HORTON — The plain red exterior of a 19th century red barn that sits near the entry to Scott Weaver’s 80-acre spread south of Jackson reveals nothing about the artwork that takes shape inside the historic structure. But the old red barn sheds much light on the artist inside, who pounds blocks of clay into […]
Jeff Alexander
Jeff Alexander is owner of J. Alexander Communications LLC and the author of "Pandora's Locks: The Opening of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Seaway." A former staff writer for the Muskegon Chronicle, Alexander writes a blog on the Great Lakes.
Posted inMichigan Government
Expert’s sure Asian carp are in Great Lakes, but is hopeful for future
Asian carp are considered one of the most serious environmental and economic threats facing the Great Lakes. Bridge Magazine recently discussed the threat of Asian carp invading the lakes with Lindsay Chadderton, director of aquatic invasive species for The Nature Conservancy. Chadderton worked with the University of Notre Dame as part of a four-person team […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Mining tax could spur more U.P. mining
State lawmakers and Gov. Rick Snyder are poised to approve a new tax structure on metallic mining operations that could spur development of new mines — like the controversial Eagle Mine near Marquette — across the western Upper Peninsula. The state House of Representatives, on Nov. 29, approved legislation authorizing a 2.75 percent severance tax […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Proposal 3: Renewable energy mandate
Consumers Energy President and CEO John Russell caused a stir last month when he marked the dedication of the utility’s first wind farm near Ludington by declaring that renewable energy is “clean, reliable and affordable for Michigan.” Russell’s comments added fuel to the debate over Proposal 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would require Michigan’s […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Big changes afoot for state outdoors fund?
Southern Michigan cities struggling to operate parks and recreational facilities may soon receive a windfall from an unlikely source: the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. The fund was established in 1976 to buy land for natural resource protection and public outdoor recreation. Funding comes from royalties paid by companies that drill for oil and gas […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Trust Fund's dollars have earned friends across Michigan
ST. IGNACE — It wasn’t long ago that Chief Wawatam Park in downtown St. Ignace was an industrial wasteland, a relic of an era when ferries carried rail cars across the Straits of Mackinac. The park, named after an Ojibwa chief who visited the area in the 1700s, was … unsightly. Today, the refurbished site […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Parking lots, restrooms get natural resources dollars
The Natural Resources Trust Fund has played a major role in making Michigan a national leader in outdoor recreation, but the program also has provided millions of dollars for such less than natural things as parking lots, restrooms and playgrounds. State records show the Trust Fund, over the past 36 years, has provided funding for […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Prop 3: More renewable power, but at what cost?
Consumers Energy President and CEO John Russell caused a stir last month when he marked the dedication of the utility’s first wind farm near Ludington by declaring that renewable energy is “clean, reliable and affordable for Michigan.” Russell’s comments added fuel to the debate over Proposal 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would require Michigan’s […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Renewable energy prop could divide communities targeted for wind farms
Mary Straubel vividly remembers the day in 2009 that thrust her into a contentious debate over wind energy that would create a deep rift in the quaint tourist towns of northwest Lower Michigan. “I came home from work one day and someone had put up an anemometer (wind gauge) across the street,” said Straubel, a […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Drooping natural gas prices slow rush to 'frack'
Two years after oil and gas companies spent a record $178 million for the right to drill on state land, the rush to tap deep deposits of natural gas using a controversial drilling technology known as “fracking” still has momentum in Michigan. Even the Chinese government has joined the pursuit of what could be large […]
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