New Benton Harbor Emergency Financial Manager (EFM), effectively the “Czar of Benton Harbor”, Joseph Harris got right to work this weekend in his new capacity by reconfiguring the city’s Planning Commission and Brownfield Commission. In two directives released Friday, Benton Harbor Emergency Manager Joseph Harris removed members of the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and Planning Commission, appointed others, and reduced brownfield […]

By now you have probably heard about Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s takeover of Benton Harbor, Michigan‘s government via his Emergency Financial Manager. As I said in my previous piece on this, while I understand the utter shambles that Benton Harbor was in, I also understand that there are systemic reasons for that in addition to malfeasance and mismanagement. A population […]

NOTE: I have an important update to this entry up titled “How Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is quietly & intentionally creating more Benton Harbors” that you may find of interest. NOTE 2: A second update is here: Benton Harbor Emergency Financial Mgr. gets right to work and shows how Harris is already at work, rejiggering two city development commissions. As […]

To say things are bad for teachers in Michigan is tragic understatement. Layoff notices are being issued around the state (per union contracts) for the coming school year. The most significant was announced this week: Detroit Public School teachers union members get pink slips Detroit Public Schools administrators have mailed layoff notices to the 5,466 members of the teachers union […]

It’s beginning to become a bit of trend here in Michigan: tea partiers have a rally that is dwarfed by a liberal/Democratic/labor rally. This week was no exception. Yesterday, the biggest protest rally yet by union members on the steps of the State Capitol building drew an estimated 4,500 attendees. Thousands rally at Capitol against Michigan budget, cuts to education, […]

Over 80 bus drivers in Detroit got the “flu” today so they could join the We Are the People protest rally happening at the Capitol building in Lansing. Extra delays of 30 minutes or more for city bus riders will be the norm today after more than 80 Detroit Department of Transportation drivers called in sick to join protests in […]

In May of last year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) denied a permit for the Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, Inc. to build a new coal-fired power plant in Rogers City, Michigan. Celebrated as a WIN for environmentalists fighting climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions and for those pushing for Michigan to adopt cleaner energy sources, the celebration has […]

There’s more to this than meets the eye. Snyder, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville and House Speaker Jase Bolger are expected to confirm a compromise that would phase in Snyder’s proposed tax on pensions and delay by one year a scheduled decrease in the income tax. The proposed deal would phase in the planned income tax for public and private […]

I’m a little late getting these details out but here is the information I have on the We Are the People rally tomorrow, Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at the State Capitol Building. WE ARE THE PEOPLE RALLY AT STATE CAPITOLA broad coalition of students, seniors, workers to protest Gov. Snyder’s budget plan WHAT: Rally to protest Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget […]

The battle between backers of a new, publicly-owned bridge to Canada (including Governor Rick Snyder) and those who oppose it (including Manuel “Matty” Moroun, the owner of the current bridge, the Ambassador Bridge) just took a turn for the weird and expensive with Koch Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity entering the fray: A pro-business, anti-government group known as Americans for Prosperity […]

A legislative aide to Michigan State Representative Jeff Farrington, Bryan Brandenburg, sent an email this week announcing a female colleague’s recent break-up, saying, “She’s a dem, but she’s hot.” Instead of sending the email to a small group of Congressional associates, he ended up sending it to every member of the Republican legislative staff. Subject: 25/F/Capitol Building. “Hey guys, “I […]