Today's Daily Detroit is about being real with each other and with this city we love.

Norris and I start with the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, what he meant to Detroit, and how his generation of civil rights leaders helped shape our city and our lives.​

From there, we look ahead to the next public meeting on the possible I‑75 cap near downtown, why it matters for how Detroit connects across freeways, and who stands to be impacted if it moves forward.​

We also dig into a listener email on Business Improvement Zones and what cleaner, better‑maintained streets could mean for the East Riverfront and beyond. ​

We end on a more personal note, talking about losing a couple of listeners this week and why this community means so much to us

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It's budget season in Detroit and in Lansing, and the choices leaders make now will shape city services and state programs for the next few years. On today's Daily Detroit, we talk with Steve Watson of the consulting firm Watson & Yates about where the money comes from and where it might go.​

First, we look at Detroit's budget in Mayor Mary Sheffield's first year as mayor. Detroit's money picture is different from the suburbs, and Steve breaks it into four big "buckets": income tax from people and businesses in the city, fast-growing casino and online betting taxes, state revenue sharing, and property taxes, which rank only fourth even though rates are high.

They explain how careful revenue forecasts, the lasting impact of remote work, and a growing labor force all change what Detroit can afford to do.​

Then the conversation shifts to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's final proposed state budget.

There are new cost pressures from federal rule changes, and about proposed state tax hikes on tobacco, internet gaming, sports betting, and digital ads.

They connect this to what it means for Detroiters who use Medicaid and SNAP, and for Detroit's casino-based tax revenues.​

To wrap up, they share simple steps you can take to get involved, including who to call, key dates to watch, and why paying attention to budgets now can help your neighborhood later.

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On today's show with Devon, Norris and Jer talking all things Detroit:

01:04 - Where we've been: Empire in Midtown Detroit

03:21 - Where we've been: Mother Handsome in Oak Park

04:47 - Where we've been: Avenue Bistro in Wayne

09:36 - Data Centers coming to Wayne County (Van Buren Township) and Michigan with bipartisan support (but lots of people aren't happy)

17:39 - Does the City of Detroit need a Wal-Mart?

Happy Valentine's Day! We'll be back on Tuesday as Monday is a Federal holiday.

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On today's Daily Detroit, Jer and Norris talk about three big changes in the city: a loved restaurant closing, a historic building maybe turning into a hotel, and a new business district along the river.​

First, Kuzzo's Chicken & Waffles is closing after more than a decade on the Avenue of Fashion. Norris shares memories of hosting events there and why Kuzzo's helped make Livernois feel like a place where the whole city could come together.

Jer and Norris talk about how costs have gone up for restaurants since COVID and how other favorites like New Center Eatery and Parks' have also closed, even while some nearby spots are still doing well.​

Next, they move downtown to the Park Avenue Building by Grand Circus Park. Developer Rino Soave now wants to turn it into a hotel with more than 100 rooms, a restaurant, and other amenities instead of apartments.

We get into why more projects are choosing hotels, what the coming renovation at the Renaissance Center Marriott could mean, and why Norris still wants more full‑time residents downtown, not just weekend visitors and staycations.​

Finally, the show heads to the riverfront to talk about Rivertown's new Business Improvement Zone.

The new BIZ will cover nearly 300 commercial properties and could raise about $850,000 a year — almost 10 million over 10 years — for extra trash pickup, cleaning, and other services, working with the Downtown Detroit Partnership.

Norris explains why these public‑private partnerships can help neighborhoods grow, and how tools like BIZ-es might free up the city to fix up more parks and blocks across Detroit. Plus, Norris called it with his prediction that you'd see more of these in the city.​

Feedback as always, dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or leave a voicemail, 313-789-3211.

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Today, an essay and a line-by-line reality check about recent statements about the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a link crucial for Michigan and Metro Detroit's economy.

I take my 10+ years of experience watching this project, doing interviews, and keeping notes to break down what's fact from fiction from a list of grievances on Truth Social.

Original post: https://www.dailydetroit.com/canada-paid-for-the-bridge-trump-wants-half/

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On today's Daily Detroit from the floor of the Detroit Policy Conference, we're digging into what it really took to get the Gordie Howe International Bridge this close to the finish line — and what it's going to mean for everyday life on both sides of the river later this year.​

I'm joined at the table by Michael Griffie, Detroit market leader for AECOM, one of the key firms behind the massive project.

We get into the nuts and bolts of a more than $4.5 billion, decade-in-the-making effort that doesn't just include the record-setting cable‑stayed span, but also the new U.S. and Canadian ports of entry and a rebuilt I‑75 interchange designed to keep trucks moving and out of neighborhoods.​

Griffie explains how engineers from two countries had to literally "meet in the middle," navigating different regulatory systems, a frozen global supply chain, and a pandemic — and still kept the delay to about a year.

We talk about what makes a cable‑stayed bridge different, why the 1.2‑mile span and 770‑foot pylons matter, and how much trade will roll across once it opens.​

There also will be a multimodal path that will let you bike or walk across the border — passport in hand — and the subtle design tribute to "Mr. Hockey" himself, with pylons that echo Gordie Howe's iconic stance on the ice.​

Plus, we touch on how Canada ended up fronting the money, why toll booths will all be on one side, and more.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit -at- gmail -dot- com or leave a voicemail 313-789-3211.

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Are your ready for the weekend? Mr. Friday Devon O'Reilly is in and we've got some recommendations on where we've been — two cheap but good lunch spots. Plus, Devon shares a requiem for Bahama Breeze that after April 5 will leave this earth. Then, we get into the mess that is Stellantis and what might happen to some brands that have a lot of Detroit history.

Here's the rundown:

01:11 - Detroit's gotten double the snow this year, and facing a national salt shortage

04:03 - Where we've been: $10 Meal

07:51 - Why Thousand Island Dressing is called Thousand Island Dressing

08:21 - Where we've been: Kitab Cafe

10:47 - A Requiem for Bahama Breeze and End of the line BD's Mongolian Grille

14:12 - What are the best Bahama Breeze dishes?

15:28 - Devon thinks BD's was overrated

17:03 - Stellantis is under stress but what about Jeep, Chrysler and all these names Detroiters know?

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On your Daily Detroit, we learned that owning a tank is apparently legal in Michigan. Should we get one?

Plus, Detroit's the City of the Year, Michigan Central has a new thing, and we open the floor to your ideas for attracting more career-aged and younger people to choose Michigan.

03:45 - Should we get a tank?

07:00 - Detroit is the City of the Year

09:56 - New Thing at Michigan Central

12:08 - How do we get more career-aged people to choose or stay in Michigan?

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Justin Onwenu is a Detroit-born organizer, environmental justice advocate, and attorney who is now running for State Senate in Michigan's newly redrawn District 1, which stretches from neighborhoods on Detroit's west side through downtown and into a number of downriver Metro communities.

He's worked in environmental justice, in labor and minimum wage campaigns, and in economic development at the city level, giving him a rare view that connects workers, small businesses, and neighborhood health.​

In our conversation, we get into why he chose to jump into this insane time in politics, how he thinks Michigan can actually tackle affordability on things like housing, health care, and utilities, and what it looks like to balance development, labor, and the environment instead of pitting them against each other.

We also talk about rebuilding Michigan's economy from the neighborhood up, from transit and schools to small business support… and much more.

Episodes like these are made possible by our members. Join us at DailyDetroit.com/support and help keep the conversation going.

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Today, we're taking you inside the Second Baptist Church of Detroit — the oldest historically Black church in Michigan, a former last stop on the Underground Railroad, and now a hub for human trafficking awareness and free STEAM education for Detroit kids.

I'm joined by Pastor Lawrence Rodgers to talk about nearly 190 years of history, how Greektown is transforming, and what it means to build a beloved community in Detroit right now.

At the start of Black History Month and in a moment when it's tempting to gloss over or sanitize our past (or even preferred, by many) it feels especially important to me to lift up institutions that didn't just witness history, but made it — and are still doing the work right now.

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Devon, Norris, and Jer tackle three topics live at the Detroit Policy Conference. First, we get into lunch spots we like and are disappointed by recently.

Then, there's a proposal to provide transit to all of the cities in Wayne County, as currently a number of communities have no connecting service. We talk about hwo this is the base layer to the cake of transit.

Then, there's some ideas around overhauling the city of Detroit's tax structure, including a possible excise tax in greater downtown to provide more money for the neighborhoods.

Today's show was recorded live at the Detroit Policy Conference put on by the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Feedback as always - dailydetroit -at- gmail -dot- com or leave a voicemail 313-789-3211.

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