Original Story: detroitnews.com
Lansing — The state Department of Education unveiled an online exam Thursday that will replace the Michigan Educational Assessment Program starting next spring.
The new Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress was developed to meet mandates set last summer by state lawmakers, who nixed plans to use a computer-adaptive test, Smarter Balanced.
State education officials said M-STEP meets all of the Legislature's requirements. It is an online assessment but has a paper-and-pencil option. The new exam is aligned to the state standards and expands writing assessments to additional grades. An Atlanta Education Lawyer has extensive experience in education law.
The new test includes a higher number of "constructed response" questions that will allow students to demonstrate skills such as problem-solving.
Thursday's action means districts can plan to administer the new exam next spring.
"This is great news for our local school districts," said state school Superintendent Mike Flanagan. "They've been very anxious to hear what the new assessment will be, as we developed a new test to comply with legislatively mandated changes." A Binghamton Education Lawyer is reviewing the details of this change.
M-STEP was developed after lawmakers derailed Smarter Balanced. That test was going to be online only. Smarter Balanced was controversial because conservatives associated it with Michigan's Common Core, which they believe threaten local control of education.
In scrapping Smarter Balanced, lawmakers ordered education officials to create a revised MEAP for 2014-15 and an entirely new exam for 2015-16.Education officials will still develop a new exam for 2015-16.
"The changes in law diverted what the department and local school districts had been developing and preparing for over the past three years," Flanagan said. "It put schools in some unwelcomed limbo while our experts scrambled to find testing content that met the legislative requirements."
The Department of Education said M-STEP will include questions developed by state officials and educators as well as some developed by the Smarter Balanced consortium of states.
The new exam will test grades 3-8 in math and English language, grades 4 and 7 in science, and grades 5 and 8 in social studies. It will include an assessment for grades 3-8 and the Michigan Merit Exam for 11th-graders.
The Education Trust-Midwest, a nonpartisan think tank in Royal Oak, called the new assessment a promising replacement for the "antiquated" MEAP, which has been given to students for four decades.
"We know from leading education states that the path to a brighter educational future for all of our students begins with raising educational standards and implementing an aligned assessment," said Amber Arellano, executive director.
26 November 2014
18 November 2014
MOM-TO-BE KILLED IN CRASH DROVE RECALLED JEEP
Original Story: detroitnews.com
Southfield — The SUV driven by Kayla White when she was killed Tuesday in a fiery crash on the Lodge Freeway had been recalled because of risk of catching fire during a rear-end collision.
White was killed when her 2003 Jeep Liberty was struck from behind near Telegraph, causing it to overturn and catch fire. She died of injuries caused by flames that engulfed her car, according to the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy determined the cause of death was burns and smoke inhalation. A Milwaukee Wrongful Death Attorney is experienced in representing clients involved in wrongful death cases.
White, 23, of Ferndale was pregnant and in her third trimester at the time of the crash, according to police.
The SUV was part of a Chrysler Group LLC recall campaign last year of 1.56 million 2002-07 Jeep Libertys and 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees at risk of catching fire when struck from behind. The automaker issued the callback following a request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after an investigation found the defect was connected to 37 fatal rear-end collisions resulting in 51 deaths — including at least five fatal crashes involving Libertys that resulted in seven deaths.A Milwaukee Product Liability Lawyer is reviewing the details of this case.
Southfield attorney Gerald Thurswell, who is representing White's family, said Friday the family is aware of the recall. He declined to answer questions about the police crash investigation and vehicle fire, but said the family is pursuing a lawsuit against the automaker.
"We're investigating a products liability case against Chrysler," he said.
Chrysler declined to comment on the White family's decision to seek counsel.
According to a search of the vehicle's VIN number through NHTSA, White's Jeep had not been fitted with a trailer hitch as a result of the recall to better protect the gas tank during collisions. It is unclear if the vehicle already had a factory-installed hitch before the recall. A Westchester County Auto Accident Lawyer represents clients involved in car accident cases in which victims have been seriously injured or killed.
The Jeep had two previous owners, according to a CarFax vehicle history report. The recall was issued while White owned the vehicle. The SUV, according to the report, was involved in a rear impact with another vehicle causing "minor to moderate damage" in 2005.
White's family members reached Friday declined to comment about Tuesday's crash, referring The Detroit News to Thurswell.
Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne, in a statement about the accident, said the company is "working with law-enforcement officials to gather the relevant facts."
The crash investigation may take four to six weeks before results are submitted to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office to determine whether charges will be filed against the 69-year-old driver who rear-ended White's vehicle, said Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw. State police declined to provide further information Friday afternoon.
It was not clear if the fire began with the fuel tank or how fast the other vehicle was traveling when it struck White's car.
Police called to the crash scene around 4:45 p.m. determined the driver of a 2002 Cadillac, a Beverly Hills man, traveling north on the Lodge was unable to stop as traffic slowed in the right lane. Police said the driver was not paying attention.
NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman, in a statement late Friday to The News, said the organization continues "to urge Chrysler to accelerate efforts to bring owners in to get their vehicles repaired and to ensure that parts are in stock when they do."
"It is also heartbreaking to see another victim of a distracted driver," he said. "We urge all drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel."
Chrysler said Friday it had fixed or inspected nearly 130,000 vehicles since August. The company said it had more than 427,000 hitches in stock as of this week. It expects to have more than 550,000 by Dec. 1.
In July, under government pressure, Chrysler said it would be able to produce enough hitches to complete the June 2013 recall by mid-March 2015 — far faster than the original timetable of up to 4.7 years.
Clarence Ditlow, executive director of Washington, D.C., advocacy group the Center for Auto Safety, said that the design of the vehicles leaves the gas tanks vulnerable in the event of a rear-end collision.
"If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, the vehicles are going to explode and you're very likely to burn to death," he said Friday.
Ditlow also said Chrysler's fix of adding a hitch may not adequately protect the fuel tank.
"Looking at the one photo I saw of (White's) Liberty, it appears that the striking vehicle went under the bumper and hit the fuel tank," he said. "All bets are off if you go under the bumper and the trailer hitch."
NHTSA opened an investigation into the Jeeps in August 2010 at the request of the Center for Auto Safety. The organization said the vehicles' gas tanks were positioned below the rear bumper and behind the rear axle, making them susceptible to rupturing and spilling gasoline in a rear-end crash.
Chrysler, at first, opposed the recall. The company last year issued a statement and three-page white paper report supporting its decision not to voluntarily recall the vehicles, saying the company did "not agree with NHTSA's conclusions and does not intend to recall the vehicles cited in the investigation."
The company's analysis showed the incidents "occur less than one time for every million years of vehicle operation. Additionally, these vehicles met or exceeded all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards in place at the time they were built."
Chrysler on Friday maintained the SUVs are safe: "These vehicles are not defective and are among the safest in the peer group," it said in a statement. "Of the 26 most severe accidents cited in the NHTSA investigation and for which there is sufficient data to calculate kinetic energy, all exceeded the threshold for compliance with today's more-stringent crashworthiness regulations."
The cited regulations cover the level of integrity fuel tanks must maintain in a crash.
The automaker did move gas tanks on the Grand Cherokee in front of the rear axle in 2005, and did the same thing with the Liberty in 2007. Both moves were in connection to the vehicles being redesigned with new platforms, which automakers plan years in advance.
In Tuesday's crash, the Cadillac struck White's Jeep, forcing it into a 2014 Nissan Cube, which then struck a 2015 Lincoln MKZ as it slowed for traffic.
Police said alcohol does not appear to be a factor. No other injuries were reported.
White graduated from Ferndale High School in 2009 and was a hostess at Andiamo in Bloomfield Hills.
Her Facebook page was flooded after the crash with messages expressing shock and asking for prayers for White and her unborn baby, who White called Braedin in posts.
Visitation for Kayla White will be 2-7 p.m. Sunday, followed by a 7 p.m. service at Hopcroft Funeral Home at 31145 John R in Madison Heights.
Southfield — The SUV driven by Kayla White when she was killed Tuesday in a fiery crash on the Lodge Freeway had been recalled because of risk of catching fire during a rear-end collision.
White was killed when her 2003 Jeep Liberty was struck from behind near Telegraph, causing it to overturn and catch fire. She died of injuries caused by flames that engulfed her car, according to the Oakland County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy determined the cause of death was burns and smoke inhalation. A Milwaukee Wrongful Death Attorney is experienced in representing clients involved in wrongful death cases.
White, 23, of Ferndale was pregnant and in her third trimester at the time of the crash, according to police.
The SUV was part of a Chrysler Group LLC recall campaign last year of 1.56 million 2002-07 Jeep Libertys and 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees at risk of catching fire when struck from behind. The automaker issued the callback following a request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after an investigation found the defect was connected to 37 fatal rear-end collisions resulting in 51 deaths — including at least five fatal crashes involving Libertys that resulted in seven deaths.A Milwaukee Product Liability Lawyer is reviewing the details of this case.
Southfield attorney Gerald Thurswell, who is representing White's family, said Friday the family is aware of the recall. He declined to answer questions about the police crash investigation and vehicle fire, but said the family is pursuing a lawsuit against the automaker.
"We're investigating a products liability case against Chrysler," he said.
Chrysler declined to comment on the White family's decision to seek counsel.
According to a search of the vehicle's VIN number through NHTSA, White's Jeep had not been fitted with a trailer hitch as a result of the recall to better protect the gas tank during collisions. It is unclear if the vehicle already had a factory-installed hitch before the recall. A Westchester County Auto Accident Lawyer represents clients involved in car accident cases in which victims have been seriously injured or killed.
The Jeep had two previous owners, according to a CarFax vehicle history report. The recall was issued while White owned the vehicle. The SUV, according to the report, was involved in a rear impact with another vehicle causing "minor to moderate damage" in 2005.
White's family members reached Friday declined to comment about Tuesday's crash, referring The Detroit News to Thurswell.
Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne, in a statement about the accident, said the company is "working with law-enforcement officials to gather the relevant facts."
The crash investigation may take four to six weeks before results are submitted to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office to determine whether charges will be filed against the 69-year-old driver who rear-ended White's vehicle, said Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw. State police declined to provide further information Friday afternoon.
It was not clear if the fire began with the fuel tank or how fast the other vehicle was traveling when it struck White's car.
Police called to the crash scene around 4:45 p.m. determined the driver of a 2002 Cadillac, a Beverly Hills man, traveling north on the Lodge was unable to stop as traffic slowed in the right lane. Police said the driver was not paying attention.
NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman, in a statement late Friday to The News, said the organization continues "to urge Chrysler to accelerate efforts to bring owners in to get their vehicles repaired and to ensure that parts are in stock when they do."
"It is also heartbreaking to see another victim of a distracted driver," he said. "We urge all drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel."
Chrysler said Friday it had fixed or inspected nearly 130,000 vehicles since August. The company said it had more than 427,000 hitches in stock as of this week. It expects to have more than 550,000 by Dec. 1.
In July, under government pressure, Chrysler said it would be able to produce enough hitches to complete the June 2013 recall by mid-March 2015 — far faster than the original timetable of up to 4.7 years.
Clarence Ditlow, executive director of Washington, D.C., advocacy group the Center for Auto Safety, said that the design of the vehicles leaves the gas tanks vulnerable in the event of a rear-end collision.
"If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, the vehicles are going to explode and you're very likely to burn to death," he said Friday.
Ditlow also said Chrysler's fix of adding a hitch may not adequately protect the fuel tank.
"Looking at the one photo I saw of (White's) Liberty, it appears that the striking vehicle went under the bumper and hit the fuel tank," he said. "All bets are off if you go under the bumper and the trailer hitch."
NHTSA opened an investigation into the Jeeps in August 2010 at the request of the Center for Auto Safety. The organization said the vehicles' gas tanks were positioned below the rear bumper and behind the rear axle, making them susceptible to rupturing and spilling gasoline in a rear-end crash.
Chrysler, at first, opposed the recall. The company last year issued a statement and three-page white paper report supporting its decision not to voluntarily recall the vehicles, saying the company did "not agree with NHTSA's conclusions and does not intend to recall the vehicles cited in the investigation."
The company's analysis showed the incidents "occur less than one time for every million years of vehicle operation. Additionally, these vehicles met or exceeded all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards in place at the time they were built."
Chrysler on Friday maintained the SUVs are safe: "These vehicles are not defective and are among the safest in the peer group," it said in a statement. "Of the 26 most severe accidents cited in the NHTSA investigation and for which there is sufficient data to calculate kinetic energy, all exceeded the threshold for compliance with today's more-stringent crashworthiness regulations."
The cited regulations cover the level of integrity fuel tanks must maintain in a crash.
The automaker did move gas tanks on the Grand Cherokee in front of the rear axle in 2005, and did the same thing with the Liberty in 2007. Both moves were in connection to the vehicles being redesigned with new platforms, which automakers plan years in advance.
In Tuesday's crash, the Cadillac struck White's Jeep, forcing it into a 2014 Nissan Cube, which then struck a 2015 Lincoln MKZ as it slowed for traffic.
Police said alcohol does not appear to be a factor. No other injuries were reported.
White graduated from Ferndale High School in 2009 and was a hostess at Andiamo in Bloomfield Hills.
Her Facebook page was flooded after the crash with messages expressing shock and asking for prayers for White and her unborn baby, who White called Braedin in posts.
Visitation for Kayla White will be 2-7 p.m. Sunday, followed by a 7 p.m. service at Hopcroft Funeral Home at 31145 John R in Madison Heights.
13 November 2014
GR RANKED ON LGBT INCLUSIVENESS
Original Story: woodtv.com
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids received an average score from an LGBT civil rights group that rates cities on how inclusive they are for the LGBT community.
The Human Rights Campaign released its third annual Municipal Equality Index Wednesday. The group looks at laws, policies, and services in cities across the nation to score them.
Grand Rapids scored a 59 out of 100, which is the same as the national average.
The city got a plus for its nondiscrimination policy in city employment. The author of the report told 24 Hour News 8 that’s significant for a city that doesn’t have the benefit of state law.
“Grand Rapids is an example of a city that’s doing better than the state, frankly, and it’s amazing to see so many cities are really excelling where the state are perhaps not there yet,” Cathryn Oakley, the HRC’s legislative counsel, said in a phone interview. The MetroHealth Pride Clinic is devoted to serving the health needs of the LGBT community.
The report also points out where Grand Rapids needs to improve.
One area is law enforcement. The Grand Rapids Police Department doesn’t have an LGBT police liaison, which the group says is the best practice nationwide. The liaison would ensure that hate crime evidence is processed appropriately and that members of the LGBT community are treated respectfully if they’re arrested.
According to the Municipal Equality Index, Detroit, East Lansing and Lansing have LGBT police liaisons or task forces.
In Michigan, the index rated East Lansing the best, giving it a perfect score. Ann Arbor came in next with a score of 83. Detroit scored a 74.
No other West Michigan cities were included in the index.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids received an average score from an LGBT civil rights group that rates cities on how inclusive they are for the LGBT community.
The Human Rights Campaign released its third annual Municipal Equality Index Wednesday. The group looks at laws, policies, and services in cities across the nation to score them.
Grand Rapids scored a 59 out of 100, which is the same as the national average.
The city got a plus for its nondiscrimination policy in city employment. The author of the report told 24 Hour News 8 that’s significant for a city that doesn’t have the benefit of state law.
“Grand Rapids is an example of a city that’s doing better than the state, frankly, and it’s amazing to see so many cities are really excelling where the state are perhaps not there yet,” Cathryn Oakley, the HRC’s legislative counsel, said in a phone interview. The MetroHealth Pride Clinic is devoted to serving the health needs of the LGBT community.
The report also points out where Grand Rapids needs to improve.
One area is law enforcement. The Grand Rapids Police Department doesn’t have an LGBT police liaison, which the group says is the best practice nationwide. The liaison would ensure that hate crime evidence is processed appropriately and that members of the LGBT community are treated respectfully if they’re arrested.
According to the Municipal Equality Index, Detroit, East Lansing and Lansing have LGBT police liaisons or task forces.
In Michigan, the index rated East Lansing the best, giving it a perfect score. Ann Arbor came in next with a score of 83. Detroit scored a 74.
No other West Michigan cities were included in the index.
06 November 2014
GENIAL BERNSTEIN — JUSTICE DELIVERED WITH HUGS
Original Story: detroitnews.com
Richard Bernstein will likely earn attention as the nation's first blind state Supreme Court justice. But in the raw, gray drizzle of his Election Day campaign, the 40-year-old Bernstein easily distinguished himself as the most huggable.
"You've already got my vote," said Brenda Mitchell, a Southfield voter and retired AT&T employee, flinging her arms around Bernstein and posing for a keepsake photo. It was a scene repeated again and again during his final day tour of polling places.
As dusk fell, and voters gradually recognized the candidate standing in the rain and his white cane, the exchange of warm greetings would become predictable.
"Give me a hug," he would eventually say, with a zest and warmth nobody seemed able to refuse. "You just made my day."
By virtue of his ebullient personality and television commercial-induced familiarity, the disability rights lawyer projects something quite different from the austere, black-robed image that justices — the campaigning or already elected — typically adopt. For Bernstein, the matter of human connection isn't just an idea: It's the essence of a life that might otherwise be led alone and in the dark.
In his campaign commercials, he allied himself with "the people," rather than with corporations, to the ire of political conservatives and legal traditionalists. Yet his message resonated. When voters describe his appeal, they tend to say things like, "He's for the middle-class person." Or, "He's done so much for people," or even, "his whole family cares about people."
Campaigning for a job whose requirements are intellectual and academic, he didn't hesitate to lead by force of personality — and more than $2 million in campaign funds to reinforce himself as a symbol of "blind justice," one of his campaign slogans.
Who dreamed up that bold catch-phrase? "That's all mine," says Bernstein. "Because you have to deal with it and it really expresses what justice is. I am blind, and justice — real justice — is blind. Programs and services are great, but people also have to understand on a personal level ... a blind person can't prejudge others. I want to confront who I am directly, because people want to understand how I do what I do. It's a way to have a discussion."
The slogan, he says, is a pun, meant to be "funny and serious."
He is blind, he is different, and he is irrepressible: A failed bid for a Democratic Party nomination for attorney general didn't slow him down ("That's politics," he shrugs). A shattering accident in New York's Central Park two years ago — he was mowed down by a bicyclist — crushed his hip and pelvis and left him with chronic pain and new physical challenges. But he has always known how to convert pain and hurt into other modes, from lawsuits on behalf of the disabled to marathon-running to inspirational speaking.
Overcoming hardship is a necessity for Bernstein, but it is also his thing, it's what he does. And he has no plans to check his life experience in the Supreme Court lobby once he dons official robes.
The state's highest court isn't typically thought of as a populist platform: High courts cultivate an aura of intellect and impartiality, not impassioned advocacy. But the Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and Northwestern University Law School has multiple gifts: Most lawyers use written notes. Bernstein memorizes.
Whether or not you buy the argument that a lawyer with no judicial experience should be elevated to the state's highest court (plenty of non-judges have served on the U.S. Supreme Court), Bernstein is insistent that lacking a few resume lines has little bearing on his fitness for the job — an opinion shared by the 1.3 million people who voted for him.
"You can't have all of the same people doing the same thing. You don't need seven people on the court, each amplifying the same message," he insists. "I really, truly believe I can make life better for people."
Late Tuesday night, he stayed calm as the results trickled in. All day, he seemed resigned to potentially fatal "ballot drop-off," as straight party ticket voters failed to darken the ovals for non-partisan races: He'd been warned he could lose 30 percent of his constituency that way.
He hadn't won yet, and as friends and family gathered in a 12th floor suite at the MGM Grand Hotel Tuesday night, he never assumed victory. Anything could happen, he knew. In the corner, Sam Bernstein, patriarch and 1-800-Call SAM founder, awaited results. His mother, Susan Bernstein, said she wouldn't presume victory until every vote was counted.
"It's remarkable," she said, as early results flashed on a TV screen, showing Bernstein among the top two finishers. "When Richard was born, I didn't know if he would ever write his own name. Everything he does is 10 times harder for him than it is for us."
He will tell you that standing in the rain isn't so bad and even helpful because he can hear voters approaching when their feet are wet. He will tell you that being Richard Bernstein — fighting for a place without being able to visually see it, pushing through every day — is quite difficult but absolutely worth the effort.
As he explained outside a Southfield recreation center in the last moments of his last 12-hour day at polling places, shaking hands, "I will stay out here until 8 o'clock, until the polls close. That's what I do. I keep going to the very end."
Richard Bernstein will likely earn attention as the nation's first blind state Supreme Court justice. But in the raw, gray drizzle of his Election Day campaign, the 40-year-old Bernstein easily distinguished himself as the most huggable.
"You've already got my vote," said Brenda Mitchell, a Southfield voter and retired AT&T employee, flinging her arms around Bernstein and posing for a keepsake photo. It was a scene repeated again and again during his final day tour of polling places.
As dusk fell, and voters gradually recognized the candidate standing in the rain and his white cane, the exchange of warm greetings would become predictable.
"Give me a hug," he would eventually say, with a zest and warmth nobody seemed able to refuse. "You just made my day."
By virtue of his ebullient personality and television commercial-induced familiarity, the disability rights lawyer projects something quite different from the austere, black-robed image that justices — the campaigning or already elected — typically adopt. For Bernstein, the matter of human connection isn't just an idea: It's the essence of a life that might otherwise be led alone and in the dark.
In his campaign commercials, he allied himself with "the people," rather than with corporations, to the ire of political conservatives and legal traditionalists. Yet his message resonated. When voters describe his appeal, they tend to say things like, "He's for the middle-class person." Or, "He's done so much for people," or even, "his whole family cares about people."
Campaigning for a job whose requirements are intellectual and academic, he didn't hesitate to lead by force of personality — and more than $2 million in campaign funds to reinforce himself as a symbol of "blind justice," one of his campaign slogans.
Who dreamed up that bold catch-phrase? "That's all mine," says Bernstein. "Because you have to deal with it and it really expresses what justice is. I am blind, and justice — real justice — is blind. Programs and services are great, but people also have to understand on a personal level ... a blind person can't prejudge others. I want to confront who I am directly, because people want to understand how I do what I do. It's a way to have a discussion."
The slogan, he says, is a pun, meant to be "funny and serious."
He is blind, he is different, and he is irrepressible: A failed bid for a Democratic Party nomination for attorney general didn't slow him down ("That's politics," he shrugs). A shattering accident in New York's Central Park two years ago — he was mowed down by a bicyclist — crushed his hip and pelvis and left him with chronic pain and new physical challenges. But he has always known how to convert pain and hurt into other modes, from lawsuits on behalf of the disabled to marathon-running to inspirational speaking.
Overcoming hardship is a necessity for Bernstein, but it is also his thing, it's what he does. And he has no plans to check his life experience in the Supreme Court lobby once he dons official robes.
The state's highest court isn't typically thought of as a populist platform: High courts cultivate an aura of intellect and impartiality, not impassioned advocacy. But the Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan and Northwestern University Law School has multiple gifts: Most lawyers use written notes. Bernstein memorizes.
Whether or not you buy the argument that a lawyer with no judicial experience should be elevated to the state's highest court (plenty of non-judges have served on the U.S. Supreme Court), Bernstein is insistent that lacking a few resume lines has little bearing on his fitness for the job — an opinion shared by the 1.3 million people who voted for him.
"You can't have all of the same people doing the same thing. You don't need seven people on the court, each amplifying the same message," he insists. "I really, truly believe I can make life better for people."
Late Tuesday night, he stayed calm as the results trickled in. All day, he seemed resigned to potentially fatal "ballot drop-off," as straight party ticket voters failed to darken the ovals for non-partisan races: He'd been warned he could lose 30 percent of his constituency that way.
He hadn't won yet, and as friends and family gathered in a 12th floor suite at the MGM Grand Hotel Tuesday night, he never assumed victory. Anything could happen, he knew. In the corner, Sam Bernstein, patriarch and 1-800-Call SAM founder, awaited results. His mother, Susan Bernstein, said she wouldn't presume victory until every vote was counted.
"It's remarkable," she said, as early results flashed on a TV screen, showing Bernstein among the top two finishers. "When Richard was born, I didn't know if he would ever write his own name. Everything he does is 10 times harder for him than it is for us."
He will tell you that standing in the rain isn't so bad and even helpful because he can hear voters approaching when their feet are wet. He will tell you that being Richard Bernstein — fighting for a place without being able to visually see it, pushing through every day — is quite difficult but absolutely worth the effort.
As he explained outside a Southfield recreation center in the last moments of his last 12-hour day at polling places, shaking hands, "I will stay out here until 8 o'clock, until the polls close. That's what I do. I keep going to the very end."
ON WATER ISSUES, IT’S DETROIT VERSUS THE U.N.
Original Story: detroitnews.com
For the second time in recent months, the United Nations has looked at the fact that thousands of Detroit families are without water and determined that there are better, more humane solutions to the problem than those used by Detroit’s mayor.
A panel, which included two U.N. special rapporteurs, heard testimony on Oct. 19 at a hearing with hundreds in attendance at Wayne County Community College’s Fort Street campus. Having implemented his 10-point plan to deal with water shutoffs, Mayor Mike Duggan rebuffed the U.N. panelists who took testimony from Detroiters.
While the 10-point plan could be a starting point for negotiations (if the mayor were up for negotiating with anyone on this issue) both the plan and his response fail to recognize the reality the people of Detroit are facing.
Detroit is America’s poorest big city, with 38 percent of residents living at or below the poverty line and an unemployment rate of 14.6 percent. The United Way recently released a report that shows two-thirds of Detroiters can’t afford basic needs like transportation, housing and health care, even when people in their households are working full time. When you combine these dire numbers with the leaky pipes and bureaucratic foul-ups of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, you have a recipe for injustice and disaster.
The U.N.’s second condemnation of the massive water shutoffs is part of a chorus of public health advocates and officials that are demanding an alternative to depriving families of water. Those voices include National Nurses United, professor John Powell, co-chairman of the Population Health Council, and Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, county health officer for the Wayne County Department of Public Health. Hammami and Powell wrote an open letter calling the shutoffs a public health hazard and citing a double bind: People in poverty are already more likely to be in poor health. Being deprived of water only increases health risks.
In plain terms, the only humane solution is to create a plan where people at a certain income threshold pay for water based on their income. This would keep the water flowing to families that need it and the revenue flowing to a system that requires it. We would stop squeezing families struggling to make ends meet and instead make sure corporations who clearly have the ability to pay are no longer allowed to let their bills pile up without retribution.
We actually have a plan that was passed by the City Council in 2006. The Water Affordability Plan guarantees water and revenue based on people’s ability to pay. But one thing needed to implement the plan has yet to occur in City Hall — a paradigm shift. Recognizing how utterly crucial access to water is to families and embracing a practical plan to make sure families are never without it takes vision and courage.
It takes courage to acknowledge that you’ve been an accessory to devastating entire neighborhoods, as one North End Detroit resident said at the U.N. hearing. There is no one there to help when blocks of people are without water. Seniors that are housebound, renters who have to wait for landlords to turn the water back on, and children who have no control of family finances are among the hardest hit. But everyone needs water.
It may be hard for Mayor Duggan to hear and see the devastation continue to get international attention, but that’s not nearly as hard as life for thousands of residents who can’t afford the basics. The mayor’s plan needs to take that truth into account and adjust to fit the needs of the people, not the other way around.
Monica Lewis-Patrick is director of outreach for We the People of Detroit. Lila Cabbil is president emeritus of the Rosa Parks Institute. Both are members of the Detroit People’s Water Board.
For the second time in recent months, the United Nations has looked at the fact that thousands of Detroit families are without water and determined that there are better, more humane solutions to the problem than those used by Detroit’s mayor.
A panel, which included two U.N. special rapporteurs, heard testimony on Oct. 19 at a hearing with hundreds in attendance at Wayne County Community College’s Fort Street campus. Having implemented his 10-point plan to deal with water shutoffs, Mayor Mike Duggan rebuffed the U.N. panelists who took testimony from Detroiters.
While the 10-point plan could be a starting point for negotiations (if the mayor were up for negotiating with anyone on this issue) both the plan and his response fail to recognize the reality the people of Detroit are facing.
Detroit is America’s poorest big city, with 38 percent of residents living at or below the poverty line and an unemployment rate of 14.6 percent. The United Way recently released a report that shows two-thirds of Detroiters can’t afford basic needs like transportation, housing and health care, even when people in their households are working full time. When you combine these dire numbers with the leaky pipes and bureaucratic foul-ups of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, you have a recipe for injustice and disaster.
The U.N.’s second condemnation of the massive water shutoffs is part of a chorus of public health advocates and officials that are demanding an alternative to depriving families of water. Those voices include National Nurses United, professor John Powell, co-chairman of the Population Health Council, and Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, county health officer for the Wayne County Department of Public Health. Hammami and Powell wrote an open letter calling the shutoffs a public health hazard and citing a double bind: People in poverty are already more likely to be in poor health. Being deprived of water only increases health risks.
In plain terms, the only humane solution is to create a plan where people at a certain income threshold pay for water based on their income. This would keep the water flowing to families that need it and the revenue flowing to a system that requires it. We would stop squeezing families struggling to make ends meet and instead make sure corporations who clearly have the ability to pay are no longer allowed to let their bills pile up without retribution.
We actually have a plan that was passed by the City Council in 2006. The Water Affordability Plan guarantees water and revenue based on people’s ability to pay. But one thing needed to implement the plan has yet to occur in City Hall — a paradigm shift. Recognizing how utterly crucial access to water is to families and embracing a practical plan to make sure families are never without it takes vision and courage.
It takes courage to acknowledge that you’ve been an accessory to devastating entire neighborhoods, as one North End Detroit resident said at the U.N. hearing. There is no one there to help when blocks of people are without water. Seniors that are housebound, renters who have to wait for landlords to turn the water back on, and children who have no control of family finances are among the hardest hit. But everyone needs water.
It may be hard for Mayor Duggan to hear and see the devastation continue to get international attention, but that’s not nearly as hard as life for thousands of residents who can’t afford the basics. The mayor’s plan needs to take that truth into account and adjust to fit the needs of the people, not the other way around.
Monica Lewis-Patrick is director of outreach for We the People of Detroit. Lila Cabbil is president emeritus of the Rosa Parks Institute. Both are members of the Detroit People’s Water Board.
LENNOX: RESPECT GOV. SNYDER’S MANDATE
Original Story: detroitnews.com
Move over, tea party. This is now Gov. Rick Snyder’s Michigan Republican Party.
That’s the takeaway from Tuesday’s general election, in which Snyder won re-election to the governor’s mansion over Democratic challenger Mark Schauer.
In the wake of notable wins by Republicans across the country — the most defeats of incumbent Democratic U.S. senators since 1980, the largest caucus in U.S. House since World War II and an even larger super-majority in the state Senate — it was Snyder’s victory that stood out the most.
From a complete restructuring of the business tax, the long-stalled Windsor-Detroit international bridge, state-based health care reform (notwithstanding the groans of many in his own party), monumental right-to-work legislation — once unthinkable in the birthplace of the UAW and other trade unions — to saving Detroit, Snyder defied conventional wisdom in his first term.
His bold leadership stood in sharp contrast to the overly cautious career politicians, who would have avoided most of what he achieved over fear of endangering their re-election prospects. On top of all this, Snyder slayed his critics on the hard-right when Lt. Gov. Brian Calley was re-nominated at the summer Republican State Convention.
So while challenger Mark Schauer hammered away with falsehoods, the Republican former businessman known to many as the nerd-in-chief remained positive and engaged in substantive discussions instead of Punch and Judy politics.
To be sure, many Michiganians certainly didn’t always agree with Snyder. But in the end, they rewarded him when it mattered most by giving him another four years.
For the GOP, this is the road map to a national governing majority. The 2016 presidential campaign will soon begin.
Snyder’s victory, as well as the wins of Republican gubernatorial candidates Bruce Rauner in Illinois, Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Larry Hogan in Maryland, proves that focusing on competence and good governance is a reliable recipe for electoral success in even the most bluest of Democratic states.
More importantly, it elevates the national profile of Snyder at a critical time for the party desperate to occupy the White House after losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections.
Snyder’s lesson for the GOP is simple: Ignore political gamesmanship and govern successfully.
President Barack Obama isn’t just a lame duck. His administration is paralyzed, if not politically dead.
If Democrats ignored Obama this go-round, they will abandon him outright in two years. This will do more for Republicans than any GOP criticism of Obama going forward.
Just as Snyder achieved real results here in Michigan, so must Republicans prove to the American people that they are once the again the party of solutions, not the party that just says no.
Failing to realize this will result in a repeat of 1996 and 2012, when the false reality created in the aftermath of resounding mid-term election victories resulted in Republicans squandering winnable presidential races.
Move over, tea party. This is now Gov. Rick Snyder’s Michigan Republican Party.
That’s the takeaway from Tuesday’s general election, in which Snyder won re-election to the governor’s mansion over Democratic challenger Mark Schauer.
In the wake of notable wins by Republicans across the country — the most defeats of incumbent Democratic U.S. senators since 1980, the largest caucus in U.S. House since World War II and an even larger super-majority in the state Senate — it was Snyder’s victory that stood out the most.
From a complete restructuring of the business tax, the long-stalled Windsor-Detroit international bridge, state-based health care reform (notwithstanding the groans of many in his own party), monumental right-to-work legislation — once unthinkable in the birthplace of the UAW and other trade unions — to saving Detroit, Snyder defied conventional wisdom in his first term.
His bold leadership stood in sharp contrast to the overly cautious career politicians, who would have avoided most of what he achieved over fear of endangering their re-election prospects. On top of all this, Snyder slayed his critics on the hard-right when Lt. Gov. Brian Calley was re-nominated at the summer Republican State Convention.
So while challenger Mark Schauer hammered away with falsehoods, the Republican former businessman known to many as the nerd-in-chief remained positive and engaged in substantive discussions instead of Punch and Judy politics.
To be sure, many Michiganians certainly didn’t always agree with Snyder. But in the end, they rewarded him when it mattered most by giving him another four years.
For the GOP, this is the road map to a national governing majority. The 2016 presidential campaign will soon begin.
Snyder’s victory, as well as the wins of Republican gubernatorial candidates Bruce Rauner in Illinois, Charlie Baker in Massachusetts and Larry Hogan in Maryland, proves that focusing on competence and good governance is a reliable recipe for electoral success in even the most bluest of Democratic states.
More importantly, it elevates the national profile of Snyder at a critical time for the party desperate to occupy the White House after losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections.
Snyder’s lesson for the GOP is simple: Ignore political gamesmanship and govern successfully.
President Barack Obama isn’t just a lame duck. His administration is paralyzed, if not politically dead.
If Democrats ignored Obama this go-round, they will abandon him outright in two years. This will do more for Republicans than any GOP criticism of Obama going forward.
Just as Snyder achieved real results here in Michigan, so must Republicans prove to the American people that they are once the again the party of solutions, not the party that just says no.
Failing to realize this will result in a repeat of 1996 and 2012, when the false reality created in the aftermath of resounding mid-term election victories resulted in Republicans squandering winnable presidential races.
LET'S GIVE HOPE TO KIDS IN FOSTER CARE
Original Story: detroitnews.com
Each year, more than 23,000 children in foster care in America age out of the system without ever having the chance to know a secure home and loving family.
Historically, placing children in foster care from one state into an adoption with a family in another state has been extremely difficult, as regulations differ from state to state. This hurdle often prevents more than 102,000 adoption-ready children currently in foster care from being adopted.
In Michigan, there are 15,347 children in foster care, with more than 3,500 eagerly awaiting a forever family. For couples facing fertility issues or those simply looking to expand their family, the interstate red tape can be exhausting and often times, heartbreaking.
On the opposing side of those willing and wanting to adopt, are the vulnerable children waiting for a family. These children are dangerously close to becoming products of the system. Many have been in and out of a number of homes over the years, shuttled back and forth between agencies, and have had their hopes dashed because no one has welcomed them into a permanent family. Those left to fend for themselves at 18 years old are often alone, have no one to call in a time of need, and are at risk of adding to the homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, or crime statistics.
Thankfully, numbers seem to indicate an increase in the number of couples seeking to adopt older children. Initiatives such as Bethany Christian Services' No One Without (N.O.W.), a program, which uses a comprehensive database to match prospective adoptive families and eligible foster care children while navigating interstate regulations, are making a difference by alleviating hassle and opening new frontiers to help adoptees and families.
As these issues continue to gain traction, it is increasingly important that awareness is heightened and opportunities like National Adoption Month in November are utilized to give a voice to the children who do not have one. Let's work together in continuing to tear down the walls of bureaucracy and make adopting foster care children across state lines easier so that these children have greater hope of experiencing the love of a forever family.
Each year, more than 23,000 children in foster care in America age out of the system without ever having the chance to know a secure home and loving family.
Historically, placing children in foster care from one state into an adoption with a family in another state has been extremely difficult, as regulations differ from state to state. This hurdle often prevents more than 102,000 adoption-ready children currently in foster care from being adopted.
In Michigan, there are 15,347 children in foster care, with more than 3,500 eagerly awaiting a forever family. For couples facing fertility issues or those simply looking to expand their family, the interstate red tape can be exhausting and often times, heartbreaking.
On the opposing side of those willing and wanting to adopt, are the vulnerable children waiting for a family. These children are dangerously close to becoming products of the system. Many have been in and out of a number of homes over the years, shuttled back and forth between agencies, and have had their hopes dashed because no one has welcomed them into a permanent family. Those left to fend for themselves at 18 years old are often alone, have no one to call in a time of need, and are at risk of adding to the homelessness, unplanned pregnancy, or crime statistics.
Thankfully, numbers seem to indicate an increase in the number of couples seeking to adopt older children. Initiatives such as Bethany Christian Services' No One Without (N.O.W.), a program, which uses a comprehensive database to match prospective adoptive families and eligible foster care children while navigating interstate regulations, are making a difference by alleviating hassle and opening new frontiers to help adoptees and families.
As these issues continue to gain traction, it is increasingly important that awareness is heightened and opportunities like National Adoption Month in November are utilized to give a voice to the children who do not have one. Let's work together in continuing to tear down the walls of bureaucracy and make adopting foster care children across state lines easier so that these children have greater hope of experiencing the love of a forever family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
