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It's looking like the perfect weekend to spend outdoors.

🎨 Funky Ferndale Art Fair: More than 140 artists and authors  fill the streets in Ferndale this weekend.

Open Friday from 3-7:30pm, Saturday 10am-7:30pm and Sunday 11am-6pm. West of Woodward on Nine Mile, Troy and Allen Streets.

🏞️ Detroit Land Lab: This session is dedicated to educating and empowering residents interested in land stewardship, preservation and the beautification of the city's vacant land.

Presented by Detroit Vacant Land CDC at the Haus of Imagination & Gardens, 3333 Heidelberg St., on Saturday from 11am-2pm.

A vacant lot transformation bus tour leaves at 2:30pm.

⚡️ Detroit Auto Show: EV fans can expect to see the Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally and other brands including Tesla, Lucid and Rivian at this year's no-frills event.

General-admission tickets to the show, which wraps up on Sunday, start at $20.

Things to do in Detroit this weekend

It's looking like the perfect one to spend outdoors.

The city skyline from above the Russell Industrial Center. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios

It&#x27;s looking like the perfect weekend to spend outdoors.<ul><li>Here are some options:</li></ul>

Things to Do

Data: U.S. Census; Chart: Alice Feng/Axios

The median age of people living in Michigan rose from 36.9 in 2005 to 40.3 in 2022, data released last week by the Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows.

Why it matters: Local researchers have been warning lawmakers that aging populations can have huge implications on the state's future tax base and workforce.

Zoom out: Michigan and Wisconsin (40.4) have the oldest residents in the Midwest — Ohio (39.9), Illinois (39) and Indiana (38.2).

Michigan is among 17 states with a median age above 40, and no states experienced a decrease in median age.

The Detroit/Warren/Dearborn area's median age is 40.1 years, up from 35.5 in 2000, according to the most recent census data.

Zoom in: About 14% of Detroiters are older than 65. People in that age group make up 22% of Highland Park residents, 12.5% of Dearborn residents and 21.3% of Grosse Pointe residents.

That demographic decreases in many college towns like Allendale (5%) or East Lansing (8.9%).

What they're saying: "Michigan is demographically a very baby boomer-heavy state. That's a high concentration of our population and those people are aging out of the workforce, and that's trouble," Ani Turner of Altarum, a research organization that released several reports forecasting Michigan's future this year, tells Axios.

"I don't understand why it is that Michigan can't attract young educated or young people, period," Kurt Metzger, the former director of Data Driven Detroit who previously worked in the U.S. Census Bureau, tells Axios. "We need to change the age distribution so we have more people in the younger working years, and we need that desperately — we've bottomed out in the core working age group."

Catch up quick: Michigan's leaders have been thinking of ways to grow the state's lagging population compared with the rest of the country. From 2000 to 2020, only West Virginia grew slower than Michigan.

This summer, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed a first-of-its kind population czar and announced the creation of a bipartisan commission to identify a population target for 2050.

Yes, but: She's received criticism for failing to appoint more than one person younger than 40 to the committee tasked with retaining young people.

The latest: The governor's office is standing by John Rakolta Jr., the Republican co-chair leading the council.

A Detroit News investigation found that Rakolta, also the chair of his family's construction company, used his connections to win a no-bid $178 million contract to prep a factory site in the Marshall area with little oversight.

Census data: Michigan is getting older

The median age of people living in Michigan rose from 36.9 in 2005 to 40.3 in 2022.

The median age of people living in Michigan rose from 36.9 in 2005 to 40.3 in 2022, data released last week by the Census Bureau&#x27;s American Community Survey <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shows" data-vars-click-url="https://data.census.gov/profile/Michigan?g=040XX00US26#populations-and-people" data-vars-content-id="67b31b14-c0e9-469e-a7c4-99913b99d172" data-vars-headline="Census data: Michigan is getting older" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://data.census.gov/profile/Michigan?g=040XX00US26#populations-and-people" target="_blank">shows</a>.Why it matters: Local researchers <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="have been warning lawmakers" data-vars-click-url="https://crcmich.org/publications/prosperous-future" data-vars-content-id="67b31b14-c0e9-469e-a7c4-99913b99d172" data-vars-headline="Census data: Michigan is getting older" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://crcmich.org/publications/prosperous-future" target="_blank">have been warning lawmakers</a> that aging populations can have huge implications on the state&#x27;s future tax base and workforce.

News

Politics

👋🏼 Hey! Sam here. Last week at Eastern Market, I stopped by Berry & Sons Islamic Slaughter House with my neighbor, who insisted I experience a halal butcher shop for the first time.

How it works: After walking in and making a sharp left to enter the refrigerator where all the action happens, a worker asks what you want.

I looked up at the chart showing basic cuts — loin, shank, full racks for lamb chops — before settling on three thick ribeye steaks ($31).

You can tell the butcher how thick and how many slices of meat, and how much fat and marble you want on your cuts.

My neighbor purchased 12 lamb chops and four steaks for around $80.

If you go: Open daily from 6am-3pm. Closed Sunday.

My first time inside a Detroit halal butcher shop

Berry & Sons' meat fridge isn't for the faint of heart.

Berry & Sons' meat fridge isn't for the faint of heart. Blood is pooled underneath the cutting boards and beef grinders while animal carcasses hang from the ceiling. This is my neighbor haggling with the butcher. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios

👋🏼 Hey! Sam here. Last week at Eastern Market, I stopped by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Berry &amp; Sons Islamic Slaughter House" data-vars-click-url="https://easternmarket.org/district/berry-sons-islamic" data-vars-content-id="72eb52ad-0504-41d1-9a2c-5246ed909fb6" data-vars-headline="My first time inside a Detroit halal butcher shop" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://easternmarket.org/district/berry-sons-islamic" target="_blank">Berry &amp; Sons Islamic Slaughter House</a> with my neighbor, who insisted I experience a halal butcher shop for the first time.How it works: After walking in and making a sharp left to enter the refrigerator where all the action happens, a worker asks what you want.

Food and Drink

During the first-ever pitch of his Land Value Tax plan at the Mackinac Policy Conference this summer, Mayor Mike Duggan said Detroit has 53 grocery stores, 16 hardware stores, two movie theaters and 454 auto and scrap yards.

The figures turned heads and left many wondering where those numbers came from — so we asked.

Why it matters: They weren't easy to find. Information on the city's website is often not readily available, even when it is used to justify new policy.

The information isn't available on the city's open data portal, and the data a spokesperson made available to us after a public records request included an estimate that up to 50% of used-car lot businesses identified in the presentation are no longer operating.

Catch up quick: Duggan issued a moratorium in 2019 that stopped applications for an array of businesses like used tire storage and sales, used auto sales, scrap iron, junk dealers and other auto repair.

What they're saying: "[Duggan] never said 452 scrapyards, but that's how some took it," John Roach, the mayor's spokesperson, tells Axios.

In his presentation, Duggan referenced auto and scrap yards in the same category.

In a BSEED memo Roach shared with Axios, the city lists 920 repair shops, 372 used-car lots and 122 scrapyards — way more than identified in the mayor's presentation.

Meanwhile, other figures shared during the presentation earlier this year remain disputed — food advocates say there are more than 53 grocery stores, and the city hasn't clarified what it counts as a movie theater.

The Michigan Science Center did screen "Oppenheimer," but most would consider 8 Mile's Bel Air Luxury Cinema as the only proper movie theater within city limits.

The bottom line: Data referenced by the city should be readily available on its open data portal "in the same way that meeting minutes could be checked for accountability and transparency," writes Alex Hill of Detroitography, who published findings last month after conducting his own search for the source of the scrap lot figure.

Worthy of your time: Read Hill's full account of trying to figure out where the mayor's figures came from.

FOIA Friday: How many scrapyards?

The mayor said Detroit has 452 auto and scrap yards — we take a closer look.

Mayor Duggan showed stats on Detroit businesses as he revealed a sweeping new tax proposal during his keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, May 31. 

Mayor Mike Duggan showed stats on Detroit businesses as he revealed a sweeping new tax proposal during his keynote address at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Image: Courtesy the City of Detroit/YouTube

During the first-ever pitch of his Land Value Tax plan at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mackinac Policy Conference" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2023/06/01/duggan-tax-reform-speculators-parking-lot-detroit" data-vars-content-id="c5a5edd5-72a3-496b-b032-38f695953976" data-vars-headline="FOIA Friday: How many scrapyards?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2023/06/01/duggan-tax-reform-speculators-parking-lot-detroit" target="_self">Mackinac Policy Conference</a> this summer, Mayor Mike Duggan said Detroit has 53 grocery stores, 16 hardware stores, two movie theaters and 454 auto and scrap yards.<ul><li>The figures turned heads and left <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="many wondering" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/samueljrob/status/1664013244367884290?s=20" data-vars-content-id="c5a5edd5-72a3-496b-b032-38f695953976" data-vars-headline="FOIA Friday: How many scrapyards?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/samueljrob/status/1664013244367884290?s=20" target="_blank">many wondering</a> where those numbers came from — so we asked.</li></ul>

UAW president Shawn Fain has new demands as the historic auto workers strike continues to play out.

Driving the news: The firebrand leader announced a new strike deadline of Friday at noon.

If Ford, General Motors or Stellantis have not made substantial progress toward a fair agreement by then, Fain says the United Auto Workers will call on more members to join the strike.

Why it matters: The number of union workers who strike will determine how much of an impact it has on the overall economy.

So far only select locals in Michigan, Ohio and Missouri have been called on to strike.

Catch up quick: The UAW launched the strike against the Detroit Three last week after negotiators failed to reach a deal for a new contract over the summer.

Those automakers collectively have about 150,000 UAW-represented employees at dozens of factories across the United States.

The latest: Former President Trump is expected to visit Michigan next week to give a speech to union members.

The 2024 GOP front-runner will give a prime-time speech on Sept. 27 instead of attending the second Republican primary debate in an attempt to get the votes of auto workers.

What they're saying: "Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers," Fain said in a statement.

Trump criticized Fain last week, telling NBC News that union members are "being sold down the river" by their recently elected president.

Zoom in: "We want everyone to have a livable wage and a happier life — we deserve it," UAW Local 900 member Charles Wade, who's worked at Ford's Michigan Assembly plant for 25 years, told Axios from the picket line last week.

Meanwhile, Democratic leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) made visits to Michigan last week to rally with workers.

Fetterman met with UAW members on the picket line while Sanders spoke downtown Friday as executives in black ties and ball gowns entered the Huntington Place for the Detroit Auto Show gala.

Fain sets deadline for more UAW strikes, bashes Trump ahead of visit

The firebrand leader announced a new strike deadline of Friday at noon.

Striking workers stand outside Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant on Friday, Sept. 15. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios

UAW president Shawn Fain has new demands as the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="historic auto workers strike" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/15/uaw-strike-united-auto-workers-union-detroit-three" data-vars-content-id="d9092b13-58f5-40d6-84e5-f4d9c9a13bfb" data-vars-headline="Fain sets deadline for more UAW strikes, bashes Trump ahead of visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/09/15/uaw-strike-united-auto-workers-union-detroit-three" target="_self">historic auto workers strike</a> continues to play out.Driving the news: The firebrand leader <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="announced a new strike deadline" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvhmqJgXOf0" data-vars-content-id="d9092b13-58f5-40d6-84e5-f4d9c9a13bfb" data-vars-headline="Fain sets deadline for more UAW strikes, bashes Trump ahead of visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvhmqJgXOf0" target="_blank">announced a new strike deadline</a> of Friday at noon.

Samuel Robinson

Featured stories

Things to do in Detroit this weekend

FOIA Friday: How many scrapyards?

Census data: Michigan is getting older

My first time inside a Detroit halal butcher shop

Fain sets deadline for more UAW strikes, bashes Trump ahead of visit