Snow snarls Detroit interstates; winter storm warning for New England
(Photo: Janet S. Carter / The Free Press via AP)
Whiteout conditions in the Detroit area on Saturday caused pile-ups involving dozens of cars and trucks that closed several highways, including Interstates 75 and 94, all part of a weather system that brought winter storm warnings for parts of Massachusetts.
An arduous winter continues for many in the northeast — the National Weather Service estimates snowfall approaching ten inches in some parts of Massachusetts this Sunday.
He was dead. He had no heartbeat and he wasn’t breathing. I started CPR, and after a few minutes, he revived and started breathing again. He knew his name and his wife’s name. The first question he asked was ‘Did I vote?’Ty Houston • Recounting a particularly shocking series of events that took place while he filling out his absentee ballot at a township office in Oakland County. The 48-year-old home care nurse is responsible for saving the life of an elderly voter who collapsed while filling out his own ballot at a nearby table. After recovering, and once his wife took a moment to remind him that personal health is important too, the unidentified man responded that only two things were important to him. “That I love you and that I finished what I came here to do … vote.” source
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Twitter coming downtown is exactly the kind of innovative company Detroit needs to advance our vision of becoming one of the most exciting high-tech and web-centered corridors of growth and activity found anywhere.Dan Gilbert talks up Detroit’s high-tech future in “What Twitter Means for Detroit.” I’m posting this from Detroit, where I’ve been visiting family for a few days … and, while none of them have Twitter accounts, I can tell you that they’re all hoping Gilbert is right. HT: Michael Tofias. (via kohenari)
Who says you can’t go home? In the case of 101-year-old Detroit resident Texana Hollis, the federal government. The woman, who lived in her home for 60 years, was evicted from her home in September by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development after she was unable to pay property taxes on her reverse mortgage. A couple days later, she was told she could return home, but HUD later said her home was in such disrepair that they wouldn’t allow it. But all is not lost; other agencies might be able to help fix the home up. Hollis, meanwhile, is staying with a friend who offered her a free room. Where’s Ty Pennington when you need him? (photo by John T. Greilick/Detroit News/AP)
» Pulling out the big guns: This week’s Detroit Auto Show is a giant coming-out party for an auto industry that was struggling to keep the engine running just a couple of years ago. But, while those times are certainly not gone entirely, they’ve certainly improved in recent years, which reflects in the boldness of this year’s models. In fact Chrysler, the weakest of the the three auto companies, is actually looking like a bright spot for Fiat, whose Chief Executive, Sergio Marchionne, invested in the company at its weakest point. ”He entered Chrysler at rock bottom and will now capitalize on a U.S. recovery — the timing was perfect,” said automotive analyst Philippe Barrier. But maybe you’re like us and you don’t care about the specifics of the recovery and just want to see cool new cars. Well, the Detroit Free Press has you covered.
The entire structure of the city reflects a 1950s model in which the United States was the dominant economy of the world and automobile manufacturing was the core driver. None of that is true anymore.Former Detroit City Council member Sheila Cockrel • Discussing the city’s major financial issues — which are so bad that the state has ordered a review of the city in a move that could lead Michigan to take it over. It would be the largest city of its kind to be taken over by the state government, but one that has fallen the furthest: With a quickly-declining population that has fallen by a quarter in the past decade, a $150 million budget deficit and a $45 million financial shortfall expected for the current fiscal year, options are running slim for a city defined by auto industry culture in good ways and bad. If the state takes over, the council that Cockrel was once a member of and mayor Dave Bing could get sidelined. Ouch. source (via • follow)
If you are at or below the poverty level, your plan isn’t 9-9-9, it is 9-0-9. Say amen y’all. 9-0-9.Herman Cain • Claiming that his much-talked-about 999 plan was intended to always be income-tax-free for the poor. 909? Isn’t nearly as catchy now, is it? Cain made this statement in Detroit on Friday, which plays into some of the criticism his campaign has gotten — that he’s not focusing on the states that will help him win the early primaries. Earlier this month, Karl Rove put this point succinctly: “He needs to get his bus to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada. If he doesn’t break through there — and to break through there, you’ve got to show up, particularly in the first three.” source (via • follow)
Not unlike Berlin, which was revitalized in the 1990s by young artists migrating there for the cheap studio space, Detroit may have this new generation of what city leaders are calling “creatives” to thank if it comes through its transition from a one-industry.
It’s nice to read about a possible economic revival in my hometown … but it’s also important to note that the coverage of the hipster takeover of Detroit doesn’t really delve very deeply into questions of gentrification or what’s happening to the urban poor.
Or, to put it another way, it’s difficult to write something positive about Detroit without also writing something negative.
Hipster Detroit Takeover sounds like a great name for a band. Also, kohenari’s analysis is spot-on. As fellow born-and-raised Michiganders (well, we transplanted to DC at some point), we agree that those are questions in need of answers.
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
In 2007, I was...
I started tumblr when I was at one of the lowest points of...
» We’re tentative about even broaching this, as we got tired and sick of the media’s Sheen-o-rama much quicker than most. But even if only as a means to interrupt the flow of globally important, sometimes dire news for a little diversionary breather, this New York Times article about the disastrous debut of Sheen’s live show (characteristically called Violent Torpedo of Truth) last night is worth a look. We kept thinking while reading this about what Bill Maher predicted two weeks ago: “He’ll come out, he’ll say his catchphrase ‘duh, winning,’ the place will go nuts, and then it will be a long, slow march to 9:30.” It looks like he nailed it.
» Dave Bing, not so happy: The mayor of Detroit (who played a mean game of hoops in his day and created an unintentional Robocop campaign) says that the Census totally under-counted his villa. He says the town has 750,000 people at least. While there were areas with big jumps throughout Michigan, they were mostly in suburbs (Lansing = where it’s at). Da Yoopers had some pretty huge declines of their own — one county lost 13 percent of its population.
» A rough weekend for the Motor City: Ten people have been shot and injured or killed in the city in the last three days – the police precinct shooting of course being the most disturbing. One of the officers in today’s shooting was shot in the head, but is talking and moving his arms. The rest suffered minor wounds.
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