Good morning! Hope you’re staying out of the crazy wind and snow out there. Here are five stories we found interesting around the web this week about Detroit, posts that are either interesting, in-depth, or noteworthy in other ways. We’ve had a reading list before, but we thought we’d touch it up a little bit and hopefully make it more useful. If you have an article you think should be featured, send it in on our submission form, Twitter @TheDailyDetroit or on Facebook. Whatever works for you.
“A Hearing on Housing in Detroit Draws a Reluctant Crowd” – New York Times
Paulet Johnson, 47, said she thought she had a deal to rent the house she lives in in exchange for paying the owner’s tax bills. Yet she discovered that far more was owed in taxes and that the house was subject to foreclosure when the yellow notice — calling for $3,624 — suddenly appeared on her door. And foreclosure, she feared, might mean eviction.
“I have to find a way to save it,” Ms. Johnson, a cashier at a liquor store whose four grandchildren live with her, said. “If you put us out, all you’re going to get is people who don’t care, people who are stripping these homes, tearing up the neighborhoods. I’m desperate to find a way to stay.”
Ilitch plan: Save one historic hotel, raze another – Detroit News
The building that could be revived is the former Eddystone Hotel, a 13-story Italian Renaissance-inspired structure on the northwest corner of Park and Sproat, according to sources familiar with the plans that haven’t been made public. The building to be demolished is the 90-year-old former Park Avenue Hotel, which is across the street from the Eddystone on the southwest corner of Park and Sproat.
The Ilitch’s Olympia Development of Michigan contend the former Park Avenue Hotel must be demolished because it is so close to the new arena that it violates Homeland Security protocols followed by the National Hockey League, sources said.
“Inaugural Thumbs Up Detroit conference aims to attract people and businesses to the city” – DetroitUnspun
What if there was an event that pretty much focused on raising Detroit’s collective self-esteem? It would need an optimistic name, an enthusiastic group of organizers and a long-term commitment to the city’s future.
That is the basic formula behind the new Thumbs Up Detroit Conference and Exposition, a three-day event scheduled for March 12 to 14 at Cobo Arena. The event has two parts: a one-day business conference followed by a two-day exposition that brings students, artists, creatives and others together to show off the best the city has to offer.
What better way, organizers say, to highlight where Detroit is going than an event like this? Although the idea first popped up during the city’s darkest hours – think Kwame and municipal bankruptcy – it seems now to be prophetic.
Detroit speeds up abandoned house demolition pace – Fox 2
“Detroit as a whole may have some issues with squatting but not seeing it in demolition process,” said Brian Farkas of the Detroit Building Authority. In fact, Farkas says the process is on the fast track.
“In the past several months we’ve done over 2,000 structures,” he said. “We’ve gone from 200 a month to 200 a week.” Farkas says more work means more job opportunities.
“We’ve got a lot of work coming down the pipeline,” Farkas said. “We encourage Detroiters if they want to be employed in this process, to go to Detroit Employment Solutions, we’ve got contractors hiring Detroiters day in and day out.”
Motown Soup ministry raises $100K in one year; public urged to vote for charities to receive donations – Advisor & Source
Motown Soup isn’t small potatoes. It has donated roughly $300,000 to various charities since it started in 2004. Last year set a record for sales at $100,000.
“We got slammed in a good way,” said Dan Karlin, facilitator of the project who works at Trinity Lutheran.
Motown Soup wants the public’s help in determining which charities will receive a sizable portion of the profits. Called “Crock the Vote,” the nonprofit is encouraging people to vote via its Facebook page for one of eight nominees to receive $10,000, $3,000 or $2,000. Voting takes place Feb. 3-7.
As always, if you have a suggestion for a story we should cover or share, hit us up on our submission form.
