Detroit tourism seeks rebound after year lost to pandemic
DETROIT – Timothy Tharp has owned businesses in Detroit long enough to remember when parts of downtown resembled a ghost town. He’s also seen its resurgence with new restaurants, hotels and throngs of people since the city’s emergence from bankruptcy.
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Then came COVID-19 and people stopped coming. Tharp estimates his three restaurants and bars have lost a combined $1 million since March 2020.
But now as vaccinations increase and government-ordered lockdowns and restrictions are lifted, Tharp believes the coronavirus pandemic could be remembered as just another hurdle the Motor City has overcome.
“We’ve gotten used to the apocalypse over and over and over again,” said Tharp who owns Grand Trunk Pub, the Whisky Parlor and the Checker Bar in and around downtown. “We crawl out of the ashes and rise again every 10 years. That’s what we do.”
The latest: Michigan coronavirus cases up to 874,624; Death toll now at 18,607
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4 Fast Facts
- Cathy Govan, former executive director of the Detroit Public Safety Foundation, has died. Click here to read more.
- Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said she is “gravely concerned” about potential ethical breaches after reviewing the 2006 murder conviction of Juwan Deering related to a deadly fire that killed five children. Click here to read more.
- After suspending programming last year due to the pandemic, Detroit Parks and Recreation programs are now underway with COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.
- A source told ESPN’s The Undefeated on Saturday that Ben Wallace, former Detroit Pistons star center, will be inducted into the Class of 2021 for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Click here to read more.
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‘Shocking and horrifying’: Israel destroys AP office in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike on Saturday destroyed a high-rise building that housed The Associated Press office in the Gaza Strip, despite repeated urgent calls from the news agency to the military to halt the impending attack. AP called the strike “shocking and horrifying.”
Twelve AP staffers and freelancers were working and resting in the bureau on Saturday afternoon when the Israeli military telephoned a warning, giving occupants of the building one hour to evacuate. Everyone was able to get out, grabbing a few belongings, before three heavy missiles struck the 12-story building, collapsing it into a giant cloud of dust.