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In this week’s episode, Slash Detroit shows a trash dump on an empty lot, theft from the library, and the execution of a citizen’s arrest on some taggers! This is produced by our friends at PishPosh.Tv.
Here's the transcription for the video:
Welcome to Slash Detroit for Friday April 18th, 2014. Today's episode is brought to you by the City of Detroit's new waste management strategy.
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The video you just watched made the rounds on Facebook this week, spurring such insightful comments as "Awwww hell naw" and "Report they asses". The people recording the video, and most viewers, seemed not to notice that right behind the garbage truck that is unloading its trash onto an empty neighborhood lot, is a pickup being driven by a supervisor. The City released a completely logical explanation, stating that, "We have verified that the compactor on the back of the truck had malfunctioned and got stuck open, causing trash to fall on the street as the truck drove along. The supervisor in the video directed the driver to a nearby lot to dump the portion of the trash that was stuck in the compactor in one spot, rather than leave a trail of trash along its route. Another city crew came back an hour later to remove the trash, which we also have verified. Yeah, prompt and understandable explanations like that are why we elected " Duggins."
City Truck Dumps Trash In Neighborhood? (Facebook)
Motor City Muckraker reports that federal investigators are making progress on the Heidelberg arson case. Although a fire destroyed the only security camera that the art project installed, the feds had installed cameras of their own, and have been showing their footage to members of the community to help identify suspects in the case.
Feds Get Heidelberg Arsonist on Camera (Motor City Muckracker)
And now, we'd like to show you some exclusive footage gathered by Larry Mongo of Cafe D'Mongos Speakeasy. In the video you're about to see, two taggers get caught spray-painting the wrong building at the wrong time, in broad daylight in Downtown Detroit. To the tagger P.R.N.Y.C., if you would like the years worth of footage that was on your GoPro, please contact Larry Mongo. He'll be happy to give it back to you, once you paint over the scribble-scrabble you put on his and Dan Gilbert's buildings. And P.R.N.Y.C., we'd like to assure you that the nudie pics of your lady friend's tri state area, are still private and not uploaded to the interwebs.
Taggers From NYC Caught Painting Wrong Detroit Building (Facebook)
Detroit has launched a new website to handle the glut of houses stacking up in the coffers of the Detroit Land Bank Authority. The houses will be auctioned off at buildingdetroit.org Ebay stye, but with a particular set of rules. The bids will open at a thousand dollars, and if you win, within 6 months you have to fix up the house, and prove that it's occupied. If you fail to do so, you will lose your house and your money. Each month, the auction will focus on a new group of houses clustered in the same neighborhoods, which will let buyers know that the whole neighborhood will improve at the same time that their house does.
Detroit To Auction Vacant Homes, One Neighborhood at a Time (CNN Money)
On Tuesday. Timothy Cromer, the former Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Technology Officer of the Detroit Public Library, pled guilty to accepting one point four million dollars in bribes and kickbacks from technology contractors. Sentencing is scheduled for August 14th, where he will face up to 15 years in prison. He initially attracted the attention of the Detroit News for perceived nepotism and shady hiring practices.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that Mr. Cromer was a student of mine at the Wayne State University Business School, where I was his Teacher's Assistant. He offered me a job at the library, which I didn't take, and instead opted to found a video production company. I'm starting to think I made the right decision.
Detroit Library Official Pleads Guilty in Million Dollar Bribery Scheme (The Detroit News)
Under an order from Kevyn Orr, Detroit is considering raising the price of parking tickets for the first time in a decade. At a heated public hearing on Monday, the city outlined plans to raise the fee for an expired meter from twenty dollars to forty-five dollars, and for violations like double parking, from thirty to forty five dollars. The city will also do away with the ten dollar fee reduction if tickets are paid early. The city says the price increases are justified, because it costs more than thirty dollars to process a ticket. That raises an obvious question: why does it cost more than thirty dollars just to process a ticket?
Plans to Increase Parking Meter Fines Spark Outrage (Detroit Free Press)
For the first time since white people starting sticking rulers in the snow, Detroit has received more than 94 inches of the fluffy stuff in a winter, passing the previous record set in 1880. Meteorologists predict that this will be the last snowfall of the year, but you won't be free of the effects of this winter for some time yet. The potholes on the streets won't be able to be properly patched until hot asphalt is able to be poured later in the spring.
2013-2014: The Snowiest Winter Ever (Detroit Free Press)
Not too long ago, Slash Detroit held a March Madness bracket challenge, with the winner receiving tickets to a Tigers game or a concert. Well, I'm happy to announce that the winner was... me! And since I enjoyed spanking you all so much, we decided to have another bracket tournament for the Stanley Cup, with the winner again getting some Tigers or concert tickets. The Red Wings play the first seeded Boston Bruins tonight at 7:30! Good luck to you all!
Play Slash Detroit’s Stanley Cup Bracket Challenge to win Tigers TIckets! (NHL.com)
Hey Instagram users: Do you want tickets to see Jack White perform live in his hometown this summer? Well his concert series sold out pretty quickly but WDET, Wayne States Public Radio Station, is offering a chance for listeners to win a pair of the coveted passes. Just head over to WDET.org for more details about their fun scavenger hunt/ instagram challenge.
WDET Jack White Ticket Giveaway (WDET.org)
If you haven't made it out yet, you still have time to check out Detroit Restaurant Week. Nineteen of Detroit's finest eateries are offering scrumptious spring inspired three course meals at thirty bucks a pop. However, Corktown's Ottava Via is new to the list, and set it's price at just twenty dollars. The spring edition of Restaurant Week ends this Sunday. Buon appetito!
Detroit Restaurant Week Going ‘til Sunday (DetroitRestaurantWeek.com)
If you've spent too much time away from the news enjoying our 40 degree spring weather, here's a quick catch up on the bankruptcy. After months of intense negotiations, the city and its retirees have come to terms on deals that will spare draconian cuts to retiree pensions. Pending formal approval from the retiree boards, their members, and Judge Rhodes, cops and firefighters will not take a direct hit to their paychecks, but their cost of living adjustments will be decreased. For the general services retirees, they will take a much less than expected 4.5% cut to their monthly checks, and will lose their cost of living adjustments altogether.
New Deal Reached for Detroit Pensioners (Detroit Free Press)
Just when it looked like the City and the Suburbs were getting away from a deal to regionalize the water department, Judge Rhodes pulled them back in. Judge Rhodes has appointed judges to mediate between the City and the counties of Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland. Referring to the bankruptcy's once-in-a-lifetime ability to make big ideas reality, Judge Rhodes said that, "if we do not take advantage of this unique opportunity, the opportunity will in all likelihood be lost forever".
Water Department Mediators Named (Free Press)
After stringently denying that the feds would come in to rescue Detroit, it looks like President Obama is going to come to save us to some degree after all. The United States of America and the State of Michigan are working behind the scenes to move 100 million dollars of money for blight remediation to the mitten. Michigan will then shuffle the money over to Detroit. Detroit will then put that money towards its 500 million dollar blight remediation efforts, freeing up 100 million dollars to spend on pensions and protect the DIA.
Obama and Michigan in Talks to Free 100 Million to Aid Detroit Pension (Free Press)
In the last piece of bankruptcy news, Judge Rhodes would like Mayor Duggan and at least one city councilperson to testify that they will stick to Kevyn Orr's financial plan for the city, even once he's gone. This will lead to some glorious political theater, as Mike Duggan and Brenda Jones walk the line between being offended by Kevyn Orr's presence, and supporting his plan, under the threat that the judge won't give Detroit back to elected officials unless they do. The hearing will be in late July. Get the popcorn out: this is going to be good!
Judge wants Mayor Duggan and Council to Support Restructuring Plan (Free Press)
