1937 On the historic maps, click on an area to see the appraiser’s description, which will appear on the right. To enlarge those descriptions, click on it and it will appear on the left. Scroll around to see how they identified the neighborhood and its inhabitants and how appraisers felt about the area’s long-term prospects. […]
Michigan Government
Citizens cannot do their job of running their government if they don’t know what their public servants are doing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Battle Creek, then and now
1937 On the historic maps, click on an area to see the appraiser’s description, which will appear on the right. To enlarge those descriptions, click on it and it will appear on the left. Scroll around to see how they identified the neighborhood and its inhabitants and how appraisers felt about the area’s long-term prospects. […]
Posted inMichigan Government
With fewer farmhands, Michigan farmers more willing to buy worker visas
What a difference a Trump Administration makes. Undocumented farm workers are down. And nearly 6,000 agricultural visas have been approved for Michigan farmers this year – 10 times more than 2013.
Posted inMichigan Government
In Michigan: Who wins, who loses if GOP efforts slay Obamacare
Find out what pacemakers, tanning salons and buff young people have in common.
Posted inMichigan Government
Reviving war on drugs could carry big costs in Michigan
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions is moving to reverse Obama policies in federal prosecutions that he views as soft on drugs. Doing so, though, could increase costs. A similar tough-on-crime approach in Michigan would reverse years of inmate declines.
Posted inMichigan Government
Lansing Republicans drop the mantle of ‘local control’
The party of small government has unleashed a barrage of bills that forbid Michigan cities and towns from crafting their own policies relating to zoning, law enforcement, cigarette sales and the environment.
Posted inMichigan Government
Democrats and Republicans agree: Shut down Enbridge Line 5
A strange-bedfellows coalition of Trump supporters and progressive Democrats are finding common ground in opposing the Enbridge oil lines in the Straits of Mackinac, united by deeply personal ties to the Great Lakes.
Posted inMichigan Government
A cheat sheet to the Enbridge Line 5 controversy
Give us five minutes, we’ll give you the basics on this environmental showdown under the Straits of Mackinac.
Posted inMichigan Government
How many in your county would be most vulnerable to Obamacare repeal?
While everyone would feel the impact of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, some are more vulnerable than others. Almost one in 10 Michigan residents have health insurance either through Obamacare individual plans or through Medicaid expansion. See how many in your county would be affected.
Posted inMichigan Government
Dear teacher: We want to hire you. Here’s a huge pay cut. Sincerely, unions.
At a time of teacher shortages in some cities, union contracts in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids limit what districts can pay to attract experienced teachers from the outside.