Axios Detroit

February 15, 2023
π Thanks for starting your Wednesday with us.
π¦ Today's weather: A chance of rain, but becoming sunny, with a high of 58.
Today's newsletter is 878 words β a 3.5-minute read. Edited by Everett Cook and copy edited by Joyce Laskowski.
1 big thing: MSU shooting victims from Metro Detroit
MSU students hug during an active shooter situation Monday. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
The MSU community is grieving while piecing together circumstances of the mass shooting on campus that left three students dead and five injured.
The latest: All three students were from Metro Detroit.
- Sophomore Brian Fraser played lacrosse at Grosse Pointe South High School, the Detroit News reports.
- Junior Alexandria Verner was a 2020 Clawson High School graduate.
- Sophomore Arielle Anderson of Harper Woods graduated from Grosse Pointe North High School and wanted to be a pediatric doctor, according to the Free Press.
- The five injured students remained hospitalized yesterday.
What happened: Police got the first call about the Berkey Hall shooting shortly before 8:30pm Monday. While police arrived, more reports came in about shots fired at the nearby MSU Union.
- The shooting terrorized campus for hours as students were told to shelter in place until 1am.
- The Landshark Bar & Grill locked down after news of the shooting spread. Trivia night bar service was switched to water, coffee and snacks and the TVs went from sports to the local news, the Free Press reports.
- Police found the suspected shooter β Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43 β about 11:35pm Monday in Lansing based on a caller's tip. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say.
Between the lines: Police are interviewing witnesses and investigating McRae's background.
- He was arrested in Lansing on a gun-related charge in 2019, the Free Press reports, but police say he has no ties to MSU.
What they're saying: "We have absolutely no idea what the motive was at this point," Chris Rozman, an interim deputy chief of the campus police, said at a news conference yesterday.
State of play: MSU classes have been canceled for the rest of the week and are scheduled to resume Monday.
- The men's basketball game scheduled for tonight at the Breslin Center is postponed.
What's next: Democratic lawmakers said yesterday there's finally hope the Legislature will act on bills to curb gun violence under the slim Democratic majority.
- Gov. Whitmer has urged lawmakers to pass universal background checks, safe storage policies and so-called red flag laws allowing a judge to issue an extreme risk protection order.
2. π« We're taking off on time (usually)

Detroit Metro Airport saw 86% of its flights depart on time in November 2022, according to the latest Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.
- That's slightly over the national rate of 81%.
The big picture: At the national level, airlines performed admirably throughout the fall of 2022, with on-time departure rates at or above 80% between September and November.
- That's up significantly from last summer, when staff shortages and foul weather combined to muck up the complex, interconnected web that is the air travel system.
Zoom in: Across the 28 cities with Axios Local newsrooms, the Washington, D.C., area's Dulles International Airport had the best on-time performance in November 2022, at 88%.
- Denver β where brutal storms tend to snarl wintertime operations β had the lowest, at 76%.
Yes, but: This dataset doesn't include last December's meltdown at Southwest Airlines, which led to thousands of cancellations and delays at that particular carrier nationwide.
Be smart: Because airlines' systems and routes are so interconnected, problems at one airport or in one region tend to cascade across the country.
What we're watching: Getting to those hopefully-on-time flights may be a bit easier without a car soon β an express shuttle between DTW and downtown is expected to start late this year or early next, the Free Press reports.
3. Mobility lab set for spring opening
Inside Detroitβs restored Book Depository building, part of Michigan Central, a hub for transportation innovation. Photos courtesy of Newlab
A new innovation lab dedicated to helping with pressing transportation problems is opening soon β the first phase of Ford's ambitious Michigan Central research hub in Corktown, Axios What's Next's Joann Muller reports.
Why it matters: Ford says the driving principle behind Michigan Central is that improved transportation leads to better economic mobility for society β equitable access to jobs, health care, education and more.
Driving the news: Newlab, an inventor community launched in New York's Brooklyn Navy Yard, is partnering with Michigan Central to develop a mobility innovation ecosystem centered at the historic Book Depository building, set to reopen this spring, Axios is first to report.
- Hundreds of member startups working on electrification, aerial mobility, automation and more will use the space to build their companies.
What they're saying: "We want to bring together the roundtable to talk about what these challenges look like because no one can do it alone," Alisyn Malek, managing director of Newlab Detroit, tells Axios. "Innovation is not a solo act."
4. Welcome to the Elite Ate
Como's Pizza at 22812 Woodward Ave. in Ferndale. Photo: Samuel Robinson/Axios
One down, three to go.
π Readers agree that Detroit pizza is better than Boston's, sending us to the "Elite Ate" of the Axios Local pizza bracket.
Up next: Philadelphia.
- It's been an easy week for this notoriously chill city and we're looking forward to them taking this loss in stride.
Vote here until 3pm and remember: the winning city gets a free pizza party!


Plan your future
πΌ See current open positions on our Job Board.
- Business Marketing Communications & Branding Director at Vantage Specialty Chemicals.
- Client Manager - Lite Segment at Onyx Center Source.
- Channel Director, ASOC Strategy and Deployment at Indivior.
Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
5. Baseball's almost back
The Tigers unload equipment from what apears to be a horse-drawn buggy in 1906 at their former Augusta, Georgia, spring training site. Photo: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images
Spring training is here and the Tigers are getting ready for the 2023 season.
- Pitchers and catchers participating in next month's World Baseball Classic were the first to report to camp this week in Lakeland, Florida.
- Opening Day is March 30 at Tampa Bay, while the home opener is April 6.
Reality check: Oddsmakers give this team almost no chance at a World Series, so here are old-timey photos of when the Tigers were actually competing:


Our picks:
π§ Joe is listening to MDOT's podcast with retired Free Press reporter Bill McGraw about the I-375 transformation and the history of the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods.
π Annalise is going deep on the balloons-in-the-sky discourse.
π Sam has learned a valuable lesson after being forced to get new keys, wallet and bank account: Lock your sh*t up.
π Everett is desperate to try Buffalo Wild Wings' Sauce Sauce.
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