Daily Detroit

On today's show:

Flooding closes Detroit's Main Branch to close until at least Labor Day

The DNR Outdoor Adventure Center reopens July 16th

A Detroit Firefighter is killed in a road rage incident in Troy

The Detroit Institute of Arts has hired a new Diversity and Inclusion Director

For our feature conversation, Fletcher Sharpe (@saintfdw) joins us to break down Detroit City FC's Championship win over the LA Force and things to look forward to next season starting in August.

Also, the Tigers have been looking better in the middle of the season here, and are in striking distance of .500.

Parts of Metro Detroit got as much rain in five hours as they'd normally get in two months, overwhelming our aging sewer and drainage system.

I-94, as of this recording, is still flooded. The Fisher Building sits dark without power due to a substation being out. Thousands of basements were filled with water, and countless personal items lost across Detroit, Dearborn, the Grosse Pointes, and elsewhere.

There's a lot to this story, and with such a catastrophic failure, there's no one answer. But a big part of this is climate change. Our infrastructure, in some cases built as much as a century ago, wasn't designed for this new climate we find ourselves in today.

So not only do we need to update our aging infrastructure, to help stop this happening again we need to think better. And do that, we need to understand climate change and how it plays into everything and why organizations like the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department as well as residents need to be aware of it and prepare for it.

To give us a bigger lens, Sheril Kirshenbaum.

She's a scientist who through her work at Michigan State University, PBS, and other places helps increase the understanding of science and improve communication between scientists, policymakers and the public.

She's also the co-author of Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens our Future.

We’re gonna talk about not just the flooding, but how it all works together. Our food. Our health and safety. Economy. And that not all hope is lost, but action is needed.

Listeners have been asking for ways to help. Here's a link to volunteer with the City of Detroit to clean out the basements of the elderly and disabled. The city will provide protective gear: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/4a7bc7eb369b41f9a0edd71d63c0cbb6

Here's a link to Sheri's work: http://sherilkirshenbaum.com

And her Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sheril_

Of course, thanks to our members who make this show possible. Thanks to Erin and James who signed up over the break: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit

Today: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan talks about the changes the pandemic has brought, especially with projects that were offices possibly becoming residential, among other topics.

As the pandemic recedes, childcare is the number one reason people aren't returning to work. Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II outlines the desire for a childcare accelerator and his concern about getting people vaccinated.

I-75 got toasted in Troy by a tanker and will need serious repairs, possibly slowing and snarling traffic for weeks.

The University of Michigan Innovation Center planned for the old fail jail site on the edge of downtown is off. Developer Stephen Ross says it'll go somewhere else in the city, but there's no word as to exactly where or when. Construction was supposed to start this year.

Remember we're member funded. Your support keeps this all-local source of information and context free for everyone else: http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit

On today's show: We discuss the construction that's beginning on the road diet for Woodward avenue in Ferndale and nearby. More background: https://detroit.urbanize.city/post/construction-start-woodward-through-ferndale-pleasant-ridge

Plus, residents come out against a plan to put stop logs in the canals of Jefferson Chalmers near the Grosse Pointe border. Jer shares a little history and hopes a permanent solution can be found quickly, because being designated a FEMA flood area is bad news. More in-depth reporting here: https://planetdetroit.org/2022/10/city-backs-down-on-plan-to-close-off-canals-in-jefferson-chalmers-fines-and-litigation-may-be-next/

Plus, the Run of the Dead is back in Southwest Detroit! Sign up: https://southwestdetroit.com/2022-run-of-the-dead/

Feedback: https://forms.gle/MnwUf8uJEtpyG9m2 or dailydetroit -at- gmail -dot- com

Devon O'Reilly is in as he is every Friday. But today, a couple of his favorite topics are the focus. St. Patrick's Day in Detroit, the parade, and the upcoming NFL Draft in downtown.

The rundown:

02:07 - All these years the Detroit Shipping company persists and continues to be "a spot."

02:47 - Reminding people to look up the impact of Chef Max Hardy who passed away all too early this week. On Eater: https://detroit.eater.com/2024/3/5/24091053/chef-maxcel-hardy-died-detroit-obituary

03:50 - Talking St. Patrick's Day parade and celebrations with an O'Reilly (and veteran of going down to Corktown for it)

09:24 - St. Patrick's Day food

10:56 - Green Beer: Yay or Nay?

14:43 - Devon's Horseradish bloody mary

16:37 - NFL Draft downtown Detroit map discussion

20:37 - What is Devon most excited about for the Draft

22:33 - Will we catch a Kelce at the draft?

Feedback as always - dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot - com or 313-789-3211

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