Axios Detroit

September 28, 2022
π₯ It's Wednesday β the Red Wings return to Little Caesars Arena tonight for their first preseason matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.
β Today's weather: Partly sunny, with a high of 59.
Today's newsletter is 904 words β a 3.5-minute read. Edited by Everett Cook and copy edited by Joyce Laskowski.
1 big thing: ShotSpotter vote delayed β again
Detroit City Council debates ShotSpotter contracts yesterday. Samuel Robinson/Axios
City Council delayed a vote on a controversial gunshot surveillance tool for the second straight week.
Driving the news: Council decided against voting on the $7 million expansion of ShotSpotter yesterday after Council President Mary Sheffield suggested the city should explore alternative funding sources.
- City council did approve 6-3 a $1.5 million renewal in the areas where ShotSpotter is currently being used, including the eight and ninth police precincts.
- Council members Mary Waters, Gabriela Santiago-Romero and Angela Whitfield-Calloway voted against the contract, as well as against pushing back the vote.
What's happening: Sheffield and Pro Tem James Tate said they would support expanding ShotSpotter if the $7 million weren't coming from American Rescue Plan funding meant for pandemic relief.
- Sheffield floated an unnamed alternative funding source that she said is currently being explored.
What they're saying: "I don't believe in this false narrative where there has to be a situation where we support social services over policing," Tate said. "I believe we have to do both."
- Whitfield-Calloway said she would vote no regardless of where the money came from, echoing the vocal opposition to a police tool that advocates say doesn't work.
Between the lines: Council member Coleman Young II criticized his colleagues for their willingness to push off voting, especially because of how many people showed up to have their voices heard yesterday morning.
- "It's wrong for us to have these debates and have these discussions and have folks come down here and have them take time out of their lives on this serious issue," Young said.
- Dozens of people filled the lobby after the council chamber had reached capacity. Many were upset they couldn't hear what was being said until staff produced a speaker to play alongside video of the meeting.
- "Council member Young is saying 'We don't want to keep people waiting or in suspense' but that's exactly what you're doing by postponing this vote and not reappropriating those funds," Kamau Clark, an activist with We the People Michigan, tells Axios. Clark, who opposes ShotSpotter, said Young and the rest of the council's decision to delay was disappointing.
π Sam's thought bubble: Yesterday was a perfect example of why returning to the much larger Erma L. Henderson Auditorium for formal sessions needs to be a priority for City Council.
- The public showed up and were shut out β arguably a violation of the state's Open Meetings Act.
2. Electrified road coming to Detroit
Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
A road that charges electric vehicles without them needing to be plugged in is expected to open later this year.
How it works: Rubber-covered copper coils installed under a road's surface can charge electric vehicles as they drive.
Why it matters: The project, which officials hope will result in a national deployment of EV-charging roads, helps put Detroit at the forefront of EV infrastructure development.
- In-road charging networks could be designed so electric public transit or delivery vehicles can save money by reducing charging times.
- Such cost-saving potential could lead to faster EV adoption.
Driving the news: The state entered a five-year agreement last week with Electreon, a publicly traded Israeli company, to further develop and deploy electrified roads.
Between the lines: The agreement builds on the Detroit pilot project β a one-mile stretch of road in Corktown β that will help understand how best to use EV-charging roads.
- The exact location of the project isn't public yet. It will be integrated into the mobility campus under development at the Michigan Central train depot.
What they're saying: "This is what Detroit's been doing for centuries, from three-colored traffic lights to paved roads," Michigan chief mobility officer Trevor Pawl tells Axios. "Michigan β and specifically Detroit β has an obligation, not just an opportunity, to lead the world in what the roads of the future look like, what the cities of the future look like, really."
3. The Grapevine: You heard it here
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
π» After backlash, General Motors is pushing back a new policy making corporate employees return to the office three days a week. The company now says it won't require the return-to-work any sooner than next year. (CNBC)
π± The infamous Eloise Asylum in Westland is being run as a haunted Halloween attraction for a second year, with expanded offerings. The attraction takes "inspiration from psychological and horror films that will make visitors feel like they are being brainwashed." (Metro Times)
π° An entity tied to Detroit developer The Platform received more public financing for its plan to redevelop a building next to the former Ford Piquette Avenue Plant into more than 160 apartments. (Crain's Detroit Business)
πΌ A new series highlights how people can activate vacant lots to benefit their community. First up is Mama Shu's Avalon Village, with a park, children's space and more in Highland Park. (Planet Detroit)
Plan your future
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4. Your favorite diners
The Western omelette with a side of toast ($8.50) from Nick's Grecian House. Photo: Everett Cook/Axios
π Hi, Everett here. Last week I confessed love for Nick's Grecian House, my new favorite diner.
π I also asked for your favorites and, as always, you delivered.
Paul M.: My favorite neighborhood diner is House of Pancakes on Hayes in Clinton Township. Great food, good people and excellent prices. You would love it!
Kathleen Suydam: Just had to let you know of our favorite neighborhood diner in Saint Clair Shores ... Palmers Inn.
Anita Land: If you're looking for a new iced coffee spot, travel west further on 11 mile past Coolidge and there's a new spot I tried this weekend called Berkley Coffee. All sorts of options!
Go deeper for all your responses, including Anita's amazing Nick's anecdote
Editor's note: Last weekβs story on monkeypox cases was corrected to note Claudia Richardson is the cityβs medical director, not deputy director of public health.
Our picks:
π Joe is warming up to "House of the Dragon" after a shaky first couple of episodes. Definitely worth a watch for any "Game of Thrones" fan.
π« Annalise is entering hot tea season.
π§Ύ Sam isn't afraid to admit he's been bingeing First Amendment audit videos that have randomly appeared on Facebook since last week.
π Everett is hoping his momma had a great birthday!
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