Free Republic

The drumbeat of bad economic news out of Michigan keeps pounding. The Great Lakes State has lost jobs for six consecutive years, Michigan’s longest run of workplace shrinkages since the Great Depression. Automakers are laying off tens of thousands. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is closing up shop in Ann Arbor and Kalamazoo. The state ranks among the top three in the country for home foreclosures and mortgage delinquencies. Analysts at Comerica Bank, which is moving its headquarters from Detroit to Dallas, say Michigan is stuck in a “one-state recession.”

Granholm walks away from charter schools talks; teachers plan protest By AMY F. BAILEY The Associated Press 9/25/2003, 4:29 a.m. ET LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Classes at Detroit public schools were canceled Thursday because thousands of teachers planned to gather at the state Capitol to protest a deal allowing more charter schools in Michigan. Thursday morning's rally, organized by the Detroit Federation of Teachers, comes a day after Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she was ending negotiations on charter school expansion. The Democratic governor said Wednesday a bill intended to reflect an agreement she reached last week with House Speaker Rick...