2011 in Michigan


This article reviews the top news stories, sports stories, and cultural events occurring during the year 2011 in Michigan.

Top stories

The top news stories of 2011 in Michigan included:
  • Rick Snyder's first year as Governor, including debate over his proposed budget cuts and changes in tax law, repeal of Michigan's item pricing law, passage of a new law authorizing emergency financial managers for cities and school districts to cancel union contracts, and his proposal to build a new bridge over the Detroit River;
  • The July 7 Grand Rapids shootings in which 34-year-old Rodrick Shonte Dantzler killed seven people and wounded two others in a spree killing in two homes, and including a lengthy car chase, taking of hostages, and ending with Dantzler taking his own life;
  • Detroit's financial crisis, as the city approached insolvency and city and state leaders debated whether state intervention was needed;
  • A January 23 shootout at Detroit's Northwestern District police station in which a gunman entered the station and opened fire with a pistol-grip shotgun, shooting four officers after his house was raided earlier in the day based on allegations that he kidnapped a 13-year-old girl who he chained to a toilet in a basement and assaulted for nine days;
  • The UAW's negotiation of new four-year contracts with the Big Three auto makers, including substantial signing bonuses and profit-sharing for workers.
The top sports stories in Michigan during 2011 included:
Notable cultural developments in Michigan during 2011 included: Eminem's two-minute "Imported from Detroit" Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler and promoting Detroit; Michigan artists winning five Grammy Awards; the disbanding of The White Stripes; Alice Cooper's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; President Obama's White House tribute to Motown; and the death of the "Mother of Motown", Esther Gordy Edwards.
Notable Michigan-related deaths in 2011 included former First Lady Betty Ford; assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian; Meijer founder Fred Meijer; former Congressman Howard Wolpe; former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel; and athletes Jim Northrup, Bubba Smith, Jim Mandich, Robert Traylor, and Lynn Chandnois.

Office holders

State office holders

Mayors of major cities

Federal office holders

Sports

Baseball

American football

Basketball

Ice hockey

Other

Chronology of events

January

  • January 1 - Rick Snyder inaugurated as Governor of Michigan. His first 100 days included the repeal of Michigan's item pricing law and passage of a new law authorizing emergency financial managers for cities and school districts to cancel union contracts.
  • January 11 - Michigan hired Brady Hoke as its new head football coach.
  • January 14 - A Novi man, Mark Schons, killed his wife and two children and then himself.
  • January 17 - Peter Karmanos Jr. announced that he would step down as CEO of Compuware, the company he founded.
  • January 19 - Gov. Rick Snyder delivered his first State of the State address. He pushed for a second bridge over the Detrit River.
  • January 20 - Mary Barra named development chief at General Motors.
  • January 23 - A gunman entered at Detroit's Northwestern District police station and opened fire with a pistol-grip shotgun, shooting four officers. The gunman was hit by five shots and killed. The gunman's house had been raided earlier in the day after a 13-year-old girl said she had been kidnapped and assaulted. The girl had been chained to a toilet in a basement for nine days.
  • January 24 - Dearborn mosque bombing plot: A 63-year-old California man was arrested and charged with terrorism in the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America. He had powerful fireworks in his vehicle.
  • January 28 - Ford Motor Co. reported a $6.6 billion profit for FY 2010 and $5,000 bonus for workers.

February

March

  • March - Throughout the month, there was debate over Governor Snyder's proposed budget cuts and changes in tax laws.
  • March 3 - At a high school basketball game in Fennville, 16-year-old Wes Leonard scored the winning basket as time ran out to give the team its 20th consecutive win. During the post-game celebration, Leonard collapsed and died, his heart having stopped. He was found to have a rare heart disorder, and his death raise questions about screening for such conditions and the importance of proper medical equipment.
  • March 12 - Detoit schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb announced his Renaissance Plan 2012 to convert 41 poorly performing schools into charter school academies.
  • March 14 - Detroit native Alice Cooper was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was the 18th Detroit performer to be inducted, giving the city 10% of the entire hall of fame.
  • March 22 - Results of the 2010 Census showed that Detroit continued to shrink, losing 25% of its population in the decade, while Macomb County grew by 6.7%.

April

  • April - Continued debate over Governor Snyder's budget and his proposals to build a new bridge across the Detroit River and to cut the movie tax credit.
  • April 1 - Ford announced that its top two executives, CEO Alan Mulally and executive chairman William Clay Ford Jr. each received $26.5 million as a reward for the company's $6.6 billion 2010 profit.
  • April 1 - Dennis Rodman's jersey was retired in a ceremony at The Palace.
  • April 4 - Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians voted to return to work.
  • April 7 - Dan Gilbert's Quicken Loans bought the 14-story Chase Tower, the former NBD headquarters, in downtown Detroit. Gilbert renamed it The Qube and relocated 4,000 of the company's employees to the facility.

May

  • May 12 - Governor Snyder's sweeping changes to Michigan tax policy passed, including a $1.7-billion business tax cut and increases in taxes on individuals.
  • May 17 - Bob Seger, at age 66, played the first of four concerts at The Palace in Auburn Hills.
  • May 17 - Michigan State's Gene Washington and Michigan's Lloyd Carr were elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
  • May 24 - Chrysler repaid in full and ahead of schedule all the money it borrowed from the U.S. and Canadian governments.

June

July

August

September

  • September 5 - President Obama saluted the auto recovery and vowed to defend union rights in Detroit speech.
  • September 7 - Three former Detroit Red Wings players (Brad McCrimmon, Ruslan Salei and Stefan Liv died in a plane crash in Russia.
  • September 10 - Michigan defeated Notre Dame, 35–31, in the first night game at Michigan Stadium.
  • September 12 - Co-defendant Derrick Miller agreed to a plea deal requiring him to testify against former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in bribery prosecution.
  • September 17 - General Motors and UAW agree to four-year contract.

October

  • October 4 - Ford reached agreement with the UAW, including $6,000 signing bonuses for workers with over one year of seniority and accelerated profit-sharing of $3,752 based on profit in first half of 2011.
  • October 7 - Two films shot in Michigan opened in theaters.
  • October 12 - Underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab pleaded guilty to charges against him, including the attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and the attempted murder of the 289 people on Northwest Airlines Flight 253. At the hearing, he warned America to stop killing innocent Muslims.
  • October 13 - Police officer Trevor Slot was killed in a chase following a bank robbery at the ChoiceOne Bank in Ravenna. Slot was struck by the robbers' vehicle as he tried to lay down stop strips.
  • October 15 - The Detroit Tigers lost to the Texas Rangers in the fifth and final game of the 2011 American League Championship Series.
  • October 20 - Gov. Snyder's proposal to build a second bridge over the Detroit River failed to gain approval in Michigan Senate.

November

  • November 1 - U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen issued a 102-page decision dismissing the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Tamara Greene. After six years of contentious litigation, Rosen found no evidence that Kwame Kilpatrick or other city officials obstructed or interfered with the investiation into Greene's murder. Two weeks later, on November 17, Judge Rosen ruled that he would release much of the sealed transcripts, affidavits and other documents in the case.
  • November 2 - Detroit mayor Dave Bing said that the city was sliding closer to insolvency and may run out of money by February and need a state-appointed emergency manager.
  • November 8 - Detroit voters approved a new city charter.
  • November 9 - Republican Presidential debate at Oakland University features eight candidates, including Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum.
  • November 14 - An internal report was leaked indicating that, without cuts, Detroit would be out of cash by April.
  • November 16 - Justin Verlander won the Cy Young Award.
  • November 18 - Detroit mayor Dave Bing announced layoffs of 1,000 city workers.
  • November 21 - Justin Verlander won the American League MVP award.
  • November 23 - Detroit mayor Dave Bing blasts city council and unions for failing to accept his proposals to stave off insolvency.
  • November 24 - Ndamukong Suh ejected from the Lions' Thanksgiving Day game after stomping an opposing player. He was suspended for two games.
  • November 26 - Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time since 2003.
  • November 29 - Dave Bing said he didn't want emergency manager job, insisted Detroit could manage its financial crisis.
  • November 30 - Brady Hoke named Big Ten coach of the year.

December

  • December 1 - Detroit mayor Dave Bing insisted the city could fix its financial crisis, but Gov. Rick Snyder advised that time was running out. The next day, Michigan Treasurer Andy Dillon ordered a review of the city's finances. One week later, Snyder suggested a consent deal with Detroit, but threatened an emergency manager if no agreement was reached.
  • December 6 - U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen ordered the city of Detroit to pay $167,000 of the $735,000 in attorneys fees sought by the Tamara Greene family's lawyers led by Norman Yatooma. The fees were for work in trying to prove the city destroyed emails, Rosen finding that the city and its law departement behaved badly and "have only themselves to blame for this self-inflicted wound."
  • December 13 - U.S. Trnsporation Ray LaHood informed Detroit mayor Dave Bing that the plan to build light rail along Woodward Avenue was scrapped due to concerns that the city would be unable to pay operating costs over the long term.
  • December 17 - The Wayne State football team played in, but lost, the Division II national championship game.
  • December 21 - A state report found that Detroit's financial crisis was deeper than previously reported with $12.3 billion in debt.

Deaths

The following is a list of deaths during 2011 of notable individuals associated with Michigan: