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Open air spring evening at Corktown's Mercury Bar - Photo Marvin Shaouni
Open air spring evening at Corktown's Mercury Bar - Photo Marvin Shaouni | Show Photo

Jefferson East : Buzz

121 Jefferson East Articles | Page: | Show All

'Home Is More Than Our House': WDET's coverage of facing Detroit's mortgage crisis

Public radio station WDET FM and Model D have partnered to focus on Detroit's foreclosure crisis and different ways people and neighborhoods are dealing with the issue.

This week, WDET reporter Zak Rosen will have a piece on the citizens of the North End of Detroit, who are teaming up with the Greening of Detroit to reclaim 134 abandoned lots.

Rob St. Mary will have a piece on the Motor City Blight Busters and how foreclosures have affected their work.

Look for his work on the WDET "Home is More Than Our House" blog here. And listen to 101.9 FM during the Detroit Today show for more.

Cocktail created in Detroit has fans raving

Drink invented in Detroit a hot topic among cocktail geeks.

Excerpt:

This libation, invented at the Detroit Athletic Club, is called the Last Word. It’s a chilled, verdant, pungent combination of gin, maraschino liqueur, lime and green Chartreuse, an herbal liqueur concocted 400 years ago by French monks.

“In cocktail geekdom, few drinks get more discussed and dissected than the Last Word,” wrote Tan Vinh, a Seattle journalist who researched that city’s hottest drink and found its popularity had spread to cocktail lounges around the world.

No one at the DAC had heard about the Last Word until Vinh contacted the club earlier this year. Staffers searched the archives of the DAC News, the club’s monthly magazine, plus old menus and other ephemera. They found nothing.

That’s because it had been more than 80 years since the DAC invented the drink — a product of Prohibition in the 1920s.

Read the entire article here.

Detroit tweetin': Detroit's tweet of the week

Well, why not, right? It's a social media world and people have a lot to say - especially about our beloved city. So how about a Tweet of the Week?

This week, the big inaugural winner of our Tweet of the Week (can we call it a Tweek - get it!?) goes to @BrownSugarFX with this little gem that made us smile: Detroit smells delightfully of spring-time flowers.

This tweet showed up on a Thursday, in the afternoon. It was a nice little pick-me-up after a little bit of rain. And a nice reminder to stop and smell the flowers.

So, @BrownSugarFx, congratulations! You win a year's subscription to Model D. Keep smelling Detroit! Er, wait, keep smelling Detroit's flowers.

Here are a few runners up from the last week:

@eatsntreatsdet: Mon Treat: Taste Pizza Bar dwntwn Detroit +$5 MOJITOS ALL DAY +Best Pizza in the City +chic & urban vibe

'Cause everyone needs a Monday treat so why not with pizza and mojitos.

@AbraKhadaver: algo tiene "Put your hands up for Detroit" que hace que me guste

Not exactly sure what this means but I think it's positive. Asked a friend to translate over the internet. It was no help. Feel free to tweet us the translation here: @modeld.

@JamesDDickson: I have such a love-hate relationship with Detroit.

It's true, we all do. But, if you think about it, love gets boring after a while. Sometimes you need a little adversity to realize the love. Am I wrong?

Model D is looking for an intern or two for the summer

Model D is looking for an intern to help out on the editorial side of things. This position is unpaid except for any feature stories published. We're looking for one, maybe two, lucky candidates to work 15-20 hours a week. Interns will help out with various projects and events, update listings, write stories and get us coffee. No, just kidding, we get our own coffee.

A journalism background is a plus. Knowing the city is an even bigger plus. Knowing a little about online media is a bonus.

If interested please send a cover letter and resume to terry@modeldmedia.com.

Here's one more reminder: Model D is now on Twitter

It's been great so far, the tweeting. Though we'd just drop in one more reminder. So, everyone, keep tweeting. Can we call it a Model D Tweet Shop?

Follow us at Model D Twitter feed. Talk to us. Give us feedback. And stay engaged. Also, join our group on the other social media giant Facebook for updates.

On top of that, we'll be out covering Detroit's nightlife during the NCAA's Final Four. There are sponsored events by the NCAA but there are also a lot of un-sponsored events... If you know what we're sayin'. So, let us know where you'll be and what you'll be doing and we'll do the same for you.

See you out and about. www.twitter.com/modeld



Detroit's border shouldn't end at Eight Mile

The Detroit city council, as of late, could probably have its own VH1 reality show with all the drama, controversy, and, some would say, flat out ignorance it has portrayed. Lately, the question of division has cropped up and what is and isn't a Detroiter? Division is only productive when it comes to math and recycling. Yet, it seems as if some on the city council haven't figured that out yet, according to Detnews columnist Nolan Finley.

Excerpt:

Why on earth would a city in such desperate straits build a wall between itself and its best potential allies?

A smarter marketing strategy would be to encourage more people to boast that they are citizens of Detroit, in spirit if not by address.

If more suburbanites identified themselves internally as Detroiters, it might put an end to our infernal turf wars.

And we'd have more folks who gave a damn that Detroit is rotting away, that it's under siege by the worst forces of urban life, that it's been neglected and abandoned and nobody outside our small corner of the world cares.

Instead, the council is advocating the very black-white, city-suburban divides that are responsible for Detroit's decline.

Read the entire article here.

Another piece from the Metro Times about being a Detroiter can be found here.

Want a little more Model D? Then follow us on Twitter

We're there. We've done it. We're on Twitter now. We have a Facebook group, might as well have a Twitter feed, too.

Our hope is to offer a little more insight into what we're doing and when we're doing it. We don't want it to just be another RSS feed.

So follow us. Talk to us. Give us feedback. And do it all right here: Model D Twitter feed

Woman leaves $300K from estate to maintain Belle Isle

A former Detroit woman who died last year in Florida left $300,000 to help maintain Belle Isle.

Excerpt:

Kathie MacRea says her aunt Catheline Ballbach and Ballbach's husband loved walking across the half-mile Douglas MacArthur Bridge that connects the park to the mainland.

MacRea tells WDIV-TV the couple also loved to golf, canoe, skate and camp on the island park.

She says Detroit officials have delayed receipt of the $300,000 for more than a year because they haven't signed the needed waivers.

Read the entire article here.

Film development Web site says, 'Send them to Detroit'

CHUD.com (Cinematic Happenings Under Development) says Detroit's on it's way to more and more filming projects with it's 40 percent tax incentive for film makers.

In fact, just last week, the Detroit Free Press reported 13 new projects were signed.

Excerpt:

Detroit is the new Shreveport.

Actually, "another Shreveport" is more accurate, as Michigan is just the latest state to offer up generous tax credits for feature film productions (New Mexico is another attractive suitor, which is why movie stars are now spotted roaming the dusty, windswept streets of Albuquerque). Though my Hollywood neighbors won't dig this too much, a part of me is happy to see Detroit getting some love on the big screen - even if they're mostly going to use it as another stand in for New York City.

Read the entire article here.

Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix goes greener

The Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is upping the ante on its green initiatives at this year's race.

Excerpt:

Through many of its official partners, including the actual racing leagues competing on Belle Isle -- the American Le Mans Series, the IndyCar Series and the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship, new to the event in 2008 -- the Grand Prix is ready to “go green” like never before with a number of ecologically-friendly initiatives.

Read the entire article here.


Jefferson Ave. retail attraction efforts to receive $1.25M cash infusion

Efforts to attract retail to the Jefferson Ave. corridor will get a boost with a grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. The organization will donate $1.25 million to the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. to pay for retail-related grants.

Excerpt:

"We've been hearing that residents are concerned about having more retail options in the Jefferson corridor," said Mariam Noland, president of the Community Foundation. "And when we talked to DEGC, they said the issue has to do with the cost of retrofitting or start-up of space to get those businesses in there. If we had an incentive fund, we think we could bring new retail into that corridor."

In general, either landlords that rent space to retailers or the entrepreneurs themselves could be eligible for matching grants under the program. The boundaries would run from downtown to McClellan, about three miles east of the Renaissance Center.

Read the entire article here.


Dream Cruise expands reach into Detroit

The Dream Cruise will be crossing Eight Mile this year: it will hit the Ren Cen, State Fair Grounds, Campus Martius and Belle Isle.

Excerpt:

"This is the biggest presence Detroit has had during Cruise week, absolutely," said Greg Rassel, former president of Woodward Dream Cruise Inc. and now Royal Oak's representative on its board.

The efforts are being spearheaded by MotorCities National Heritage Area, a federally funded organization affiliated with the National Park Service that has been relatively unknown until recently. The office, in the Renaissance Center, approached Dream Cruise organizers last year with an offer to expand the Cruise and better market it as a tourist attraction. So far, it appears set to do just that.

"We have struck a positive chord," said Gary Familian, executive director of MotorCities.

Read the entire article here.


Grad student debates options for Detroit's redevelopment

A University of Michigan graduate student in urban planning, Joseph Ciadella, crafts a cogent op-ed piece about Detroit corporate development strategy as opposed to smaller, organic strategies.

Excerpt:

"Sustainability, local economy, and community are three pillars of the path not-yet taken in Detroit. A path that moves beyond downtown development, beyond 'cool cities.' The Imagination Economy can be an authentic expression of who we are," writes Jackie Victor, co-founder of Avalon Bakery, highlighting not only her business model, but also broader themes of local reliance and self-determination. These themes are not present on the same level in city redevelopment policies, given the uneven focus on downtown, which, much like suburban sprawl, ignores, displaces, and perpetuates racial and class divisions in society that have been a part of Detroit’s (and other cities) history for years.

Read the entire piece here.


First Tee relocates operations to Belle Isle, aims to up golf course usage

First Tee will relocate operations from Rackham Golf Course to the Belle Isle Practice Center, with hopes of drawing in more users to the facility.

Excerpt:

"The Belle Isle practice center is underutilized," [executive director Lisa] Woodcox said.

"It’s like the best-kept secret in Detroit … we want there to be more awareness in the community that the facility is there."

Read the entire article here.


MSHDA funds to target blight in Hamtramck, Detroit and Highland Park

The cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck may be receiving funds from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority targeted at specific blighted properties.

Excerpt:

Detroit’s targeted share is $2 million for 729 properties, while Highland Park and Pontiac each could receive $400,000 for 100 properties in each of their cities. Hamtramck’s targeted share is $52,000 for 13 properties.

In a news release, Gov. Jennifer Granholm said that “by providing resources to eliminate blight, we will help make neighborhoods safer for citizens and more inviting for businesses and economic investments."

Read the entire article here.

121 Jefferson East Articles | Page: | Show All
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