Daily Detroit

Our Friday conversation is with former Detroit Police Chief, former Detroit deputy mayor and educator Isiah "Ike" McKinnon. He served decades in the community he loves and has big ideas for what we could do to reimagine what a police department is. Ideas you might not expect to hear out of a former police chief. And some of them might be familiar to you if you have seen the demands of protestors o...

Today: Local headlines from an embattled police Chief in Shelby Township, to Coronavirus updates, Greektown Casino is laying off hundreds, and Oakman Boulevard in the city is getting new green infrastructure. Then we check in with our man about town, Devon O'Reilly, on what's happening in greater downtown Detroit around bars, restaurants and if people are returning to the streets. Finally, Sven Gu...

On today's show: The Bronco returns with a curious launch date. OJ Simpson's birthday. We talk about a number of places around town opening or reopening. The new Milwaukee Caffe walk up window. Tree Runner Adventure Park (and should there be a zip line place in the city?). Kabuki Korean and Japanese. How restauranteur and TV personality Dave Change likes Jet's Pizza.  The Henry Ford and Greenfield...

On today's show: A landmark ruling for LGBTQ civil rights started right here in Metro Detroit. It has big implications, but Michigan state law still has huge holes that don't protect gay and transgender people. A metro Detroiter is being imprisoned by the Russian government. The latest on the case of Mark Whelan. Coronavirus cases in Michigan are trending in the right direction, and we have a clea...

We don't cover Ann Arbor all that often on Daily Detroit, but we can't deny that a lot of interesting things come out of Tree Town. Case in point: The City Council recently approved a plan, years in the making, to make the entire city of 120,000 residents go carbon neutral by 2030. That makes Ann Arbor the first city in southeast Michigan to set such an ambitious goal. The plan is called A2Zero, a...

Welcome to an Al Fresco Friday edition of your Daily Detroit! Very socially distanced and outdoors, but for the first time in weeks, Jer and Sven are in the same place on the air. On today's show: Three key things to know as Detroit reopens, from barbershops to street closures for socially distant dining to DDOT service expanding. The Macomb County prosecutor's office is not going to press charges...

On today's podcast: Dashcam and viral video footage show the arrest of an Amazon delivery driver in Warren. Advocates say it was over the line; Police say don't call it a "bad cop" scenario. There's a Federal lawsuit against the city of Sterling Heights about a wrongful arrest after a young black man was placed in a chokehold for loitering while he waited outside his job for his dad to pick him up...

Friend of the Daily Detroit podcast Dr. Paul Thomas of Plum Health joins Jer on today's show to talk all about the health and medical risks of tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets, which it turns out mostly aren't made of rubber. It's a timely topic, given the use of these things by heavy-handed police departments across the country in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. Also, we dis...

Donald Trump turns 74 on Sunday, and local supporters of the president plan a boat parade in celebration. No, that's not a joke. Meanwhile, I report on a big Black Lives Matter march that took place in Ferndale over the weekend. The  Michigan MAGA Boat Parade  is planned to kick off Saturday afternoon at a marina in Harrison Township on Lake St. Clair and wrap up at 4 p.m. near the Ambassador Brid...

You might have heard of the Detroit Justice Center and The Bail Project on social media the last week or so. But what do they do? It turns out, quite a lot.  Eric Williams and Erin Keith join us to talk about the changes on the ground their organization is working on. We also tackle the topic of cash bail and its role in American society. https://www.detroitjustice.org/ Then, three things you shou...

On today's show: Haircuts are coming back, and a bunch of stuff is reopening in northern Michigan Michigan's Coronavirus numbers are trending in the right direction The Chief of Police in Shelby Township is in trouble for saying terrible things about protestors under a pseudonym; while a member of their city's board of trustees is worried about the Chief's first amendment rights. Shelby Township i...

On today's show, we bring you the latest news about ongoing protests in the city and region, and we discuss the ramifications of new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that say unemployment in Detroit proper is at 51% right now, third worst in the nation behind Las Vegas and North Las Vegas. What does this mean for Detroit's much-vaunted "comeback"? Also making waves across Michigan today: T...

Our feature stories include a conversation with Wayne State Police Chief Anthony Holt on a new de-escalation training center here in Detroit, plus Eater's Brenna Houck tells us about a popcorn company that's gotten burned thanks to some comments online. But first - Protests have spread in the suburbs. Pools are opening back up around the region. Auto insurance companies are going to have to pay yo...

Some good news mixed with all the heaviness of late. On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced she was rescinding her Safer At Home order and moving the state to Phase 4 of its reopening plan. That will allow bars and restaurants to reopen at half capacity, with social distancing and other safety precautions in place. It also allows for gatherings of up to 100 people, plus many more things we run...

Today's episode is a step toward providing context and history around the events of the weekend that captured the attention of the nation and Detroit. Historian Ken Coleman joins us to talk about the long history of racial strife in Detroit that goes far beyond 1967, how that relates to the nation, and protesting in the spaces that make an impact. Here's Ken's most recent piece in Michigan Advance...

Today's show is in three acts. First, we'll update you on some quick stories to know around Metro Detroit and the state.  There's a $3B estimated revenue hole in Michigan. A lot of people hope the Feds step in to help, but Jer's not too sure that's going to happen.  The Woodward Dream Cruise is canceled.  Public pools across the three counties are closed indefinitely. Dan Gilbert's Bedrock is doin...

On today's show, we dive into the news about the bankruptcy filing at car-rental giant Hertz. Analyst Michelle Krebs joins Sven to talk about the impact to the auto industry. And Jer speaks with Eater Detroit editor Brenna Houck about HopCat shutting down its downtown Royal Oak location. There's news about the Detroit Red Wings and the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In movie theater. Plus, we offer the latest...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer may have urged Michigan residents not to head Up North for the Memorial Day weekend. But the owner of a dock company says the governor's husband asked to put his boat in the water last week before the holiday weekend, explaining that he was the guv's husband. And how Whitmer faces her own boatgate controversy, which is ironic, because some of the first, loud complaints about...

On today's show: A proposal has gained steam to allow to-go cocktails and booze from bars in Michigan, as well as has legislative sponsors. Advocate and distiller Robyn Cleveland joins Jer to talk about it, what's next and what you can do if interested. Plus, Sven talks with Lisa Nuszkowski of MoGo about bike share in the region. What's next, how the pandemic has impacted their plans, and how peop...

On today's show: Michigan is opening up a little ahead of the holiday weekend. What are the details? Updated unemployment and Coronavirus numbers. The city of Detroit's population has been estimated by the U.S. Census to keep dropping - but the region is flat while the rest of the nation is growing. Meanwhile, we're adding more infrastructure for the same amount of people and act surprised when it...

Well, just as Michigan slowly recovers from what everyone hopes is the worst effects of the global pandemic, devastating floods hit mid-Michigan. We bring you up to speed on that and Sven talks about the intense dam-building spree the country went through. We've got the latest coronavirus numbers from the state and city of Detroit. A new poll from the Detroit Regional Chamber and the Glengariff gr...

We bring you up to date on the latest numbers from the state and city of Detroit. We talk about the challenges businesses up north will face opening for memorial day weekend Voting by mail will be a thing this november Poop as a harbinger of a coronavirus second wave Oakland County will offer $30 million in Federal aid to local governments Dan Gilbert wins a federal contract to oversee contact tra...

On today's show: The northern part of Michigan is beginning to reopen on Friday, while Metro Detroit is still seeing a percentage increase in COVID-positive tests. Are the flu and coronavirus comparable? The data points to a definite no. We'll talk about it. Background: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/05/the-flu-has-killed-2200-michiganders-since-2000-coronavirus-topped-that-in-a-month....

In previous episodes, we looked at how the Coronavirus could impact Education in ways beyond social distancing. And then Sven did a deep-dive into live music and venues. Today, restaurants and bars. Eater's Brenna Houck joins me to talk about the latest from a big-picture perspective and what could be ahead for some of our favorite places to grab a bite.  Then, I'll share a few things to know toda...

Today's show is a deep-dive into the impact of the Coronavirus on the music industry, musicians, and venues. First, Sven Gustafson sets the table on what's going on. Then two feature conversations: Dan McGowan, the Managing Partner of Crofoot Presents. He owns the Crofoot in downtown Pontiac and does promotions for a number of venues. Then, Steve Nawara, a longtime Detroit musician with credits th...