Happy New Year Michigan Chronicle
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Vol. 81 – No. 16 | Dec. 27, 2017 – Jan. 2, 2018
Bring in the new year at ‘The Drop’ DTE Energy’s Motor City NYE (“The Drop”), presented by Quicken Loans, announced its move to Beacon Park, downtown Detroit’s newest public space, located at Grand River and Cass Avenue, adjacent to DTE Energy headquarters. This beautiful and contemporary gathering place is the perfect backdrop for Detroit’s popular New Year’s Eve celebration. The event will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31, and run through 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2018.
What happened to Detroit in 2017 By Cathy Nedd and Roz Edward The year will come to a close with party-goers enjoying exciting music performances from the main event stage, along with food and cocktails prepared by local food trucks and restaurants. Revelers can also ring in the new year from the comfort of two heated, carpeted party pavilions, featuring musical performances and a variety of free activities and games, perfect for the whole family. The Drop will feature free performances by some of Detroit’s hottest music acts, including Danielle Bahoora from “The Voice,” the Motown Memories Band, the Detroit Funk Band, the Motor City All Stars Band and more, who will light up the main stage. The capstone of the evening’s entertainment is an appearance by Detroit native and Motown legend Martha Reeves, who will perform her and the Vandellas’ classic hit “Dancing in the Street.” She will then be joined by hometown favorite Angela Davis for a stirring rendition of “Light Up Detroit” to kick off the countdown to 2018. Event Highlights
• 4 p.m. - Kids Zone Free. A kids zone will offer popular family-friendly acts including See NEW YEAR'S EVE page A-2
WHAT’S INSIDE Knock out those pounds for the new year at
Jabs Gym 37
WEEK’S BEST LOTTERY
PICKS
Now on page A2
years, Detroit Public Schools is no longer under emergency management and the school board has regained power. While there is still a financial review board in place, now responsible for more than 6,000 employees, 48,000 students and an annual fiscal budget of $660 million, DPSCD superintendent Nikolai Vitti said he remains optimistic about the future of the district and is confident that under his leadership, Detroit children will have the quality education they deserve.
As the year comes to an end and millions prepare to ring in the new year, not one citizen can say that 2017 was less than a remarkably eventful year. From the close of one of the most extraordinarily productive presidential administrations in U.S. history to the tragic stumble into the Trump debacle, the least qualified presidential commander-in-chief in the history of the world, as African Americans we not only continue to persevere, we rise because that is what black people know to do. The year began, fatefully, with an emotional farewell to the nation’s first African-American president, a hero and a man beloved by people the world over for the unparalleled commitment of the man who rose from community organizer on the South Side of Chicago to leader of cultures around the globe. Obama’s legacy is sealed in the sobering realization that the era of profound understanding and compassion for the every American was never so top of mind as it was for this most remarkable pairing of commander-in-chief and family-first White House. In the black community, as the first African-American president prepared to leave the Oval Office, there was little time to reflect as the country quickly braced itself for the tweet fest that was to become the main system of communication from the White House. From his first audacity of hopefilled inaugural address on that incredibly cold day in D.C to his landslide reelection victory, Obama’s profound accomplishments are heralded by historians around the world. In contrast, his much maligned and dangerously narcissistic successor, Donald Trump, wastes much of his facetime media opportunities
competing with the ghost of Obama past in a pathetic bid for public recognition. But on another level, Donald Trump has been the gift that keeps giving as he continues to provide fertile fodder for the news media. Closer to home, Mayor Duggan began his second term in office. Together with Dan Gilbert and his real estate empire, the mayor announced one downtown development after the other. Amid criticisms about the lack of attention to the neighborhoods, the Liv-6 and Fitzgerald area developments were announced. Combined with the many Match Detroit, Hatch Detroit, Re-Store Detroit, Chase’s Entrepreneurs of Color and many other programs, developments have sparked neighborhood revitalization projects at an unparalleled rate. On the other side of that coin (or possibly the same side), Detroit recognized the 50th anniversary of the 1967 riot, one of the most horrendous eras in Detroit’s history which took front and center in 2017. Led by the Histori-
cal Society, the anniversary bolstered Hollywood’s interest in the region and hence, the motion picture, “Detroit.” By mid-year, the Michigan Chronicle returned to its original home in Paradise Valley at 1452 Randolph. Deeeetroit back home!
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The Pistons now share Little Caesars Arena with the Detroit Red Wings. For the first time in 40 years, all four major sports teams play home games within city limits. Additionally, the New Center area will serve as Pistons headquarters. Dr. Mark Rosentraub, professor of sports management and director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Sport and Policy, estimates that the Pistons move to Detroit could create $600 million in economic impact, which includes about $22 million in fan spending each year. One of the biggest and most talked about events of the year was the return was the Deeeetroit Pistons returning to the city. Their new home is the new Little Caesars Arena and massive Illitch development located on Woodward Avenue. And oh yeah, the QLine is now on track providing transportation for visitors and others to the downtown area and all destinations in between. So, what about the Silverdome? It was time to blow it up, but the planned televised implosion went all wrong. There was a huff and a puff — and the house did not come down. The beleaguered owners later quietly dismantled the building the old-fashioned way, one brick at a time.
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For the first time in nearly 20
The previously organized school district, the Education Achievement Authority, dubbed the EAA, has been dissolved and the students are now back at the renamed Detroit Public Schools Community District under the leadership of yet another superintendent, Vitti. A proliferation of marijuana dispensaries captured the ire of the Detroit City Council. Legislation was introduced to put controls in place in relationship to distance from schools, churches and hours of operation. On the political front, a
young dark horse by the name of Garland Gilchrist nearly toppled City Clerk Janice Winfrey. Winfrey held on, though, for a narrow win despite criticisms of her ability to efficiently manage the ballot counting process. But at year’s end, Detroit, in lock step with its country cousins, found some of our most prominent and beloved local heavyweights caught in the throes of sexual harassment and assault allegations while numerous new cases of hepatitis A continue to make headlines. Sexual harassment claims hit home with “the Dean.” The longest serving, highest rank-
See 2017 page A2