Thanks to The Great Lakes IT Report, WWJ and Matt Roush for the plug!!

Luring Invasive Great Lakes Species with Pheremones
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium reports that University of Minnesota Fisheries Professor Peter Sorenson has discovered a chemical compound that attracts the Eurasian ruffe, an invasive fish. This could be a breakthrough in controlling harmful fish populations.
Read the transcript of the Peter Sorenson interview at GLRC
Peter Sorenson's Research

Taylor Named Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice
The Detroit Free Press reports that on Thursday the Michigan Supreme Court selected Clifford Taylor to serve as its next chief justice. Taylor (on the 7 member court since 1997) is part of its conservative majority. The article reports that "...critics say Taylor is part of a Republican cadre of justices who have worked to overturn precedent and rule against criminal defendants and plaintiffs suing for personal injury damages".

Ann Arbor Folk Festival - January 28 & 29
The 28th Annual Folk Festival is scheduled for January 28 & 29, 2005 at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor. The lineup includes the Indigo Girls, Glengarry Bhoys, Keb' Mo', Steppin' In It and many more.
Past folk festival performers
Directions & info for Hill Auditorium at the University of Michigan

Michigan Hunter Contracts Bovine TB
The Detroit Free Press reports state health officials said Thursday that a Michigan hunter has been diagnosed with bovine tuberculosis, which he apparently contracted while gutting a deer he killed in October in Alcona County.

Tsunami Relief Scam Warning
The Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services has issued a warning to all Michigan residents to be on alert for scammers who are unscrupulously using the tsunami tragedy in South Asia as a means to cheat consumers.

Read More (external link) »

What's that white stuff falling from the sky this morning???

Deal Reached to Protect 271,000 acres in U.P
The Associated Press reports that two years after losing a bidding war over a mammoth tract of Upper Peninsula timberland, conservationists and state officials have struck a $57.9 million deal that will keep most of the property open for public recreation. The deal is the largest in state history and involves 423 square miles of forests and inland waterways, including more than 300 lakes and 516 miles of rivers and streams. Most of the land is in the northeastern Upper Peninsula, but the deal also includes parcels in Marquette County and near the Porcupine Mountains State Park on the western end.

Governor signs legislation replacing high school MEAP test
The Associated Press reports that Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Wednesday signed bipartisan legislation that will replace the current MEAP high school test in the 2006-07 school year with a version of a college entrance exam, the Michigan Merit Exam.

Storm Hammers Southern Michigan
The first storm of '05 is closing schools, creating driving misery and could leave up to 7 inches of snow in some areas before it tapers off later today.
Freep story on the first winter storm of 2005

Detroit News storm report

Petition for Affirmative Action Ballot Initiative Reaches Goal
The Detroit News reports that the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative whose goal is to ban affirmative action programs in Michigan college admissions and government hiring intends to file petitions today calling for a 2006 ballot proposal.

Naming Michigan's Highways
The Lansing State Journal has a feature on a book that explores the twists and turns of how Michigan's highways and roads. The book "A Drive Down Memory Lane: The Named State and Federal Highways of Michigan" by LeRoy Barnett is available from Wayne State University Press. For example, the Lodge Freeway is named after We have an expressway named after John Lodge, who never owned or drove a car.
Order A Drive Down Memory Lane from WSU Press

Read More (external link) »

Thanks to my daughter Kenyon for contributing the snow boat feature from her Time for Kids magazine...

All Time Low Market Share for Big 3 Carmakers in '04
Today's Detroit News reports that while overall auto industry sales reached a three-year high of 16.9 million vehicles for 2004 (8% increase over 2003), Market share of the "Big Three" carmakers dipped to an all-time low of 58.7%. The share of DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group rose 4% but General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. lost ground.

Motor City Music Conference - April 20-24, 2005
This April, Detroit will rock (and bop & groove) to the beat of 400 bands (40% local) in 40 downtown locations.
Official site motorcitymusic.com (Note: we couldn't reach it this morning!)

Gladwin County Man Invents Snow Boat Recognized by Time Magazine
Harry Haney has built a sled that's also a boat (a great safety feature for ice fishermen). The snow boat is a 14-foot custom-made aluminum craft welded into a standard snowmobile. The prototype has been named one of Time magazine's most amazing inventions of 2004.
Web site for the Snow Boat

Cameras hunt for cougars in Sleeping Bear Dunes
The Detroit Free Press reports that scientists mounted motion-detecting, still field cameras in trees a couple of months ago at five locations around Sleeping Bear Dunes, hoping to catch photos of cougars.
Leelanau.com's "Cougar Thoughts" forum

Architectural History for Sale in Michigan
The Detroit Free Press has a feature on houses designed by the reknown American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Currently for sale in Michigan are the Donald & Mary Lou Schaberg House in Okemos, built 1950 ($1.6 million) and the Eric Pratt House, built 1951, Galesburg, ($375,000). The story also lists 8 other Frank Lloyd Wright Houses for sale in the US.

Read More (external link) »

Where has all the snow gone..?

Lake Michigan Showing Signs of Ecological Breakdown
This year the salmon were biting on just about anything, and commercial fisherman Dennis Hickey says he knows why: They are starving.

Wind Power in Michigan
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium's Chris Lehman has a two part report on wind energy and farms of huge turbines (aka windmills) that are springing in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
Listen to wind farm story (Part 1)

Listen to wind farm story (Part 2)

Read wind farm story (Part 1)

Read wind farm story (Part 2)

Michigan Wind Working Group

Michigan Songwriters Festival January 6, 2005
Some of Michigan's top songwriters (Jay Stielstra, Chris Buhalis, Eric Kelly, Mike Boyd, John Latini, The Great Lakes Myth Society, Dave Boutette), performing songs about Michigan to benefit the Washtenaw Land Trust.

Michigan's Transportation Future Precarious
Booth Newspapers reports that Michigan's current 2009 budget for capacity improvement and new roads is ... nothing. Measures suggested to bring additional monies in include a gas tax hike.

SBC to Enter the Home Entertainment Market
The Detroit News reports that SBC Communications Inc.(the dominant local-phone provider in Michigan) will offer home entertainment including satellite television, video and music on demand through a joint venture with 2Wire Inc.

Read More (external link) »

In the wake of Dan Gilbert's purchase of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Free Press has compiled a list of Detroit are resident who own pro sports teams.

Are you on the list?

Read More (external link) »

Be sure and check the New Michigan Links!

2004 Michigan News in Review
The Detroit Free Press has their 2004 News in Review section with top Michigan stories in a variety of categories. If you missed 2004 (or are feeling nostalgic) this will be especially useful.

Michigan Cities Consider Income Taxes
The Detroit News reports that Michigan cities including Mount Clemens, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor are considering adding minicipal income taxes on residents & businesses to bolster their dwindling coffers. The article also has an online survey.

The Car is the Star
The Detroit News has a feature on Ford Motor Company CEO Bill Ford Jr's journey to Hollywood to work on getting Ford cars & trucks placed in movies and TV shows. The feature reports that efforts to get Fords in movies goes all the way back to Henry Ford.

U of M Falls to Texas in the Rose Bowl
A huge effort by Texas QB Vince Young and a last second field goal propelled the Texas Longhorns to a 38-37 victory over the University of Michigan in Rose Bowl.
Rose Bowl stories in the Free Press
2005 Rose Bowl in the Detroit News

Snowshoeing Gains in Popularity
Steve Griffin of Midland, Mich. is the author of "Snowshoeing." He said the pastime's main appeal is its ease. "If you can walk, you can snowshoe," he said. "I've had six knee surgeries. I can't downhill ski, and I can only cross-country ski a little bit. But I can snowshoe."

Read More (external link) »