21 years ago this week in Metro Times … Frank Provenzano investigates the incinerator after employee Bernie Labowitch scooped an empty coffee can of ash out of the incinerator. Later test results showed high levels of lead, cadmium, nickel and mercury, all in the face of the city's refusal to analyze the ash left from the incinerator for toxic substances. What was happening: DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince at the Royal Oak Music Theatre, and Bobby Brown at Joe Louis Arena.
28 years ago this week in Metro Times … Michael Betzold concocts a far-out piece of gonzo wherein the Silverdome-hosted Super Bowl is thrashed with eight inches of snow, causing the dome to collapse and traffic to be rerouted to Tiger Stadium. Meanwhile Mayor Coleman Young holds NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle hostage to keep the game in Detroit. What was happening: Comedian George Carlin at the Royal Oak Music Theatre.
