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OMGWTFBBQ what an episode. We literally scrapped it three times and then everything happened. First, Devon O'Reilly joins us to talk about the change in mask policy. In Michigan, as of 9am Saturday, it's masks off for vaccinated individuals. But will you? Will he? And in what situations? And we get into what some of the thinking might be behind the moves. We also talk about Bedrock's purchase of 300 River Place and the vibrant neighborhood that is down there at Jos Campau on the river side of Jefferson. I-75 will be a mess this weekend, just avoid it. Then, Fletcher Sharpe joins us for a not only a wrap-up and preview of the Detroit City FC matches, but literally while we were recording the show news broke that the Michigan Stars won't be going to California and are forfeiting their match over a conflict with the league, NISA. Safe to say, Fletcher unloads. @saintfdw on Twitter, btw. And finally, Michelle Mirowski from Ferndale Radio is on to talk about the ongoing fundraiser. The community station is raising $12,000 to start streaming what is a low-power FM signal on the internet. Which is exciting for fans of local content like us. Alright, it's been a heck of a week. Pet your dogs, love your people, and we'll see you next week. If you appreciate our work, consider sharing it with your friends or becoming a member at http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

The whole Line 5 pipeline situation under the straits of Mackinac, as I uncover more and more, seems to be a symptom to a larger, bi-national problem and lack of plan.  Proponents say the pipeline critical to the economy and energy infrastructure. Opponents say a double pipeline under the great lakes - especially one that’s not buried - poses a special threat to the unique fresh water resource that is the Great Lakes. What if both concerns are true? And what if I told you that it’s a pipeline that provides half of the province of Ontario’s fuel needs and two thirds of Quebec? That’s around 23 million people that are reliant on this thing.  It turns out Michigan draws a small percentage of the product, and most of it - possibly more than 90% - is pulled out of the ground in Canada, then starts in Wisconsin, goes through Michigan - and back to Canada.  So do we want to cut off our neighbor and ally without a backup plan?  But also… should we as a state demand more for bearing so much environmental risk? Should we set a real plan in motion because we’re transitioning out of needing so much fossil fuel? Spending the last week pouring over numbers, getting through the FUD - fear uncertainty and doubt - pipeline maps, all of that - made me question a lot about how fundamentally we’ve constructed our energy future. My guest to help unpack this is Warren Mabee. He’s the Director of the Queens institute for energy and environmental policy of the Queens Institute, based in Kingston, Ontario.   As always, if you have feedback, guest ideas, or questions - my email is jer@dailydetroit.com. Our show is member funded. Support our work: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

Detroit Police Chief James Craig retires, and word is he’s eyeing running for Michigan Governor as a Republican. But there’s a hard reality that the violent crime rate in the city of Detroit is just about where he found it in 2014, even if we take out the pandemic. We discuss it and the Chief’s answer that the November 2020 election result was a “political” question and so he won’t address it until after he retires June 1st. Plus - Ford’s Headquarters in Dearborn, the “Glass House,” has a new look. We quickly touch on what’s happening. More background, you should read here: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/05/10/ford-world-headquarters-dearborn-projection-screen/4997250001/ And finally, the old Newsboy Shelter on Belle Isle has been demolished. There wasn’t much donation support for fundraising and rehabbing it would be cost-prohibitive vs. building new. We get into a discussion about Belle Isle needing a ton more money for it to operate properly, especially as the island is in large part was man made; and before then, it was basically swamp-like and is always dealing with erosion from the Detroit River. Picture: https://www.facebook.com/HistoricDetroit/posts/4874465425953507 Support out show: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

Today’s show is driven by a listener question we’ve gotten a lot over the last couple of months. Can employers mandate their employees get vaccines? Should they? And then we talk about what some businesses are actually doing. Our guest for this is Terry Bonnette. He’s co-managing partner at Nemeth Law and is an expert on labor and employment counseling and litigation. In his career, he’s dealt with contract compliance and regulatory compliance issues, including, FMLA, Wage and Hour, the American with Disabilities Act and more.  He’s eligible to practice throughout Michigan, Northern Ohio, and all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. So I feel like we got our guy to help us be a bit smarter about what's ahead. Terry at Nemeth Law: https://www.nemethlawpc.com/attorneys-8.html Support our show: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

On today's show, Fletcher Sharpe joins us to talk about Detroit City FC's win over the Maryland Bobcats and his thoughts on the Detroit Lions draft picks. That starts at 04:47 Also, if you don't know what a nutmeg is: https://twitter.com/SaintFDW/status/1389600381374767118 Also on the show: 00:20 Latest on the pandemic as vaccinations statewide hit 50%, Ford Field wraps up their mass clinic in two weeks, and cases drop (but are still high). 01:44 Gabe Leland is a Detroit City Councilman no more, pleading guilty to misconduct in office. 02:52 A failed housing development is being demolished. More: https://farmingtonvoice.com/farmington-hills-to-demolish-abandoned-development/ 03:26 Engineer Randy says hit JoeBar if you want to enjoy Cinco De Mayo tomorrow: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailyDetroit/posts/1660456260805003 04:09 Keegan-Michael Key is hosting SNL May 15.  Support our work: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit Share the show with a friend: http://www.dailydetroit.com/podcast  

The global silicon chip shortage has made computers and graphics cards more expensive and harder to find. But so many popular products are driven by chips, including automobiles. There are lots full of pickup trucks and other high-value vehicles sitting missing a few parts, unable to be sold until they get some key parts. And that's not good for our local economy or the workers that rely on it.  Gabrielle Coppola from Bloomberg joins the podcast to unpack what's going on, how long this will last, and some of the impacts we've already seen. Between troubles for buyers getting the car they want at the dealer, laid off workers because of shortage, or suppliers feeling the pinch as automakers will not make as many cars as they could sell this quarter - this global event has a very real local impact. Gabrielle Coppola on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gablova On Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/authors/APKMi7fRJDs/gabrielle-coppola Support our show and tell a friend!  Or join Rebecca as a new member: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

It’s now spring so it’s a great time to catch up on what’s happening with Detroit’s growing greenway infrastructure. Detroit Greenways Coalition Executive Director Todd Scott says that it’s a “milestone year” for new construction projects and shovels in the ground. We talk about the Joe Louis Greenway, the Southwest Greenway, a possible rebuilding of Jefferson Avenue on Detroit’s east side to coincide with work happening underground with the sewage system, how the pandemic has impacted greenway usage and more. Detroit Greenways Coalition website: https://detroitgreenways.org/ On Twitter: https://twitter.com/DetroitGreenway On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DetroitGreenways

It's Friday funday at the podcast and we run down stories around town as well as our favorite donuts. 01:11 - Devon and Jer share their drinks and their vaccine side-effect experiences 05:27 - Downtown Detroit bars and restaurants are real slow compared to before the pandemic. Will that increase as more people get vaccinated and go out? 06:33 - Local election season is heating up across the region. We talk about it for a bit, including quickly the slew of mayoral candidates. There will be more on all that in future shows. 08:56 - Local furniture maker Floyd raises $15 million in a series B round 11:56 - The metro Detroit real estate market is very hot, with people buying nearly half-million dollar houses without inspections and more. Here's the MLive article we discuss: https://www.mlive.com/news/2021/04/unprecedented-housing-market-leaves-realtors-stunned-never-seen-anything-like-this.html 15:07 - The "Big Salad," a local salad chain, is expanding in Michigan. We discuss. https://www.restaurantnews.com/michigans-the-big-salad-expanding-with-3-new-restaurants-042121/ 17:38 - Donut talk. Of course, we pay homage to Dutch Girl; but what other good options are in the region? We discuss the newish Yellow Light on Jefferson in Detroit; the retro Donutville in Dearborn; and Donut Cutter in Berkley.  Which donuts reign supreme? We'd love to hear from you. jer@dailydetroit.com or leave a message with our Speakpipe. https://www.speakpipe.com/DailyDetroit Also thanks to our episode sponsor, Fusion Marketing. http://www.tryfusionmarketing.com  

Could we lower the city of Detroit's property tax rates - they are among the highest in the nation - while not gutting services? This would be a benefit for long-time Detroit residents who face very high property tax burdens and might be a longer term fix than the one-time forgiveness provided through a charitable program from Dan Gilbert's foundation. Also, it could stimulate more individual investment to make the city make more fiscal sense and help attract back the middle class, which Detroit has mostly lost. It's also something that wouldn't go first to billionaire and millionaire developers that live outside the city, but residents who live in their homes.  To talk about this idea is Stephen J.K. Walters. He's the author of a piece in City Journal, "Detroit's Black Wealth Tax: To help close the racial wealth gap, slash Detroit’s confiscatory property tax rate."  Also, a bit of housekeeping. The Detroit City Council and mayoral races are heating up. A number of incumbents, including Andre Spivey, Raquel Castenda-Lopez, Brenda Jones and Gabe Leland aren't running, setting the table for the most change in city government in years. If you have questions you'd like asked of candidates or are a candidate running for office, email us - dailydetroit@gmail.com Support: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit