State does nothing as Historic Highland Park school is gutted by thieves

State does nothing as Historic Highland Park school is gutted by thieves

Part one of a continuing series on abandoned buildings. More than 60,000 vacant buildings are scattered across Detroit and Highland Park, driving down property values and attracting crime, rodents and fires. This is the story of one of those buildings.  Neighbors tried their best. They circled the historic, sprawling school in Highland Park to keep out […]

DPS dilemma: Fund education or demo

DPS dilemma: Fund education or demo

Detroit Public Schools has a dilemma every year. More than 50 vacant schools are scattered across the city, often left to rot because the cash-strapped district must decide between demolishing the eyesores and educating children. “If you have schools that are vacant, and you are going to spend money on that, you aren’t going to […]

Is Detroit’s population loss bottoming out?

Is Detroit’s population loss bottoming out?

The unprecedented exodus from Detroit in the past decade is slowing down, a sign that efforts to draw new residents is working, the Associated Press reports. Detroit shocked the nation when the decennial Census showed the city lost 25% of its population, which dropped to 714,000. It’s unclear what caused the slowdown, but officials in […]