Filing a FOIA is often an exercise in frustration in Michigan. Here’s some tips on making the process somewhat less painful.
Sandra Svoboda
Sandra Svoboda covered the city's bankruptcy for WDET 101.9 FM, and the Detroit Journalism Cooperative. She is currently the station's special assignments manager and teaches at University of Michigan Dearborn and Wayne State University.
Posted inChildren & Families
A Mexican immigrant’s past was no big deal in California. But deportable once he moved to Michigan.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Monday on whether the man, convicted of having sex with his underage girlfriend, should be allowed back into the U.S.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Refugees in Michigan by the numbers
People from six of seven countries named in President Trump’s temporary immigration ban have come to Michigan in the last 15 years. Here are the data.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit pension funds under pressure to reach ‘Grand Bargain’ goals
Early payments to city retirement funds from the state and the Detroit Institute of Arts were heavily discounted, which means the troubled pensions must produce even bigger returns over two decades.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit by the numbers – the truth about poverty
Separating fact from fiction, the Detroit Journalism Cooperative digs into the difference between what’s enough money to survive versus the amount needed to be stable.
Posted inMichigan Government
Legislature weighs 2 bills to aid wrongly convicted felons
Bipartisan bills to ensure DNA testing is available for some convicted felons and to compensate those who are wrongly convicted remain stalled in Lansing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Regular Detroiters get their day in bankruptcy court
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes gave 15 ordinary Detroit retirees, appearing without lawyers, an opportunity to appear at the city’s bankruptcy trial to voice their objection to the restructuring plan.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Duggan donor database: Big-time, Super PAC money comes to Motown
Who gave Mayor Duggan $1 million? A Detroit Journalism Cooperative donation database answers this question and others.
Posted inUrban Affairs
New private Duggan fund to support 'Detroit’s agenda'
Mayor Kilpatrick’s civic fund helped put him in prison. Gov. Snyder’s NERD fund brought only regret. But Mayor Duggan says his fund will be different.
Posted inTalent & Education
Global schooling for a smaller world
What started as a curriculum for children of diplomats and leaders of multinational corporations is being adopted in an increasing number of Michigan schools. The International Baccalaureate Programme — “IB” as it’s commonly called — has special emphasis on internationalism. At the high-school level, a world language is a requirement. Those students also write a […]