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 […]

This hurts me more than it hurts you… I’ll admit it: I HATE begging my readers for money. I live a pretty simple lifestyle with no expensive boats or vacation homes. We don’t travel much outside of work because we can’t afford it. But I do work hard. And so do the other contributors at Eclectablog. We’re trying to build […]

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 […]

Pure Iowa Graphic by Anne C. Savage After it was revealed last week that the state of Michigan had awarded a $1.5 million contract to produce and distribute a Michigan tourism magazine to an Iowa-based company, Crain’s Detroit Business filed a Freedom of Information Act request and learned that at least two Michigan-based companies had come in with lower bids. […]

Look out, Tim Walberg. Your days are numbered. Pam Byrnes with Congressmen John Dingell and John Lewis Several months ago, I contacted former Michigan House Speaker Pro Tempore Pam Byrnes and her husband Kent Brown. I wanted to discuss the possibility of her running for Congress in the 7th District to oust the odious tea party grandfather Tim Walberg. I […]

Why support Eclectablog? We do more than report stories others ignore. We help the voice of the people be heard. Citizen journalism is vital to our democracy not just because it’s unconstrained by corporate or special interests. Citizen journalism is by the people, for the people. When I joined Team Eclectablog, I was already speaking out on issues I care […]

What do you expect? They spent 10 minutes on the job today. Senate Republicans showed up to work this morning and did absolutely nothing. Although the Detroit Free Press says the Senate Medicaid expansion work group is meeting privately twice a week to “tweak” the bill already passed by an overwhelming majority of the House, they still have nothing to […]

Michigan’s “stand your ground” law resembles Florida’s more than any other state Graphic by Chris Lozos The tragic death of unarmed Trayvon Martin in Florida was a direct result of that state’s odious “Stand Your Ground” law. The fact that George Zimmerman was acquitted of his death is a direct result, not of the six female jurors ignoring the law, […]

How do you attack a law that’s already responsible for covering millions of Americans, providing more than a billion in rebates from insurance companies and is literally saving kids’ lives? Republicans have two strategies: 1) make things up and 2) sabotage. The most constant effort to sabotage comes from the House GOP who are continually pretending to repeal the law. […]