"This is by way of a friendly response to the estimable Jay Nordlinger, Senior Editor at the likewise estimable National Review. Jay wrote a strong column yesterday openly saying what I’ve been hearing many conservatives express tacitly ever since the election. Reflecting on the media’s disgraceful distortion of the characters of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin, he wrote:
“It seems to me that the Left has won: utterly and decisively. What I mean is, the Saturday Night Live,
Jon Stewart, Bill Maher mentality has prevailed. They decide what a
person’s image is, and those images stick. They are the ones who say
that Cheney’s a monster, W.’s stupid, and Palin’s a bimbo. And the
country, apparently, follows.”...
Last Updated: 1/28/09
"As legislative inertia blocks most tough decisions, the planets have to align to get anything controversial done.
While Michigan's $2 billion prison budget has been anything but inert, efforts to slash the inmate population and close prisons have stalled for years. That could change at the end of this month when the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments is expected to recommend a more effective, affordable crime-fighting strategy for Michigan...." Click here to read more.Legislation signed Tuesday by Gov. Jennifer Granholm lets judges and
retired judges with permits carry weapons in gun-free zones.
Gun-free zones include stadiums, bars, schools and hospitals. A 2001 Michigan Supreme 
LANSING -- "When it comes to wild pigs, too few people are following the Michigan Department of Resources advice to "shoot first, ask questions later."
So the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy is asking for a bounty to be offered on the animals, to wipe them out before their populations get any bigger and the damage they wreak any more severe...." Click here to read more.
Contact:
Michael Herman 906-786-2351
Agency:
Natural Resources
"The
Department of Natural Resources is seeking public input on a proposal
to change the date that ice shanties would need to be removed from
Upper Peninsula boundary waters...."
Click here to go to the DNR site to read more.
Two Michigan State Police Troopers
Admit To Deer Poaching
Posted: 1/9/2009 - 9 & 10 News
'Trooper Jeff Hadley and Trooper Don Bolen, both from the Michigan State
Police Cheboygan Post, admitted to shooting a deer out of season while
on duty.
It happened November 12 on Mograin road in Benton Township.
Hadley and Bolen say they pulled off the road, used an artificial light and pulled the trigger on the buck.
Both men are still working at the post but are on limited duty until the case pans out.
9&10's Christina Vecchioni and photojournalist Aaron Smith have more details." Click here for video.
“A conservation group believes the threat wild hogs pose to Michigan’s farms, forests and wildlife is so grave that the state should pay bounty hunters up to $75 apiece to eliminate the 3,000 to 5,000 feral pigs roaming in 63 counties.
If we turn a blind eye, we’ll have 50,000 in two years,” said
Dennis Fijalkowski, executive director of the non-profit Michigan
Wildlife Conservancy.
100 Years Of Climate Change Headlines
Posted: 09 Jan 2009 03:26 PM CST
If you’re a laugher at the global warming sensationalism, you’ll enjoy this video.
Tom Remington - Black Bear Blog"Federal, state and local officials are investigating the possible poisoning of 19 crows in Ann Arbor.
And officials say that if the birds were poisoned, it will likely lead to more deaths of other animals that may have eaten the crows.
A man walking his dog on a trail near the Amtrak station Dec. 26 found 15 dead crows and two that were dying, authorities said.
A necropsy on the dead crows was performed at Michigan State University. Although the results aren't in yet, poison is suspected, said Dan Sheill, a special agent with the Ann Arbor office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Migratory birds are protected under state and federal laws..." Click here to read more.BY TOM TOLEN - Jan. 9 , 2009 - The Livingston Community News
Brighton Mayor Kate Lawrence and Police Chief Tom Wightman say everybody's got it all wrong about an amended ordinance amendment that addresses acts of harassment.
Mayor Kate Lawrence told The News on Friday that the words "annoy a person" - which have been a lightning rod for criticism - are not new, but were in the original city ordinance passed in 1981.".....Last year Entergy filed construction and operating license applications with the NRC to build a single 1,550-megawatt ESBWR reactor at its Grand Gulf nuclear station near Port Gibson in Claiborne County, Mississippi, about 130 miles north of Baton Rouge, and at its River Bend nuclear station near St. Francisville in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, about 24 miles north-northwest of Baton Rouge.
Two other companies have selected the ESBWR design as U.S. utilities consider a revival of nuclear-plant construction:
Dominion for a proposed plant in Virginia and DTE Energy for a new plant in
Michigan."
Click here for the full story.
LANSING -- "Another round of state budget cuts is likely coming in February, following a tax revenue forecast that indicates Michigan's current budget is out of whack by $917 million this year and a whopping $1.6 billion next year...." Click here to read more.
Jail Food Fight: Are the Guards Getting Gourmet?
Jan 10, 2009
"There's a food fight at the Wayne County Jail, but
it's not over what the inmates are eating. Some accuse the guards of
eating gourmet meals on your dime.
In his report, FOX 2's Brad Edwards shows you what's on the menu."
Click here for video.
Scales of Justice: Snake confiscated
DNR confiscates man's venomous -- and illegal -- rattlesnake
By MELISSA DOMSIC - mdomsic@record-eagle.com - Jan. 10, 2009TRAVERSE CITY -- " Some people like cats, others warm up to dogs, but Dustin James Kantz is a snake man.
Kantz, 22, kept about 10 snakes in his Blair Township home, including a venomous eastern massasauga rattlesnake.
It's the only poisonous snake native to Michigan, and it's illegal to possess the protected species..."
DETROIT -- "Wayne County officials laid off 44 members of Sheriff Warren Evans' executive staff Friday, claiming his out-of-control spending on crab, shrimp and other foodstuffs for his employees left them little choice.
Evans is denying most of the allegations, but a Department of Management & Budget report found $928,569 in purchase orders from 2006 to 2008 it labels "abusive spending." The tally included luxury meals, food for staff Christmas parties and meals for jail inmates that could be bought cheaper or should not have been bought at all, according to the report.
"We
can no longer sit back and wait for you to comply with the County's
budget ordinance," the county's Chief Financial Officer Carla Sledge
wrote Evans when she informed him of the layoffs Friday afternoon..."
That was the sour message from economists Friday, who
declared a billion-dollar-plus state deficit by 2010 unless government
spending is trimmed or the economy makes a miraculous recovery...."
"Michigan continues to lead the nation in joblessness. There are signs the situation will get worse this year.
But last week the state's unemployment offices were running with the efficiency of a bread line in Stalinist Russia..." Click here to read more."The
U.S. Department of Energy will soon be looking at a Clean Coal Power
Initiative grant application that could lead to carbon capture and
sequestration at Holland’s James De Young power plant. The road to this
point has been a long one, however, and is far from an eventuality..." Click here to read more.
"It's been a grim couple of months for Justice Robert Young Jr., the only African American on the Michigan Supreme Court. First his closest friend on the high court, Cliff Taylor, gets knocked off in a re-election fight he was supposed to win without breaking a sweat.
Then state Democratic Party Chairman Mark
Brewer, who'd declared that (after electing Barack Obama), defeating
Taylor was his party's No. 1 priority, announces that Young will be the
Democrats' new piñata numero uno....." Click here to read more.
MARQUETTE - "Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials have cleared for review a mining permit application by the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company to re-use the Humboldt Mill.
A Jan. 9 letter from the DEQ to the mining company stated..." Click here to read more.
Contact:
Dennis Knapp 517-241-0330
- Agency:
Natural Resources
"The Natural Resources Commission will consider changes proposed by a special subcommittee exploring expanding the opportunities for hunting with crossbows.
The changes were proposed by Commissioner John Madigan of Munising, chair of the NRC Policy Committee on Wildlife and Fisheries, who held regular discussions with hunters and other interested parties at NRC meetings for the last six months. The proposed changes would allow the use of crossbows..."| The Department of Natural Resources today announced a five-day elk hunt to be held Jan. 14-18. The DNR’s management goal is a winter herd of approximately 800 to 900 elk in Montmorency, Cheboygan, Presque Isle and Otsego counties. Although elk numbers are close to that level, the herd has expanded outside the traditional four-county elk range and the animals are often found in Alpena, Alcona, Emmet, Charlevoix and Oscoda counties. |
Jan. 12, 2009
TORONTO, Ont. -- Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has signed into law a bill exempting Canadian cross-border trucking companies and auto parts manufacturers that do not have a permanent establishment in the state, from having to pay the Michigan Business Tax (MBT).
The bill was approved by both the Michigan Senate and the House of Representatives in a pre-Christmas marathon, make or break session.
According to the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA), which led the fight on behalf of Ontario truckers, the MBT (which is a gross receipts tax) could have cost Ontario trucking companies who operate into, out of or through the state, around US$1,000 per truck per year, had the bill not passed. The OTA estimates that Ontario trucking companies would have been on the hook for at least US$40 million per year.....
Brian Mulherin - Daily News Staff Writer - January 12, 2009
“Lake Michigan today looks more like Lake Superior than Lake Michigan did 20 years ago.”Gary Fahnenstiel, a senior ecologist with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, revealed that information Saturday at the Sea Grant Regional Fishery Workshop at the Ramada Inn in Ludington.
Many people might associate Lake Superior with crystal-clear water, but biologists associate it with being the least nutrient-rich of the lakes...." Click here to read more.
"The Detroit Police Department will reopen at least one of the six precincts it closed in 2005, Police Chief James Barren told the City Council today.
Barren told reporters after the meeting that he also is looking at reopening up to two more precincts.
DETROIT -- "Detroit Public Schools officials have received
calls from donors as far away as Albuquerque, N.M., and Washington,
D.C., after a school made national headlines following a report by The
Detroit News last week that the school couldn't afford toilet paper,
light bulbs and other necessities....."
EDITOR:
This is in response to the letter to the editor from Gary Bernard (Dec 31, "Time to put story to rest").
It's always interesting to read an opinion based on very little knowledge of the issue to which one is writing about. Since this subject involves the taxpayers of Delta County, all should know the facts associated with this issue.
First of all lets get two things straight: 1) the Road Commission belongs to the people of Delta County; 2) as far as I am concerned the trial that Hugo Mattonen went through had and has nothing to do with policy violations, attitude and first-grade actions at the Delta County Road Commission. Click here to read more.
LANSING -- "House Speaker Andy Dillon launched the legislative session Wednesday with a call for lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm to forge a bipartisan overhaul of the state tax system, and put it on the statewide ballot as early as this year...." Click here to read more.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — "Lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Thursday endorsed
changes in parole policies that would drop Michigan's
prison population by thousands and save $262 million in
corrections costs by 2015..."
DETROIT -- "Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan visited former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in jail Thursday, a local radio station is reporting.
WWJ (950 AM) claims to have received a copy of Thursday's Wayne County Jail visitor log that shows Kilpatrick was visited by Farrakhan, his son, Wallace D. Farrakhan, and Minister Rasul Muhammad of the Detroit Nation of Islam chapter. The log is not available for public viewing.
The 5:10 p.m. visit was listed on
the log as a "Professional Visit," not a personal visit, the station
reported. The national and Detroit chapters of the Nation of Islam
could not be reached this morning for comment..."
LANSING -- Attorney General Mike Cox says the state is overcharging taxpayers, and more than $700 million should be refunded to them to help with car, house and other payments.
"Taxpayers deserve a refund," Cox wrote in an opinion column in today's Detroit News.
He said when the state raised income and business taxes in October 2007, it was sold as a means to deal with an economic crisis. And yet, he noted, the state ended the last two fiscal years with surpluses, including $712 million for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
"That $712 million surplus means Michigan created the most notorious business tax in the nation, gouged workers and job creators and badly damaged our reputation with companies looking to expand or relocate, all for no reason," Cox wrote...." Click here to read more.LANSING -- "With a poor economy, Michigan can use all the help it can get, and officials are hoping the federal government will soon give Michigan $3 billion annually to improve the environment and create jobs.
A state plan for the money intends to create thousands of jobs in Michigan while improving environmental conditions on the Great Lakes..." Click here to read more."Chewy and I are sitting here watching the Outdoor Channel’s Wednesday night programming on shooting sports, the day after Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, I am wondering how long it is going to take this administration to make major attacks on our 2nd Amendment rights.
If you’re not aware of what I speak let’s take a quick look. President Obama is a known anti gun rights politician that supported legislation in Illinois making it illegal to use a firearm in a self defense situation. The new Vice President Biden was the author of the 1994 “assault weapons” ban. The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi , is a well known opponent of the 2nd Amendment and voted for the “assault weapons” ban. Most of the pending cabinet appointees are anti 2nd Amendment people, as are most of the sitting Democratic House and Senate majority. They will be spurred on by the Brady Campaign..." Click here to read more.January 24, 2009 by gunservatively
Mich. Hunters Donate 3,271 lbs. Of Meat
"A parent of a Detroit Public Schools student is asking the community for the necessities.
ROCHESTER HILLS -- Residents opposed to the controlled killing of deer by Oakland County sheriff's sharpshooters say they will try to convince the City Council tonight to suspend the kill and consider other options.
This comes a week after an Oakland
County Circuit Court judge rejected arguments by two city residents
seeking to stop the sanctioned deer cull in Rochester Hills, saying it
was dangerous..."
By Randy ConatBrian Mulherin - Daily News Staff Writer - January 27, 2009
"When the state announced last year the Inland Consent Decree allowed tribal conservation officers to stop anglers and hunters to determine whether they were state licensed or tribally licensed, former Manistee County sheriff and current county board vice chairman Ed Haik cried foul..." Click here to read more. | Raymond T. Rivard News Editor |
"Just 48 hours into his new administration, President Barack Obama placed a moratorium on former President George W. Bush’s 11th-hour measures.
“The use of an executive order to freeze what is in the pipeline for review has become standard operating procedure,” said David Parker, political science professor at Montana State University. “It is the normal dance of politics.”Commissioners consider new ORV rules
Jan. 28, 2009 - Cheboygan, Mich.
PUBLISHED: January 28, 2009
Photo by David Kenyon
In
the Upper Peninsula, the thick stands of hemlock, cedar and other
conifers shelter deer from snow, wind and cold temperatures. The
needles intercept snow and serve as a sort of roof that creates a
microclimate of warmer temperatures below the forest canopy. This
protection also allows deer to move more freely, while expending less
energy, as they travel to and from local food sources within these
important wintering complexes.
Others, with a little better understanding of the creature's year-round needs, will talk about early successional forests -- aspen and the associated understory, where forbs and shrubs provide browse when mast isn't available.
But only a few understand the importance of conifers to deer.
In short, northern Michigan whitetails would
struggle mightily without the hemlock, cedar and other conifers that
help get them through the winter.
COMMENTARY:
"In Wyoming, we don't ask for much from Washington. We do ask that Washington limit its intrusion on our land, water and especially our Second Amendment rights. That's not a lot to ask in the grand scheme of Washington but it is critically important to the constituents who sent me to fight for them.
President Obama has nominated Eric Holder to serve as the United States attorney general. During the Clinton administration, Mr. Holder was Janet Reno's deputy attorney general from 1997-2001. Deputy Attorney General Holder was on record supporting a long list of proposals to limit the Second Amendment rights of American citizens...." Click here to read more.GLADSTONE - "The city of Gladstone was recently awarded a $25,000 coastal resource management grant from the state for a geographic information system (GIS).
The city must match the grant with $25,000 of its own. The city will use the GIS to analyze and create data to ensure the city's coastal lands are effectively managed. The GIS will help the city track zoning, wetlands, storm water, soils, parcel ownership, land use and potential contaminant sources..." Click here to read more.(AP) — "Those heading out to fish in the cold weather are reminded of the dangers of hypothermia, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said Wednesday in its weekly fishing report.
Shivering is the body's way of trying to generate heat, and mental function is most affected initially..." Click here to read more."Over the years, I have encountered several anglers who have as much fun jigging through a hole in the ice as they do casting from a boat. A few of these anglers include Mitch Johnson from Montague, Jesse Singleton from North Muskegon and Mark Martin from Twin Lake. Johnson owns and operates Johnson's Great Outdoors, a sporting goods store in Montague. Johnson also fishes the FLW Walleye Circuit and knows a few things about putting walleyes in the boat and on the ice...." Click here to read more.
"A squabble over reviewing public records in Augusta Township has led to a lawsuit, a counter-suit and a bizarre incident in which a citizen rubbed a foul-smelling substance on himself so a township official would have to smell it as she stood by as he examined records.
A lawsuit filed by the citizen, C.J. McDonald, over alleged Freedom
of Information Act violations by the township was thrown out by a judge
last week.
The township has filed a counter-suit seeking legal expenses and restrictions to prevent McDonald from filing frivolous lawsuits and harassing township officials.
McDonald, a former township trustee..." Click here to read more.DETROIT -- "Federal prosecutors want a 20-year prison sentence for an Ohio woman whose arson at Michigan State University in 1999 was one of 13 acts of radical environmental resistance that she admitted.
Marie Mason "remains an unrepentant and unapologetic advocate of violence and intimidation as a means of protest," Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen Frank said.
"The arson at MSU was not the first time defendant Mason destroyed property for her cause, and it was far from the last time," Frank said in a court document filed Friday night..." Click here to read more.
“We’ve spent a lot of time and effort on the project and it doesn’t
appear to be a financially viable project,” said Rebecca Humphries,
director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “The bottom
line is, it’s fish or cut bait.”
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - "The amount of Canadian trash coming into Michigan has declined for a second straight year.
A Michigan Department of Environmental Quality report posted Friday says Canada sent about 2 percent less trash to state landfills in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. Canadian trash coming into Michigan has dropped more than 11 percent since peaking in the 2006 fiscal year.
Canada still dumps more trash in Michigan landfills than all importing states combined.
A 2006 deal calls for Canadian municipal trash sent to Michigan to be phased out by 2010. But the agreement doesn't cover industrial and commercial garbage.
Total waste disposal in Michigan landfills declined by about 2
percent last fiscal year. Overall imports from other states increased
slightly."
Op-Ed: Candidates swarm for guv race
Feb. 1, 2009 - By GEORGE WEEKS - Syndicated Columnist
"Although it's been a mere three months since the 2008 election, the political trail already abounds with prospects for the 2010 gubernatorial election that is 21 months away.
Term-limited Gov. Jennifer Granholm last year began more prominently sharing publicity ops with Lt. Gov. John Cherry, former Democratic leader in the state Senate who formed a committee to explore a run for governor.
Ignore "explore." He's running...." Click here to read more.
"There's a lot of speculation going on (about the DNR's attitude on cougars), but somehow I think it involves money," Van Woerkom said. "I think they are worried that it would mean shifting resources from one program to another."
After hearing from witnesses who ranged from scientists to veterinarians to regular folks, Van Woerkom said every member of his committee is convinced that these people didn't see dogs or house cats but saw real cougars that in some cases had to be breeding...."
More winter fun is planned for March 6-8, 2009 when our Bay Cliff kids come back to camp for "Snow Days!" "We have snow much fun together!"
Please contact us anytime with your questions about the year-round possibilities at Bay Cliff Health Camp.
Click here for more from Bay Cliff Health Camp for the handicapped.
"This is by way of a friendly response to the estimable Jay Nordlinger, Senior Editor at the likewise estimable National Review. Jay wrote a strong column yesterday openly saying what I’ve been hearing many conservatives express tacitly ever since the election. Reflecting on the media’s disgraceful distortion of the characters of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin, he wrote:
“It seems to me that the Left has won: utterly and decisively. What I mean is, the Saturday Night Live,
Jon Stewart, Bill Maher mentality has prevailed. They decide what a
person’s image is, and those images stick. They are the ones who say
that Cheney’s a monster, W.’s stupid, and Palin’s a bimbo. And the
country, apparently, follows.”...
|
As of Feb. 1, tobacco products are no longer allowed in Michigan penitentiaries. That means the 40-50% of 48,600 inmates living in the state's 41 prisons and eight camps that are estimated to smoke can no longer light up, snort or chew. The ban also extends to the 16,500 staff members; about 21% of those smoke, said Michigan Department of Corrections public information officer John Cordell.
In Lapeer, almost half of the Thumb Correctional Facility's 1,208 inmates will be forced to give up the vice and a portion of their 380 employees must now refrain during working hours. All tobacco products, including chew, cigarettes, pipes, cigars and snuff, are considered contraband...."But sadly, the myopic governor impeached by a unanimous Illinois Senate on Thursday probably more resembles today's American elected officials.
Blagojevich, to rephrase the famous line from the movie Casablanca , is like any other elected official, only more so.
The stark truth is that the era of citizen public servants seems to be drawing to a close.
We don't have leaders today so much as we have rulers..." Click here to read more."When Michigan's newspapermen and women gather in Grand Rapids on Friday for their annual two-day conference, change will be in the air.
The Michigan Press Association, a trade group for 49 dailies and about 270 weeklies, has been convening its winter conference at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel for more than 20 years.
But this year is expected to be a pivotal one for this industry in the throes of restructuring...."“Economic Stimulus” Designed to Aid Anti-gun Radicals
February 2, 2009
"The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the far left anti-gun group under investigation for voter fraud, could be eligible to receive millions, if not billions of dollars from the economic bailout bill that passed out of the House of Representatives yesterday.
ACORN was an aggressive supporter of Barack Obama who had served as the group’s legal counsel and even trained ACORN in “community organizing” in the presidential election. The Obama campaign even paid the group $800,000 for “voter turnout,” the very activities that came under scrutiny by the FBI..."
Police face armed stand-off on Cadillac overpass
Feb. 2, 2009
CADILLAC - "An hour-and-one-half armed stand-off occurred on the U.S. 131 overpass on Mackinaw Trail Sunday afternoon.
Wexford County Central Dispatch received a 911 call about 3:05 p.m. Sunday stating a man with a gun was on the overpass, a police report stated.
The subject, a 25-year-old Cadillac man, was located and surrendered after an approximate hour-and-a-half stand-off with police. The incident remains under investigation.
Assisting the Wexford County Sheriff’s Department were the Michigan DNR, Northflight EMS and Cadillac Fire Department."
ESCANABA - "Escanaba received the honor of being named the location for the Upper Peninsula State Fair in April, 1927. Michigan Gov. Fed Green signed Act 89, which stated, "An annual state fair at the city of Escanaba, which shall have for its main purpose the exploiting, and encouragement of improved methods in agriculture and industrial pursuits I hereby authorize."
Funds were allocated for construction of exhibit buildings, livestock shelters, a grandstand and racetrack. The site for the fairgrounds was the same location as the Delta County Agricultural Society fairs. Construction of the grandstand, said to seat 4,500, began in March 1928..." Click here to read more.
LANSING -- What's more difficult? Cutting $1.6 billion out of the state budget or deciding how to spend $5.6 billion in federal economic stimulus money?
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers soon will find out.
Granholm is expected to present the grim outlines of the state's
troubled finances in Tuesday's State of the State address, with details
to come in the budget she presents lawmakers on Feb. 12..."
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to scrap state protection of wetlands as part of her budget-cutting plan.
In tonight's State of the State address, she'll announce a plan to return wetland permit decisions to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The state's Department of Environmental Quality has run its own wetlands permitting program since 1995. Michigan and New Jersey are the only states to do so.
"Wetlands regulation is something the federal government has the resources and capability to handle without hurting the program," Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said.
Businesses or individuals have to get permits if they want to dump fill in wetlands, remove soil or minerals from them, build on them or drain water from them. That wouldn't change, but the permits would come from the EPA office in Detroit rather than the DEQ in Lansing.
Environmentalists say the plan signals a continued retreat from efforts to protect Michigan air, soil and water. Clean Water Action Director Cyndi Roper said state environmental experts know Michigan's resources better than federal regulators do.
"Streamlining doesn't mean good decisions will be made," Roper said. "This is a token gesture for dealing with what is a big budget problem."
But budget cutters and limited-government advocates say the change is overdue. Russ Harding, of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, estimates savings of $2 million a year and says the bigger benefit will be a smoother permitting process.
"Michigan's top elected officials and judges appear to be headed into a new economic reality tonight: The world of the 10-percent pay cut.
The measure is part of a proposal by Gov. Jennifer Granholm's to trim state spending.
The pay cuts reflect what a University of Michigan economist calls an "inevitable reality."
But if that's true, we also need to recognize that tonight's move is just symbolic...." Click here to read more.LANSING -- "Republican lawmakers welcome Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed budget cuts, including closing the nation's oldest state fair, reducing elected officials' pay by 10 percent and eliminating 10 government departments.
Those will be among the cutbacks she'll propose in tonight's State of the State message..."
February 4, 2009
"Alaska Governor Sarah Palin yesterday released a brief statement in response to the fund raising campaign of Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund. Defenders are using Hollywood icon Ashley Judd as their puppet to lie and present the Alaskan wolf management program as something it isn’t.
Here is what Gov. Palin had to say..." Click here to read more.
Click here for more, along with comments.BAY CITY -- "A 93-year-old man who froze to death last month in his home after the municipal power company restricted his electricity because of unpaid bills has left $600,000 to a local hospital.
Marvin Schur's nephew, William Walworth, told CNN his uncle indicated to relatives two years ago that he had saved more than a half-million dollars over the years. Schur's wife died nearly two years ago and the couple had no children.
"I just know at one time he said he had over $600,000 in savings," Walworth told the cable news network..." Click here to read more.Michigan Hunters and Anglers:
"Today I will be introducing a proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution to alter the annual distribution of dollars from.." Click here to read more.
_____
Interpreting the Second Amendment
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
By Jeff Knox / February 5, 2009
"It has been famously said and often repeated that
the Constitution means what the Supreme Court says it means. While this
statement is generally true, it is incomplete. Regardless of what the
Supreme Court says, the Constitution ultimately means what the People believe it to mean...."
 |
| The Senator Speaks for Herself |
UPDATE: "We have been reminded that Senator Stabenow's husband, Thomas Athans, is the co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA Radio network and is now the Executive Vice-President of liberal Air America. Liberal talk radio has of course failed miserably every time it has been tried, all the while watching it's conservative counterpart's success soar.
Which might lead one to believe that Senator Stabenow, in addition to her zealous will to slam the fist of government down upon her opponents, has some business skin in the game as well. If you can't beat 'em, censor 'em.Michael Calderone in today's Politico reports on the latest liberal politician -- Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow -- openly touting their intent to silence their talk radio opposition with a reinstitution of the Fairness Doctrine.
"Whether it’s called the Fairness Standard (sic), whether it’s called something else – I absolutely think it’s time to be bringing accountability to the airwaves."
Senator Stabenow was speaking on the air with liberal talk radio host Bill Press and to his eleven listeners nationwide...." Click here to read more._____"Overlooked in coverage of Tim Geithner’s and Tom Daschle’s unpaid taxes is the $70,000 that Minnesota Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken has admitted to owing in back taxes, interest, and penalties.
Last April, the California Tax Franchise Board revealed that
Franken owed the state $5,800 in taxes, fines, and penalties because he
did not file returns in 2003 through 2007. Franken then admitted that
he owed more than $50,000 in back taxes to 17 states...." Click here to read more.
_____
February 6, 2009
"This is another example of the world gone mad and this country spinning out of control into the abyss of a nanny state fearing everything that moves all in the name of having control over people.
According to MSNBC,
Beaver Dam Middle School teacher, Betsy Ramsdale, was put on
administrative leave because school officials were told that Ramsdale
had a photo of her posing with a gun on Facebook...."
ESCANABA - "The Plum Creek Foundation recently awarded a $3,000 grant to Lakestate Industries, Inc. to help fund the replacement of the organization's natural gas and water heater with a wood boiler.
Lakestate Industries is a private, nonprofit vocational training facility that uses hard and soft wood cants to produce pallet stock for companies that produce pallets...."Dr. Mason,
I wanted to pass along first an editorial dictating the level of severity winter that is facing the deer in the Upper Peninsula, and its severity is related to the conditions out west, which we discussed in an earlier letter a month or so ago, in which, in spite of the presence of CWD in Colorado, wildlife officials were instituting winter feeding to avoid severe winter death loss.... More.
Jimmy Gretzinger is the host and executive producer of "Michigan Out-of-Doors.""Michigan Out-of-Doors" television fans can expect programming changes this year, according to executive producer Jimmy Gretzinger.
The 50-year-old program, started by outdoor television pioneer Mort Neff, is splitting from Michigan United Conservation Clubs and going independent.
"It's exciting, but also scary," said Gretzinger, who has hosted the popular PBS network show for the past 10 years.
Gretzinger is purchasing the show from MUCC for an undisclosed amount. The change is expected to shave an average of $40,000 a year off MUCC's operating budget. It also frees Gretzinger to expand its format..... More
Public Input Sought on Future Michigan Deer Management
"Gov. Jennifer Granholm has been one of this state's biggest advocates for alternative energy. She is correct that developing wind and solar power is good for the environment and can create jobs.
Still, fresh off her latest ode to a greener Michigan in last week's State of the State address, we ask the governor to come clean: She is asking for the moon and the stars — and a pollution-free planet beneath them — without the faintest bit of reality..." Click here to read more.Anti-gun Land Bill On The Move
-- House Vote Expected This Week
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
"Lost in all the news of the massive bailout bill that just passed the
Senate is another enormous bill, one that increases federal control of
public and private land.
Of particular concern to gun owners is that the bill, S. 22, will
greatly expand the amount of land controlled by the National Park
Service. NPS land is currently subject to a gun ban.
While President Bush took steps in the waning days of his presidency to
reverse the ban, the new regulations apply to persons who carry a
concealed firearm with a permit. Non-permit holders and open carry are
not explicitly addressed.
Another eyebrow-raising aspect of this bill is that it is actually a
compilation of over 150 separate pieces of legislation that never passed
out of Congress on their own merits..." Click here to read more.
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A coalition is being assembled to march on Washington to deliver to Congress, the president and even the U.S. Supreme Court a message that the Second Amendment is critical as the single right that allows Americans to ensure continuation of all of the others.
The march is being spearheaded by the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners,
but also is being coordinated with the National Rifle Association, Gun
Owners of American, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownerships,
Second Amendment Foundation, Virginia Citizens Defense League, Ohioans
for Concealed Carry, Virginia Shooting Sports Association and others.....
DETROIT -- City Council President Monica Conyers talked today on a radio interview about using a police officer to take her son to school and a recent shouting match with Councilman Kwame Kenyatta.
Speaking to WMXD 92.3 FM radio host Frankie Darcell, Conyers said she feels like a target and blamed some friction with colleagues on the council on jealousy.... MoreCompuware Chairman Peter Karmanos was preparing to announce the
hiring Thursday, the person said, speaking on the condition of
anonymity.
Public Input Sought on Future Michigan Deer Management
It's time for Trust Fund reform
February 11, 2009 / Contact: Joel Sheltrown / Toll-free 1-888-347-8103
OP-ED by Joel Sheltrown, Chair of the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee
"Michigan ranks third in the nation in the number of licensed hunters and fifth in the nation in the number of licensed anglers. Together, hunting and fishing contribute nearly $5 billion dollars annually to state's economy. Yet, Michigan ranks near the bottom nationally in funding hunting and fishing. The state's Game and Fish Protection Fund suffers from a $10 million shortfall. Left unresolved, program underfunding will result in the closure of fish hatcheries, the layoff of wildlife management professionals and numerous other cuts. The ultimate victim of these cuts will be the state's economy.
Increased general fund support is improbable given the projected state budget deficit..." Click here to read more.
Gun sales, gun permits issued increase sharply
By RICKY SHAWGun sales and applications for handgun permits and
firearms licenses have increased sharply in the past few months in
Habersham County.
According to Habersham County Probate Judge Sue Bottoms, 2008 was a record year in the county for issuing gun permits.
A Lansing man pleaded not guilty Friday to violating the state’s sand dune protection act in relation to a storage building and deck he had built in Leelanau Township almost three years ago.
Joel M. Zylstra, 43, of 2 Locust Ln., Lansing pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge before 86th District Court Judge John Foresman. Zylstra is free on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. and jury selection is scheduled for March 27 at 1 p.m.
According to court documents, in June 2006 Zylstra constructed a building in a critical dune area along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Leelanau Township without obtaining a permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The building is a 10-by-10-foot storage structure and attached 16-by-8-foot deck on property he owns at 7011 N. Manitou Trail..... MoreJackson-based Consumers Energy said Wednesday that it has revised the schedule for its new 800-megawatt cleaner-burning coal unit and now expects it to be in operation in 2017. The utility originally planned to have the plant available to serve customers in 2015.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality review of the
company's applications for the plant's environmental permits has taken
nearly a year longer than originally expected.... More
|
Nation |
Corporate Tax Rate (combined federal/state) |
|
United States |
39.3%[1] |
|
Non-U.S. G-7 Countries |
33.8% |
|
Non-U.S. OECD Countries |
31.9% |
|
Germany |
Under 30%[2] |
|
United Kingdom |
28%[3] |
|
Ireland |
12.5% |
On the WashingtonWatch.com BlogDuring his campaign, President Obama promised that the bills Congress sends him would be posted online, and that he would take the public's comments, for five days before he signs them. He has broken this promise on each of the four bills he has signed so far, but the economic stimulus bill is up for comment now on Whitehouse.gov. Read about it in a WashingtonWatch.com blog post called, President Obama Wants Your Comments. |
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Featured Item
Congress is out of session for the President's Day week.
H.R. 1 |
What People Think
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By Nate Morabito / Reporter / WJHL / Published: February 17, 2009
The National Rifle Association is up in arms over a Memphis-based
newspaper’s decision to publish a list of all handgun carry permit
holders in Tennessee. Legally, The Commercial Appeal
can publish the data due to the state’s public records laws. However,
state legislators are now discussing legislation that would make
handgun carry permit information confidential. The legislation would
also make publishing the information illegal.... More.
And also: Tennessee Newspaper Publishes List Of Gun Permit Holders
Take a quick & easy poll being done by MSNBC
Should the motto "In God We Trust" be removed from our U.S. Currency?
Vote below and let the national media know where you stand on this!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/
By JOHN FLESHER / AP Environmental Writer / February 20, 2009 / TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm exceeded her authority by creating new legal requirements for building coal-fired power plants, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Friday. Granholm's office said Cox had "misread both state and federal law."HARRISON TOWNSHIIP -- The misery of January and February's seemingly endless string of snow days and rainy nights may have a silver lining once warmer weather arrives.
Lake levels have been on the decline for most of the last decade, helping to increase unwanted vegetation, increasing the distance between "lakefront homes" and the lakes, and causing financial headaches for the shipping industry. But the latest estimates from the U.S. Army Crops of Engineers show that for the second year in a row, lake levels in February are higher that the year before.... More.
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Nancy Levant with contributions from Yooper, C.J. Williams |
A pack of wolves killed a woman in the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia in the third attack in a month, leading authorities to hand out weapons to locals for self-defence.
"We are putting Kakheti on high alert," Gov. Gia Chalatashvili said Friday in televised comments.
"Residents will be given guns and ammunition to defend themselves. Police will also be involved."
February 22, 2009
According to The Windsor Star, a woman in Georgia, near the village of Giorgitsminda, about 40 kilometers from the capital Tbilisi, was found dead, killed by a pack of wolves. What’s most disgusting about this event is that it didn’t need to happen.
Over the past month there have been several reports of wolf attacks on humans and livestock in the area. Two weeks ago a woman was attacked by wolves and seriously injured in the village of Pirosmani.... More.An alert last week asked you to urge your representative to oppose a
massive land bill that was scheduled to come before the full House at
any time.
The good news is that opposition to the bill grew so loud that the
leadership pulled it from the calendar so they would have more time to
muster enough votes to pass it.
Well, that also gives you another chance to contact your own
representative to tell him to OPPOSE the anti-Second Amendment Omnibus
Land Act. The bill, S. 22, is now scheduled to be voted on this week.... More.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
It's time for Trust Fund reform
February 11, 2009 / Contact: Joel Sheltrown / Toll-free 1-888-347-8103
OP-ED by Joel Sheltrown, Chair of the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee
"Michigan ranks third in the nation in the number of licensed hunters and fifth in the nation in the number of licensed anglers. Together, hunting and fishing contribute nearly $5 billion dollars annually to state's economy. Yet, Michigan ranks near the bottom nationally in funding hunting and fishing. The state's Game and Fish Protection Fund suffers from a $10 million shortfall. Left unresolved, program underfunding will result in the closure of fish hatcheries, the layoff of wildlife management professionals and numerous other cuts. The ultimate victim of these cuts will be the state's economy.
Increased general fund support is improbable given the projected state budget deficit..." Click here to read more.
Oakland University is one of the stops this week for a series of discussions about Michigan�s white tail deer population.
Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the state�s Department of Natural Resources have been hosting discussions statewide. On Tuesday, the talk will take place at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester Hills.
Rod Klute is big game specialist for the DNR. He says this meeting is about all aspects of deer management.
�This is not a hunters meeting� this is everybody�s meeting. If you have any issues or concerns about white tail deer, please be there and express them.�
The Oakland University meeting comes as the City of Rochester has called upon Sheriff�s department sharpshooters to kill several dozen deer. The controlled hunt has caused a political outcry from some in the community� and threats of recall against two city council members.
WASHINGTON � Bill Clinton thinks Barack Obama should express more confidence he's going revive the economy. The White House says the president is trying to be realistic about how long it will take.
"I just want the American people to know that he's confident that we are going to get out of this and he feels good about the long run," Clinton told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday.
The former Democratic
president mixed praise with a bit of second-guessing as he evaluated
the new president's efforts to get the economy going again..... More.
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Nancy Levant with contributions from Yooper, C.J. Williams |
CNBC reporter Rick Santelli's now-famous on-air rant last week against President Obama's "stimulus package" from the NYSE trading floor last week has spawned a spontaneous tea party protest this Friday at the Michigan Capitol Building.
Several Michigan bloggers have called for this taxpayer protest of the reckless endangerment of our country's economic future. The event is last-minute, and part of a national uprising of similar protests against the bozonomics of our country's leaders.
This is not an MTA event, and I have absolutely no idea how many people will show up with just a few days notice. But I will be there to protest. Maybe you can join in.
Again, THIS Friday, February 27th at noon at the State Capitol Building in Lansing. Bring tea bags.
Leon Drolet
MI Taxpayers Alliance
The newspaper reported it made the discovery by reviewing public records available on appointees named last week by the Obama administration to its Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry.... More.
Kid Rock plans to sell his own brand of beer�and it could be brewed in Michigan. Last
week, the state gave a 723-thousand dollar tax break to a Lansing-area
brewer to land the project and create up to 400 new jobs. As
WDET�s Pat Batcheller reports�the project is putting the spotlight
on an industry that�s actually thriving in Michigan.... More.
Troopers sentenced for poaching deer
Duo admitted to shooting deer while on duty
By Greg Angel / February 27, 2009CHEBOYGAN -- Two Michigan State Police troopers will face jail time and have to pay back restitution after admitting to shooting a deer while on duty.
Don Bolen and Jeff Hadley were before a judge Friday for sentencing in the 89th District Court in Cheboygan.
The two men, who were assigned as troopers to the Michigan State Police Cheboygan post, admitted to shining and then shooting a deer in November of 2008 while on the job. Both men pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts.
"Most poachers would do
it on their own time, they don't do it while they're working for the
state," said Hon. Maria Barton during Fridays sentencing hearing. "You
committed this offense while you were wearing a police uniform, while
driving a police vehicle and while you were getting paid by taxpayers
to protect the people of the state of Michigan." .... More.
But
Scott Hagerstrom of Americans for Prosperity, one of the event�s
sponsors, said the message is a broader response to what they view as a
complete breakdown of fiscal discipline in Washington.
Among the hand-lettered signs on display outside the Capitol were those
which read: "Honk If You Want to Pay My Mortgage" and "Free Markets Not
Freeloaders." But the protesters, numbering about 200-250 people, also
targeted the Federal
Stefanie
Huffaker of Lansing said she and 9-year-old daughter Olivia attended
because "I want the president and the Congress to know that they're
spending too much money. We don't have it. It seems like there's no
end." They need to slow down. "I'm worried about my kids and my grandkids."
In the latest example of how user-produced media can capture
so-called "massively-shared" events in a way mainstream media can't, a
wave of images, blog posts and videos from a nationwide protest has
been washing across the Web. The protests, dubbed "tea parties" by
participants, were held Friday in several U.S. cities including Portland and Washington, D.C. as a response to what demonstrators see as unfettered spending and encroaching government as represented by President Obama's economic recovery plans.... More.
ESCANABA - The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed Thursday they had discovered and removed nets placed illegally in Little Bay de Noc.
Law enforcement division officers from the DNR are investigating the case and have not released any further details at this time.
Mary Detloff, DNR press secretary, said the
information on the nets was received by the DNR and they went out on
the ice to check out the complaint.... More.
President Obama's effort to clear the air last week has failed to ease conservative fears that the White House and congressional Democrats are conspiring to dominate the airwaves.
At issue is the "Fairness Doctrine," a rule that, from 1949 to 1987, mandated that broadcasters present contrasting views on controversial issues. Despite Mr. Obama's denials, leading conservative talk-show hosts and their allies in Congress warn that a plan is afoot to revive the rule in camouflaged form with a simple goal in mind: silencing conservative talk radio..... More.
Coal has been Michigan's prime fuel for lighting homes and powering businesses. Even with needed plans to reduce that fossil-fuel dependency, coal will continue to be a major power source as the state works toward alternative sources.
March 1, 2009
Nowhere is Michigan's brain drain on greater display than in the Detroit City Council chambers.
My
hopes for Detroit's future faded as I watched the tape of last
Tuesday's council meeting, the one that considered the Cobo Center
expansion deal.
LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan's state parks have more than $200 million worth of failing water and sewer systems, dilapidated buildings and deteriorating roads and bridges.
But don't expect a lot of those repairs to be paid for with federal stimulus money. Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion federal stimulus package into law, it's evident few of those projects will get done.
Instead, the beleaguered state Department of Natural Resources again will postpone most of the projects and focus on a few must-do repairs, such as fixing a bridge at the heavily used Warren Dunes State Park so visitors don't have to park near the park entrance and walk nearly a mile to the beach.... More.
KALAMAZOO -- Does the idea of spending $100,000 to install doorbells at senior-citizen apartments in Mississippi "stimulate" you?
How about $17.5 billion of taxpayer funds for a 100-acre "energy
efficiency industrial zone" proposed in Puerto Rico or a $900,000,
publicly funded "water" project in Texas that would result in a 36-hole
disc golf course? .... More.
By a resounding vote of 62 to 36 last week, the U.S. Senate
has approved an amendment, offered by Senator John Ensign
of Nevada, to repeal the D.C. gun ban.
Monday, March 2, 2009Congratulations! But the battle is not over.
Obama: "Restore The Scientific Process To The Endangered Species Act"
04 Mar 2009
That includes money for unnecessary car washes, the report said.
The auditor general's office said the actual waste may have been less, but the agency opted not to investigate further.
"If we pursued it further, they may have been payments that were valid," said audit division administrator Laura Hirst.
The actual total amount is unknown because of the large number of improperly recorded transactions in the records, she said.
The head of the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance said he's not surprised by the findings.... More.
LANSING --A widely distributed e-mail about a "31-day speeding ticket frenzy" is bogus, Michigan State Police officials said in an alert Monday to motorists.
A widely distributed e-mail about a "31-day speeding ticket frenzy" is bogus, Michigan State Police officials said in an alert Monday to motorists.
The e-mail claims the state launched "Operation Yellow Jacket" on Sunday as a revenue generator and began placing troopers in Department of Transportation trucks with modified engines to catch unsuspecting speeders.
"There is no such effort underway at this time, or any time in the
future, to generate revenue through the issuance of traffic citations,"
a state police spokeswoman said.
"As a reminder, MSP traffic enforcement initiatives always involve a
uniformed officer in a marked patrol vehicle," the statement said.
Versions of the e-mail have circulated over the last few years and other states, including California, Hawaii, Kentucky and New Jersey have been targeted by the hoax, officials said.
Oh, the intrigue. After less than two months on the job, U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, got spanked with the largest campaign finance fine in Michigan history. He and the Senate Democratic Fund had to cough up more than $200,000 to the state for flouting fundraising 101.
It's too bad for Schauer because everything looked to be going his way. And it's really too bad for the Democrats, who are reeling from his screw-ups.
The party is popular, as is the federal stimulus -- and Schauer's vote even won kudos from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee looks poised to help him keep the 7th District seat next year. Even better, his challenger will likely be the Bible-beating Tim Walberg, the only Republican capable of turning off a district drawn at a 57-percent GOP base...... More.
ESCANABA - Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are seeking multiple charges against six Delta County men in connection with an illegal commercial fishing operation on Little Bay De Noc.
A press release from the DNR said charges will be sought in both state and tribal court systems.
Gary Hagler, chief of the DNR Law Enforcement Division, said a DNR conservation officer noticed an abnormally high number of walleye being sold in the wholesale commercial market during winter over the past several years. Conservation officers from the DNR's Commercial Fish Enforcement and Special Investigative Units, as well as conservation officers stationed in Delta County, started putting together a case while monitoring Little Bay de Noc and surrounding areas.
"A pattern was established by officers," Hagler said. "Once that pattern was established, our officers were able to determine that thousands of pounds of walleyes may have been taken from area waters and illegally sold into the commercial fish market through a licensed commercial fisherman."
Hagler said officers believe more than 20,000 pounds of walleye may have been taken from area waters through the illegal operation in the last two months alone.
One day last week, DNR conservation officers seized 256 pounds of walleye harvested from nets in Little Bay de Noc the previous day. Officers returned to the bay with Sault Tribal Police officers and seized 1,200 feet of gill nets that had been illegally set.... More.Police agencies across Saginaw County will get a more than $1 million boost to fight drug-related and violent crime, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm announced.
Federal legislators are doling out $25.8 million in anti-crime money -- with $67 million still up for grabs -- across the state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act..... More.
Click here for March 5, 2009 NRC Minutes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2009
Contact: Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014
Natural Resources Commission Votes to Expand
Crossbow Hunting Opportunities
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Thursday approved a proposal to expand the use of crossbows
for hunting in Michigan.
Under the new regulations, crossbows may be used:
— during any season in which a firearm may be used, for both big and small game;
— for any hunting season in Zone 3 of southern Michigan;
— by anyone 50 years of age or older during the Oct. 1-Nov. 14 deer season.
Included in the regulations are limits on the velocity of the crossbow. Crossbows used for hunting are
restricted to no more than 350 feet per second.
The regulations have a three-year sunset. Crossbow hunters will be surveyed over the next three years and
regulations will then be re-evaluated by the Department of Natural Resources. Data will be collected that
analyzes impact on the resource and the crossbow�s potential to recruit or retain hunters. The data also will
be analyzed to determine if crossbow use should be expanded further in the future.
A crossbow stamp will be required in addition to hunting licenses for those using crossbows. Stamps will be
available at all license retailers starting March 15.
For more information on hunting opportunities in Michigan, visit the DNR�s Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr.
The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state�s natural
resources for current and future generations.
When Henry Smart peeked out the window to see two men holding guns at the front door of his Phoenix apartment, he thought they were the police.
He wasn't that lucky.
The men, who had driven 2,100 miles from Flint to capture Smart, had more power than the police but none of the training...... More.Not long ago big things were expected of Sparton Corp.
The company was winning new contracts at record rates, according to former President and CEO David Hockenbrocht, and it planned to invest $2.7 million in job training and renovations at its Jackson plant and add 100 jobs to its workforce of 128 over the next four years.
State and township governments pledged $2.3 million in tax breaks and grants to the project, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm issued a statement, saying Sparton's decision ``to invest in Michigan is evidence of the strength of our workforce and our business-friendly environment.''
Michigan has paid out more in income tax refunds thus far this fiscal
year than it took in from income tax revenue in February. Money
collected from the state's sales tax in January was 18 percent below
the amount collected a year ago.... More.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm called this week's report on the decline in
state revenue "breathtaking." It isn't all that shocking. The governor
and lawmakers were warned last year that this year's budget was too
optimistic and more cuts would be needed.... More.
Fact Finder: Governor's Salary
By Diana Fairbanks / March 13, 2009The governor in her State of the State
address proposed a 10% pay cut for herself and other state elected
officials as a way to save money. If it's approved it wouldn't go into
effect until after she's out of office. But she has given back 5-10% of
her salary every year
she's been governor. That spurred a viewer to ask, if she can afford to
give back money every year, perhaps she's getting paid too much.... More.
Despite the flow of economic stimulus money to Michigan, the state will come up way short of the money it needs for roadwork by 2011, if policymakers don't find a way to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the road funding pot..... More.
Wolf delisting effort supported
By JOHN PEPIN Journal Staff Writer / March 15, 2009
MARQUETTE - Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials are applauding a recent decision by U.S. Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar to agree to take gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes Region off the federal threatened and endangered species list.
The move affirms a decision made in the waning days of the Bush Administration, which has been studied by officials working in the Obama Administration.
The delisting will take effect 30 days after the action is published in The Federal Register. The order will also apply to some wolves located in the western Rocky Mountains.
"Gray wolves have made a strong and successful recovery in our state," DNR Director Rebecca Humphries said. "This decision will allow management of the species to be performed by the state, so that we can fully implement the state's wolf management plan."
An invitation to soldiers and peace officers across the United States to pledge to refuse illegal orders � including "state of emergency" orders that could include disarming or detaining American citizens � has struck a chord, collecting more than 100,000 website visitors in a little over a week and hundreds of e-mails daily.
Spokesman Stewart Rhodes of Oath Keepers told WND his organization's goal is to remind military members their oath of allegiance is to the U.S. Constitution, not a particular president.
He said the organization deliberately does not collect the names of those who subscribe to Oath Keepers' beliefs because of their status mostly as active duty soldiers..... More.
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The 10-member Phanton Hill wolf pack arrived in the Hailey area earlier this month on its normal travels in search of food, said wildlife biologist Regan Berkley of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
"We want to make them think that humans are not someone they want to be too close to," she said.
Berkley said the hazing will also include... More.City scales back boat restrictions
By MELISSA DOMSIC / mdomsic@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY -- City Commissioners scaled back their request to restrict boats on West Grand Traverse Bay in an effort to gain more public support.
The city commission on Monday decided to cut the proposed swim areas in half, but several area boaters maintained their opposition.
"We bring a lot of business downtown," said Charles Mehney, of Long Lake Township. "We really do need access to the beach where we can wade in."
Traverse City has limited public beach access, said Commissioner Jim Carruthers, who brings his boat on the bay.
"I live in Central Neighborhood, and I hear from my neighbors all the time that the beach we can walk to is no fun anymore because we can't actually go out and swim," he said. "We've got a very small kiddy pen to swim in."
Current swim areas are 1,350 feet long by 125 feet deep, and the city last summer asked the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for permission to extend that to 4,450 feet. The DNR denied the request, and the city appealed to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.
The city will instead ask the NRC to lengthen swim areas to roughly 2,440 feet. The hearing before the NRC is scheduled for May 7.
"We definitely have a run," Van Sickle said, adding the store sells loose tobacco and cigarettes. "People are stocking up. We're from a month in advance to probably some of them have bought enough tobacco to last them a year."
There's no such rush at the Canopy Bottle & Gourmet Shoppe in Brighton; however, store owner John Kallabat wonders how sales will fare starting next month. His store sells cigars and cigarettes, but no roll-your-own tobacco.
"It seems like every time they decide to put a tax increase on something it's always beer, wine or liquor or tobacco, and that's our livelihood," Kallabat said.... More.DETROIT - Ian Wallace is a graduate student in anthropology in New York who has studied fossils in Kenya, combed excavations in Syria and France and written about his research in scholarly journals.
But at 3 Monday afternoon, he will be sentenced to federal prison for trying to blow up two buildings at Michigan Technological University in 2001 when he was a radical eco-saboteur.
It is another case of federal agents catching up to people who formerly were passionate members of the Earth Liberation Front, known as ELF.
"Ian Wallace's past has come back to harm him," Assistant U.S. Attorney Hagen Frank said in a court filing this week.
The judge in the case "faces the difficult task of crafting an appropriate sentence for a promising young man of 27 years for things he did when he was barely more than a child," Frank wrote.... More.MUNISING - A U.S. District Court judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a rule allowing the carrying of loaded, concealed weapons in national parks, including Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the injunction Thursday in a lawsuit brought by gun-control advocates and environmental groups. The Justice Department had sought to block the injunction against the controversial rule, according to The Associated Press.
Groups that brought the lawsuit included the National Parks and Conservation Association, Coalition of National Park Service Retirees and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
In her 44-page ruling, Kollar-Kotelly called the Interior Department's rule-making process ''astoundingly flawed'' and said officials failed to evaluate the possible environmental impacts of the rule change, as required by law.
The judge set an April 20 deadline for the Interior Department to indicate its likely response to the preliminary injunction she granted.... More.That represents a 6% spending increase over 2007, according to a report issued today by the Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN). The report is based on state filings by lobbyists.
Six multi-client lobbying firms topped the list, and Governmental Consultant Services Inc. led the pack with nearly $1.5 million in spending.
The top 200 lobbying spenders can be viewed here..... Click here to learn more.
MUNISING - The U.S. House approved an omnibus lands bill Wednesday that contains provisions benefiting the Upper Peninsula, including creation of the 11,739-acre Beaver Basin Wilderness Area at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Alger County.
The Omnibus Public Land Management Act has been sent to President Barack Obama for final consideration. The House approved the legislation Wednesday under rules that allowed only limited debate and no amendments to the legislation approved last week by the Senate.
A simple majority was required to pass the bill. The House vote was 285-140. Two weeks ago, the House rejected the bill. Then the Senate reconsidered the legislation.
Supporters said the bill would preserve national forests, parks, rivers, battlefields and other public lands for generations. Opponents, mostly Republicans, called the bill a ''land grab'' that would block energy development on vast swaths of federal land.... More.
In 2008 the DNR reduced amount of available trails for horseriding use
By Greg Angel / Friday, April 03, 2009 at 6:14 p.m.GAYLORD -- In the summer time it's not uncommon to see horseback riders taking to the trails on many of the state owned forests, but Friday many of those riders were taking to the Department of Natural Resource's Gaylord office.
"It's the people's land, it needs to be regulated but not ruled over like it has been," said Vern Bishop, an equestrian rider.
More
than 50 people peopled packed into a tiny conference room for the
Pigeon River State Forest Advisory Council's committee meeting on
horseback use. Council members of the PRSFAC are appointed by the
director of the DNR..... More. * Note: Comments made over the weekend will appear on Monday.
Joe LaCross drives American cars. Always has. Born and raised in the blue-collar suburbs of Detroit, this son of a welder wouldn't dream of rolling past his autoworker neighbors in a Toyota. But not long ago the 38-year-old pulled into the driveway of his Sterling Heights home in a vehicle wreaking even more havoc in his home state.
A moving van.
"I grew up here," said LaCross, as he packed to move to Florida in search of a job. "My family is here. My wife's family is here. I love everything about Michigan..... More.
Borrowing from a Depression-era idea, they are aiming to help consumers make ends meet and support struggling local businesses.
The systems generally work like this: Businesses
and individuals form a network to print currency. Shoppers buy it at a
discount � say, 95 cents for $1 value � and spend the full value at
stores that accept the currency.... More.
Sen. Patty Birkholz, chair of the Senate committee, and Rep. Rebekah
Warren, chair of the House committee, Rep. Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive,
and Sen. Ray Basham, D-Taylor sponsored the legislation.... More.
The state projects an annual savings of $2 million by repealing its wetlands law, considered a national model. If the law is repealed, some 30 staff positions would be eliminated.
Only two states, Michigan and New Jersey, have been approved to administer the federal Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit Program governing dredge and fill activities. These two states administer the most streamlined regulatory programs in the nation.
Under Governor Granholm's proposal, Michigan would relinquish responsibility for wetland management to the federal government. The Michigan Legislature would need to repeal Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The Legislature is still considering whether or not to adopt the governor's proposal.... More.
To a predator hunter, it means a coyote is in the area and the game is on.
Coyotes can be hunted during daylight hours until April 15 in Zone 3, with the season opening again on July 15. But they can be hunted by a private landowner or designee all year if they are doing, or about to do, damage on his or her property.
Calling is the most common method of hunting coyotes in southern Michigan..... More.During the Great Depression, confidence in the national economy was so shattered, and people's ability to earn cash so limited, that thousands of communities created local currencies to save hometown commerce.
Provincial dollars allowed businesses and their customers to exchange goods and services with currency that had regional worth.
A Detroit trio of small-business owners is reviving the idea, following an emerging national trend. The businesses are creating a currency called "Detroit Cheers," and more than a dozen city merchants have already agreed to accept it as real money. "The world is just now reeling from economic chaos; in Detroit, that's how we always roll," said Jerry Belanger, 49, a backer of the currency, as he watched the initial run of Cheers bills roll off the presses last week.... More.
A depressed Turkish man accused of stealing a plane in Canada and leading fighter jets on a chase across three American states has no known ties to terrorism, hoped to be shot down and killed, and left his girlfriend a note saying goodbye.
FBI Special Agent John Gillies in St. Louis said a background check of the suspect, Adam Dylan Leon, 31, showed no connection to terrorism.
Federal authorities said Leon was born in Turkey and had changed his name from Yavuz Berke; he is a naturalized Canadian... More.
Michigan Taxidermists Facing New Laws, New Costs
Posted: 4/7/2009
The DNR has passed new laws for Michigan taxidermists to try and stop the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.What do you get at a public meeting held specifically to develop state conservation priorities?
Chaos? A headache? Raspberries is more like it, if you are the DNR.
Too often you get left-handed discussions that spiral endlessly
around the minutiae of a group's favorite pastime. The forum becomes a
platform for cranks who like to spit vitriol at the DNR, an agency
trying to do its best with limited resources.... More.
Taxidermists who raise deer, moose or elk will have to be careful not to let their pets into their taxidermy studios from now on.
New bio-security rules were approved by the
Natural Resources Commission this month to reduce the potential for
spreading chronic wasting disease..... More.
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Based on the calendar, we are just about as far away from deer hunting season as you can get, either the last one or the next one. But that doesn't mean that there aren't a lot of hunters and business owners who are already thinking about it. Some of them contacted me, and wanted to know exactly what the director of the DNR had in store for the ban on baiting.
Frustrated hunters have called. They have emailed. They have asked me to find out if there is any way the DNR will relax their ban on deer baiting. I recently sat down the Director of The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Rebecca Humphries and took your questions to her. I asked her what she would tell the frustrated hunter who is seeing fewer deer every season without baiting. Director Humphries told me "What you tell the frustrated deer hunters is this that baiting is an unsafe practice. As much as we might enjoy it here in Michigan and have had a long history of being able to bait here in Michigan. Its one that puts our whitetail deer population in jeopardy."So there appears to be very
little chance that frustrated deer less hunters will see any change in
the ban anytime soon. Opponents to the ban say it's hurting their
chances of harvesting animals. Some businesses say that the lack of
shooting opportunities for hunters has lead to a lack of shoppers in
the stores, and guests in their hotels. But the DNR says.... More.
Please post your comments here!
Email your questions to Marc for Humphries here.
Click here for VIDEO of interview with Humphries.
Read a little bit about Marc Schollett here.
MARQUETTE - An Ingham County Circuit Court judge has reopened a portion of a lawsuit decided in March in favor of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company.
Judge Paula Manderfield has set a short hearing for 1:45
p.m. June 10. But plaintiffs anticipate wider hearings lasting several
days will be scheduled..... More.
Lansing -- Art Blackwell was fired this afternoon from his job as Highland Park's emergency financial planner over an alleged $280,000 in overpayments, and a new manager was appointed despite objections from the Highland Park mayor and local residents.
State
Treasurer Robert J. Kleine said Blackwell was fired for a "breach of
trust" that occurred when he accepted payments from the city that
weren't authorized by the state's Local Emergency Financial Assistance
Loan Board...... More.
'Belt tightening not enough' for DNR
BY SHERI MCWHIRTER / smcwhirter@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY -- State natural resources managers spent their savings over the last five years and now it's time to find a better funding mechanism to keep the agency afloat, its director said.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources may look far different in the near future without new revenue sources, Director Rebecca Humphries said.
"We have been operating with no general fund support for five years and we're just hanging on," she said. "We've been trimming costs. We're not filling all vacancies and we've been trimming programs. We're to a point where belt-tightening is not enough."
That's why Humphries is touring the state and holding town hall meetings, to gauge public support for DNR programs and.... More.
Border could be retraced between Indiana and Michigan
April 16, 2009For years, land surveyors searched the 104 mile-long border for wooden mileposts, which were installed when the land was staked back in 1827. Unfortunately, nearly all the markers have rotted away.
Soon, however, surveyors could be retracing the border.
Members of the Indiana House and Senate have approved a measure to create the line between the two states, and have permanent markers installed.
But
once that happens, property believed to lie in Michigan could turn out
to be in Indiana, and vice versa. That could create numerous problems
regarding property and income
The bill will now head to Governor Daniels after leaders of both the House and Senate have signed off on it.
A mother and son who ran a wild-game hunting business may end up in the
pen themselves now that they face 54 criminal counts of illegally
possessing and mistreating herds of exotic animals.
The
House Office Building was filled this morning with horseback riders who
came to show support for a bill that would give them back something
they believe has been taken away from them.
Last year, Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM
went along with the Department of Natural Resources' (DNR)
recommendation to restrict horseback riding in the Pigeon River State
Forest. According to the DNR, the basis for the recommendation was that
the state would lose out on $25 million in federal habitat enhancement
dollars annually (plus other potential penalties for noncompliance) if
the restrictions weren't put into place.
Basically, the DNR
argues that the restrictions are necessary for compliance with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service rules, that are based on the claim that
horseback riding is not consistent with the federal strings that came
with the money used to pay for the land in the first place. This,
apparently, stems from the federal agency's assessment that somehow
horseback riding interferes with elk in the state forest.
HB 4610
would do more than just get rid of the restrictions. It would "preserve
and facilitate" the use of horses and mules on all state-owned lands
where there is a historical tradition of this use.... More.
Horse riders were out en masse Tuesday lending their support to legislation requiring the Department of Natural Resources to allow riding on state land in areas where it was recently prohibited.
HB 4610
follows the closure of some back country trails in the Pigeon River
Country State Park in 2008, although some proponents of the legislation
said the DNR has systematically been closing down access to riders in
state parks for some time.
The legislation calls for reopening some trailways that have been closed down and for the department to preserve and facilitate use of some trails that have historically been used by horseback riders.
DNR Legislative Liaison Dan Eichinger said the department continues to oppose the legislation because it conflicts with the federal guidelines for money used to buy land in the park because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service believes having horses travel through these back country trails disrupts the wildlife in that area.
But Rep. Tim Moore (R-Farwell), sponsor of the bill, said he's been told elk in the park are not adversely affected by the presence of horses. He said the country roads and other pathways the DNR still has open for horse riding are not adequate.
"It's just frustrating because we are getting to the point so we can buy the land and nobody can use it ever again," said Rep. Goeff Hansen (R-Hart).
Mr. Eichinger said the department is trying to strike a balance between wildlife needs, the fact that money from anglers and hunters paid for the land and providing access to various recreational activities in the parks. He said the state can't afford to be in violation of the federal guidelines and risk being taken out of consideration for funding grants.
But Rep. Jim Stamas (R-Midland) said lawmakers should be able to find out which cases the federal government examined to determine horseback riding in Michigan would violate their guidelines and see if any of those cases were actually in the state.
And Rep. Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch) said the idea is simply to get reasonable trails for the riders that are not on the roads. He said legislation was the only way to spur discussion to that effect.
Mr. Eichinger said he would contact the federal government to see what kind of exemptions to the guidelines have been given, but he expressed doubt an exemption could be granted because the money used to buy the land was awarded for wildlife preservation.
Rookie campers can get everything from a tent and a lantern to fire-making help and fishing poles for only $20 for a two-night stay under a new program this summer intended to build interest in camping in state parks.
The first-time camper program will be offered at 20 parks and will introduce the joys of overnight camping to more than 200 Michigan families. Campers will be taught how to set up tents, use camp stoves, build a fire and keep food away from critters.
And
if the newbies are disturbed by things that howl in the night, someone
will be on hand to calm them down and explain what made the eerie
sounds.
Campers will be supplied with tents, flashlights, stoves and coolers
from Gander Mountain, and possibly sleeping bags if private donors can
be persuaded to ante up. Some parks will give out ice.... More.
Lansing -- Michigan's still-proud park system is sliding into disrepair, a casualty of state budget cuts, eroding attendance and vanishing funding sources.
Unless reversed, the decline threatens to turn away visitors and close some of the parks. That would endanger not only the state's quality of life and economic development, but also tourism, one of the state's leading industries.
One estimate is that half of the state parks and recreation facilities are in bad condition. The Department of Natural Resources has more than 200 infrastructure projects that would cost a total of $341 million and only $2 million earmarked annually to make emergency repairs to deteriorating facilities Some say that without new funding or higher fees, the problem won't be fixed soon...... More.
Birds Eye Foods recently sent 3,000 letters to people in the Fennville school district explaining some of its views.
"As members of the Fennville community, our goal is to remain a responsible employer and neighbor, a significant contributor to the area economy and a proud supporter of community activities that enhance the quality of life for all of its residents" the letter states.
The letter was not in direct response to the appearance by Brockovich, a company spokeswoman said.
"We were already working on the letter to employees and residents, but the timing of the mailing and some of the content of the letter did change when we heard about the community meeting" wrote Lois Warlick-Jarvie, senior vice president, administration, for Birds Eye Foods, in an e-mail to The Sentinel.
Kari Craton, a Fennville resident who helped bring Brockovich to the
community April 21, said the letter contained no new information, but
she was glad the company was finally communicating with residents.... More.
April 30, 2009 / From Lansing State Journal
BATH - Subject of an anonymous e-mail to me: "Swans shot by DNR."
The text went like this: "Upton Road and Herbison Road. Mr. Schneider: I encourage you to investigate this. Lots of folks are very upset."
In a subsequent conversation, the tipster, who declined to reveal his name, said residents of the area had been enjoying the sight of two mating swans, which set up housekeeping on a pond near the Rose Lake Wildlife Area.
One day last week, the swans disappeared, and the word on the street was that somebody acting on orders from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources shot them.
In fact, who could forget "Swangate," the 2006 scandal launched when a Lake Lansing boater purposely plowed into a swan family, killing two babies?
The perpetrator, as you may recall, was brought to justice, and a DNR conservation officer was disciplined for failing to properly carry out his responsibilities in the case.
You're telling me that this same DNR is going to carry out a hit on Mom and Dad Swan?
Actually, yes.
You see, in the eyes of state wildlife specialists, not all swans are created equal. There are good swans (native trumpeter swans) and bad swans (invasive mute swans).
The mute swans, explained DNR spokesman Bob Gwizdz, who also writes a weekly column for the State Journal, are "out of control," and are interfering with the survival of native waterfowl.
Certain ... adjustments must be made.
The mutes, originally brought to the U.S. from Europe by private owners as backyard-pond pets, are "extremely aggressive," Gwizdz said, adding that they drive away not only trumpeters, but other native species such as ducks and geese. Mutes also have been known to attack small watercraft.
He added: "We have invested heavily in reestablishing trumpeter swans, and now they're threatened. The two (different swans) don't coexist."
Last year, the DNR estimated the number of mute swans in the state at about 9,500, which, Gwizdz said, is about triple the tolerable level.
"We want to keep them from spreading further - especially in wildlife management areas (like Rose Lake)," he said.
Another strike against the mutes, Gwizdz noted, is that they're known to carry avian flu.
The easiest way to tell the birds apart, Gwizdz said, is that trumpeters have black bills, while mutes have orange bills.
Call John Schneider at 377-1175, send a fax to 377-1298 or e-mail jschneid@lsj.com.
May 6, 2009 
Senate
Bill 496: "Introduced on April 30, 2009, to impose a requirement that
horseback riders on state land must buy a bridle tag for $5 per day,
$25 per year or $60 for three years, and use the money to establish and
maintain a network or horseback riding trails. The bill would authorize
a state equine trailways commission to 'advise' the Department of
Natural Resources on the use of the trailway network and the use of the
new fee money."
It is ironic that a bill is introduced to establish new trails when the DNR has shut down one of the largest riding trails in the state. On top of that, the bill proposes to charge fees to ride and perhaps worse, create another "commission" with all the expenses to go with it.
These kinds of actions will discourage out-of-state trail riders from coming to Michigan. They will have fewer trails and higher costs to ride. It will put a huge dent in the $8 Billion equine industry in this state. How unfortunate.
Jack HoogendykForum: Pass state park funding proposal
BY MARY PITCHER / May 5, 2009
A bipartisan team of legislators recently introduced bills in the state House and Senate that would change and improve how state parks are funded. SBs 388 and 389, and HB's 4677 and 4678 would eliminate the motor vehicle permit for Michigan residents to use Michigan state parks and boating access sites. The proposal would also significantly improve state park funding.
The proposed system would ask every Michigan driver to pay an optional $10 fee annually when renewing their motor vehicle registration on non-commercial vehicles. Those residents who do not use our state parks, and who choose to not support our parks, could opt-out and not pay the fee.
Non-residents would still need to purchase a park permit; however, staff time in entrance booths at most parks would be reduced; resulting in cleaner bathrooms, less litter, better resource stewardship and increased educational programs. In addition to providing support for state parks and boating access sites, this proposal would provide funding for our state forest recreation system, including 140 rustic campgrounds and almost a thousand miles of non-motorized pathways, serving hikers, mountain bikers, cross-country skiers and equestrians.
The legislation, if passed, would also approximately double the amount of grant money available to local units of government for park development in township, city, village and county parks across Michigan. Ten percent of all collected funds would be granted annually to local park development projects. These funds would be awarded through a process similar to the current trust-fund process.
Michigan's 97 state parks have not received any general fund tax dollars since 2004. They are funded by camping fees and motor vehicle permits.
The bills reflect the spirit and direction of recommendations made by the Citizens Committee for Michigan State Parks (CCMSP). These bills are modeled on a successful program in Montana.
The CCMSP is asking the public to come to the rescue of our state park system. State parks need our help! If you value our State park system; please inform citizens and legislators that we treasure our state parks and will no longer stand by and let them fall further into disrepair. If we lose them, they cannot be replaced. We need to let legislators know that we support this innovative alternative to involve more people in funding our state parks, increase convenience for Michigan residents, and convert staff hours from cashier duty to better maintenance, interpretation and resource stewardship. The voters of Michigan have shown repeatedly that natural resource conservation is a priority. Now we need to encourage our legislators to act to on behalf of conservation and to save our parks.
Here in northern Michigan, where our economy is driven by tourism, a healthy park system is essential not only for our quality of life, but for our economy.
Please take an opportunity to communicate with your legislators and support this innovative approach to better conserve and fund Michigan state parks, for today's residents and visitors and for future generations. For additional information visit www.ourmichiganparks.org.
About the author: Mary Pitcher has served on the Citizen's Committee for Michigan State Parks since 2005 and has been a Benzie County commissioner for 13 years. She is employed by the Alliance for Economic Success as the Manistee County Recycling Coordinator.
Bald eagles removed from endangered list
Mich. has one of nation's largest populations
By JOE VAILLANCOURT / Special to the Record-Eagle / May 4, 2009LANSING -- The bald eagle population in Michigan has risen to a level that has prompted officials to remove the bird from the state endangered species list.
"In the 1950s and 1960s, chemicals in pesticides had an impact on many birds at the top of the food chain," said Christopher Hoving, endangered species coordinator at the state Department of Natural Resources.
"The chemicals weakened the eggs, so when the birds sat on them, they would crush them. It ceased reproduction for a while. Many birds of prey are slowly making comebacks. It's been a culmination of decades of conservation," he said.
The bald eagle is now off both state and federal endangered species lists for Michigan. But the federal Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 makes it a crime to hunt, kill or otherwise harm them.
Fewer than 100 nests existed in the state in 1969, DNR officials said. In 2006, there were nearly 500 occupied nests, and the number is growing.
Hoving said bald eagles thrive in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula, but there have been recent sightings in Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties.
"Bald eagles are pretty much found statewide," said Tom Funke, director of conservation at the Michigan Audubon Society. "Almost every county has sightings, even if there may be only one or two eagles."
He said Michigan ranks among the nation's largest bald eagle populations. Among 24 continental states surveyed in 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recorded having 482 breeding pairs in Michigan, second to Wisconsin with 1,065.
"A lot of birds will be in coastal or north country communities," Funke said. "The most bald eagles are in Alaska. States comparable to Michigan include Oregon, Minnesota and Washington."
"The bald eagle population in Michigan is increasing all the time. They are fairly common in Monroe and Wayne counties," said Ray Adams, of the Kalamazoo Nature Center.
Adams is compiling the second edition of the "Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas." The first atlas was published in 1991.
He said the southern half of the Lower Peninsula has experienced the biggest expansion in bald eagle population.
"At the time of the first atlas, bald eagles were found in 15.7 percent of Michigan townships. Our recent research saw that number rise to 27.7 percent," Adams said.
Funke said delisting the bald eagle is a strong statement of improved conservation.
"When I was a kid, it was a big deal to see a bald eagle," he said. "The population increase is great. I want no endangered animals in Michigan. As a conservationist, I want to put myself out of a job."
Joe Vaillancourt writes for Michigan State University's Capital News Service.
GRAND RAPIDS — The father and son co-owners of a Kent County deer farm who were accused of violating a chronic wasting disease quarantine have pleaded guilty in the case.
James Schuiteman pleaded guilty Thursday in Kent County Circuit
Court to violating Michigan’s Animal Industry Act by moving a buck in
violation of the quarantine placed on their Algoma Township deer farm,
J&B Whitetails.
The 52-year-old faces up to five years in
prison on the felony charge. His 24-year-old son Brian Schuiteman
pleaded guilty to the same charge as a misdemeanor, which carries up to
30 days behind bars.
GRAND RAPIDS -- Twelve state forest campgrounds are slated for closure this month, according to Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials.
Twelve rustic state forest campgrounds with sites like this one are being closed by the DNR due to budget constraints.The closures come in response to budget cuts sought by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Her executive order this week cut state funding by $221,864,600. The DNR's budget was cut by $572,900. Granholm sought to trim general fund programs. Only 4 percent of the DNR's budget comes from state tax dollars.
"No one likes to make cuts, but we have to live in our time," said Brenda Curtis, the DNR state forest campground program manager. "Everyone is impacted."
The closures shave $70,000 a year from the agency's budget. Other cuts were made to law enforcement, wildlife management, natural resource heritage and other administrative programs.
The campgrounds will be closed but not decommissioned, Curtis said.
It takes money to cap wells and pull outhouses and picnic tables.... More.
State budget cuts force campground closures.
Campground closuresUPPER PENINSULA -- The Governor's executive order to cut the state budget is forcing some campgrounds to close.
According to the DNR, 12 state forest campgrounds across Michigan will be closed effective immediately. Six of those campgrounds are in Upper Michigan.
Pike Lake - Gwinn Unit
Little Brevort Lake South - Sault Ste. Marie Unit
Shelldrake Dam - Newberry Unit
West Branch - Crystal Falls Unit
North Horseshoe Lake - Gwinn Unit
Headquarters Lake - Newberry Unit
The DNR says the campgrounds will be closed until further notice.
Brian Mulherin - Daily News Staff Writer / Thursday, May 7, 2009
Charterboat fishing from Ludington was some of the best in the state in 2008, but fewer people took trips last year than any year since 1999.
Just 1,512 trips out of Ludington were reported to the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources’ Charlevoix Research Station, a drop of
about 18 percent. Overall, Lake Michigan charters out of state ports
were down 11 percent last year..... More.
W hen Travis Deweys saw something creeping across his back yard this past October, his immediate thought was that it was a dog.
But it took only a moment to realize his initial impression was wrong. This was a wild animal, not a domesticated pet — so Deweys, a freelance photographer who lives on Moreland Street between Robbins Road and Mercury Drive in Grand Haven, grabbed his camera and slipped out onto his deck. He then snapped off photos of the dog-like creature that eventually paused and looked his way.
"He wouldn't look at me at first, but I whistled at him, and he turned his head and looked right at me," Deweys said..... More.
ST. IGNACE — Twenty minutes after Mackinac Tribe members set gill nets
near Green Island in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan Department of
Natural Resources officers confiscated them on Thursday.
“There were no MDNR present on shore and no legal action has taken
place as of (that) time,” said Mackinac Band descendant Tony Grondin,
of St. Ignace.
The Mackinac Tribe’s action follows the filing of a recent petition to
the Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and to Governor
Granholm, notifying them of the
Mackinac Tribe’s rights under the Treaty of 1836. The Mackinac Tribe
clams it is federally recognized and have never ceased to exist.
“Mackinac Tribe hopes that the Department of Interior and the State of
Michigan will recognize our position as a legal right to commercial
fish,” said Mackinac Tribe Council member Nathan Wright, of Sault Ste.
Marie.
