As 2013 winds down, we dive into the archives to compile Deadline Detroit's 50 most interesting, unique, and/or trafficked stories of the year. Over five days, we're counting down our "best of" list, and throwing in some honorable mentions along the way.
We reviewed stories 50-41 on our Best of 2013 list Thursday. Today, we move up the list to 40-31.
40. Detroit Shines In New Commercial for Google Maps App; 7/10/13
When Google came to town to film a Google Maps commercial, they hit all the usual stops--the Book-Cadillac, Tigers games, Coney--but they also stopped at LJ's, the now-former hideaway bar on Michigan Ave.
39. Marriage To Woman Leads Allyson Nelson Abrams To Resign As A Detroit Baptist Bishop; 10/19/13
Allyson Nelson Abrams stirred controversy after marrying another woman and resigning as pastor of Zion Progress Baptist Church.
38. UM's Winners Are Losers In the Big Business Racket of College Athletics; 4/7/13
NCAA schools earn $4.6 billion in merchandising revenues every year, but the actual athletes see none of that money because it is important for the people who actually get rich on the backs of college athletics to protect the integrity of amateur athletics.
37. Meet The Man Behind The 'Detroit vs. Everybody' Hoodie That Colbert Loved; 7/26/13
When the Detroit Free Press' Stephen Henderson went on the Colbert Report to talk about the city's bankruptcy, he presented Colbert with a "Detroit v. Everybody" hoodie and the local apparel became a national trend.
36. Which Kind of Lions Fan Are You?; 8/21/13
It's hard to be a Lions fan. Supporting the Honolulu Blue and Silver requires a certain amount of self-delusion to get through the football season. Or at least one of these six types of self-delusion. Which one are you?
35. One Round With Darrell Dawsey And Rick Ector; 11/26/13
Darrell Dawsey stepped in the ring with Detroit gun rights advocate Rick Ector to talk about the Renisha McBride case and stand your ground laws.
34. Benny Napoleon’s Fuzziness On Pensions In Debate Mirrors His Nebulousness As A Candidate; 10/30/13
Benny Napoleon spent a good portion of 2013 complaining that reporters and pundits were unfair to him during the mayoral campaign. But maybe it was Napoleon, with his rudderless campaign and pie-in-the-sky promises, that was being unfair to Detroit voters.
33. In Court, Kwame Kilpatrick Looked Like A Broken Man; 10/10/13
When ex-mayor and convicted felon Kwame Kilpatrick appeared in court in October to receive a 28-year sentence for federal crimes including racketeering, he looked like A shell of the cocksure young mayor who once charmed the city. After a dozen years of strangeness, the Kwame Kilpatrick saga is over.
32. Big Babbitt Is Watching You: The Commonwealth Of Belle Isle's Totalitarian Spirit; 1/27/13
The plan to make Belle Isle a quasi-independent city-state for smug Ayn Rand fans was good for laughs. But ultra-luxe secessionists that make Jefferson Davis seem small potatoes became a trend of sorts in 2013. If one of these nutty projects ever gets off the ground, we look forward to Somali pirates disrupting their libertarian wonderland.
31. Film Fest, Day 2: A 1919 Travelogue Of Boomtown Detroit; 9/24/13
Detroit's population more than doubled between 1910 and 1920. This video shows what Detroit was like in those boom times.
HONORABLE MENTION: Is This Real? Wireless Aerial Trams May Be Downtown's Next Big Thing; 4/4/13
Forget light-rail, bus rapid transit, or even driverless cars. Imagine a Detroit with gondolas that don't require any wires. How does it work? Magnets, of course.
