Daily Detroit

Happy New Year! On today's show: Yes, it looks like we're getting a Robocop statue in 2020. Here's more: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/imaginationstation/detroit-needs-a-statue-of-robocop/posts/2721312 Dilla's Delights is raising money to move and keep open: https://www.gofundme.com/f/preserving-the-donut-shop And, we visit one of your most listened to episodes, our mini documentary about t...

On today's show, we re-release a conversation from July with Sarosh Irani. He's a transit advocate and Wayne State student who came up with a plan that got national attention by shifting existing bus stops to serve more people. And then we dive into more transit topics such as what is important to do to improve Detroit transit. But before that, recent events are the reason we decided to share this...

Cynthia Canty has a long and storied career, and we were honored to have her as a guest in mid-July. Well, her retirement is now actually a thing, so figured it'd be a great time to re-share this conversation. It's also audio editor Shianne's favorite episode. Cynthia Canty is a veteran broadcaster who hosted the news, policy and culture program Stateside on Michigan Radio , a NPR affiliate that b...

Plymouth-based Rivian has a neat new trick to make it turn like a tank Allee Willis has died Not one, but two donut incidents in Detroit - and Detroit Police has a suspect Royal Oak delays the sale of recreational marijuana in their city Mt. Clemens wants to add an art space And Woodpile BBQ is finally going to open in Madison Heights

We sit by the fire with the dog and talk all things Detroit - the year in review, the year ahead, some of our favorite stories and of course, well wishes and thanks for quite the year. 

If you're looking for a bar that mixes Detroit iconography with midcentury modern (along with a dash of west coast garnish) you've found it in Hammer & Nail. Located in the old Carpenter's Union building on Woodward across from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Hammer & Nail's drink menu runs the gamut from the crafty to the accessible, venerable, inexpensive beer. So the other day we (Randy Walker,...

On your Daily Detroit for Friday, December 20, 2019: 46 people have been arrested in Warren as part of a major sting operation. The U.S. Steel plant on Zug Island is laying off more than 1,500 people. The Second Avenue bridge over I-94 in Midtown Detroit is crumbling, and closing earlier than expected. Sports betting and online gambling will be legal in Michigan. You might be able to get in the ac...

Episode 400! W00t! On today's show we do a big roundup of the things happening around town. Some highlights: There's a new Trump Administration program that aims to fight violent crime in the city, called Operation Relentless Pursuit. However, in a city like Detroit, it can bring up memories of STRESS, a terrible time in the city's early 70s. Here's the announcement in Attorney General William Bar...

You know, we spend a lot of time in the city. but more and more - mostly by popular demand - we're venturing into the suburbs. It's a running gag among my friends that once I cross 8 Mile or west of Wyoming or Telegraph, that I start to turn to dust and blow away into thin air. But this simply isn't the case.  Today, the show ventures to the west downtown of Dearborn. The Longboard by Jolly Pumpki...

Today we're discussing the news that Ford will invest $1.45 billion into plants in Wayne and Dearborn to build the new 2020 Bronco and the Ranger small pickup truck. Both are resuscitations of beloved automotive brands that went away for the past couple of decades. Then, Jer tells us about his visit to the new Rocket Fiber broadcast studio at the Detroit Pistons' new training facility in  the New...

On today's episode of Daily Detroit, we're taking a look at the new and interesting things happening in Detroit's dining and drinks scene. There's been so much going on it's hard to keep up, so join Devon, Sven and Randy to talk about what's hot and what's not around town. That way, you know what to check out and where to spend your hard-earned dollars. Some of the places we talk about include: Bu...

There's a new taproom and brewery in Detroit's Islandview Neighborhood - Brewery FaisAn. The space - with tables made of reclaimed wood from the Packard Plant, a big roll-up door, and a wide selection of house-made beers - looks to be a place to have a lot of fun in the coming years.  So on today's show, Sven heads down to 1087 Beaufait Street in Detroit to talk to co-founder Rachel Szlaga about w...

On today's show: The Conners Creek Power Plant (what's left of it) is coming down Friday. Detroit City FC joins a pro league! Bobcat Bonnie's is opening a new outpost for their local empire, at Partridge Creek mall Then we get into your weekend plans! We have a pop-up podcasting happy hour on Friday (tomorrow!) from 4-7p at Hammer and Nail. Here's the Facebook event. https://www.facebook.com/event...

From our state's major teacher shortage to large numbers of long-term substitutes, to students not making it to school (let alone the political challenges in Lansing). Michigan's education system is in real trouble. Students are falling farther and farther behind, and this issue is one of the most important to talk about as it's literally the future of our region and state. We do a deep with Ron F...

Jer here. I have a lot of personal connection to the east side of Detroit. My grandmother lived just blocks from where this new pop-up bookstore, 27th Letter Books, just opened. They're the winners of the Hatch Detroit contest, and before their permanent space has been found they've set up shop in a neat old retail storefront on Van Dyke. What follows in today's episode as a conversation with the...

On today's show:  - "Sweeping" changes are coming to Detroit's Animal Care and Control, including more people and money - Detroit's darling watch and luxury goods maker, Shinola, is doing layoffs and outsourcing. Will we have to undergo a true culture shift to be able to make things in America again? More on Fox 2: https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/shinola-lays-off-employees-plans-to-outsource-some...

So what exactly is the state of our Detroit region as we head in 2020? It's important to look at, as regardless of what angry people on the internet might think, our region is economically and culturally connected. Most metro Detroiters live in one county or city and work in another. We all use the same infrastructure to commute, to visit family, to shop. And I know from personal experience that i...

On today's show: At some point over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a portion of the riverbank near Fort Wayne collapsed into the Detroit River.  That riverbank is believed to contain material left over from the Manhattan Project. If you remember, that was the National effort to create the Atomic Bomb during World War 2. And, suffice it to say, that's not good.  Dave Battagello from the Windsor...

Detroit-based pizza purveyor Buddy's is on the way to opening their second Detroit location and first downtown. So Sven and Jer stopped in to check it out, try some pizzas and chat with their new-ish CEO, Burton Heiss. Plus: The end of the licensing agreement between Kid Rock's Made in Detroit restaurant and Little Caesars Arena has made national news. We give you a rundown on what happened, and t...

Now that we're in December, we're in the holiday season. And one of my favorite events in Detroit is Noel Night. Now in its 47th year, it has swung the doors of Midtown open to crowds and revelry, cheer and merriment. And this year, it promises to be better than ever. Today is a preview of that event that's coming Saturday, December 7, 2019 with Annmarie Borucki from Midtown Inc. who organizes the...

Welcome back to the week! On today's podcast: The UAW and Fiat Chrysler have a tentative deal, meaning 7,900 more jobs and an additional $4.5 billion in investment. The Palace of Auburn Hills is being demolished. Trenton Mayor Kyle Stack has died. Beaumont Hospital has brought back their Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams.  Register here to join. The first day of recreational marijuana sales has come and...

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! What's the big thing that happens around town this weekend? Sports! So first Jer talks about the Lions 24-20 loss to the Bears and wonders if getting rid of Jim Caldwell was such a good idea, and if the curse of Bobby Lane is still in effect. Then, Sven Gustafson and Fletcher Sharpe talk Pistons and reminisce about the Malice at the Palace. It was Fletcher's first NBA g...

Greetings, comrades! I'm back from my week-long visit to Minsk, Belarus, halfway around the globe and a world away, as a guest of the good people at Press Club Belarus and the U.S. Embassy Minsk. It's good to be back and rolling with the podcast. We're planning to release an entire episode devoted exclusively to my visit to the former Soviet republic and what I learned about one of Detroit's seven...

On today's podcast, we visit the new Viola flagship cannabis retail operation near the old Boblo Boat docks. Viola, owned by NBA veteran Al Harrington, is a national cannabis company that's going to invest up to $10 million in the space, with a goal of creating more than 60 jobs as he rolls vertical integration into the facility. We sit down with Harrington on the podcast and get an idea of what's...

Today's episode is a first taste, if you will, of a new set of dining and drinking concepts that are to open today at the very top of Detroit's most iconic building, the GM RENCEN. They're called the High Bar, Hearth 71, and Highlands. There is also an event space. Of course, they'll have some amazing views, being the highest point in the state. But do they have culinary promise? We check it out o...