Ardelia Lee

Beatrice Buck ParkCadillac SquareCampus Martius Park

Find The Fun In These Five Downtown Detroit Parks This Summer

Need an inexpensive, family-friendly way to entertain the kids this summer? Check out the 2016 Quicken Loans Summer in the Park lineup. It’s got plenty of free events in downtown Detroit’s five historic parks – Campus Martius, Cadillac Square, Capitol Park, Grand Circus, and Paradise Valley’s Beatrice Buck Park. Some of the highlights of Summer in the Parks include a performance by American Authors, Rhythm & Stage, Faygo Movie Night in the D, and Dot & Ziggy Kidz Show. On July 22, Indie rock...

Grand Circus ParkQuicken LoansRhythm & Stage

“Rhythm & Stage” Brings the Theatre to Grand Circus Park All Summer Long

Love the theatre but can’t seem to make it there? This summer, check out Grand Circus Park for an experience unlike any other. Rhythm & Stage, a unique theatrical and cultural live stage series, will return on Thursdays in July and August with high-caliber theatre and opera acts. Performances will include acts like “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare,” the abridged version performed by Outvisible Theatre Company and a season preview from the Michigan Opera Theatre. Each evening of out...

DetroitDowntown Development AuthorityHarmonie Club Hotel

Paradise Valley Cultural And Entertainment District Is Getting A $52 Million Facelift

Things are going to look a little different in the Paradise Valley and Entertainment District. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) approved a plan to redevelop nine properties in a historically significant pocket of downtown with a $52.4 million investment in new construction and renovations. The project includes the simultaneous redevelopment of five existing buildings and four surface lots. It will feature commercial and retail space, residential units, restaurants, entertainment venues...

DetroitNissan FoundationThe Community House

Two Detroit Area Nonprofits Receive Nissan Inclusivity Grant

In case you missed it, the Detroit region is the least diverse in the nation. However, there are nonprofits trying to change that, and their had work has been recognized in the form of a grant. The Nissan Foundation has announced the recipients of its grant to help foster culturally diverse communities. The foundation looks for innovative programs that break down societal barriers and build inclusive communities through education and outreach. This year, the foundation reviewed 33 proposals fr...

DetroitDetroit Police DepartmentDPD

Detroit Police Department To Get New 8th Precinct Building

The Detroit Police Department is shifting its focus from larger police patrol districts to smaller neighborhood precincts, with the help of a new building. Police Chief James E. Craig, Mayor Mike Duggan, and community representatives broke ground on the Detroit Police Department’s new 8th Precinct Station, to be built at 21555 West McNichols Road near Grand River. The $7.3 million facility will house 126 department members and is expected to open this time next year. Jenkins Construction, a De...

Hatch DetroitLive Cycle DetroitWest Village

Live Cycle Delight To Open A Studio In West Village

This fall, Detroit’s West Village will be getting the first contemporary indoor cycling studio in the city. Live Cycle Delight will set up shop at 8019 Agnes Street and will be the fourth Hatch Detroit contest alumni to open in the West Village area. “Live Cycle Delight will be the contest’s 15th business to establish a brick and mortar location in metro Detroit,” said Vittoria Katanski, executive director, Hatch Detroit. “From bakers to brewers to a kayak rental company, and now the first cyc...

Downtown DetroitDTE EnergyDTe Energy park

Downtown Detroit Is Getting A New 1.5 Acre Park Inspired By Boston

On Tuesday DTE Energy broke ground on a 1.5 acre public park on the western edge of downtown Detroit. The park will act as a family-friendly green space and help anchor the emerging neighborhood along Grand River Avenue, across from the Grand Army of the Republic building.. Residents, visitors, and downtown workers will be able to play, eat, and enjoy downtown Detroit. “We see this as an opportunity to create connectivity in an area of the city that has ‘lived on an island’ for decades. Our...

DetroitMartin SchwartzTracey Thomas

Vehicles for Change in Detroit Celebrates First Recipient’s Pay Off

Paying off a car loan is a great feeling. There’s a sense of freedom as well as a feeling of ownership, as Tracey Thomas learned recently. Thomas was the first recipient of a car from Vehicles for Change, Detroit. She paid off her vehicle loan five months ahead of schedule and is now the proud owner of a Saturn Ion. “Through this program, I am now able to drive to work and be to work on time every day,” said Detroiter Tracey Thomas, a caregiver at Fresh Start Transitional Housing, who paid o...

Festa ItalianaFreedom HillItalian American Cultural Society

Festa Italiana Returns to Freedom Hill July 15-17

Editor’s Note: We know a lot of people are coming here via search. Follow this link for the updated information for the 2017 event.  Want a fun, free, family-friendly way to spend a weekend? Head to Freedom Hill County Park (14900 Metro Parkway in Sterling Heights) July 15-17 for Festa Italiana, presented by the Italian American Cultural Society. Festa Italiana will give event-goers a taste of Italian music and heritage. Highlights of the event include a Beautiful Baby Contest, Cannoli Eatin...

Career Online High SchoolCengage LearningDetroit

Program Aims To Help The 25% Of Detroit Residents 25 And Older Without A High School Diploma

Many people rightly believe that an education is one of the crucial keys to helping people escape poverty and build a sustainable income. Despite this notion, the city of Detroit has a rather dismal statistic haunting it. Nearly 25 percent of Detroit residents age 25 and older don’t have a high school diploma. That’s a problem, especially if the city wants to put its own citizens to work. Ron Stefanski, Executive Director at Cengage Learning, has set out to solve that problem by creating Detro...

DetroitFidelity Charitable Giving Report

Metro Detroit Ranks Second In Nation For Charitable Giving To Help The Homeless

Detroiters are generous people, and the 2016 Fidelity Charitable Giving Report reveals they’re more likely to help out their fellow citizens by donating to human services like food banks and homeless shelters. Metro Detroit ranked second when it came to giving to charities that focused on helping the homeless. The 2016 Fidelity Charitable Giving Report looked at a list of Fidelity Charitable’s top 30 metropolitan areas, by number of Giving Accounts whose Primary Account Holder’s address is i...

pizzaRiverviewTubby's

Tubby’s Gets Into The Pizza Game, Will Roll Out First At New Riverview Store

Pizza is one of the things that makes the world go round, and Tubby’s is expanding its menu to include this delectable dish close to the hearts of Detroiters. Tubby’s pizzas include a Philly Cheesesteak pizza to match its popular Philly Cheesesteak Sub and Tubby’s Smokin’ BBQ Chicken pizza. There’s also an Everything Pizza that comes with mild peppers, cheese, pepperoni, ham, bacon, beef, Italian sausage, mushrooms, onion, green pepper, black olives, and Tubby’s pizza sauce. If you don’t see...

DetroitFoot Traffic Aheadwalkability

Metro Detroit Ranks Third In Nation For Walkability Development, Says Study

Detroit’s urban landscape is changing, and it’s becoming more walkable as a result. Foot Traffic Ahead, a study published by the George Washington University School of Business, ranked metro Detroit third out of 30 of the largest U.S. cities for walkability development momentum. The study notes that the potential walkable development in the Detroit region is promising. “[Detroit] has also experienced some of the fastest GDP and job growth of all 30 metros. Much of this growth has occurred in...

Canadian Forces SkyhawksCanadian Forces SnowbirdsWild Wednesday Air Show

QUICK TIP: Wednesday Air Show Features Canadian Forces Snowbirds

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will swoop, spin, and roar through the skies over Ypsilanti on Wednesday, June 22. Take the kids, because youth 15 and under get in free, and get ready to have an awesome time. The Yankee Air Museum (47884 D St. Belleville, MI 48111) will host its first ever Wild Wednesday air show. The gates open at 5:30 p.m., and the show starts at 6:45 p.m. You’ll want to get there early, because there’s a lot to see and do. In addition to the show, there will be interactive ex...

Blight Removal ProgramCity of DetroitDemolition Tracker

City of Detroit Launches Online Demolition Tracker

Detroiters can now see Detroit’s demolished and soon-to-be demolished houses online with the city’s new Demolition Tracker map. This is especially exciting news for Detroiters who live near blighted homes. No longer will they be left to wonder if the house next door will ever come down. The map shows houses that scheduled to be demolished up to 90 days in advance. The online map will be updated constantly as new houses are demolished and contracted for demolition. The Demolition Tracker list...

DetroitLincoln Institute of Land PolicyMinnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence

Detroit Has The Second Highest Residential Property Taxes In The Nation, Says Study

If you’re a Detroit homeowner, you might get the feeling that you’re paying through your nose for your property taxes. That feeling has been validated (more or less) in a report released by The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. The 50-State Property Tax Comparison Study, produced in partnership with the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence, tracks the effective tax rate, the tax payment as a percentage of market value, for residential, commercial, industrial, and apartment properties in more...

Davison FreewayHighland ParkMagna Seating Detroit

Highland Park Receives Grant to Improve M-8 Service Drives 

The quality, or lack thereof, of the roads in Metro Detroit is notorious. Feeling your teeth clack together as you bounce over potholes and poorly patched roads is a normal occurrence for most Michiganders. However, the M-8 Service Drive is getting the serious facelift it needs. The catalyst for this construction is Magna Seating Detroit, a global automotive supplier. Magna Seating has a facility located in Highland Park, and its trucks regularly use both the North and South M-8 service drives...

DetroitNeighborhood Enterprise Zone

Detroit’s Catch 22: Should Detroit Extend NEZ Tax Breaks?

The City of Detroit has found itself between a rock and hard place, and whatever solution it chooses is bound to anger at least one side of the debate. The question at hand is should Detroit extend tax breaks under its Neighborhood Enterprise Zone (NEZ) program? The NEZ started more than 20 years ago as a way to help revitalize run-down communities in the city. There are three different programs under the larger NEZ umbrella, and they all give homeowners or condo owners in Detroit substantial...