Daily Detroit News Byte

On today's Daily Detroit podcast: Brian "Q" Quinn from the TruTV show Impractical Jokers will join us on the line. He's one of four that make up the comedy troupe The Tenderloins. They're coming to DTE Energy Music Theatre on August 9th. [Tickets here] A schedule change puts the Rocket Mortgage Classic and Grand Prix on the same weekend. A new incentive district is coming to the Livernois-McNichols area in Detroit to spur commercial development. Royal Oak is looking for a city manager [Royal Oak Tribune] And some local breweries win medals at the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championship [Complete list of winners] Do you like what you're hearing? Follow the Daily Detroit podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you download your favorite shows. And thanks to Seth for joining us as a member! You can be cool like Seth at http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit 

On today's show we touch on: Is there a restaurant bubble? Here's the original piece we discuss that's worth a read. Praise for Peso Excitement over Bowlero, a retro bowling alley coming to Oakland County Grand Circus Park with Bourbon Mudgies has one of the best sandwiches in America. Who else around here deserves a nod? 

Happy Friday. On today's show, Jer speaks with Detroit muralist Sheefy McFly — he's the one who was arrested while doing a city-commissioned mural on a Detroit viaduct. He's got a new mural that will be unveiled this weekend at the Mo Pop music festival on Detroit's riverfront. We also run down a few news stories from the past week: New affordable housing units are being planned in North Corktown aimed at "middle-income" residents. [Crain's] A shooting at a west-side gas station over stolen potato chips has sparked protests urging residents to support black-owned businesses. [Warrendale Blog] Raccoons are terrorizing a neighborhood near Rouge Park! [WXYZ] And Wine Spectator spotlights dozens of Detroit-area restaurants for their wine lists as part of its 2019 Restaurant Awards. Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

Today we take a trip to the near eastside suburb of Grosse Pointe park. There's a new pizza joint out that way called "The Bricks." Me, Randy Walker and Shianne Nocerini checked out a preview of this elevated neighborhood spot and had plenty of thoughts. Do they get three thumbs up to give it a shot when they open in August? 

Recovery Park works to re-build on vacant land, create jobs and help to revitalize a historic Detroit neighborhood. Unfortunately, they recently went through three thefts at their location on the east side of Detroit. But the community is rallying, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to check in on an organization doing important work – from farming to helping returning citizens get jobs – in Detroit. My guest is Anna Kohn, the Chief Impact Officer of Recovery Park. We talk about their GoFundMe, a link to that is here. Also: The Oakland County Executive says it's time for raises for 825 non-union employees to keep talent working for the county. Detroit City FC's pro league has a new name for their cup and a new schedule. [Detroit City FC] And Vernor's is honoring more Michigan lighthouses on their cans. Find them all here. Like the show? Be sure to tell a friend about the Daily Detroit podcast.

On the show today…. On August 6, 2019 there's going to be a neat event on the Detroit riverfront. It's called the "Silent Hike." It's an audiovisual experience with music, narration and nature. Our guest on the show today to talk about it is creator Murray Hildary. Also on the show: Spirit Plaza in downtown Detroit is going to become a permanent thing, thanks to a 5-4 Detroit City Council vote that reverses a previous decision. After the news, Jer gets into why he thinks the plaza and walkable spaces downtown are good ideas. The legendary Gold Dollar burned Tuesday night, where the White Stripes got their start. It's being investigated as arson. Kid Rock is selling his Detroit riverfront home. And free ice cream tomorrow (Wednesday) for Detroit's birthday! Be sure to catch the Hudsonville crew in Campus Martius from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Don't miss another episode! Be sure to catch the show on your favorite mobile podcast app. 

Today's show is a two-fer. First, we speak with Randy Essex of the Detroit Free Press. He tells us all about the paper's investigation into how Ford Motor Company tried to hide defective transmissions in older models of the Focus and Fiesta small cars. The problems have led to many injuries and lawsuits. Then we catch up with soccer correspondent Fletcher Sharpe after Detroit City FC crashed out of the NPSL playoffs Sunday against Cleveland.

Cynthia Canty is a veteran broadcaster who hosts the news, policy and culture program Stateside on Michigan Radio, a NPR affiliate that broadcasts in the Detroit area at 91.7 on the FM dial. She's been on air a variety of places in Detroit. She spent years as part of Jim Harper's legendary morning show, following him across the FM dial. Canty also was on television at WKBD-TV. She recently announced plans to retire at the end of the year after four decades in broadcast news in Southeast Michigan. On today's show, me and Sven talk with Canty all about her career, how radio has changed over the years — and her thoughts on why so many people have so little trust in the news media. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did. 

There's been a ton of scrutiny, including from this podcast, about the Ilitch family's failure to follow through on its promises to develop the District Detroit. Now, The Detroit News reportsthat the Ilitches also own 44 vacant lots and eight empty buildings surrounding the MotorCity Casino Hotel complex, where the family now hopes to build a seven-story parking structure. But ya know, yours truly has been doing some thinking about the whole District Detroit thing, and I may have actually found a silver lining, which I discuss in this episode. Elsewhere, we round up some recent food and fun news: The New York Times name-dropped two Detroit chefs among its list of 16 Black Chefs Changing Food in America. And here's our friend Melody Baetens' writeup on the same at the News. Syd Gold's Request Room opens Friday. Taqueria Mi Puebla is expanding to Macomb County. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra will hold a pop-up old-school video game arcade on Tuesday, coinciding with the performance of "Video Games Live." Last

We previously told you about a project that would overhaul the Livernois streetscape, north of 6 Mile (McNichols) to 8 Mile. But it seems that things, at least for local businesses, aren't going so well. Jonathan Merritt joins me on the show today to talk about what's happening on the Avenue of Fashion. He says the project — though he's excited about what it will bring — is putting many of the businesses in danger of closing, including his own, Narrow Way Cafe. Narrow Way opened in 2017 and has quickly become a neighborhood anchor. Beyond the immediate things happening on the Avenue, I took the time to talk to Merritt about being of service in the community and what that looks like. After all, he has a unique perch of the city and region as a Pastor at Straight Gate International Church, an entrepreneur, and now an author. His new book is "Step Out: Leave Your Impact On The World."

On today's show, Jer talks with Jill Gonzalez an analyst from WalletHub about Detroit being the most stressed city in the United States. Then, Sven talks with Drew Kups from the Michigan Glass Project about the upcoming glass show at the Russell Industrial Center this weekend. Also, here's a pair of quick stories around town. The Detroit City Council has rejected a plan make Spirit Plaza a permanent instillation. Kuzzo's Chicken and Waffles in the Avenue of Fashion has temporarily closed for renovations. They are expected to reopen in November. Thanks for listening! Love what we're doing? Consider telling a friend to subscribe free on Apple Podcasts. 

Today we're talking about Michigan's emerging recreational marijuana economy with Roberta King. She's the founder and owner of Canna Communication, a communications firm focused on the cannabis sector. Plus, we bring you up to speed on: The start of UAW negotiations The Regional Transit Authority (2045 priorities map is here) The city of Detroit has partnered with 3 universities to get its own economic data And upcoming Detroit City FC playoff matches.

Happy Friday, friends! On today's show, we run down the new proposal by Lansing Republicans to fix the damn roads in Michigan. They want to borrow $10 billion against teacher pensions. What could go wrong? Also, Jer tells us about his recent visit to the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood on Detroit's east side. Specifically, the flooded streets east of Jefferson, where canals that cut through the neighborhood from the Detroit River have topped their banks. Lastly, what's up with White Claw? Sales of the so-called "hard seltzer" — which tastes to me like a LaCroix mixed with vodka, blech — have surpassed those of all other craft beers save for Blue Moon. We discuss. Thanks for listening to Daily Detroit. If you like what you're hearing, tell a friend about us, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, or support us by becoming a Patreon member.

The Detroit Shipping Company is a recent success on Peterboro, just west of Cass. The "shipping company" part, if you didn't know, doesn't refer to logistics and freight but to the 21 shipping containers that make up the two-story building. It's about 10,000 square feet of food and beer hall, having a variety of culinary outposts and a couple of bars in a blended indoor/outdoor space. Reports last year said it cost about $3 million dollars to build. And before we go any farther, cards on table. We kind of have front row seats. As long time listeners of the podcast probably know that we often record at the Podcast Detroit studios within the complex.  The Detroit Shipping Company has now been open a year, so I figured it's a good time to take the temperature and talk to their Events General Manager Julie Sailus about the story of the place, what they've learned, what they'd really like to see in the neighborhood and how they're celebrating a year in business. DSC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DetroitShippi

We run down your headlines plus Randy Walker joins us to talk about Duck in Novi, Bread at Kroger and Dumplings downtown. 

The RISK! Podcast lives in a unique place in the podcasting world. If you're not familiar, the show is a series of short stories by the known and unknown that are true and boldly told. What does that mean? It means the topics are very real. They're sometimes heartfelt. Sometimes risqué. And most often, hilarious. So my guest today is the ring leader of the podcast, comedian Kevin Allison. He has credits in a variety of media, but the for the last decade — along with his talented co-conspirators — he's been producing RISK! It has a passionate following and millions of downloads to their credit. It's often a traveling show and they're coming here to Metro Detroit on August 15 to Ferndale's Magic Bag. We chat about storytelling and podcasting, including how to develop the good stories that are already inside of you. Enjoy. If you like what you're hearing and want to keep pushing Detroit's conversation forward, support us on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

Welcome back from the holiday weekend, comrades. Today's show is Episode 300 of your Daily Detroit, and for that we thank you, our listeners. We also dive into two pieces of Ilitch-related news: First, that Olympia Development has missed a deadline to submit a development proposal for a parcel on Woodward between the Little Caesars Arena and I-75. After already receiving a one-year extension. [Crain's] Secondly, that Chris Ilitch signed Tigers GM Al Avila to a "multi-year" contract extension, because the Tigers rebuild is never-ending going great! Other things you'll hear on No. 300: Soccer correspondent Fletcher Sharpe joins us to recap Detroit City FC's big weekend, in which it clinched the conference championship and a spot in the NPSL playoffs. Stevie Wonder is getting a kidney transplant. Ann Arbor could get a new 19-story high-rise behind the Michigan Theater. [MLive] Lobster Week is a thing, and it's happening at two Detroit-area eateries. Two Guys From Italy pizzeria is closing in Hazel Park. The n

Welcome to the final podcast before Independence Day! Here's what we cover around town: Sven and Jer ruminate on the legacy of Lee Iacocca, who died at the age of 94. [NY Times] The state of Michigan has issued new emergency rules outlining requirements for new marijuana businesses now that voters have legalized recreational weed. The rules are meant to help local municipalities and prospective business owners decide whether they want to participate in the new industry. Plum Market is opening in downtown Detroit. Randy sent us details. It has groceries. A grab and go bar. And a Moet champagne vending machine. Detroit Eatz is opening in downtown Farmington. With a drive thru deli counter. And yes, it's another business that ends their name with a Z. [Crains] And, Fletcher Sharpe joins us to talk about the red-hot Detroit City FC.

Can the bus be the "in" thing as far as getting around town? Tastes are changing around the country and here in Detroit. Many younger adults don't feel the same attachment to the car as previous generations. Today our conversation is with Sarosh Irani. He was recently featured in the national publication Streetsblog for his research at Wayne State University to improve Detroit's bus system. For instance, just by moving the shelters to where people actually need them — not building new ones — 8x more people could have access to bus shelters. And weather in Detroit? As you know, it can be a real thing to deal with. Also on the show: Chicago-style pizza joint Giordano's downtown Detroit outpost closes without fanfare. We have feelings.  The Dossin Great Lakes Museum is getting some big upgrades, including a kayak launch. And, sadly, Cutie Pie the goat has passed on. Cutie Pie and his owner Erick Brown have been spotted numerous times around Detroit. Fortunately, Brown still has Deer, a second therapy goat. If

New Census estimates are out that show Detroit lost 1,526 residents between 2017 and 2018 to 672,622, yet the city's tax revenues are up, thanks mostly to more people working in the city and paying the city income tax. So we ask: Can Detroit's recovery continue even if population losses continue? Mayor Mike Duggan has famously said he should ultimately be judged by whether the city can stem its long-running population loss and grow again. Elsewhere, we talk about that viral video of the blockade of the Lodge Freeway Friday in Detroit so a bunch of people driving Dodge Charger Hellcats could do donuts and burn rubber. Because Detroit is a weird place. Also: Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Shri Thanedar says he's moving to Detroit and may run for public office. A new auto show aims to fill the void left by the North American International Auto Show's move to June. It'll be held in Novi in January. Condada Tacos is coming to Royal Oak. Three Detroit-area pizzerias rank among the top 50 in North Americ