Corktown : News from Detroit

Public art is fast becoming part of Detroit's redevelopment. According to artist Nicole MacDonald, it's "all about empowerment."

Detroiter Jerry Paffendorf of Loveland Technologies received a scholarship to the Aspen Institute's Ideas Festival earlier this month.

The Detroit Conservation Corps provides unemployed residents in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park job training and certification in the landscape industry.

The organization Open Streets is applying for permits to convert stretches of Michigan Avenue and Vernor Highway into exclusively pedestrian and bike streets. 

On June 8, Brew Detroit got label approval to brew Stroh's Pilsner, the first time the Detroit-founded company will have its signature beer made here in over 30 years. 

The brothers-in-law duo that started Lake Brothers Beer Co. believe their lager could be the Midwest's regional beer of choice.

The small business competition awards grant funding, design and technical support, and landlord-tenant match-making assistance.

For those wondering what bus rapid transit might look like in SE Michigan, look to Cleveland, which has had a BRT line since 2008. 

The Activating Dean Savage Memorial Park campaign is hoping to raise $55,000 to renovate the underutilized park.

Organizers see the return of the market as an assertion of Corktown being the premier local food neighborhood the city. 

While not a replacement for a driver's license, municipal IDs will increase access to services for all Detroiters.

The Detroit Narrative Agency will give up to 12 grants for moving image projects for Detroiters telling their story. 

Now in its sixth year, Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest rewards entrepreneurs on the path to opening brick-and-mortar storefronts in either Detroit, Highland Park, or Hamtramck with a $50,000 cash prize and a number of other benefits. 

Roslyn Karamoko could have started her fashion label anywhere in the country. But after moving to Detroit two years ago, she fell in love with the city and created an urban clothing line to express that passion.

Beard Balm, which makes an all-natural, leave-in conditioner for beards and facial hair, is selling its products around the world and closing in on $1 million worth of sales this year.