Opinion7

Detroit signgenerated imagesOpinion

Detroit's new "Hollywood" sign and how AI nonsense led us wrong

Detroit pride is a huge thing. Over the years, Detroit has been the punching bag of national media. Our sports teams (until a recent run by the Lions) haven't been great. And our population as a state, as a region, and as a city has been either staying the same or shrinking. This means — and I'm speaking for myself here, but maybe you, too — sometimes, there's the urge to fight a little extra harder. That yes, Detroit has good things going on (and it does!). So when this image started sharin...

MichiganOpinion

Is It Time For Toll Roads In Michigan?

So let’s be clear. I don’t like toll roads. The idea feels strange in the state that put the world on wheels. But we need to get real about what’s facing us when it comes to road funding, and everything should be on the table. Our Detroit region is sprawling. The other week while reporting on a story in Macomb, I realized looking at Google Maps that the driving time from my house in Detroit to the Macomb County Public Works building I was visiting was about the same as if I had drove to...

OpinionRochester HillsShooting

Metro Detroit Has A "Those People" Problem

The news out of Rochester Hills is sickening. If you didn’t know, a 14 year old teenage boy got lost. His mom had taken away his phone, according to Channel 4, and was looking for directions. So Brennan Walker did what any sensible kid would do, and knocked on a door of a home with a neighborhood watch sign for help. According to Fox 2, this is how Brennan describes what happened: “Then she [the wife] started yelling at me and she was like, ‘Why are you trying to break into my house?’ I wa...

DetroitMilwaukee JunctionOpinion

QLINE, I Love You But We Need To Talk

At first, you hear the warm voice of Carmen Harlan. “Grand Circus Park, brought to you by Chevrolet” the recorded message assures the passengers. Next, you hear some weird, garbled digital voice finishing the sentence, telling you about the attractions at that stop. That contrast is exactly the QLINE today. We wanted to step back, let some kinks work out, and then add something. Optimistically, one could think hey, it’ll take some time to iron things out. We’re now a month in, and the...

DetroitMackinac policy conferenceMayor Mike Duggan

Mike Duggan Speaks Truth To Power About Detroit's Divided History

Finally. Across Metro Detroit, we usually do a terrible job of acknowledging our past and how those decisions impact our region today. But in an energetic speech in a venue where a message about race is uncomfortable for some, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan talked about the systematically racist policies that shaped our region today and finished with a standing ovation. The TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) version is thanks to a practice called redlining if you were white after World War II, you c...

financial literacyFirst PersonOpinion

OPINION: Supporting Financial Literacy Is An Investment In Southeastern Michigan’s Future

Each April, Financial Literacy Month offers an important opportunity to educate consumers on the fundamentals of personal finance – from how checking accounts and credit cards work to how to establish a basic household budget. This should be a year-round commitment by our community because it is so fundamentally important to making financially responsible decisions integral to the everyday lives of our residents. Financial literacy can also be an issue for entrepreneurs and small business owne...

Detroit bankruptcyEditorialGovernor Rick Snyder

Detroit, It's Time To Write The Next Chapter

On Friday, Judge Steven Rhodes announced he will confirm Detroit’s bankruptcy plan. It is the start of a new era for the Motor City. And it is a major milestone in accelerating the recovery underway in our largest city and our state. The bankruptcy relieves the city of more than $7 billion in debt. With the judge’s decision, the city can now also move forward and invest $1.4 billion over the next 10 years, continuing to improve and bolster services for its residents and building a solid financ...