I am writing today to announce the closure of the Michigan Messenger. After four years of operation in Michigan, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news into a single site, The American Independent at Americanindependent.com. This is part of a shift in strategy, towards new forms [...]
An abstinence-only presentation provided to numerous school districts in Calhoun and Eaton Counties in October of this year provided false and misleading information to students about HIV, experts allege.
Two county registers of deeds filed a class action lawsuit Monday on behalf of Michigan’s 83 counties alleging that the Mortgage Electronic Registration Services owes millions of dollars in property title transfer taxes.
Despite evidence of the impact of mercury on children and public health, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month joined with 24 other state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to scuttle new EPA regulations that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
The Detroit News reports that Detroit mayoral candidate David Bing will not debate interim Mayor Kenneth Cockrel Jr. on television next week because Cockrel won’t release his personal finances. Bing said the only way he would debate Cockrel is if the mayor disclosed his finances, as Bing has done. Instead of a debate format, Bing agreed to appear on WADL-TV Channel 38 in a forum where candidates are not pitted against each other. The station said it would continue the tradition of the debate format and reject a forum.
A television debate could help Bing because it would give him free exposure to Detroiters and the chance to attack the incumbent. Coming on the heels of Bing’s college-degree controversy, he could have used the debate to switch from defense to offense by attacking Cockrel.
Instead, Bing gave control of his own appearance at the debate to Cockrel by making the decision dependent on the mayor’s willingness to disclose his finances. Bing likely calculated that Detroiters would clamor to see the two debate and force Cockrel to present his finances, but there’s no evidence such pressure will be applied by voters before next week. Moreover, Bing placed himself between a rock and a hard place by having to give up the debate to stick by his word or go back on his promise to appear with Cockrel.
Bing may be retired from basketball but that didn’t prevent him from turning over the ball to his opponent.
Justin Miller is a political journalist based in Wayne County who has worked for Real Clear Politics, blogged for The Atlantic and covered the 2008 elections in Ohio for The New York Observer’s Politicker.com network of state politics news sites.
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter