Michigan History Magazine tells us that on August 31, 1809, Michigan's first newspaper The Michigan Essay or Impartial Observer was printed. Despite promises that the Essay would be printed each Thursday, no other issues were forthcoming.

Gov. Granholm Details 5 Point Plan
The Ludington Daily News has a feature on Gov. Granholm's recent visit to Ludington and details on her five-point plan to improve the state's economy and secure Michigan's growth and place in a new global marketplace. The plan includes restructuring state business taxes to meet present-day economic concerns, the MI Opportunity Partnership to train or retrain unemployed workers, the Jobs Today Initiative to accelerate infrastructure projects, doubling the number of college graduates by back-loading the Merit scholarship and investing $2 billion toward diversifying the state's economy by building on our strengths in the manufacturing and automotive sectors and continuing development in the life sciences corridor. A detailed article and well worth your time

Detroit Most Impoverished City, Michigan Salaries Fall
The Free Press reports that according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, Detroit tops the list of the country's most impoverished cities. The survey found that 33.6% of residents live in poverty and that Detroit is the country's 11th largest city (pop. just over 900,000). The News adds that Michigan is one of 8 states where salaries fell in 2004 - 3% to an average of $44,300.
Also see Report: Michigan paychecks shrinking in the Detroit News

Gas Prices Not Expected to Affect Labor Day Travel
The Lansing State Journal reports that travel experts say soaring gas prices won't stop many Michigan motorists from hitting the road this Labor Day weekend (although these travelers are expected to spend less on souveniers, food and entertainment). About 1.4 million state residents will travel this weekend, the highest since 1.7 million 2001, according to AAA Michigan.

Grand Rapids Schools Get Creative with Busing
The Detroit Free Press reports that Grand Rapids school districts are turning to a variety of experimental solutions to keep costs in check while still getting students to and from class including consolidating or cutting routes, "subscribe to ride" and mileage increasing fuel additives. Although the schools purchase gas tax-free and in bulk, they expected per-gallon costs of $1.45 instead of $2.

Bridge History Lost in Mackinaw City Fire
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that authorities are still trying to determine the cause of a fire Sunday that destroyed the largest known collection of artifacts from the Mackinac Bridge construction. The Mackinac Bridge Museum housed artifacts including drawings and designs of the bridge, documents, photographs, tools used during construction, hard-hats and a diving suit.

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