizen says it plans to hire 15 budtenders for…
New doc looks at the life of the late Detroit rapper Dex Osama
Dex Osama’s shadow looms large over Detroit’s current wave of successful hip-hop artists. As a whole, Detroit’s hip-hop energy is as viable now as it’s ever been. There’s no doubt Dex Osama would be at the forefront of Detroit’s trap scene alongside Tee Grizzley, Icewear Vezzo, AllStar JR, and 42 Dugg (just to name a…
Federal lawsuit accuses Grand Rapids police of using excessive force against bystanders during protest
Grand Rapids police are accused in a federal lawsuit of excessive force and assault and battery for their handling of a man and woman who found themselves blocked by a line of officers in riot gear during a protest in May. Sean Hart and Tiffany Guzman were not involved in the protest when police pointed…
Don’t think you can shame Mitch McConnell into doing the right thing
The most quintessentially feckless “The Democrats!™” reaction to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death Friday night came from — who else? — Chuck Schumer, who tweeted the same words Mitch McConnell used four years ago to justify refusing Merrick Garland a vote, as if pointing out hypocrisy would shame McConnell into doing the right thing. “The American…
White House scrapped plan to send masks to Wayne County and other COVID-19 hotspots to avoid creating a ‘panic’
At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S., when metro Detroit was reeling from a surge of COVID-19 cases, federal health officials hatched a plan to send reusable masks to every home in Wayne County and three other hard-hit areas across the country. The U.S. Postal Service drafted a press release saying it…
Detroit Historical Museum to celebrate 20 years of electronic music festivals with new photography exhibit
Remember festivals? People? Leaving the house? To satiate our electronic music FOMO and celebrate what would have been the 20th anniversary of Detroit’s famed Movement Electronic Music Festival (formerly DEMF), the Detroit Historical Museum will display photographs spanning each year of the city’s festival history. Movement, which draws an estimated 25,000 each day during its…
Historic vote to decriminalize marijuana in the House is postponed as moderates pump the brakes
The U.S. House of Representatives’ long-awaited vote to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level has been postponed until after Election Day, drawing criticism from pot advocates. The House was scheduled to vote next week on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, expunge some criminal…
Absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 must be counted in Michigan, judge rules
A Michigan judge ruled Friday that clerks must accept absentee ballots that are postmarked by the day before the Election Day, as long as they arrive before the election is certified. Michigan Court of Claims Judge Cynthia Stephens’ decision comes a month after the U.S. Postal Service warned that voters could be disenfranchised because of…
Mississippi replaces Michigan in The Big Ten, according to White House flub
First, Fox News erroneously reported that Michigan was about to get struck by Hurricane Sally last week, and now, Michigan is getting booted from The Big Ten for Mississippi? No offense, Mississippi, but now this is personal. According to a congratulatory announcement made by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Wednesday, Michigan’s teams are…
Democrats are worried Biden isn’t campaigning enough in Michigan
As we all know by now, Donald Trump narrowly eked out a victory over Hillary Clinton in Michigan in 2016, winning by some 10,000 votes. In retrospect, Clinton organizers blamed the campaign for taking Michigan for granted and failing to “get the basics of campaigning right,” with Clinton never even setting foot in a UAW…
Jova Lynne on her return as MOCAD’s senior curator: ‘I believe in Detroit’
It’s been a whirlwind year for Jova Lynne, who parted ways with the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in April — and now, as of earlier this month, has returned as its senior curator. “It feels right,” Lynne tells Metro Times. “I wouldn’t have returned if I didn’t feel listened to.” In July, Lynne joined…
Michigan recalls numerous varieties of marijuana flower sold at nine dispensaries statewide
The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency has recalled numerous varieties of cannabis flower sold at nine dispensaries for failing contaminant testing for yeast and mold. The contaminated marijuana failed standards for the medical market but not for the adult-use market, which has lower testing standards. Dispensaries that sold the contaminated marijuana flower are GreenCare in River…
Get in loser, Hello Kitty and Barbie trucks are coming to Twelve Oaks Mall
Whatever you planned on doing next weekend, cancel it, because Hello Kitty and Barbie are coming. Two hot-pink trucks will sell Hello Kitty and Barbie swag as part of a pop-up shopping experience at Twelve Oaks Mall. It’s the Barbie truck’s first visit to metro Detroit, according to a press release. The Hello Kitty wares…
Michigan voters 50+ united on protecting Social Security, Medicare
With the nation heading into an especially divisive election, there are some key matters older Michiganders care about that transcend partisan politics. In a new AARP election survey of Michigan voters age 50-plus, 54% said they support Joe Biden and 40% support Donald Trump. However, they are united in some other areas. Mark Hornbeck, associate…
Michigan AG warns of ‘deceptive tactics’ by group collecting signatures to repeal Whitmer’s emergency powers
People circulating petitions to repeal the law that enables Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to impose restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic are using “deceptive tactics” to get signatures, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned Wednesday. Nessel said her office continues to receive complaints that circulators are “misleading people about the true nature of the petitions they’re being…
Otus Supply ramps up music performances with outdoor tent, livestream sessions
The coronavirus pandemic has been massively disruptive for both restaurants and music venues — but Ferndale’s Otus Supply is figuring out a way for the show to go on. The venue is gearing up for more live music with two new concert series and a retooled menu. Otus Supply recently set up a tent in…
Judge declines to lift restraining order preventing Detroit police from assaulting peaceful protesters
A federal judge has denied the city of Detroit’s request to lift a temporary restraining order that restricts police from using batons, shields, tear gas, rubber bullets, chokeholds, and other tactics against peaceful protesters, legal observers, and medical personnel. U.S. District Court Judge Laurie J. Michelson, who is presiding over a lawsuit filed by the…
New Red Order films to be screened as part of U-M’s Penny Stamps Speaker Series on Friday
New Red Order postponed a big exhibition originally slated for this summer at Detroit’s MOCAD while the museum investigated allegations of a toxic workplace, including racism. There’s still an opportunity to see work from the self-described “public secret society” led by three Indigenous artists, including brothers Zack and Adam Khalil, who are Ojibwe and grew…
Macomb County pastor admits to using church email address to harass NYT reporter
New York Times journalist Sarah Jeong put a Macomb County pastor on blast for harassing her from his church email address. Jeong posted a screenshot of the email, from Rev. David Muns of Macomb Township’s Christian Life Church, on her Twitter account on Tuesday. “I pretty much never do this but this guy is a…
The historic — and possibly haunted — Traverse City State Hospital is offering ‘after dark’ tours next month
‘Tis the season for spooky shit. And no, we’re not talking about the possibility of a second term for America’s reigning butthole in chief. The tour, billed as the “Asylum After Dark Experience,” is the latest offering from the historic Village at Grand Traverse Commons. The guided tour will walk willing ticketholders through Cottage #30,…
Detroit eatery Saffron De Twah pivots to providing free meals to those in need
In August, the University of Michigan predicted that Detroit’s employment rate may not rebound until 2023 due to the coronavirus’ devastating economic impact. One Detroit restaurant, however, is foregoing profit through winter by pivoting from traditional kitchen service to providing free meals to those in need. Modern halal Moroccan restaurant — and James Beard Award semi-finalist…
Ex-state Sen. Virgil Smith who shot up ex-wife’s car with AR-15 pleads guilty
Former state Sen. Virgil Smith Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to two charges stemming from a 2015 case in which he opened fire on his ex-wife’s Mercedes-Benz with an AR-15 rifle. In exchange for his guilty pleas, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s Office agreed to a sentence of probation and dismissed charges of felonious assault, domestic…
Live Nation looks to convert empty venues into polling places, could include Detroit spots
Six months after Live Nation announced it would suspend all touring concerts in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the world’s largest live music organization revealed its plans to convert empty venues into polling sites for the upcoming election on Nov. 3. As part of a package of election and voting initiatives,…
Free Will Astrology (Sept. 16-22)
ARIES: March 21 – April 19 In one of your past lives, maybe you were a Neanderthal midwife in what’s now southern France. In another incarnation, you may have been a 17th-century Guarani shaman who shared your knowledge about local plants with an Italian Jesuit missionary in what’s now Uruguay. All the powers and aptitudes…
As the DIA addresses issues of inclusivity, Black docents help connect the museum to Detroit
On a busy Friday evening at the Detroit Institute of Arts, a group of people gather in the African gallery of the museum, associated with Yoruba religious customs. At the center of the crowd is art docent Kija Gray, who first engages with her audience by using the teaching method Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a…
Fascism? What else do you call rejecting democracy, scapegoating immigrants, and being consumed by grievance?
Part two of two. See part one here. There’s a plausible argument that the first recognizably proto-fascist campaign appeared in the southern United States in the late 1860s with the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan: white-robed men, in league with conservative elites, using extrajudicial violence to enforce their vision of racial purity. Scholars are more likely…
A ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ prequel, and other things to stream this week
Premieres Wednesday: The Devil All the Time – An all-star cast including Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, and Robert Pattinson interprets the 2011 novel about sinister doings in mid-century rural America. If that sounds hard to relate to, just think of it as a white Lovecraft Country. (Netflix) Criminal: UK – Season 2 – Return to…
Savage Love: Premies
I’m a straight man who’s been dating a woman for not quite four months. In the beginning, things were light. But things started to get heavy quickly. Two weeks in, she revealed her very serious abandonment issues and then began asking me whether I really loved her and demanding reassurance that I wasn’t going anywhere…
