Welcome to the real state high school playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, I love sports, and I have great admiration for the dedication and skill of high school athletes. The lessons they learn in leadership, teamwork and persistence are lessons they can use long after they hang up their helmets. But if Michigan is going […]
Who are the state academic champs?
Posted inBusiness Watch
Mines begin digging into U.P. free of key state tax
In September, after years of heated debate and legal battles, Kennecott Eagle Minerals began blasting into the ground at its controversial nickel mine near Marquette. The company, a subsidiary of London-based mining giant Rio Tinto, believes the Eagle mine will yield 300 million pounds of nickel and 250 million pounds of copper. Kennecott is one […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Taxation on resources varies widely among states
Severance taxes that Michigan and other states levy on extractive industries are used for a variety of purposes, from funding pollution cleanups to supporting public education, according to a new study. Most of the $57 million that Michigan collected in severances taxes on extractive industries in 2010 went into the state’s general fund, according to […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Auto insurance fees examined for faults
By Pat Shellenbarger/Bridge Magazine contributor Megan Hanges-Reynolds concedes that until recently she gave little thought — none, really — to Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance law and its guarantee of unlimited, lifetime coverage for those severely injured in auto accidents. She thinks about it a lot now. That’s because the morning of Sept. 18, 2010, on […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Moroun's 'victory' is loss for everyone
Last week, I received a torrent of comment on my column about the astounding efforts by Manuel J. “Matty” Moroun, owner of the Ambassador Bridge, to block a new bridge over the Detroit River, which would provide competition to his very profitable monopoly. Virtually every corporate interest and political leader wants the new bridge, which […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen” — 19th century writer Oliver Wendell Holmes. * The folks over at the Mackinac Center, via their Capitol Confidential site, have a list of recommendations for reforming the state’s archaic liquor control system. Take a look and the […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Is state losing its love of fish?
Longtime fly fisherman Robert Thorsen enjoys solitary fishing experiences, but the suburban Detroit resident fears he and other anglers may be enjoying too much of a good thing. “I see a lot of stretches of rivers that are deserted,” Thorsen said. “As a fisherman, I don’t mind if there are fewer people on the water […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Quiet settles over environmental debate at Capitol
Gov. Rick Snyder and the Legislature have gone big on many issues so far this year — taxes, public employee benefits and education, to name a few — but one area that has drawn less attention has been their work on bills affecting the environment. That’s about to change. So far, the push for changes […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Veteran regulator prefers to say 'yes'
Getting to “yes” is a mission for Jim Sygo, the deputy director of the Department of Environmental Quality. It’s an answer, he believes can help Michigan’s environment and its economy. And it is a fundamental reason why Sygo is still on the job after nearly 30 years of state service that has taken him from […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Priceline expansion propels policy questions
Priceline plans to add more than 500 jobs to its call center in Wyoming in the Grand Rapids area. More jobs equal good news in Michigan, of course. But an online discussion shared with us between Milt Rohwer of the Frey Foundation and Birgit Klohs of The Right Place, Inc., may provide more illumination on […]