As it urges regulators to approve a dam sale plan that a judge called “not in the public interest,” Consumers has offered to funnel $270 million in ratepayer dollars into the special fund. Critics say the company shouldn’t be entitled to those profits in the first place.
Northern Michigan
Posted inBusiness Watch
Ever tried Claude.AI? Meet the Michigander who inspired its name
Gaylord native Claude Shannon revolutionized how the digital world communicates in the late 1940s. Today, the Michigander is an eponym for one of the fastest-growing AI models.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Sell out or repair? Homeowners torn after Michigan’s historic flooding
A number of homeowners affected by the historic spring floods are tearing down or selling out — changing their Up North lakeside communities as they do.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan floods expose lack of information, preparation in many rural areas
The April floods that inundated half the state caught many unprepared — and uninsured.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Records: Rural Michigan ‘overlooked’ in Michigan’s $6B subsidy spending spree
A Bridge analysis finds that the northeast Lower Peninsula got $71 per person in economic development spending since 2022, compared to $854 in west Michigan. Some question the disparities.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan island needs reliable power. Can Great Lakes waves provide it?
University of Michigan researchers are this week testing a prototype that turns wave energy into electricity for the remote Beaver Island.
Posted inTalent & Education
Northern Michigan found a way to cut school absenteeism. Lansing may defund it
One reason Michigan is behind other states in test scores is because kids miss so much school. But a program hailed as a model is at risk of losing nearly half its funding.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan playing catch-up on drone race, but manufacturing past should help
Michigan is spending more than $42 million on drone development as the market for unmanned aerial systems grows nationwide.
Posted inOutdoors Life
In US first, Petoskey passes rules to crack down on light pollution
Petoskey’s new lighting ordinance requires new buildings and any renovations to meet standards aligned with dark sky zones.
Posted inMichigan Government
Advocates: Upper Peninsula prison pay raise won’t solve dangerous shortage
A $10,000 a year pay raise may help with recruitment, but it may not be enough to keep officers working at Upper Peninsula prisons, where former corrections officers say vacant positions contribute to assaults on prison staffers.