The outcome of November's election could tell us whether unions -- in decline for nearly three decades -- will revive or continue to lose members and influence.

Among the millions of American workers who deserve recognition this Labor Day, one group stands out for its unwavering commitment to our national security -- the 1.3 million members of our National Guard and Reserve service.

When did so many Americans decide that national holidays were optional? Why don't we cling to it, stretch it out, make it last as long as possible by determinedly doing nothing or next to it? Can't we decide that "productivity" is a dirty word for one day?

Most people worry about what they will forget when they get older. I worry about what I'll remember.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s attorneys offer a plea deal to the Wayne County Prosecutor to settle Kilpatrick’s criminal case without a trial.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and running mate Joe Biden will be in Detroit's Hart Plaza on Monday.

All roses, no thorns. National champions? Hail, yes. "We had to fight to the last second," said an exhausted Brian Griese, who was selected the game's most outstanding player after his three touchdown passes led Michigan's 21-16 victory over Washington State, a victory that leaves the Wolverines 12-0 for the season, and should earn them the national championship after the Orange Bowl tonight. "I never could have dreamed of an ending like this."

The Macomb County medical examiner said a 42-year-old woman found dead last month in her blood-splattered Macomb County condo with no signs of injury to her body died after drinking too much water.

Barack Obama has an important choice to make as he decides what to say Monday at a Labor Day rally in Detroit.

On Saturday, the Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit celebrates its 30th anniversary, and its founder has carefully planned her transition from the school's everyday operations to coincide with this milestone.

Rich Rodriguez's spread offense is supposed to score all sorts of points, and after one game of the Rich Rod Regime, I must ask: for which team?

Brian Hoyer knew he was bad Saturday, costing the Spartans with poor decisions and equally poor execution in the first half when Michigan State's offense should have produced three touchdowns but instead got nothing.

The Lions certainly have a chance at the playoffs. It's the NFL -- a league so deliberately legislated toward parity that it's inconceivable a team could go eight straight years without even making the playoffs, let alone contending for the playoffs approaching the regular season's final two weeks.

These are the best and worst of times in southeast Michigan. Whether one is savoring the last days of summer or girding for winter, it seems imprudent to commit oneself wholeheartedly to either optimism or pessimism.

Much to the shock of many economists and to the chagrin of politicians, the credit crunch hung around so long that it turned a year old this summer. What's worse, Michigan and the rest of the country will deal with the credit crunch wreckage throughout this year and well into 2009, said Mark Zandi, chief economist and cofounder of Moody's Economy.com.

To celebrate its centennial, General Motors created a list of the top 10 production cars in its history. It was an honorable, well-intentioned endeavor, and the list made me want to tear my hair out.

Yes, I think the Lions have a chance at the playoffs. But it's not a good chance. They have moved up in the world from hopeless to hopeful.

This week's photo of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama introducing Sen. Joe Biden as his vice presidential choice drew about 225 responses. Nearly half the entries focused on Obama giving Biden directions to the White House. Our favorites follow.

If you can get anyone in Detroit city government to talk honestly about the state of affairs these days, a frightening phrase creeps quickly into the conversation: operational disaster.

If you can get anyone in Detroit city government to talk honestly about the state of affairs these days, a frightening phrase creeps quickly into the conversation: operational disaster.

Even before the fall presidential campaigns get rolling, there's an opportunity to bring meaningful change to the process both parties use for choosing nominees, and to end the circumstances that inspired Michigan's bold primary protest last winter.

"These are the times that try men's souls." And women, too, in Michigan. And let's not forget the children -- one in five in this state now live in poverty, according to a pretty discouraging report last week in a Census Bureau report that also conferred on Detroit the title of America's poorest big city.

"These are the times that try men's souls." And women, too, in Michigan. And let's not forget the children -- one in five in this state now live in poverty, according to a pretty discouraging report last week in a Census Bureau report that also conferred on Detroit the title of America's poorest big city.

If John McCain really believes that experience is so critical to the success of a president, why did he choose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice president?

It wasn't the music banging in my ears. Loud and obnoxious, yes, but ... It wasn't the cigarette smoke blowing in my face. Carcinogenic and unsolicited, yes, but ...