Kevyn Orr's jewel heist: Detroit's worst fears come true
Nothing this side of slapping a For Sale sign on the Detroit Water Department would be a clumsier attempt at raiding a Detroit jewel.
Politics Blog
The home for Michigan's best political commentary
James David Dickson
The real Mary Sue Coleman legacy
My colleague Henry Payne wrote today on outgoing University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman’s legacy as if Coleman were some sort of throwback to a time when people weren’t colorblind (Because everything’s all good now, of course). He comes thisclose to hitting on the most legitimate criticism of Coleman, which is that under her … Continue Reading →
Scoring the debate: Background checks for gun buyers
On Tuesday, The Detroit News opinion page played host to a debate on pending legislation that would pursue gun control via universal background checks. Fighting out of the red corner is Henry Payne, who opposes background checks and questions whether they will even have an impact. A background check wouldn’t have prevented the Newtown shooting, … Continue Reading →
Amera Jones, seven-year-old gunshot victim once expected to live, dies
Amera Jones, a 7-year-old Detroit girl who was shot by her father, Ferdarius Shine, in February but had been expected to live, died on Friday, March 22 from complications resulting from those injuries, according to a homicide blotter provided by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office. Jones’ father, according to a Freep report from February, … Continue Reading →
10 cartoons on Kwame Kilpatrick's downfall
Detroit News cartoonist Henry Payne is a prolific chronicler of our times, producing up to 12 cartoons a week between here and his freelance work. They say that journalists write the first draft of history. Combine that with another old saying, that a picture is worth 1,000 words, and it becomes clear why cartoonists are … Continue Reading →
Detroit's lost decade: Can it recapture the 2002 spirit?
Back in 2002, the Detroit City Council discussed whether to allow Detroit voters to approve a city manager form of government — which is how many of Michigan’s cities, from Coopersville to Inkster to Ann Arbor, are run. These cities still have mayors and city councils, but the mayor is a voting member of City … Continue Reading →
Kwame Kilpatrick convicted; Detroit reacts via Twitter
[View the story "Kwame convicted, Detroit reacts" on Storify]
Such high hopes -- Our first post-Election Kwame editorial
On Monday, March 11, 2013, a Southeast Michigan federal jury came to a verdict in the corruption trial of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. As such, we thought this a good time to revisit the first editorial we wrote, back in 2001, after Kilpatrick was first elected Detroit’s mayor. ___ Kilpatrick Faces Big Job in … Continue Reading →
3 pictures of Carl Levin with famous Detroiters
On Thursday, long-serving U.S. Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat formerly of the Detroit City Council, announced that he would not seek reelection in 2014. The Detroit News dug into the vault for some pictures of Levin in his earlier days. Enjoy. Carl Levin and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin From left: Gov. Jim Blanchard, … Continue Reading →
Crying wolf on Bob Woodward won't help conservatives
My colleague Henry Payne’s column and blog post on the “threat” made to reporter Bob Woodward are premised on such a willful misreading of the incident that I think it only fair to tell you the rest of the story. First, a summary: Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame, says White House to blame for sequestration … Continue Reading →