Bill Schuette, the Michigan attorney general and Republican candidate for governor talks tough on crime. Does the public record back it up?
Joel Kurth
As Executive Editor of Impact, Joel oversees newsgathering, investigations, partnerships and coverage strategy at Bridge Michigan. He joined Bridge in 2017 after 17 years as an investigative reporter and editor at The Detroit News. Over his career, he has led or produced investigations that led to numerous reforms in government and health care, including policy changes about water shutoffs and surgical instrument sterilization, as well as criminal charges of government officials. In addition to authoring Bridge’s popular weekly News Quiz, he and his teams have won more than 60 state and national awards. During his 30-year career in Michigan, he also has worked at newspapers in the Upper Peninsula and Saginaw. He lives in West Bloomfield with his wife and two children. You can reach him at jkurth@bridgemi.com
Posted inMichigan Government
Republican Supreme Court justices have ties to Michigan gerrymandering group
A campaign treasurer for Republican-backed justices is on the board of a dark-money group that helped finance the drawing of GOP-friendly legislative districts, federal records show. The justices say they didn’t know.
Posted inMichigan Government
Democrats blast Michigan Chamber over gerrymandering emails
Chamber president claims group had no knowledge of emails blasting Democrats. Emails reported by Bridge show a top chamber executive was involved in several emails about Dems.
Posted inMichigan Government
Emails suggest Republicans gerrymandered Michigan to weaken ‘Dem garbage’
Emails involving Republican strategists and the Michigan Chamber emerge in a federal lawsuit. The messages suggest that helping GOP candidates was the central focus in redrawing legislative boundaries back in 2011.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Lawsuits, dirty tricks and an angry ex-wife: Is this Detroit’s ugliest election?
Monique Baker McCormick’s 10-year campaign for Wayne County Commission is a primer on dirty political tricks. She’s learned well, but at what cost?
Posted inUrban Affairs
Is Detroit finally turning the corner?
Rising rents and tax breaks for developers revive Detroit gentrification fears. But city insiders also note easier access to loans and new business in some long-dormant neighborhoods.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Poverty is Detroit’s biggest problem. Gentrification doesn’t come close.
In a new book, scholar Alan Mallach argues Detroit should welcome newcomers and spend more money training workers and less money building stadiums.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Is your Detroit neighborhood primed for a rebound? Check out this map.
Nearly 10,000 blocks of Detroit have been studied to determine whether home values are likely to surge, or are too far gone. How does yours fare?
Posted inMichigan Government
Flint, Islam and fixing the damn roads. Your Michigan governor debate recap
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley defends response to Flint. Attorney General Bill Schuette doesn’t like Jennifer Granholm. And religious animosity remains between Patrick Colbeck and Abdul El-Sayed.
Posted inMichigan Government
Democrat Shri Thanedar releases tax returns in Michigan governor race
The entrepreneur’s returns show he made over $17 million in 2016 from the sale of his chemical testing laboratory in Michigan