Gary Abud, Jr., and I joined Tony for new episodes of his podcast series, to educate the public on issues of importance to each of us. Earlier this week, Tony Trupiano was kind enough to invite two members of Team Eclectablog to speak with him on his new podcast series. In our podcast, Tony and I discussed the new abortion […]

Educators provide insight on teacher evaluation to members of the Michigan House Education Committee Gary Abud, Jr. is the 2013-14 Michigan Teacher of the Year Teacher evaluation is a topic that has received a lot of attention in 2013. Earlier this year, the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness (MCEE) offered their recommendations and findings in a commissioned project on teacher […]

come·back – noun \ˈkəm-ˌbak\ — A return to a former position or condition (as of success or prosperity) I feel like Governor Snyder and his administration have a different dictionary than I do. He has repeatedly claimed lately (as part of the non-launch of his 2014 campaign) that Michigan is the “Comeback State”. The only thing that I can figure […]

What could possibly go wrong? Photo by Anne C. Savage Impending upgrades to crude oil pipelines that bring tar sands crude to the Midwest are sparking fears of a significant jump in crude oil shipments on the Great Lakes. A report by the Alliance for the Great Lakes has details of the impending oil glut, the potential devastating impact on […]

Because the Michigan GOP is letting them get away with it. And nothing about that is okay. UPDATE on a new petition launched by Michigan Democratic leaders to fight the Right to Life initiative below. There’s a good chance a petition signed by 4 percent of Michigan voters will become law, forcing women to purchase separate insurance in case they […]

Hear ye, hear ye I was on the Majority Report radio show with Sam Seder this afternoon. We discussed Detroit’s bankruptcy, the Education Achievement Authority, and other examples of the corporatist Republican takeover of Michigan. You can listen to it here: [ca_audio url_mp3=”http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/majorityfm/12-4-13-Chris_Savage-PUB.mp3″ css_class=”codeart-google-mp3-player” autoplay=”false” download=”false” html5=”false”] True story: the first time I met Sam Seder in person was when […]

With the announcement that Detroit is officially in bankruptcy and at the suggestion of my good friend Emily Hauser, we thought it would appropriate to rerun a photographic journey to Detroit taken by Eclectablogger and photographer extraordinaire Anne C. Savage the day Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr filed the bankruptcy paperwork – July 18th, 2013. It’s an antidote, if you will, […]

There are some stories I feel privileged to write. This is one of them. I already hold nurses in high esteem. But after talking with Tim Launius, RN, about his experience helping survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, I’m more convinced than ever that the work nurses do demonstrates the very best of humanity. Launius is one of more […]

The ban on same-sex marriage in Michigan can tear families apart [left to right: April, Nolan, Jacob, Jayne, and Ryanne] A few years ago, what started as a family vacation in Ohio nearly ended up in a fatal car crash for April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse. The two nurses had their three adopted children with them and the close call […]

The story’s still unfolding, but this could be one heck of an interesting race. In breaking news on Friday, Inside Michigan Politics (IMP) reported that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has been calling members of Michigan’s congressional delegation to say Jocelyn Benson is running in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. The information came from two “highly placed” Democrats, but a […]

Michigan teachers are among the finest in the nation, but the media attention given to public education recently has been far from flattering. The public does not view our teachers in a positive light. From Proposal 2 last fall to failing school districts and emergency managers, it is easy for people to believe that teachers are not living up to […]