Daily Detroit

Cynthia Canty is a veteran broadcaster who hosts the  news, policy and culture program Stateside on Michigan Radio , a NPR affiliate that broadcasts in the Detroit area at 91.7 on the FM dial. She's been on air a variety of places in Detroit. She spent years as part of Jim Harper's legendary morning show, following him across the FM dial. Canty also was on television at WKBD-TV. She recently annou...

There's been a ton of scrutiny,  including from this podcast , about the Ilitch family's failure to follow through on its promises to develop the District Detroit. Now,  The Detroit News   reports that the Ilitches also own 44 vacant lots and eight empty buildings surrounding the MotorCity Casino Hotel complex, where the family now hopes to build a seven-story parking structure. But ya know, yours...

We previously told you about a project that would overhaul the Livernois streetscape, north of 6 Mile (McNichols) to 8 Mile. But it seems that things, at least for local businesses, aren't going so well. Jonathan Merritt joins me on the show today to talk about what's happening on the Avenue of Fashion. He says the project — though he's excited about what it will bring — is putting many of the bus...

On today's show, Jer talks with Jill Gonzalez an analyst from WalletHub about Detroit being the most stressed city in the United States. Then, Sven talks with Drew Kups from the  Michigan Glass Project  about the upcoming glass show at the Russell Industrial Center this weekend. Also, here's a pair of quick stories around town. The Detroit City Council has rejected a plan make  Spirit Plaza a perm...

Today we're talking about Michigan's emerging recreational marijuana economy with Roberta King. She's the founder and owner of Canna Communication, a communications firm focused on the cannabis sector. Plus, we bring you up to speed on: The start of UAW negotiations The Regional Transit Authority ( 2045 priorities map is here ) The city of Detroit has partnered with 3 universities to get its own e...

Happy Friday, friends! On today's show, we run down the new proposal by Lansing Republicans to fix the damn roads in Michigan. They want to borrow $10 billion against teacher pensions. What could go wrong? Also, Jer tells us about his recent visit to the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood on Detroit's east side. Specifically, the flooded streets east of Jefferson, where canals that cut through the ne...

The Detroit Shipping Company is a recent success on Peterboro, just west of Cass. The "shipping company" part, if you didn't know, doesn't refer to logistics and freight but to the 21 shipping containers that make up the two-story building. It's about 10,000 square feet of food and beer hall, having a variety of culinary outposts and a couple of bars in a blended indoor/outdoor space. Reports last...

We run down your headlines plus Randy Walker joins us to talk about Duck in Novi, Bread at Kroger and Dumplings downtown. 

The RISK! Podcast  lives in a unique place in the podcasting world. If you're not familiar, the show is a series of short stories by the known and unknown that are true and boldly told. What does that mean? It means the topics are very real. They're sometimes heartfelt. Sometimes risqué. And most often, hilarious. So my guest today is the ring leader of the podcast, comedian Kevin Allison. He has...

Welcome back from the holiday weekend, comrades. Today's show is Episode 300 of your Daily Detroit, and for that we thank you, our listeners. We also dive into two pieces of Ilitch-related news: First, that Olympia Development has missed a deadline to submit a development proposal for a parcel on Woodward between the Little Caesars Arena and I-75. After already receiving a one-year extension. [ Cr...

Welcome to the final podcast before Independence Day! Here's what we cover around town: Sven and Jer ruminate on the legacy of Lee Iacocca, who died at the age of 94. [ NY Times ] The state of Michigan has issued new emergency rules outlining requirements for new marijuana businesses now that voters have legalized recreational weed. The rules are meant to help local municipalities and prospective...

Can the bus be the "in" thing as far as getting around town? Tastes are changing around the country and here in Detroit. Many younger adults don't feel the same attachment to the car as previous generations. Today our conversation is with Sarosh Irani. He was recently featured in the national publication Streetsblog for his research at Wayne State University to improve Detroit's bus system. For in...

New Census estimates are out that show Detroit lost 1,526 residents between 2017 and 2018 to 672,622, yet the city's tax revenues are up, thanks mostly to more people working in the city and paying the city income tax. So we ask: Can Detroit's recovery continue even if population losses continue? Mayor Mike Duggan has famously said he should ultimately be judged by whether the city can stem its lo...

It's the weekend in summer! So we thought with the heat and sun we'd do a rundown of what's hot, what's not, what's new and what's closing around Detroit's bar and restaurant scene. Joining Sven Gustafson is our regular man about town, Devon O'Reilly. Also in studio is Randy Walker and of course Jer.  We cover: Tasting the new Momo Cha in the Detroit Shipping Company Capper and Capper pops up in t...

Aquavit is a caraway-flavored spirit long popular in Scandinavia, where it originated (aquavit literally translates to "water of life"). Yet it's never exactly been a liquor of choice here in the states. But here comes  Norden Aquavit , a nearly year-old brand distilled right here in Detroit by longtime bartender and Berkeley, California native Robyn Cleveland. I met Cleveland last weekend at a mi...

We all want the roads in Michigan fixed. But the price? And paying more for it? That's been a topic of hot debate among politicians and online commenters since Governor Gretchen Whitmer unveiled her plan to raise the gas tax by 45 cents a gallon to raise about $2.5 billion for the roads. But actually "Fixing the Damn Roads" is harder than a catchphrase. There's a real problem on the ground, with l...

What does it take to make a startup work in Detroit? Our conversation today is with Andrew Landau. His  Detroit-based e-commerce company, Jewel,  was recently purchased by banking giant Capital One. They're going to stay, grow and hire in Detroit, even after the acquisition. We also talk about why he's choosing the Motor City, and what tips he has for other entrepreneurs. Oh, and they're hiring. A...

Over the weekend, an interesting thing happened. Detroit's Rosa Parks Transit Center got swarmed by bees. A very alert Twitter user shared the story. https://twitter.com/Imutahr/status/1142518278402846725 This set in motion a rescue of the bees from Detroit Hives. The Detroit-based nonprofit not only advocates and takes of bees in the area, but educates people on the benefits of bees. Whether it's...

Over the last fifteen years, Michael Matthews rode along with officers of the Detroit Police Department. He had unrestricted access to the day to day life of the Motor City's men in blue. His new book, "American Ruin: Life And Death On The Streets Of Detroit – America's Deadliest City" dives into what's happening in a variety of neighborhoods, with first-hand accounts from his own eyes and on-the-...

Ford — as part of the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) negotiated as part of the $740 million Michigan Central Station/Corktown project — launched a City:One in Detroit. It's a competition for ideas to make it easier for Detroiters to get around. Sven went to Corktown to get all the details and we talk about what's happening on the show.  If you want to enter, go here. Also – Billionaire investo...

On today's episode, we check in with soccer journalist and The Outer Drive podcast co-host Fletcher Sharpe, who covers Detroit City FC. With five games remaining in the NPSL regular season, Le Rouge are now unbeaten in seven games and have held opponents scoreless in each of those matches. But City has also notched scoreless draws during that stretch with their top divisional rivals in the NPSL Gr...

On today's show for June 18, 2019: - The City of Detroit is one of 10 American cities to join a new national program to figure out how to help residents make more money and improve their economic status.  - You've heard of Hell, Michigan, right? it's an unincorporated town near Pinckney in Livingston County. It's famous for its road signs, a tavern and stores selling souvenirs branded with the com...

Cleveland. It's a city that is often compared to Detroit, and not always for their positive attributes. And nothing against our Rust Belt cousin, but it turns out it's one of the prime destinations for renters around metro Detroit who are looking to get out of town. And apparently there are a lot of people in that category. A new " Renter Migration Report " from Apartment List says the Detroit are...

Bridge Magazine has a  fascinating new story  out that finds that while mortgage activity in Detroit is steadily increasing after bottoming out during the Great Recession, the recovery isn't mirroring Detroit's population demographics. What's more, there are still vast tracts of the city where mortgage activity is virtually nonexistent. Despite making up just 10% of the city's overall population,...

Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel wants to build a new jail, because the current one is a  squalid death trap . On June 19, he plans to ask a special meeting of the county board of commissioners' Records and Public Safety panel for approval of the $375 million project, plus the OK of ballot language for a tax to pay for the bonds that would pay for it. It's not clear how much the tax millage wou...