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11 May 2009 08:25

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Sports, U.S.: Detroit’s mayor a former Piston: Dave Bing to be sworn in

  • The NBA legend is the city’s third mayor in eight months. Bing, pretty much the Pistons’ biggest star before the Chuck Daly era, will be sworn in today after winning a special runoff election over incumbent Ken Cockrel Jr. Both men were vying to finish out the waning months of the second term of Kwame Kilpatrick, who was brought down in a very public scandal. Bing hopes to run for a full term next year. source

07 May 2009 09:53

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U.S.: Jackson, Miss. mayor Frank Melton dies in dramatic fashion

  • Background: Melton moved to the city in the early 1980s to run a local TV station, where he became known for his fiery op-ed pieces. in 2005, he was elected mayor. source
  • Conflict: His odd way of running the city led to charges that he and a bodyguard attempted to attack a duplex he considered a crack house with sledgehammers. source
  • Crisis: The charges, which were about to be retried in federal court, took a toll on his political career, and he ended up losing a heated primary for re-election. source
  • Resolution: Melton, in ill health for years, went to the hospital just after the primary results were announced and then died. He leaves behind a killer biopic. source

21 Apr 2009 23:12

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Tech, U.S.: Gavin Newsom is assisting in Twitter jumping the shark even more

  • It’s official – running for Gov of CA. Wanted you to be the first to know. Need your help.
  • San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom • Who announced his candidacy for California governor today. It’s not nearly as lame as John McCain talking to George Stephanopoulos in a Tweeterview, but it’s still a crass political move at this point in the game. • source

12 Feb 2009 10:36

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Offbeat, U.S.: Las Vegas mayor: Obama owes us an apology

  • That’s outrageous… He owes us a retraction. What’s a better place, as I say, than for them to come here? And to change their mind and to go someplace else and to cancel and at the suggestion of the president of the United States — that’s outrageous.
  • Oscar Goodman • Democratic mayor of Las Vegas, on a recent comment by Barack Obama regarding banks using bailout money to take corporate trips to the city • source