Back from #NICAR26 feeling energized! Thanks to @ire.org for having the @evictionlab.bsky.social back. And big shoutout to @outliermedia.org’s @amondry.bsky.social for sharing his experience in Detroit. Want the slides or tipsheet? Reply below, and I’ll send them.

What do a property speculator, scrapyard operator and former owner of the Packard Plant have in common? They all have tax debt going back years on multiple Detroit properties that should have put them in foreclosure. But it didn't, and the county isn't saying why. outliermedia.org/detroit-wayn...

Reporters Koby Levin (@kobylevin.bsky.social) and Briana Rice (@brianarice.bsky.social) discussed our reporting series, Beyond Repair, documenting Detroit's home repair crisis on @wxyzdetroit.bsky.social today! Check it out 💛 🤍: www.youtube.com/watch?v=27cw...

Then, check out the series 😉: outliermedia.org/beyond-repair/

Too real. theonion.com/i-am-the-god...

“We want to believe that this can be solved in a year or two,” said Heather Zygmontowicz, the city’s senior housing advisor. “But the fact of the matter is that this is a crisis that was created over decades.” outliermedia.org/home-repair-...

There are no city-run home repair programs accepting applications. But thousands of Detroiters can't afford essential home repairs. The problem is so widespread that the total cost across the city likely exceeds $1 billion. Where will the money come from? The latest from @amondry.bsky.social:

Are you coming to the #NICAR26 conference? Join @amondry.bsky.social and me for a conversation about how to report on housing and homelessness challenges! More info here: schedules.ire.org/nicar-2026/#... @ire.org

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison suspended two officers for coordinating with Border Patrol in violation of department policy. He said he “intends to terminate them." Our public records request showed two more instances of officers calling immigration agents, with @kobylevin.bsky.social:

Just now discovering that the entire Curbed archive when it was at Vox is now gone, only now available via the wayback machine. What a shame. www.archpaper.com/2026/02/curb...

This fact-check by @kobylevin.bsky.social in the intro of Outlier's morning newsletter of treasurer Eric Sabree is 🔥. outliermedia.org/newsletter/f...

The Detroit Housing Commission is selling its 197 single-family homes and giving residents priority to buy them, with philanthropic funds to support the first 10 home purchases. But it’s unlikely every tenant who wants to buy their home will qualify, even with assistance. From @amondry.bsky.social:

DHC is offering tenants a unique opportunity: Become an owner of one of the 195 homes in its portfolio. It's also offering current residents grants for at least 20% of the purchase price. It's a once-in-a-lifetime deal for many tenants — if they can qualify. outliermedia.org/detroit-hous...

Perry Columbus, an Iraq War veteran, thought he’d won an important victory in his dispute with the Detroit Land Bank Authority last year. It was instead only a reprieve. “This situation has been as stressful as when I was in Iraq,” Columbus said. outliermedia.org/detroit-land...

All Perry Columbus has sought since coming home from the Iraq War is peace. He hasn’t quite gotten it yet. The Detroit Land Bank is headed back to court trying to reclaim his home — one he’s spent more than $30,000 fixing up. The latest from @amondry.bsky.social:

BREAKING: Detroit has asked the judge in its lawsuit against RealT to appoint a receiver to manage its large portfolio. The request could be decided on as soon as this Friday. If approved, the receiver could undertake repairs and demolitions at RealT’s expense. 👀 @amondry.bsky.social's latest:

BREAKING: Detroit has asked a judge to appoint a receiver to oversee RealT's large and troubled portfolio -- a potentially major development in the nuisance abatement lawsuit against the crypto landlord. outliermedia.org/realt-detroi...

“Each individual apartment building is historically, architecturally significant in its own way… But the district as a whole also benefits from the density and the continuity of the neighborhood.”  outliermedia.org/palmer-park-... By @outliermedia.org’s @amondry.bsky.social

Arizona-based Urban Communities began buying multifamily buildings in the neighborhood near Detroit’s northern border in 2020. Today, all 21 of the buildings are either in receivership, foreclosed or highly distressed. Many are in dire physical condition.

IMO, Palmer Park could be one of the best and trendiest neighborhoods in the ENTIRE Midwest if redeveloped properly. The city needs to do everything possible to promote the proper development of the district. There's nothing else like it in Metro Detroit. Detroit needs density. PALMER PARK HAS IT!!!

Starting in 2020, an Arizona-based company bought 21 Palmer Park apartment buildings. Today, they're all foreclosed, highly distressed and unable to sell at rock-bottom prices. Huge blow to the historic neighborhood. outliermedia.org/palmer-park-...

Hundreds of Detroiters are waiting to get money Wayne County owed them after foreclosing on their homes. But the treasurer's office is dragging its feet and seemingly making it as difficult as possible. outliermedia.org/sheila-gibso...

Detroit is now using AI "voice agents" (aka bots) to answer calls sent to district managers. And they apparently also have "emotional intelligence." outliermedia.org/detroit-ai-c...

Detroit needs more housing to keep up with the number of people moving here. City leaders think zoning changes could help. Some residents and community groups say the proposals raise red flags. Here’s what’s in the proposed changes. outliermedia.org/detroit-zoni...

Curious about all the zoning changes being proposed in Detroit? So are lots of residents, community groups and even city councilmembers! Here's our explainer of what's in all the proposals: outliermedia.org/detroit-zoni...

Excuse me what? michiganadvance.com/2025/12/15/d...

Michigan officials insist 2019 auto no-fault law lowered car insurance rates. It didn’t. "When you have to make adjustments based on assumptions to prove your points, you might not have a good point." outliermedia.org/no-fault-mic...

I love this at the bottom of @kobylevin.bsky.social story. Such a great bit of transparency to help develop trust in the reporter's work.

The presentation, project boards & livestream from MDOT's I-375 November community meeting are now online. Rendering shows the boulevard replacing the freeway with the I-75 interchange remaining as is for now. 375detroit.org/november-202...

Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪

This is a big deal. Practically every developer in Detroit has told me it's essentially impossible to make a project pencil out without subsidies. www.freep.com/story/news/p...

This line about reductions in Detroit's water affordability plan really hit home: “My health insurance premiums are doubling, and all the copays are quadrupling, and nothing goes down.” outliermedia.org/dwsd-lifelin...

“I’ve served my county honorably,” says veteran Joseph Adams Jr. But the apartment he was placed in by a program designed for housing veterans isn’t suitable for his needs. He’s spent nearly a year bathing from a bucket. What’s worse, his support is ending, and he may be on the street again soon.

The Detroit Land Bank is entering a make-or-break moment, with questions swirling about its future swirl. It also just published a five-year strategic plan that doubles as a pitch for its continued existence. Will the plan be enough to save it? outliermedia.org/detroit-land...

Despite the Air Force vet’s service, housing support officials say they’ve done all they can do to help Joseph Adams Jr., who was placed in an apartment that didn't meet his needs as a disabled person. And now he might even lose that. outliermedia.org/miside-veter...

SNAP funding is on pause. That means thousands of Detroit families who rely on the food assistance program will face a challenging November. Do you need food resources? Here’s how Detroiters are showing up for each other:

This community nonprofit has staked everything on stalling a $180M redevelopment of the Villages at Parkside. outliermedia.org/friends-of-p...

For nearly 35 years, Friends of Parkside has provided services to Villages at Parkside residents, like a free food pantry and a weekly bingo night.  But a conflict with the Detroit Housing Commission over a major redevelopment of the complex could spell doom. The latest from @amondry.bsky.social :

I really want someone to put together a map of Detroit's Art Deco apartment buildings. There's gotta be a couple dozen of these beauties across town.

Several big takeaways from a recent hearing in the city's lawsuit against RealT: - Tenants risk eviction if they don't get on escrow accounts soon - RealT has a $2M unpaid water bill - The parties reached a settlement over a previously unreported lawsuit outliermedia.org/realt-tenant...

What you see when you go to HUD's website.

First the county took people's homes. Now it declines to provide them the most basic assistance to receive a tiny portion of the equity they're entitled to. outliermedia.org/wayne-county...

"There have been just 1,100 housing units built this year, according to a city database — far short of the 2,700 units needed to keep up with population growth, according to a City Planning Commission report. Just 44 of the units built this year were unsubsidized. In 2024, that number was 598."

I spoke to a bunch of developers for this story and they all told me the same thing: The Detroit rental market is in trouble. We've already seen a bunch of bank foreclosures in the last year, and they say we're likely to see a lot more. outliermedia.org/detroit-rent...

A truck route ordinance in Detroit has stalled for years. Meanwhile, 18-wheelers rumble past parks and schools. outliermedia.org/truck-traffi...

Eventually you have to accept that no matter how many different notebooks you buy, they won’t make you a better writer. For that, you need to spend a lot of money on the right pen.

Earlier this year, crypto real estate company RealT got more than $100,000 in digital tokens for a home on Detroit’s eastside. Now, somebody else is selling it. It’s one of five cases where properties RealT “sold” to investors were subsequently listed on the traditional real estate market.

Latest article on RealT dropped this morning. The company pitches investors on real estate ownership on chain. But other companies are currently marketing these properties and mortgages encumber some of the worst buildings in its portfolio. outliermedia.org/realt-detroi...

The judge in the city's case against RealT has issued a preliminary injunction extending the previous order for another 60 days, saying the company still cannot evict tenants or collect rent. The next hearing is currently scheduled for October.

I spent many months reporting on the numerous issues at the Detroit Housing Commission in 2023-2024. When Arthur Jemison took over as director, the agency was in crisis. But in less than a year, the DHC has already made notable progress. outliermedia.org/detroit-hous...