A LETTER FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE
MON · NOV 2 · 2026
Detroit is mourning the man who started techno, the Lions are waiting on word about Jack Campbell, and Tuesday is Election Day.
AROUND
Juan Atkins, the Belleville native who co-founded Cybotron, recorded as Model 500 and is widely credited as the originator of techno, died Saturday at 64 in Mexico City, where he was due to perform that night. His agency announced it Sunday, and no cause has been reported. Kevin Saunderson, his fellow member of the Belleville Three, called him "the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us." The people are calling it a sad day for the D, and for techno everywhere.
The Lions beat the Vikings 19-15 on Sunday on a go-ahead Jared Goff touchdown pass to Williams, Minnesota's first loss of the season. The bigger news came early in the fourth quarter, when All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell was placed on a backboard and carted off after a tackle. The Lions said he's resting in a local hospital for continued evaluation and monitoring of a neck injury, and that they'll share more when they have it. The people, Vikings fans included, are pulling for him.
Wu-Tang Clan will headline the Lions' Thanksgiving halftime show against the Bears on November 26, with Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg picking the act for the second year of their partnership. Kickoff is at 1 on CBS, and Antonio Cipriano of Grosse Pointe Woods sings the anthem. The people are thrilled, and at least one is breaking a no-Thanksgiving-Lions rule to watch.
Detroit's top lawyer says residents will likely end up paying to clean up the contaminated fill dirt that went into demolition lots around the city. Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett told Council that Gayanga, the contractor tied to much of it, "if not bankrupt, soon will be," and that the city's insurer is resisting. About 655 sites are under review, and the worst of the work runs to 2029 unless state or federal grant money shows up. The people want the companies that made the mess to pay for it.
UP
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is back, in a new space at Orchard Lake and Maple in West Bloomfield with nearly twice the square footage of the old Farmington Hills spot. It has the same decor and game sounds and the animatronics, including The Brain and Dr. Ralph, and about 95 percent of the machines now take cards, with a few still taking quarters. It soft-opened October 24, it's open Wednesday through Sunday, and a grand opening is tentatively planned for mid-November. The people who've already been say they can't wait to see it fill up with the same chaos as the old one.
About 400 volunteers turned out Sunday for Jewish Family Service's 30th annual Fall Fix Up, raking leaves and winterizing 50 homes for older residents across metro Detroit.
ON
MON 2 The Pistons (5-1 after Friday's 110-94 win in Brooklyn) are at Charlotte tonight at 7:30 (click here for the schedule), and the Red Wings, coming off a 5-4 loss to the Blues Saturday, are at Florida at 7 (click here for the schedule).
TUE 3 Tuesday is Election Day, and polls are open 7 to 8. If your absentee ballot is still at home, skip the mail and drop it in the box outside your clerk's office before 8, and if you're not registered, you can still register and vote at the clerk's office. Photo ID isn't required: if you don't have one, you sign an affidavit and your ballot counts as normal. Beyond the governor, Senate and statewide proposals, Detroit ballots carry the zoo millage renewal, a museum millage that would bring free admission to the Detroit Historical Museum and the Wright Museum, and the school board race, where 34 names are chasing four full terms and one partial term.
WED 4 The Pistons host the Sixers Wednesday at 7 at Little Caesars Arena (click here for the schedule).
THU 5 The Red Wings host the Golden Knights Thursday at 7 at Little Caesars Arena (click here for the schedule).
FRI 6 Jodeci plays the Fox Theatre Friday, one of 12 don't-miss events in metro Detroit this month.
SAT 7 Michigan State plays Michigan Saturday at Michigan Stadium, kickoff at 7:30 and streaming on Peacock.
SUN 8 The Lions are in Miami Sunday at 1 on FOX (click here for the schedule), and the Pistons host the Lakers that night at 6.
WENT ON
This past Saturday was 100 years since Harry Houdini died in Detroit. He did his last show at the Garrick Theatre downtown on October 24, 1926, in front of about 1,400 people, and died at Grace Hospital on John R on Halloween at 1:30 in the afternoon, at 52, of a ruptured appendix.
See you Thursday.
DETROIT.CO
Everything here links to where we found it: local reporting, city records and what neighbors are posting. Corrections welcome.