MichMan
MichMan's JournalDetroit school names 8 time felon as principal
Protecting our tax dollars is a priority at MacDowell Preparatory Academy, or so says school board chairwoman Nicole Wells Stallworth, who mentioned fiscal responsibility at least eight times in a June commentary under the headline "Michigan charter school boards ensure financial accountability."
That's what makes it so hard to understand why board members at the Detroit charter school hired a principal who has been convicted of eight felonies for ripping people off; who has a history of being evicted and refusing to pay his bills; who has failed to report money his charity collected; who owes thousands of dollars in fines for violating Michigan campaign finance regulations; and who, at the time he was hired, was being dogged by a legal firm that specializes in debt collection.
Only 7% of MacDowell's students were proficient in all subjects on state tests in 2021-22, according to the most recent state data available. The state average was 37%. The school also lagged well behind the state average in the percent of students making progress toward proficiency or increasing their proficiency in all subjects. At MacDowell, 21% of students were making progress in 2021-22. The state average was 40%. The numbers for the previous school year were about the same.
Banks had been trying to get back into elected office since he resigned as a state representative in 2017 as part of a plea deal that allowed him to avoid up to 14 years in prison for defrauding a credit union. He ran for state Senate in 2018, but failed to win the Democratic nomination. On Aug. 2, 2022, he was defeated in his bid to be the Democratic nominee for the Wayne County Commission's 1st District. Ten days later, on Aug. 12, 2022, Banks applied for a school administrator certificate, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/columnists/ml-elrick/2023/08/27/detroit-school-former-felon-as-principal/70669868007/
Dave Mason- All Along the Watchtower
All Along the Watchtower is one of rock's most widely covered songs, first written I believe by Bob Dylan and made most famous by Jimi Hendrix. IMO, the artist that did it best was Dave Mason.
Dave was a friend of Jimi's and played the 12 string acoustic guitar on Jimi's version, so he has made it part of his repertoire for decades. I love this performance of a 67 yr old Dave Mason playing it in 2013.
Atlanta police motorcycles burned in intentional fire, officials say
The Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department responded to reports of a multi-vehicle fire around 2:20 a.m. and found multiple motorcycles on fire, WANF-TV reported.
Firefighters at the scene found “incendiary devices” used to start the fire, officials said. The location of the fire Saturday on Southside Industrial Parkway was not the same as the planned Atlanta Public Safety Training Center that has drawn protests from opponents, WANF reported.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/02/atlanta-police-motorcycles-burned-intentional-fire-officials-say/70377123007/
"Ain't Got Time to Be Unhappy" by Bob Luman
When I was a teenager, my mother bought an inexpensive home stereo for the family. It came with three vinyl records that were compilations of various songs; most of which I was not at all familiar with. This was one that was on there.
Lyrics were great "Ain't got time to be unhappy, lovin' you makes me want to slap my pappy" What ??? My friends and I thought it was hilarious!
Mackinac Island residents, historic businesses warned of e-bike battery fires
"Almost all fire chiefs are concerned," St. Onge told the Detroit Free Press. "There's so little data on why these things are malfunctioning. I'm being as proactive as I possibly can, reading everything I can find. These battery fires are breaking out all across the country. They're catastrophic. These fires are killing people." The island had two e-bike battery fires last year, St. Onge said. An e-bike battery incident in July in the Harrisonville section of the island burned a home and put the homeowner and two firefighters in the hospital. The homeowner was charging the battery in the kitchen, St. Onge said.
Yet island bike rental shops continue to see a growing appetite for e-bikes, he said. Motorized vehicles have been banned on the island for more than a century. But not motorized bicycles. The island is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, a governor-appointed board.
"If Keurig coffee makers were doing this, no one would buy one. You'd say, 'I'm not having that son of a (expletive) in my house," St. Onge said. "I mean, I can't stop you from bringing stuff into your home. But this is just mind-boggling to me."
[link:https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/05/02/mackinac-island-fire-e-bike-battery-fires/70170466007/|
The harm and hurt caused by illegal 'temp license tags'
It’s an issue that rarely if ever crosses the minds of most drivers in New York City or elsewhere: the fraudulent sale of temporary license plate tags — “temp tags” — and the subsequent illegal use of them in hit-and-run accidents, shootings and robberies. One such finding examines a hit-and-run in Queens, New York last year, in which a five-year-old boy died when he was struck by a driver with a suspended license and a counterfeit New Jersey temp tag. “Temps from New Jersey are among the most common on the streets of New York City, as are tags from Georgia and Texas,” the report says.
In one particularly stunning example, the report cities one F&J Auto Mall in Bridgeton, New Jersey, “although the primary owner listed an apartment in upper Manhattan as his address when forming the company, business records show. F&J issued 36,000 temporary license plates in 2021—more than any other dealership in the state, including the used-car juggernauts Carvana and CarMax combined.” Although potential profits for F&J were in the millions, the agency, which was shut down by the motor vehicles department, was fined $500.
In New York, for example, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority alone loses around $11 million annually in unbillable tolls at its bridges and tunnels due to bad paper tags, according to the story. “Traffic tickets, sales taxes, registration fees and other tolls that go unpaid because of sham paper tags likely bring the total cost in New York into the tens of millions, if not higher,” the report says.
[link:https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/the-harm-and-hurt-caused-by-illegal-temp-license-tags/ar-AA19E1hc?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=46da5e63ca3349569ed471556560c1d4&ei=24|
'Window into history': Tapes detail LBJ's stolen election
Luis Salas, the former South Texas election judge, told Mangan for the story: “Johnson did not win that election; It was stolen for him. And I know exactly how it was done.”
The story, which made front pages across the country, pulled back the curtain on the razor-thin victory that had drawn suspicions ever since election officials in rural Jim Wells County announced the discovery of uncounted votes in a ballot box known as Box 13 in the days after the 1948 Democratic primary Senate runoff. And now, at a time when election fraud is rare but former President Donald Trump and his allies amplify baseless allegations blaming it for his 2020 loss, the tapes and story show what compelling evidence of actual fraud looks like.
Salas told Mangan that the powerful South Texas political boss George B. Parr — who wielded control with favors and coercion — ordered that some 200 votes be added to Box 13. Salas said he then watched as the fraudulent votes were added in alphabetical order, with the names coming from people who hadn’t voted in the election.
[link:https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/window-into-history-tapes-detail-lbj-s-stolen-election/ar-AA19kE5b?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=42fff1524c3a46b192df6e21cf944d64&ei=16|
Nissan tool and die workers vote against union at Tennessee plant
The vote wasn't close, providing the latest example of the challenges union organizers face at Southern auto plants.
Nissan spokeswoman Lloryn Love-Carter provided a company statement cheering the outcome, with workers opting not to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
"By a vote of 62 to 9 with 97% participation, workers at a Nissan manufacturing facility have again voted overwhelmingly against union representation and elected to maintain their direct relationship with the company. Nissan respects this decision, and we remain focused on working with employees to drive our future forward together," she said.
MSU shooter Anthony McRae had weapons history
State officials Tuesday identified 43-year-old convicted felon Anthony McRae as the attacker who shot and killed three people and wounded five others at Michigan State University. But police had been called to the residence before because of the sound of gunshots, Megan Bender said. Megan Bender said Anthony McRae would fire out of the back door of the home, she believed for target practice.
[link:https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/02/14/msu-shooter-anthony-mcrae-a-convicted-felon-with-weapons-history/69901983007/|
Edit: His original felony charges were plead down to a misdemeanor. Why have strict gun laws if they are plead down and/or ignored ?
Arrests made in Louisiana mass shooting that wounded 12
"Baton Rouge, La. – Police in Louisiana's capital city have charged two people in a mass shooting that left 12 others wounded at a nightclub in January.Two 19-year-olds, Nikeal Franklin and Jy’Shaun Jackson, were arrested Friday, the Baton Rouge Police Department said. Franklin was charged with 12 counts of attempted first-degree murder while Jackson was charged with 12 counts of principal to attempted first-degree murder.
On Jan. 22, shots rang out around 1:30 a.m. in the Dior Bar & Lounge in Baton Rouge. A dozen people were injured, and most sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Three victims were initially listed in critical condition, but their conditions later improved."
[link:https://news.yahoo.com/arrests-made-louisiana-mass-shooting-173635796.html|
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