My, my. THIS is interesting. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is reviewing whether the state of Michigan can legally appoint an emergency manager to oversee the Motor City’s finances, Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, said late today. Conyers said he spoke to Holder about his request that the government move to block the law. “(Holder) said, ‘I’ve got my lawyers working […]

My son, Cameron, is working hard on his senior thesis film, Oculus, for his degree from Ithaca College in New York. In order to make the project happen, he’s doing what all film producers have to do for their projects: raise funding. And that’s where YOU, my awesome readers, come in. Here’s a note from the writer/director/producer/editor himself: Hi Everyone, […]

This is unlikely to get much fanfare but it’s big new for the fight to protect the LGBT community all over the world. It’s an Presidential Memorandum mandating that U.S. Government agencies step up their efforts to protect the rights and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) people all over the world. The memorandum directs agencies to: Combat […]

Buried in the lede of the news about Flint Emergency Manager Michael Brown firing seven staffers and essentially firing the the Mayor and City Council, as well, is this little tidbit: In his first orders as emergency manager, Michael Brown on Friday fired seven City Hall staffers — including the mayor’s second-in-command — and eliminated pay and benefits for the […]

Today we get some unsurprising news: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s poll numbers are crashing. Less than 20 percent of Michigan residents believe Gov. Rick Snyder is doing an excellent or good job running the state, a survey to be released Monday afternoon shows. The Fall 2011 State of the State survey conducted by the Institute for Public Policy and Social […]

The Obama administration is announcing this week that they are making an historic investment in biofuels by purchasing 450,000 gallons of drop-in biofuel made from waste cooking oil and from an algae-based system. The fuel is called “drop in” because it can be blended with the traditional fuels used now with no need for equipment modifications. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus […]

The mayor of Troy, Michigan, Janice Daniels, a proud member of the tea party, updated her Facebook status in June with this: “I think I’m going to throw away my I love New York carrying bag now that queers can get married.” She refused to apologize for this insulting public statement until this morning. Daniels apologized for the comment on […]

I got an email a couple of days ago from the Tea Party of West Michigan. This is the group with the comical and never-correct grammatical error at the top of every page of their website. The email, true to form, was hard to parse: “Come join me at Dave Agema is speaking on Sharia law and other topics. on […]

Newly-minted Flint Emergency Manager Michael Brown got right to work last. On Friday (pdf) he fired seven staff members at City Hall and then eliminated pay and benefits for Flint’s newly-elected mayor and the City Council. The order says: Mayor Dayne Walling’s salary and all other compensation and benefits, including the accrual of post-employment benefits, are eliminated. Flint City Council […]

Lost in the media hubub regarding the possibility that Detroit may be put under the control of an Emergency Manager (EM) was related news about Inkster, Michigan. I reported in October and then again in November that Inkster is on a glide path toward a take over by an EM. The penultimate step toward that final outcome was taken this […]

Later, dude. Herman Cain, a little known businessman who became a frontrunner in the Republican presidential race, suspended his campaign Saturday following allegations of an extramarital affair and claims of sexual harassment. You have to wonder if THIS didn’t have a little something to do with it. On Thursday, Cain provided new details on his relationship with White, including the […]