Daily Detroit

I've got a three‑parter for you today!

First, Norris and I headed down to Little Caesars Arena for Big3. It's a three‑on‑three traveling basketball league. We talk about why it might be one of the more accessible ways to see good hoops in town this summer as they're coming back in about a month.

Then, we unpack why Michigan's Attorney General went to court to pause Kalshi's sports contracts here, and what that says about the blurry...

Detroit Future City CEO Anika Goss joins me to dig into a recent report on career-connected learning and the future of work for young Detroiters.

"Career-Connected Learning: Investing in Detroit's Future Talent," is grounded in the perspectives of almost 200 Detroit youth, along with input from parents, practitioners, employers, and policy makers around where things are working and where improvements need to be made in setting out ...

On today's Daily Detroit, we start with why District Detroit still looks like a sea of parking lots instead of the neighborhoods we were promised — and why that matters for the city's "front lawn" everyone in Michigan sees.

We talk about our thoughts on this article in the Freep: https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2026/06/25/district-detroit-construction-slow-pace/90594507007/

Then we dig into the Democratic U.S....

On today's Daily Detroit, we're doing a listener "office hours" — answering your questions about life in the city, from fireworks and politics to the World Cup and where to get a proper Detroit style pie.

The Rundown:

00:38 Where Norris has been: Tigris
03:56 Why are no parks open along the riverfront when for the Ford Fireworks?
08:03 Norris and Jer's most surprising personal political takes
14:...

I'm joined by Khalilah Burt Gaston of the Song Foundation to talk about who actually builds a tech economy — and why it's often the "geeks, freaks, and weirdos" who drive the biggest change.

We get into the recent Tech for Tomorrow report, what it would take to add 20,000 tech and innovation jobs for Detroiters and $6.3 billion in wages, and how cities like Indianapolis and Columbus are pulling ahead of Detroit, Metro Detroi...

On today's Daily Detroit, Devon O'Reilly is back at the table after a family vacation in South Haven, so we start with some "Pure Michigan" talk about why that beach town has become a go‑to spot.

Back in Detroit, I share a new Ca...

On this episode of Daily Detroit, I sit down with returning guest Dr. Paul Thomas, CEO and founder of Plum Health Direct Primary Care, to talk about The Real Cost of Healthcare for Michigan Families (And How We Might Fix It).

On today's Daily Detroit, we start with big news for Detroit City FC fans and the future of Corktown.

Jer and Norris recap their visit to the new Detroit City FC welcome center on Vernor and break down fresh details on AlumiFi Field, the club's planned new stadium next to Michigan Central.

The opening date has officially slid to the 2028 season, and the guys explain why that's actually a smarter move given the complexity o...

In Metro Detroit, it's not enough to talk about transit plans. There are tons of ideas out there. It's about action.

I sat down with SMART General Manager and CEO Tiffany J. Gunter to dig into what it really takes to run a 2,000‑...

Detroit's drink is turning 160, and there's a big Vernors party in Eastern Market to celebrate. Today, Jer heads into one of the largest Vernors collections anywhere with Keith Wunderlich, founder of the Vernors Club, to talk about how a Civil War–era pharmacy experiment became a Detroit icon.

We get into the history behind "Detroit's Drink," from the original Woodward bottling plant to the family business days and beyond, an...

Detroit's only PGA Tour stop is ending, a landmark Detroit high school is coming down, and the Detroit River is getting a major cleanup — plus, we ask the question: Would you actually swim in it?

In this episode, we break down the coming opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge and why its freeway connections and pedestrian path matter for trade, traffic, and everyday Detroiters. 

We get into Roc...

Airbnb is betting on Detroit as a destination — and the numbers back it up. On today's Daily Detroit, I'm at the Grand Hotel talking with Vince Frillici, Airbnb's policy lead for the Great Lakes, about how short-term rentals are reshaping travel in the city and across Michigan.

We dig into the data: about 700 Detroiters hosting on any given day and just under 150,000 guests who stayed in Detroit Airbnbs last year, with nearly...

Did you know Metrop Detroit now has five innovation districts?

MICHauto executive director (and new Southwest Detroit pub co‑owner) Glenn Stevens joined us to talk about why Michigan needs a 'moonshot' for innovation.

Plus, we get into why he's personally excited about helping open the Regal Eagle, a soccer bar in the shadow of Michigan Central and the new stadium. 

They get into what the next governor's roadmap should look li...

Busy episode today on your Daily Detroit. Here's your rundown of nine stories we talk about today with timestamps:

0:55 - The new New High Société restaurant in Dearborn

05:08 - Revisiting Republica in Berkley

06:18 - Is there a law of diminishing returns on a burger?

08:04 - Wright & Co in downtown Detroit is part of a big trend of restaurants switching to private event venues

12:11 - Atwater is back under local ownership ...

Three stories we talk about today on your Daily Detroit, finished as finalist in Hour Detroit's Best of Detroit (thank you!)

Detroit's beloved Dutch Girl Donuts is back in the headlines, and we start today's episode with the sweet news: a free donut sneak peek of their new East Grand Boulevard location this Friday morning. We talk through what the second shop means for the growing Milwaukee Junction / New Center corridor that's pic...

Detroit sits under two major migratory flyways, making it one of the best places in North America to see birds on the move. Gretchen Abrams from the Detroit Bird Alliance joins us to preview the first Pheasant Flock Party coming up this weekend, talk spark birds (the birds that first get you into birding), and share how vacant lots turned meadows are helping wildlife across the city.

Daily Detroit is on the porch at the Mackinac Policy Conference, and Jer and Devon have a wide‑ranging conversation about Michigan's political future and Detroit's urgency problem.

From Governor Gretchen Whitmer's emphatic "no" on a presidential run to the very real possibility she ends up as the top choice for vice president, they unpack what her popularity says about the broader electoral landscape and 2024's lessons for Democrat...

Today we talk about how Michigan slipped from a top‑tier state into the bottom 10 on key measures like education, income and population — and why acknowledging the crisis is the first step to fixing it. 

Today's conversation is ...

Transit in Metro Detroit is at an inflection point.

We talk with Transportation Riders United executive director Megan Owens about the new Wayne County‑wide transit millage, what an extra eight bucks a month could unlock, and how our region invests less in buses than almost any big metro in America.

The vote is crucial for the future of transit as it would finally opt-in all communites in Wayne County to transit, similar to how mos...