Daily Detroit

Robin Runyan from Urbanize Detroit hops into the studio, and we're talking Detroit development.

00:33 - We both took a tour of the new Residences of Water Square. They're on the higher end of the market, and received no incentives for development. And there are already early signs for demand. This project is also interesting as it's in an area about to be really built out. Soon to be steps from the new West Riverfront Park, a redone set of roads and a convention hotel; but today, it's connected mostly by the Riverwalk and People Mover. We discuss.

10:23 - The Dodge Fountain in Hart Plaza is getting fixed up, hopefully ahead of the draft. We talk about it.

13:18 - More details on the two smaller Renaissance Center towers that were sold, and the low price the new owners paid.

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Welcome to Friday, and we've got a heck of a show for you of local Detroit topics.

03:13 - Devon talks about why he needed to share some "hometown love" in a recent newspaper op-ed.

09:15 - An update on the new restaurant by Chef Fabio Viviani in the old Calexico space.

Plus, do local restaurants need to up their game? Do you prefer when someone skips over a bad place, or tells you how bad it might be?

Are some reviews too harsh?

Would love your thoughts in this conversation. 313-789-3211 or dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com.

8:47 - With the news of Albena in the Siren Hotel closing, what do you think of Prix Fixe, or fixed price menus?

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Norris Howard is IN the studio today, and we're talking about things around Metro Detroit.

01:35 - New Detroit City Council map just dropped that redefines the districts of the members. It's dealing with Detroit's changing population, but what do you think?

Here's the map: https://felt.com/map/Detroit-New-City-Council-Districts-gzyuHJh4QtSSNcuFrbP9C2A?loc=42.3928,-83.1313,11.4z

14:06 - Norris got his library card, and talks about all the benefits. This ties into a previous discussion about library resources.

15:24 - That leads into a conversation about the changes happening in Canton Township. It has now more people than Livonia, is more diverse, and is also one of the wealthiest 100 communities over 50,000 people in America.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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Whether it's public or charter schools, Detroit students are fighting an uphill battle. Between trasportation, transparency, and even dealing with extreme temperatures - anything involving the future of Detroit hinges on Detroit's education system.

Tinu Usoro from 482 Forward joins me at the table in Techtown to talk about not just the problems, but ideas to help fix these issues.

The Detroit podcast rundown:

00:55 - What is 482 Forward?

02:38 - The impact of bad weather on education in Detroit

03:31 - The lack of transportation for students in Detroit

04:09 - The challenges of Charter Schools in Detroit

05:23 - The needs gap between schools

07:06 - Public school funding limits and restrictions that may be hurting kids 08:09 - Issues in Charter schools

14:28 - What are some proposed solutions?

22:15 - The Black Man Jubilee, recognizing the struggle of black males in society

31:10 - Learn more about 482 Forward

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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How important is it that Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn - Offensive and Defensive coordinators for the Detroit Lions, stay in Detroit?

Plus, Brad Holmes took a bit of a victory lap with his picks from the draft and Fletcher reminds us that save for one, he's been on board with the Holmes plan most of the way. And we talk a bit about Earl "The Twirl" Cureton and the difference between basketball in the early 80s vs now.

01:09 - Earl "The Twirl" Cureton passed away unexpectedly at the age of 66. We talk about his impact, and differences in the game of basketball from his playing days until now.

05:12 - Most Lions fans get what they want in keeping Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn on the sidelines of Ford Field another year.

07:39 - We get into the differences between the Pistons and Lions rebuilds

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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Metro Detroit has wrestled with a lack of comprehensive transit — far behind peer regions, and even lesser ones — for decades.

Michigan's competitive challenges are getting to the point where even those who are among the least open to change have to started to face it.

Where top talent, young talent, are choosing other states because Michigan just doesn't provide the basics many other areas that are growing, do.

One of those basics is transit.

But now there's a transit caucus in the state legislature. There's more voices in power saying we need to address this gap. There are plans to roll out a pilot for a BRT route. There's a pilot direct connection from the airport to downtown Detroit, and expanded fixed route service in the suburbs. Oh, and a connection to Ann Arbor, too.

Can 2024 be the turning point for transit in southeast Michigan and Michigan?

I attended the "State of Transit" event by Transportation Riders United, and afterward caught up with Megan Owens who heads the organization.

There are a lot of bright spots, but some structural challenges remain.

I also learned changes in law need to be happen if we want things like light rail to ever exist here.

Because despite changes in the political map and a wider spirit of collaboration, it turns out the ghosts of Metro Detroit's divided past haven't left us and in some cases it's making it harder to get things done. Those ghosts live on through policy.

More on Transportation Riders United: https://www.detroittransit.org/

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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Yemeni coffee is spreading across America as more and more people discover just how good it is. Qahwah House started in Dearborn, but has gone as far as Illinois and Brooklyn as it's been expanding across the nation.

It has a special flavor and a special story, and we get into it today.

Longtime listeners of the show know we love coffee, so Devon O'Reilly invited Ibrahim Alhasbani, the co-founder of Qahwah House to come by the studio.

A true Metro Detroit success story.

Website: https://www.qahwahhouse.com/

Joining in on this Friday is Norris Howard and Jer.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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Four Daily Detroit contributors around one table? The dream is realized at the new studio in TechTown. Norris Howard, Shianne Nocerini, Devon O'Reilly and Jer talk three of today's stories that impact Metro Detroit.

00:51 - There's a hotel proposed for the top of the Michigan Central project in Corktown on the old train station. Is that the best use? Will it be a great way to show off the city?

06:32 - We wax nostalgic about Olga's, who abruptly closed their Westland location after more than 40 years. Norris had just visited, because it's one of the few places that has vegan and gluten free options.

12:55 - What's up with all these early dinner reservation? The "introvert economy" that has swept across America, says Bloomberg. We just are going out less. The most in demand dinner reservation has moved from 8pm to 5:30p, and it has all kinds of knock on effects. There's more, too... here's a link to the piece. We discuss.

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-01-22/the-introverts-have-taken-over-the-us-economy

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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What is populism, anyway? There's a lot of talk about populists and the concept of populism in today's political discourse but little talk about what the roots are and what it actually means.

Author and labor educator Steve Babson joined me in the studio to discuss his book, "Forgotten Populists: When farmers turned left to save democracy."

This conversation hits a number of points:

03:29 - Populism as an alternative to capitalism

05:40 - One of the most notable populists was legendary Detroit mayor Hazen Pingree, who was both an entrepreneur and a one-time factory worker. His policies revolutionized the city and set it on a path for its golden age.

09:03 - We discuss how different American elections were, as there was no secret ballot.

11:03 - Changing rules

13:19 - The legacy of populism

14:19 - The Works Progress Administration, the New Deal, and examples locally like Keyworth Stadium that were built using populist policies

16:43 - A historical comparison of populism

18:11 - How is the modern UAW different than the past, and the populist threads in that?

19:47 - Why author Steve Babson wrote this book

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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A heartbreaking loss to end an amazing season for the Detroit Lions.

Fletcher Sharpe breaks down what worked and what didn't, and we start to pick up the pieces of where to go from here with the Lions after the loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211 Follow us on Apple Podcasts: https://lnk.to/dailydetroitonapple

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