Author Archives: admin

Texas may ban CABs

Posted on April 6, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell In spite of all the uproar about high-interest Capital Appreciation Bonds and 1000-percent interest rates in California schools, the California Legislature has not outlawed these taxpayer ripoffs and may only limit their use. In Texas, meanwhile, a … Continue reading →

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My first CAB stories

Posted on April 5, 2013 by admin

Twenty years ago today, on April 5, 1993, the Detroit Free Press published my investigation into a financial abuse known as Capital Appreication Bonds.  A year later, the Michigan Education Association awarded the Free Press and me its School Bell … Continue reading →

Posted in CAB scams, Joel's J School, Muni bonds | Tagged | Leave a comment

Free Press to deliver NY Times

Posted on March 24, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Note to newspaper publishers: Can’t make money on your own news product? Peddle somebody else’s. A note in today’s (March 24, 2013) New York Times states: “Starting on Monday April 1st we will no longer be your … Continue reading →

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Antique oboist plays Denison Hall

Posted on March 22, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell This tale is all about a joke, really, but it begins with my chirimía. For years, this curious musical instrument sat atop the hutch in our kitchen. It was made by a musician from the Lake Pátzcuaro … Continue reading →

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Did beaver ever leave Detroit?

Posted on March 21, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell If you believe the Detroit Free Press, beaver were trapped to extinction in the Detroit area, and “then industrial pollution in the mid-20th Century made the Detroit River too toxic for beaver and many other species to … Continue reading →

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Beaver logic again

Posted on March 20, 2013 by admin

Once again, a federal agency is claiming the arrival of a lone beaver in Detroit signals less-polluted waterways. The claim was first made by a US Fish and Wildlife spokesman in 2009, when a beaver was seen at DTE’s Conner … Continue reading →

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‘Michigan blogger’ to speak in Sacramento

Posted on March 7, 2013 by admin

Michigan journalist  Joel Thurtell will speak in Sacramento about how he broke last year’s major story about California’s Capital Appreciation Bonds. Thurtell is scheduled to address the annual conference of the California League of Bond Oversight Committees between 2:15-3:15 P.M. on May … Continue reading →

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Thank you, Jimmy Boegle

Posted on March 4, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Thank you, Jimmy Boegle of the Coachella Valley Independent, for setting the record straight regarding the history of reporting on Capital Appreciation Bonds in California.

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California’s wake-up call from “Michigan blogger”

Posted on March 3, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell How does it happen that a retired reporter in Michigan breaks news that could change the way schools are financed in California? On March 27, 2012, I found a comment here on JOTR warning that a financial … Continue reading →

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Mouth-watering muskrat

Posted on February 25, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Another rat story. This one from the July 8, 2007 Detroit Free Press. Rat nostalgia. The world described in this article no longer exists. It’s Lent 2013, but you can’t go to a restaurant and order traditional … Continue reading →

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