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.
Synagro, the Houston sludge hauling company, seems to be angling for a spot in the chutzpah hall of fame. They got caught bribing city council member Monica Conyers, who will soon be going to jail for it along with Synagro VP James Rosendall and Rayford Jackson, the middleman in the deal, and the company still thinks they should get the city’s sludge hauling contract. The city said no:
City officials have rejected a bid by Synagro Technologies Inc. to regain a sludge-disposal contract that was voided last year after a company official admitted bribing Detroit leaders to get the deal.
Synagro tried to prequalify in the fall with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to bid on a similar city sludge disposal contract. But Pam Turner, director of the department, nixed the bid last month, sending the Houston conglomerate a letter pointing to city ordinances that require contractors to demonstrate a “satisfactory record of integrity, judgment and performance.”
“There still remains a taint over the company, considering all that has transpired,” said Councilman Kenneth Cockrel Jr., who voided the $1.2 billion contract in January 2009 while serving as interim mayor.
“I don’t understand why they would want to entertain coming back in view of the scandal.”
I can understand why they would still want the contract — it’s worth about $50 million a year. I just can’t understand why they thought they would be given serious consideration after engaging in bribery to get the last contract.
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