Priceline plans to add more than 500 jobs to its call center in Wyoming in the Grand Rapids area. More jobs equal good news in Michigan, of course. But an online discussion shared with us between Milt Rohwer of the Frey Foundation and Birgit Klohs of The Right Place, Inc., may provide more illumination on […]
Derek Melot
Derek Melot is a former assistant editorial page editor, columnist and reporter at the Lansing State Journal, where he covered state and local issues extensively, earning awards from the Associated Press and Michigan Press Association. The Oklahoma native moved to Michigan in 1999, and served as Bridge editor through mid-2013.
Posted inMichigan Government
'Flagrant foul' on Moroun
Another arm of the burgeoning Center for Michigan empire — the Michigan Truth Squad — today issued a “flagrant foul” against a TV ad paid for by the Detroit International Bridge Co. against the proposal to build a joint Canada-Michigan crossing between Detroit and Windsor. “This is the third ad from DIBC to blatantly stretch […]
Posted inMichigan Government
You want police and trash service, right?
The news remains grim on the financial front for Michigan local governments. More survey data from local officials reported by the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy at U-M find Michigan’s city, township and village governments are still being battered by a confluence of negative trends: 1. Declining state aid due to political decisions […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man” — William Penn, founder of the colony of Pennsylvania, and the ultimate cause of many incorrect answers on grammar-school spelling exams. * More worries from local government leaders about their finances if Gov. Rick Snyder and allies in the Legislature engineer a repeal of the personal property […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice” — Anton Chekov, 19th century Russian writer. * Noted lefty Todd Gitlin — a senior figure in the SDS movement in the 1960s notes CFM President Phil Power — writes in the New York Times about the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Invest in the 4-year-olds
Bridge Magazine’s parent organization, the Center for Michigan, takes quite seriously the challenge presented by the educational needs of the youngest Michiganians. It is a member of the Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan, which just helped organize two hearings (Sept. 28 and Oct. 5) before the House Education Committee. Tim Bartik of the Upjohn Institute […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Obama's job advisers note skill mismatch
President Obama has a new report from his Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. (Alert, it’s a 4MB report). Initiative Five in the report will be familiar to Bridge readers: Matching talent to the skills needed in the marketplace. “While the United States has traditionally enjoyed a competitive advantage thanks to the productivity of its overall […]
Posted inMichigan Government
DOC director targets prisoner work problem
Corrections Director Dan Heyns says the Michigan State Industries — the prison system’s work for inmates arm — is in need of change. (See this mlive.com summary of a report from Gongwer News Service.) The Center for Michigan reported on the continuing financial problems about MSI back in August. Among the findings from CFM: “Between […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led, and bearding every authority which stood in their way” — Thomas Jefferson. * Will salmon fishing become a tale of bygone days in the Great Lakes?: http://www.michiganradio.org/post/more-ups-and-downs-salmon-great-lakes * Gallup finds that voters have more confidence […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Oh, horrors, a recall election
The jobless rate in Michigan is above 11 percent (it’s higher than that, but the official rate is 11.2 percent). The Legislature and the Snyder administration have taken budget actions that are leading to cuts in employment in the public sector. The private sector, meanwhile, is caught with the rest of the nation in a […]