Philanthropist Funds Detroit Demolitions

"Kilpatrick said the city demolished 1,995 abandoned buildings last year, far short of the goal of 5,000 he set a month after taking office and hundreds fewer than predecessor Dennis Archer's annual average. But with no money left in the current city budget to raze buildings, little progress has been made in ridding Detroit of 8,000 problem properties.Enter Thompson, a retired contractor from Plymouth virtually unknown in Detroit until he offered last year to spend tens of millions of dollars building charter schools... Thompson said he and his wife, Ellen, established a foundation to spend about $300 million left from the 1999 sale of his asphalt and paving company. He plans to pay the city in $1-million increments to help monitor the city's progress."