Daily Detroit

We've got a bit of a conference exhaustion after a very busy Thursday, but Devon O'Reilly and Fletcher Sharpe picked up themselves and we digitally got together for a little post-Detroit Policy Conference conversation. And a lot more.

02:08 - Can Michigan grow? Some say that retainment should be the focus over attraction. Do we need a different strategy? Is it realistic to say all areas will grow?

07:47 - Although there were complaints transit wasn't on the agenda, transit was everywhere in the discussion at the Detroit Policy Conference. One speaker, Michael Griffie, talked about expanding the Detroit People Mover, and none other than Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said it's something they're looking at. We discuss!

12:31 - Word is the Detroit Auto Show is moving back to January next year. Will that help bring back the shine and interest? People seem very divided and there's been a lot of feedback. We discuss.

17:00 - Is it generational divide, or cognitive dissonance? Many are very surprised that with the Michigan Growing Together council this is the first many leaders are hearing about issues with the region and state. Yet, people in their 40s and under - this is the air we breathe, seeing friends move off and stay in other regions. Did the conference finally publicly air a pretty big generational divide?

Did you want to see the speaker sessions? Sessions are being posted online. A couple are already up, just go for the latest videos on the Detroit Chamber YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@DetroitRegionalChamber/videos

Thanks so much to our listeners who stopped by and said hello. You're greatly appreciated.

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Norris Howard is in and we've got stories around Detroit and Metro Detroit to talk about on the podcast.

00:47 - Target is pulling out of the deal for the City Target at Mack and Woodward, but the developer says no way, we have a contract.

06:42 - The Jefferson School will become the HQ of Invest Detroit (among other things) plus a number of other Detroit projects get grants

12:30 - A new direct Metro Airport to downtown Detroit bus service pilot will start this spring.

We have details.

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The Henry Ford is full of trips through history that relate to today, but going on right now until January 15 is Mandela: The Official Exhibition.

Cynthia Jones, their Director of Museum Experiences, Exhibitions & Engagement, joins me on the show to talk about the impact of this exhibition, some of the programs going on at The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village (the most popular tourist attraction in Metro Detroit) and some of the road ahead.

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01:19 - The National championship was not even close

02:28 - Michigan's defense did a number on Michael Penix Jr.

05:34 - Washington got dominated

08:41 - When Fletcher got hit so hard he knew he almost didn't want to play football anymore

10:31 - Will Jim Harbaugh stay?

14:39 - Detroit Lions get home playoff game against Rams, how do we do without Sam LaPorta if he's unavailable

17:27 - Stafford vs Goff? Or is it really about any mobile quarterback

19:09 - If it's a revenge game for anyone it's for Jared Goff who got cast aside by the Rams

21:30 - Lions prediction and who needs to step up

24:38 - Have a ton of fun on Sunday night, but when you come to downtown Detroit please remember people live here and respect it like you would your own neighborhood

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Where is Michigan (and America) at with electric vehicles and battery technology? Gabrielle Coppola, a journalist at Bloomberg, joins me for a conversation on the Daily Detroit podcast.

Coppola wrote a very interesting piece, "America's long, tortured journey to build EV batteries," and it caught my eye because A123 systems — a Michigan company — was bought out of bankruptcy by Chinese investors and their cutting edge tech now is used over there. Over here? Americans are left having to license technology we created.

This conversation is about more than that, though. It's about the immense change happening to the automotive industry, and what the challenges and opportunities really are for American automakers to compete in the EV and battery space.

Follow Gabrielle Coppola on social media:

X: https://twitter.com/gablova?lang=en

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@gablova

Episode rundown:

02:10 - Where are we at with EVs right now in the United States?

05:20 - Is Electric the future technology? What about alternatives?

07:20 - Automakers need to produce a lot of one car to make money

08:21 - Many people in auto industry are very worried about the future and how the changes coming will impact their lives

09:50 - It will take 30% fewer labor hours to make an electric car

11:18 - Carmakers are learning about batteries, and want to bring more in house

13:25 - Challenges for the future of suppliers and the jobs tied to them

14:40 - Michigan's lead with battery tech from A123 Systems that China bought out of bankruptcy and now uses as they speed ahead with EV adoption

25:22 - Why Michigan has to offer so many subsidies to battery plants, it's multiple levels.

26:42 - China does not make for a level playing field

27:41 - Competition with China is not a fair fight, and their government puts in seemingly endless dollars (we really don't know, there's no transparency)

28:26 - Thinking about quarters vs. generations

30:16 - Whatever America and American consumers decide to do, the rest of the world is not waiting on electric vehicles

30:58 - EVs are wrapped in political identity in America, despite any facts on the ground

34:37 - Michigan advantages for the road ahead

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It's Friday! Which means a big dose of what to know and where to go in Metro Detroit on the podcast.

Devon O'Reilly joins me and we hit a ton of topics:

01:52 - There's a storefront with window wrapping that says "Easy Peasy" on it. What is it? Devon tells us.

05:36 - Dunkin' to Downtown Detroit on Woodward

07:19 - A British pub, "The Lone Goat" is coming to downtown Detroit in the Metropolitan Building.

10:35 - Jer stopped in Cred Cafe, owned by a former Detroit Piston

12:08 - Although it still may go through, there's a report that the initial trademark application for the Hudson's site was denied. Would you stick with the Hudson name and find a variant? Should it be called something else?

17:42 - The new Gordie Howe bridge is delayed by about a year. It's not surprising, but 2025 it will be. We discuss.

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Norris Howard is back from vacation and we just into talking about local stories around town.

01:39 - There's talk of moving the Detroit Auto Show again, back to the winter months as recent years haven't had the luster of before the pandemic. Norris makes the argument it's not about when, it's the lack of wow content, futurism and pizazz and that's what organizers should focus on as the real issue is CES in Las Vegas is about tech and cars are more about tech now.

Whether you agree or not, here's the whole piece by Carol Cain in the Freep to read all her other points, too: "4 questions key to Detroit keeping its Motor City nickname in 2024" - https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/columnists/carol-cain/2023/12/30/detroit-motor-city-nickname-auto-show-train-station-population-evs/72040007007/

14:35 - We ran a poll in our newsletter asking if more people need to move to Michigan, and nearly 70% of you said yes. Norris argues that the efforts should be focused on adding to places like Detroit, and not so much communities that are resistant to building new buildings.

21:03 - Norris gets in on the predictions game, including that he thinks we're going to see the city of Detroit's first woman, black mayor.

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From things to do this January 2024 to remembering BD's Mongolian Grill still exists to answering a listener question to the best of our ability why there were no restaurant weeks in Winter vs. where they moved here from, it's a fun show.

- Posting a complete companion guide later today to all the events in January mentioned around Metro Detroit.

• Jer went to see the amazing John Oliver show and now will never look at the Fox Theater the same again.
• Shianne rediscovered a joy of her younger years, BD's Mongolian Grill which still exists around Metro Detroit if you look hard enough. Did you used to go there? Remember the spot in Royal Oak?
• And then a listener question, they recently moved here from Chicago and wonder why Detroit doesn't have restaurant weeks in January/February like there and New York. Well, there's some history behind that - that now we realize there's a bunch of listeners might not know.

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Hello 2024! Crazy weekend of football, and the Detroit Pistons finally break their losing streak.

From the Daily Detroit studio at Techtown, here's the rundown:

00:30 - Lions discussion begins, did the Lions get robbed, or did CeeDee Lamb run all over them?

07:18 - The attempt for two points at the end was a gutsy call. Was it the right one?

09:29 - Vikings predictions, chances for Lions to set some records

10:47 - Michigan beats Alabama is a sloppy one, with strong defensive play and the offense coming in clutch. But will that work against Washington?

14:55 - Michigan needs to watch out and box in Michael Penix Jr., and will be a bigger challenge than Alabama who consistently shot themselves in the foot

18:07 - This is how Michigan beats Washington

19:37 - The Pistons break their now record losing streak, but does that mean people will watch less now?

21:19 - Unless there are changes, Fletcher doesn't see how Cade Cunningham stays a Piston after his rookie contract. Why would he? Plus, unless Monty does something different, he sees Jaden Ivey leaving, too - putting the Pistons in a complete rebuild position again.

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Devon and Jer recap their 2023 predictions and if they were on point or just how wrong they were, and make new ones for 2024.

02:33 - Recapping 2023 predictions including will there be a new full-line grocery store downtown; the rise of small spaces and retail; and a lot more.

12:54 - Our predictions for 2024, for Metro Detroit, Detroit and Michigan. Includes topics around development, transit, and local/state politics. And there's one that already partially happened.

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