Daily Detroit

Another day, another truckbed-full of news in Detroit. Fiat Chrysler made arguably the biggest splash with its announcement that it plans to invest $4.5 billion in five Detroit-area plants and create nearly 6,500 jobs. Central to that is plans to convert the Mack Avenue Engine Complex on Detroit's east side to an assembly plant to build the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and a yet-to-be-named three-row Jeep SUV. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin by mid-year.

• Forbes will hold its Under 30 Summit in Detroit for three years, starting this fall
• State environmental regulators have issued a violation against the Marathon Oil Refinery in Southwest Detroit after residents complained of foul odors
• The Detroit Public Schools Community District is reclaiming three of its buildings from charter schools, and a fourth from a church, Chalkbeat Detroit reports
• City Council President Brenda Jones has ordered a draft ordinance that would prohibit the construction of any more bike lanes in Detroit without Council's OK
• Meanwhile, Council Member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez wants a report from the Ilitch family's Olympia Development on how District Detroit is squaring with early promises (so far, we're guessing the answer would be, "not very well")
• GM and Ford agree to buy wind power from DTE Energy to cover operations at facilities including GM's RenCen offices and two Ford assembly plants
• The owner of Flowers of Vietnam eyes a new Mexican concept on Michigan Avenue in Detroit

A Hollywood film director makes a giant splash at the Oscar Awards when he says Shinola is "saving Detroit" and the interweb asplodes. We talk about what that ridiculous, off-the-cuff comment means about the city and its nascent comeback.

There's a lot more news to be had on today's episode. We also discuss that Medium blog post announcing a new bodega — that's essentially New York City parlance for "party store" — for the hard-hit Russell Woods neighborhood on Detroit's west side. It'll reportedly be part of a larger development, and the post ends with the hashtag, #MakeTheHoodGreatAgain.

Also on today's show:

• Notorious Detroit landlord Dennis Keffalinos has the building that formerly housed El Zocalo on Bagley Avenue in Mexicantown – DetNews
• The Canadian government aims to waive tolls for cyclists using the Gordie Howe International Bridge – CBC
• The Fonz is coming to Motor City Comic Con
• Dearborn gets a nod as one of the top suburban, uh, suburbs in the country in which to eat – Thrillist
• Detroit City FC will take on the Bucks, which have moved to Flint, in a final preseason friendly
• Oakland County downtowns and businesses can apply for $2,500 matching small-business grants through a county program
• Mardi Gras is coming, and along with it, PAZCKI and assorted festivities like the Tour De Troit 5K – SIGN UP

As always, thanks for listening. We love you.

On a bonus interview episode of Daily Detroit, our guest is Dennis Archer, Jr.

He's the owner of Ignition Media, proprietor of the successful Central Kitchen and Bar, and chair of the upcoming Detroit Policy Conference.

We talk on a variety of topics around Detroit's comeback and a vision for 2030 for the city and region.

The Daily Detroit team will be at the Detroit Policy Conference on Thursday, February 28, 2019. If you're going, make sure to say hello at our podcast table. If you're interested in going, the speakers and tickets can be found here. http://www.detroitchamber.com/dpc/

On today's show, Chase Bank makes a $15 million commitment to neighborhood redevelopment efforts in Detroit. The money — $10 million in long-term, low-cost loans, and $5 million in philanthropy — will go through the city's Strategic Neighborhood Fund.

Elsewhere, Sven speaks with Wayne State University constitutional law professor Robert Sedler about the lawsuit Michigan and 15 other states filed this week against President Trump. The states argue the president's national emergency declaration over the U.S.-Mexico border wall is unconstitutional.

Lastly, Shianne speaks with women's empowerment champion, Laura Khalil, about her upcoming Vocal Self Defense Workshop. The event will be on Wednesday, February 27 at the SheHive in Ferndale.

Detroit's Q*Bert-esque convention center has been named after former Mayor Albert Cobo since it opened in 1960. That's set to change, with today's announcement that the authority that runs Cobo awarded naming rights to Chemical Bank for $1.5 million per year for 22 years.

Mayor Mike Duggan has said for years that he thinks the convention center should be renamed, and on today's show, we fill in the why.

Jer speaks with local historian and writer Ken Coleman about Cobo's complicated and divisive legacy, and what was behind the decision to rename the building that bears his name.

Also:

• The nonprofit small-business incubator Ponyride is moving out of its Corktown building.
• And a new study of urban real estate finds that home prices increased faster in Detroit than in any other big city in North America. But there are qualifications.

Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit.

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On today's show, Jer tags along with the Salvation Army's Bed and Bread truck, which delivers 3,800 meals each day to hungry Detroiters. He also speaks with former Detroit radio legend, Dick Purtan, about the upcoming Bed and Bread Club Radiothon, which runs Thursday through Friday on WJR-AM 760.

Here's what else is happening around town:

• A federal corruption probe could be expanding to Taylor, as FBI agents raided the City Hall and homes of Mayor Rick Sollars. There's also a tip line set up at 313.965.4545.
• GM says it's investing $20 million in its Romulus Powertrain Plant to expand capacity.
• The American Center of Mobility, a 500-acre-plus test bed for self-driving cars at Willow Run, announced a new CEO.
• Autorama suffers a setback in its plans to jump a "Smokey and the Bandit" replica car next month over the event's history of using Confederate flags.
• New legislation could expand a state law banning texting while driving to any use of social media apps.
• And Bob Seger has added a third night at DTE Energy Music Theater to his farewell tour. It'll be June 12.

Thanks as always for listening, and tell a friend about Daily Detroit. Or, consider supporting us via Patreon.

On today's show, we break down the top 10 restaurants in Southeast Michigan as determined by users of Open Table for February. Of note: None of them are in the city proper, while one's in Flint and another is in Ann Arbor.

Elsewhere, we catch up on the news that Amazon has agreed to invest $700 million in startup electric vehicle company Rivian. We talked about the possibility this would happen on an episode last week, and Jer has some more thoughts about what Amazon's equity stake could mean.

Elsewhere:

• "The Russian Five," the documentary about the legendary Detroit Red Wings that helped the team establish a dynasty in the '90s, is launching next month at theaters across Michigan. Here's where to catch and screening and buy tickets.
• Star Trek alum George Takei is coming to Motor City Comic Con March 18 and 19.
• The city of Detroit is hiring for commercial drivers for parks maintenance.
• The Detroit Optimist Society plans a dual Korean bar-chef's choice sushi counter in a vacant building in Southwest Detroit.
• BONUS: Here's a fun drone video of Detroit's Fisher Building. Enjoy.

Don't forget. If you love the show, you can help power it through becoming a member.

The city of Detroit has announced plans to sell Lee Plaza, the hulking and abandoned former apartment tower on West Grand Boulevard near Linden, to a pair of developers for a cool $350,000. The Roxbury Group and Ethos Development Partners plan to convert it to 180 apartments and retail as part of a $50 million redevelopment. It's good news for an ailing but iconic building in a part of town that could use some love.

Also on today's show, we run down the first partisan fight of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's tenure. Republican lawmakers have overridden her executive order restructuring the state's main environmental department. They objected to her effort to do away with industry-friendly panels overseeing environmental rules and permitting.

Here's what else you'll hear:

• An update on the Piet Oudolf garden coming to Belle Isle
• Details on Michigan's new Move Over Law
• Bob Seger adds a Detroit-area date to his farewell tour, which is currently under way
• A new Meijer is coming to the new shopping center development taking shape at 13 Mile and Woodward in Royal Oak
• Jer and I talk about the news that Amazon is scrapping its plans to build part of its HQ2 campus in New York City amid a wave of local opposition about the incentives on offer and other issues. As a reminder, Detroit offered similar incentives as part of its package to try and woo the e-retail behemoth, and we devoted an entire podcast episode to doing the postmortem on why the Detroit-Windsor bid fell short.
• And finally, an interview with Ryan Landau from the staffing agency Re:Purpose.

Thank you for listening to our show. Happy Valentine's Day, errybody. We <3 you.

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On today's pod, we cover a bunch of transportation-related news. First up: Rivian, the electric vehicle startup we've covered in a Detroit Public Television segment and on this pod, may get a big investment from Amazon and General Motors. We discuss how that could be a huge boost for the company as it eyes the launch of its first vehicle in fall 2020. But what does it say about GM and Amazon?

Next, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was in Lansing today to talk auto insurance reform. As a reminder, Michigan has the nation's most expensive car insurance. Republicans have signaled the issue as a priority for the current legislative session, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signaled an openness to working on it. As a refresher, check out our interview with Steven Gursten of Michigan Auto Law a while back on the state's no-fault law and Duggan's lawsuit.

Completing our transportation trifecta was Gov. Whitmer's discussion of the need to "fix the damn roads" in last night's State of the State address, her first. Republicans are even starting to come around to the idea that more revenue may be needed to fix our dismal roads and bridges. Could toll roads be one solution?

Whitmer also discussed wanting to strengthen civil rights protections for gay and transgender people in her SOS speech, and she targeted the practice of making controversial legislation referendum-proof. We talk about both of those proposals.

In other news:

• Detroit City FC have announced a preseason friendly match against NCAA College Cup semifinalists Michigan State University on April 20
• And two Detroit-area eateries have yanked CBD oils off their menus

Today on the podcast, an eight-and-a-half-mile section of I-75 that has been falling into third-world disrepair lately is set to see reconstruction soon. The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced details of the reconstruction project, which will zero in on the stretch between 13 Mile and Coolidge, including 18 bridges.

There's no word on when exactly work will start, but it will likely have to wait 'til the current icepocalypse is done.

Also on today's show, both the Freep and News have stories about an apparent conflict of interest in the Wayne County Treasurer's office. Treasurer Eric Sabree's wife has been buying up properties from the Wayne County foreclosure auction, despite the office's own rules barring family members from doing that.

In related news, a shout-out to Detour Detroit and Outlier Media, who are holding an event Feb. 21 to build an independent database to better track the Wayne County tax auction. More information is on their Facebook page, if you'd like to help.

Elsewhere:

Ford faces a lawsuit from three MIT professors who say the automaker stole their patented technology for use in EcoBoost engines

Bipartisan legislation under development in Lansing would lift some caps on the number of snow days for school districts in Michigan, meaning it'd be less likely to have to hold make-up days that cut into summer

A new Polish restaurant is coming to West Village.

And Impossible burgers are coming to Michigan locations of Qdoba Mexican Eats.

As always, thanks for listening. Don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, and consider supporting Daily Detroit via Patreon.