On today's show: The city of Detroit, DWSD and the State of Michigan have a new plan to turn on the water for Detroiters that's been shut off or prevent shutoffs to help keep COVID-19, or the Novel Coronavirus, at bay. We have details. A new poll doesn't look good for one Democratic candidate for president (link) The first recreational marijuana dispensary in Oakland County opened Sunday And, we meet Fred Paul. His new sneaker shop and exchange Fahrenheit 313 opens on the Avenue of Fashion on 3/...
Mar 09, 2020•11 min•Ep. 453
The weekend is here and that means the fun lane is open here at Daily Detroit. Joining Jer and Sven Gustafson in the studio is our “man about town,” who drinks and eats all the things, Devon O’Reilly. We’re going to hit on some of the fun stuff happening around town this next month, the hot spots and openings to go to. And, sadly, the closings. Some of the places and events covered include: St. Patrick’s Day in Corktown: 3/15 Marche Du Nain Rouge: 3/22 Detroit Tigers Opening Day: 3/30 Openings: ...
Mar 06, 2020•43 min•Ep. 452
Today's show is two-fer for topics. First, the big news in town is that Art Van is closing their company stores. We covered a bit on the site here, but joining us in studio to break it down is business and technology expert Laura Khalil. She's the host of the Brave by Design podcast and has worked with brands like Intel, Twitter and GE. We break the multiple factors down. Second, politics is all the talk right now as Michigan's primary is very relevant in the race between former Vice President J...
Mar 05, 2020•22 min•Ep. 451
We’re gonna need a new hashtag to keep track of all these false starts on expanding transit in Detroit. Maybe #TransitFailDET? On today’s show, we dissect the latest blow to hopes that the Detroit region might finally be able to come to its senses and expand public transit. This after House Republicans in Lansing chose to shelve a bill that would have allowed Macomb County, long an opponent of regional transit expansion plans, to opt out, while letting Oakland and Wayne counties and the city of ...
Mar 04, 2020•18 min•Ep. 450
Most people in our region live in the suburbs, and we’ve found many want to know about their — and their neighbors — communities. so today’s conversation is a continuation of our occasional series visiting the various cities that, well, frankly, are not Detroit proper. Eastpointe is a city of about 32,000 people, bordered by Eight Mile on the south, I-94 to the east, about 10 Mile to the north, with Hayes and Beechwood on the west. It’s full of single-family houses, tasty food, and a grid street...
Mar 03, 2020•20 min•Ep. 449
On today’s Daily Detroit podcast: A Detroiter known the world over, James Lipton, has died. We talk about his career and childhood home. A new law aims to help keep low income residents in their homes and avoid foreclosure. You can find out more information here. We get the lowdown on what to do if you voted for a presidential candidate that is no longer in the race from Hamtramck City Clerk August Gitschlag. Finally, we visit Eastern Market to talk to Beatrice Wolnerman, a cofounder of Bea’s De...
Mar 02, 2020•14 min•Ep. 448
Happy Friday everyone! On today’s food-focused episode of Daily Detroit for Friday, February 28, 2020. Fort Street Galley is no more after today, after being open for only 14 months. Alley Taco in Midtown is now for sale , you can buy it for $185,000. And finally, Randy Walker joins us for an in-depth taste test of seven new Extra Indulgent Hudsonville Ice Cream flavors. Which ice cream reigns supreme? Don’t forget to tell a friend about your Daily Detroit! We’re on Apple Podcasts: https://podca...
Feb 28, 2020•29 min•Ep. 447
On today’s episode: A state representative is planning on personally delivering a letter to President Trump asking for him to free Kwame Kilpatrick. Shianne argues there are plenty more wronged people to free first than the former mayor. The city of Detroit’s financial health has improved, according to the Moody’s rating service. Macomb County lawmakers are looking to opt out of the Detroit Institute of Arts Millage that is up for renewal early next month. Opinion: It's more of the shortsighted ...
Feb 27, 2020•12 min•Ep. 446
On today’s episode of the podcast: Mayor Mike Duggan’s State of the City Address took place on Tuesday night. One of the big topics? Auto insurance. We’ve covered the topic a lot, here is our interview with Steve Gurston from Michigan Auto Law. He also talked about blight removal, incentives, speed humps near schools, and rec centers open this summer for kids. http://www.dailydetroit.com/2019/11/22/auto-insurance-reform-may-be-more-selfies-than-substance/ Detroit based internet provider rocket F...
Feb 26, 2020•21 min•Ep. 445
If you like listening to people eating telling stories over a box of paczki, this episode is for you. Because it’s Fat Tuesday, and that can only mean two things here in Detroit: jelly-filled paczki and drinking. We also discuss an interesting report in the Freep that looks at Amtrak ridership in Michigan. Turns out, we have the worst on-time rates of any state that Amtrak serves, just 33%. And keep in mind, Amtrak defines “on-time” as anything within 29 minutes of the scheduled arrival. Amtrak ...
Feb 25, 2020•17 min•Ep. 444
On today’s episode of Daily Detroit for February 24, 2020 A new study shows that sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among senior citizens both nationally and here in Michigan. Hate waiting in line at the Secretary of State? You can now renew your car registration at Meijer stores across the state thanks to some new self-service centers. Seven Southwest Detroit improvement projects were announced today by the Southwest Detroit Business Association. The first $100 million dollars has be...
Feb 24, 2020•15 min•Ep. 443
Philip Kafka has made a big splash since arriving in Detroit during the last decade. He’s helped open two of the city’s most celebrated restaurants, Takoi and Magnet, and he’s the developer behind the Quonset hut development “True North,” public spaces and retail storefronts popping up in a once-sleepy pocket of the core city neighborhood. Now, he’s looking to expand his development. Kafka joins us for a wide-ranging discussion about his plans, his love of trees, and his unorthodox approach to r...
Feb 21, 2020•30 min•Ep. 442
City officials today unveiled their sweeping vision to boost support for arts and culture with a multi-faceted plan that envisions it as a tool to attract talent and use the arts as a catalyst for economic growth. It will all be housed in the city’s new Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship, headed by former Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley. She said she spent the past year meeting with more than 100 artists and went on a listening tour of neighborhoods across the city to find ...
Feb 20, 2020•20 min•Ep. 441
Australian-style coffee in the Motor City? It's going to become a thing. We talk about it with owner of the forthcoming Coffee Down Under going into Detroit's Financial District, Tarun Kajeepeta. It'll be located in the basement level of the same building as Brome Eatery at Shelby and West Congress. Plus: Portillo's looks at Sterling Heights for expansion ( source, Crain's ) The Detroit Zoo has a new Polar Bear, Anana Co-working space Bamboo is expanding to downtown Royal Oak Don't forget to tel...
Feb 19, 2020•15 min•Ep. 440
On today's show, we look at a group making a garden grow on the east side of the city, Eden Gardens ; as well as a non-profit that's helping more than 100 organizations grow in Detroit, Michigan Community Resources. Our guests are Karen Chava Knox from Eden Gardens Block Club, and the CEO of Michigan Community Resources, Shamyle Dobbs. PLUS: A couple of restaurant openings are coming this spring in Detroit. If this is the first time meeting our show, we’re on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.app...
Feb 18, 2020•18 min•Ep. 439
On today's podcast: General Motors is pulling out of three countries. Art Van Furniture may be for sale or file for bankruptcy protection. Eastern Market Seafood has been serving patrons for 45 years. It's shuttering at the end of the month, one of many changes in the market. Detroit City FC is paying off its crowdfunding campaign to fund stadium repairs two years early. TEDxDetroit is moving to Ford Field. And, Randy joins us to talk about his first trip to one of Detroit's great bar burger joi...
Feb 17, 2020•13 min•Ep. 438
Ferndale Author Michael Zadoorian joins us to talk about his new book "The Narcissism of Small Differences," that beyond being a good book also has lots of little nods to Metro Detroit. Pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/Narcissism-Small-Differences-Michael-Zadoorian/dp/1617758175 "For anyone who's ever asked themselves, 'Am I weird?' Michael Zadoorian has the answer: 'Of course you are. That's the whole idea.' While everyone is trying so hard to act normal, The Narcissism of Small Differenc...
Feb 14, 2020•24 min•Ep. 437
Feb 13, 2020•14 min•Ep. 436
On today’s podcast, we discuss: Sven dove deep into the muck that is the DOT parking garage project in Ferndale . He’s got an in-depth story and we talk about it. Detroit’s city council wants action on water shutoffs ( DETNEWS ) The Motown Museum is out with a new rendering showing the scale of their $50 million expansion ( Watch it here ) A new Amazon facility is on the way to western Oakland County A new chapter for a historic mansion in Northville ( OAKLAND PRESS ) Kevin Saunderson, a legenda...
Feb 12, 2020•17 min•Ep. 435
On today's show: Our feature conversation is with Glenn Stevens. He's the executive director of MICHAUTO, and an interesting voice to talk with Sven Gustafson about the future of electrification, where the auto industry is in Michigan, how companies will adapt to climate change and the global hyper-urbanization trends, and more. We recorded it at the Detroit Policy Conference. Also: The Bonstelle Theater is getting new life as a conference and event space as part of a resuscitated hotel project ...
Feb 11, 2020•15 min•Ep. 434
On today's podcast: A new report from the University of Michigan is forecasting that the city of Detroit will have faster growth than the rest of Michigan. Read the report here . The Sears at Middlebelt and Seven Mile in Livonia will be closing soon. There’s no date as of yet, but things are already marked down to 40% off. Bloomfield Hills-based Taubman Group has been sold to Simon Property Group for $3.6 billion. Nicole Curtis is looking for an older fixer-upper to get over the finish line, and...
Feb 10, 2020•10 min•Ep. 433
On today's show: SMART bus ridership is up, led by the growth of their FAST Service on Woodward, Michigan and Gratiot. Go figure, you do a frequent service that shows up on time and people use it? The city of Detroit is suing three major landlords who they call slumlords, wanting the court to call their businesses public nuisances. And Fletcher Sharpe joins us to talk about the Andre Drummond trade from the Pistons to the Cavaliers, what's next for the team, and has some updates on Detroit City ...
Feb 07, 2020•19 min•Ep. 432
With a labor participation rate around 20 points less than that of a healthy city, Detroit has a talent gap and a skills gap. And this isn’t unique to the city. It’s impacting the region and the state, too. So how do we get people to work? What are some of the things to be done about it? And how to do it under the current system — which as much as some want to change it is the world we live in right now — without saddling people with tons of debt? Jose is the Director of Workforce and Community ...
Feb 06, 2020•16 min•Ep. 431
Our guest today is Kara Swisher, one of the foremost tech and business journalists in the country. Beyond her work at Vox and her column at the New York Times, she’s found success with her podcasts including Recode/ Decode and another she co-hosts, Pivot. I wanted to talk with kara for a variety of reasons. After all, southeast Michigan is central to one of America’s most significant industries, autos. Cars and trucks are basically full of tech on four wheels. But preferences are changing. What ...
Feb 05, 2020•19 min•Ep. 430
Today we’re hitting pause on interviews to catch you up on some things happening around town. First up, Amazon has released a new video and some details about the battery-electric Prime delivery vans that Plymouth-based Rivian will build for it. The online retailer has ordered 100,000 vans from Rivian, which has designed the vehicle and will supply the skateboard electric-vehicle platform it will ride on. They’ll come in three different sizes, offer different battery configurations and feature t...
Feb 04, 2020•16 min•Ep. 429
A mover and shaker is helping fund a campaign for equal rights for LGBTQ Michiganders Speaking of which, a new housing development will be built to support youth in that community ( read more in the Detroit News ) Beaumont Hospital is expanding in Grosse Pointe The Detroit People Mover is changing direction And then a conversation with developer David Alade, the co-founder of Century Partners. I caught up with him at the Detroit Policy Conference and we chatted about the Fitzgerald neighborhood ...
Feb 03, 2020•15 min•Ep. 428
Look, this has been a busy, long week. Lots of things happening. Serious conversations. Big issues. But today is not that. No, it’s the weekend so we kicked back, cracked open some Casamara Club and talked to Jason LaValla. What is Casamara Club? Well, it’s what’s called a leisure soda. That’s a concept I wasn’t sure about at first. But now? I totally get it. but now?. They’re amaro soft drinks, made with actually natural ingredients, founded here in metro Detroit. Now, this isn’t some huge oper...
Jan 31, 2020•35 min•Ep. 427
On today’s podcast: A deeper dive than we’ve done before on some issues across the state. Most polls focus on the horserace. Who’s up, and who’s down. But this is more about what is on the minds of metro Detroiters and Michiganders , and get an idea of some possible solutions. Joining me and Sven Gustafson to talk about it is Brad Williams from the Detroit Regional Chamber. He’s their Vice President of Government Relations. Of course, we talked about the roads. historically, Michigan has last in...
Jan 30, 2020•19 min•Ep. 426
Today, we're live from the Detroit Policy Conference at Motor City Soundboard. There are two main themes for today's show: First, there's a new energy for regional cooperation from Oakland County Executive David Coulter. He outlined his cooperative strategy for regional economic attraction, his support for transit (and why), and drew some contrasts to his predecessor. Dug Song also was big on working together, talking about how he believes Ann Arbor is part of Metro Detroit economically. We dive...
Jan 29, 2020•24 min•Ep. 425
On today's show: Challenging weather conditions and high water levels continue to complicate plans for the highly anticipated Oudolf Garden Detroit project on Belle Isle. Auburn Hills-based auto supplier BorgWarner is buying Delphi Technologies in an all-stock deal. You can read more about it here . The Detroit News is reporting that the city of Detroit will be asking for proposals to redo historic Fort Wayne in February. The restaurant chain Bar Louie has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy pr...
Jan 28, 2020•20 min•Ep. 424
