Jer Staes
The hospitals are almost full. Now it's up to us.
Plus, remembering the Potato Chip Prince of Detroit
The hospitals are almost full. Now, it's up to us w/ Dr. Paul Thomas
Triage tents are going up at local Detroit area hospitals. Beaumont reports that their facilities across the region are 90 to 95% occupied, and rising. The volume of patients there is higher than last fall. There are a number of individual hospitals that are over capacity. They’re overwhelmed with unvaccinated adults who are on the verge of dying. Plus, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was paused for review. So what does that mean? And what’s next? To help sort this unfo...
Learning about the Lake Guardian working to protect our Great Lakes
I know with the pandemic, fewer people are out and about downtown. But this week, the Lake Guardian was docked right here in Detroit. The 180-foot long EPA research vessel is on a mission to study our Great Lakes, keep an eye on the lower foodweb that underpins our ecosystem, and discover new species. Now, if that doesn’t sound like the USS Enterprise, I don’t know what does. There are 26 crew members on board and resupplying. To talk about it. One of them. Joining me on the lin...
PODCAST: Remembering Detroit's Prince of Potato Chips
For our feature conversation, Potato chip expert, author and journalist Karen Dybis joins us to talk about the passing of the prince of chips. You might know him as Better Made CEO, Salvatore “Sam” Cipriano. But first, some news. 00:29 – Coronavirus update, including stunningly high case positivity rates across the region and in the city of Detroit. 02:25 – Facial recognition technology used to identify suspects in Detroit is in the news again, this time as the ACLU is suin...
DCFC; Ben Wallace's Hall Of Fame Hopes; Is Mike Smith Pro Material? + More w/ Fletcher Sharpe
Today, Fletcher Sharpe is in the co-pilot seat. 00:18 – Fan favorite forward Max Todd returns to Detroit City FC. 00:44 – U of M’s Mike Smith said he’s going pro. What are his prospects? 03:55 – Why isn’t Pistons Legend Ben Wallace a Hall Of Famer yet? More: https://theathletic.com/2511074/2021/04/12/ben-wallace-qa-on-hall-of-fame-isaiah-stewart-state-of-the-pistons/ 09:50 – Tigers talk: Akil Baddoo, Miguel Cabrera 16:00 – Fletcher partakes in Ramadan and has good...
PODCAST: Preserving The Legacy Of Albert Kahn; CDC Says Shutdown To Stop Cases Here; Bronco Gets Its Own Store
Today’s show is in two parts. News in the front, and a feature conversation in the back. Albert Kahn and his brothers left an immense architectural and design legacy for Detroit and the world. To help connect fans of Albert Kahn’s work and tell the Kahn story, the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation was started. Pfannes joins us to talk about it. Plus: 00:49 – A COVID-19 update as the CDC says the way to stop this current spike is to shut the state back down. It’s putti...
9 Things to know around Metro Detroit
Devon O’Reilly is in for his weekly segment. Today, we cover a lot. 01:00 – COVID-19, of course. Hospital officials at the University of Michigan are shutting down surgical procedures to allow space for COVID patients as are others in the area. And they’re doing this without a government mandate, as hospitals have live in reality and there’s only so many beds, drugs and staff. 06:24 – The “Godfather of Detroit,” Ray Solomon Jr. has died. 07:41 – Chef Matt Prentice has died...
The 246 Problem; Plus 5 Things to Know Around Metro Detroit
Today, stories to know around town: 00:43 – Jer thinks there’s a problem with framing when it comes to a recent set of stories locally and nationally at a number of outlets about 246 people getting COVID-19 after being vaccinated. He argues that leading with that number and not putting the context of 1.7 million people vaccinated up at the top plays on fear and helps spur misinformation. 03:00 – COVID-19 cases continue to rage. We’re in an “extreme” situation according to COVIDA...
Fletcher is Back! Let's talk Detroit City FC and more
Fletcher Sharpe is back! On the show, with timestamps: 00:35 Fletch talks COVID-19, rising case numbers and his experience 09:40 University of Michigan Men’s basketball recap and Isaiah Livers has at least six months of recovery 12:04 U of M’s Women’s basketball recap and what happened 13:05 Opening Day and Miggy won one fan a bunch of money 13:42 Detroit City FC has a statewide live match schedule and it’s going to be on TV and YouTube: https://www.detcityfc.com/...
Why is Fox Sports now Bally Sports Detroit? And more w/ Matt Friedman
Today’s show with Matt Friedman of Tanner Friedman covers three big topics: One – if you turned on the Tigers opening day, you might have noticed a name change and some new graphics as Fox Sports Detroit is now Bally Sports Detroit. We untangle what’s happening. Here’s Matt’s post about it: https://tannerfriedman.com/blog/confusing-tv-channel-name-change-explained/ Two – A marketing stunt with Volkswagen went sour when company public relations people confirmed that there was a n...
Love From Detroit For Daft Punk
It’s a fun Friday highlighting a show from Metro Detroit, “Alive 2021: A Daft Punk Podcast.” It’s part celebratory wake, part music history and part camaraderie and memories about the French House duo. A trio from the Planet Ant Music Theater put together the ongoing series: Andy Reid, Devin Rosni and Darren Shelton and they join Jer to talk about their project. More about Alive 2021 – their website with links to all the places to subscribe in your favorite podcast apps: http:/...
COVID cases skyrocket; Helping small developers in the city
That and more stories happening around Metro Detroit
"The house is on fire" with Coronavirus in Metro Detroit
The pandemic situation isn’t good. Hospitalizations, something experts had hoped would not jump? They are, but this time among people 30-49 of age. In fact, COVID-19 hospitalizations are way up. So we’re doing a deep dive podcast on what’s happening with coronavirus in metro Detroit and Michigan. To set the table, according to COVID ACT NOW, the Detroit metro area is averaging nearly 63 new cases per hundred thousand people per day. Experts say that’s a very da...
Putting The "City" Back In The Motor City By Supporting Small Developers w/ Brian Mulloy
Our deep-dive conversation is with Brian Mulloy. He’s doing small-scale development in the city of Detroit through his Ballet Real Estate, but with a focus on building restoration and urban spaces. His transformation of a building at Bagley and Trumbull (and subsequent development of a property few thought could be built on it behind it) not only has caught attention for its looks but the amount of hassle he had to go through to get it done. So how can Detroit support smaller devel...
COVID Roars Back In Metro Detroit; Road Work Ahead; Sports w/ Fletcher Sharpe
00:40 – Coronavirus is roaring back in Metro Detroit. Cases are skyrocketing, and unfortunately, hospitalizations are up too. Sewage testing in Macomb County shows that we may very well have more cases ahead. We get into what’s happening, as well as run down vaccine expansions in Detroit and the possibility of some districts moving back to remote learning as test positivity rates exceed 9%. 02:40 – The old warehouse with the Boblo Boat sign will be demolished as part of a bigger deal...
Steve Friess on Whitmer, Local Predictions and Politics
Listener favorite Steve Friess from Hour Detroit is back on the pod! Today, we’re talking about: His big piece on Governor Gretchen Whitmer: https://www.hourdetroit.com/political-topics/the-surreal-life-of-gretchen-whitmer/ Local political predictions, including Detroit Police Chief James Craig’s possibly precarious position depending on how the year unfolds: https://www.hourdetroit.com/political-topics/2021-political-predictions-questions-answered-whitmer-duggan-michigan/...
We’re in a third pandemic wave, and vaccine distribution in Michigan feels broken.
I’ve been watching with worry as Michigan’s COVID-19 cases skyrocket into what some don’t want to admit is true — that we’re in a third wave of the pandemic. Our cases per day in Metro Detroit are higher than when all this started a year ago and rising. It’s due to a number of reasons. Between variants that spread more easily, to pandemic fatigue, to 75% of Michiganders with COVID-19 symptoms not quarantining, we had more than 3,700 new cases Friday. Hospitalizations are up...