NMU Alumnus Howard Schultz Starts New Program, Fixing Michigan’s Property Tax System, Masks in Our K-12 Schools, NMU Faculty and Admin Reach Tentative Agreement

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on September 13, 2021.

NMU Alumnus and Starbucks Founder Starts New Program

Howard Schultz the founder and former CEO of Starbucks has founded a new education website, Backto.Biz. Its purpose, according to Schultz, is to “reignite America’s entrepreneurial fire.” The website has hundreds of video lessons aimed at helping small businesses recover from  the pandemic.

Fixing Michigan’s Property Tax System

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan (www.crcmich.org) has issued a new report entitled “Michigan’s Overlapping Property Tax Limitations Create an Unstable Municipal Finance System.”

It can be found at www.crcmich.org and is well worth your time to read. The report says “Michigan has some of the strictest property tax limits among the states. Its status as the primary revenue source for local governments has contributed to building pressure on taxpayers. Taxpayers react to that pressure with limitations to lessen the overall burden and to improve year-to-year predictability in tax bills.”  

It concludes with “Local governments are overly dependent on property taxes and no changes to the tax limitations are going to fix that. Diversification of the revenue sources would provide the stability of property taxes and the responsiveness of sales or income taxes to the economic activity that characterize your counties.”

You will find lots of interesting data and facts about local government financing and taxation and creative ideas that might improve the situation we all live in our communities. Go to their website and take a look.  

Masks In Our K-12 Schools

Even with no statewide mask mandate, an increasing number of school districts are requiring masks in school.

About six in ten school age children will be wearing masks in school. We are told that nearly 20 of Michigan’s 83 counties now have countywide school mask mandates (as of 9.2.21).

That number seems to increase every day. How about your school district? Let us know about mask and/or vaccine mandates in your school district.

NMU Faculty and Administration Reach Tentative Agreement

This week both sides of the bargaining table announced that they have reached a tentative agreement and are going to a vote of the faculty and then the NMU Board of Trustees. Lots of details completed and negotiated. Watch for the vote.  

Quotes That Make Us Go Hmmm

“We don’t get to choose our own sunset.” Unknown.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

“I’m madder than a boiled owl.” Congressman John Dingell.

How Are We Doing?

We are eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and our articles, podcasts, videos and research. Please send them to david@ruralinsights.org

Like Whispers?

If so, please forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up on our website:  www.ruralinsights.org.

Afghanistan

Our nation lost more than 2,400 military in Afghanistan. Each of them are heroes and patriots. As are each of the thousands of military women and men who served in Afghanistan and thankfully came back home alive.

3400 plus contractors lost their lives there also.

Over 20,000 Americans were injured there. Tens of thousands of Afghans were killed and wounded.

We spent more than $1 trillion during nearly two decades of conflict.

Two Republican and two Democratic Presidents have been in office during this 21 year war.

The women and men who served there and lost their lives there are overwhelmingly from our middle and lower economic class. Very few elites in DC, in corporate America, in the media or in other US sectors served there. Very few in Congress. Very few from the so-called 1%.

Just some thoughts from a veteran as we watch/hear about the situation in Afghanistan.

LOOKING AT THE MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT

Lots written these days about what new has happened at the Michigan Supreme Court and what improvements are occurring.

However when observer says it is interesting that while the rest of government is focused on diversity and inclusion, this court is all white and all urban/suburban.

The Michigan political parties nominate people to the court and they run for election statewide. So they are responsible for who is nominated. They nominate people they think can win and that means the candidates come from the most populous areas—urban and suburban Michigan. It is confusing with that said why both parties do not think about racial and geographic diversity on the court.

How do we reform this process and how do we make the court more inclusive and more diverse? Amend the constitution? Or the political parties do their job and focus on their nominating process and focus on the inclusion and diversity issue in the judiciary.

CLOSER LOOK AT THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY

Has the judiciary become the branch of government whose power has become overbearing on the other two branches—unequal power. State and local judiciaries. The Founding Fathers established three equal branches of government. Has the judicial branch become too powerful? Does it need more oversight?

Many are taking a look at term limits for the federal judiciary. Offering ideas such as a twenty or twenty five year term for all federal judges. Argument is that most federal judges at all levels, including the US Supreme Court, don’t get appointed until they are over 50 years of age, so a twenty year term puts them in their seventies at the end of a life time appointment with term limits they would be in their seventies. So these advocates say “enough ready”.

All of this talk of change in the judicial branch of government at the federal level may take constitutional and statutory changes.

Veteran Food Cards, UP Citizens Appointed to Boards, HIPPA Law and Vaccination Privacy, Mandating Masks in UP Schools, Digital Media in the UP

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on July 26, 2021.

This Week in Rural Insights

Our lineup this week includes a fascinating article on microbreweries in the Upper Peninsula by Michael Broadway, where he discusses how small beer producers in the UP have been able to find success despite an overall national decrease in beer consumption, in part by appealing to regional and cultural aspects unique to the communities they operate in.

Watch for this article on Wednesday morning.

Veteran Food Cards Available

News from VCAT–Veterans Community Action Teams. $50 value for purchasing food. Must have proof of military service. Available while they last.

To apply, dial 211 Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm EST.

Once connected, they will begin the process with you. Again, you must provide documentation of military service and identify food as a need.

If you hear of other programs to help veterans with food needs, homelessness and health care, please let us know and we will get it out on our website.

Upper Peninsula Citizens Appointed to Boards

The Governor has appointed four Upper Peninsula citizens to state boards and commissions this past week.

It is important to have UP voices and rural perspectives on appointed boards and commissions as well as serving in civil service positions (including high-level appointed executive branch positions).  So each of these positions are important to all of us, and if you see any of them say thank you for giving up their time and treasure to serve.

Dennis Smith of Marquette was appointed to the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging.

Carolyn S. Dale of Sault Saint Marie and Catherine Quayle of Gwinn were appointed to the Michigan Board of Real Estate Appraisers.

Nathan Demers of Engadine was appointed to the Residential Builders and Maintenance and Alteration Contractors Board.

All four of the above are subject to the advice and consent of the Michigan Senate.

HIPPA Law, Privacy, and Knowing If One Is Vaccinated

HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) “prohibits health professionals from revealing your medical records, but it is perfectly legal to ask whether someone has been vaccinated.” (NYT, 7.24.21).

According to I. Glenn Cohen, an expert on bioethics and health law, “Whenever anyone says to you HIPPA prohibits asking them, ask them to point to the portion of the statue or regulation that prohibits it. They often won’t be able to do so.”

It seems that nothing in the law prevents requesting someone to show whether they have been vaccinated or not according to these experts in this topic area. Some state laws have been passed across the nation that deal with this issue at a state and local  level.

Many Whisperers have pointed this out to us and that our local schools, colleges and universities could ask for this proof if they so wished. Same for other types of organizations and for employers wanting the information from employees (although it might be prevented in collective bargaining agreements).

Mandating Masks in UP Schools, Colleges and Universities

Throughout the Upper Peninsula, local schools, colleges and universities are discussing requiring students to have the COVID vaccine and/or wear masks while at school if they want to attend classes this semester.

Colleges and universities are worried about what this requirement might do to enrollment levels and whether they could effectively enforce this requirement.

The debate/discussions are hot at family kitchen tables, churches, synagogues and at the grocery stores. Seems everywhere you go people want to discuss this–sometimes civilly, sometimes not so much.

What do you think?

Things You Are Required To Do In America

Whisperers have pointed out to us that there are lots of things you are required to do by law in America.

Among them are: pay taxes, register for the Selective Service (currently males only, although the Congress is considering an amendment to the law to include all females), have automobile insurance to drive, not use controlled substances or alcohol and drive, attend K-12 school and get miscellaneous mandated vaccines for school attendance, etc.

Some states have laws mandating car seatbelts, speed limits on highways, marijuana use, etc. Not on the federal law list is mandating COVID vaccines or wearing masks.

What do you think about this list from Whisperers as we debate vaccines and masks in our communities?

Digital Media in the Upper Peninsula

This past week, journalist Brian Cabell wrote in his hugely-popular digital newsletter, Man About Town, that: “Continuing conversations about increasing, financing, and better organizing digital journalism in Marquette. Several players here–Word on the Street, Marquette Today, Rural Insights, Marquette Music Scene and Man About Town, among others. Digital is clearly the future of local journalism (few folks under 40 are buying the Mining Journal)–WLUC smartly grabbed a huge chunk of the online readers, but there’s a thirst for more than just the straight news…. Stay tuned.”

We agree with Brian and are participating in those conversations. They are important conversations and must have broad participation in the Upper Peninsula.

The New York Times wrote recently that “hundreds of new digital ventures and newsletter experiments have launched at the local level. But many of these efforts are bootstrapped.”

“More than half of our membership has two or fewer employees for their whole company, says Chris Kewson, executive director at the trade group LION (Local Independent Online News).”

As Brian Cabell points out above, we have several digital newsletters and news services in the UP. They are engaged in the “new journalism” here in rural America just as is happening in urban/suburban communities.

Let us know what you think about all of this. What digital news options in your communities are we missing and what should we be paying attention to as we have these conversions?

Tell us about them.

Books Recommended by our Readers

“The Dock Porter.” A Mackinac Island Novel. Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone. 2021. A novel about life in the Upper Peninsula.

“FBI Files Michigan. Tales of a G Man.” Greg Stejskal. 2021. Written by an FBI agent who spent his entire career in Michigan and worked on some of Michigan’s most famous and intriguing cases.

Quotes That Make You Go Hmmm

“We may come to America on different boats, but today we are all in the same boat.” Congressman John Lewis.

“Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left to combat it.” President Thomas Jefferson.

RURAL INSIGHTS →

Fee will feature each week the column by David Haynes called Whispers that originally is published on Rural Insights. www.ruralinsights.org

Read More

Child Care Tax Credits in Mail, Rocket Launch Opposition in Big Bay, Affording Basic Necessities in Michigan and the UP, National Service, and Drug Deaths in America

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on July 19, 2021.

This Week on Rural Insights

You will find some interesting articles this week on our website. On Wednesday we are featuring an article by Michael Broadway on the UP’s farming revival, and on Friday we’ll be posting a new Rural Voices piece.

Make sure to subscribe to our email list and follow us on our Facebook page to get our latest updates.

Child Care Tax Credits in Mail to US Families This Past Week–Impacts UP Families

As we have written in Rural Insights, Upper Michigan families are confronting huge child care costs. It is one of the largest contributing factors to child poverty and family financial distress.

Our research (you can find it here) shows how expensive child care is in the Upper Peninsula–if you can even find availability. Often child care expenses in our communities are larger than home rental expenses or mortgage payments.

Nearly 90% of families will get checks of about $300 per child per month through this tax credit. It will be deposited in their bank accounts by the federal government.

Single parents with incomes up to $112,500 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 are eligible.

We are hearing from UP families that this new family program will make a huge difference in their economic lives and in the living conditions of their families. We heard the same all across the peninsula.

Experts estimate that this new tax credit could reduce child poverty in America by 50%. We will have to wait to see how this all goes in the coming months and years.

Rocket Launch Opposition in Big Bay and Along County Road 550

You see an increasing number of yard signs like the one above as you drive along Marquette County Road 550 and also spread around the beautiful city of Big Bay–an area that would be near the rumored launch sites.

No signs supporting it yet, but opposition seems to be growing–at least by counting yard signs. Obviously not the best estimator, but no voter poll is yet available. There is also said to be a launch site in Chippewa County.

What are your thoughts on this project?

Affording Basic Necessities in Michigan and in the UP

Michigan Futures Inc. produced a study that says in Michigan 38% of Michigan households could not afford basic necessities. You can find the study under our In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) page. The study has county-by-county data.

In the Upper Peninsula, the percentage ranged from a high of 54% to a low of 34%. Issues like child care, housing costs, health care costs, food etc. all impact these numbers.

Is National Service an Answer to Division in America?

I listened to a commentator this week lamenting the division in our country and how we need to start a conversation about what it means to be a citizen in this nation and what our common values are.

Another talked about the declining number of citizens who give national service to our country as part of their citizenship. This may include service in the military, Peace Corp, Teach America, etc., she said.

We do have a declining number of Americans volunteering for national service including military service.

The number of people volunteering for military service is the lowest in decades. Very few of these volunteers come from families of the 1%, 5% or even 20% of top incomes. Data shows that very few of the volunteers come from elite families or elite universities.

Someone observed to us last week that maybe that is why our national elected officials are so quick to get into wars–most of them never served and very, very few of their children have served. We now have in our history the lowest number of members of Congress who have served in the military.

For us in the Upper Peninsula we have a very large number of veterans living amongst us and the tradition of military service continues in our UP families. The same is true for service in other national service options–the UP still has a higher number of citizens serving.

Service to one’s nation is still crucial to a thriving democracy and to citizenship.

Drug Deaths in America

93,000 Americans died in 2019 from drug overdoses–mainly opioids. This staggering number was sort of lost in all the important reporting on COVID deaths.

Drug losses show a growth in fentanyl and opioid use. It is reported that deaths from methamphetamine and cocaine also grew in 2019. We are looking at impact on this awful problem in the Upper Peninsula.

Let us know if you have information and/or experiences in your community.

Books Recommended By Our Readers

Say Nothing by Patrick Keefe.

Quotes That Make You Go Hmmm

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” Maya Angelou.

“Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breath the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we all are mortal.” President John Kennedy, commencement speech at American University in Washington, D.C. June 10, 1963.

“It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place.” Lewis Carroll, in Through the Looking Glass. 1872.

A Belated Happy Fourth, Upcoming Articles, UP in The Atlantic Magazine, American Rescue Plan, and Thoughts on American Culture/Democracy

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on July 12, 2021.

A Belated Happy Fourth of July

We did not publish during the holiday weekend. So we will take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Fourth of July and hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend.

Lots of community events throughout the Upper Peninsula, fireworks and tons and tons of tourists.  

This Week in Rural Insights

Watch for very interesting research on child care in the Upper Peninsula by NMU student researcher Max Steele.

We will also feature a multi-part historical article on the UP’s Blaney Park. This article is by Upper Peninsula historian and attorney Ted Bays.

You will find both pieces educational and fascinating.

Atlantic Magazine and the Upper Peninsula

We think it’s a first that an international magazine has an article that features a state Senator from the Upper Peninsula. The article has received national attention.

The article is about the work of a state Senate Committee that conducted an extensive investigation into voter fraud in Michigan in the 2020 Presidential Committee. The chair of that committee is Senator Ed McBroom of Vulcan.

They found no fraud that would have changed the election results in Michigan and recommended continuing work to improve election security in Michigan. The Republicn Senate Majority Leader and other elected people praised the work of the committee, of Senator McBroom and the work of the committee.

However, the former President of the United States, Donald Trump, criticized the work of the committee, Senator McBroom and the results of the report. He asked his millions of followers to contact the Senator from the UP and complain/protest.

Thus far, lots and lots of folks have praised the work of the committee and its leader Senator McBroom. In any case, the Upper Peninsula is in the news worldwide.

Counties and American Rescue Plan

Millions and millions of dollars are flowing into the Upper Peninsula and other regions in Michigan and across the nation. Lots of plans for that money. Let us know what you think about your county’s plan to spend this new money.

We will soon have a report on how it is being spent in Upper Michigan.

What are American Values? Upper Peninsula Values? Thoughts on the State of American Culture/Democracy

“Are we now the same state as we were in the 1850s? Has our politics become a religion?  Have we broken into groups with our own beliefs, own prophets, our own books versus a democracy of people with common values, faith in our institutions allowing all to join us if they have these beliefs?” This quote from Jon Meecham.

Interesting questions about our democracy. What do we in the Upper Peninsula think are our common values and thoughts about citizenship? What do we think will be required to bring us together as a nation and as communities of Americans?

What innovative ideas and suggestions do you have? Send them to us and we will take a look and publish some of them. Try to keep submissions under 500 words.

If you want to write a long article about this topic and the people of the Upper Peninsula, please let us know and we will send you the requirements for an article. What do you think? 

Quotes

“The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” George Orwell.

“That’s as useless as side pockets on a cow or feathers on a fish.” Congressman John Dingell.

Books Recommended By Our Readers

First Friends. Gary Ginsberg. 2021. (A non-fiction book about the personal friends that most influenced individual Presidents of the United States.)

Firekeeper’s Daughter. Angeline Boulley. 2021 (A Michigan thriller about an Ojibew teen who must root out the corruption in her Sault Saint Marie community. Has been #1 on the New York Times best seller list and will soon be adapted by Netflix for TV. From Bridge Magazine Book Club recommendation.)

This Week’s Lineup, Alzheimer’s Info for Veterans, University Boards Oversight, McBroom’s Election Fraud Report, and Tourists Flood UP

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on June 28, 2021.

THIS WEEK IN RURAL INSIGHTS

You will find some interesting and new information of importance and of interest to people in our Upper Peninsula.

Please remember to check our website www.ruralinsights.org or our Facebook page on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This week we will feature a report on hidden homelessness in the UP by student researcher Max Steele and an overview of the Sasawin Safe Haven in Marquette and Alger counties by Maggie Morgan.

INFO FOR VETERANS

The Alzheimer’s Association has an important virtual forum scheduled for tomorrow from 5pm to 6:30pm ET.

It will focus on resources available at the VA Medical Center with information about Alzheimer’s and caregiver support. This is an educational event for veterans, family members and caregivers.

To register for this virtual event call 1-800-272-3900, which is the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 helpline. They will give you a Zoom link to take part in this virtual event.

FEDERAL AND STATE PUBLIC POLICY UPDATE:

UNIVERSITY BOARDS OF TRUSTEES OVERSIGHT

We are still receiving feedback from readers about the issue of oversight by a state board of some sort to monitor what university boards are doing and not doing, conflicts of interest, spending of public money, tuition increases, partisan politics by the boards etc.

Many responses have suggested how to accomplish this, and 99% have been supportive of the idea. Most say the state legislature and the Governor should begin some sort of discussion about this issue.

We will keep you posted.

MICHIGAN SENATE RELEASES ELECTION FRAUD REPORT

The Michigan Senate Oversight Committee “conducted an eight month investigation into the election which involved 28 hours of public committee testimony and a review of thousands of subpoenaed documents.” (Detroit News).

The Oversight Committee is chaired by the Upper Peninsula’s Senator Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan).

The McBroom report said there was “no evidence presented at this time to prove significant acts of fraud.” Also said there were election process issues for the future that needed to be addressed.

Former US President Mr. Trump then “targeted” Senator McBroom and Senate Majority Leader Shirkey, according to the Detroit News, and called nationally for his supporters to call the offices of the two Michigan Republican Senators and object to the report.

Mr. Trump said his supporters should “get them to do the right thing or vote them the hell out of office.”

The Michigan Senate Majority Leader, Mr. Shirkey released a statement praising the work of Upper Peninsula Senator McBroom and his Senate Oversight Committee.

So there you have it–some national news with the Upper Peninsula in it.

SUMMER TOURISTS FLOODING INTO UPPER PENINSULA

Whisperers from all over the Yoop this week have been telling us about the thousands of tourists in their local communities visiting local tourist attractions and local restaurants. All good news for businesses throughout the UP.

They also tell us that posted signs at every local restaurant and bar all around the Upper Peninsula saying they are hiring–waitpersons, cooks, dishwashers, etc., etc.

They just cannot get enough employees to fully staff up their businesses. Same for other local retail outlets.

We are hearing reports of local businesses offering between $15-18 per hour to attract employees. We also hear that some businesses have not raised hourly wages during this summer season.

A couple of businesses have told us that if you want more employees you will have to pay higher hourly wages. Others have said they just cannot afford to pay higher wages and that many small businesses may go out of business because of this wage issue.

What is the automobile plate from the state furthest away from the UP that you have seen in the UP so far this summer?

On a personal experience level, this past Saturday we ventured out for breakfast in Marquette. Wait times were as high as 50 minutes and every restaurant we checked out was jammed.

Whew. Welcome to summer in the Yoop. Tourists welcomed.

BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY READERS

The Narrow Corridor–What makes Nations Succeed. Daron Acemoglu. 2020.

The Undocumented Americans. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. 2020.

Do you have books to suggest to us and our readers? Please send us the titles, author names and publication dates.

Send them to david@ruralinsights.org. None of the book suggestions we publish are endorsements of the book or the author, just suggestions for you to consider.

QUOTES THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMM

“Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip. Winston Churchill.

“Your goal is not to be torn down, it’s to be destroyed each time by something larger than the thing that destroyed you the last time. “ Austrian poet Rilke.

“Equality is the ardent insatiable, eternal and invincible meaning of democratic societies.” Alexis de Tocqueville (his observation after visiting the young US in the 1830s).

New Podcast and Video Interview, NMU Board Member Declares for State Rep Seat, State News Updates, and NMU Board Member Op-Ed in Detroit News

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on June 21, 2021.

THIS WEEK IN RURAL INSIGHTS

This Wednesday and Friday watch for a podcast/video with from Sault Ste. Marie City Manager Brian Chapman and Marquette County Administrator Scott Erbisch and an article on the Earned Income Tax Credit and its impact on federal/state revenue and on poverty. In the coming weeks we will feature a podcast/video interview with Representative Sara Cambnsey (D of Marquette). Lots more coming in our new podcast/video series during the summer months. 

NMU BOARD MEMBER DECLARES FOR STATE REP SEAT

Jason Morgan announced that he will run in 2022 for the Ann Arbor 53rd State House District seat that will be vacant due to term limits. Morgan will run as a democrat. He is the former Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. He is also an alumnus of Northern Michigan University.

STATE NEWS UPDATES

HB 4985: A House bill that says the state will control short term rentals in local communities, not local communities. There is a Senate bill that is similar. The legislation takes away local control, say many local government leaders throughout the state.

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION REFORM BILL IS REPORTED OUT OF COMMITTEE GIVING RURAL COMMUNITIES A VOICE ON THE SBE–AN UPDATE

The Senate Education Committee reported out Senator McBroom’s bill to reform the election process for the State Board of Education by creating 8 districts, including one that has the UP and 27 counties below the bridge in once district. The bill would provide rural representation on the board. 

Currently seven of the eight board members are from southeast Michigan while the eighth member is from Saginaw. No rural counties are represented. 

Advocates for the bill say that children from rural K-12 districts deserve a voice on the board.

NMU BOARD MEMBER PENS OP ED OPINION PIECE IN DETROIT FREE PRESS

Donna Murray Brown is the CEO of the influential Michigan Nonprofit Association. She wrote:

“In 2018, voters passed an amendment to Michigan’s Constitution, establishing the Michigan Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission (MICRC). Michigan citizens have a historic, first-time ever opportunity to actively participate in the process of drawing new district lines that will govern where they vote and influence the kind of candidate who will represent them. This process is called redistricting — it happens just once every decade, and it is happening right now in Michigan. It is a nonpartisan, transparent and fair and open process.”

No Upper Peninsula residents serve on the Michigan Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission.

QUOTES (That make us go hmmm):

“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” Albert Einstein.

“You only live once, but if you do it right once is enough.” Mae West.

BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY OUR READERS:

Doom. Niaal Ferguson. 2021.

New Podcast Featuring Bay College President, Jump Start a Heart, Crocs and the UP, Pastivism, and Copper Harbor Visitor Explosion

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on June 14, 2021.

This Week on Rural Insights

Watch this week for another new video and podcast.

Wednesday we will feature the President of Bay College, Laura Coleman. President Coleman is one of the most respected community college leaders in Michigan and across the country. Lots of interesting information about higher education in the UP and in Michigan.

Also, on Friday another feature by the UP’s historian, Dr. Russell Magnaghi. He will continue his series on Gender and Factory Work in the UpperPeninsula.

Jump Start a Heart

Marquette County’s Sheriff, Greg Zyburt and law enforcement leaders are raising funds to purchase new AEDs for all of the police agencies in Marquette County that need them.

The current ones are antiquated technology–20 years old–and the batteries can no longer be purchased. A good cause, and who knows–one of us may need this new technology to jump start our heart.

If you’re interested, please contact a law enforcement office in Marquette County. If other UP counties are doing the same as Marquete, let us know and we will feature it next week. This is a life-saving effort.

Crocs and the UP

A couple of Whisperers have told us that they are seeing a very high number of out-of-state car license plates all across the UP. A welcome sight here. Others humorously told us that they are spotting a lot of folks wearing crocs with a new fashionable look.

Who knew? Well, it turns out that crocs are not just popular with our tourists and locals, and not just with us “aging” folks. Crocs are now the eighth-most popular brand among US teenagers, according to a Piper Sandler survey.

Okay Yoopers, be a fashionista and wear crocs downtown, to church or anywhere you want. They are “in” and you can look cool wearing them, according to an article in the Washington Post. 

Pastivism

Another new international trend that is part of UP life. The popular Upper Peninsula culinary delight is served everywhere you look in the UP. Well, our popular pasty was in the news at the G7 conference of world leaders held in Cornwall, England.

So, what is pastivism you ask?

According to an article in the NY Times, a local Cornwall activist along with his activists friends put dozens of crocheted versions of Cornwall’s most famous dish, the Cornwall Pasty, all around the G7 conference.

Each of these crocheted versions of the pasty carried a message about the climate crisis stitched on them. The messages on them included “earth’s crust is burning” and “no pasties on a burning planet”. A new form of activism featuring the UP’s most popular meal. 

Are we going to see UP activists crocheting all across our 15 counties with their favorite message to the world? Maybe an explosion of knitting and crocheting in the UP?

Copper Harbor Explosion of Visitors/Tourists

Copper Harbor has a year-round population of about 85 people. It’s a small town that attracts small numbers of visitors because of its friendly locals and beautiful surroundings.

Well, that small town and small number of visitors is now a thing of the past. Local folks were thrilled when 44 people signed up to take part in the Flat Tire Bike Festival in 1998. Twenty-three years later and the mountain biking tourist business has exploded. 

Bridge Magazine reports that on “any given summer weekend, thousands of bikers stream into Copper Harbor. The Flat Tire Festival, since renamed the Bell Copper Harbor Trails Fest, is now a massive event.”

Hotels, campgrounds and restaurants fill up with visitors who have been willing to travel vast distances to take part in this amazing event. These visitors are a great boon to not only Copper Harbor but to the entire UP, as they also make stops along the way in the UP as they travel to Copper Harbor. A win-win. 

Book Recommendations by Readers

This week: not a book, but an essay to recommend. “Politics and the English Language.” George Orwell. This essay is often cited as the best guide to writing non-fiction. 

“Shirice’s Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman” (A Children’s Book) Congresswoman Sharice David. 

Quotes (That Make You Go Hmm)

“Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.” Walter Cronkite.

“Be sure you’re right and then go ahead. Davy Crockett.

Tips, Leads, Articles and Suggestions

Do you know something that you think our readers would like to know about? Well, send us an email and let us know. Same with any book recommendations, especially books about the Upper Peninsula and/or rural life.

Also–are you interested in writing something for Rural Insights? We love citizen journalism. That is why we started this effort. Send your thoughts, ideas and articles to david@ruralinsights.org.

News for UP Veterans, US Census and First District UP, Wolf Hunting, Short-Term Rentals, and 70,000 Degrees Through Michigan Connect

The following was originally published by David Haynes at https://ruralinsights.org on June 7, 2021.

News Just for UP Veterans

This info is from Mike Rutledge, Veterans Coordinator at NMU. Thanks Sarge.

“If you are a veteran and you used Chapter 31 (voc-rehab or VRE) and had your Chapter 33 (Post-911 GI Bill) reduced at the 1:1 month rate, your Post-911 GI Bill has been restored due to a new law that was made retroactive. So, you may be able to continue your education with Chapter 33.” 

Good news for veterans. Check it out.

US Census and 1st Congressional District/UP

Recently-released census numbers seem to indicate that the UP will have less of a voice in selecting the 1st Congressional District candidates.

Population numbers growing in the downstate portion of the district would indicate a larger portion of the district will be made up of downstate communities than Upper Peninsula communities–in population.

Also reapportionment might change the configuration of the downstate portion of the district. More to come on this issue.

-NEWS FROM LANSING-

Wolf Hunting and UP

A bill has been introduced in the Michigan Senate by Senator Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) that would require each member of the state’s Wolf Management Advisory Council to be from the UP.

This council advises the state Natural Resources Commission on wolf management policy, including whether to allow hunting. UP lawmakers have long complained that since UP residents must live alongside wolves, they should get more say over the state’s wof policies than Lower Peninsula residents.

Downstate advocates have argued that all Michigan residents should have a voice in this issue.

Whisperers tell us that this argument by downstate residents does not seem to apply to the makeup of the State Board of Education and the State Supreme Court. Both of these bodies have no members from the Upper Peninsula or any other rural area of the state.

The State Board of Education has a huge impact on the education of young people in rural areas, but only urban and suburban voices serve on the SBE. Same with the State Supreme Court and justice issues for UP residents and other rural areas. So back to wolves.

Senate Bill 446 and Short-Term Rentals: Local Control Versus State Control

Local leaders in the UP tell us that this legislation would make short-term rentals subject to state law and take away local control of this issue.

Many UP communities already have local ordinances to control/regulate short term rentals in their communities. Many Whispers tell us that this issue should be controlled locally and that local control of issues should not be diluted by state law.

If you are interested in this issue, take a look at this bill in the legislature. 

70,000 Set to Receive Degree Through Michigan Connect

Watch for our interview with Bay College President Laura Coleman about this issue, and more about the role Bay College plays in educating young people and other adults in the Upper Peninsula.

It is a very interesting conversation. Watch for it in the coming weeks on our website under the Video and Podcast tabs. 

“Michigan Connect enrollees will receive an associate degree or skills certificate tuition free through this program. To be eligible for the reconnect program a person must be at least 25 upon application, have lived in Michigan for more than a year, have a high school diploma or its equivalent and must not have completed some form of a college degree” (Gongwer News Service).

Quotes (That Make Us Go Hmm)

“Not every change will be without grief. But humor and intellect help.” Former US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. 

Books (Sent To Us By Our Readers)

“7 Ways To Change The World.” Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of England. 2021

This Week on Rural Insights

Remember to check in with Rural Insights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for latest Rural Insights news and articles. This week we will feature a very interesting video/podcast interview with the UP’s Senator Ed McBroom.

You have to listen to the very end to find out his answer to the question of whether he will run for Governor in the next election.

It is a very interesting answer and interview. You can either watch it as a video or as a podcast. You choose. We have several new Podcasts coming up in the next few weeks.

“The Overbuilt Campus”, from Axios. 9.21.19

Universities and colleges in the U.S. have been renovating and building up their aging campuses in hopes of wooing a dwindling number of students to enroll, Axios' Marisa Fernandez writes.

The big picture: Higher education institutions are banking on returns on these investments, but student enrollment has been trending downward for 8 consecutive semesters, shuttering 11 universities this year. 

  • "25 more are anticipating either closing or consolidating in the next four years," Education Dive reports.

What's happening: Investment in existing higher education facilities was at an 11-year high in 2018, according to a report last year by Sightlines that pulled data from more than 360 campuses.

  • Driven by ultra-low interest rates in recent years, colleges and universities borrowed a record $41.3 billion through municipal bonds (their principal source of debt funding).

  • That’s up from $28.7 billion a decade ago. 

But the traditional revenue model of enrolling more students isn't supporting the new investments because of broader trends in the U.S., including a booming economy, a low birth rate and fewer international students.

Higher Education Funding Proposal Inadequate, BUT

This funding level of 0.09% is not adequate and not reasonable. However,it might be time to rethink how we organize, govern and operate higher education in Michigan. Time might be ripe for reform, but funding levels like this are not right and not adequate.

https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/michigan-gop-proposes-09-funding-boost-colleges-and-universities

State Government Shutdowns Looms

October 1st starts a new Michigan fiscal year and we do not have a new budget approved by the Legislature and theGovernor. The legislature is back from its two month summer break and the countdown starts today. Who will blink first? Will they find a compromise? Or will we have a government shutdown?

https://www.gongwer.com/programming/blogindex.cfm?postid=113101