Deadline Detroit

This week, our podcast goes location at Detroit Denim to talk starting a business with founder Eric Yelsma to discuss what it's like doing business in Detroit. "I could not have gone to Chicago. I could not have gone to New York or anywhere else without a huge checkbook and without jumping through a lot of hoops," Yelsma says. "Make a jacket, make a shirt, make a t-shirt, you know. Make underwear. Do something."

In this week's podcast, Jeff Wattrick sits down with Curbed Detroit's Paul Beshouri to discuss the Packard Plant Beshouri says "It's kind of embarassing for Wayne County, how they're going about this.... They see the Packard Plant and all they want is money out of it right now. And they just don't want it on their hands.... I feel like Kwame Kilpatrck could walk in there with 2 million dollars and they deed it to him. "It's such a mess on so many levels. It's something that needs such a long- term solution."

Jeff Wattrick is joined by Bill Shea from Crain's Detroit to talk the business of baseball. How much money does baseball bring in for the Ilitch's? Who will replace Jim Leyland? Will the Tigers trade Scherzer? Music by Josh Woodward. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/Ashes/JoshWoodward-Ashes-NoVox-10-SwimmingInTurpentine

In this week's podcast, investigative reporter turned private investigator Scott Lewis tells Deadline Detroit's Jeff Wattrick. "I thought, well, people know who I am, they trust me because they've seen me for so many years on TV and they've seen the results I get, so I'm going to take a chance, not take the easy route... and have a little adventure and see how it works out," Lewis said. Wattrick and Lewis discuss what it's like to jump from television to detective work, the similarites and differences between his former and current careers, and what piece of work he is most proud of. Scott Lewis: "You get one shot at life. It is an adventure. Rather than play it safe I decided to roll the dice and try something fun."

Deadline Detroit staffers Bill McGraw and Allan Legel sat down with Jeff Wattrick to share details from Kwame Kilpatrick's sentancing. Was Kwame his usual jovial self in court? How does this sentance compare to similar cases? Will we eventually forget about Kwame? "It was a strange morning with Kilpatrick in the courtroom. His demeanor was about 180 degrees away from what it had been even up to the day the verdict was read in March." -- Bill McGraw "I've never seen him so down before and he looked nervous." -- Allan Lengel

Bill Lusa of Tour De Troit joined Jeff Wattrick for this week's podcast to discuss the giant 30 mile, 6,000 person bike ride around Detroit. Lusa explains the route, the history, and exactly what this year's riders can expect.

Jeff Wattrick sat down with Sarah Cox of Curbed Detroit and Dan Austin of Historic Detroit and the Detroit Free Press to check in on downtown Detroit real estate. Topics include the Whitney building, which Austin calls "another linchpin in downtown Detroit's turnaround," neutered buildings, the fate of the State Savings Bank, what's up with developer Andreas Apostolopoulos (or Apop or Mr. A), what will happen to the Fail Jail, and how bankruptcy could change downtown Detroit's development.

Jeff Wattrick and Allan Lengel sit down with Detroit Police Investigator and Low Winter Sun consultant Ira Todd, who dishes about what's true to life and what's embellished for television. "I think they're capturing a part of the city," he says. Todd says he asked the shows creators "Do you want to see real Detroit or do you want to see what everybody else wants you to see? And they said show me real Detroit." " just wanted to show them that there is an underclass of people that are good people but just happen to be stuck in this city." Todd also tells us the real life people that Low Winter Sun characters Inspector Boyd, Papa T and Reverend Lowdown are based on. Plus, where to find delicious corned beef egg rolls.

Deadline Detroit staffer Jeff Wattrick calls Ford and tries to buy a car.