The News-Herald - February 28Congressman John Dingell was first elected to office just after my first birthday. I remember my dad working on his early campaigns, including hand painting signs for local store windows. Congressman Dingell is, without question, a legislative icon and has served the citizens of his district honestly and ably for decades. That said, he was first elected just after my first birthday, and his recent announcement that he's running for a 28th term in the U.S. Congress even makes me feel old!
That's the Point!
The News-Herald - February 24
The Press & Guide - February 24No matter where you live in metro Detroit, by late February winter feels more like a sentence than a season! While we all enjoy ski weekends, or even weekend trips with the kids to the local sledding hill, the Monday through Friday commute to work and school under gray skies and through dirty, slushy snow begins to depress even the toughest of us. In discussing the topic for this week's cartoons with both Karl Ziomek, News-Herald Editor; and Tim Powers, Press & Guide Editor, we all concluded there's only one thing we can do about the weather - laugh at it!That's the Point!
The News-Herald - February 21As many of us open our 2010 property tax assessment notices, we're faced with an ironic "good news-bad news" situation. The good news? For many, property taxes have decreased ... and who would think that's anything but good news? The bad news is, of course, that taxes decreased because the assessed value of tens of thousands of residential properties have also decreased, due to the prolonged economic slump in metro Detroit. Sometimes, the facts themselves are the punchline of an editorial cartoon. That, unfortunately was the case this week.
That's the Point!
The Press & Guide - February 17 The West Downtown Dearborn redevelopment project has been the topic of editorial cartoon collaborations between Press & Guide Editor Tim Powers and me for longer than I can remember. When the issue made news again this week, still with no resolution, I tossed out the comment above in frustration - and it became the commentary for this week!
The News-Herald - February 17 As kids, when the snow got too scarce for sledding, we'd start daydreaming about the sandlot - the green grass of the outfield, the dusty infield - and those daydreams carried us through the next few weeks until spring. For more than 45 years after that, my spirit lifts every February when I hear "... pitchers and catchers report," because I know spring training has begun, and spring itself, here in Detroit, can't be far behind. News-Herald Editor Karl Ziomek and I share many of those same boyhood memories and he agreed to let me share the eternal hope and optimism that is spring training with our readers this week!That's the Point!
Crain's Detroit Business - February 15Since I was a kid growing up in Detroit, riding DSR buses to school (and anyplace else I needed to get to), there was talk about efficient regional mass transit - and that was back when the memories of the Interurban were still fresh with my parents' generation! Today, new plans are under consideration for both regional light rail and buses as viable mass transit. I don't want to say I'm skeptical, but ... Well, I guess that's exactly what I'm saying! I don't plan on trading in my old DSR bus pass for new mass transit tokens anytime soon.That's the Point!
The News-Herald - February 10News-Herald Editor Karl Ziomek and I always have fun with weather cartoons ... maybe that says more about our maturity level than our newspaper editorial savvy, but who cares? As we considered topics for this Wednesday cartoon, on Monday evening, our electronic media counterparts were already promoting their upcoming coverage of the snow storm headed for metro Detroit late Tuesday.I laughed and said to Karl, "Well, according to TV, here comes our annual 'storm of the century'." He laughed, then we both realized, "Hey ... our work is done!" (Except, I still had to draw it ...)Ultimately, it's just snow ... wait long enough - it'll melt!That's the Point!
The News-Herald - February 3 Groundhog Day arrived Downriver, but the current economic "climate" put unusual pressure on the rodent forecaster. Nobody cares if we get another six weeks of winter, if there's an up-tick in employment and some cause for fiscal optimism!
The Press & Guide - February 3The light at the end of the tunnel is a train (or at least a train station), and that's good news! Dearborn secures some federal stimulus funding for a new Amtrak station and we decided to celebrate by getting "all aboard" with this idea!That's the Point!
Crain's Detroit Business - February 1The Pistons have been making headlines - for all the wrong reasons - for several weeks. A lack of team chemistry, a surprisingly unsuccessful season, and most recently - news that the widow of former owner Bill Davidson is considering selling the team. The only good news Pistons headline came late last week, when Joe Dumars, President of Basketball Operations, announced that rumors of a Gubernatorial run by him this year were untrue. At least Joe D will be around to get about the business of rebuilding the team - although the State of Michigan probably could have used his talents, too!That's the Point!
Note: This week marks the 25th anniversary of Crain's Detroit Business. In March, I will start my 14th year penning editorial cartoons for this Detroit media icon. I want to pass along my congratulations to the Crain's Detroit Business management and staff, and my gratitude for being a part of the Crain's family for the past 13 years!
Off the Drawing Board - I considered several different directions for the "Pistons For Sale" commentary, including this one that related to the metro Detroit real estate market. In retrospect, this one seems to be a stretch - playing not only on the the real estate market, but attempting to parody the Chrysler sale as well. Too much. Lucky for me, on deadline Joe Dumars denied rumors that he had plans to run for Governor this year. Whew!
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The News-Herald - February 28
