Daily Detroit

On today's show: 1:02 An update on where we stand on the Coronavirus statewide 6:05 The City of Detroit is greatly expanding testing, finding out some trends and will offer testing to barber shops, salons and dentists when they open 11:05 A protest is planned in the Capitol - again - and this time there would be arrests if people brandish weapons 14:05 The Coronavirus is decimating Michigan's budg...

Welcome to your Wednesday Hump Day edition of your Daily Detroit. Today we're tackling: Metro Times  is  out with a shocking story  about violent threats made against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on several private Facebook groups. It comes as an armed rally is once again being planned for the state Capitol building in Lansing on Thursday. Some vacant Art Van furniture stores will be reborn as Loves Furn...

One of the things the Coronavirus pandemic has meant is that people have had to innovate and adapt to a quickly changing world. With the aim of keeping people employed, one of those founders and companies doing that is Better Life Bags, based in the enclave of Hamtramck. The custom bag company has grown over the years using social media and has put people to work in their local community, all the...

What can the past teach us about what we're dealing with today? Our conversation today is with Tim Kiska from the Detroit History Podcast.   They recently put out a great special episode talking about the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic and how it hit Detroit. History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. So it's uncanny how many echoes there are today that are from a century ago. We dive into that...

On today's show, there is more Coronavirus news to update you on, plus other stories: Detroit is getting a better hold on the virus thanks to testing. But, the disease is spreading west, MLive has a great interactive map to show how counties near Grand Rapids are seeing an uptick in cases. Link: https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/05/eight-weeks-after-michigans-first-coronavirus-cases-an-an...

One of Detroit's most well-known and well-loved local businesses is Avalon International Breads. So for episode 500 of the podcast is my conversation with owner and co-founder Jackie Victor. The bread in their ovens, like the business, is slowly beginning to rise again. But what shape will the future take? And how might they get there in these uncertain times?  And when might we see chocolate chip...

On today's show, a bunch of Coronavirus quick updates, plus: Beaumont Wayne is reopening The Sterling Heights PD wants Segways Leila in downtown Detroit gets a nod from GQ as one of the best restaurants in the U.S. And, Brian Allnutt from Planet Detroit gives us an update on what's happening with Belle Isle and flooding. More: https://planetdetroit.substack.com/p/flooding-on-belle-isle-has-resumed...

You may have heard that our food system is in dire straits, with shortages of chicken, beef and pork looming because  several meat processing plants have temporarily shuttered  due to the coronavirus. And that President Trump has gotten involved. On today's show, we break down what that's all about, and we speak with James Rigato, the chef and owner of celebrated restaurant Mabel Gray. Rigato rece...

On today's show: Armed gunmen protest in the statehouse in Lansing. Sven Gustafson talks about it. Governor Whitmer has extended her order closing a number of places of public accommodation until May 28. This includes places like theaters, bars and casinos - and limits restaurants to carry out and delivery. Alibaba executive and owner of the Brooklyn Nets, Joe Tsai, is donating a lot of PPE to Det...

On today's show, some coronavirus-related automotive news for you. Ford posted a hefty, $2 billion loss for the first quarter, blaming it on the coronavirus and related production shutdowns. It also said the second quarter will be far worse, when it expects to post a $5 billion pre-tax loss. Lincoln also made a surprise announcement that it's canceling plans to develop its first electric vehicle w...

Today on your Daily Detroit, a three-parter. We interview Fletcher Sharpe for a rundown about Detroit City FC's spring season being canceled and the status of the women's team, which is supposed to launch its inaugural season this spring. Then, Cristina Sheppard-Decius of the East and West Dearborn Downtown Development Authorities joins us to discuss a new small-business and sole-proprietor grant...

What's a bar to do when you launched a couple of years ago, you feel like you've got a handle on running the place — but then the world turns upside down? Innovate and hold on for the ride, if you can. To talk about how to do that, our guest on Daily Detroit is Kevin Peterson from Castalia Cocktails. That's a basement bar in a historic building that shares space with a fragrance shop - Sfumato - i...

The Paycheck Protection Program, providing forgivable, federally backed loans to businesses to keep people employed - opened for applications today with a new round of funding - $310 billion. That's on top of $350 billion issued two weeks ago. And that first round? Well, it had some issues, to say the least. Some rather large companies got loans, and many small businesses just were shut out. Many...

While we're all under a stay at home order, it can be a real challenge to deal with work life, home life, kids and all of that.  So we got some tips to help you handle it from Karen Liska. She works at Detroit Labs and is a coach at HoneySpace in Ferndale who helps people get things done.  You can follow her on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/KarenEvansTM And LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/i...

On today's show: Coronavirus Crisis confirmed numbers update There are new state unemployment numbers The Detroit Public Schools are getting more than 50,000 tablets for distance learning. Detroit summer programming will be closed, but parks will remain open. Republicans in the state legislature are working to strip the Governor's emergency powers, wanting to open the economy faster. An industry g...

Some think Coronavirus and COVID-19 is a "Detroit" or "Southeast Michigan" problem. But with a lack of access to health care, an older population, and risk factors like tobacco use and poverty, rural and outstate Michigan could get devastated by COVID-19.  To talk about it is Citizens Research Council of Michigan Research Associate Tim Michling. He had an eye-opening piece that might put things in...

There are so many stories coming out of Detroit around the Coranvirus pandemic. And those stories at HuffPost are being written by local voices. To discuss what they found and what's happening on the ground, HuffPost Senior National Correspondent Jonathan Cohn talks about the work the reporting team did. Here's background reading material to dive in even more: What It's Like To Have Cancer In The...

On today's show, some top-line updates from the State of Michigan and the City of Detroit, plus, we break down a big poll released by the Detroit Regional Chamber about the statewide economic impact of the Coronavirus crisis.  Among other highlights, it shows 29% of Michiganders aren't working, and that those adults 39 and younger are getting hit very hard economically and are having more trouble...

A bonus weekend episode that's around the virtual bonfire. We talk about our favorite cocktails we're drinking and share stories of how our listeners say they're coping with the Coronavirus crisis. 

Lace up your New Balances and go on a run with Sven Gustafson as he talks about the ways the Coronavirus may change us as a society - and the ways it already has. Then Jer will run down some top-line things you should know around town. Here's Sven's original essay that was adapted for audio: https://8woodblog.com/for-better-or-worse-the-coronavirus-will-change-us/ Here's our Patreon if you want to...

Whether it's conspiracy theories like those around 5g, or the willful refusal to believe objective facts when it comes to the pandemic, today we talk about confirmation bias and how folks try to assemble meaning to things. This happens often when there is none. After all, sometimes, we just don't know stuff. But for some, that's not O.K. to admit. And when these online conspiracies are turned to a...

Today we've got an all-headlines edition of your Daily Detroit. We run down the latest numbers on confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths from the state, and we discuss the "Operation Gridlock" protest organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition today in Lansing. The group urged participants to protest what they see as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's overly restrictive stay-at-home order from their ve...

Perhaps you've heard that, because people are driving so much less and accident claims have plummeted during the coronavirus lockdown, your benevolent automobile insurance carrier is planning to give you a big wet kiss in the form of a refund. Well, our guest today not only gives us the lowdown on why this might be happening, but he suggests that in reality, it'll more likely be a credit rather th...

Today's show is in three parts. 1) Coronavirus updates. The latest numbers, with some hopeful signs the curve may be starting to flatten. A quarter of Michigan's workforce has filed for unemployment, and $350 million distributed. There are bodies piling up at DMC Sinai-Grace, according to photos and eyewitness accounts. 2) Should we allow restaurants to sell to-go spirits during the pandemic? Roby...