Detroit, [once / used to] a powerhouse of American industry, has [filled / filed] for bankruptcy. It has gone [bust / burst] , to become the biggest city to declare [solvency / insolvency] in U.S. history. Detroit's emergency financial manager Kevyn Orr said the city could no [lengthy / longer] afford to pay its bills, and was a whopping $20 billion [in / on] debt. He has requested the court's help in restructuring city finances to [enable / capable] it to continue to function. He named over 100,000 creditors, including the city's major pension funds and its 10,000 [plus / add] public employees. Detroit's pension system is underfunded by over $3.5 billion, [leaving / left] many current and past police officers, firefighters and public service workers with big question marks [over / top] their future. Half a century ago, Detroit was held [down / up] as a gleaming example of American [enterprise / entity] . Its extensive automobile industry earned it the nickname "Motor City". However, the once-thriving middle-class city has [degenerated / regenerated] into a sprawl of run-down [blurbs / suburbs] with abandoned, [boarded-up / hoarded up] houses and high unemployment. The car factories that [spammed / spawned] its success have all [but / put] disappeared. The city said essential services would continue, but street lighting had been cut off. The city mayor explained: "Detroit simply was not on a sustainable [legging / footing] , continuing to borrow, continuing to [confer / defer] pension payments, continuing not to pay its bills on time - continuing a [depth / deepening] insolvency."