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Keep Growing Detroit cultivates more than fresh produce

By on May 13, 2013 in Detroit, Highland Park

It’s growing stronger communities, one garden at a time.

Spring is finally springing in Michigan, more or less. But at Keep Growing Detroit, gardening season is well underway.

You could call Keep Growing Detroit an urban gardening and farming project, but it’s much more than that. Established in 2013 as an offshoot of The Greening of Detroit, Keep Growing Detroit’s primary mission is to create a food sovereign Detroit, where a majority of the produce eaten in Detroit is grown right in the city.

I was first introduced to Keep Growing Detroit when I attended TEDMED in April, where Co-Director Ashley Atkinson was one of the speakers.…


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Public Act 4 repeal signatures delivered + Michigan Emergency Manager New Round-up

By on March 1, 2012 in Detroit, Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Highland Park, Rick Snyder

It just goes on and on and on and on

Lots of news to cover today. Make sure you click through to the jump page if you’re reading this from the front page of Eclectablog.

  • Stand Up For Democracy coalition delivers 226,637 petition signatures
    Yesterday, the Stand Up For Democracy coalition and Michigan Forward delivered well over the 160,304 signatures needed to put the repeal of Public Act 4 – Michigan’s Emergency Manager Law – on the November ballot to the Michigan Secretary of State’s office in Lansing.

    Here is Michigan Forward’s statement:

    Today, Michigan Forward, the Stand Up for Democracy Coalition and countless volunteers and supporters representing the labor, civic, and faith based communities from around the State of Michigan submitted 226,637 signatures to repeal the “Local Government and School District Fiscal Accountability Act,” known as Public Act 4 (PA 4).

    • …


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Michigan GOP rebuked by TWO rulings by the SAME judge. Highland Park Emgcy Mgr may be out of a job.

By on February 16, 2012 in Emergency Manager Law, Highland Park, Rick Snyder

Take that! And THAT!

Ingham County Circuit Judge William Collette is on a roll. Yesterday he delivered two rulings that set Michigan Republicans back on their heels.

First, he ruled that an obscene and blatant power grab by Oakland County Republicans is unconstitutional.

An Ingham County judge on Wednesday struck down a controversial state law that changed the way Oakland County’s commissioner districts are drawn.

Judge William Collette said the law was unconstitutional.

Plaintiffs hailed the striking down of what they described as a “Republican power grab.” Lawyers for Gov. Rick Snyder, a defendant, said an appeal is likely.

Collette ruled the law, Public Act 280, should have received a two-thirds majority vote because it dealt with a local matter; violated the Headlee Amendment against unfunded mandates, and impinged on the rights of county voters to petition for judicial review of their reapportionment plan.

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Wednesday afternoon Michigan Emergency Manager news round-up

By on February 1, 2012 in Detroit, Emergency Managers, Highland Park

It just goes on and on and on again…

  • Decision to close Highland Park school not made by Emergency Manager Jack Martin
    Contrary to what some outlets have reported, the decision to close Barber Focus school was NOT made by new Emergency Manager Jack Martin
    During a parent meeting on Monday, superintendent Edith Hightower announced that Barber Focus School would merge with Ford Academy. The decision to close Barber was made prior to Martin’s arrival without his knowledge, contrary to other published media reports.

    At the meeting, tempers flared with one attendee saying, “I’m sick of them in Lansing sending these black men in here to take over”, before being escorted out.

    • …


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Rainbow Push Detroit responds to closing of Highland Park school + Flint EM holds meetings

By on January 31, 2012 in Emergency Managers, Highland Park

Let’s get right to work, shall we?

New Highland Park schools Emergency Manager Jack Martin got right to work yesterday, his first day on the job. He closed Barber Focus School.

Parents and students of Highland Park schools learned Monday evening how the newly appointed emergency manager will change the troubled district, starting with a closure that will leave only two schools.

The moves follow a Highland Park school board member asking a judge Monday to void the recommendations of a state-led financial review team that resulted in the appointment of Jack Martin.

Martin began work Monday saying Barber Focus School for K-8 children would close in the coming week for the rest of the school year and students would move to Henry Ford Academy.

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Highland Park school board member asks judge to halt Emergency Manager takeover

By on January 30, 2012 in Emergency Managers, Highland Park

Board member says review team violated Open Meetings Act

Today, newly-minted Emergency Manager Jack Martin had his first day on the job. To celebrate the occasion, school board secretary Robert Davis asked a Lansing judge to issue a temporary restraining order, halting Martin from taking over.

A Highland Park school board member is asking a judge to void the recommendations of a state-led financial review team that resulted in the appointment of new Emergency Manager Jack Martin for the district.

Robert Davis, board secretary of the Highland Park School District, filed the emergency request Monday before Ingham County Judge William Collette, who will decide Feb.

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Highland Park schools get their Emergency Manager after all

By on January 27, 2012 in Education, Emergency Managers, Highland Park

Not like we didn’t see it coming or anything…

As predicted, Highland Park schools have been assigned an Emergency Manager

LANSING – Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday confirmed an emergency manager in Highland Park Schools and appointed certified public accountant Jack Martin to take over the troubled district.

Martin’s appointment is effective Monday. The move was not unexpected after a review team recently recommended appointment of an emergency manager, citing the growth in the school district’s deficit to $11.3 million, among other factors.

Martin, founder and chairman of Martin, Arrington, Desai & Meyers PC, is the former chief financial officer for the U.S.

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Governor Snyder sends letter to Highland Park school parents: BE AFRAID!

By on January 24, 2012 in Emergency Managers, Highland Park, Rick Snyder

Warning, Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder took the unprecedented step of sending a personal letter (pdf) to the parents of the Highland Park school system.

Dear Parent,
As a parent of a Highland Park School District (HPS) student, you are probably aware of the dire financial situation that exists in HPS. Over the past few weeks, together with the Departments of Treasury and Education and a review team, we have been attempting to work with your local school officials to address this situation.

There is absolutely no question that the finances of HPS have reached a crisis stage.

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Friday Emergency Manager news round-up

By on January 20, 2012 in Emergency Manager Law, Emergency Managers, Highland Park

No earth-shattering news about Michigan’s on-going Emergency Manager Emergency, but there are some tidbits worth noting.

  1. Flint Community Leaders Hold Public Forum to Discuss Emergency Manager Emergency.
    Flint community leaders held a public forum on Tuesday to discuss Public Act 4 and its impact on the community.
    The panel discussion will revolve around “The Emergency Manager: Concerns and Outcomes for Flint,” according to a news release.

    Panelists are City Councilman Delrico Loyd, Flint resident Paul Jordan, political science Professor Paul Rozycki, and state Rep. Woodrow Stanley, D-Flint.

    You won’t have to worry about what happened at the “Emergency Manager: Concerns and Outcomes for Flint Forum”, however, because no news outlets appear to have reported on it.

    2. …


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Another one bites the dust: Highland Park schools to get an Emergency Manager

By on January 13, 2012 in Emergency Managers, Highland Park

Not unexpected, just another drop in a torrent: Governor Rick Snyder has declared a financial emergency in Highland Park, and will appoint an Emergency Manager.

Gov. Rick Snyder today said he would appoint an emergency manager to oversee the financially troubled Highland Park School District – just hours before state officials announced they are reluctantly giving the district a $188,000 cash advance so the district could cover payroll Friday.

The latter, State Superintendent Mike Flanagan and State Treasury Andy Dillon said, is being done in order to avoid the district’s financial crisis affecting children.

“Most troubling to me is that this is a temporary fix,” Dillon said of the cash advance, which he said will carry the district through Feb.

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