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David Sands
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Assistant Editor, The Huffington Post Detroit

Entries by David Sands

Detroit Pet Coke Study Results Released By Michigan State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Concerns Linger

(0) Comments | Posted May 24, 2013 | 12:36 PM

Concerned about possible risks associated with growing mounds of a petroleum waste product piling up along the Detroit River, State Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) gathered samples last March to be tested with an Ann Arbor environmental nonprofit. She released the results of this testing on Thursday.

The material, known...

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Petroleum Coke Piles On Detroit River Should Be Investigated, Urges Congressman Gary Peters

(128) Comments | Posted May 22, 2013 | 6:02 PM

As three-story-high piles of petroleum coke pile up along the Detroit River, Congressman Gary Peters (D-Mich.) unsuccessfully urged his colleagues in the U.S. House on Wednesday to reject a measure expediting the permit approval for the Keystone Pipeline, and instead investigate the health and environmental implications of coking byproducts.

The...

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Michigan Marijuana Driving Ruling By State Supreme Court Offers Limited DUI Protection

(9) Comments | Posted May 22, 2013 | 1:22 PM

Michigan's Supreme Court has ruled that taking a toke before driving is OK for state-approved marijuana patients in certain circumstances. In a unanimous ruling Tuesday, the high court decided that the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) supersedes a zero-tolerance drug policy provision of the Michigan Vehicle Code.

Approved by state...

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Michigan Festivals In Summer 2013 Offer Music And Events Of All Varieties, In Detroit And Beyond

(6) Comments | Posted May 22, 2013 | 11:36 AM

Techno fans have been waiting all year for the Movement Electronic Music Festival -- and the good news is it's almost here. The event, which takes place this weekend in downtown Detroit, has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the premier electronic dance music gatherings in the...

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Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Cancel Appearance At Metro Detroit Foreclosure Hearing

(220) Comments | Posted May 18, 2013 | 9:26 AM

Officials from the mortgage financing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have withdrawn from a Detroit event where homeowners are set to talk about the impact foreclosures have had on their lives and communities.

The group Detroit Eviction Defense claims the last-minute cancellation of the May 20 hearing comes after...

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CAMP Detroit, Movement Festival Arts Program, To Open Work Space In Woodbridge Machine Shop

(1) Comments | Posted May 15, 2013 | 9:04 AM

Artists and others involved with a migrating Detroit arts project are completely geeked about their new space in Detroit's Woodbridge neighborhood. Each year, the Community Arts Moving Projects (CAMP) program provides artists and makers with studio room to create beautiful and mind-bending creations for display at Detroit’s Movement...

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Detroit Disc Golf Course Moves Forward At Belle Isle, Seeks Funding, Players

(2) Comments | Posted May 14, 2013 | 12:02 PM

Chris Haag believes that hidden amongst the natural beauty of Detroit's Belle Isle park is an amazing course for disc golf -- and he's not alone.

The 30-year-old Detroiter is part of a crew that has been working to popularize the sport of disc golf in the city since...

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Detroit NAACP Lawsuit Filing Says Michigan Emergency Manager Law Threatens Voting Rights

(10) Comments | Posted May 13, 2013 | 4:20 PM

The NAACP sees Michigan's emergency manager law as a threat to democracy and voting rights -- and leaders in Detroit are going to federal court to challenge the legislation.

The Detroit branch filed the legal challenge with the Michigan State Conference of the NAACP and several other plaintiffs at a...

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Detroit Fast Food Strike Employees Gather At Protest To Demand Unions And A $15 Per Hour Wage

(141) Comments | Posted May 10, 2013 | 10:31 PM

Claudette Wilson, a worker at a Detroit-area Burger King, feels she needs more than the state's minimum wage of $7.40 an hour to get by. So the 20-year-old woman skipped work Friday to participate in a wildcat strike including local workers from McDonald's and other national fast food...

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Fast Food Strike: Detroit Walkouts, Protests Continue National Movement For Higher Wages, Union

(1928) Comments | Posted May 10, 2013 | 11:52 AM

Workers at a Detroit McDonald's walked off the job early Friday morning, part of a wave of fast food industry strikes that have recently swept across cities around the nation.

Campaign organizers are expecting hundreds of workers to strike in Metro Detroit throughout the day at national chains like...

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Mae Day To Perform At Foundation Of 5eGallery Detroit Women In Hip-Hop Show

(0) Comments | Posted May 9, 2013 | 1:27 PM

An all-star cast of local female hip-hop talent, including rapper Mae Day, will be converging at Detroit's Tangent Gallery next week to celebrate a local collective dedicated to raising the profile of women in the local scene. The show is a fourth anniversary bash for

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Detroit Prom Crowdfunding Campaign On Indiegogo Will Help Students Get Dresses, Tuxes For Dance

(11) Comments | Posted May 9, 2013 | 9:25 AM

Imagine wanting to go to your high school prom, but not being able to afford to rent a tux or buy a dress. Think about sitting at home that night, while all your friends experienced one of the most memorable nights of their lives. Unfortunately, about 25 students at a...

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Detroit Marathon Refinery Safety Award Canceled By State, Following Recent Explosion, Fire

(12) Comments | Posted May 8, 2013 | 12:26 PM

A Michigan state agency has apparently had some doubts about honoring the safety record of a Detroit oil refinery -- one that recently experienced an explosion and fire that led to the partial evacuation of a nearby city.

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration Wednesday canceled...

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Vito Valdez, Detroit Public Artist, Talks Space Frames, Murals And Big Fish With My Detroit

(0) Comments | Posted May 8, 2013 | 9:49 AM

My Detroit is a series of Q&A profiles with our favorite denizens in and around the D.

If you've walked around Detroit, you've probably glimpsed the art of Vito Valdez without even knowing it. This talented creator's public works grace several of Motown's walls and corners. These include...

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Sit On It Detroit Vows To Keep Installing Benches At Bus Stops, Despite DDOT Pushback

(11) Comments | Posted May 7, 2013 | 12:30 PM

In a city where long waits at bus stop are common and many riders are senior citizens, college student Charles Molnar had an idea: Why not build some benches?

Spurred to action, he rallied several students from Detroit Enterprise Academy, a charter school, to make a handmade bench...

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Heidelberg Project Fire Receives Surprising Responses From Artist Tyree Guyton, Detroit Supporters

(3) Comments | Posted May 3, 2013 | 3:48 PM

Puffs of smoke or ash still occasionally rose from a building Friday morning at a world-famous Detroit art installation as the artist sat across the street, contemplating the wreckage in front of him. Earlier, the decorated Heidelberg Project house was set on fire, possibly intentionally. But Tyree Guyton...

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Kim Warren, Novi School Principal, Charged With Super-Drunk Law, Slips Out Of Handcuffs (VIDEO)

(43) Comments | Posted May 2, 2013 | 11:52 AM

A Metro Detroit principal picked up last month and charged under a "super drunk" ordinance might want to consider a second career -- as an escape artist.

Police video acquired by WXYZ-TV shows Kim Warren, the now-suspended principal of Deerfield Elementary School in Novi, Mich., nimbly maneuvering out...

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Grand Rapids Marijuana Decriminalization Finally Implemented After Long Wait

(7) Comments | Posted May 1, 2013 | 2:26 PM

City leaders must have got distracted or something. It's been six months since Grand Rapids voters approved a measure amending the city's charter to decriminalize marijuana -- and up to now there's been little to show for it. But this month, police are being asked to go a little easier...

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Pot & Box, Detroit Pop-Up, Will Set Stage For D:Hive 'Pilot' Start-Up Competition

(0) Comments | Posted May 1, 2013 | 11:53 AM

A pop-up by a popular Southeast Michigan floral studio will kick off a contest that will offer temporary downtown Detroit retail space to local start-ups. It's a warm-up for the official summer launch of the "Pilot" competition, sponsored by the D:Hive welcome center, a group that helps visitors and businesses...

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Detroit Comments Compare City's Crime Stats With New York

(42) Comments | Posted April 30, 2013 | 6:35 PM

A boastful comment made Tuesday by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about his city's low crime rate is not being received well by Detroit's Mayor Dave Bing. Bloomberg's remarks, made over Twitter, unfavorably compared homicides in the two cities.

The Motor City's murder rate ranked as one the...

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