25 years ago in Metro Times: Ron Williams covers Dan Murphy, a longtime Oakland County executive who challenged Wayne County Executive William Lucas for the 1986 Republican gubernatorial nomination. Murphy commented on the state of Detroit: "... I see Detroit coming back. I see things being done in Detroit along the riverfront, housing that's been done. If you take Detroit and say, 'I'm not going there,' what you're doing is buying a perception that the media is writing;" and he explained the popularity of then-Gov. James Blanchard. "[His popularity] is what it ought to be, having in mind that the state's economy has risen like all of the 50, interest rates are lower, inflation's down to a very low rate, people have got more money than they had and are making more money." Contrast that rhetoric with today; candidates in this summer's Republican primary elections for governor sang a very different song, blaming the Granholm administration in part for the state's dismal economic state. What was happening: Aretha Franklin at Premier Center, Meat Loaf at Pine Knob and Neil Young & the International Harvesters at Meadow Brook.
19 years ago in Metro Times: Metro Times staff covers the 12th annual Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival, which brings "the finest local, regional, national and international jazz talent [to] the friendly environment of Hart Plaza and other downtown venues." The original festival in Detroit was modeled after the International Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, and became "Michigan's premier music event and a Detroit tradition that showcases the talents of the many world-class musicians who claim Detroit as home." Today the Montreaux Festival is known simply as the Detroit Jazz Fest, and Sept. 3-6 the festival will celebrate its 31st anniversary. Despite the name change, the core principles of the festival remain, as talents from Detroit and around the world will share their love of jazz across downtown, from Hart Plaza to Campus Martius Park. What was happening: Niagara and Dark Carnival at Club Heidelberg, Crossed Wire at Paychecks, and Alice in Chains at the Silver Dollar Saloon.
16 years ago in Metro Times: Jack Lessenberry writes about the nation's first on-campus domestic violence shelter opening at Michigan State University. Safe Place, as the center is known, was opened at the urging of Joanne McPherson, the wife of MSU's president at the time. "When Peter came to interview, I was driven around campus and saw that, while it is beautiful, there are a lot of secluded areas and I thought there could be a security problem here, especially for women at night," McPherson said. At the end of summer 2010, with students returning to campus, Safe Place is still operating at MSU, and domestic violence prevention has become an important issue at colleges across the nation. Many schools support centers similar to Safe Place and almost all incoming freshman attend orientation classes that include advice for dealing with domestic violence. What was happening: Shock Therapy at the Falcon Club, Speedball and Forehead Stew at St. Andrew's Hall, and Lenny Kravitz with the Lemonheads at Pine Knob.
