Study says Detroit is a great departure city — which counts as an honor, sort of

It took some work, but I've found a ranking of major cities in which Detroit actually looks good. At least for awhile.

Friends and Red Wings fans gather at Signature Grill, the gateway to Joe Louis Arena

At the Signature Grill, Stefanie Delvecchio is known as Computer Girl, because she brings her widescreen laptop downstairs with her and sets it up on the bar.

Even without the animals, we should be proud to be the Wolverine State

We are the Wolverine State, even though we have no wolverines.

Hoofbeats and hatchbacks

I was driving north on Lahser Road in Southfield when I saw George Phifer walking in the other direction.

U.S. Postal Carriers will collect nonperishable food on Saturday to feed people in need

Things have changed a bit since the old days when stamps had to be licked. The wooly mammoth has died out, for one thing. Also, people are sending emails instead of letters, and paying their bills with clicks instead of checks.

From U of D Jesuit’s eco-vehicle to odd Mexican pop, a taste of what’s caught my eye

I had dinner at the Union Street Saloon in Detroit the other night and noticed a sign over the bar that I hadn't seen before. Or maybe I saw it 20 years ago and forgot.

The original Huel Perkins: A gentleman and a scholar

Huel D. Perkins used to tell his son that no one gets out of life alive. The son, Huel A. Perkins, is the one we know from 14 years on the anchor desk at WJBK-TV (Channel 2). We’ll refer to him here as simply Perkins and to his father as Dr. Perkins, which is how several generations of students came to know and revere him.

College admissions 101

My friend Gail was open to adventure when her high-schooler wanted to look at some colleges.

Bad signs stand out hanging above a freeway

On westbound I-94 in Detroit, a Detroit News editor and his astute wife noticed a sign for exit 220B: Conner Ave. Then, a half mile later, they detected the same not-quite-right spelling. Conner, Connor ... what’s a vowel between friends?

Comedian Kathleen Madigan will film her latest comedy special in Royal Oak

There were multiple high-powered and important meetings involved in setting up Kathleen Madigan’s new comedy special, which will be filmed next week in Royal Oak. If she tries hard, she might be able to remember some of them.

Bookstock discovery leaves Southfield woman weeping — but with joy, so that's OK

Debbie Levin went looking for cookbooks and wound up with memories, along with a side dish of tears. They were happy tears, though, so that’s all right. And that’s Bookstock, home to upward of 200,000 used books and a statistically improbable number of reunions.

Fielding the Detroit Tigers’ wrong numbers

Call (313) 471-BALL and you get the Detroit Tigers. Call (313) 471-TIGERS and you get Doristine Tingle. The Tigers lead the league in hits. Ms. Tingle, a 69-year-old Detroiter, leads the league in patience.

Bargains at Bookstock begin with boxes, bags and brainpower

At the Bookstock book depot, every day is an education — even for a pair of retired schoolteachers. The depot is where 300 or so volunteers have examined well more than 100,000 books for Michigan’s largest used book and media sale, which runs Sunday through April 28 at Laurel Park Place in Livonia.

WDET’s Craig Fahle to host Caucus Coney to get questions for Mackinac conference

In adjoining storefronts in downtown Detroit, right where they’ve been for decades, radio host Craig Fahle has discovered a microcosm of today’s political ...