Dave Bondy
Politics • Culture • News
News they don't want you to see
Thursday April 18, 2024
April 18, 2024
post photo preview

Support independent journalism for just $5 a month and access exclusive content. Your subscription helps keep these vital stories available to all. Cancel anytime. Thank you to our current subscribers for your ongoing support! Join us in bringing light to untold stories.

 

 

 


 
 

LANSING, Mich - School funding is complicated, and people can believe a lot of things that have been addressed and changed decades ago. The idea that the state underfunds poor urban districts is often taken as self-evident even when the evidence says otherwise.

Schools in Michigan received an average of $14,475 per student in funding from federal, state and local governments in the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest data available. All large urban districts received more per student than the statewide average.

Benton Harbor Area Schools received $31,155 per student. Click here for the story.

Flint Community Schools took in $29,640 per student.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District landed $28,919 per student.

 

DEWITT, Mich - Parents of Schavey Road Elementary students in Dewitt last week received correspondence from school officials that their children would receive gender sensitivity instruction.

A letter attributed to Liz Crouch, principal, Schavey Road Elementary, and Shanna Spickard, superintendent, DeWitt Public Schools, appeared on Schavey Road Elementary letterhead that misspells the small town’s name as “Dewitt.”

The letter states: “We would like to inform you of a lesson that will be taught in your child’s classroom. The lesson goals are to help students share and explore pronouns through discussion and literature to embrace differences and promote acceptance.” Click here to read more

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - The new head of National Public Radio Katherine Maher says the "the number one challenge" in her fight against disinformation is "the First Amendment in the United States," which makes it "a little bit tricky" to censor "bad information" and "the influence peddlers" who spread it. Click here to watch the video of her craziness.

 

HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Wednesday requiring that schools teach the accurate history of communism in classrooms.

The legislation requires “age and developmentally appropriate” instruction on the history of communism, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.

The curriculum requirements include:

  • Teaching the history of communism in the United States

  • The atrocities committed in foreign countries under communism

  • comparative discussion of extreme political ideologies

  • The increasing threat of communism in the United States

  • The economic, industrial, and political events that have preceded and anticipated communist revolutions

  • The communist policies and practices of Cuba and Latin America

The bill, HB 1349, was brought forth by Reps. Robert Charles Brannan, R-Lake

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF - A man posing as a priest and wanted by authorities across the country on accusations of robbing churches has been arrested in California, officials said.

Malin Rostas, 45, of New York, was arrested by deputies April 10 shortly after attempting to burglarize a Moreno Valley church, according to an April 11 news release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said the black sedan Rostas was driving matched the description of a vehicle associated with several reported burglaries.

Rostas was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Centr on an outstanding felony warrant in Pennsylvania, the sheriff’s office said.

He is accused of stealing $15,500 in cash from a home in Adams County in May 2022, WGAL reported.

Rostas’ ruse involved him posing as a Catholic priest named “Father Martin” in order to gain access to offices and rectories from which he would steal money or valuables, according to the Diocese of Sacramento. Click here to read more.

 

 

 

community logo
Join the Dave Bondy Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
0
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Articles
September 16, 2026
Gas prices are climbing fast in Michigan, with some stations reaching nearly $5 a gallon. Here’s what’s driving the increase and what could happen next. Michigan GasPrices Economy

Gas prices are climbing fast in Michigan, with some stations reaching nearly $5 a gallon. Here’s what’s driving the increase and what could happen next.

#Michigan #GasPrices #Economy

00:01:17
September 12, 2026
Michigan schools have lost more than 100,000 students in just nine years, but somehow, they’ve added more than 35,000 full-time employees.

Michigan schools have lost more than 100,000 students in just nine years, but somehow, they’ve added more than 35,000 full-time employees.

00:01:21
September 09, 2026
E-bike crashes involving kids are getting attention in Michigan — and now a state lawmaker wants tougher rules. Would new age restrictions go too far? Michigan EBikes news

E-bike crashes involving kids are getting attention in Michigan — and now a state lawmaker wants tougher rules. Would new age restrictions go too far? #Michigan #EBikes #news

00:01:04
October 15, 2026
I may have to end my independent journalism

If I don't have more paid subscribers I may have to end my independent journalism. Support my work here--- https://davebondy.locals.com/support

September 28, 2026
Libertarian party disavows candidate for Governor Anthony Hudson
September 24, 2026
No show tonight.

I’m with my daughter at a school event which is way Morse important.

October 22, 2026
post photo preview
Who Is Lady Budgetdown? The Mystery Account Raising Eyebrows and Uncovering School Finances
The anonymous figure behind a growing school transparency website says the project is run by one person, has faced threats of legal action and is expanding its reach across Michigan.

MICHIGAN — Who is Lady Budgetdown?

It’s a question that has circulated among Michigan educators, school administrators, taxpayers and social media users as a mysterious online watchdog continues digging into school district finances, superintendent salaries, bond proposals and public spending.

Now, the person behind the increasingly visible project is revealing new details about its origins, operations and future — while refusing to disclose their identity.

In an exclusive written interview, Lady Budgetdown confirmed the operation is run by a single individual, not a larger organization or political group.

 

“It started with just me, and it currently is only me,” Lady Budgetdown said.

The anonymous researcher said the project receives technical assistance with website development but independently oversees the research, reviews public records, creates content and determines what information gets published.

Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
Read full Article
October 22, 2026
News they don't want you to see
Thursday October 22, 2026

Help me grow this newsletter. Invite a friend.

 

 

 
 

Michigan school funding tops inflation since before the pandemic

Funding for public schools in Michigan has grown faster than inflation since before the pandemic.

Yet some school teachers, like Amanda Walker of Bay City Schools, have said that schools are being defunded. Walker is vice president of her district’s chapter of the Michigan Education Association.

“I do think there’s been a concerted effort to dismantle public education by defunding, by diverting funds to private schools, by tearing down teachers and accusing them of all sorts of nonsense. People see it, and they feel it, and they don’t like it,” Walker told an MEA news publication recently.

It can feel that way at school districts such as Bay City, where the student count dropped 16% between 2018-19 and 2025-26, according to MiSchoolData.org. Fewer students means less in per-pupil funding. Click here to read more.


 

Data centers become midterm minefield as candidates scramble to answer voter backlash

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his support for building new data centers across the country, but candidates in both parties are trying to show voters they are listening to growing concerns about the technology. With the midterms two weeks away, the issue could help decide who voters ultimately choose.

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting. Click here to read more.

Stay in contact with family with push to talk nationwide waterproof walkie talkies. Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

 

Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.pnghttps://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)","title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false,"align":null,"offset":false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)" title="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 1456w" sizes="100vw">
 

Cops Release Woman Who Plowed Through Soccer Field: No Charges, No Explanation

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting.

In Hermantown, Minnesota, a rural community of about 10,000 people in the northeastern part of the state, the city council moved closer to approving a new Google data center. Some residents said officials haven’t pushed hard enough. Click here to read more.

 

Consumers Energy’s rate hike request comes days after $139M increase approved

Consumers Energy is looking for a rate hike on natural gas prices less than a week after the public service commission approved a $139 million increase.

The utility provider filed its notice of intent with regulators on Monday, which is required before it can submit its rate request.

The previous rate hike came out to about a 4.3% bump in monthly payments for natural gas.

Big picture view:

Consumers Energy has not said how much more it is asking for it its latest failing, but did say the new rate would last 12 months, ending Oct. 31, 2028.

Utility companies cannot set rates themselves. Instead, they submit a request to increase rates for either natural gas or electricity with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

After making the request, both parties and any other stakeholders weigh in on the case.

The Michigan Attorney General frequently intervenes in these cases. Click here to read more.

 

Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.

The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.

During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.”

Trump said journalists could participate in the program. Click here to read more.

Read full Article
October 20, 2026
post photo preview
Michigan Audit Raises Questions About Medical Procedures Performed on Children in State Care
State auditors also identified problems with adoption approvals, oversight of children under state guardianship and security of confidential records.

LANSING, Mich. — Children under Michigan's guardianship underwent medical procedures without required consent or documentation, while thousands of others were not being consistently tracked by the state agency responsible for them, according to a new audit.

The Michigan Office of the Auditor General released a 40-page report Oct. 15 identifying significant deficiencies within the Michigan Children's Institute, which operates under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The institute serves as the legal guardian for children whose parental rights have been terminated.

Auditors concluded that the institute's selected guardianship activities were not sufficient, identifying problems with

Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals