Eight years ago in Metro Times: How’s this for familiar territory: MT reports that Delray residents are hopeful that Canadian and U.S. officials will OK a span, much like Matty Moroun’s Ambassador Bridge, connecting Windsor and Detroit via an anchorage in Delray. But Moroun was looking to build a second bridge of his own with the support of then-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The story was that a second bridge was going to be built, no matter what — but residents wanted that bridge to be MDOT-controlled so they could rely on an agency responsive to community concerns. To this day, that second bridge is still being debated. Gov. Rick Snyder is backing a Detroit-Windsor bridge in collaboration with Canada dubbed the New International Trade Crossing, while Moroun continues to press for a second span of his own.
What was happening: The Hard Lessons at the Magic Bag, Band of Horses at the Magic Stick, Snow Patrol at Clutch Cargo’s.
18 years ago in Metro Times: Liz Gardner reports on the Friends of Woodward, a group of Detroiters and suburbanites dedicated to revitalizing Woodward Avenue, transforming it into a thriving business sector known as “Woodward Village.” The three-year-old, 25-member group includes venue owners such as Joe Zainea of the Majestic Theatre, and John McCarthy of the Whitney. While prettying-up the blight-stricken thoroughfare is a prime goal, the Friends of Woodward seek to help galvanize the city’s sickly financial state by making Woodward Avenue attractive to business owners, both in and out of state, and encouraging them to move their monies to Detroit. Since then, the prophetic dream of Woodward Village has evolved into what we now know as Midtown, considered by many to be the flagship of Detroit’s resurrection — or gentrification, depending on who you ask.
What was happening: The Suicide Machines at St. Andrew’s Hall, White Zombie at the Palace, and Miss Saigon at the Masonic Temple.
25 years ago in Metro Times: MT reports on the Michigan Department of Natural Resources putting two agencies, the Toxic Substance Control Commission and the Wayne County Air Pollution Control Commission, on an endangered-species list when the department reported an at-risk budget, despite receiving $660 million in additional funding during the 1988 elections to specifically to be used for cleaning up the state’s environment. The TSCC had served as a statewide watchdog agency, monitoring the DNR, as well as other health and agriculture agencies, and had the exclusive power of declaring a state of toxic emergency. The Wayne County Air Pollution Control Commission operated, according to the article, the only complete air pollution program in Michigan. All the powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities of the Toxic Substance Control Commission ended up being transferred to the Department of Natural Resources. However, our staff failed to track down what exactly became of the Wayne County Air Pollution Control Commission. Aside from unearthing old court transcripts, it seems the agency has become lost to obscurity. That’s too bad, as agencies like these would come in handy today, with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April that Michigan must comply with a federal plan to cut air pollution.
What was happening: My Bloody Valentine at Clutch Cargo’s, Skid Row at Joe Louis Arena, Something Awful at Blondies.
