Former Saugatuck mayor Catherine Simon has invested $4,000 of her own money in the consolidation effort. “It is going to save money,” she says. “But I also think we would become more effective as one community. We want to have a voice that is competitive with other communities.” On paper at least, the match makes […]
Ted Roelofs
Ted Roelofs of Kentwood, has written extensively on healthcare as well as prison and juvenile justice reform. Roelofs spent nearly three decades at the Grand Rapids Press where he covered politics, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rural poverty and mental illness among the homeless. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Reach Ted at ted.roelofs@gmail.com
Posted inBusiness Watch
Merge governments? Sounds good, but not in my backyard.
In August 2012, residents of two quiet Manistee County communities faced a choice. They could vote to dissolve Onekema Village and fold it into Onekema Township, a move proponents said would save money, trim tax bills for village residents and streamline their modest government operations. Or they could keep it all the same. Status quo […]
Posted inTalent & Education
The only high school sport where every kid can go pro
Nicholas Knoch from Lake Fenton High School tightens the bolts of his team’s robot at the FIRST Robotics Competition in Connie and Jim John Recreation Center on the campus of Kettering University. His team is the Lake Fenton Hazmat. FLINT – On the same day Michigan State University did battle in football with the University […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Okemos High School celebrates 'nerds'
Okemos High School senior Gavin McDowell explains a complex physics equation. At Okemos High School in Ingham County, it is easy to believe the geeks shall inherit the earth. With a 4.0 grade average, senior Gavin McDowell already has completed advanced placement classes in physics, chemistry and calculus. He is a whiz on the quiz […]
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Tax breaks are a bounty crop for Michigan farms
With scant public notice, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation in June aimed at better management of Michigan forests. Embedded in the package of nine bills is a provision that adds one more benefit to state farmers, who already enjoy state tax breaks that exceed $300 million a year. That sounds like a bargain when paired […]
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Old Mission postcard: land protection taxes benefit farmers – and neighbors
The purchase of development rights on Old Mission Peninsula in Grand Traverse County has spared thousands of acres of agricultural land. (Photo by Aaron Tackett – Always Aperture Photography) In a land with vistas that put a postcard to shame, residents of Old Mission Peninsula have twice voted to tax themselves so that cherry orchards […]
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Thumbs Up: Region leads Michigan in farm subsidies
At the tip of Michigan’s Thumb, Huron County is perhaps best known for miles of shoreline that wind along Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron and thousands of acres of fertile and flat farmland. Farmers cultivate everything from corn to navy beans to sugar beets and raise dairy cattle and chickens, ranking third in the state […]
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Breaker breaker one-nine, trucking jobs dying on the vine
With a fleet of some 60 trucks, Ottawa County-based Luther Logistics is primed to expand. If only it could find the drivers. “I could put four or five people in a truck today,” said Jordan Luther, the firm’s owner and operations manager. “It used to be that we would get four or five people a […]
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Military vets find civilian work behind the wheel
After 12 years in the Navy, John Kutrich was ready to try something else. Following his discharge in 2007, he worked for a military contractor in South Carolina for about 18 months until the work dried up. He moved to Michigan, got his commercial driving license and found work with Flint-based E.L. Hollingsworth & & […]
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Empty cabs: Are driverless vehicles the answer to Michigan’s trucker shortage?
With no obvious near-term answer to the shortage of truck drivers, could it be that science fiction delivers the final solution? Caterpillar is already operating driverless trucks in mining operations in remote parts of Australia, a move company officials say saves both money and mistakes. In July, a driverless car navigated the streets of an […]