A secret marriage in Detroit and a secretive engagement party in Lansing start this week’s show, before ML and Marc fight with the Irish over their controversial decision to take their football and stay home.
STRAIGHT DOPE: What turned out to be the worst-kept secret in Detroit was confirmed Sunday, when the Detroit Free Press reported that Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield got married to Rickey Jackson Jr., a relative unknown in Detroit political circles who was virtually invisible during the campaign. A month earlier, a Lansing lobbyist hosted an engagement party for two state lawmakers who have demonstrated a penchant for taking free things from paid influencers.
Before we dive into those curious tales, an update on the Killer Cares event that dominated last week’s show: Thanks to everyone who came out or donated, the fundraiser raked in $176,000. ML tells Marc that he, once again, won more silent auction items than he intended. Marc asks for an inventory.
Starting with the most recent nuptials news, ML tells Marc how the Free Press covered the blessed event in Detroit. See how the reporting evolved by clicking these links.
Giving credit where it’s due, Deadline Detroit was the first to break the news. Read their coverage here.
Marc asks why Sheffield wanted to keep her wedding a secret. ML offers some theories.
The man who might have some answers – the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, the mayor-elect’s father – is planning to come on the show next week.
Marc has only one beef with the Free Press coverage of Sheffield’s wedding – and it’s all about the punctuation in a headline. Seriously! Listen and learn.
Marc feels the media didn’t scrutinize Sheffield during the mayoral race. ML recounts some of the Free Press’ watchdog reporting – on several of the candidates.
Love is in the air, and not just in Detroit! Republican state representatives Pauline Wendzel and Greg VanWoerkom celebrated their engagement with a party in Lansing hosted by a powerful lobbyist. Craig Mauger of the Detroit News broke the story. Read his report here.
ML and his Eye On Michigan student reporting team exposed Wendzel last year as one of the Top 25 Takers – the state officials who took more free meals and trips from lobbyists than any other over the past two dozen years. After updating his reporting, ML found that her fiancé likes freebies, too! Read all about it here.
Marc wonders whether the lobbyist who threw the party might have any clients who could use a couple friends in the Legislature. ML offers some insights.
Keeping with the wedding theme, later in the show Marc inquires about ML’s wedding, which was both more simple and more complicated than you might expect.
Looking for a great gift for a friend, relative or even someone you don’t particularly like? A Free Press subscription is a bargain! Hit this link to get a deal.
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GEEK OF THE WEEK: Notre Dame is so mad it didn’t get a spot in the college football playoffs, it decided not to go to ANY bowl games. So the only title they’ll win this season is the one bestowed upon them by the Soul of Detroit!
ROOM 7609: For reasons that should be obvious by now, ML books Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark into the New Wave suite to perform “Secret.” Please send us your suggestion for a song — along with a great story — to mlsoulofdetroit@gmail.com
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