Sarah Hulett
Sarah Hulett became Michigan Radio's assistant news director in August 2011. For five years she was the station's Detroit reporter, and contributed to several reporting projects that won state and national awards.
Sarah considers Detroit to be a perfect laboratory for great radio stories, because of its energy, its struggles, and its unique place in America's industrial and cultural landscape.
Before coming to Michigan Radio, Sarah spent five years as state Capitol correspondent for Michigan Public Radio. She's a graduate of Michigan State University.
Contact Sarah Hulett at sarah@michiganradio.org.
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It became the largest city in U.S. history to file for bankruptcy. Its former mayor was sentenced to 28 years in prison. And a TV personality compared it to Chernobyl. But a new year is on the horizon, and for some parts of Detroit, things are looking up. Really. -
Despite the bankruptcy, parts of downtown Detroit are going gangbusters, and that's in large part because of one guy. Online mortgage mogul Dan Gilbert has bought up 40 buildings and counting. He's filling those buildings — some of which used to be vacant — with new businesses. But some residents are wary of his expanding reach in the city.
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When Detroit filed for bankruptcy protection last month, the people in Windsor, which is located directly across the Detroit River, took note. And while Detroit's economic troubles are far deeper than Windsor's, the two cities' economic fortunes are linked. -
Less than four weeks after Detroit filed for the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy in history, city residents went to the polls Tuesday to narrow down the field of 16 mayoral contenders for the November election. There are also more than 50 hopefuls seeking nine city council seats.
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In the absence of effective government and services, some Detroit neighborhoods are banding together to provide for themselves.
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A federal bankruptcy court will be the scene for some colossal decisions about the future of Detroit, which filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection last week. One of the issues is whether retirees will see their benefits cut.
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In Detroit, many business owners hope that filing for bankruptcy will help the city start fresh and ultimately become a thriving urban center mirroring other cities that recovered from near financial ruin. -
The state of Michigan is taking over its largest city's finances. Washington, D.C., attorney Kevyn Orr's job is to reverse a death spiral in Detroit, brought on by an eroding tax base, and years of unwise financial decisions — like promising generous retiree benefits with money that wasn't there, and a pension financing deal that backfired in a big way. Now, massive debt service that threatens the city's ability to provide even a modicum of services.
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Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Friday that the state would be taking over Detroit's finances. But the intervention might not be enough to pull the city out of a $14 billion hole. It would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country, if it happens. -
In Detroit, the predominantly black city and predominantly white suburbs have feuded for decades over finances and control of assets. A recent suburban vote to help a city institution offers hope for better cooperation. But old tensions are still roiling over a proposal to put a beloved city park under state oversight.
