The skids are greased [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] It what can only be described as a clean sweep for Governor Rick Snyder and Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, a federal judge halted three separate lawsuits filed in state courts attempting to stop Snyder and Orr from taking Detroit through a bankruptcy. The argument […]

Stuff’s about to get real… Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog A federal judge will determine on Wednesday morning if Detroit’s bankruptcy filing is a violation of the state constitution which protects public employee pensions. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes has declared that his court has the authority to rule on a dispute between the city’s pension funds […]

Surprise, surprise [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] Yesterday afternoon, Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, with the blessing of Governor Rick Snyder, filed bankruptcy paperwork for the city at 4:06 p.m. An emergency hearing by attorneys representing city pensioners was scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in the court room of Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina. The […]

“Like the phoenix, Detroit WILL rise again” – Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm I had a meeting yesterday with a client looking for current photographs to reflect their growing business, with its many new employees and in its new location only 10 miles north on Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit. This client was a good 50-minute drive away from where […]

Submitted without comment Michigan Governor Rick Snyder explains his decision to authorize Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn to file for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy for the city:

It was inevitable The Detroit Free Press is reporting this afternoon that Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr may file Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy paperwork as early as tomorrow morning in an effort to stave off multiple lawsuits from various pension groups. The City of Detroit is in final preparations to file for federal bankruptcy as early as Friday morning, several […]

Nothing to see here, please hold your breath and move along As if they weren’t already dealing with enough in their daily lives, residents of downtown Detroit now have something else to contend with: exposure to toxic petroleum coke or “pet coke” dust. The Detroit Free Press is reporting that the state confirms that the dust is prevalent in the […]

So much for “PUBLIC” schools… As I wrote about earlier in the week, Brooke Harris, the teacher fired from a Pontiac charter school for helping students organize a fundraiser for the family of Trayvon Martin, is about to be fired again. This time, it appears to be because of her outspokenness about the poor learning environment in Education Achievement Authority […]

Let them eat Bumpy Cake This past week, Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr announced that he was sponsoring a bus tour for Detroit’s creditors who are in town to have discussions regarding the state of the city’s crushing debt. The idea is that they would spend a few hours traveling around the most impoverished parts of Detroit so that they […]

Message to teachers: Sit down and shut up. NOTE: The location of Brooke Harris’s pretermination hearing, which is now closed to the public, has been changed. See update below. In April of 2012, Brooke Harris, a teacher at the Pontiac Academy for Excellence charter school, was fired for attempting to assist her students hold a fundraiser for the family of […]

A BFD for the D

Last night I “appeared” on the Night Shift with Tony Trupiano radio show to talk about Netroots Nation being held in Detroit in July of 2014. If you are unfamiliar with Netroots Nation, this segment will give you a better idea of just how big a deal this is.

Audio after the jump.