Daily Detroit

On today's podcast, we have an in-depth conversation with Michigan Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II around Michigan and the Coronavirus. We talk about a wide variety of topics with the Lt. Governor: Lt. Governor Gilchrist is leading a new task force to examine the causes and find ways to lower the higher rate of African Americans dying due to COVID-19. How the state is mobilizing on things...

Well, so much for a possible reprieve in the coronavirus spread in Michigan. The state on Friday reported 205 deaths in the last 24 hours, an increase of 43%. There were 1,279 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. Meanwhile, good news for the Uber drivers, freelancers and other independent contractors of the world: You'll be able to file for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance starting Monday at  michigan...

After bouncing around this town for a couple of decades, I can tell you that if you cover Detroit and ignore the faith community, well, you're not covering Detroit. Regardless of the denomination or belief system, they are ties that bind much of our city and region. So today's show is a conversation with pastor Jonathan Merritt of Straight Gate International Church. Located on Grand River just wes...

On today's show, we bring you a slew of short updates on the coronavirus situation in and around Detroit. The state on Wednesday reported 1,376 new confirmed cases and 114 deaths, bringing the overall total to 20,346 confirmed cases and 959 deaths. That might not seem like much to celebrate, but it's the smallest jump in new daily cases since March 31. In Detroit, the epicenter of the outbreak in...

If you're listening to this podcast, you're listening to local media. And the Coronavirus pandemic has brought to the front something that you may not realize. Most Americans — according to a 2019 Gallup poll — not only think that their local news outlets are an important part of American democracy, but they also think they're financially healthy. And that's completely wrong. Cuts are happening ac...

On today's show for Monday, April 6, 2020: Detroit Tiger legend Al Kaline has passed away, at the age of 85. The cause of death was not confirmed at the time of recording. Michigan's confirmed Coronavirus cases continue to rise. Statewide there are now 17,221 cases and 727 deaths. In other Coronavirus news, Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a news conference today that almost as many people are fi...

Today we have a special narrative edition of the show for you. We take you out of your coronavirus confines to Minsk, the capital of Belarus in far eastern Europe. It's where I recently traveled to talk about Daily Detroit and podcasting at the Press Club Belarus, an organization promoting an independent, free press in the former Soviet republic. Belarus has also been in the international news lat...

On today's show: The latest news locally around the Coronavirus, including when we might see an apex to cases, schools closed for the year, dismal unemployment numbers and people doing some good. Plus, if you've been online and followed national news, you know about the phrase, "That Woman From Michigan." It was said by President Donald Trump about Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.  Well, it's b...

On today's show: Sven and Jer talk about falling sales for the auto industry (including Ford, FCA and GM) and how Ford is making respirators out of repurposed car parts. Also: The most recent official Coronavirus case numbers. Michigan cases continue to rise. A recent survey shows a $491 million dollar hit to the restaurant industry, with 72,000 jobs and more layoffs to come. Amazon workers walk o...

It's Tuesday, in the decent chance you need a reminder of what day it is today, and we've got another full episode worth of coronavirus updates. I also speak with Anson Smuts, a senior economist at O'Keefe, a Bloomfield Hills business consultancy, about the historical implications of the massive unemployment filings in the wake of the outbreak. Also on today's show: The state of Michigan reported...

On today's show for Monday, March 30, 2020: As of this recording the state numbers for confirmed Coronavirus cases in the state is 6,498 with 184 deaths. The city of Detroit is a major center, with Oakland county's deaths doubling overnight. Field hospitals are being considered for three locations in Oakland County.  On Sunday MIchigan State Representative Isaac Robinson, who served Detroit, died....

On today's show: Matt Roling from Wayne State's Office of Business Innovation joins us to talk about tips to help make sure your business stays afloat or pivots to adapt to the Coronavirus today and the new reality afterward. Plus, we do some top-level updates on what's happening out there locally, as this was the largest spike in new cases in Michigan since the pandemic started and half of the ca...

The coronavirus pandemic is intensifying in Michigan on multiple fronts. The state reported a jump of 801 new cases, Detroit Police Chief James Craig has now tested positive for COVID-19, and Ford and GM spent much of Friday on the firing lines of President Trump's Twitter feed. Even Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wasn't spared POTUS' wrath. To recap, GM and Ford in the past week have both announced partne...

On today's show: Guest Angela Rogensues from Playworks Michigan joins us to talk about play-at-home tips while you're cooped up. https://www.playworks.org/michigan/ Also: A ton of local Coronavirus-related updates, including the passing of a law enforcement officers and the possible permanent shuttering of a popular downtown Detroit nightspot. Plus, the city of Detroit is building a large, tempora...

On today's show: We update the top-line Coronavirus case numbers across the state. Drive-thru testing is going to start Friday at the State Fairground in Detroit. We have the details on this bold program to test between 40 and 50 people an hour. A second DPD member has died of COVID-19. There's going to be a new testing regimen put in place. Detroit community leader Marlowe Stoudamire has died of...

Dr. Joel Fishbain, an infectious disease specialist with Beaumont, Grosse Pointe, joins the show today and tells us about what's happening on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus. Fishbain tells Daily Detroit that he was initially among those who thought this was simply a version of the common flu. But now he's seeing alarming numbers of people in their 40s and 50s who have to go...

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Monday issued a stay-at-home order to all Michigan residents, ordering non-essential businesses and workplaces closed and outlawing all public or private gatherings between people who aren't part of the same household. It sounds, and is, extreme, though it's necessary to minimize the worst effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. And if you've already been following best-practice...

We're doing seven days a week through the COVID-19 crisis. Our featured guest is Dr. Joel Young of the Rochester Center for Behavioral Medicine . He's a psychiatrist and has tips on how to get through all this mentally. Here's a link to a video with his tips for explaining this all to children that he talks about. But first: - An update on COVID-19 confirmed cases, that now numbers more than 1,000...

A socially-distanced version of your Daily Detroit, from Detroit and Sven's basement in Ferndale. First, top-line numbers around COVID-19 in Michigan. There are now 787 cases. Our guest is Charyn Hain. She's here to help make sense of a recent memo that virtual learning will not count as instruction time to the state of Michigan. Also:  Governor Gretchen Whitmer exempts religious gatherings from p...

There are now 549 confirmed cases, according to the state of Michigan at 3 p.m. Friday. That's up 215 cases since yesterday.  Detroit's Police Department is suffering a wave of possible COVID-19 cases.  Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order Friday that puts restrictions on non-essential medical and dental procedures starting tomorrow, Saturday March 21at 5:00 p.m.  The Movement Festi...

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases here in Michigan is now up to 336, with at least three deaths. More labs have come on board to help work through all of the tests coming in.  We have more information on the U.S./Canada border closing that we mentioned on Wednesday's show. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge could close late Friday...

On today's show: The number of COVID-19 Coronavirus cases in Michigan is up to 146, and the first death in the state occurred. 4 out of 5 deaths so far are those 65 and older, according to a new CDC report. GM, Ford and FCA shut the line down over health concerns and what looks to be less demand for vehicles. Governor Gretchen Whitmer is seeing if the state can get ahold of test kits from the Worl...

On today's show, more on what's happening with this extraordinary and still-unfolding situation involving the Coronavirus. The Detroit Department of Transportation had to shut down bus service Tuesday. The good news is service returns at 3am. Governor Gretchen Whitmer finds herself in president trump's twitter crosshairs over coronavirus. Plus, the state will temporarily allow curbside medical mar...

On today's show:  Michigan's bars have been shut down to help blunt the spread of the Coronavirus, along with sit-down service at restaurants and a host of other places. We dive in. Unemployment benefits have been extended to cover more workers. Man about Devon O'Reilly calls in to talk about how he's going to celebrate this St. Patrick's Day. A host of local restaurants have set up GoFundMe pages...

On today's episode of the Daily Detroit Podcast for Friday, March 13, 2020. More closures tied to the Coronavirus response, from all of the schools in the state to cultural institutions like the Detroit Institute of Arts. John Hertel, the general manager of SMART (The Suburban Bus system) has resigned - and then ousted by the board - causing an unexpected leadership change. Starting in late March...