Daily Detroit

You show for September 13th, 2018 from the floor of Digital Summit Detroit. Our feature interview is with Eric Thomas, the founder of Saga Marketing. He recently had a piece in the Financial Times and is locally famous for his LinkedIn blog post, "Why I hate Detroit."

- Detroit's getting a bit more of Silicon Valley's magic. StockX, the Detroit-based Stock Market of Things, just closed on a $44 million Series B funding round with GV, which was previously called Google Ventures. The company says it plans to hire more than 1,000 people in the next year.

- How is Detroit's comeback doing? Well here's an interesting indicator. According to data provided by the U.S. Census, the city of Detroit's median household income rose 8% in 2017. That rate is four times the national average of 2%.

- A new report suggests that the market for luxury vehicles is on track for a near-record year, thanks largely to the growth in high-end sport utility vehicles.

- A pop-up Vespa dealer is opening in the Fisher Building.

- The Salvation Army is doing a "Ring for Bling" campaign for those taking part in their annual Red Kettle fundraising campaign. The nonprofit Salvation Army provides a lot of services in Metro Detroit, including feeding the homeless, combating addiction, fighting poverty and working to stop human trafficking. For every two-hour Red Kettle volunteer shift, volunteers get an entry for a chance to win a diamond necklace from Lucido Fine Jewelry. The Gabriel NY piece is worth more than $6,000.

- Michelle Obama is coming to Detroit as part of a 10-city tour to promote her new memoir, "Becoming." She'll be at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, December 11th.

From the floor our Daily Detroit podcast for September 12, 2018

- Public works employees in Macomb County have removed a quivering, gelatinous mass from the sewer system that they have affectionately dubbed a "fatberg."

- Detroit Public Schools Community District will open a unique K-12 teaching academy next fall on the Marygrove College campus.

- The owners of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Detroit have been dealt another setback in their efforts to build a second hotel tower.

- Here's a snapshot into what Michiganders are thinking right now about a variety of issues thanks to a set of new polls that we'll walk through.

- Popular fitness chain Orangetheory Fitness said today it plans to open its first Detroit location in 2019.

- The Impossible Burger Slider is coming to Metro Detroit White Castles

- And we talk about the opening keynote with Chelsea Handler, who had some interesting lessons to share about social and digital media that weren't from the perspective of a traditional marketer. She also talked about how marijuana could be the next big thing for Detroit.

This is your Daily Detroit podcast for September 11, 2018.

Our feature interview today at the end of the show is with Nina Innsted. Her True Crime podcast, "Already Gone," hits 100 episodes this week and it's about a murder that happened on the site of what's now Oakland Mall. We talk about the show, what she's learned podcasting, and more. You can find her at http://www.alreadygonepodcast.com

Your Detroit headlines:

- Could Detroit Red Wings legend Stevie Yzerman be heading back to the Motor City? Maybe. Yzerman stepped down from his job as General Manager of the Tampa Bay Lighting Tuesday, a position he's held since 2010.

- The Scott Fountain on Belle Isle is in line for a makeover.Officials on Tuesday announced that $400,000 of the money raised at the Grand Prixmere charity gala this year will be used to maintain and improve the 93-year-old fountain.

- A quick update to yesterday's story about a deadline extension for medical marijuana businesses.

- One of Hamtramck's legendary packzi palaces, New Palace Bakery, is getting a national nod of approval.

- The end of one Ferndale restaurant is a new beginning for Bobcat Bonnie's. Zeke's Rock and Roll Barbecue is closing their doors on Wednesday. The restaurant on West Nine mile opened in 2015.

- Karas Brothers and Capers Steakhouse are getting renovations

- And, we honor the fallen and the heroes of 9/11. It's at the end of the show.

That's your Daily Detroit podcast sharing what to know and where to go in Metro Detroit. Like the show? Be sure to subscribe wherever fine shows are found: http://www.dailydetroit.com/podcast

Welcome back to the work week! This is your Daily Detroit podcast for September 10, 2018. Here are your stories:

- It might be the end of an era in Detroit. One of the legendary dueling coneys - Lafayette - will now let you pay for coneys with credit cards.

- Miss Michigan, Emily Sioma, used the Miss America Beauty Pageant over the weekend to make a political statement on Michigan water.

- We recently told you about how Ford scrapped its plans to import the Focus Active to the U.S. from China due to the steep cost tied to President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports. On Sunday, President Trump apparently caught wind of that announcement from a CNBC report and took to Twitter, suggesting "This car can now be BUILT IN THE U.S.A." where the company would pay no tariffs.

- There's some news about one of the Detroit area's largest remaining abandoned shopping malls, Summit Place.

- A key deadline in the granting of licenses to medical marijuana facilities looks set to be extended, meaning some facilities will be able to keep operating during the licensing process.

- There's a big mural nearing completion in Hamtramck that pays tribute to Detroit City FC and its passionate fan base.

- The city of Detroit has a new strategic transportation plan that they unveiled Friday. The plan focuses on improvements to Detroit's transportation system. It's not just updates to the bus system, which is getting 50 new bus shelters. The plan looks at projects that would slow down cars in neighborhoods, resurface more than 300 miles of roads, implement smart technology in signals…. and of course, lower the highest-in-the-nation car insurance rates in the city.

- A taster of beer news for you. Falling Down Beer Company (also, an occasional sponsor of Daily Detroit) is opening their Detroit location in the Detroit Shipping Company tomorrow.. That's Tuesday.

This is your Daily Detroit podcast for September 6, 2018. Our feature conversation is with Greg Migliore of Autoblog, where we talk about Ford, Tesla, and what's happening in the car business after our headlines.

- Tigers fans were surprised on Wednesday night to see neither Mario Impemba or Rod Allen calling the game against the Chicago White Sox. First-reported by the Athletic, the altercation between the two Fox Sports Detroit broadcasters happened immediately after the Tigers' 8-3 win in Chicago against the White Sox on Tuesday. An unnamed source who witnessed it said the incident was, quote, "severe."

- Straight-ticket voting is no longer a thing in Michigan — at least for this November's election. That's where you have the option to check one box and have all of your votes go to candidates of that party down the ballot.

- Bloomberg reports that Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert is looking to exit the casino business… including his Jack Casino in Detroit. He's already lined up two prominent banks - Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse - and Bloomberg says that Caesars Entertainment is among the possible bidders that have expressed interest in some of the properties. They recently completed a $1.7 billion deal in Indiana.

- Late-breaking news for fans of 1970s cinema: Legendary actor Burt Reynolds has died. He was 82.

- It's going to be 90 days in jail for Former state senator Bert Johnson. U.S. District Judge Matthew Leitman handed down the sentence Thursday for stealing more than $23,000 from taxpayers through a ghost employee. That's where the employee gets paid for a job they don't have to show up for.

- The popular Union Woodshop barbecue restaurant in Clarkston is getting an outdoor mural courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

- An Ann Arbor favorite, Frita Batidos, is coming to Detroit. The cuban restaurant will open a 2,400 square foot location on Columbia street just west of Woodward. The Detroit menu will be the same as its Ann Arbor location, but with a twist… an express menu for game days.

- The 3rd Annual City College Series to Benefit Detroit Public Schools K-5 is back. The University of Detroit Mercy men's and women's basketball team will host Wayne State in an exhibition charity game on November 3rd at Calihan Hall.

Your Daily Detroit podcast for September 5, 2018:

- In order to have more influence on the final law, the Michigan Senate passed two ballot initiatives Wednesday to raise the minimum wage and mandate employers provide sick leave for employees. But they didn't pass them to make them into law; they passed them to change them and control them.

- The man brought in to help stabilize Detroit's finances since shortly after the city declared bankruptcy is leaving his post. John Hill will leave his job as the city's chief financial officer at the end of the year. He was hired back in 2013 by former emergency manager Kevyn Orr during the city's bankruptcy. Mayor Mike Duggan later persuaded him to stay on longer.

- A couple of gubernatorial endorsements among groups representing police officers have been announced.

- Fiat Chrysler says it has invested more than $30 million in a new facility to develop and test autonomous vehicles and advanced safety technology at its Chelsea Proving Grounds west of Ann Arbor.

- Meanwhile, General Motors is investing $28 million in a new project at its advanced-battery lab at its Tech Center in Warren. In a LinkedIn post, GM chief Mary Barra says the automaker plans to add new test chambers and advanced equipment to accelerate the development of next-generation batteries.

- If you have late fees and warrant costs with tickets in 36th District Court downtown, you're in luck.

- It's a sign — or pair of signs, if you will — of the glory days of the Pontiac Silverdome, and you could own them. The Michigan Department of Transportation is auctioning two 7 foot by 14 foot aluminum road signs that have the words "Pontiac Silverdome" on them. And, Sven and Jer share their favorite Silverdome memories.

That's it for today's show. Thanks so much, and if you like the show, find the Daily Detroit podcast in Apple Podcasts or wherever fine shows are found.

Here's your Daily Detroit podcast for September 4, 2018.

- On our show last week before the Labor Day weekend we told you about a lockout dispute affecting members of a labor union that represents road and bridge construction workers. Now, that lockout has put a freeze on dozens of road construction projects across Michigan.

- Students started the first day of classes today in the Detroit Public Schools Community District with water coolers and bottled water in lieu of drinking fountains.

- One of the city's "must see" pieces of street art has come down, along with the abandoned and badly blighted building it was on.

"The African Amalgamation of Ubiquity" was painted in 1985 by Curtis Lewis on an old bank building at 9980 Gratiot, just west of the Better Made Potato Chip Plant. It was the former home of the neighborhood nonprofit "Operation Get Down," which moved across the street to a new location some time ago.

- Anti-semitic flyers were found taped to a church door on Sunday morning.

- Campbell Soup plans to sell off Ferndale-based Garden Fresh Gourmet as part of a broader turnaround plan that sees it getting rid of fresh foods.

- Detroit is losing one of its most beloved bike shops. Motorless City Bicycle Company says it plans to permanently close its doors at the end of September after four seasons in business in Eastern Market. The store was closely involved with Slow Roll and announced the news on Facebook, saying the team had decided it was time to move on to new endeavors.

- A bike sharing and a ride sharing service have teamed up in Detroit for a six-month pilot program to help connect users of the two. The program means discounts for MoGo bike sharing users when picked up or dropped off at bike-share stations by ridesharing company Lyft.

- New York City's transit authority has relabeled two subway stations in honor of the Queen of Soul. Both the Franklin Street and Franklin Avenue stations have signage in the classic subway Helvetica font saying "Respect" along with the station name.

- If you've driven through that crazy three-way intersection of Trumbull, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Grand River, you can't miss the giant mural of a giraffe that welcomes people to the Woodbridge neighborhood. It needs some help, and here's how you can pitch in (and get some beer).

This is your Daily Detroit recorded on August 31, 2018.

- The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was scheduled to be laid to rest Friday. A little piece of news out of the funeral is that Chene Park is to be renamed in her honor.

- Fellow hometown music star Eminem has dropped a new 13-track album at an unexpected time, titled "Kamikaze." In it, he takes no prisoners with verbal shots at Charlamagne Tha God, Harvey Weinstein; Tyler, the Creator; Lil Pump; Machine Gun Kelly and Donald Trump.

- Ford Motor Company is planning to get rid of most of its cars for the American market in favor of more trucks, crossovers and SUVs. But the automaker on Friday said it's canceling one of the only remaining cars it did plan to offer due to costs associated with President Trump's trade war.

- Headaches for drivers due to road projects in Michigan could go on longer, thanks to a dispute between road construction companies and one union.

- Wayne State University is welcoming its largest full-time freshman class in its 150-year history this year. Enrollment jumped 15 percent to just under 3,000 freshmen.

- A recount of the SMART bus millage vote in Macomb County is over.

- A new coworking space has opened up shop in Ferndale. It's called PatchWork Collective, and it occupies a storefront on Woodward Avenue in a space formerly occupied by the InkAddict tattoo parlor.

- Last night on the rooftop of the Madison Building, Toma Detroit, the aspiring tequila and mezcal bar and restaurant, won this years Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest.

Like the show? Don't forget to subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or wherever you download your favorite shows.

Here's your show for August 29, 2018.

- The saga of dangerous water in Michigan's urban centers continues, this time in Detroit schools. In an email sent out to teachers, Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said that he's ordering the water to be shut off in all 106 schools in the district.

- In a piece of news that's coming in just as we were about to record, Ford Motor Company's credit rating has been downgraded to one level above junk status.

- There's news about the renegade street artist Shepard Fairey, who's best known for the Andre the Giant OBEY! meme and the "Hope" poster of then-presidential hopeful Barack Obama. On Tuesday, the Michigan appeals court dismissed the city of Detroit's attempt to reinstate charges against Fairey for vandalism.

- Medical marijuana patients in Michigan could soon have the ability to order cannabis via home delivery.

- Construction on a five-story mixed-use apartment building on Woodward Avenue in Detroit is now expected to start in October.

- Henrik Zetterberg may have already played his last game in a Detroit Red Wings uniform.

- Memorial ceremonies are taking place this week for Aretha Franklin, the legendary singer and composer who died August 16th at age 76. Bedrock Real Estate Services said Tuesday that it and several other downtown Detroit building owners are lighting up buildings in pink through Friday in tribute to the Queen of Soul.

- A second fleet of adorably named scooters has hit the streets of downtown Detroit. Lime, a rival to shared mobility company Bird, has quietly launched here.

- Word is that Ford is going to replace all of the windows as part of the rehab of Michigan Central station.

Thanks for listening to the show! You can find us wherever fine podcasts are found.

This is your show for Tuesday, August 28th.

- You can say goodbye to the familiar Green and Yellow stripes on Detroit buses. In a parking lot on Gratiot outside of Mike's Fresh Market, the city of Detroit today unveiled new buses, new services… and a new brand for the Detroit Department of Transportation. We talk to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.

- The redevelopment of the shuttered Northland Mall is proceeding — if slowly. Fox 2 News reports that crews have demolished the old Firestone car service center on the 125-acre property.

- A market research and consulting company, Gongos, formerly based in Auburn Hills opened its new headquarters today in downtown Royal Oak, where it is moving around 120 employees.

- A unit of Subaru plans to expand its R&D operations in Wayne County after winning grants from the state.

- Ferne Boutique, a contemporary women's clothing and accessory store, has opened in the New Center neighborhood of Detroit. Shianne Nocerini has the story.

- An appearance by English industrial metal band Godflesh was enough to entice a couple to leave their 11-year-old daughter unattended at home in Houston while they made the roughly 1,300-mile drive to see the band at El Club last week in Southwest Detroit.

Like the show? Don't forget to subscribe (it's free!) in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, or your favorite podcast app of choice.