Category Archives: Quality of Place

Green, white, maize, blue, and quality of life

By John Bebow | Published: June 17, 2010
So, Tom Izzo takes a deep breath, looks around and decides to define success by his quality of life in East Lansing rather than the adding another zero to his already massive pay check. Staying in Michigan… what a concept. Izzo looks pretty happy in this morning’s Freep photo gallery. We hear plenty of complaints from [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

Maker Faire promises a do-it-yourself extravaganza this summer

By John Bebow | Published: June 17, 2010
The conventional refrain is that Michigan’s workers are cogs in machines — legions of folks used the security-blanket employment at giant, 20th Century corporations now struggling to survive. Time out. For a hands-on look at a new culture — a culture of re-invention — you gotta check out the Maker Faire later this summer at the Henry [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

SPECIAL REPORT: Drilling for Dollars — Would we balance the budget with natural resources?

By The Center for Michigan | Published: June 10, 2010
By Susan J. Demas Michigan isn’t used to getting a lot of good news these days, but the state hit upon an unexpected bonanza last month. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) held an oil and gas lease auction on May 4 that netted a record $178 million – almost eight times the previous record [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts, North Coast | Comments closed

SUCCESS STORY: Four Detroit neighborhoods take matters into their own hands

By The Center for Michigan | Published: March 18, 2010
By Jo Mathis This week, Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, unveiled a plan close 44 schools, raise $700 million more in bond money for school improvements, and set higher goals for student achievement. In the meantime, residents in six Detroit neighborhoods are determined that regardless of what happens at the district level, [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

GUEST COLUMN: Kurt Metzger looks to U-Haul rates to measure MI's health

By The Center for Michigan | Published: February 4, 2010
By Kurt Metzger The stories of out-migration: From Michigan, from metro Detroit, and from the City of Detroit – have dominated the headlines since the early part of the last decade. United Van Lines reported that their Michigan activity was dominated by outbound trips – 68 percent of all Michigan-related moves. This was the highest outbound share [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

SPECIAL REPORT: Benchmarking the economies in "Big Ten" college towns

By The Center for Michigan | Published: December 17, 2009
By Melissa Preddy Nine months ago, Tera Johnson officially launched a dream, presiding over the first shift at her new $14 million Wisconsin Specialty Protein whey-processing plant in Reedsburg near the University of Wisconsin. Next month, Johnson’s “Teraswhey” brand of protein supplements will hit the shelves in 200 Whole Foods markets nationwide, and her factory will produce [...]
Also posted in Economic Development, Fresh Thoughts, K-16 Education | Comments closed

SUCCESS STORY: Michigan agriculture continues to grow

By The Center for Michigan | Published: December 17, 2009
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest in our continuing series of stories about what’s working well in Michigan and its economy. As a boy growing up on an Isabella County farm, Randy Recker knew he wanted the same life for himself as an adult. “It gets in your blood,” said Recker, 57, talking on his cell phone [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

MichiganNow gets a new look

By John Bebow | Published: December 17, 2009
Imagine. Create. Prosper. That’s the slogan for Michigan radio journalism ace Chris McCarus and his new MichiganNow.org web site. Chris is a journalism pioneer who lives to tell the rest of us about Michgian pioneers. Check out his new site to hear and see compelling stories on Bill Milliken, Jr.’s efforts to make real estate thrive in Ann [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

New momentum for Michigan arts

By John Bebow | Published: December 3, 2009
After suffering years of state funding cuts, Michigan’s arts and culture sector is rallying for a comeback. ArtServe Michigan, the state’s leading arts advocacy voice, is hailing a new ticket tax bill introduced in the State House last month by Rep. George Cushingberry, chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Cush’s bill would create a 2 percent tax [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed

SPECIAL REPORT: Other states find answers to arts funding woes

By John Bebow | Published: November 13, 2009
By John Foren A holiday production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol has been scrapped, but the spectre of Scrooge still seems to hang over the BoarsHead Theatre in downtown Lansing. It is a day after BoarsHead’s board cited battered finances in deciding to cancel the play, lay off all employees and hopefully re-open next year. The theater [...]
Also posted in Fresh Thoughts | Comments closed