Category Archives: Me & Matty

Matty to the hoosegow

Posted on January 12, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell As I write this, a billionaire is eating a baloney sandwich, courtesy of the Wayne County Jail. And I have a new hero. I’m not sure about the baloney sandwich, but I saw Matty Moroun disappear through … Continue reading →

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Will Matty show?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Wanta put on a play —  cheap? You can blow a lot of money in theater. But there’s a stage for hire at 2 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Real cheap. For $150 — a hundred fifty smackers! … Continue reading →

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A bridge too far — my shopping mall

Posted on January 11, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Doggonit! There goes my plan for a shopping mall on Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge. The Michigan Court of Appeals put my hopes on the skids with its ruling January 10, 2012, that billionaire Manuel “Matty” Moroun must show … Continue reading →

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Lowell’s Ponte Vecchio

Posted on January 5, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell The bridge that spans the Flat River at Lowell is easily more than a century old. It’s a model and a cautionary tale for me in my quest to turn my recently-acquired property — the Ambassador Bridge … Continue reading →

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He can’t lose!

Posted on January 4, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Gotta hand it to Matty — he’s one sharp cookie. The genius of the Ambassador Bridge — oops! — Sorry, I forgot — Matty doesn’t really own the bridge. Well, anyway, it looks like he’s concocted a … Continue reading →

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My plan for the bridge

Posted on January 4, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell At last, Matty Moroun admits he doesn’t own the Ambassador Bridge. Some legal-minded people no doubt will claim that Matty is posing, that the holding company that supposedly owns the bridge is really a puppet controlled by … Continue reading →

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Will the real Matty please stand up?

Posted on January 3, 2012 by hro50ta1

By Matty Moroun JOTR Guest Columnist Finally, I get a chance to air my views in an independent forum untouched by greed or special interest. In other words, untouched by me! Ha-ha! Just kidding. As you can see, I don’t … Continue reading →

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Hope for Delray

Posted on December 15, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Four years ago, I retired from my job as a reporter with the Detroit Free Press. One of the last stories I wrote for the Free Press was about a seemingly hopeless community in Southwest Detroit known … Continue reading →

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Just build it!

Posted on November 21, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell Well, now it must be official: The Detroit Free Press reports that Gov. Rick Snyder is mulling whether to build a new bridge between the U.S. and Canada without the Legislature’s approval. Isn’t bypassing the Legislature just … Continue reading →

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Bridge ‘logic’

Posted on November 19, 2011 by hro50ta1

By Joel Thurtell The Occupy Wall Street people got the boot. After a scant few weeks taking over a privately-run public park, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said enough was enough. Out you go. Can’t steal a public park. Ditto … Continue reading →

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