Daily Detroit

Your show for August 27, 2018:

- Ground broke today near Chene Park on what promises to be - when it's complete - one of Detroit's hottest new public attractions. Sven Gustafson caught up with Mark Wallace of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy to get the details.

- A 275 year old tree was cut down in Ferndale, says the Oakland County Times. More (including awesome pictures you gotta see) here.

- A 28 year old bicyclist has died after being hit by a car on the bridge to Belle Isle State Park.

- To many Metro Detroiters, a sushi event at Eastern Market has left a raw feeling. The Detroit Sushi Fest was on Friday evening and it is the current object of the Detroiternet's ire, with many bad reviews.

- Norma G's Cuisine is opening its first brick and mortar location in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit on Tuesday.

- Beginners luck seems to be a real thing for a 19 year old Macomb County man. That's because he won half a million dollars with the Platinum 7's instant game on his fourth ticket.

- The King of pop - Michael Jackson - would be 60 years old on Wednesday, the 29th. For those of you who might need a little push to get over the hump day of Wednesday… to celebrate, the Joebar in Hazel Park is doing a party.

That's it for the show today. Sven rejoins us tomorrow, where we dig into some buildings demolitions around town that have people talking because of the street art that went with it, as well as a large historic structure near Palmer Park.

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Your show for Thursday, August 23, 2018.

- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and a group of Detroit-area residents have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Michigan's no-fault auto insurance law is unconstitutional and is unfairly expensive for drivers.

- The internet is ablaze with speculation that it might just be the end of Hockeytown for the Detroit Red Wings.

- Work is set to start Monday to build Detroit's newest beach.

- A couple of changes are on the horizon for buses around town. The first is proposed, the second is happening.

- The Detroit Knight Arts Challenge has named 53 finalists for its grant contest, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

- We now have more details on the Aretha Franklin tribute concert that will be free and open to the public.

- Time Magazine has named the Detroit Foundation Hotel as one of the World's 100 greatest places.

- The Weird Homes Tour is on Saturday, August 25th and runs from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

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Our August 22, 2018 features an interview with Sean Mann, CEO of Detroit City FC. The season may be over, but there's still a lot of activity with the organization, including efforts to go professional and to roll out their sports complex and bar on the east side of the city.

Our stories:

- Ford Motor Company has added another piece to its emerging Corktown campus.

- Detroit is about to get a giant floating bar of light. The new art will connect two historic downtown buildings: One Woodward, designed by famed World Trade Center architect Minoru Yamasaki, and the Guardian Building, the famed Art Deco masterpiece designed by Wirt C. Rowland.

- In Troy, the owners behind Berkley's Vinsetta Garage and Clarkston Union just opened a Latin American fusion eatery called Gran Castor, which is Spanish for "great beaver."

- In Detroit, the owner of Supino Pizzeria is planning a new pizza joint on Woodward in the New Center.

- And finally in Ferndale, a large sign recently went up on the roof of a vacant storefront along Woodward announcing the coming of Brooks Brewing, a microbrewery and pizza oven.

- National coworking and remote office outfit WeWork is expanding in Detroit again. They're adding another floor in 1001 Woodward.

- Detroit is known for its unique animals. For instance, it was just a year ago that there was a Kangaroo running around just a couple blocks from our University District digs. Then there was that whole Tiger thing in the Packard Plant. This one isn't as crazy, but it does involve a parrot that knows the theme to Game of Thrones and the Addams Family.

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This is your Daily Detroit recorded on August 21, 2018. Our stories:

- It's been a tough year for Detroit police and first responders. There have been three deaths on the police force in the line of duty in 2018, and numerous incidents off-duty.

- There's been an uptick in hit-and-runs in Metro Detroit, with four in the last month.

- The New Mike Ilitch School of Business is set to open on Woodward. Wayne State University and Olympia Development hosted a tour of the building today, and Curbed Detroit has some great photos [Link].

- Wayne State University is opening part of its new Anthony Wayne Drive Apartments on Saturday to new residents. The 11-story, 407-bed building is the first phase of the $111 million housing complex, the university's largest and priciest.

- Speaking of pricey housing, rising rent prices and the coming expiration of federal tax credits meant to subsidize affordable housing are raising concerns about the fate of many of Detroit's low-income residents. Bridge magazine reports that tax credits for some 7,000 apartments and homes are set to end by 2022 [Link]. When they expire, owners can apply to stop setting aside units for low-income residents.

- Fans of Detroit watering holes of yore, take note: A documentary about the legendary Lindell AC sports bar makes its TV debut Thursday night on Detroit Public Television. It's called "Meet Me At the Lindell: The Story of America's First Sports Bar."

- Detroit Vegan Soul's fish-free "catfish" platter has been named one of PETA's Top 10 Vegan Seafood Dishes in the country.

- A 12-year-old Detroit girl is in an intensive care unit due to severe burns on half of her body. On Friday, Timiyah Landers and two of her friends attempted to do the popular "fire challenge" that they had seen on YouTube.

- Detroit Barbers in Corktown will be celebrating National Dog Day this Sunday by hosting Bulldogs, Brews and Beards. The event aims to raise money for the Detroit Bulldog Rescue.

That's it for your Daily Detroit podcast today. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever fine podcasts are found. It really helps.

This is your Daily Detroit for August 20, 2018. Your Detroit news:

- Detroiter Garlin Gilchrist the second has been picked to be the running mate for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer. Sven and Jer discuss.

- There has been some confusion around the funeral arrangements for the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, who died last week at the age of 76. So here's what you need to know.

- One of the last remaining members of the Motown studio band known as the Funk Brothers has died. The Freep reports that guitarist Eddie Willis died Monday morning at his home in Mississippi following complications from a childhood bout with polio. He was 82. Link: https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2018/08/20/eddie-willis-dead-funk-brothers/1044428002/

- Dogs and Degas apparently do go together. The Detroit Institute of Arts is holding their first-ever animal adoption event.

- Brix Wine and Charcuterie Boutique will be closing its West Village location on the city's east side at the end of the month.

- Atomic Chicken is calling it quits.

- Certified results for the SMART bus millage are in and the final tally widened a bit to 39 votes, instead of 23 as initially thought.

- The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest Presented by Bedrock is down to its four finalists:

• Neighborhood Grocery
• Paradise Natural Foods
• Slyde
• Toma Detroit

They're competing for a $50,000 prize from Comerica Bank and $200,000 worth of pro-bono services from Hatch Detroit and its partners. Representatives from each of the four startup business finalists joined us today in the studio to talk about their proposals alongside Vittoria Katanski, Hatch Detroit's executive director. You can find out more and vote at http://www.hatchdetroit.com

Today, we devote the entire Daily Detroit podcast to Aretha Franklin.

We talk to Detroiters you may know, and those you may not, about the Queen of soul.

Guests include:

Evrod Cassimy, a friend of Franklin and journalist at WDIV Local 4 TV.

Marsha Battle Philpot, a.k.a. Marsha Music. Her father recorded the first record with Aretha.

Dan Austin, Detroit's unofficial historian and a founder of the Motor City Soul Club.

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Show for August 15, 2018:

- Ford expects to spend a lot of money to renovate the abandoned train station.

- Measles cases are on the rise in Michigan.

- Free showings of the film 'Black Panther" at the Detroit Film Theater.

- We try the new Vegan Coney joint, "Chili, Mustard, Onions" complete with delicious audio.

- And we preview the upcoming Digital Summit Detroit in September.

Here's what to know and where to go around Metro Detroit.

- Detroit Lions fans will be able to get their drink and eats on for cheaper. The team and its hospitality partner announced new all-day value pricing at Ford Field for game days.

- Is there a car bubble brewing? Our next guest says that rising subprime auto loans, rising interest rates and increasing prices for car parts add up to spell warning signs, to say nothing of President Trump's proposed tariffs on imported cars. Sven Gustafson spoke with Joe Berish, an analyst with automotive consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

- Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant Association. He joined us by phone from his office in Lansing to discuss several issues and trends facing the restaurant industry.

- According to Dan Austin's Greetings from Detroit: Historic Postcards from the Motor City, On this date seven years ago the giant Garland Stove was destroyed by fire at the former Michigan State Fairgrounds.

Here's our show on August 13, 2018.

- The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is said to be "gravely ill." That's according to multiple reports and family friend Evrod Cassimy, a WDIV anchor and reporter.

- Legendary Detroit Tigers pitcher Jack Morris had his number 47 retired over the weekend.

- The historic David Stott tower in Capitol Park will soon reopen as luxury housing and office space. According to the Freep, asking prices for the apartments could set a new record for price-per-square-foot in downtown Detroit.

- Karen Dybis tells us what's happening to the historic Ossian Sweet House, and the story behind the important building.

- Sven was out of town last week, so we saved our discussion about the primary election and news of the week for when he came back from the woods.

- A legal analysis by Detroit's Law Department says that City Council President Jones may be able to keep her local seat while serving for a time in the U.S. Congress.

- On the Detroit side of Mack between Outer Drive and Cadieux sits East English Village, a neighborhood built between the 1920s and 1950s. It's a neighborhood that doesn't always get much press attention. But maybe now it will.

- Sunoco stations across Detroit are being sued in Federal court. They're accused of selling Viagra without a prescription as an "all-natural" male enhancement pill.

Saturday, August 11, 2018 show:

The Detroit Grand Prix is, in fact, returning to Belle Isle. That's thanks to an agreement announced Friday between race organizers and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Speaking of cars.. I-696 construction in Macomb and Oakland counties is about 30 percent complete, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Earlier, we brought you a story about heated words from Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, saying that Detroit CEOs are aligning against suburban interests.

The annual Hatch Detroit contest announced their 10 semi-finalists on Thursday evening. The contest awards $50,000 in cash and a bunch of resources to folks opening a business in Detroit, Highland Park, or Hamtramck.

Dan Hasty is the the new play-by-play voice of the Detroit Mercy men's basketball team this season on 910 AM.

An improved park at the corner of Woodward and Warren on the Wayne State campus is a step closer to reality.

A little update on the progress of a 26-mile trail loop called the Joe Louis Greenway.

The travel service Expedia has named Detroit one of the most underrated cities in America to visit.

And our feature interview is with Amanda Lewan of Bamboo Detroit, who is celebrating 5 years in business.