Earlier this year, Detroit’s Mootz Pizzeria + Bar announced a big expansion with the opening of its new cocktail lounge “Bar Mootz.” Ahead of this week’s NFL Draft, the new space is now open, but with a different name. Dubbed “Side Hustle Lounge,” the new space offers a menu of cocktails and small plates with Italian and Latin influences, curated by executive chef Angela Georges. Food items include flatbreads, sautéed shrimp, beef empanadas, and charcuterie boards ..read more

To celebrate Earth Day, Detroit’s Palmer Park is hosting its inaugural “Art in the Trees” event, which will feature large art installations and solo musicians throughout the park’s 70-acre Witherell Woods. Some of the art to be showcased was made out of recycled trash and natural elements, created by local artists including Donald Calloway, Tim Burke, Dale Teachout, Dick Druger, Cheryl English, and Kelly O’Neill. Most of the pieces will be for sale at the upcoming Palmer Park Art Fair from June 1-2 ..read more

A former top executive with the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners claims in a lawsuit that she was discriminated against because of her gender and that “a clique” of commissioners “sabotaged” her attempts to resolve a backlog of hundreds of citizen complaints against cops. The lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court on Wednesday alleges Melanie White was unlawfully fired from her job as executive manager after she was tasked with eliminating a “massive citizen complaint backlog ..read more

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a potential spoiler candidate who has spread misinformation about vaccines and COVID-19, will appear on Michigan’s presidential ballot. Kennedy, 70, gained access to the ballot after the Natural Law Party nominated him to be the party’s candidate ..read more

Organizers behind a new music venue billed as Michigan’s first to allow the sales and consumption of both cannabis and alcohol have scaled back its original plans for entertainment programming. The venue, dubbed Field of Greens, was supposed to launch on May 18 with “Bikers, Buds & Brews,” set to feature ’90s alternative rock bands Soul Asylum and Marcy Playground and intended to coincide with Baldwin’s annual Blessing of the Bikes, in which aa Catholic priest blesses motorcycles ahead of the summer season. It was also to be the first of five festivals planned for the new outdoor venue in ..read more

Detroit will be the center of the sports universe when it hosts the NFL Draft downtown next week, and guests will be able to enjoy some of its rich music culture, too. Organizers announced Thursday that a NFL Draft Concert Series will feature performances from homegrown acts like rapper Big Sean, the Detroit Youth Choir, the singer Bazzi, and more. “With the Draft coming to Detroit, we knew the importance of representing the rich cultural history and music legacy of this city as part of our NFL Draft Concert Series,” said Tim Tubito, director of event presentation and content at the NFL ..read more

Detroit-based cannabis cultivator and processor Calyxeum is getting ready to open its first retail dispensary this Saturday, April 20, the biggest day of the year for the cannabis industry. The company has partnered with Michigan cannabis retailer Moses Roses to unveil Moses Roses Powered By Calyxeum, which will open its doors at 6237 Federal St. in Southwest Detroit with a celebratory grand opening. Calyxeum is owned and operated by native Detroiters Rebecca Colett and LaToyia Rucker, who have been business partners since launching in 2019 ..read more

Downtown Ypsilanti faced a tough blow from the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the city is continuing to make a comeback with a diverse array of new businesses opening up in the area regularly. One major community loss for Ypsilanti, however, happened in October 2023 when Go! Ice Cream owner Rob Hess announced he would close his beloved shop after 10 years, and had accrued over $100,000 in debt trying to keep the business afloat ..read more

A group of First Amendment attorneys reached a unique and powerful settlement with the city of Eastpointe after its then-mayor shouted at residents and refused to let them speak during a public meeting in September 2022. As part of the lawsuit settlement, the city agreed to designate Sept. 6, the day that Eastpointe Mayor Monique Owens shouted down residents, as “First Amendment Day ..read more

Detroit’s economic recovery from its 2014 bankruptcy has resulted in nearly $3 billion in real estate wealth, a boon to the city’s Black and Latino homeowners, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. Released Tuesday by the University of Michigan Poverty Solutions, the report, titled “The Growth of Housing Wealth in Detroit and its Neighborhoods: 2014-2022,” found that the largely Black homeowners in Detroit amassed $2.8 billion in added home value between 2014 and 2022, an 80% increase. Mayor Mike Duggan credited the gains to a number of city-run beautification and blight-f ..read more