Detroit, MI
City of Detroit sues historic Michigan Theatre building owner for blight violations
![City of Detroit sues historic Michigan Theatre building owner for blight violations City of Detroit sues historic Michigan Theatre building owner for blight violations](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/16341d8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1008+0+36/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8d%2Fca%2F63dd67c6475fb1bcdafc0227a4e1%2Fbuilding.jpg)
DETROIT (WXYZ) — The owner of the historic Michigan Theatre, the same building where Eminem’s hit movie “8 Mile” was filmed, is facing a lawsuit from the city of Detroit.
In the lawsuit, the city says the building, located at 220 Bagley Street, is falling apart with multiple blight violation including one that they say is a public safety issue.
“I’ve seen rocks fall off this building,“ said Tony Gardner, who lives in the area. “And the way it hits the ground, it could really hurt somebody or kill somebody, technically.”
Falling debris is just one of the many blight violations the city of Detroit cited in the lawsuit that was filed back in May.
According to the lawsuit, multiple emergency orders were issued before due to the public complaining about rocks falling off the building.
The city’s attorney, Conrad Mallet, says the era of lawlessness in the city of Detroit has come to an end.
“The Michigan Theatre building — 220 Bagley — has 58 blight violations,” he said. “Five of them for unsafe conditions — two that in fact say that we are imminent danger and the danger is sufficient enough that we want the building completely shut down to all public access.”
The building is historic for many reasons. Part of the building used to be a theater before it was converted into a parking garage, where events and films have been made like the movie “8 Mile.”
Today, the building is occupied on the sixth floor by a business and it is still open for events.
Businessman Dennis Keffalinos is the current owner of the space. The city says Keffalinos has a history of blight violations for the many properties that he owns.
“There is not a Dennis Keffalinos redevelopment project that I can point you too,” Mallet said.
But according to a spokesperson for Keffalinos, the city has it wrong.
“The truth for a lot of the buildings that he (Keffalinos) owns in the city, they were purchased in a neglected state,” Niko Matasmakis said. “And he’s just been putting money into them trying to restore power to these buildings, trying to restore structural integrity to the buildings and really just trying to maintain and preserve historic architecture in the city of Detroit.”
Matasmakis says Keffalios does not deny the public safety issues with the falling debris and they are fixing it but there is nothing else wrong with the building.
Officials say they still think the building is not in compliance with the city’s ordinance.
“As long as we have available resources, we are going to in fact do everything we can to enforce our ordinances,” Mallet said.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Detroit, MI
D.J. Reader on pace to rejoin Detroit Lions ‘winning’ D-line in Week 2 barring a setback
![D.J. Reader on pace to rejoin Detroit Lions ‘winning’ D-line in Week 2 barring a setback D.J. Reader on pace to rejoin Detroit Lions ‘winning’ D-line in Week 2 barring a setback](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/images/smg/2024/03/14/USAT/72976623007-USATSI_18352087-e1710446266422.jpeg?auto=webp&crop=4479,2521,x0,y749&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Detroit Lions fans make clear their feelings on QBs Matthew Stafford vs. Jared Goff
Detroit Lions fans boo QB Matthew Stafford and the Rams, and serenade Lions QB Jared Goff with chants Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 at Ford Field.
The Detroit Lions defensive line made a statement Sunday night against a battered Los Angeles Rams offensive line and are in line to add D.J. Reader back into the mix.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Monday the team still wants to get Reader back into the fold this week. This has been the team’s plan for Reader’s recovery from a torn quad muscle since they took him off the physically unable to perform list just before the start of the season.
“I think the plan was, ultimately, if we couldn’t get D.J. up last week, or just we didn’t feel quite there, that Tampa was always the target,” Campbell said. “So, providing there is no setbacks, we’d like to get him going. This week, he looked pretty good in practice.”
Reader has been out since Week 15 of last year with a torn quad he suffered as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Lions signed him to a two-year, $22 million deal to anchor the defensive line as a hole-stuffing nose tackle to play alongside the Lions’ other young defensive tackles, Alim McNeill and Levi Onwuzurike. McNeill said he is excited to see the space he clears taking on double-teams on the interior.
“He’s going to have to take up some double teams so I can get some one-on-ones,” McNeill said with a smile. “He has to take some double teams on because he destroys centers. That’s just what he does and that’s what he did when he was in Cincy.”
SO FAR SO GOOD: Lions pleased with Terrion Arnold’s NFL debut: ‘Don’t want to take away his stinger’
He will re-join a defensive line that was one of the standout position groups for the Lions in the 26-20 overtime win over the Rams on Sunday. The Lions recorded just two sacks, but constantly lived in the backfield against the Rams’ beat-up offensive line with backups across the board. Matthew Stafford was getting rid of the ball as fast as possible while absorbing hit after hit. He took 12 quarterback hits and only three of his 34 completions traveled more than 10 yards down the field, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“Just about every one of them had a winning performance up front,” Campbell said. “I thought they played big. I thought they played physical. And we feel like we have a good defensive line.
“And I know that it’s game one but just since the spring and training camp and seeing where we are at, it’s the right mix. It’s the right balance of length, power, size, aggression. And that’s just game one. We got so much room to grow in there too.”
Aidan Hutchinson led the way as a destructive force, caving in the Rams offensive line wherever he lined up while Marcus Davenport crashed in from the opposite edge in a productive Lions debut. Hutchinson had one sack, five tackles (one for loss) and four hits on Stafford’s drop backs. Davenport linked up with Onwuzurike on the team’s first sack and also chipped in four hits on Stafford.
“I thought Hutch and Davenport on the perimeter, all day long, were a force,” Campbell said.
According to Pro Football Focus’ postgame analysis, Hutchinson graded out as the Lions’ best performer on offense or defense with a score of 94.0 on a 0-100 scale. He caused issues for whoever the Rams had at left tackle, whether it was Joe Noteboom or A.J. Arcuri, with his power moves to the inside or his patented spin move to win with speed.
Onwuzurike played a career-high 50 snaps and had the half-sack, two hits on Stafford and two total tackles. The performance was what his teammates and coaches expected after he had a fully healthy offseason into a strong training camp.
“That’s the type of player he is,” McNeill said. “He’s worked and got himself back in that position to be Levi again. He’s comfortable. You saw him, he got a sack last night. So, he’s doing great.”
MORE ON LEVI: We asked the Detroit Lions: Which teammate is poised for a breakout 2024 season?
Lions defense steps up in big moments
The Lions came up with two defensive stops to give their offense a chance at a comeback after the Rams took a 20-17 lead with 17 unanswered points.
The Lions gave the ball back to LA with 4:10 left and an opportunity to salt the game away, but the Lions forced a punt to get the ball back with just over two minutes. The offense executed well enough to get the game-tying field goal, then closed regulation with Hutchinson’s sack on what ended up being the defense’s final snap.
The defense’s effort was well-rewarded by the offense’s game-winning touchdown drive in overtime that kept Stafford and the Rams’ offense off the field.
“Y’all have heard that word 1,000 times but that right there is the definition of grit,” Onwuzurike said.
The Lions also held the Rams to 20 points on six trips inside Detroit’s 25-yard line, including pulling in an interception and forcing a turnover on downs. It was far from a perfect performance, McNeill said, since they still gave up more than zero points, but did what found a way to get stops with their backs against the wall. Onwuzurike said the emphasis on the red zone is a key pillar of defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s approach, which proved effective Sunday.
“He talks about how that’s how you win games — in the red zone,” Onwuzurike said. “So, we take that serious. We’ll see guys like Hutch, BB (Brian Branch), Anzo (Alex Anzalone), all these guys, kind of look us in the eye and say ‘we gotta lock in here. This is how we win games.’”
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions CB Carlton Davis OK after late injury scare; footing issues at Ford Field
![Detroit Lions CB Carlton Davis OK after late injury scare; footing issues at Ford Field Detroit Lions CB Carlton Davis OK after late injury scare; footing issues at Ford Field](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/09/09/PDTF/75138812007-lions-090824-kpm-03137.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4336,2439,x0,y226&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Detroit Lions fans hyped as Jared Goff enters Ford Field before season opener
Jared Goff enters Ford Field for warmups just under an hour before kickoff, Lions fans respond by chanting his name before Rams opener, Sept. 8, 2024.
Carlton Davis simply got the wind knocked out of him.
Davis left the Detroit Lions’ 26-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday on the second-to-last play of regulation after dropping an interception that might have kept the game from going to overtime at Ford Field.
Davis stayed hunched on the ground for about a minute and was tended to by trainers before walking off the field under his own power.
“Shoulda caught the ball,” Davis said after the game. “It hit my stomach and knocked the wind out of me.”
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. replaced him and played the final snap of regulation, when Aidan Hutchinson sacked Matthew Stafford, and the Lions won the overtime coin toss and scored a touchdown to end the game.
Davis would have been able to return had the Lions needed him on defense, and indicated he’ll be fine for next Sunday’s game against his old team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
TRENDING: Sure, there were problems, but Lions showed off special traits in win over Rams
An offseason trade acquisition, Davis made 10 tackles in his Lions debut but said he and the Lions’ new-look secondary need to be more opportunistic going forward. He dropped a would-be interception on an overthrown Stafford pass with 11 seconds to play. Had Davis held onto the ball, the Lions would have taken possession near midfield with one timeout.
Safety Brian Branch also dropped an interception, and the Lions allowed Stafford to complete 34 of 49 passes for 317 yards on a day he played behind a severely shorthanded offensive line, and lost Pro Bowl receiver Puka Nacua to injury.
“I thought we played good as a secondary for sure,” Davis said. “Like I said, we want to be perfect, we want to be the best in the league so we’ve got to be better and be more opportunistic, especially with the ball. We just had too many dropped picks. But overall we kept the score down, 20, we just got to get better, work on the little things. First game out, we’re still building on chemistry in the back end but it’s coming together.”
GAME BALLS: David Montgomery bulls to victory; Matthew Stafford sharp for LA
Slip and slide at Ford Field
Several Lions players had issues with their footing Sunday, slipping at times on the Ford Field turf.
Jahmyr Gibbs stumbled as he ran open in the Rams’ secondary with just over a minute to play, causing Jared Goff to sail a would-be touchdown over his head. Amon-Ra St. Brown slipped on an in-breaking route later in the same drive, and Kalif Raymond lost his footing on a third-down incompletion before the Lions settled for the game-tying field goal.
Lions running back David Montgomery said he slipped on multiple occasions Sunday, but said it wasn’t an issue with the Ford Field turf.
“I definitely was slipping,” he said. “Got to get my feet under me, play more on my toes. That can’t be an excuse to why I slip. I just got to be sure I get my feet under me and I’ll do that.”
Wide receiver Jameson Williams said he thought some of the issue was the Lions playing on turf for one of the first times this preseason.
“I wouldn’t say it was slippery,” he said. “But it’s first game being on turf for a lot of us. Some of us didn’t play in the preseason so we just like getting back to the turf feel. We practice on grass a lot so that may be a thing. I’m not really sure about the turf. I think it was OK. I don’t really know. I didn’t slip.”
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Preorder it now from Reedy Press.
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Detroit, MI
FOUR DOWNS: Williams earns SNF game ball with performance vs. Rams
When Stafford called heads for the overtime coin toss and it dropped tails, Lions quarterback Jared Goff offered a quick ‘We’ll take the ball’ with confidence.
Maybe it was a little foreshadowing of what was to come because that overtime game-winning touchdown drive was a thing of beauty for the Lions’ offense.
It started with a Kalif Raymond end around for 12 yards. Then a handoff to David Montgomery off the right end for 21 yards down to the LA 37-yard line. Montgomery took another handoff, this time off the left tackle, and cranked out another nine yards.
A 10-yard pass to Jahmyr Gibbs set the Lions up with 1st & 10 at the LA 28-yard line before the Rams’ defense even knew what hit them. A short Gibbs run of three yards was followed by Montgomery runs of six and eight yards, respectively, setting up a 1st & goal at the one-yard line. It only took one handoff to Montgomery from there to end it.
“Yeah, it was good. Just hand it to D-Mo, man, a battering ram,” Goff said of the overtime drive. “Just hand it to him and he did the rest, and it was fun. It was fun watching him – kind of catch that second wind there in that overtime, and our O-line the same way.
“I was joking with him when we called the play on the one-yard-line, it was like, ‘This is scoring.’ There was no doubt – and punched it in, it was great.”
Montgomery had a great training camp and finished Sunday with 91 yards on 17 carries for a 5.4-yard average per rush and the game-winning touchdown. It was a drive that showed what this offense is capable of when 11 players are on the same page and they impose their will on the defense.
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump impersonates Elon Musk talking about rockets: ‘I’m doing a new stainless steel hub’
-
World1 week ago
Locals survey damage after flooding in eastern Romania
-
World1 week ago
Taiwan court orders release of ex-Taipei mayor arrested in corruption probe
-
World1 week ago
Seven EU members hadn’t received any post-Covid funding by end-2023
-
World5 days ago
Meloni says 'we are making history' as Italy’s FDI reviews progress
-
World1 week ago
Oasis fans struggle to secure tickets for band’s reunion tour
-
Politics1 week ago
Gold Star families slam Kamala Harris for 'playing politics' over Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery
-
Politics1 week ago
Michigan becomes a top GOP Senate target as Mike Rogers ties with Dem opponent among older voters