Yes, for the third time in a month, we’ve had water coming into our basement.
That severe thunderstorm and downpour in Monroe this afternoon triggered the problem.
We know what the cause is now - water is puddling in the side yard between our home and a neighbor’s home. Then the water goes down into our basement […]

The following is a letter to the editor from a mom in Erie, Mich., printed on page 4A of today’s print and e-editions of The Monroe Evening News. It refers to an Associated Press story called “Last minute options” printed on 9B of July 3 print and e-editions of The MEN. Click here for an […]

There was a basement flood at my home this afternoon. My husband and I caught it just in time, before we had property and appliance damage.
The setup: Power went out at 1:45 a.m. today because of a thunderstorm.
I’m working / on call this weekend. My husband has the weekend off and expected to run errands […]

I rarely swear. And I’m not going to on the blog. Those are nonsense characters I typed in my headline. Use your imagination as to what word you would replace those characters with.
Power went out again last night at our home and other neighborhoods in the Monroe area. (You can find DTE’s outage map in […]

Two press packets crossed my desk this week that, according to local custom and usual procedures in The Monroe Evening News, should have included recent photos of the honorees, but did not.
We also have had a parade of local political candidates coming to the newsroom this week to drop off their candidate announcements. Some of […]

Detroit News has this report today: Patience runs out for 45k without power.
A snippet:
DTE Energy spokespeople said the utility has all of their linemen — 650 — on the job and another 300 from other utilities.
They are hoping to get everyone reconnected over the weekend. In Wayne, 1,900 were without power; in Oakland, it was […]

Here’s what the Detroit News is reporting on the power outages: Power may not be restored until this weekend for some.
A snippet:
The utility expects 90 percent of the 130,000 customers without service as of 11 a.m. today to see their power come back on line Thursday night.
“There will still be some folks out Friday and […]

Sometimes, I think even the so-called experts just don’t get it.
They’re so used to assisting, analyzing or working with families who have been “down and out” for so long that they don’t understand the new species of needy families that is evolving: middle class families who are suddenly on tight budgets.
Example: I work as a […]

Don’t you just want to scream at the TV news anchors sometimes?
There’s been a lot of media attention during the past couple of days about rising gas prices. Many of them, including the national news program I’m watching this morning, have been referring to “$4 a gallon in some places.”
Well that comment is a quick […]

Hmm. There is another twist on the paper check-direct deposit problem:
Split direct deposit checks - where the original tax refund money went into more than one account - will put you on the paper check list.
I finally got through on the phone to an IRS customer service agent this afternoon and got the answer as […]