Daily Detroit (Page 106)

The Man Who Saved Detroit's Thanksgiving Parade, Art Van Elslander, Dies

A local legend as far as business and philanthropy, Art Van Elslander, has died. He was 87. The founder of Art Van’s in 1959, he grew a store where he was the only employee into a furniture powerhouse based in Warren, Michigan. Born in 1930 in Detroit, Michigan, Van Elslander was the son of a Belgian immigrant. He grew up in Detroit, selling newspapers and working in his father’s bar as a young boy. At age 14, he discovered his love of fashion when he took a job working at a local haberdashe...

Comerica Bank Branch Opens In Penobscot Building Downtown

Comerica Bank has completed the move of their branch to the Penobscot Building in downtown Detroit from their former location at Washington and Fort. The 4,000 square foot location is open today. Interesting little historical fact — Comerica’s predecessor, the Detroit Savings Bank, moved to the Penobscot in 1906. Now, if you’re confused, thinking the tower was built in the 1920s… you’re right. The Penobscot is actually an amalgamation of two buildings. The first tower of the complex was buil...

Staycation in Detroit

6 Ways To Beat the Winter Blues And Vacation Without Ever Leaving Detroit

This time of year can be brutal on the psyche of a Michigander. It’s true that the mitten can be a winter playland replete with all manner of sports and activities, but for those of us city dwellers the ski hills and snowmobile trails of the northern part of the state might as well be Alaska. Not everyone here loves cold weather, and for some it can be downright depressing. A warm vacation is the most desirable remedy for the winter doldrums but certainly not the most convenient or cost ef...

boysCapt. Hook Captain Hook

Finding Neverland Asks "When Did You Stop Playing?"

As we age, it is only natural to grow in maturity – at least for most of us. Sometimes as we mature, our sense of playfulness fades or can be lost in the madness of work and responsibilities. Finding Neverland, the theatrical musical based on the Academy Award-winning Miramax motion picture by David Magee, and the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, is a timeless story about the power of imagination and begs the question… When did you stop playing? J.M. Barrie, played fantastical...

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan Is Looking For Ways To Impact Schools

After largely steering clear of education during his first term, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is now looking for ways to become more invested in the city schools. City Hall is already leading an effort called the Detroit Children’s Success Initiative that will put more social workers, therapists, and family support staff into schools. But the mayor is also having conversations with education and civic leaders about ways he can have a more significant impact on the state of education in the city....

AirbnbDetroit

Detroit's Airbnb Ban Wasn't A Mistake. It Passed City Council Unanimously And With Direct Questions

We are starting to figure out how exactly an ordinance banning Airbnb — and people renting their homes to family friends — came to be on the books in the city of Detroit. It’s clear the ordinance targeted Airbnb, and it was not a side effect. How do we know? The council hearing that occurred October 5, 2017 is here, but let’s step through this. The action starts at a bit after two hours in, citing concerns from the Boston Edison neighborhood. Council member Scott Benson (3rd District) aske...

CareerblissHappiness Work

Detroit Is One Of America's Happiest Cities To Work

When it comes to going to work, Detroit is the second happiest city in the nation. That’s according to a report by Careerbliss that outlined America’s ten happiest cities when it comes to the workplace. To find the happiest cities, Careerbliss says they analyzed thousands of independent company reviews by actual employees, analyzing the key factors that impact workplace happiness. Number 10 was Cleveland, OH; then going up we have Rockville, MD; Santa Clara, CA; San Jose, CA; Redmond, WA;...

Detroit Mayor Says He Won't Ticket Airbnb Hosts, Will Review Ordinance

It looks like the city administration got caught flat-footed yesterday when it became public that an ordinance change in 2017 is resulting in notices being sent to Detroit Airbnb hosts. If you’re not familiar, Airbnb is an online service that allows people to easily list and rent out a room or a property on a short-term basis. In a statement sent this morning, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says that the ordinance as written appears to ban all homeowners from having even their own friends and rel...

Detroit NewsGore Gore Girls Interview

PODCAST: Melody Baetens Talks Paczki Bombs, Music And Covering Detroit

Our guest on the Happy Hour this week could be considered Detroit cultural royalty, if there is such a thing. Around the Daily Detroit office, we often joke that the shirts that say “Detroit Hustles Harder,” to be more accurate, should have said “Detroit Hustles/ Side Hustles / Other Hustles / Weekend Hustles Harder.” Because it seems like the people who are doing things around here are always wearing many hats. We were honored to have Melody Baetens, a woman of many talents and who is one o...

Eastern Market

Your City 5: Things To Do In Detroit For The Weekend Of February 9-11

Hey there everyone! I hear we are about to be buried in snow this weekend. Which really stinks because there are some really great events happening this weekend. So I guess I’m going to say to stay safe out there, but if you find a break, here’s what’s happening. Weekend of J Dilla The Charles H. Wright Museum and the Detroit Institute of Art are partnering together to bring you an entire weekend dedicated to the music and legacy of legendary Detroit hip-hop producer J Dilla. Friday...

Old Police Headquarters Swapped In Bankruptcy To See Redevelopment Thanks To Bedrock, Syncora

Detroit’s old police headquarters, designed by Albert Kahn, may find new life. The Detroit Police Department moved out of the building in Greektown in 2013 to a new Public Safety Headquarters. The old headquarters is located at 1300 Beaubien, next to the Jack Detroit Hotel & Casino. The property was swapped as part of the historic bankruptcy settlement between the city of Detroit and its creditors, one of whom is Syncora Gurantee Inc. Their subsidiary, Pike Pointe Holdings LLC is working wit...

Quicken Loans Announces Partnership With Airbnb While Its Hometown Of Detroit Bans It

Editor’s Note: There is new information. Update here. Quicken Loans, the Detroit-based mortgage lender that also happens to be the largest in the United States, announced a partnership today with the room sharing service Airbnb where hosts can easily use the reported income to help get them a home loan. Meanwhile, according to a report from Curbed Detroit, the city of Detroit has effectively banned the service as of this week in residential neighborhoods. The city, thanks to an ordinance pas...

Wahlburgers Adds Meatless Meat-ish Burger To The Menu

Wahlburgers has a new burger on the menu and I had a chance to try it today. Their newest burger is called the Impossible Burger. It has a 4 oz. Impossible Burger patty, smoked cheddar, lettuce, caramelized onions, chili spiced tomatoes, Paul’s signature Wahl sauce. Now, you might be wondering why it is called the Impossible Burger. That is because the patty is not actually made with hamburger — but with plants. A Silicon Valley company called Impossible Foods has created a plant...

The 6th Annual Paczki Run Returns To Hamtramck This Saturday

It’s not very often that you see the words paczek and run together in a sentence. It only happens one day a year in Hamtramck during the Annual 5K Paczki Run. This year the Paczki Run will take place on Saturday, February 10 at 10:00 a.m. This is the sixth year that Tour de Troit has put on this fun run through the streets of Hamtramck. The race starts at 10:00 a.m. on the corner of Joseph Campau Avenue and Hanley Street. The race is $40 to enter. You can register for it here or on the d...

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LISTEN: Nigel Barker, Impossible Wahlburgers, MoGo Love, Detroit Pistons Value And More

Here’s what we’re covering today on your Daily Detroit News Byte. * Prison food will no longer be privatized in the state of Michigan * MoGo, Detroit’s bike share, gets some love * General Motors employees getting large bonus * What are the Pistons worth? More than a billion dollars. * Paczki Run! * Emagine adds games before the movie * Berkley is looking for a new city councilmember * Wahlburger’s Impossible Burger hits Detroit Feature Interview: Nigel Barker, Photographer, Perso...

Bike ShareMoGo

Detroit's Bike Sharing Program Is One Of The Most Affordable In The United States

Biking sharing programs have become popular across the country since they started popping up in 2010. Detroit’s own bike sharing program, MoGo, has just made it in the top 10 for Most Affordable Bike Share Programs in the United States. The website Instamotor looked at 55 bike sharing programs across the country to see who had the most affordable rates. The rankings were compiled by taking the cost of a single-day use compared to the average hourly wage in each city. MoGo made it to the...

Dodge Superbowl Ad Featuring Martin Luther King, Jr. Generates Controversy; Use Was Approved By Licensor

The most controversial ad of the Superbowl this year has ties to Detroit. Whether you find the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. being used in a commercial to sell trucks tasteless or not, it’s what everyone is talking about this morning. The minute-long ad opens after the text with a shot of a construction worker in Detroit with the Penobscot Building in the background and goes on to show clips of various people working and serving others. The speech is part of one King delivered 50 years ago...

21 Photos That'll Give You Warm Thoughts From The Conservatory On Belle Isle

It’s cold out. Like, really cold. As I write this, it’s 15 bone-chilling degrees. But you there is a place for respite. A place for heat. A place for plants, a place where you could experience a little tropical warmth or desert air. That place is the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle. Since I was a kid I’ve been coming here, but it’s been part of the fabric of the east side for a very long time. The conservatory opened on August 18, 1904. That’s before the first Model T rolled...

What's New, What's Next, and What Matters in Metro Detroit