“The only fence against the world is a thorough knowledge of it” — John Locke, 17th century English philosopher. * The Center for New Opportunity, a start-up incubator launched by some positive-thinking folks in Lansing, gets a nice write-up on The Atlantic Cities website. New phrase learned today – “low profit corporation.”: http://www.theatlantic.com/ technology/archive/2012/09/a-new-kind-of-startup-organization-for-a-new-kind-of-lansing/262614/ * The […]
Land O Links
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad blows whistle on both sides' ads
Proposal 3, one of six measures on the statewide ballot on Nov. 6, seeks to install in the Michigan Constitution a requirement for the use of electricity generated from renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar. Michigan currently has a state law that mandates a 10 percent “renewable portfolio standard” by 2015. Under Proposal […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
One man’s appetite for snacks leads to growing Northern Michigan firm
Ed Girrbach likes potato chips. So much so, he’s put money, determination and business acumen toward a made-in-Michigan venture that is frying 20,000 pounds of raw potatoes a week in the hills outside of Traverse City. The Great Lakes Potato Chip Co., co-owned by Ed, 63, and son Chris, 33, has gone from a conversation […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Education can counteract the natural tendency to do the wrong thing, but the inexorable succession of generations requires that the basis for this knowledge be constantly refreshed” — Garrett Hardin, 20th century American conservationist. * Michigan teachers are a nearly perfect bunch, says a new state evaluation. Education Trust-Midwest says that a review that finds […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Guard knows danger lurks inside prison walls, but still loves his job
Five weeks into his new job as a corrections officer at a state prison, Robert McGaffigan received a horrific lesson on the dangers of the work. Tammy Sperle was a civilian worker who operated the prison store at what was then the Huron Valley Men’s Facility when an inmate angry about losing his job there […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Consensus emerges on local services, but what becomes of transparency?
By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy A path forward, on common ground? Yes, but watch for caution signs along the way. First, the common ground: Michigan citizens — Republicans and Democrats — and their state and local government leaders broadly agree that consolidating individual public services across neighboring jurisdictions is worth pursuing, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Pure Michigan’s natural assets are under assault
By Chris Bunch/ Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy The Michigan Legislature is taking aim at land conservancies, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Department of Natural Resources and land conservation in general. The land conservancies in Southeast Michigan, along with the rest of the natural resource conservation community here, are surprised, frustrated and dismayed. […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Education reform discussion headed for Dexter, Lansing, Pontiac, more
Michiganians from Dexter to Lansing to Pontiac have opportunities in September and October to discuss K-12 education and reform as part of the Center for Michigan’s ongoing townhall series on the topic: WHEN: Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. WHERE: Dexter District Library, 3255 Alpine St. Dexter RSVP: Daniel Lai, Dexter Patch — daniel.lai@patch.com or (734) […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Legal painkillers fuel spike in fatal ODs
On any given day, what’s worrying Michiganians about the illicit drug scene is likely to reflect what’s been in the news lately. When a Farmington Hills teenager allegedly beat his father to death with a baseball bat earlier this year, his lawyer blamed his use of synthetic marijuana. When a man in Miami attacked another […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Marijuana users explore law's limits
In 2008, Howard Lutz watched a loved one die. The business his family tended for more than 70 years — Lutz News Co. – became a victim of the seismic shift in the ink-on-paper business. Lutz moved on to build another business – one that rests on how Michigan handles a controversial state law. Iron […]