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 […]
Mining remains a big deal in Upper Peninsula
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 […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Democrats commit foul with Penn St./Supreme Court link, Truth Squad rules
MICHIGAN TRUTH SQUAD ANALYSIS: “Extreme Supreme Court Endangers Our Children” Who: Michigan Democratic Party What: Internet ad Truth Squad call: Foul Questionable statement: “The Penn State scandal was a tragedy that didn’t have to happen. Lives were destroyed because top university officials covered up the abuse for years. Child abuse victims deserve their day in […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Taxpayers on hook for 'captures' gone wrong
They collect taxes. They borrow money. They pay interest on their loans. They spend money on public improvements to entice businesses to locate in specific areas. And they may have the most bureaucratic of names ever coined: tax increment financing authorities. In Michigan’s capital city, a TIFA allowed the city to bulldoze porn shops, build […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad calls foul on campaign doc opposing Snyder-backed bridge
MICHIGAN TRUTH SQUAD ANALYSIS: People Should Decide mailer Who: The People Should Decide What: Mailer Truth Squad Call: Foul Questionable statement: “Snyder’s bridge. Not free. Not even close.” The flier is the latest salvo in a fierce political fight over a proposal to build a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor. The campaign document is […]
Posted inMichigan Government
More details emerge on Schmidt-Bolger election scheme
Call it the story that won’t go away. The Michigan political world was surprised this May when a long-time Democrat, state Rep. Roy Schmidt of Grand Rapids, changed his party affiliation in the last minutes of the filing period for re-election to his House seat. The circumstances of that change brought to the public’s attention […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Leave consolidation decisions to locals
By Larry Merrill/Michigan Townships Association The August primary ballot question in Onekama Village and Onekama Township to dissolve the village drew statewide attention from media and policy pundits who portrayed the election as a harbinger of voter willingness to consolidate Michigan local governments. In the aftermath of its defeat, proponents contend that failure resulted from […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Fools act on imagination without knowledge, pedants act on knowledge without imagination” — Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician. * A great deal of energy has been expended in Michigan, and elsewhere, on voting rules, particularly on the question of voter identification. Such laws are meant, of course, to prevent impersonation at the polling place and prevent voter […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Listening series on schools makes stops in Detroit, Flint
Michiganians in Detroit and Flint have opportunities next week to discuss K-12 education and reform as part of the Center for Michigan’s ongoing townhall series on the topic: WHEN: Aug. 21, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, 1211 Trumbull St., Detroit RSVP: Armando Ojeda – (248) 792-2763 WHEN: Aug. 22, 6 […]