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Vacant Birmingham gas station site gets $8M makeover

A long-vacant property will become InvestWise Financial's new headquarters.

Business

A long-vacant former gas station site at Woodward and Quarton in Birmingham is getting an $8 million makeover to become a local company&#x27;s headquarters.Why it matters: The highly visible property near Birmingham&#x27;s border with Bloomfield Hills has sat undeveloped for decades, in part because of the cost and complexity of cleaning up the site.

Things to do this weekend in Metro Detroit: Sept. 11-13

Dally in the Alley, the Old Car Festival and more.

Things to Do

🚗 Cars made between 1890 and 1932 will be on display for the 75th year at The Henry Ford museum for its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old Car Festival" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/things-to-do/calendar/old-car-festival" data-vars-content-id="83768af3-8d3e-40bd-863a-ce16c7aa60f6" data-vars-headline="Things to do this weekend in Metro Detroit: Sept. 11-13" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/things-to-do/calendar/old-car-festival" target="_blank">Old Car Festival</a>, 9:30am-5pm Saturday and Sunday.<ul><li>Included with Greenfield Village <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="admission" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/plan-your-visit/admission" data-vars-content-id="83768af3-8d3e-40bd-863a-ce16c7aa60f6" data-vars-headline="Things to do this weekend in Metro Detroit: Sept. 11-13" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/plan-your-visit/admission" target="_blank">admission</a>: $39 daily pass online.</li></ul>

Michigan braces for fall tick surge

Blacklegged ticks enter another peak activity period this fall.

News

This year&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tick season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/05/01/be-prepared-this-tick-season-in-michigan" data-vars-content-id="0659705a-5aba-4497-a19a-effebacf0520" data-vars-headline="Michigan braces for fall tick surge" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/05/01/be-prepared-this-tick-season-in-michigan" target="_self">tick season</a> has been a doozy — and another surge is coming in the fall.Why it matters: Tick bites can pose serious health risks, transmitting pathogens that cause illnesses including <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lyme disease" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/lyme-disease-symptoms-treatment" data-vars-content-id="0659705a-5aba-4497-a19a-effebacf0520" data-vars-headline="Michigan braces for fall tick surge" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/lyme-disease-symptoms-treatment" target="_self">Lyme disease</a> and triggering <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="alpha-gal syndrome" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/31/alpha-gal-ags-tick-meat-allergy-cases" data-vars-content-id="0659705a-5aba-4497-a19a-effebacf0520" data-vars-headline="Michigan braces for fall tick surge" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/07/31/alpha-gal-ags-tick-meat-allergy-cases" target="_self">alpha-gal syndrome</a>, an allergy to red meat.

Rocket extends Lions deal for five years

The new five-year deal adds fan content and a charitable tie-in.

Rocket is extending its longtime sponsorship of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/05/15/lions-slate-revealed" data-vars-content-id="bb963aa5-b2bc-49ea-9d02-1d3633dc15cb" data-vars-headline="Rocket extends Lions deal for five years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/05/15/lions-slate-revealed" target="_self">Lions</a> for another five years, with a bigger focus on engaging fans beyond traditional sports advertising.Why it matters: As the Lions&#x27; fortunes have risen, so has competition among companies seeking to associate themselves with one of Detroit&#x27;s most prominent brands.

A historic hospital's legacy for Black health care

Detroit's former Dunbar Memorial Hospital was founded to tackle gaps in medial care amid the Great Migration.

History

Black doctors founded Dunbar Memorial Hospital in the late 1910s to tackle a glaring gap in medical care amid the Great Migration.Why it matters: The building, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="designated as a historic site" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nps.gov/places/dunbar-hospital.htm" data-vars-content-id="cb066313-9784-4ef4-9e08-924808fb2027" data-vars-headline="A historic hospital&#x27;s legacy for Black health care" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nps.gov/places/dunbar-hospital.htm" target="_blank">designated as a historic site</a> near Detroit&#x27;s cultural center, is a physical reminder of how Black physicians built their own institutions to provide health care when patients were shut out of traditional care.

Detroit's century-old brick sewers endure

Ornate brick sewers that go back to the mid-1900s have lasted underground.

Some of Detroit&#x27;s most impressive brickwork isn&#x27;t holding up a historic building, but is buried beneath our feet and still carrying sewage today.Why it matters: Detroit&#x27;s mid-19th-century leaders invested in sewer infrastructure that today&#x27;s city officials believe could last another hundred years.

Readers say Vernors belongs in Michigan's time capsule

We asked for suggestions to improve Michigan's contributions to the America250 capsule.

America&#x27;s 250th anniversary celebration includes a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new time capsule with artifacts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/06/29/michigan-america-250-time-capsule" data-vars-content-id="eff8301e-23bb-47e4-a127-67f595486d9a" data-vars-headline="Readers say Vernors belongs in Michigan&#x27;s time capsule" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/06/29/michigan-america-250-time-capsule" target="_self">new time capsule with artifacts</a> from all 56 states and territories, and our readers say Vernors should have made it in.Driving the news: We asked for suggestions to improve Michigan&#x27;s contributions: a decorative dollar piece featuring an old automotive assembly line, a Petoskey stone and a chunk of copper representing our mining history and Indigenous culture.

What Michigan put in the America250 time capsule

It will remain sealed until America's 500th birthday in 2276.

America&#x27;s Time Capsule is chock full of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="historic items" data-vars-click-url="https://america250.org/time-capsule/contents/" data-vars-content-id="6adcd36a-dd9e-4aa2-834b-644818f118c8" data-vars-headline="What Michigan put in the America250 time capsule" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://america250.org/time-capsule/contents/" target="_blank">historic items</a>, and Michigan&#x27;s contribution might just date back the furthest of any state.The big picture: The 900-pound steel capsule is part of the country&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="250th anniversary celebration" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/06/03/america-250-freedom-250-national-mall-white-house-drama" data-vars-content-id="6adcd36a-dd9e-4aa2-834b-644818f118c8" data-vars-headline="What Michigan put in the America250 time capsule" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/06/03/america-250-freedom-250-national-mall-white-house-drama" target="_self">250th anniversary celebration</a> and includes artifacts from the federal government, plus all 56 states and territories.

Podcast explores Detroit's history of Black Catholic activism

The series delves into faith, civil rights and widespread church closures.

Religion

A local journalist&#x27;s new longform podcast examines Detroit&#x27;s history as a proving ground for the influential Black Catholic movement.Why it matters: This little-known civil rights story details the Black Catholic community&#x27;s fight to preserve its churches and identity, while involving broader Detroit trends of white flight and deindustrialization.

Vernors fans get a fizzy celebration

The free event brings back vintage ads, ice cream and the Vernors Gnome.

Culture

Detroit&#x27;s own ginger ale, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Vernors" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/08/11/trying-vernors-michigan" data-vars-content-id="fd2779e1-c237-4207-971c-c00873c48142" data-vars-headline="Vernors fans get a fizzy celebration" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2022/08/11/trying-vernors-michigan" target="_self">Vernors</a>, is celebrating its 160th anniversary with a daylong party Sunday at Eastern Market.Why it matters: Like <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Better Made" data-vars-click-url="https://bettermade.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqFKojepfv1ohEcn1GYAm5ToNhYzUd159bDbAQfwFIpx2RYfJlx" data-vars-content-id="fd2779e1-c237-4207-971c-c00873c48142" data-vars-headline="Vernors fans get a fizzy celebration" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bettermade.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqFKojepfv1ohEcn1GYAm5ToNhYzUd159bDbAQfwFIpx2RYfJlx" target="_blank">Better Made</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Faygo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.faygo.com/" data-vars-content-id="fd2779e1-c237-4207-971c-c00873c48142" data-vars-headline="Vernors fans get a fizzy celebration" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.faygo.com/" target="_blank">Faygo</a>, Vernors is a local brand woven into the city&#x27;s identity across generations.

"Michael" biopic highlights Motown Records

The film, while flawed, showcases Michael Jackson's Motown music roots.

For all its flaws, the new movie &quot;Michael&quot; does a good job highlighting the King of Pop&#x27;s ascension to superstardom, which begins with Detroit&#x27;s legendary Motown Records, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios Cleveland" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/04/21/michael-jackson-movie-review" data-vars-content-id="23740493-4a27-4e2c-b923-390e6842970e" data-vars-headline="&quot;Michael&quot; biopic highlights Motown Records" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2026/04/21/michael-jackson-movie-review" target="_self">Axios Cleveland</a> music reporter Troy Smith writes.The intrigue: The Jackson 5&#x27;s breakthrough moment comes during a scene revisiting the July 12, 1968, show at Chicago&#x27;s Regal Theater that caught the attention of Motown Records creative assistant Suzanne de Passe.

A pit stop at Michigan's oldest bar, the New Hudson Inn

The New Hudson Inn is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad.

The divey New Hudson Inn in western Oakland County claims to be the oldest bar in the state, and it&#x27;s worth a visit for history buffs.The big picture: The neighborhood spot with a rich history dating <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="back to 1831" data-vars-click-url="https://www.newhudsoninn1831.com/" data-vars-content-id="ffef79f5-efbe-4a09-9d0f-322c380ecbd4" data-vars-headline="A pit stop at Michigan&#x27;s oldest bar, the New Hudson Inn" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.newhudsoninn1831.com/" target="_blank">back to 1831</a> is known for its burgers, jovial atmosphere and popularity with the biker crowd.

Chávez abuse investigation tapped Wayne State archive

A Detroit archive holds records tied to new allegations involving César Chávez.

A key document in the New York Times&#x27; investigation into sexual abuse allegations involving <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="César Chávez" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2026/03/18/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations" data-vars-content-id="5544e31c-aeb4-47bf-8570-0617c93e6bb0" data-vars-headline="Chávez abuse investigation tapped Wayne State archive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2026/03/18/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations" target="_self">César Chávez</a> was found not in California, where he led the United Farm Workers, but in Detroit.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Times&#x27; investigation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UVA.fWbt.UG-G6Ic2Ks-Y&amp;smid=url-share" data-vars-content-id="5544e31c-aeb4-47bf-8570-0617c93e6bb0" data-vars-headline="Chávez abuse investigation tapped Wayne State archive" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/us/cesar-chavez-sexual-abuse-allegations-ufw.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UVA.fWbt.UG-G6Ic2Ks-Y&amp;smid=url-share" target="_blank">The Times&#x27; investigation</a>, published Wednesday, is prompting a reassessment of Chávez&#x27;s legacy.

Black History Month weekend events in Metro Detroit

Museums and libraries host performances, talks and workshops across the region.

Black History Month closes with a weekend of cultural events across Detroit and Metro Detroit.<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Wright Museum of African American History" data-vars-click-url="https://www.thewright.org/events/wright-performances-just-and-blind" data-vars-content-id="fb0ec13a-5d7b-4926-a881-ababece8d818" data-vars-headline="Black History Month weekend events in Metro Detroit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.thewright.org/events/wright-performances-just-and-blind" target="_blank">The Wright Museum of African American History</a>: Check out The Just and the Blind, a multimedia performance exploring racial profiling and the prison-industrial complex.