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Axios Detroit Thought Bubble

Axios Detroit

👋 We're back with our regularly scheduled public records feature. This week, we're seeking city emails to shed light on mysterious parking tickets issued by one of Detroit's biggest developers.

How it started: Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer wrote in March about a theatergoer who paid $20 for a spot in Olympia Development's parking lot, only to find a $50 ticket on his truck after the show.

Why it matters: The report raised two crucial questions about parking in the city: 

Does a private company — in this case, the Ilitch real estate arm — have authority to issue parking tickets and collect fees?

And did any government official grant that authority to Olympia? 

Driving the news: To find answers, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request on May 13 for six weeks' worth of emails including keywords such as "parking" and "Olympia" for four city officials.

The city responded by saying it would take a whopping $17,664 and two years to get the records. 

How it works: The city is required to either grant or deny requests in up to 15 business days with the required fees, which are reduced if the response is late.

The city's response on June 16 was eight days past due, which means we got a 40% discount — 5% for each day late up to 50%.

Without the discount it would have cost $29,440 for 52,000 pages of emails and attachments.

What's next: We amended our FOIA request and asked for more narrow information about the parking department to reduce cost.

These are now being treated as two new requests, so it could take several more weeks before we hear back from the city.

Of note: An Olympia spokesperson tells Axios the company has "paused" the ticketing practice while it evaluates discouraging unauthorized parking at its lots.

FOIA Friday: Olympia parking maze

Read why the city charged us $29,440 for 52,000 pages of emails related to parking.

Illustration of an unlocked padlock made out of a manila folder.

Public records

👋 We&#x27;re back with our regularly scheduled public records <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="feature" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/06/24/foia-friday-michigan-public-records" data-vars-content-id="03e34adc-583e-496d-ba66-7a2eeac95b2b" data-vars-headline="FOIA Friday: Olympia parking maze" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/06/24/foia-friday-michigan-public-records" target="_self">feature</a>. This week, we&#x27;re seeking city emails to shed light on mysterious parking tickets issued by one of Detroit&#x27;s biggest developers.How it started: Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="wrote" data-vars-click-url="https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-kaffer/2022/03/31/parking-ticket-detroit-ilitch-lca-olympia/7216197001/" data-vars-content-id="03e34adc-583e-496d-ba66-7a2eeac95b2b" data-vars-headline="FOIA Friday: Olympia parking maze" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/columnists/nancy-kaffer/2022/03/31/parking-ticket-detroit-ilitch-lca-olympia/7216197001/" target="_blank">wrote</a> in March about a theatergoer who paid $20 for a spot in Olympia Development&#x27;s parking lot, only to find a $50 ticket on his truck after the show.

News

Five entrepreneurs are competing for $100,000 through Hatch Detroit — and you can help decide who wins.  

What's happening: After being whittled down from 10 semifinalists, Hatch announced the finalists Monday for its annual award to help small businesses open in Detroit, Highland Park or Hamtramck. 

The winner is decided through a public vote and a pitch competition on July 21.

Little Liberia: Afro-fusion restaurant focusing on Liberian cuisine. 

Lily's & Elise: European-style tea lounge on Livernois Avenue. 

Gajiza Dumplins: Dumpling shop with more than 30 flavors.

Detroit Farm and Cider: Farm on the west side aiming to build a cider mill with activities for kids.

Colfetarie: Pastry shop downtown with Romanian desserts.

Flashback: Hatch's funder, Comerica Bank, doubled the grant in 2019 because rising construction and real estate costs made the initial $50,000 prize insufficient.

Past winners include Sister Pie and Live Cycle Delight in West Village, Baobab Fare in New Center and Meta Physica Wellness Center in Corktown. 

💭 Annalise's thought bubble: It's expensive and difficult to open an independent business. Competition winnings offer a boost without the strings of a loan, especially for underserved groups who historically struggle to access capital. 

But they often take a lot of time, energy and money to prepare and apply for. And while there's small-business funding programs around metro Detroit, the landscape is quite fractured and confusing to navigate.  

Vote for entrepreneurs to win $100,000 Hatch Detroit contest

Five local small businesses are competing for the prize.

The five finalists are shown in a photo collage next to their branding. 

From top left, going clockwise: Colfetarie, Detroit Farm and Cider, Gajiza Dumplins, Little Liberia and Lily's & Elise. Photos courtesy of Hatch Detroit

Five entrepreneurs are competing for $100,000 through Hatch Detroit — and you can help decide who wins. What&#x27;s happening: After being whittled down from 10 semifinalists, Hatch announced the finalists Monday for its annual award to help small businesses open in Detroit, Highland Park or Hamtramck.

Business

Abortion rights in Michigan are now in question after today's Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade.

Abortion is legal for now due to an injunction against the state's long-dormant 1931 abortion ban.

Why it matters: Michigan is among several states with pre-Roe abortion bans still on the books, per Axios' Oriana Gonzalez.

And the number of statewide abortions has increased in recent years.

Details: Under the 1931 law, most abortions are illegal and punishable by up to four years in prison. 

There are no exceptions for rape or incest, only to preserve the mother's life. Roe superseded the law, but it never was repealed.

A person who performs an abortion could be charged with a felony, potentially including doctors or women who self-abort either through a procedure or medication. 

State of play: A Court of Claims judge temporarily suspended potential enforcement of the dormant law.

But the Republican-controlled Legislature asked a state judge this month to make the 1931 abortion ban enforceable after the Supreme Court overturns Roe, Bridge Michigan reports.

Between the lines: An abortion ban would especially endanger the lives of Black women in Michigan who are already dealing with across-the-board health care inequities. 

They are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.

Yes, but: Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Attorney General Dana Nessel and other county prosecutors have said they will not enforce the 1931 law. 

Go deeper: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

What the reversal of Roe v. Wade means for Michigan

Under a 1931 law, most abortions are illegal and punishable by up to four years in prison.

Illustration of a caduceus turning into a gavel.

Abortion

Abortion rights in Michigan are now in question after today&#x27;s Supreme Court decision <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="striking down Roe v. Wade" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/24/roe-wade-decision-abortion" data-vars-content-id="50c0fe99-ceb0-4fd5-9560-2af86f82c888" data-vars-headline="What the reversal of Roe v. Wade means for Michigan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/24/roe-wade-decision-abortion" target="_self">striking down Roe v. Wade</a>.<ul><li>Abortion is legal for now due to an injunction against the state&#x27;s long-dormant 1931 abortion ban.</li></ul>

Detroit Metro Airport is having a chaotic summer — and it's likely to get worse.

Driving the news: Delta, which has a major hub at DTW, delayed 19% of flights going through DTW on Monday and 14% on Tuesday, according to flightaware.com.

With the busy holiday weekend approaching, the airline is offering free flight changes because it expects extra "operational challenges," CNBC reports.

And Delta pilot union members are picketing outside airports today, including DTW, to try and speed up contract negotiations, Axios Atlanta's Emma Hurt reports. 

The big picture: U.S. airlines received  billions of dollars in government aid to make sure they were ready for passengers to return to the skies after the pandemic, but demand snapped back too quickly, Axios' Joann Muller reports.

Now, a lack of staff on airplanes and in airports is crunching consumers. 

"With travel back to pre-pandemic levels, (airlines) are at … almost 100% of the flight patterns they were at before, but they have half the staff," Candius Stearns, a travel agent who runs Stay Balanced Travel in Troy, tells Axios. 

Between the lines: Delta saw a wave of early retirements in 2020 that has required a big round of training for new pilots, CEO Edward Herman Bastian said on a June 1 investor call. 

"And that training cycle has probably got another probably good eight, 12 months to go until it really stabilizes," Bastian said.

Zoom in: Stearns' workday reflects new realities in air travel. She says she is spending nearly double the time on customers' trips in some cases, handling logistical difficulties, including long hours on the phone. 

Pro tips: Book flights early, or drive if the destination is up to five hours away, Stearns advises. 

Read the rules on your flight ticket closely and make sure to arrive at DTW early. 

If you don't usually buy travel insurance, this summer is the time to do it. 

Don't take frustrations out on airline employees — they can't fix the global travel economy themselves.  

Don't expect easy air travel from DTW this summer

If you don't usually buy travel insurance, this summer is the time to do it.

Illustration of a travel postcard with an airplane appearing in the text of a scream.

Detroit Metro Airport is having a chaotic summer — and it&#x27;s likely to get worse.Driving the news: Delta, which has a major hub at DTW, delayed 19% of flights going through DTW on Monday and 14% on Tuesday, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="flightaware.com" data-vars-click-url="https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today/KSEA" data-vars-content-id="7dee8f1e-3a53-4193-a57e-b40dfc4a94a7" data-vars-headline="Don&#x27;t expect easy air travel from DTW this summer" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today/KSEA" target="_blank">flightaware.com</a>.

Data: Detroit Community Markets; Chart: Nicki Camberg/Axios

Farmers markets are opening for the season with veggies, fruit and handmade goods. 

Why it matters: Places where you can get fresh, local produce without leaving the city also serve other purposes.

"All of the farmers markets, ultimately, are feeder systems for our local economy," Minya Irby, founder of the Jefferson Chalmers Farmers Market, tells Axios. 

"They help residents test out ideas, test out product concepts and even test out their entrepreneurial skills."

If you go: Open for the season starting Sunday from 2-6pm, the Jefferson Chalmers market also has live music and cooking demonstrations. 

This is the first year customers can pay with their electronic benefits transfer cards through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Irby says. 

Community Markets is tracking all the local farmer's markets. 

Mapping Detroit's farmers market landscape

Farmers markets are opening for the season! Here's a map.

Farmers markets are opening for the season with veggies, fruit and handmade goods. Why it matters: Places where you can get fresh, local produce without leaving the city also serve other purposes.

Annalise Frank

Featured stories

FOIA Friday: Olympia parking maze

Don't expect easy air travel from DTW this summer

Vote for entrepreneurs to win $100,000 Hatch Detroit contest

What the reversal of Roe v. Wade means for Michigan

Mapping Detroit's farmers market landscape