In Commerce Township last week, it was a sight to watch the education and political transformation of Republican presidential nominee Gov. Mitt Romney, once viewed as the Boston moderate who could insert sanity into our current diabolical political climate, now embrace extreme views of right wing politics, which have come to define the base of the Republican Party.

Fair enough. Commerce Township, roughly an hour away from Detroit, sits at the center of right wing politics and it was symbolic of why it hosted the first joint presidential campaign of Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, in Michigan.

And in Commerce Township, what did Romney do?

He gave the roughly 5000 supporters in that Oakland County enclave red meat that they consumed, reassured that Romney is the living embodiment of their views — extreme views — totally outside the discourse of regular mainstream politics.

“No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised,” Romney said throwing red meat to the birther movement — the group of political activists who believe that the legitimate 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, is not American, and thus has no business in the White House.

Later, Romney tried to backtrack on his comments dismissing any suggestions that he was giving credibility to the birther movement, part of the Republican base that has been demanding Obama’s birth certificate. But it was late because with his remarks that smack of racism, Romney, had entered the birther movement through the back door at the Commerce Township rally.

The dog whistle politics that he used under the pretext of expressing pride in his Detroit roots for being born at Harper Hospital, was evident and says a lot about the candidate seeking to be president.

To decipher the conflicting candidacy of Gov. Mitt Romney is to bring to the fore the unbelievable, hopeful and respected legacy of his father, George Romney, who served as governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, a pivotal period of the Civil Rights Movement.

His father’s legacy is well documented in articles and books that have been written about the campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement. He was an unashamed and unafraid supporter of the movement for equal rights.

It is time for that story to be told as Mitt Romney moonwalks further and further away from his father’s legacy. Because there is a spurious political evolution happening in our national consciousness, where both candidates on the Republican ticket, Romney and Ryan, are evolving in strange ways before our eyes.

Romney is running away from the moderate politics of his father, George Romney, and Paul Ryan is evolving from the atheistic dogmas of Ayn Rand as he panders to the Bible-loving Evangelical Right in the deep South.

Is this what politics has come to in America today?

When he went before the NAACP, Mitt Romney had historical and political currency given his father’s legacy to show his understanding of the struggles of ordinary people, and connect their struggles to what his father stood for in the bitter days of Jim Crow.

Before the NAACP he had a golden opportunity that no other Republican presidential candidate in recent history has had in their experience: a father who was very visible on the political stage supporting equal rights for all. He blew the opportunity to connect.

Mitt Romney cannot deny what his father did out of his conviction to make a lasting political statement that all men are created equal and thus should be treated fairly in this democratic experience.

Is it realistic to think that Mitt Romney, in any serious and real way, can deny his father’s legacy by supporting proposals that contradict his father’s views? The health care law he passed in Massachusetts is consistent with the more liberal outlook that his father held. Because it afforded health care to those in the underprivileged class, similar to the one passed under President Obama.

Why then would this candidate now drastically move away from his father’s position and adopt Tea Party policies that are in diametric opposition to George Romney?

On some of the major issues of our day like the assault on voting rights in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida, candidate Mitt Romney and his campaign have been conspicuously silent in rebuking Republican secretaries of state to halt the attack on voting that could deny minorities, including poor seniors, the right to vote in November.

How ironic that George Romney was a staunch supporter of the Voting Rights legislation that passed in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement.

Is Romney now a victim of political schizophrenia where the base of the Republican Party is forcing him into a state of split consciousness — where on the one hand embracing the birther movement and Tea Party politics that has sunk to a reprehensible all-time low, and on the other hand, he cannot deny his father’s views? This is nothing short of a split personality.

There is something genuinely likable about Mitt Romney. He is a family man and a successful businessman. When he first entered the presidential race I thought he was going to be a breath of fresh air by distancing himself from the inflammatory remarks like those of Donald Trump and the unjustifiable and vicious criticism of President Obama from such questionable quarters of extreme conservative punditry.

Even some friends of mine on both sides of the political spectrum, especially those on the Republican side, have expressed dismay and shock at the direction of the campaign of a man who has the historical credence that Republicans have long been seeking to attract a larger segment of the Black vote.

It is not the expectation that Mitt Romney becomes George Romney. But the weight of history and the political good sense of George Romney cannot be ignored when his son is running to become president of the United States. That his father’s legacy on equal rights for all was shaped in Detroit shows the importance of this urban center’s long political struggles and the challenges it presents for both presidential candidates in 2012.

Leading a march against housing discrimination in Gross Pointe against Blacks, George Romney said, “Until we eliminate inequality our words will have a hollow sound to the people of the world.”

Even against the advice of an official of the Mormon Church during Jim Crow, George Romney demonstrated a self-evident truth — that every human being is born free, equal in dignity and rights. A pointed 1964 letter steeped in the vestiges of racism of the early Mormon Church was sent to George Romney by an apostle of the church, Delbert L. Stapley, asking the then Michigan governor to reconsider his support for civil rights.

“After listening to your talk on civil rights, I am very concerned. Several others have expressed the same concern to me. It does not altogether harmonize with my own understandings regarding this subject. I felt, George, your views were most liberal on this vital problem in light of the revelations, but nevertheless, I cannot deny you the right of your position if it represents your true belief and feelings,” Stapley wrote.

Further down in the letter Stapley reminded George Romney saying, “I am sure you know that Prophet Joseph Smith, in connection with the Negro problem of this country, proposed to Congress that they sell public lands and buy up the Negro slaves and transport them back to Africa from whence they came. I am sure the prophet, with his vision and understanding, foresaw the problems we are faced with today with this race, which caused him to promote this program.”

For a man to step out side the theological doctrine shows the courage George Romney had.

When Barry Goldwater refused to support the Civil Rights Act of 1964, George Romney refused to support Goldwater’s candidacy for president at the 1964 Republican Party Convention where he (Romney) worked to push the party to go on record against discrimination.

In the book “Judgement Days,” Nick Kotz writes about Bloody Sunday and George Romney’ role in Detroit.

“In Detroit on Tuesday, Gov. George Romney, a Republican, and Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, a Democrat, had led ten thousand marchers five times around the federal building to protest the brutality of Bloody Sunday,” Kotz wrote.

The 1967 edition of Harper’s magazine explained the special bond between George Romney and Dr. King in this way: “When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King marched in Detroit three years ago, Romney marched with him. He is proud that he helped write a state Constitution that has the most comprehensive civil rights guarantees in the nation, including open occupancy in housing.”

With such a forceful legacy, it is unimaginable how candidate Mitt Romney has turned to the extreme right of his party. It is glaringly clear that the positions of some of the speakers at this week’s Republican Convention would have been flatly rejected by George Romney. If he rejected Barry Goldwater then he would today reject those who opposed equal pay for women and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

For a man whose father supported equal rights, why would Mitt Romney do a semantical dance around women issues and a less than vocal support for the Lilly Ledbetter Act?

Bankole Thompson is editor of the Michigan Chronicle and author of a six-part book series on the Obama presidency. His book “Obama and Black Loyalty,” published in 2010, follows his recent book, “Obama and Christian Loyalty” with a foreward by Bob Weiner, former White House spokesman. Thompson is a political news analyst at WDET-101.9FM (NPR affiliate) and a member of the weekly “Obama Watch” Sunday evening roundtable on WLIB-1190AM New York and simulcast in New Jersey and Connecticut.

TAMPA, Fla. -– Good cop. Bad cop.

The Republican Party showed the nation one of its most winsome faces on the first night of the GOP's shortened three-day convention, giving Ann Romney the first half of prime time.

Romney gave a sentimental and personal description of her husband, Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who on Tuesday night became the first Mormon to be nominated for president by either political party.

She was followed by the pit bull, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who stormed onto the stage clapping like a football coach in the fourth quarter, and delivered a gut-busting rebuke to the nation's political leadership and to a self-indulgent culture.

The contrast, which took up the last hour of a night in which the GOP showcased its top female and minority leaders, was clearest when Ann Romney and Christie discussed a topic not often spoken of in political speeches.

"I want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us … Tonight I want to talk to you about love," Ann Romney said.

Minutes later, in the headline speech of the convention, Christie took on the same theme, with a very different twist.

"I believe we have become paralyzed by our desire to be loved," Christie said.

Both speeches hinged on a relationship: Ann's with Mitt, Christie's with his mom. Ann emphasized her love for Mitt, and their family's love for the country and for others.

"I want to talk to you about the deep and abiding love I have for a man I met at a dance many years ago. And the profound love I have, and I know we share, for this country," she said.

Christie explained how his mother, who died eight years ago, "told me there would be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected."

He used that as an analogy for how he thinks the GOP must not shrink from offering solutions to the nation's biggest problems -– debt, deficits and a sagging entitlement state -– that might be unpopular.

"Tonight, we are going to do what my mother taught me. Tonight, we are going to choose respect over love," he said.

Christie's charisma energized the 20,000 or so delegates and supporters in the Tampa Bay Times Forum. But it was Ann's speech that was more critically important to her husband's political fortunes.

Romney is trailing President Barack Obama badly among women voters, especially in critical swing states like Ohio and Virginia. Romney also is not personally popular, even if more voters trust him on key issues like the economy and jobs.

And so his wife, a 63-year old cancer survivor and multiple sclerosis sufferer, had a dual purpose with her address: make a strong pitch for the female vote, and play up he husband's personal side.

She went for the women by identifying with them.

"It's the moms of this nation -- single, married, widowed -- who really hold this country together. We're the mothers, we're the wives, we're the grandmothers, we're the big sisters, we're the little sisters, and we are the daughters," Ann Romney said.

"I love you women! I hear your voices," she said.

And she made the case that the newly minted GOP nominee does not advertise his good deeds, an implicit acknowledgment that Democratic attacks on his character have hurt his image with many voters who do not know much about the 65-year old former private equity executive.

"This is important. I want you to hear what I'm going to say," Ann Romney said, asking for the crowd's attention in a line not in her prepared remarks. "Mitt doesn't like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point."

Throughout the three hours of speeches that preceded the last hour, and then again during speeches by Ann Romney and Christie, the GOP declared their party one that stands for hard work and American ingenuity. Many speakers played up their immigrant roots and humble beginnings.

"My dad got his first job when he was 6 years old, in a little village in Wales called Nantyffyllon, cleaning bottles at the Colliers Arms," Ann Romney said. "When he was 15, Dad came to America."

Christie said: "I am the son of an Irish father and a Sicilian mother."

Ted Cruz, the GOP's U.S. Senate candidate in Texas, described how his father "was imprisoned and tortured in Cuba, beaten nearly to death."

"He fled to Texas in 1957, not speaking English, with $100 sewn into his underwear. He washed dishes making 50 cents an hour to pay his way through the University of Texas, and to start a small business in the oil and gas industry," Cruz said. " We are all sons and daughters of those who risked everything for freedom, and we have the duty to pass that same opportunity to the generations to follow."

Others who took the podium included Mia Love, the 37-year old daughter of Haitian immigrants who is now mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, and is running for Congress; South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the 40-year old daughter of Sikh immigrants from India; and Artur Davis, a former Democratic congressman from Alabama who has switched parties and is now one of the more prominent black men in the GOP.

Davis, who spoke at the Democratic convention in 2008, and was a prominent supporter of Obama, referenced his speech four years ago.

"It turned out I was in the wrong place, so Tampa, my fellow Republicans, thank you for welcoming me," he said.

The attempt to reach out to women and minorities was marred, however, by news reports that one convention-goer allegedly threw nuts at a black CNN camerawoman in the hall and said, "This is how we feed animals."

White men like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich were relegated to slots earlier in the evening. Christie, a white male himself, was the keynote speaker for a simple reason: few national political figures from either party gives a speech like the 49-year old first-termer, and he has had surprising success in meeting his goals in a state where the legislature is controlled by Democrats.

Romney, Christie said, would be like, well, Christie.

"Mitt Romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to put us back on the path to growth and create good-paying private sector jobs again in America," Christie said.

As Christie spoke, Romney -– having walked out on the stage with his wife after Ann finished her speech –- stood and applauded from a VIP box just off the convention floor.

On Wednesday night, Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will give the prime time speech, and on Thursday, Romney will end the convention with the biggest speech of his life.

Republican National Convention 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/29/chris-christie-keynote-speech_n_1838204.html

DETROIT (WWJ) - Officials from the city of Detroit and Detroit Public Schools are celebrating the grand opening of the new Mumford High School with a ribbon cutting ceremony and back pack giveaway on Tuesday. The 239,000 sq ft. facility on Wyoming near McNichols includes a high-tech media center, 800 seat auditorium, modern science laboratories and a two-story glass commons area that doubles as a cafeteria. The new school also has an athletic wing that includes a swimming pool, dance studio, weight room, gym and courtyard, as well as a performing arts wing that includes a choir and band room, drama room and dressing room. All that is left of the old Mumford High School is just a pile of dirt and a big hole in the ground, which will be filled in and expected to be used as a football field and parking lots. The $52.1 million construction project began during fall of 2010. The school will welcome its inaugural class this fall. Mumford, one of six high schools in the state’s new Education Achievement Authority, will have a new principal, Dr. Donnie Davis, who likes the idea of student-centered learning — such as mastery of algebra. “They have to have pretty much all of it known and can show that they understand algebra before they can go on to geometry. Moving our students forward when they’re not really prepared, be it moving them from the first to second grade or moving them from the fifth to the eighth grade, is not doing them any favors,” said Davis. Chief of Staff Tyrone Winfrey said EAA schools have a unique curriculum called “student focused” learning. “Each student will be assessed when they come in whether they’re in kindergarten or the twelfth grade. We basically want to make sure that after that assessment, we’re able to determine exactly where that student is, as far as their educational needs, and there will be an individualized learning plan tailored to that student, with individual goals, objectives and expected outcomes,” said Winfrey.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/08/28/detroit-celebrates-grand-opening-of-new-mumford-high-school/

Prudence Byas spent 10 years working in IT, enjoying the tech world and everything it had to offer. She took a break from it a few years ago but realized she couldn't stay away. So the middle-aged woman changed her career course slightly, going into software development and becoming one of the first members of the initial class of IT in the D. A handful of downtown Detroit-based tech corporations started the initiative earlier this summer by partnering with a number of local colleges and universities. The idea is to help get more local students with tech ambitions into careers like IT and software development through an intensive training program hosted through the companies over a few weeks. Byas was already taking tech classes at Wayne County Community College District when she heard about IT in the D. The Dexter/Davidson neighborhood resident was taking part in the college's Shifting Code program, which also aims to grow the computer programing talent pool for the Michigan's expanding IT industry. Taking the IT in the D course was a no-brainer because it allowed her to work with some of the region's heaviest hitters in both technology and entrepreneurship. She graduated from the IT in the D course last week filled with confidence, and she has her sights set on bigger goals. "I wanted to get back to the development side of things," Byas says. "It allows you to do stuff on your own, not only for a company but entrepreneurially." Growing the Tech Talent Pool The brightest spot in Detroit's job market is its growing IT sector. Got any experience in IT, or technology? You're hired. Experience in software development? You're hired yesterday, and do you have any friends with coding skills looking for a job? The demand for tech talent has spiked so hard in recent years that it seems like just about every business is looking to hire in-house IT professionals of every stripe. Big companies or small, cutting-edge tech firms or traditional businesses, they all seem ready to hire just about anyone with a tech background. Quicken, Compuware, GalaxE Solutions, Marketing Associates and Fathead started IT in the D earlier this summer to help meet that demand by growing the local talent pool organically. They partnered with Wayne State University, Wayne County Community College and Washtenaw Community College, creating a pipeline for students with tech ambitions to pursue them in the Motor City. These students are meant to help meet the steadily rising demand for IT and software professionals in downtown Detroit. The Motor City's Central Business District has become a hub for on-shoring IT services and tech start-ups. Companies like Strategic Staffing Solutions, GalaxE and Compuware have been hiring hundreds of people to fill a growing number of IT positions in recent years. Quicken Loans started off the year with 300 openings for IT professionals and had only filled half of them by mid summer. "We're not the Silicon Valley of the Midwest. We're Detroit," says Lisa Katz, executive director of the Workforce Intelligence Network (or WIN), which is overseeing the IT in the D program. "We're unique. We're special. We're growing IT jobs faster than Silicon Valley, faster than Boston, faster than the Research Triangle." The initial class of IT in the D graduated 30 students from across the region and is aiming for a similar-sized class this fall. Many of the participants echoed a desire to pursue their tech careers in Detroit and saw a bright future for the sector in the Great Lakes State's largest city. "One thing IT in the D did was dispel the myth that programing is one person sitting in a corner by themselves," Byas says. "It's a group of people taking on a project." New Careers, New Opportunities Brad Chaiken didn't intend to get into tech when he first thought about going back to school a few years ago. At the time he was working in HVAC and fiberoptic installation. The Farmington Hills-resident wanted to broaden his career options by getting a degree in mechanical engineering at Wayne State University. He had ambitions of getting into the white-collar portion of the automotive industry. That changed when he took his first HTML programming course. He was hooked on programming, coding and just about any other word that describes creating computer software from scratch. He joined IT in the D's initial class and he knew he had found his career path. "You can create," Chaiken says. "I can create and develop. I can do whatever I want to do." The 33-year-old has already received job inquiries from tech firms on both coasts looking to leverage his newly created tech skills. He has no plans on leaving. The newly minted software engineer and computer science major at Wayne State University plans to pursue his career in his native Detroit and sees a lot of opportunity for him and fellow graduates right here. "Keep the talent in Detroit," Chaiken says. "A lot of us want to stay here."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/28/first-class-creating-jobs_n_1836313.html?utm_hp_ref=detroit

LIVONIA (WWJ) Livonia police are investigating a beating at a group home allegedly sparked by an argument about cigarettes that left one man seriously injured and another member of the group home facing charges. Lt. Thomas Goralski said police were called to the home that caters to psychiatric patients on Barkley street at about 6 p.m. Sunday where they found the 61-year-old victim. He was unconscious and bleeding from the head. A fellow resident of the group home, Kil Won Choe, 47, was pointed out as the perpetrator. Details were still unfolding, but police said they believe the man was beaten over an argument about cigarettes. Goralski said the victim is currently in critical but stable condition. Choe faces arraignment Tuesday afternoon on a charge of assault with intent to murder.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/08/28/police-group-home-beating-sparked-by-cigarette-argument/

TAMPA, FLA., (WWJ) As Tropical Storm Isaac bears down on the Gulf Coast, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder took time from the Republican National Convention to say he’s fully convinced Mitt Romney will take his state’s 16 electoral votes.

“Yes, he can,” Snyder said about whether Romney can win Michigan, adding, “When you look at the polls, they’re basically tied and when you look at the margin of error on them, either candidate could win this thing. And there are still 70-some days to go, so there’s still a fair amount of time going on. Michigan should be a real battleground.”

Snyder is among the Republicans present for the full pomp and circumstance of the GOP Convention in Tampa, Fla., not far from Isaac’s fury. There shouldn’t be any surprises at the convention, he said, except whatever Tropical Storm Isaac brings to the table.

“Our big challenge was the storm going by and people were resilient on that,” the governor said. “The big concern with Isaac now is just everyone’s thoughts and prayers are with those in New Orleans and Mississippi, where it’s going to hit landfall.”

He added the potential hurricane is on everyone’s mind at the convention. “People talk about their concern for people and the Gulf Shore, where the hurricane could land,” he said. “A number of Republican governors actually stayed back in their states because they’re focused on this … People are taking this very seriously and we are all concerned about where the hurricane hits land, the damage it could do.”

On the convention itself, Snyder said social media has changed the way it runs, but he thinks the traditional nominating convention is still a necessary practice.

“I still think they’re relevant, I think it’s a great opportunity for people to get together, it’s a focal point for good national discussion and bringing people from all across the country together,” Snyder said. “I think the format, in terms of how it gets covered is changing around quite a bit and I think what you’re going to continue to see is limited network coverage in terms of TV coverage, but in terms of social media and everything else, you’re going to see a continuation of the conventions, but communicating it through streaming, other methods of communication.”

One of the things Snyder will do at the convention is officially announce that Michigan Republicans give their votes to Romney and Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan, and Snyders is in the perfect position — literally — to do it.

“The best part is Michigan is right up front,” Snyder said. “We’ve got a tremendous position and hopefully that will be a good highlight for Michigan. You come down to the podium and we’re center, right in front.”

He added the convention isn’t about negotiating and making policy, it’s just about celebrating the candidates and “people doing good things.”

Snyder supports Romney, saying his election would bring good things to Michigan by alleviating the dysfunction in Washington, D.C.

“Michigan’s the comeback state right now, we’ve done well, we’ve still got a long way to go, but we’ve improved tremendously in terms of our economy, jobs,” Snyder said. “But if you look at it, we could still do better, and one of the things holding us back is the dysfunctionaliy in Michigan. Washington’s a mess … One of the great opportunities is potentially new leadership, and Mitt Romney’s got a great background to do that … Let’s start by creating a better environment out in Washington to go along with the good environment we have in Michigan.”

Locally, Snyder weighed in on the casinos issue after the state Board of Canvassers rejected a proposal Monday that could lead to eight new Michigan casinos, saying, “I appreciate them doing their work … The outcome of most of that will just end up in court, it will go to the Court of Appeals, and given the way things are going these days, most likely people will try to take it to the Supreme Court.

“It’s unfortunate, all this litigation and arguing over these ballot proposals,” Snyder added. “I hope our citizens really look at these proposals carefully. Changing the constitution is a major issue and most of these proposals I believe are not appropriate to be changes to the constitution.”

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/08/28/michigan-gov-says-hurricane-tops-talk-at-gop-convention/

The highly anticipated Lifetime movie reboot of "Steel Magnolias" will premiere on Sunday, October 7 at 9 p.m. ET.

Queen Latifah stars in the made-for-tv film, an adaptation of the iconic play and 1989 film of the same name, as M'Lynn. She's also executive producing "Steel Magnolias," which co-stars Phylicia Rashad as Clairee, Adepero Oduye as Annelle, Condola Rashad as Shelby, Jill Scott as Truvy and Alfre Woodard as Ouiser.

The updated version of "Steel Magnolias" chronicles the lives of six women in Louisiana who congregate at Truvy’s beauty shop to talk, laugh, cry and, of course, get their hair and nails done. Like the 1989 flick, M'Lynn's daughter will be diabetic and pregnant.

"Queen Latifah, Phylicia, Alfre, Jill, Adepero and Condola are some of the most celebrated women in music, film, television and stage," Nancy Dubuc, president and general manager of Lifetime Entertainment, said in a statement. "And we could not be more thrilled and honored for them to bring Robert Harling's poignant story about the strength of women to a whole new generation."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/steel-magnolias-premiere-lifetime_n_1833954.html?utm_hp_ref=bv-pop-culture

There are more black men behind bars or under the watch of the criminal justice system than there were enslaved in 1850, wrote Michelle Alexander, author of the 2010 novel The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.

Many criminal justice and civil rights advocates have pointed to harsh drug sentencing as the source of the disproportionate number of African Americans incarcerated in the United States each year.

African Americans constitute 13.6 percent of the U.S. population according to Census data issued in 2011, yet black men reportedly make up 40.2 percent of all prison inmates. Additionally, the large sentencing disparity between crack possession and cocaine possession still exists in several states despite the implementation of the Fair Sentencing Acts of 2010.

In recent years, the Republican and Democrat parties have joined together to combat sky-rocketing incarceration rates that have led to overpopulation in and overspending for prisons. Brought on primarily by the financial crisis, this shift in policy and political standpoint on incarceration issues has sparked reform movements across the nation, even in areas with the harshest criminal justice systems.

Check out the slideshow we've compiled below of some states that have reformed their drug sentencing laws.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/27/drug-sentencing-laws-state-reform_n_1834737.html?1346160028&utm_hp_ref=black-voices

DETROIT, MI- The landlord of the building where Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe intends to open filed for personal bankruptcy in early 2011, and subsequently defaulted on two mortgages, and thus the fine foods grocer planned for 3100 Woodward Ave. in Midtown has been in limbo ever since, co-owner Michael Solaka told MLive today.
"Our deal went sideways, not of our own making," Solaka said, adding that they had signed a lease for the space. "We are still intent on opening and are currently working through a court-appointed receiver to open the store."
Solaka said he was unsure of when this process would be complete, but as soon as it is, the 8,000-square-foot Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe's doors will open.
Every local and state permit has been secured, all needed certification has been granted.
Solaka and his brother Peter Solaka have already invested some $500,000 into the store, which will have a full meat counter and butcher, a full deli counter, a salad bar, a bakery and a large variety of beer and wine. Amongst it all will be a selection of Michigan- and Detroit-sourced products, Solaka said.
The brothers signed a lease on the building a year before Whole Foods planned its 20,000-square-foot location at Mack and Woodward avenues, he noted. The Midtown Whole Foods is scheduled to open in mid-2013. Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe was originally scheduled to open in May of 2010.
The name for the store is a throwback to a trio of stores owned by the Solaka family under the same banner in the 1970s and 1980s.
At the new Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe, curious passers-by have already noticed some of the store's shelves are stocked.
"We're starting to stock the store with shelf-stable items," Solaka said.

http://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2012/08/ye_olde_butcher_shoppe_still_s.html