Detroit Archives
8:22am: General Motors announces recall of more than 400,000 Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Saturns with potentially faulty transmissions. More
Oct 28: In a region hard hit by the Great Recession, people are hunting down opportunities and taking risks to build a brighter future. The Macks are buying another house. More
Oct 28: In a region hard hit by the Great Recession, people are hunting down opportunities and taking risks to build a brighter future. Paula Batchelor started a business. More
Oct 28: In a region hard hit by the Great Recession, people are hunting down opportunities and taking risks to build a brighter future. Barbara Stachowski changed careers. More
Oct 28: In a region hard hit by the Great Recession, people are hunting down opportunities and taking risks to build a brighter future. Mark Munteanu moved on. More
Oct 12: What does it take for black-owned startups to make it in Detroit? A timely idea, a dauntless attitude, and one extra ingredient: friends and family. More
Sep 3: A former Ford engineer teams up with an Italian auto parts supplier to clean up motorcycle emissions in Asia. More
Aug 26: CEO Sergio Marchionne is racing to fill a dry product pipeline. His unorthodox methods aren't for everyone. More
Jul 6: The most heavily trafficked U.S. border bridge is decaying -- but the fight over its future has become an international firestorm. More
Jun 30: What do you do with an old car-body plant nobody wants? You turn it into a creative hive for upstart businesses that offers a spark of hope for Detroit's economy. More
May 12: A small city has reinvented itself for the 21st century. Can Detroit learn anything from Grand Rapids? More
Apr 28: In a Detroit neighborhood flooded with empty buildings, wooing new retail residents means starting with the basics: street lights, litter pickup and a dedicated red-tape buster. More
Apr 23: Chevrolet will replace ad agency Campbell-Ewald, the Detroit-suburb-based ad agency that has worked for the automaker since 1919. More
Apr 21: Workers say a plan to invest in an area plant for the popular Chevy Malibu means long-term job security in this city. More
Feb 15: In a first-of-its-kind philanthropic effort, Detroit has private donors ready to spend $125 million building a downtown rail line. Is mass transit vital for a Detroit renaissance? More
Feb 11: A business incubator in Detroit wants to launch hundreds of tech companies - and help transform the Motor City's economy. More
Dec 29: With lots of empty space and a shrinking population, the Motor City may be ready to try something radical: urban agriculture. More
Dec 29: With lots of empty space and a shrinking population, the Motor City may be ready to try something radical: urban agriculture. More
Dec 7: In fact, there isn't nearly as much gloom and doom among the Motor City's ad agencies as you might expect. More
Nov 17: Unidentified Toronto-based real estate company buys Pontiac stadium for $583,000 - a fraction of the $55.7 million it cost to build. More
Nov 16: A record number of unclaimed bodies are piling up in the Detroit morgue. But thanks to a stranger, some are being laid to rest. More
Nov 12: If you want to buy the former home of the Detroit Lions, you'd better move fast. The city of Pontiac could announce the top bidder by Friday. More
Nov 11: Online-mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert wants to spark a revival by moving his headquarters and 1,700 workers to the heart of the city. More
Nov 11: Quicken Loans chairman Dan Gilbert has big plans for the city, but stirs controversy with his bid for casinos in Ohio and his loan to fallen mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. More
Nov 10: Tech startups, fashion entrepreneurs and medical researchers are helping diversify the economy in Motor City. More
Oct 30: Arson fires. Scrappers. Blackouts. It's all part of business for the last tenant in Detroit's Packard Plant, the decaying industrial complex that the city wants demolished. More
Oct 28: Motor City tops nation's largest cities with 17.3% rate, and economists say the only way to slash it is for the jobless to head elsewhere. More
Oct 16: Detroit's four-figure home prices are unusual, but investors around the country think foreclosed houses are too cheap to pass up. How to tell a great deal from a money pit. More
Oct 8: Detroit's churches are taking a hands-on approach to saving their neighborhoods, plowing millions into buying and redeveloping local housing and businesses. More
Oct 7: Once host to the Super Bowl, Hulk Hogan and the Pope, the Silverdome has become an expensive liability for its hometown. More
Oct 6: The collapse of the Saturn sale and glitches in the Opel and Hummer deals are signs that GM faces a difficult turnaround after a quick bankruptcy. More
Oct 1: Without the popular government program and low inventories, industrywide sales in September plunge 40% from August. More
Oct 1: How could a millionaire top executive with a chrome-plated reputation get in such financial trouble? The mysterious case of Jim Press. More
Oct 1: Money to bury Detroit's poor has dried up, forcing struggling families to abandon their loved ones in the morgue freezer. More
Sep 30: Auto dealer terminates agreement with General Motors, citing concerns about supplies of the vehicle after GM stops producing Saturns. More
Sep 29: Lizabeth Ardisana is trying to bridge the old and new economies, connecting local auto parts makers to national medical companies. More
Sep 24: Mariam Noland raised $100 million for a Detroit business development program and will give out another $40 million this year. But It is enough to put the city back on track? More
Sep 22: The Motor City's most important corporate citizen has been humbled. The question now is whether its journey through bankruptcy has made it strong enough to thrive. More
Sep 22: When GM opened a plant in Detroit 23 years ago, the hope was that it would revitalize the city. It didn't. Now the facility will build the plug-in hybrid Volt. Will this time be different? More
Sep 21: The 101-year-old automaker has a new CEO, a new board, new owners (that would be us), and a new attitude. Now it just needs to build cars and trucks that people want to buy. More
Sep 21: Executives will present a revised business plan in November detailing steps to recovery. More
Sep 21: Expect the direct approach as Bob Lutz takes on his new role overseeing marketing and design at the new GM. More
Sep 21: Chrysler's union with Fiat is complete. Here's a look at the new company and some of the products, like the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee, that it'll offer. More
Sep 21: The battered automaker is in much better shape than when it filed for bankruptcy. But it could quickly be tripped up by the challenges ahead. More
Sep 21: Detroit has skilled manufactures and a unique industrial design sensibility -- strengths city planners are tapping as they try jumpstart a local fashion industry. More
Sep 21: If young Detroiters can't find jobs, an exodus could be in the works. But a few say they'll stay and deal with what comes. More
Sep 21: Food has long been an issue in this city without a major supermarket. Now demand for assistance is rising, affecting a whole new set of people. More
Sep 21: Hundreds turn out for tips on how to open their own business, and city shows off its support network for entrepreneurs. More
Sep 21: The city is pushing for new businesses, arts and a revitalized downtown to keep young people in this hard-hit town. More
Sep 21: Rukmal Fernando bought a tech business in Sri Lanka and is moving part of it to Detroit. His freelancers get $30 to $70 an hour. More
Sep 21: Cindy Pasky, owner of a big Detroit-based tech staffing firm, says the area's workers need to raise their skills and lower their expectations. More
Sep 21: Twenty-four-year-old Tatiana Grant is her own public relations boss and that seems like just a start. She has plans to bring a fast food franchise and a date planning Web site to Detroit. More
Sep 21: The auto industry won't likely save the city, so people in Detroit need to do it on their own. Phillip Cooley not only runs a $4 million-a-year barbeque business, he's restoring the historic train station. More
Sep 18: Detroit has skilled manufactures and a unique industrial design sensibility -- strengths city planners are tapping as they try jumpstart a local fashion industry. More
Sep 16: Executives will present a revised business plan in November detailing steps to recovery. More
Sep 11: Ford's stock soared as it gained share against GM, Chrysler and Toyota earlier this year. But analysts worry the run is near an end -- even if profits return soon. More
Sep 10: Canadian auto supplier and Russian bank to take over most of General Motors' core European brand. More
Sep 9: Congressional oversight panel says that much of the money lent to GM and Chrysler will never be seen again. More
Sep 3: The government says it has okayed $500 million so far, and will reimburse all eligible dealer requests by the end of September. More
Sep 1: Sales at Ford, Toyota and Honda are up from a year ago, while GM, Chrysler post gains from July. Will sales remain strong now that Cash for Clunkers is history? More
Aug 31: To help ailing auto dealers, the Small Business Administration launched new loan offerings -- but so far, few banks are playing along. More
Aug 26: The metal, tires, and even the oil filters from the cars scrapped in the Cash for Clunkers program will be recycled into everything from handbags and high-rises. More
Aug 26: Cash for Clunkers comes in just under budget as consumers swap trucks for more efficient cars. More
Aug 24: Despite the popularity of Cash for Clunkers and $3 billion in government funds, the nation's highways will still be full of gas guzzlers. More
Aug 24: Dealers race to file final paperwork for Cash for Clunkers deals as $3 billion program winds down Monday. More
Aug 21: Some dealers will stop Cash for Clunkers deals early, but others prepare to rake in all the deals they can. More
Aug 20: With money running out, $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program will end on Monday. The tally so far: 457,000 cars and $1.9 billion in rebates. More
Aug 20: Dealers are pulling out of the program due to worries about repayments and limited availability of fuel efficient cars. But customers are losing interest as well. More
Aug 18: Increased demand for fuel efficient cars is leading General Motors to reinstate workers and increase shifts and overtime in order to build 60,000 additional cars. More
Aug 17: Cash for Clunkers buyers are still showing strong preference for smaller cars, as program tops 350,000 sales. More
Aug 14: It'll take higher gas prices, or a big subsidy from GM, for the new plug-in Volt to be cheaper to drive than the Toyota. But that doesn't mean it won't find buyers. More
Aug 11: The new GM portal on eBay could be a hit with Web-savvy car shoppers, although it's not a complete escape from going to a showroom. More
Aug 10: The automaker and the online auction house announce a trial program to give customers the option to haggle with dealers over the Internet. More
Aug 6: The boost to auto sales caused by the government trade-in program should lead to increased production from Detroit. That could have a big ripple effect. More
Aug 6: Food has long been an issue in this city without a major supermarket. Now demand for assistance is rising, affecting a whole new set of people. More
Aug 4: With losses mounting and competition from slimmed down U.S. car makers about to get tougher, some fear Toyota's days as a growth company could be over. More
Aug 4: It may be a boon for automakers now, but borrowing all that money could hit the economy in the long run. More
Aug 3: Ford ended 19 straight months of sales declines with a 2% increase in July. Other automakers also got a much-needed boost from government trade-in program. More
Jul 30: Shortly after launching, the $1 billion Cash for Clunkers program may be almost spent out. Administration weighs next step. More
Jul 23: The only U.S. automaker to stay out of bankruptcy reported a net profit thanks to debt reduction and a smaller operating loss and sales decline than expected. More
Jul 22: National retailers are steering clear of Detroit, leaving independent grocers to serve the city's hard-hit residents. More
Jul 16: Chrysler Group and GM cut dealerships as part of their bankruptcies, but dealers are urging lawmakers to force the two automakers to take them back. More
Jul 14: Rick Wagoner, who was forced out of top job in March, agrees to an $12 million cut in payments he was due over the next five years. More
Jul 13: Obama administration's point man on bailouts and bankruptcies is returning to private sector, but not his former firm. More
Jul 10: The battered automaker is in much better shape than when it filed for bankruptcy 6 weeks ago. But it could quickly be tripped up by the challenges ahead. More
Jul 10: Despite reports, GM is not changing the color of its logo to green and will keep the General Motors name as it exits bankruptcy. More
Jul 10: Automaker closes deal with government. CEO Henderson: 'We'll work hard to repay the trust, and the money, that so many have invested in GM.' More
Jul 9: Nation's No. 1 automaker could be out of bankruptcy court soon. Announcement of 'new GM' expected Friday morning. More
Jul 7: The battered automaker is in much better shape than when it filed for bankruptcy barely a month ago. But it could quickly be tripped up by the challenges ahead. More
Jul 6: The automaker moved from court filing to court approval of its plans in barely a month. But many steps lay ahead for GM to survive. More
Jul 6: Plan for nation's No. 1 automaker to emerge from protection seen as 'only available means' to continue business. More
Jul 6: Plan for nation's No. 1 automaker to emerge from protection seen by as 'only available means' to continue businees. More
Going solo in the Motor City
"That's what I need, help to start. I need someone to take me like a little baby and teach me." -JoAnne Wright
For the Reids, the city of Detroit remains a good place to raise a family, despite being one of the cities hardest hit by the recession.
