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Motor City Weather: Today, expect mostly cloudy skies in Detroit with a chance of showers and a few thunderstorms in the afternoon. High near 72. Cloudy tonight with a chance of showers before 2 a.m. and a low around 60. Mostly cloudy again Wednesday with a chance of showers after 8 a.m. and a high near 74.

Belle Isle’s 100-year-old fountain is closing until 2027 for $6 million in renovations, starting this week. The upgrades include removing the lower section’s marble and fixing its 510 foot lower bowl. Federal pandemic relief funds will pay for the work.If you spend lots of WiFi tine at local Detroit coffee shops, you may soon be rethinking your habit. Some bistros are limiting laptop use to reduce remote work and boost customer turnover. Owners say it protects their business and encourages more face to face interaction.

Memorial Day travel is set to hit a new record, with 45.1 million Americans expected to journey 50+ miles, despite economic concerns. AAA says, “…many Americans say they’re taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend time with loved ones, even if the trips are closer to home,”

Downtown Detroit is seeing a wave of office-to-apartment and hotel conversions, with at least five major projects now underway. These include the Harvard Square Centre, the United Artists building, and the Merchants Building, together bringing nearly 300 new apartments and over 100 hotel rooms. As remote work reshapes city life, Detroit is shifting from a central business district to a residential and entertainment hub.

• Today in History:
• 1956 – Elvis Presley played two poorly attended shows in the Twin Cities; a broken guitar string hit him in the face during the first.
• 1967 – The Supremes earned their 10th U.S. No. 1 hit with “The Happening,” topping the Billboard Hot 100.
• 1969 – Led Zeppelin became the first major British rock band to perform in Hawaii, playing the Civic Auditorium in Honolulu.
• 1970 – Let It Be, the final film by The Beatles, premiered in New York City shortly after the album’s release.
• 1971 – Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane was hospitalized after crashing her Mercedes near the Golden Gate Bridge.
• 1971 – Stevie Wonder received just $1 million of his $30 million childhood earnings on his 21st birthday.
• 1974 – A riot broke out at a Jackson 5 concert in D.C.; 43 arrested and over 50 injured in a bottle-throwing crowd.
• 1978 – Yvonne Elliman reached No. 1 in the U.S. with “If I Can’t Have You,” written by the Bee Gees for Saturday Night Fever.
• 2008 – The U.S. Postal Service honored Frank Sinatra with a 42-cent commemorative stamp featuring a 1950s portrait.
• 2011 – Rolling Stone named “Like A Rolling Stone” Bob Dylan’s greatest song, based on a panel of experts for his 70th birthday.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Boxer Joe Louis was born on this date in 1914. (d. 1981)
• Actress Bea Arthur of Maude and the Golden Girls was born today in 1922. (d. 2009)
• Actor Harvey Keitel is 86 today.
• Ritchie Valens was born on this day in 1941.
• Motown superstar Mary Wells was born on this day in 1943. (d. 1992)
• “Blue Lou” Marini, American saxophonist, arranger, and composer (Blues Brothers) is 80.
• Stevie Wonder is 75.
• Stephen Colbert is 61.
• Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish is 59.

Happening Today:

Free Seniors Program at Lexus Velodrome – Enjoy a morning of activities for seniors from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at 601 Mack Ave, Detroit, MI 48201. https://lexusvelodrome.com/events/2025-05-13/:contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Handmade Notebooks (Tween Event) at Mount Clemens Public Library – Tweens can create their own notebooks from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at 150 Cass Ave, Mt Clemens, MI 48043. https://littleguidedetroit.com/top-free-library-events-in-metro-detroit-this-may/:contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

Story Time at Detroit Public Library – Children’s librarians host stories, activities, and a craft at 5:00 PM at 5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/story-time-tickets-1243554427769:contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

Just Like Music – Choir Vibes at Anderson Memorial Church – Experience live choir music at 7:00 PM at 13000 Dequindre St, Detroit, MI 48212. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-live-music-denise-edwards-tickets-1254738981069:contentReference[oaicite:23]{index=23}

Community Senior Expo at 1400 Oakman Blvd – Attend a senior-focused expo with various resources and activities at 1400 Oakman Blvd, Detroit, MI 48238. https://allevents.in/detroit/2025-05-13:contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}

Flower Tuesday Market at Eastern Market – Browse fresh flowers and plants from local vendors at 2934 Russell St, Detroit, MI 48207. https://allevents.in/detroit/2025-05-13:contentReference[oaicite:31]{index=31}

Number One Today in 1965:

Did you know?

The Detroit Times, founded in 1871, was a prominent daily newspaper in the Motor City. Known for its investigative journalism and coverage of local events, it quickly became a staple for Detroit’s working-class readers. After a long run, it merged with the Detroit News in 1960, marking the end of an era for the city’s newspaper landscape. Continue reading “Keener Today – May 12” →

On a spring morning in 1966, a slender young man with a soft brogue and an acoustic guitar walked into a London studio and recorded a song that would, with time, become something like an incantation. “Sunshine came softly through my window today,” he sang, in a lilting voice that seemed to smile even as it drifted. The man was Donovan Leitch—born in Glasgow, raised in Hertfordshire—and the song was “Sunshine Superman,” a curious and charismatic fusion of folk whimsy and electric ambition. Nearly six decades later, on the occasion of Donovan’s seventy-ninth birthday, that same spectral tone continues to reverberate, a sound at once utterly of its moment and somehow outside of time. Continue reading “Keener Today – May 10 – The Mystic Minstrel Turns 79” →

How many of us owned a Polaroid Swinger? “It’s more than a camera, it’s almost alive. It’s only nineteen dollars, and ninety-five.” Continue reading “Keener Today – May 7” →

What’s Happening:

Real ID is about to become a requirement for air travel. Here’s what you need to know.

RIP Skype, 2003 to 2025. Microsoft has officially shut down the once-dominant video chat app, directing users to its newer platform, Microsoft Teams. Purchased for $8.5 billion in 2011, Skype now survives only as a dial pad inside Teams. One era ends—another continues in its place. Continue reading “Keener Today – May 6” →

What’s Happening:

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Continue reading “Keener Today – May 5” →

What’s Happening:

Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the rain- soaked stretch to win the 151st Kentucky Derby yesterday.

Warren Buffett is stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by the end of 2025. He has named Greg Abel as his successor, and the transition is expected to be finalized by year’s end. Buffett will remain with the company in an advisory role. Continue reading “Keener Today – May 4” →

Today is World Press Freedom Day, a celebration the United Nations established more than 30 years ago to remind us that a free press is essential to a functioning and ethical society and is a critical force for the public good. It’s also the 54th Birthday of National Public Radio, born on this date in 1971, Continue reading “Keener Today – May 3” →

What’s Happening:

The Pistons storybook season came to an end last night with a game 6 playoff loss to the Knicks, 116-113 at Little Caesar’s Arena. What an amazing turnaround the year after our guys endured a record setting 28 game losing streak. Well done team! Continue reading “Keener Today – May 2” →

What’s Happening:

The latest data on grocery shopping in Detroit shows Keener continuing to dominate Meijer and Walmart with more than twice the market share.

The Pistons host the Nicks after dispatching New York at Garden on April 29. Tip off here at home is 7:30PM.

The Tigers take on the Angels tonight on the left coast. Game time 9:38pm

And Alan Haller is out as athletic director at Michigan State. Iconic basketball coach, Tom Izzo will add interim AD to his resume. Continue reading “Keener Today – May 1” →

What’s Happening:

The Pistons staved off elimination last night in New York, beating the Knicks, 106-103. Little Caesars Arena hosts Game 6 at 7:30pm tomorrow.

The Astros rallied with three runs in both the 6th and 7th innings to defeat the Tigers 6-4 last night. Game three of the series kicks off at 2:10 in Houston.

In a rare bi-partisan effort, Selfridge Air National Guard Base will receive 21 F-15EX fighter jets. The replacement mission protects the base’s future, which had been in doubt with the phaseout of the A-10 aircraft. (Free Press)

Only 3 of Michigan’s 9 measles cases in 2025 had public alerts issued within 6 days—soon enough for exposed people to get protective treatment, per a Free Press review. Continue reading “Keener Today – April 30” →