Well, here's Six Things You Don't Know About Michigan. Favorite: #4 Michigan Has Two Peninsulas: Lower and Crazy

Lessons About Grand Rapids Gang Life
Grand Rapids WZZM TV-13 reports on a presentation in Adelante High Scool that seeks to educate students about the violence and consequences of gang life with representatives from the police, prisons and a former gang leader who will also discuss issues with students.

2005 State of the State Address Online
The full text of Governor Jennifer Granholm's 2005 State of the State Address is available online.

Metro Detroit Job Sprawl Among Worst in Nation
The Detroit News reports that a study by the Brookings Institution has found that jobs in Metro Detroit sprawl across the suburbs more than almost anywhere else in the US, isolating many African-Americans from potential employers.
Detroit News Special Report: The Cost of Segregation

New Workers' Privacy Legislation Drafted
OccupationalHazards.com reports that Michigan state Senator Virg Bernero is drafting legislation that would make it illegal for employers to make hiring and firing decisions based on a worker's smoking preference. The bill says you cannot fire a worker for engaging in legal activities outside their workplace unless they directly infringe on ability to perform your job or there's a conflict of interest with the organization and was prompted by the decision of Okemos-based Weyco to no longer employ smokers.

New Ash Tree Removal Program to Help Combat Ash Borer
The Detroit Free Press reports that the state of Michigan has a new plan under which local governments and residents can get ash tree removal rates $100-400 less than normal. The ash tree removal program is open to municipalities in the 20 counties under state quarantine to try to contain the spread of the emerald ash borer (a bright metallic green, wood-boring beetle).

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