Jeff Alexander, a contributor to Bridge Magazine who focuses on conservation, environmental and outdoors issues, is being honored by the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club. Each year, the conservation group honors journalism in three media: online, print and broadcast. “Jeff always does a great job of covering the whole story on the issues he […]
Bridge coverage earns conservation award
Posted inMichigan Government
'Headlines' ad earns foul from Michigan Truth Squad
MICHIGAN TRUTH SQUAD ANALYSIS: “Headlines” Who: HandsOffOurConstitution.com What: Television ad Truth Squad call: Foul HandsOffOurConstitution.com is a website created by Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Constitution, which is working to defeat ballot proposals that would amend the state constitution. The group was created by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and had raised $340,150 through July 20. Questionable […]
Posted inMichigan Government
How much of Michigan should public own?
On a sunny June day, government officials joined conservation leaders on a Lake Michigan beach to dedicate the newest jewel of the state’s public lands program — the 173-acre Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area. The spectacular sand dunes near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River were preserved rather than developed when the Michigan Natural Resources Trust […]
Posted inMichigan Government
DNR's prominence, legislative bill-paying cause angst in Northern Michigan
Shelly Pinkelman lives in an area that could fairly be described as paradise for an outdoor enthusiast. She can see the Manistee River from her Grayling home and her property in Crawford County abuts thousands of acres of state land where she can ride horses, hike, cross-country ski or ride all-terrain vehicles anytime she wants, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
U.P. landowners give mixed reviews on land cap
In the wake of the decision by the Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder to cap land purchases by the Department of Natural Resources, Bridge contributor Christie Bleck interviewed some residents of the Upper Peninsula — where state ownership of land is quite high — to get their take: * “I do not want the change […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts” — Samuel Johnson, 18th century English essayist. * City officials in Birmingham want lawmakers to change Michigan’s open-carry law to bar weapons in council chambers: http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20120814/NEWS02/120814008/Birmingham-seeks-ban-guns-public-buildings?odyssey=nav%7Chead * Disease is taking its […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad issues warning on ad from 'protectors' of taxpayers
MICHIGAN TRUTH SQUAD ANALYSIS: “MI Way” Who: Protecting Michigan Taxpayers What: Internet ad Truth Squad call: Warning While the ad does not explicitly mention the ballot measure in question, it is clearly aimed at the Protect Our Jobs amendment, backed by a variety of labor interests. That amendment’s spot on the November ballot remains in […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Mining remains a big deal in Upper Peninsula
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been a mining-oriented place ever since the 18th century, when explorers were astonished to discover enormous chunks of pure copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula, north of Houghton. The iron ore deposits uncovered west of Marquette in the 19th century were so rich that unprocessed ore was shipped directly to blast furnaces […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Voters sign off on 90 percent of millage requests
Voters across Michigan are familiar with the routine ends of property tax millage requests – road repairs, libraries, schools. But millages manage mosquitoes, too. Sims Township, in Arenac County across Saginaw Bay from the Thumb, was one of hundreds of municipalities that requested a millage renewal for public services in last week’s primary. In Sims’ […]
Posted inMichigan Government
How did millages fare in your hometown?
The 80 percent of registered voters who declined to vote in the Aug. 7 primary likely missed out on at least one measure that affected their tax bills. A Bridge analysis of clerk office and media reports found hundreds of property tax millage questions on the Aug. 7 ballot. Nearly 90 percent of those requests […]
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