Remember those who fought and gave their lives during Michigan’s most authentic Civil War public program in Greenfield Village.
With more than 400 Union and Confederate soldier reenactors, civilians, musicians and historic presenters, immerse yourself in this once-a-year, one-of-a-kind weekend.
For more information, click HERE.
Mayor Dave Bing
Detroit Mayor Dave Bing will be at the Henry Ford Estate in Dearborn on May 12 to discuss how business can lead Detroit and the surrounding area to success.
His talk, sponsored by Oakwood Healthcare System and presented by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce as part of their Business Builders Breakfast, begins at 8 a.m. Tickets are $30 for Chamber members and $40 for non-members.
Bing, a businessman and seven-time All-Star professional basketball player for 12 seasons with the NBA, was elected as the 70th mayor of the city of Detroit last November.
“I think the old way of running the city has gotten us where we are,” Bing has said. “It’s not going to work. Politics has led the city for a long time. I think it’s time for business to lead the city.”
To register, click HERE.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16 that’s when Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter’s 5th annual Mutt Strut and Pet Expo will take place, rain or shine at Dearborn’s Ford Field Park. The event is staged in downtown West Dearborn and is sponsored by Dearborn Family Pet Care.
Themed “Fit, furry, fabulous and five,” this year’s free event has been expanded to two days of activities for animal lovers, pet owners and families promoting the health of pets and their people.
“We expanded from one day to two because our past attendees clamored for more,” said Elaine Greene, Friends executive director. “This year we have so many activities that we just had to add a second day.”
Why the fitness push? “It’s simple!” Greene says: “Everyone, including Prevention Magazine, knows your dog is your best workout buddy so we’re using this venue to encourage dogs and their owners to get moving.”
Mutt Strutters, supporters and friends will step out in style and wind their way through the heart of the west Dearborn business district on a two-mile walk. The walking course ends back at Ford Field where everyone can participate in and enjoy activities and entertainment such as:
• Chihuahua Reunion, featuring the dogs rescued last August, and their new loving families
• Former Detroit Tiger Milt Wilcox and his Ultimate Air Dogs
• JunkYardDogs, a rescue dog organization demonstrating fly ball racing and agility activities
• Fur Angels, featuring “Reading with the Angels,” a special story hour for families, kids and pets to enjoy some quiet time while a Fur Angel reads aloud
• Doggie Dash DeLure, a luring-style race for family pets to find the fastest dog
• Doggie Health Zone sponsored by Petco and a Midway of vendors with pet related items
• Fido’s Fit Club, an online and on-site support group to encourage people and pet weight loss and fitness
• Saturday night singles event called Must Love Dogs, in partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings
In addition to the fun and festivities, Mutt Strut participants gather pledges to benefit the Shelter. Last year, this event raised nearly $85,000 for Shelter operations and finding “forever homes” for its adoptable pets.
Leash up your dog and walk with an anticipated crowd of more than 2,000 supporters and walkers. Mutt Strutters can build their own pledge pages online. It’s an easy way to post your photos, help friends and family pledge 24/7 and of course, talk about your 4-legged friend. Register to participate or pledge at www.dearbornmuttstrut.com , or by calling 313-943-2697.
An article in the New York Times last Sunday discussed the high stakes battle shaping up between some schools and teachers’ unions across the country over seniority rules that have been in place for decades.
The rules require that the most recently hired teachers be the first to lose their jobs. In New York, school leaders say the rules are anachronistic and in an era of accountability, they say, the rules will upend their efforts of the last few years to recruit new teachers, improve teacher performance and reward those who do best. The full article is HERE
We think it isn’t that black and white. There is a lot to be said about having teachers with many years under their belts.
In another article about teacher layoffs in the Times, Morris Goodman, a Dearborn attorney, past president of the Dearborn Democratic Club, a longtime political activist and observer and regular reader of Deepsaidwhat.com, asks why schools can’t be given TARP money to make sure “our future doesn’t tank.” It’s an interesting idea given all of the bailout money our government has paid to other companies.
Goodman’s column begins below:
Morris Goodman
On Tuesday April 20, the New York Times had a front-page article about the tens of thousands of teachers about to be laid off throughout the nation- 2000 in Detroit alone. On Wednesday the 21st General Motors sent the US Treasury $4.7 billion ($1.1 billion to Canada) to pay off its post-bankruptcy federal loan 5 years early. Goldman Sachs and many other bailed out banks reported record first quarter profits. What’s wrong with this picture? If GM and our nation’s major banks are taking in huge revenues because of the action of our government in the fall of 2008 and spring of 2009, shouldn’t some of their money be used to shore up our beleaguered schools.
As the stock market has risen to its highest point since before the financial and mortgage foreclosure meltdown in the fall of 2008 (11,200+ Dow), unemployment has hovered at 9.7% nationally and over 14% in Michigan. Without getting into the argument as to whether the $787 billion February 2009 Stimulus package has done all that it was supposed to, it is clear that in the 2009-2010 school year states and localities used a great deal of their Stimulus money to keep teachers employed and other government services intact.
Without a continuation of federal support, Michigan and most other states (Alaska, North Dakota, and a few other oil and natural gas producing states being the exceptions) are being forced to make significant cuts in their school budgets, not seen since the 1930s. Is that good for this country?