News from Detroit

A recent article in the Detroit News details the increase in minority owned businesses downtown. But a few caveats remain. 

An article earlier this month in the Chicago Tribune identifies Michigan as the top hop producer in the Midwest with over 800 acres dedicated to the crop.

The Planet Ant Theater, which showcases Metro Detroit's longest running improv show, has acquired a banquet hall kitty corner from its black box theater on Caniff Street, and is in the process of transforming it into Planet Ant Hall.

In this week's jobs news roundup, check out stories on the Michigan-China Innovation Center in downtown Detroit and two growing companies in the auto industry. 

Votes have been cast and the totals have been tallied as the top ten contestants in the 2016 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest have been whittled down to the final four.

Mcity, the University of Michigan testing center for driverless vehicles, has inspired three Silicon Valley startups to move some of their employees from their California—plus more from this week in jobs news.

According to the Detroit News, a new "pink zone" pilot program, meant to ease zoning restrictions, could be on the way next summer.

The Kresge Foundation released its "Detroit Reinvestment Index," which gathered data on what national business leaders think about Detroit.

A prominent columnist at the Detroit Free Press and the paper's editorial board have come out staunchly against recent efforts to scuttle regional transit by suburban county executives.

Every year, the 8-week Summer in the City program culminates in a celebration and mural painting. This year, they've chosen to adorn the Adams Butzel Recreation Complex in northwest Detroit with a hockey-themed mural.

Local placemaking group Resurge Detroit has launched a crowdfunding campaign to transform vacant land in the Brightmoor neighborhood into a community center and grow house.

Thousands of affordable housing and community development professionals are convening in Detroit this week for the NeighborWorks Training Institute, a symposium that's expected to generate $3.3 million in local investment.

In the program's first year, Motor City Match has awarded $2 million in grants to 40 small businesses, leveraging over $13 million in total investment in the city.

Last week Berg Muirhead and Associates was one of Detroit's most recognizable boutique public relations agencies. This week it has a new name, Van Dyke Horn Public Relations, and new owners.