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Some City of Detroit Offices Closed on May 20 for Budget-Required Furlough

Community 05-17-2013 Hits:415 - avatar

Some City of Detroit Offices Closed on May 20 for Budget-Required Furlough

  Some City of Detroit offices will be closed on Monday, May 20 for budget-required furlough (BRF): ·        Board of Ethics ·        City Council ·        Communications & Creative Services Division & Total Copy Center ·        Detroit Building Authority ·        Greater Detroit Resource Recovery Authority (GDRRA) ·        Human Resources (with the exception of Payroll Division) ·        Human Rights ·        Mayor’s Office ·        Purchasing Division (Finance Department) ·        Recreation (Administration, Recreation Centers & Community Affairs) However, these departments will be open on May 20: ·        Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) ·        Department of Public Works ·        Finance Department (Income Tax, Assessments, Property Tax & Treasury) ·        Planning & Development Department

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LAST MOTOR CITY MAKEOVER CLEANUP IS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST AREAS ON S…

Community 05-17-2013 Hits:89 Michigan Chronicle Staff - avatar Michigan Chronicle Staff

LAST MOTOR CITY MAKEOVER CLEANUP IS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST AREAS ON SATURDAY, MAY 18

  Volunteers are invited to join hundreds of others cleaning and beautifying neighborhoods throughout the central and southwest sides of Detroit on Saturday, May 18, as Motor City Makeover moves into its last weekend. Motor City Makeover is a bagged litter campaign that encourages volunteers to participate in a citywide cleanup by sector. The campaign is part of a larger City initiative called Keep Detroit Beautiful, which focuses on cleaning, beautification, recycling, adopting parks and vacant lots, and gardening. Below are some of the many sites being cleaned on Saturday, May 18. Henry Ford Hospital Contact: Meagan Pitts-Dunn (313) 475-3993 Chauncey Samuel, Recreation Community Affairs Manager, (313) 207-8416 Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Park at W. Grand Boulevard & Rosa Parks Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Volunteers: 50+ Northend Neighbors Contact person: Phillis Judkins (313)815-1440 Location: Northeast Corner of Kenilworth & Brush/West corner of Josephine and Owens Streets Time: 9 a.m. – Noon Volunteers - 100 Focus:HOPE Contact Person: Mary Simpson (313) 492-4292 Location: 2146 Oakman Blvd., 3406 Ewald Circle at Fullerton St. Volunteers: 50 Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Mariners Inn Contact Person: Kyle Hocker (313) 215-6961 Location: Cass Park (located between Temple, Ledyard, 2nd & 3rd streets) Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Volunteers: 200 Mc Graw Resource Center 6900 Wagner (Vacant Lot) Contact: Raquel de Whitt (248) 842-0302 Volunteers: 30 - 50 Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Patton Recreation Center Contact: Ninfa Cancel, Recreation Community Affairs Manager, (313) 283-8252 Karla Williamson, Patton Center Supervisor, (313) 600-3555 Location: 2301 Woodmere off Vernor Hwy. (Park cleanup, graffiti removal & painting bleachers) Time: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Volunteers: 80-120 This Saturday is the last Motor City Makeover cleanup. There is still time for residents, business owners, houses of worship, block clubs, and schools to: · Call (313) 224-3450 to register to join the cleanup effort or register online at www.MotorCityMakeover.org. · Clean the area around their home, business, house of worship, or school on the Saturday designated for their sector. · Organize their neighborhoods or their...

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City of Detroit is insolvent

Community 05-17-2013 Hits:120 - avatar

City of Detroit is insolvent

by Chris Isidore The Detroit city government is weeks away from running out of the cash it needs to operate, according to an initial report from the emergency manager overseeing its finances. The report from Kevyn Orr, the bankruptcy attorney appointed by the state in March, lays out a bleak financial position for the city. "The city has effectively exhausted its ability to borrow," he writes in the report, adding that the city "is clearly insolvent." To avoid running out of cash before the end of its fiscal year on June 30, it must "defer payments on its current obligations," including more than $100 million in pension payments that are due. "No one should underestimate the severity of the financial crisis," Orr said in a statement. "The path Detroit has followed for more than 40 years is unsustainable and only a complete restructuring of the city's finances and operations will allow Detroit to regain its footing." He said this report was a baseline from which to develop that restructuring plan. It does not use the term "bankruptcy," but Orr hasn't ruled that out. Detroit is struggling under at least $15 billion in debt, due to years of borrowing to pay its bills as tax revenues plummeted. The population of the city has fallen by nearly 30 percent since 2012, and there are currently over 100,000 vacant lots and buildings. Together, this has meant a drastic drop in revenue from both income and property taxes. Detroit is struggling to come up with annual debt payments of about $246 million, which eat up almost 20 percent of the its general fund budget. Orr says the city needs relief from the money it owes, suggesting that investors holding its debt could end up taking haircuts. But investors won't be the only ones hit by Orr's efforts to restructure the city's finances. He...

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New Wall Street threat to homeownership

Community 05-17-2013 Hits:253 Stella J. Adams, NNPA - avatar Stella J. Adams, NNPA

New Wall Street threat to homeownership

  by Stella J. Adams (NNPA)—Private-equity firms, hedge funds and other Wall Street investors are seeking to develop a Real Estate Owned (REO)– to- Rent Securitization Market with the blessing of the FED and FHFA. A year ago, the Federal Reserve Board issued a policy statement on rental of REO owned by the banks they supervise and allowed the banks to rent REO properties without requiring them to demonstrate continuous efforts to market the properties. Last fall, FHFA initiated a "pilot" REO bulk sale program in urban markets across the nation. This munificence by the federal regulators will change the course of America's future and signals the abandonment of homeownership as a pathway to prosperity. Single-family rental properties have attracted more than $10 billion from equity firms, hedge funds, REITs and institutional investors. According to Goldman Sachs Group Inc., this market may attract a total of $2.8 trillion in capital investments in the not so distant future. The government's encouragement of this new housing market is fraught with potential societal and economic risks to the long-term health of our neighborhoods and our nation. As a fair housing professional, I am concerned that this allows the Wall Street predators to once again prey upon urban and inner-ring suburban communities across the country. These new investors in the rental housing market may not be aware that they are covered under Section 805 of the Federal Fair Housing Act and its implementing regulations. As a homeowner, I am concerned that there may be homes on my block or in my community that are owned by Wall Street firms that have shown no accountability for maintaining the properties they have acquired. A judge recently denied Deutsche Bank AG's bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the city of Los Angeles, accusing it of letting hundreds of foreclosed properties fall into...

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Powerball jackpot 3rd largest in U.S. history

Top News 05-17-2013 Hits:287 CNN - avatar CNN

Powerball jackpot 3rd largest in U.S. history

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 175 million. STORY HIGHLIGHTS No one matched winning numbers in Wednesday night's Powerball drawing The jackpot for Saturday's drawing will be at least $550 million Largest jackpot in U.S. history was $656 million in Mega Millions game in 2012 (CNN) -- The Powerball jackpot for Saturday's drawing will be at least $550 million, the third largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, after no one matched the winning numbers in Wednesday night's draw. Wednesday's jackpot in the multistate lottery was $360 million. The numbers were 2, 11, 26, 34 and 41 with a Powerball of 32. Saturday's jackpot will be the second largest in the history of the Powerball game, behind a $587.6 million jackpot that was split by winners in Arizona and Missouri in November. The largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history was $656 million in the Mega Millions game in March 2012. That was split by three tickets sold in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. The Powerball game is played in 43 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A single ticket costs $2, and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 175 million. And if that's a little too pricey for you, a Mega Millions ticket will cost you only $1. The jackpot for Friday's Mega Millions drawing will be at least $190 million, and the odds are the same, 1 in 175 million. Mega Millions is played in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Jackpots in both games are based on payouts as annuities over 30 years. Players can choose a cash payout that will be less.

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U.S. options to 'capture or kill' Benghazi suspects [Video]

Top News 05-17-2013 Hits:109 By Barbara Starr - avatar By Barbara Starr

U.S. options to 'capture or kill' Benghazi suspects [Video]

      The U.S. military has updated plans to "capture or kill" alleged perpetrators of the deadly terror attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, CNN has learned.   The development comes amid growing pressure on the White House to show progress in the effort to catch those who killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans last September 11. Officials emphasize that military planning has been underway since the immediate aftermath of the armed assault. One part of the plan calls for potentially putting U.S. military personnel on the ground inside Libya, if ordered by President Barack Obama. Two U.S. officials confirmed the details to CNN, but declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the information. The plan was updated and discussed at the highest levels of the military as recently as last week. The military has a list of several targets including some inside Benghazi and others in outlying areas. There are specific individuals named who are believed associated with the Benghazi attack as well other militants the United States wants to get. There are also militant camps or stronghold areas on the list that could be attacked. The plan has series of "capture or kill" options that Obama would have to approve. It's not known how much of this he may have been briefed about. One military official said the military is well aware that if it is ordered into action now by the White House, it could be viewed as a political move in light of the ongoing controversy over Benghazi. But he noted that initial planning began shortly after the attack last year. Special operations forces have stayed in the North Africa region since the attack in varying numbers to collect intelligence and be ready to launch attacks if ordered. CNN has been asked to not say where those forces are located. Officials are...

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Gov. Snyder encourages voters to reject all but Proposal 1 on Election Day

Category: Top News Published on Wednesday, 24 October 2012 12:44 Written by Patrick Keating CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

 

Gov. Snyder has a simple message for Michigan voters: “Yes on 1, no on the rest.”
 
Asked why it’s important to vote yes on Proposal 1, which would authorize the governor to appoint an emergency manager upon the state’s finding of a financial emergency, Snyder said during an interview with the Chronicle editorial board that the old emergency manager law — PA 72 — had two major issues that needed improvement.
 
“One was an early warning system, and I think that’s worked quite effectively,” Snyder said. “To say that communities, if they run into these circumstances, they need to report that they’re having financial difficulty, and they need to provide more and better information.”
 
He said that’s a case where the state has been able to work with communities.
“They could do some sort of deficit reduction plan or we could work with them in a positive, constructive way, because that’s just a good thing,” Snyder added. “I don’t see any downside and I hope that doesn’t create any controversy.”
 
The second issue is the larger one, according to Snyder.
 
“Now, when you get into a circumstance of having a true emergency, the idea was wouldn’t it be better to have a manager who could come in and do their work and get back out, rather than having them stay in an emergency status for an extended period of time?” he asked.
 
Snyder added that we should be clear that one aspect of PA 72 that doesn’t get talked about much is that it allowed for consent agreements.
 
As an example, he said if the state hadn’t been able to do a consent agreement with Detroit, the only other option was a manager.
 
He noted that a consent agreement gave Mayor Bing more powers.
Snyder also said the state is getting close to being able to leave two or three communities which are now under an emergency manager — Ecorse, Pontiac and Benton Harbor — and that discussions concerning Ecorse revolve around how the state can work with the community on having certain provisions that the city’s going to do good budgeting after the emergency manager is gone.
 
Asked for his primary objection to Proposal 2, which would amend the state constitution regarding collective bargaining, Snyder called it a massive overreach in our constitution.
 
“Here’s a proposal that, if it passed, could wipe out several other provisions of the constitution, and could wipe out upwards of 170 different laws,” he said.
Snyder, who described Michigan as the comeback state, asked what happens if 170 laws — some of which go back to the 1960s — may or may not be on the books any longer.
 
He said some of these laws are well-established principles of collective bargaining and other relationships.
 
“Theoretically, if it was able to be bargained, that law would disappear,” he said, asking how many lawsuits would there be in attempts to determine how many of those 170 laws remain valid.
 
“Let alone the constitutional provisions,” he said. “The way I figure it, you’ve got one to two years of chaos over saying ‘is the law there are not?’ Then to the degree the laws are wiped off the books, you have probably six months to a year longer of negotiations going on.”
 
He also suggested these could be perpetual negotiations. This could lead to a $1 billion per year in additional costs for taxpayers.
 
Snyder believes the passage of Proposal 2 could grind our economic comeback to a halt.
 
“It’s devastating,” he said.
 
He also believes Proposal 2 would derail Detroit’s recovery, and that bankruptcy would pretty much be the only option remaining.
 
Snyder said that unlike chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Chapter 9 doesn’t have a lot of legal precedent. He also said cases involving Chapter 9 haven’t been done in a structured fashion.
 
“It’s like Vallejo, California, and some of these have been real messes. Huge messes,” he said. “That’s when you worry about what you are left with.”
 
He said that’s why he’s strong on “yes on 1.”
 
As for Proposal 3, which would amend the constitution to establish a standard for renewable energy, Snyder addressed an ad that shows a map of states that had enacted similar provisions. He said every one of them had done so by statute.
 
“We have a statute to do 10 percent by 2015, so we should be lit up (on the map),” he said. “Not one of them has done it in their constitution because it’s terrible public policy.”
 
He also said no other state has put standards for renewable energy into its constitution, and that doing so is like trying to build a house on a foundation of sand.
 
“We don’t know what federal energy policy is,” he said. “If you don’t know what federal energy policy is, why would you put it in your constitution? It’s a terrible idea.”
 
He also said a lot of people are trying to make money off of the issue, and that there’s nothing about energy efficiency. It’s only about adding capacity.
Regarding Proposal 4, which would amend the constitution to establish the Michigan quality home care council and provide collective bargaining for in-home care workers, Snyder called it a misnomer.
 
“Home health care is really important, but most of the home health care being done under these provisions are by other family members.”
 
He also said this would be a way cipher $6 million off to a union.
 
Proposal 5 would amend the state constitution to limit the enactment of new taxes by state government. Snyder called it a really bad idea, but said it sounds appealing to people on the face of it.
 
The problem, according to Snyder, is that Proposal 5 addresses any increase in the tax rate or base. He said we’d still have Michigan business tax and that Proposal 5 derails tax reform and tax reductions. He also said it alows up to 13 senators to control everything, giving more power to special interests.
 
Regarding Proposal 6, which would amend the state constitution regarding construction of international bridges and tunnels, Snyder said opponents of a second bridge across the Detroit River want to stop or dramatically delay job creation.
 
“If you think about it, we have some legal arguments to say it may not even apply, but what they would have gained was at least another year or two delay by the court suits that come out of this,” he said. “If you think about it, shouldn’t we create the jobs now? The sooner we get going on this the better.”
 
Snyder also asked when anyone last voted for a bridge.
 
“We’ve never voted for a bridge, and the only reason we’re voting for this bridge is you’ve got one special interest spending $10 to $20 million on misleading ads,” Snyder said, adding that the only accurate things in the anti-bridge ads are that there’s a bridge and it’s in Michigan.
 
He also said if Proposal 6 passes, it could derail infrastructure development because it could theoretically apply to any new bridge anywhere in the state.
Snyder wants the Ambassador Bridge to be viable, adding that the Detroit-Windsor crossing has 40 percent more traffic than the Buffalo-Niagara Falls border crossing, which has three viable bridges.
 
With so many proposals seeking to amend the constitution, Snyder would like there to be statutes addressing better transparency, disclosure and regulation of paid petition circulators.
 
He supports the idea of grassroots efforts to do petitions, but added that it was always viewed as the citizen volunteer trying to get signatures in support of a particular issue rather than a special interest hiring people to get signatures supporting their vested interests.
 
“The worst part is that it’s a per signature bounty,” Snyder said, asking whether people circulating petitions should identify themselves and indicating whether they get paid.
 
“Is per-bounty right, or should they get paid per hour or some other basis?” he asked.
 
Snyder said making issues constitutional amendments takes away the significance of the legislature, adding that that’s California today.
 
“You just take it to the ballot in California,” he said.
Snyder believes the reinvention of Michigan, in large part, triggered special interests that don’t like where the state is going.
 
“But my goal isn’t to make special interests happy, it’s to take care of the citizens of Michigan,” he said. “And I think we’re doing a pretty good job of that.”
 

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