Feds subpoena records from top political Kilpatrick advisers
November 13, 2008 In an ever-widening federal investigation, a grand jury has subpoenaed records from two top political advisers to ex-Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The two men were both paid for political work from the nonprofit Kilpatrick Civic Fund, which was created to improve the city's image and educate voters, but has been a source of controversy.
'FOIA Abuse' Decried After Mass Release of E-Mails
November 10, 2008: Is there such a thing as "FOIA abuse"? A legal controversy over a Freedom of Information Act request in Michigan is fueling that question.
A school district honored two FOIA requests by local citizens that recently triggered the release of 12,000 e-mail addresses belonging to parents in the Bloomfield Hills School District, an area near Detroit.
The e-mail addresses wound up in the hands of two school board candidates who used them for campaign purposes, outraging the parents who believed that FOIA was misused and their privacy was invaded. Read the full article here.
Recall filed against two school board members after illegal teacher strike
November 8, 2008: Petitions to recall two Wayne-Westland School Board members have received language approval, reports the Detroit News. The individual identified as the organizer has a very sketchy voting history, according the Education Action Group, which hints that the MEA teachers union are the real force behind the recall. The Wayne Eagle, Nov. 6, 2008). In October Wayne-Westland employees went on strike for four days, primarily about whether health insurance would be purchased from an affiliate of MEA. Teacher strikes are prohibited by Michigan law.
This is the second time this year school board members who ran afoul of the union have found themselves targeted for recall. On Nov. 4, four members of the Reed City school district were recalled. That recall was announced three weeks before a vote to privatize food and custodial services, a move that is projected to save the district some $300,000 a year, or about $200 per student according to [http://www.educationactiongroup.org/watch/?p=115 EAG.
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