Author Archives: admin

Ken Patterson’s wonderful bridge

Posted on November 8, 2013 by admin

As Canadian and US governments gear up to spend billions on a replacement to Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge, another Detroit bridge project is largely unknown. Kenneth Patterson built a suspension bridge over the Rouge River with a few parts from a … Continue reading →

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California to reform school bond practices

Posted on July 10, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell California legislators are poised to enact a law meant to reform the way the state’s school districts borrow through Capital Appreciation Bonds. Cabscam California was reported first on joelontheroad, which made the 1000-plus percent interest as proportion … Continue reading →

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Arming the Free Press newsroom

Posted on June 25, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Detroit Free Press politics editor James Hill carries a pistol. Hey, James — are you packin’ that gat in the newsroom? It’s one thing to fend off attackers by pointing to your holstered pistol at a gas … Continue reading →

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Crying wolf on the ‘chilling effect’

Posted on June 9, 2013 by admin

The dual revelations, in rapid succession, also suggested that someone with access to high-level intelligence secrets had decided to unveil them in the midst of furor over leak investigations. Both were reported by The Guardian, while The Post, relying upon … Continue reading →

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Fox 2 plans re-do of 2005 Free Press canoe trek

Posted on June 1, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell A reporter and a photographer paddling the Rouge River over five days in the first week of June, renting their canoe from a Milford livery and refusing help from establishment environmental and river friends groups. Their aim … Continue reading →

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Bait and switch for press ‘freedom’

Posted on May 18, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Would some wise person in the media please explain to me how the government’s surveillance of The Associated Press’s phones translates into a new push for a so-called federal “shield” to insulate mainstream journalists from subpoenas? Somehow, … Continue reading →

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We need a federal ban on CABs

Posted on May 11, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell According to California Treasurer Bill Lockyer, those school board members at San Diego’s Poway Unified School District who authorized bonds with a 10-to-1 ratio of debt to principal ought to be recalled. “Stupid,” was Lockyer’s description of … Continue reading →

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‘Michigan blogger’ to talk CABs to California

Posted on May 4, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell At 2:15 PM on Friday, May 10, I’ll be in Sacramento telling members of the California League of Bond Oversight Committees how I learned about Capital Appreciation Bonds in Michigan 21 years ago. I’ll talk about how … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad government, CAB scams, Muni bonds | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Ashenfelter-Convertino: Essential reading

Posted on April 24, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell A federal judge has ordered the Detroit Free Press to reveal the names of US Justice Department officials who illegally disclosed secret grand jury information about a former assistant US attorney, Richard Convertino. Convertino has sued the Justice … Continue reading →

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Convertino case: Judge orders Free Press to name sources

Posted on April 18, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Former assistant US attorney Rick Convertino’s lawsuit against the US Justice Department is still alive, despite a federal judge’s decision to let a Detroit Free Press reporter, now retired, off the hook as a witness in the … Continue reading →

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