Cover Story
Hakim Littleton was killed for shooting at police. Detroit was his undoing.
This story was originally published by Deadline Detroit. It is reprinted in this week’s print issue of Metro Times with permission. Before he was killed by police, Hakim Littleton was trying to get out of Detroit. The plan, according to those close to him, went like this: When he wrapped up a probation sentence for…
ProVen Reviews – Real NutraVesta ProVen Ingredient Benefits?
ProVen by NutraVesta is a product that caters to both fat burning and toxin cleansing via a powerful weight loss formula with high antioxidant ingredients that help support users’ body management goals naturally. In a nutshell, ProVen is a detox first, weight loss second solution that uses all-natural, entirely safe ingredients with high profile scientific…
New videos show Unlock Michigan illegally gathering signatures for petition to repeal Whitmer’s emergency powers
The group circulating petitions to repeal the law that empowers Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to impose restrictions during the coronavirus has been caught — again — resorting to illegal tactics to gain signatures. In three undercover videos released Wednesday, petition circulators tell residents they can sign the names of people who are not present, even though…
You can now rent a night in Hell on Airbnb
For three magical nights in October, you can be the mayor of Hell. John Colone, the self-proclaimed mayor of Hell, Michigan, is listing a room in his small community in October. The “Mayor’s Lair” is available for only three nights — Oct. 18, 21, and 24 — for the low price of $31 a night.…
The best of Detroit (in the worst of times)
With the coronavirus turning the world upside down, we debated whether we should even do our annual Best of Detroit issue this year. On the one hand, it felt too painful not to be able to celebrate some of our favorite things in 2020, like seeing live music at our city’s wonderful music venues or…
Gov. Whitmer extends state of emergency as COVID-19 cases continue to rise
As the number of new coronavirus cases continue to climb, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday extended her state of emergency through Oct. 27, giving her the authority to impose restrictions to combat the pandemic. “We have saved thousands of lives in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among our most vulnerable populations – people…
Man accused of terrorizing Black family in Warren was arrested, faces possible hate crime charges
Warren police have arrested a 24-year-old man accused of terrorizing a Black family at their home, and the suspect may be charged with federal hate crimes as early as Wednesday. For three nights earlier this month, Eddie and Candace Hall were terrified as someone slashed their tires, hurled a rock through their front window, scrawled…
Detroit City Council renews contract for racially biased facial recognition surveillance software
A divided Detroit City Council approved a contract extension for the city’s facial recognition software on Tuesday over the complaints of residents and legal experts who decried the system as unreliable, racially biased, and constitutionally biased. The council voted 6 to 3 to renew the contract, which expired in July, for an additional two years.…
Iggy Pop encourages people to ‘use the power’ to vote in new PSA poster
Figures from Detroit’s rock ‘n’ roll scene have banded together to encourage people to use their “raw power” to register to vote before the November election. Iggy Pop has lent his likeness to a PSA poster, which runs as a full page in this week’s issue of Metro Times, out Wednesday (which also happens to…
Former Farmington priest arrested on charges of sexually abusing teenager in 1970s
A 78-year-old former priest in Farmington has been charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in the 1970s as Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel continues to crack down on abuse within the state’s seven Catholic dioceses. Gary Berthiaume, 78, was arrested Tuesday at his home in Warrendale, Ill., and was charged with one count of second-degree…
Geologists share concerns about Line 5 tunnel
Some experts are cautioning the proposed Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac is not ready for prime time. The state is holding hearings on Enbridge’s permit applications for the project. Geological engineer Brian O’Mara joined other scientists who reviewed the plan to share their concerns during a press conference Monday. The project…
Detroit production resumes on Steven Soderbergh’s star-packed period crime flick
A title change, casting shakeup, and a pandemic be damned: filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is a man of his word. Pre-pandemic, Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the pandemic streaming sensation from 2011, Contagion) was two-weeks out from starting production on Kill Switch, a 1955-set period crime thriller set in a racially-divided Detroit. At the time, he…
Mayor Fouts accused of violating state law over campaign-funded flyers opposing reduced term limits
Warren Mayor Jim Fouts is accused of violating state law by using his campaign funds to send flyers urging residents to vote against a ballot initiative to limit how many terms the mayor can serve. Warren City Councilman Patrick Green filed a complaint Tuesday with the Michigan Bureau of Elections, saying the Michigan Campaign Finance…
Michigan AG launches investigation into petition campaign to repeal Whitmer’s emergency powers
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is launching a criminal investigation into alleged illegal activity by a right-wing group circulating petitions to repeal the law that allows Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to impose restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. The probe comes a week after a secret recording revealed that a California company coached petitioners on how to…
Infiltrators bombarded Michigan voters with ‘deeply offensive and racist’ text messages
Michigan People’s Campaign said Monday that right-wing racists infiltrated its program to get out of the vote and sent “many Michigan voters deeply offensive and racist” text messages. Right-wingers masquerading as allies joined the volunteer GOTV (Get Out The Vote) team and sent the messages after gaining access to the campaign’s texting system, the campaign…
Ottawa County just got its first recreational marijuana store
Recreational marijuana sales have started at Exit 9 Provisionary in Nunica, outside of Grand Haven, bringing adult-use cannabis to Ottawa County. The store celebrated its grand opening at 4:20 p.m. on Thursday. It had been open for medical marijuana sales for more than a year, but now any adult over the age of 21 can…
You can now drink a tallboy with Big Sean’s face on it thanks to Budweiser
Detroit’s Big Sean went big on his latest record, this month’s Detroit 2, and now he’s popping a big frosty cold one with his fans. Not only did he jam pack the long-awaited (and Pitchfork-skewered) 21-track sequel with appearances by Travis Scott, Lil Wayne, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Dave Chapelle, Stevie Wonder, and the late…
Opponents of facial recognition technology in Detroit are not giving up without a fight
Opponents of Detroit’s facial recognition system, which has misidentified suspects and led to their false imprisonment, plan to make some noise ahead of the city council’s scheduled vote to extend a contract on the technology’s software on Tuesday. The protest group Detroit Will Breathe began an online petition calling for the city to stop using…
Whoever buys the Majestic Theatre Complex, please keep it (mostly) the same
We’re sad to see the Majestic Theatre Complex — the sprawling block in Midtown that includes the Majestic Theatre, Magic Stick, Garden Bowl, the Alley Deck, and Sgt. Pepperoni’s pizzeria — is listed for sale on loopnet.com. No listing price is given, and the sale would included the businesses, Crain’s Detroit reports. One of the…
Either Amy Coney Barrett understands why Trump picked her, or she doesn’t. I’m not sure which is worse.
In 2016, Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett opined that it would be inappropriate for Merrick Garland to replace her mentor, Antonin Scalia, on the Supreme Court during an election year because doing so would “dramatically flip the balance of power.” On Saturday, the same Amy Coney Barrett accepted Donald Trump’s nomination to replace…
Libertarian Jo Jorgensen has never smoked pot, but she would still defend your right to do it in her long shot bid for president
In the Libertarian Party, presidential candidates don’t pick their running mates; instead, they’re chosen by delegates at the nominating convention in a separate vote. This year’s presidential ticket resulted in the odd-couple pairing of Dr. Jo Jorgensen, an academic from South Carolina, and Jeremy “Spike” Cohen, a podcaster prankster who promises “a Waffle House on…
Gov. Whitmer announces reopening of movie theaters, small venues, bowling alleys
Does this mean we can finally see Tenet on the big screen? Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced Friday that she had signed an executive order that would allow movie theaters, small performance venues, arcades, bowling alleys, indoor climbing gyms, and a number of other businesses that had previously remained closed due to COVID-19 to reopen on…
Proposal: Bring back Michigan’s old-school license plates to help fix the damn roads
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat from Royal Oak, is willing to bet that enough drivers would cough up extra cash to rep one of Michigan’s old-school blue license plates on their car. The money raised would then go toward Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s pledge to “fix the damn roads.” Senate Bill 1146, which McMorrow sponsored…
Detroit’s Thanksgiving Parade will be virtual and crowdless thanks to COVID-19
Another Detroit tradition has been gobbled up by the coronavirus. The Parade Company announced its plans for the 2020 edition of America’s Thanksgiving Parade plans on Friday, and they include a few now-familiar tweaks. The good news is Detroit’s annual parade is still going to march through downtown Detroit, with fan favorites like Kermit the…
Michigan health officials announce guidelines for celebrating Halloween COVID-19 style
If you thought wearing a Scream, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or, uh, whatever the fuck this is mask would be enough to protect you against COVID-19, Michigan health officials are here to say: “One of us! One of us! Gooba, gabba!” The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is piggybacking on guidelines released by…
Clerks get more time to process absentee ballots under bill headed to Whitmer’s desk
The Michigan Legislature approved a bill that will allow clerks to begin preparing absentee ballots to be counted a day before the election, a move intended to speed up what could be days of tallying votes. Under the legislation, clerks still cannot begin counting absentee ballots until Election Day, but they may start sorting the…
Candy corn, the unsung hero of Halloween, is Michigan’s favorite candy once again
When we think Halloween we think scary movies, pumpkins, haunted houses, and, for those with taste, a tiny triangular sweet treat consisting of sugar, corn syrup, confectioner’s glaze, salt, dextrose, gelatin, sesame oil, artificial flavor, honey, yellow 6, yellow 5, and red 3, and gelatin, you know, a protein made from animal parts. That’s right.…
GOP Senate candidate John James doesn’t refute our story about his company failing to create promised jobs after getting tax break
A recent Metro Times cover story looked into a claim often made by Republican Senate candidate John James on the campaign trail: that he grew Renaissance Global Logistics — his family’s Detroit-based company that he ran since 2012 — from $35 million to $137 million in revenue, adding “100 jobs in Michigan and east of…
New bill might mean Michigan bars could serve delicious, pain-numbing alcohol until 4 a.m. because we deserve it
Like a Kesha song come to life, Michigan bars might have the chance to get their customers drunk, crunk, and comfortably numb with booze until 4 a.m. A new bill adopted by the state House earlier this week would amend the Michigan Liquor Control Code to let cities decide whether bars and liquor licensees would…
Duggan, city of Detroit awarded ‘Golden Padlock’ for deleted public records
Congratulations, Mayor Mike Duggan and the city of Detroit. You’ve been named the most secretive public official and government in the U.S. in 2020. Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), a nonprofit journalism group, announced that Duggan and the city won the annual Golden Padlock Award, which recognizes the most secretive U.S. agency or individual every…
Lifting SNAP drug felony ban on the table in Michigan
Some Michiganders convicted of drug offenses are facing lifelong punishments under the law that are not directly related to their crime. The state permanently bans those with felony convictions from two or more separate drug-related crimes from food assistance available under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. State Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, introduced…
Cannabis vape cartridges sold at Detroit’s Plan B Wellness recalled for containing vitamin E acetate
It looks like the vaping scare isn’t over just yet. Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) issued a recall on Thursday for cannabis vaping cartridges that failed a safety test for vitamin E acetate last month. The cartridges were sold at Plan B Wellness in Detroit at 20101 Eight Mile Rd. Patients or caregivers who have…
Whitmer, Cuomo urge Congress to investigate Trump’s ‘politicization’ of coronavirus pandemic
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are urging Congress to investigate the Trump administration’s “politicization” of the coronavirus pandemic. In a joint statement Thursday, the Democrats accused President Donald Trump of “deceit, political self-dealing, and incompetence” as the nation’s coronavirus death toll tops 200,000. “It is an inarguable fact that the United…
HellFire Detroit returns to ‘Hot Ones’ with booze-infused Bourbon Habanero Ghost sauce
Poor Sean Evans. He’s been hosting Hot Ones since 2015, where he (and his celebrity guests) down increasingly spicy wings while Evans asks increasingly spicy questions. His taste buds must be burnt to a crisp by now. But Evans is hanging in there, bringing on a new round of hot sauces for the show’s 13th…
Detroit Loves Tacos to open in the North End
After hosting a few pop-ups in recent months, Julie and Jason Stevens’s Detroit Loves Tacos will soon find a permanent home in the North End neighborhood. The Southwest Detroit couple tell Model D that they hope the open the spot within the next three months. The menu is based on Julie’s family’s traditional recipes from…
Novi ammo store’s anti-mask sign was nothing more than ‘a publicity stunt,’ police say
A Novi ammunition store that boasts on social media that it’s taking a stand against the state’s mask order by prohibiting customers from wearing face coverings appears to be all talk. A day after Metro Times wrote about Fenix Ammunition’s stated anti-mask policy, a Novi police officer and supervisor paid a visit to investigate and…
Detroit police chief makes baseless claims about ‘Marxist’ protesters on Fox News
Detroit Police Chief James Craig was back on Fox News on Thursday morning, regurgitating right-wing conspiracy theories that would make President Donald Trump proud. Craig said on Fox & Friends that protests are “financed” by Marxist outsiders who are trying to “undermine our government.” His evidence? A U-Haul containing protest signs in Louisville during Wednesday’s…
Birmingham’s Hazel, Ravines and Downtown pivots to year-round seafood
Birmingham restaurant Hazel, Ravines and Downtown says its summer lobster roll promotion was so successful that they’re now launching a changing, seasonal, fresh seafood menu. “When we do Hazel’s Lobster Pound each summer, our visitors ask us to keep the lobster year-round,” co-owner Emmele Herrold said in a statement. “As much as we’d like to…
Trump praises Chief Craig, falsely suggests Antifa leads protests in Detroit
President Donald Trump falsely suggested that Antifa and professional agitators are behind protests in Detroit. In a wide-ranging interview aired Tuesday on Fox 2, Trump also praised Detroit Police Chief (and Fox News darling) James Craig for his handling of the protests, despite a lawsuit that alleges the department used excessive force to break up…
Ditch the Wax & Toss the Razor—Why Laser Hair Removal is for Everyone!
Have you ever thought, ‘I just can’t wait to shave again’ or ‘I’m so excited to try and cram this waxing appointment into my packed schedule’? Of course, you haven’t—no one has! It’s just part of the never-ending and expensive routine that you’ve become accustomed to in order to get smooth, hair-free skin. Well, that…
This guy is bringing free television to Detroit — and the networks are pissed
Despite all of the streaming services now at our fingertips — Disney+, Apple TV+, HBO Max, NBC’s Peacock, and Quibi all launched this year, joining giants like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube Premium, and others — for viewers with a thirst for local programming, sometimes it can all feel a bit like “The Rime of…
Savage Love: Missed connections
Married guy here. I’m 33, the wife is 31. Our fifth anniversary is next month but we’ve been together for almost eight years. We’ve recently both come out to each other as bi. She tried to tell me a long time ago whereas I came to the realization only recently. We’re both interested in new sexual encounters…
Free Will Astrology (Sept. 23-29)
ARIES: March 21 – April 19 “It takes a lot of courage to be the same person on the outside that you are on the inside.” Author Barbara De Angelis made that observation. I offer it up to you as a fun challenge. During the coming weeks, you may be strongly tempted to be different…
