* Michigan charter schools get praise from Stanford University: “A new report released today by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found that the typical student in a Michigan charter school gains more learning in a year than his or her district school peer, amounting to about an additional two months of learning […]
Land O Links
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Land O Links
* Indiana is looking at a $500 million budget surplus. Iowa is looking at $800 million. Michigan’s Senate Fiscal Agency estimates that the state will carry about $500 million in its budget stabilization, or “rainy day,” fund into the 2013-14 fiscal year. Something to keep in mind as legislators begin budget negotiations in a couple […]
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Land O Links
* A new analysis by the Senate Fiscal Agency says, “During 2013, both the U.S. and Michigan economies are expected to expand at a slightly slower rate than during 2012. Both the U.S. and Michigan economies are forecast to exhibit both income and employment growth during 2013, although Michigan is expected to grow more slowly […]
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Land O Links — Gun data edition
This is the 100th edition of Land O Links. Thanks for reading. By the way, readers can send suggestions for links to dmelot@bridgemi.com. We are looking for the interesting, informative and, occasionally, odd. Today brings another round-up focused on the unfortunate No. 1 topic around the land — firearms. * Do concealed weapon laws result in […]
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Land O Links
* Regardless of where you stand on gun control, isn’t it always better to do the actual research on an issue? “Now, a huge problem when delving into gun safety research, as I wrote about in July, is that Congress has suppressed, and in some cases explicitly outlawed, the use of government funds to research gun […]
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Land O Links
* Michigan is No. 15 among the states for its reliance on coal to produce electricity, according to these figures. While Michigan voters rejected a constitutional amendment to mandate a greater use of renewable energy sources for electric power, the trend is toward less coal. And Michigan is far from alone on that front, as […]
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Land O Links — RTW edition
Michigan’s dash to become the 24th Right to Work state — and the physical and political turmoil in Lansing last week surrounding it — drew plenty of attention from the national media. * In “Rick Snyder, Michigan’s reluctant union-buster,” Alec MacGillis of The New Republic wrote, “For now, we’re left with Rick Snyder, the Hamlet of […]
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Land O Links
* The New York Times, in a national review of business tax breaks, focused on Michigan’s star-crossed film incentive program: “As the ‘Oz’ shoot was under way, Pontiac moved on to its third emergency manager, Louis Schimmel, and he was not a fan of incentives. A former municipal bond analyst, Mr. Schimmel spent decades warning Michigan […]
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Land O Links
“It is not power that corrupts, but fear; fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it, and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it” — Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese democracy activist and Noble Prize winner. * How well does Michigan do versus other states in public investing? […]
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Land O Links
* “Today, the average substation transformer in the U.S. is 42 years old — two years older than its expected life span. A recent Department of Energy report warned that 70 percent of the largest high-voltage power transformers — each weighing up to 800,000 pounds — are more than 25 years old, and subject to an […]