Hope For The Future by Flint Foto Factory

Last week Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Michael Brown as the emergency manager for the city of Flint under Public Act 4. A state-appointed review panel recommended a state takeover for the city of Flint, citing recurring cash flow shortages and other financial deficiencies. Flint had an estimated $15 million deficit in 2010 and is projected to have a $7 million deficit in 2011. The Flint Journal explains that:

Brown is under no illusion that fixing the city's long-standing financial problems will be an easy task.

"I know it's a major challenge, there's no glossing it over," Brown said hours after his appointment was announced by Snyder's office. "I think there's a long road ahead and we've got a lot of work to do."

Under state law amended in March under Snyder's administration, emergency managers can strip local elected leaders of their power and have unilateral authority to cut pay, outsource city services, merge departments and, as a last resort, change employee contracts.

Flint Emergency Manager Michael Brown

Brown eliminated pay and benefits for the mayor and Flint City Council, ousted numerous appointees of Flint Mayor Dayne Walling and also canceled City Council meetings until further notice. Brown was interim mayor for six months in 2009 and is the current President of Prima Civitas and director of the Flint Area Reinvestment Office which he founded.  He will receive a salary of $170,000 for the position. There's a special page now on the City of Flint website where you can view orders of the Emergency Manager.

You can hear an interview with Michael Brown from Michigan Radio and also a series of video responses from Cindy Shafran's blog.  Follow the discussion at Flint Talk and check out more stories from Flint on Absolute Michigan.

In 2002 the state took over Flint, and Engler appointed Ed Kurtz who issued over 120 directives during his 2 year tenure. Last week the state also took the first steps toward a takeover of Detroit, and Jack Lessenberry notes that the Michigan Emergency Manager law may be placed on hold due to a ballot measure. You can also hear Jack Lessenberry's thoughts on the Flint and Detroit takeovers and hear what Mayor Dave Bing and other Detroit officials to say about that and share your thoughts below.

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One of the many encounters listed on Steve Cook's great website took place in the summer of 1938. 17-year-old Robert Fortney was fishing on the banks of the Muskegon River near Paris, Michigan when a pack of what appeared to be large feral dogs emerged from the woods:

Fortney remained silent, but the sensitive noses of the dogs quickly picked up his scent. Since he had been small game hunting earlier in the day, Fortney had his loaded rifle nearby. As the dogs approached, they assumed the group posture of a pack on a hunt. Fortney picked up the gun and fired a shot into the air.

The dogs cringed and turned to slink back into the forest, all except one: a huge black dog with unusual eyes.

"They were blue," said Fortney. "What kind of dog has blue eyes?" The big dog and Fortney considered each other for a long moment, less than ten feet separating them. Fortney fired another shot over the head of the strange dog. Then to Fortney's shock and amazement, the black dog stood up on two legs and cast a glare that sent shivers down his spine.

"It reared up on its hind legs and stared at me," said Fortney in a phone interview in 1987. "It may be that I was just scared, but I swear that dog was smiling at me."

Click for many more encounters and also check the website for details on a DVD to be released in 2012. Don't miss another pair of tales from Weird Michigan's Linda Godfrey of the Dogman at Fayette and the Dogman in Washtenaw County & near Bay City.

Profits from Cook's sales of Dogman merchandise support AC Paw, a no-kill animal rescue program that specializes in animals that have been injured, abused, or neglected. Click their logo for details.

The Dogman legend has grown over the years, and soon Michigan filmmaker Rich Brauer has just wrapped up the filming of "Dogman" which will be released soon. In a nice feature in today's Detroit Free Press, Brauer opines:

"Every culture has a mythical woodland creature that they blame stuff on. I don't know what it is about people that they want to blame stuff on something like that. There's an inherent imagination that people have, especially when they go in the woods and start to hear things and their hair stands up on the back of their head. ... It might turn out to be a chickadee on a stick, but up until that moment, it was something huge."

The photo to the right is a scene from the filming - click to read more at the Brauer indie films blog and definitely stay tuned to Absolute Michigan for more on the film. If you have a story of the Dogman, you can share it with Brauer & Steve Cook this Saturday - click here for details & appointments. Here's Cook's song ... Happy Halloween!

Looking for more? “Ghost” on Absolute Michigan brings up a graveyard full of spooky stories including the rowdy ghosts of the Fenton Hotel and the Ghost of Minnie Quay. The Great Lakes State even has its own cryptid, the Dogman. For more on the Dogman and many more scary stories, turn to Linda Godfrey’s Weird Michigan, a compendium of strange tales from all across Michigan.

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Brother Nature Produce Urban Farm
by Michigan Municipal League (MML)

A couple of weeks ago NPR Weekend Edition had an interesting feature on urban farming in Detroit:

Detroit is a surprisingly green landscape during the spring and summer months. The site of many houses that are crumbling, boarded up or missing altogether is tempered by community gardens and even some urban farms.

There are some serious urban gardeners in this country, but few can match the agricultural output of Paul Weertz.

"I farm about 10 acres in the city, and alfalfa's my thing. I bale about a thousand bales a year," he says.

...Weertz has been buying abandoned homes and vacant parcels in his neighborhood, where lots go for as little as $300. He's been encouraging young people who want to farm to move into the neighborhood. Weertz's neighbor, Carolyn Leadley, runs Rising Pheasant Farms when she's not caring for her 10-month-old son.

"We're definitely micro-farming, but we're making a living off a sixth of an acre," Leadley says. "I've been very pleased — pleasantly surprised at how much I've been able to pay myself per hour. We took on an employee. I'm like, 'OK, We're a real business now. We have to pay taxes and do things right.' "

Click through to listen to the feature and see some photos, and speaking of photos, the MML has several more photos from the Brother Nature Farm in Detroit which is mentioned story. Speaking of Brother Nature, check out this awesome video about Brother Nature Farm!

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For fifty years Canada and the U.S. have been battling an eel-like creature across the Great Lakes. Sea lampreys are parasites that drill holes in fish to feed on blood and body fluids. They often kill the fish. The sea lamprey was one of the first invasive species to arrive in the lakes, and it’s the only invasive to be successfully controlled by humans.

But in recent years, the lamprey has been getting the upper hand in the struggle. As Peter Payette reports there might be more setbacks in the near future:

The mouth of a lamprey. It uses suction, teeth, and a razor sharp tongue to attach itself to its prey... and then it starts drinking blood. Photo courtesy of USFWS

If you’re on a lamprey control team you get to see all the prettiest streams and rivers in the Great Lakes. That’s because lampreys like clean water.

“Part of our problems recently have been some of the streams that were too dirty to harbor lampreys have been cleaned up and now we have lampreys in parts of the Saginaw River. We never had lampreys in that up until 15 or 20 years ago.”

Ellie Koon supervises one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife treatment teams. They spend the warm months killing young lampreys by the thousands.

They treat rivers using a chemical called lampricide. It’s a poison that rarely hurts other fish. In fact, during a treatment the fish get a feast they normally wouldn’t. Young lampreys look a bit like worms at this stage and stay in the mud. But when they’re poisoned they swim out where fish can grab them.

Ellie Koon and one of her team members, Hank Cupp, say fish and other animals in the river pig out.

“You can almost hear the fish burping the day after we treat. You can see them swimming around with lampreys hanging out of their mouths that they can’t swallow.”

These teams can usually kill about 95 percent of the young lampreys in a river. Without this, the Great Lakes would not have a multi-billion dollar fishery today. But in recent years, the fish-killing lamprey has been rebounding in some of the lakes and hurting the fishery...

Much more at Michigan Radio. There was an interesting episode of Dirty Jobs last fall where Mike Rowe spent time with the US Fish & Wildlife Service on lamprey control. You can see all the videos at that link and watch one of them below!

Photos via US Government and Wikipedia's Sea Lamprey entry.

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KALAMAZOO RIVER OIL SPILL by mic stolz

It's been a little over a year since close to a million gallons of oil tar sands oil fouled the Kalamazoo River in Michigan's largest ever oil spill (Wikipedia entry for the spill). The Environment Report from Michigan Radio has an excellent three-part feature titled Life on the Kalamazoo River: One Year After the Spill that explores what life along the river is like for those who have stayed, how the oil is impacting wildlife and the legal action that is underway against Enbridge Energy, the company responsible for the spill. Rebecca Williams of the the Environment Report explains:

It was the largest inland oil spill in Midwest history... but we still don’t know exactly what it will mean for life around the river.

One year ago, a pipeline owned by Enbridge Energy broke. More than 840-thousand gallons of tar sands oil polluted Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River.

People who were there say the river ran black. Turtles, and muskrats and Great blue herons were covered in oil. It’s not clear what all this will mean for the river and the wildlife that depends on it.

Kalamazoo River Oil Spill by The Sierra Club

“It’s really a big unknown. We don’t have much experience with oil spills in freshwater rivers in general.” Stephen Hamilton is a professor at Michigan State University. “This new kind of crude, the tar sands crude oil, with its different chemistry, all makes this a learning experience for everybody involved.”

Tar sands oil is very thick, and it has to be diluted in order to move through pipelines. We’ve previously reported that federal officials say the nature of this oil has made the cleanup more difficult. In fact, the cleanup has lasted longer than many people expected. The Environmental Protection Agency says there are still significant amounts of submerged oil along 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River.

There's much more at the Environment Report.

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Wealthy Theatre, 1936

The Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids turns 100 this year. Located at 1130 Wealthy Street, the theater was constructed in 1911 for vaudeville and live theater, later becoming a neighborhood movie house. During World War I, the Wealthy served as a warehouse for the Michigan Aircraft Company and in the 1960s is was the only regional venue for foreign films.

The theater closed in the late 1970s and remained empty for over 25 years before the South East Economic Development neighborhood association launched a capital campaign to fund its restoration. The Theatre re-opened in 1998 as a community arts center and has helped to spawn a renaissance of the entire Wealthy Street business district. (check the video below for the astounding before & after photos!)

Streets of Grand Rapids by RichardDemingPhotography

In 2004, the Theatre closed and sought a nonprofit partner who could commit to the continued growth of the theatre. The Grand Rapids Community Media Center (CMC) rose to the challenge, and with a successful capital campaign was able to acquire the Wealthy and make critical improvements including a concert sound system,  new projection screen, a micro-cinema space and repainting, upgrades and renovations throughout.

In addition to providing a modern and comfortable venue for performance and film, the Wealthy Theatre is home to CMC projects including GRTV Television and  WYCE-FM Radio.  Absolute Michigan is excited to be helping the Wealthy Theatre mark 100 years and also to present some of the amazing projects that the CMC is involved with.  This weekend, our Driving Michigan crew including host Seth Bernard will be visiting with the crew at the CMC/Wealthy to learn about what they do and how and why they are doing it!

This Saturday night at 6:30 PM you can enjoy a very special night of music and memories, as  Seth Bernard (and friends) pay tribute to the best of Cat Stevens. This concert is a fundraiser for the Wealthy Theatre Centennial Sustainability Campaign, which celebrates the 100th birthday of Wealthy Theatre with greening and technology upgrades as a means of historic preservation. You can learn about and donate to the Sustainable Centennial campaign right here.

PS: Tonight they are screening the classic film Harold & Maude which of course features the music of Cat Stevens.

Visit grcmc.org to learn much more about them including their services for nonprofit organizations including media production, website creation and social media training. Now check out this cool before & after video!

Wealthy Theatre Before & After from Wealthy Theatre on Vimeo.

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Vineyard by ramjetgr

Michigan Radio Morning Edition host Christina Shockley is asking those in the know What's Working in Michigan? There's no better time to take a look at things that are already happening to improve our state's economy and our lives. Here's a snapshot of a few of the voices:

Linda Jones, the Executive Director of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council on Michigan Wine: Success in a Bottle: "It combines our second and third largest industries: agriculture and tourism. Michigan is a long-standing fruit-producing state, especially on the west side of the state, but increasingly throughout Michigan we are planting wine grapes with new varieties that are being developed."

jibba jabba scribba scrabba rail jam 17 by emperley3

Scott MacInnes, the City Manager of Houghton on Turning winter in the U.P. into a tourist destination: "People around here live up here because they enjoy the weather. We do three or four special events in the downtown. We have Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival, which is a huge mid-winter festival for us up here. So we just have a lot of neat activities going on that really make the winter go by fast and make it enjoyable."

Rick Wilson, Heritage Sustainable Energy on Wind energy takes off in Michigan: "One of the things that I like to think, and that I believe, is that it's a homegrown source of power that is critical to our everyday lives. Traditionally, here in Michigan, 80 percent, I think, of our power, especially in Lower Michigan, is coming from large, somewhat archaic (not all of them, but, you know) coal-fired facilities. They may not even be located in Michigan. Some of them are located down in the Ohio River Basin and Indiana and surrounding states. So, to have, not only renewable generation here in our home state, but also just power that's generated right here in our back yard is something that's important for us as a community and as a state."

Read more stories from Michigan Radio and post what you think is working below!

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Cafe Society portrait by William Hosner

Jennifer Goulet, president of Artserve Michigan says that art can be a concrete economic development tool (ArtPrize anyone?) and create cities where young, talented professionals want to live. She explains:

Arts and cultural institutions, attractions, museums, galleries, concert halls and so forth contributed 15% of the state's cultural tourism revenues - it was 1.8 billion dollars. More than golf courses. And I think putting it in that context, that's a major contributor to the state.

All of those businesses are adding jobs in local communities. Those are all job-holders that are paying taxes locally and at the state level. They are people who are buying groceries, and buying gas, and shopping in their local communities.

In this fantastic documentary, Michigan Radio Arts & Culture Reporter/Producer Jennifer Guerra talks with all kinds of people from Dan Austin of the website Buildings of Detroit about the some of America's finest architecture and the phenomena of "ruin porn" to Traverse City artist Bill Hosner who started a cool Café Society project that uses art to create scholarships for baristas in Northern Michigan.

One of the many artists interviewed was cellist Andrea Moreno Beals of Breathe Owl Breathe. She kicks this video off and you should check it out as well!

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Here's that post from Michigan in Pictures...

Martin Luther King and the Great March to Freedom in  Detroit

I have a dream this afternoon that my four little children, that my four little children will not come up in the same young days that I came up within, but they will be judged on the basis of the content of their character, not the color of their skin.

I have a dream this afternoon that one day right here in Detroit, Negroes will be able to buy a house or rent a house anywhere that their money will carry them and they will be able to get a job.

~Martin Luther King, June 23, 1963 Detroit, Michigan

The quotation above comes not from Dr. Martin Luther King's famous speech, but rather from the massive Walk to Freedom that happened 2 months earlier in Detroit.

There's a few pictures of the march at the Detroit News including this shot of the crowd on Woodward Ave from above (sorry – no direct link scroll down and look for it)

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by Bob Garrett, Archives of Michigan

The Green Hornet's car, the Black Beauty. Photo by Bill Johnson. Taken at San Diego Comicon, July 2010

This weekend, the Green Hornet “flies” on to the silver screen. Seth Rogen will portray the latest incarnation of this beloved hero.

While the character may have a new coat of paint, his roots run fairly deep. They go back to 1936 – and a radio station in Detroit, Michigan.

A New Masked Man

By 1936, Detroit radio station WXYZ had already impacted popular culture. Three years earlier, WXYZ president George Trendle had developed a radio show about a new Western hero. This hero was the Lone Ranger. Now, Trendle wondered if lightning could strike twice.

In his memoir WXYie Wonderland (An Unauthorized 50-Year Diary of WXYZ Detroit), Dick Osgood describes the Green Hornet's beginnings. Osgood notes that the Lone Ranger appealed to children. According to Osgood, Trendle now wanted a radio program for “young people who are about to vote.” Osgood explains that this new program was to feature a modern-day hero who exposed corrupt office holders. Thus, the Green Hornet was born!

Family Business

The Green Hornet – like the Lone Ranger before him – wore a mask. The two heroes also shared a common surname. The Lone Ranger's real name was John Reid. The Green Hornet was the alter ego of newspaper publisher Britt Reid. The two masked men were, in fact, related (The Hornet was the Ranger's great nephew.).

Both also preferred “colorful” modes of transportation. While the Ranger rode a horse named Silver, the Hornet owned a car called “the Black Beauty.” Kato, his valet and sidekick, drove.

A closer look at the Black Beauty

Kato

In On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, John Dunning states that Kato was “a master chemist” who created “gas guns and smoke screens” for the Green Hornet. Dunning also describes Kato as “blessed with keen intelligence” and “an expert in the secrets of Oriental combat.”

In the program's earliest years, Kato was identified as Japanese. Dick Osgood notes that Kato “changed miraculously overnight from Japanese to Filipino” after the United States entered World War II. According to Dunning, this isn't completely true, as “Kato was described as a Filipino of Japanese descent at least two years earlier.” Regardless, Osgood states that Raymond Toyo Hayashi, the Japanese actor who provided Kato's voice, “disappeared.” Osgood speculates that Hayashi may have been placed in a wartime internment camp. Regardless, Osgood recalls that “no one at WXYZ ever saw Raymond again.”

From Then Until Now

The Green Hornet radio program ended in 1952. In 1966, a Green Hornet television series debuted. Van Williams performed the title role, and Bruce Lee played Kato (Lee, of course, later became a star of martial arts films, including Enter the Dragon). The show ran for a single season but many viewers recall it fondly.

Of course, even cancellation can not stop the Green Hornet and Kato. As the two prepare to ride on the big screen, Michigan residents can feel a special tinge of pride. It all began, after all, with one radio station in Detroit!

Absolute Michigan's Green Hornet page contains a link to original Green Hornet radio programs. There is also a clip from the Van Williams/Bruce Lee tv series!

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Sometimes you have to lead trump, and the best site for Michigan election information is publius.org. The site is fantastic resource. If you go there and enter your name as it appears on your voter registration,   you can see your actual ballot! Ballots have links to the candidate's web site, information about the ballot measures, the salary the candidates will receive if elected and their campaign finance reports! You can even see the location of your polling place and even what machine you'll be voting on and how it works.

The Secretary of State's Election page has a lot of information as well including lobbyist disclosures. Another resource to track the influence of lobbyists and campaign contributions is the Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN). You can get the details on candidate and party spending from MCFN, and their overview notes:

Competition for control of the Michigan House of Representatives is nearly dead-even in campaign finance terms. However, in the contest for control of the Michigan Senate, Republicans have raised twice as much money as Democrats, they've already spent 60 percent more money than Democrats, they have twice as much cash on hand as Democrats, and party support favors Republicans by a wide margin.

...The RGA Michigan PAC, a creation of the Republican Governors Association, has given the Michigan Republican Party $4,036,000 since August 31st, which has, in turn, been spent as independent expenditures supporting Republicans and opposing Democrats. The Michigan RGA PAC has taken in $8.4 million this year, a record for a Michigan PAC, and it reports a cash balance of $1.3 million. The political parties are not required to file any form of balance sheet, so it is impossible to determine what sort of cash reserves the MRP has.

The Center for Michigan has been delivering excellent coverage of Election 2010 including their guide to the race to become Michigan's Governor. You can watch the only debate between Democratic candidate Virg Bernaro and Republican candidate Rick Snyder there or at MIvote.org. Billed as your video guide to the election, MIVote brings solid information to the table about the issues and they also offer a chance for ordinary folks to upload their video thoughts on the election.

mLive's Politics & Elections section is a solid resource and the Freep and Detroit News have their sections as well. You will also want to tune into Michigan Radio's 2010 Election coverage for stories and a look at Proposal 1 asking if the Michigan Constitution should be revamped. Proponents cite our restrictive term limits, tax structure, school funding and the large number of units of local government. Those opposed list re-opening issues already decided by voters, the cost of a constitutional convention and the uncertain climate that such a convention would create for schools and job providers.

The blogs tend to be more partisan, but they also tend to provide livelier reading. On the left side of the aisle, there's MichiganLiberal.com, Blogging for Michigan and the Michigan Senate Democrats blog. On the right, the Michigan Republican Party blog, Right Michigan and Republican Michigander. Somewhere in the middle is my personal favorite, Jack Lessenberry.

We'll close with the recent Gubernatorial Candidate Forum on Michigan's Economic and Environmental Future with Virg Bernero and Rick Snyder presented by the Michigan LCV Education Fund, Detroit Free Press, Michigan Radio and ConservAmerica. It's about 1/2 hour and well worth your time. If there's anything we missed or something you have to say about the 2010 elections, post them in the comments!

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"Detroit Industry" - Detroit Institute of Arts
( Diego Rivera ) by DetroitDerek

All week Absolute Michigan is talking about Detroit. With a wealth of museums including the Detroit Institute of Art, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, lots of public art and sculpture, artist venues like Detroit Artists Market and art schools such as the Detroit School of Art through Detroit Public Schools, the College for Creative Studies, Detroit definitely has a strong tradition in the arts. Detroit just wrapped up their annual Gallery Week, but you can get a sense of where the galleries are and what they're doing at Art Detroit Now.

One factor that is overlooked but is contributing to a resurgence of art in Detroit is how affordable real estate is in the city. A prime example of what this allows is the 2.2 million square foot Russell Industrial Center was built in 1925 and designed by famed architect Albert Kahn. It served the auto and other industries for over half a century. In 2003 it was purchased by Dennis Kefallinos and has been transformed into one of the largest art/small business facilities in the Midwest, housing over 150 commercial tenants: architects, painters, clothing designers, glass blowers, wood craftsman, metal sculptors, graphic designers with space for hundreds more.

The quotation above comes from a Michigan Radio feature exploring how artists are finding affordable space in Detroit. Hear the full interview above or watch most of it with a slideshow below!

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Garden for Patricia by pairadocs

Absolute Michigan is featuring ArtPrize, the world's largest public art competition that takes place in the city of Grand Rapids through October 7. One thing I found when I was there this weekend was that there was so much to see that I felt a little lost. We've put together these links to help you see what you need to see!

The ArtPrize site lists the Top 25 works - you'll probably want to check as many of those out as you can. Personally, however, I found a lot more works that didn't make the top 25, or even 50. They have a cool feature called Mixed Reviews that shows works that have a lot of "up" and "down" votes (sumo wrestling amphibians anyone?).

mLive has probably the best ArtPrize coverage. Here's their must-see ArtPrize entries and also a cool look behind the scenes art ArtPrize exhibition centers. I've also enjoyed Rapid Growth's art prize features. The ArtPrize blog has some good stuff as does ArtPrizeGR. Michigan Radio has a nice feature on the opening of ArtPrize, which one Grand Rapids leader says "is better than the Super Bowl."

#ArtPrize on Twitter is a great place to find out about art scattered around the city and what people are thinking about it. Today I learned about an Ernie Harwell inspired painting, how ArtPrize is filling hotel registers and this cool video of a little kid playing one of the "Play Me" community pianos. Over the weekend I learned about the mean but funny site, ArtPrize Worst (where I learned that next year ArtPrize will become DragonPrize and that someone stole Jim Morrison's head for a mermaid).

You Are Here by thomasgvsu

ArtPrize app for iPhone was pretty useful for finding venues. Speaking of phone apps, you can use the SCVNGR app for iPhone or Android to explore ArtPrize. Much more about getting around ArtPrize on Absolute Michigan.

There are a number of photographers in the Absolute Michigan pool on Flickr have been posting some great photos from ArtPrize, and the Official ArtPrize group on Flickr has nearly 10,000 photos and they're holding an ArtPrize Photo Contest!

There's a lot of video out there including a nice montage and a closeup look at one of my favorite entries, Jeff Zimmerman's mural on the Kendall School of Design. My favorite is the video that photographer Brian Kelly is producing for ArtPrize. You can see them all on the ArtPrize channel. Blast off with Rocketman Jimmy Descant:

Much more ArtPrize coverage on Absolute Michigan.

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The other day Ferris State President David Eisler dropped by Absolute Michigan Radio the other day to talk about new programs the university is offering, in Big Rapids and at locations around the state of Michigan.

Ferris is the fastest growing public university in Michigan right now. Listen to learn about how they're doing that through partnerships with community colleges, online education and specialized degrees like music industry management, cyber-security and alternative energy that are available through FSU and build upon needs and assets in communities around the state.

Play: Ferris State University NMC Summit
(click title to listen)

With: David Eisler

Sponsored by: Absolute Michigan

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Today we're bringing you a whole lot of information about a Michigan landmark that is very near and dear to my heart: Sugar Loaf Mountain in Leelanau County. I am indeed a Sugar Loafer. I grew up skiing there, worked as a lift operator and was taken for thousands of dollars in services rendered but never paid for by the last management company to run the resort and was one of the leaders of a movement to try and acquire the resort as a community ski area. That effort was halted when the current owner, Kate Wickstrom purchased Sugar Loaf.

Since then, the resort has lain dormant. Then, about a month ago, Liko Smith emerged on the scene as a potential savior for the resort. Close on his heels were a slew of stories and accusations that have made many question whether we're climbing back on the merry-go-round of disappointment that has become synonymous with the name of Sugar Loaf. Today I'd like to present for your consideration a wide range of information including an interview with Mr. Smith on Absolute Michigan Radio co-sponsored by Traverse Legal, so that you can come to your own conclusions.

Play: Extreme Entreprenuer Reopens Sugar Loaf
(click title to listen)

With: Liko Smith

Sponsored by: Absolute Michigan , Traverse Internet Law

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Jacob Wheeler of the Glen Arbor Sun has a feature looking at Liko Smith, his business connections and what it would take to resurrect the long-beleaguered ski resort:

Michael Berry, President of the Denver-based National Ski Areas Association, thought that reopening Sugar Loaf was entirely possible. Berry guessed that one could acquire new ski lifts and snowmaking equipment at Sugar Loaf for $4-5 million, and satisfy insurance company standards within two or three months (there are only two or three players in the industry).

...But one ski expert at a Midwestern resort, who asked to remain anonymous, doubted Berry's optimistic prognosis for Sugar Loaf, and estimated that it would cost at least $10-15 million to buy equipment, make snow, and open the hills. He added that Smith would have to order lifts by next month, or there would be no way to get them in time for next winter.

...“Sugar Loaf would have to pull skiers away from (nearby resorts) Crystal Mountain, Nubs Nob and Boyne. … The market isn't getting any bigger. Sugar Loaf would have to draw from the existing players.”

Click through to read more and other coverage from the Glen Arbor Sun.

If you'd like to meet Liko and hear more about his plans, there's a $100 Quad Fund mixer at Red Ginger in Traverse City. More about that and more from Liko at likosmith.com. (hint: click the "Friends of Sugar Loaf" for some interesting reading and insight into Liko Smith and the feeling in the community).

You can find more discussion about this on Leelanau.com which has followed the saga of Sugar Loaf for a decade, but by far the most active discussion has taken place in the Friends of Sugar Loaf group on Facebook.

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George Kell Ernie Harwell 1961, photo by doctor_gogol.

For, lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land
~Ernie Harwell quoting the Song of Solomon (listen)

April 9 was Ernie Harwell Day by decree of the Michigan Senate. More below

UPDATE: APRIL 10: Friday was also the Detroit Tigers home opener against the Cleveland Indians, which the Tigers won, 5-2. Here's the awesome boxscore from Baseball Reference - seriously, it's a baseball geek's dream. Ken was at the Comerica along with Tim the Tool Man Tiger, Scott Sizemore, a sellout crowd of   45,010 and the rest of the 2010 Detroit Tigers - here's his slideshow from Opening Day 2010.

Ernie Harwell's Farewell Address - a must-watch!

The Detroit News Rearview Mirror on Ernie Harwell writes that the Baseball Hall of Fame and longtime Detroit Tigers announcer was born on January 25, 1918 in Washington, Georgia, was so tongue-tied as a youngster that kids made fun of him and became the only broadcaster ever traded when the minor league Atlanta Crackers traded him to the Brooklyn Dodgers for farmhand Cliff Draper.

In 1950 Harwell was lured to the rival New York Giants, where one year later he broadcast the debut of Willie Mays. From 1954 to 1959, Harwell was the voice of the Baltimore Orioles.

George Kell was finishing his Hall of Fame career as a player with the Orioles, and one day Ernie invited him into the radio booth. Kell later landed a job with the Detroit Tigers and in 1960 the Detroit club signed Harwell to become Kell's partner. "It's the best move I ever made," Ernie said. "I've been very happy in Detroit."

...Baseball author Bruce Shlain reflects: "Somehow he brings the proper pitch and phrasing to a whole season, with a rhythm and pacing that only a select few have ever commanded. In many ways a Harwell broadcast is profoundly musical, as befits a man who has published 55 songs with composers such as Johnny Mercer. Many an announcer has aspired to sounding as if talking to a friend in his living room, but Harwell effortlessly establishes the same rapport on the air as he does in person."

Be sure to check out this shot of Ernie & George Kell out bigger and see more in Doctor Gogol's Stadium Workers set. In honor of Ernie and the home opener, I suggest you settle back and watch the Tiger Briggs Stadium Detroit slideshow.

Check out more Detroit Tiger features on Michigan in Pictures and play ball!

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We're live at: #ttmi

Had enough wine?? by pipefiddle

Next Tuesday (April 13, 2010) at 8 PM EST you can join Michigan by the Bottle for their Tweet & Taste with Shady Lane winemaker Adam Satchwell, a master sommelier and several Michigan wine bloggers to explore a select group of wines from Shady Lane Cellars and share tasting notes and impressions on Twitter. To participate, all you need to do is pick up the three wines (Shady Lane Cellars 2008 Dry Riesling, 2008 Blue Franc, 2007 Pinot Noir) at your local wine shop or online at Shady Lane Cellars (1 cent shipping through April 13) and then log on to Twitter Tuesday night and share your impressions using the #ttmi hash tag.

If you're in the Traverse City area, you can also join Absolute Michigan beginning at 7 PM on Tuesday at our new offices at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons for our "tweet-in" with winemaker Adam Satchwell! We're located right next to Salon de Capelli in Building 50 (we promise Google will have us mapped soon) and you can call us at 231-421-1172 if you get lost!

Speaking of Traverse City and Michigan by the Bottle, tomorrow night (Friday, Apr 9) from 6-9, they will be doing a podcast taping and interview   (see Facebook for the details) with owner/wine-maker Bryan Ulbrich. There will be some tasty food for snacking along with $3 pints of Cinnamon Girl Hard Cider and $3 glasses of new release Riesling MD from the big tank in their tasting room. The Wurlitzer will be on free play all night and who knows - you might become a star in the Michigan by the Bottle taping!

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...the Green Hornet was one of the first masked costumed crime fighters, making his radio debut on January 31, 1936 - seventeen days before The Phantom started gracing newspaper comic strips and about six years after The Shadow came to radio. His crime fighting efforts were not exactly liked by the police, who viewed him either as a meddling amateur or outright criminal. In future years, popular heroes such as Spider-Man walked a similar path.

The Hornet was the brainchild of Fran Striker and George W. Trendle, the team that had brought us The Lone Ranger exactly three years before the Hornet, with both shows originating on Detroit's WXYZ radio station. The similarities went one step further, in that the Hornet was the secret identity of newspaper publisher Britt Reid, who was the Lone Ranger's nephew Dan Reid's son.

Reid was helped by his trusted butler and sidekick Kato. In the original storyline, Kato was a Filipino of Japanese descent, but as the 1930's brought conflict with Japan, his character was altered and said to be Korean. This was especially critical when two movie serials were released in 1940 as America was weighing entry into World War II.

The crime fighter's prime means of locomotion was a powerful sedan called the Black Beauty. When the show began, the producers used the engine sound of the so-called "world's quietest car", the Pierce Arrow, for the Beauty. Kato was the car's chauffeur in addition to his other duties.

The radio show lasted until 1952, eventually being syndicated on The Mutual Network and the NBC Blue Network, which became ABC. Al Hodge originally voiced the Reid/Hornet character and Raymond Hayashi was Kato.

You can listen to a number of the original Green Hornet radio programs from at the Internet Archive and get more about Wikipedia's entry on The Green Hornet. Although this fight scene from the Green Hornet TV show has no real Michigan tie-in, it does have Bruce Lee!

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Gray school1 by wardmac

The Detroit Free Press reports that a group called Save Our Schools Michigan (SOS Michigan) is predicting a bleak future for Michigan schools:

Michigan public schools will lay off thousands of employees and more than 100 districts could be insolvent if the state doesn't find a way to plug a $400-per-pupil funding shortfall in funding next year.

That assessment comes today from a coalition of education groups that urged the Legislature to resolve what they call a school funding crisis by July 1, the start of a new fiscal year for schools.

Save Our Students (SOS), a coalition of 17 associations that represent school and school officials statewide, released results of a survey of 300 of the state's 540 school districts that paints a bleak picture of 4,000 additional layoffs statewide next year, school closures and elimination of programs.

The survey indicates 47 school districts could deplete their fund reserves this year, and another 60 to 80 could do so next year...

The Detroit News adds a list of more findings from the survey:

• 85 percent report class sizes will increase due to staff cuts and closing schools.
• 83 percent will freeze salaries and benefits for some or all employees.
• 76 percent plan to combine services with other districts to cut costs.
• 56 percent will reduce or eliminate extracurricular activities.
• 53 percent will cancel orders for major capital spending.
• 46 percent will reduce or eliminate bus transportation for students.

I hate to say it, but Michigan's elected officials have been turning a blind eye to this brewing storm for years. Don't believe me? Here's Jack Lessenberry from 4 years ago:

Someday we may find leaders who have the vision and courage to fix it, but in the meantime, we need to avoid destroying public education in our state.

We still haven't found leaders with the courage to make the hard choices, and Jack's still writing.

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Michigan Central Station by MikeRyu

On Saturday about 4000 extra people dropped by Michigan in Pictures. The impetus was a New York Times story on Michigan Central Station. Although the Detroit City Council voted to demolish MCS last year, a massive budget hole, a lawsuit, and new council members who aren't quite as bulldozer-happy:

“I don't want to bulldoze it, then find out later there could have been a viable use for it,” said Charles Pugh, a newly elected member who took over as Council president in January.

Now preservationists, business owners, state leaders and community activists are taking what feels like a last stab at saving the 97-year-old building before it goes the way of New York's Pennsylvania Station or, more locally, Tiger Stadium and countless other pieces of old Detroit that have fallen to the wrecking ball in recent years. Among the recent proposals have been to turn the cavernous brick, steel and stone facade into an extreme sports castle; a casino; a hotel and office park; a fish hatchery and aquarium; an amphitheater; or a railway station again, with high-speed trains.

Just Another Sofa on the Streets
of Detroit by Cherie S.

While the story didn't have anything new for people who've been following the sad saga of Detroit's largest ruin other than a link to the Michigan Central Station Preservation Society, it does provide a nice lead-in for another national story. Last week in Examining Data That Would Downsize Detroit, NPR reported that with a quarter of Detroit's 350,000 buildings vacant or in shambles, Mayor Dave Bing wants to reshape the city by getting rid of them and relocating residents who live in desolate neighborhoods, saying it's too expensive to provide city services in areas that are like urban deserts. Bing's proposal is based on data collected by demographer Kurt Metzger, director of Data Driven Detroit, who explains the data:

"We had surveyors go out and actually collect information in every single parcel in the city of Detroit. And just to give you the real quick analysis, we found better than a third of the land - and that's of 139 square miles - we estimate better than a third of the land in the city of Detroit is either vacant land right now or contains buildings that need to be torn down. It's amazing. I mean, New Orleans is about 70 square miles. We're talking that better than 40 square miles, better than half of New Orleans is vacant land.

Now, of course its interspersed around the city, so that's where the issues about going into neighborhoods where there's a lot of vacant land. But a lot of one or two homes still left on streets. These are neighborhoods that are going to have to be gone into and trying to think about how do we start to move people into other areas."

An effort like this was discussed in Flint, but according to an article on mLive that contrasts the response of Flint & Detroit to population crash, Flint is no longer planning to do neighborhood relocation.

You can learn much more about Michigan Central Station on Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures, and check out the Michigan Central Station slideshow from the photographers of the Absolute Michigan pool.

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In our first Absolute Michigan Radio feature co-sponsored by Traverse Legal, we talk with Traverse City Chamber of Commerce director Doug Luciani about Pure Michigan and its impact on Business.

If you're supportive of Pure Michigan, please call your lawmakers today! Here are links to the Michigan House of Representatives, Michigan Senate and Michigan Governor!

Childs Play by Arace

Play: AbsoluteMichigan Radio - TC Area Chamber of Commerce President Doug Luciani on Pure Michigan Campaign Funding
(click title to listen)

With: Doug Luciani

Sponsored by: Absolute Michigan , Traverse Internet Law

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Photo: You with the camera, enough pictures!! by Daylily18

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This holiday we thought we'd record a couple of Christmas songs with this talented group of friends to share with you all. It's a project we've all talked about for years, but something about 2009 made us all a little more thankful than ever for each other and spurred us to action. Maybe it's the ugly economy, an uglier war, the ugliest Detroit Lions…swine flu, who knows. Perhaps it was simply an excuse to make time out of our increasingly busy lives to celebrate our friendships and simply be together.

Happy holidays from Absolute Michigan!

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"I am standing awkwardly by caterpillars

Over half of all Michigan's public university graduates leave the state within one year of graduation. Michigan Radio Intern Lauren Silverman will probably be one of them. Lauren has launched a new series for Michigan Radio called Generation Y Michigan that explores why young adults in Generation Y are or aren't leaving Michigan. You can hear them during Morning Edition (M-F, 5-9 am) and All Things Considered (M-F, 4-6:30 pm) throughout the following several weeks.

In addition to the on-air features, there's also a blog at GenerationYMichigan.org where listeners can discuss this issue, take part in polls, and view supplementary articles, photographs and essays on the topic. It includes great features like Where Generation Y Is Headed and Why They Leave. In addition to Lauren's posts, there are also some from guest bloggers. I thought it was pretty cool that I found a now generation Y student from my hometown asking provocative questions about whether you actually leave Michigan, even when you do:

...Exposure to other environments should not be confused with brain drain. Michigan needs people who care about it but who also have perspective about how things are done in other cultures outside of Michigan, no matter how close or far.

In my opinion, convincing native young minds to stay might not always work. But travelers from distant places should know that Michigan offers opportunity. I can't put my finger on it, but I've sensed it more and more over the past few years. There's a burgeoning energy here. The cost of living isn't bad, and we have at least one of everything! If it's intelligence you crave, Ann Arbor was named the 4th smartest city in the U.S. in 2008 by Forbes.com. If it's natural beauty you want, we have 3,052 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. When you're in Michigan, it's hard to get more than a few hours away from any one of the lakes.

Furthermore, Michigan stays with you as you go. Everyone I speak to who leaves misses it. Michigan invites your return. Even if I leave after I graduate, Michigan will stay with me.

We'll close with a cool slideshow about why they leave and urge you to visit generationYmichigan.org for much more!

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Photo: You with the camera, enough pictures!! by Daylily18

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Not the Upper Peninsula, but the Northern Peninsula. by Jenna Belle

NPR ran a special series a few weeks back exploring the culture, traditions and economy of Michigan's Upper Peninsula that we felt was worth bubbling back up. In addition to the articles there are also audio pieces worth checking out in - Michigan's Upper Peninsula: A Trip U.P. North.

Articles

Often Left Out, U.P. Ducks Michigan's Worst Woes

If there's a Michigan map in your mind, it probably looks like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula — separated from the rest of the state by the Great Lakes — often gets left off the map entirely. While that can be irksome, the remote nature of Michigan's northern section can also insulate it from the rest of the state's economic distress.

Initially, Michigan's Upper Peninsula

This week's puzzle is in honor of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Because U.P. is short for Upper Peninsula, each answer has "U" and "P" in it. The first clue is: "U" and "P" are the initials of a common two-word phrase naming something holding a street lamp. What is it?

Pasties: The Meaty Center Of 'Yooper' Food

The meat turnovers were brought to Michigan's Upper Peninsula by immigrant miners from Cornwall, England. "Yoopers" — the local population — are very opinionated about them. A pasty isn't just a meal — it's a heritage. Here's the recipe, too.

In Michigan's U.P., Visitors Welcome, Just Don't Stay

Folks from Michigan's Upper Peninsula — or "Yoopers," as they call themselves — want you to know how lucky they are to live in such a beautiful place, how hard it is to do that, how their jokes about themselves are funnier than anything you've heard — and why you shouldn't move there.

Audio and transcripts from the series

What's A Yooper? [5 min 20 sec]

The people of Michigan's Upper Peninsula are nicknamed Yoopers. Weekend Edition Host Liane Hansen explores what defines the Yooper identity.

U.P. TV Anchor Moonlights At Target [4 min 39 sec]

Host Liane Hansen profiles TV Anchor Vicki Crystal of Marquette, Michigan. Crystal not only works as a full time anchor and reporter, but she also works part-time at Target.

Iron Mine At Core Of U.P. History, Culture [7 min 52 sec]

Host Liane Hansen visits the Cliffs Natural Resources iron ore mining operation near Ishpeming Michigan. Mining has long been a part of the U.P. economy, and Cliffs has been operating there since 1847.

U.P. County Tops State Unemployment Rate [3 min 56 sec]

Michigan's Baraga County has the state's highest unemployment rate, and at around 25 percent it's the third highest in the nation. Host Liane Hansen speaks with Baraga Village Manager Roy Kemppainin.

The Civil War That You Never Heard About [2 min 15 sec]

Stories about war are common. Unusual is the true story of an American war with no casualties. One of the spoils of the Toledo War was the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. And the early 19th century combatants were the Michigan and Ohio militias. Host Liane Hansen talks to State Representative Mike Lahti about the often-forgotten war.

In Contrast, This U.P. Town Is Thriving [6 min 30 sec]

In a country that's seen its share of downtown decay, central Marquette seems to be thriving. There's a bustling farmer's market, and along Washington Street there are coffee shops and quirky businesses including hockey and bingo supply stores. Host Liane Hansen pays a visit to Getz's Clothiers, a business dating from the 1880's that now draws 80 percent of its sales from online business.

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Photo: You with the camera, enough pictures!! by Daylily18

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Slows by farlane

A few weeks ago NPR had an interesting feature titled Despite Tough Times, Some See Opportunity In Detroit that looked at how Detroit's dramatic downturn has created some amazing opportunities for starting businesses.

Phil Cooley says the city is wide open for new ventures and is tolerant of his mistakes and successes. "It's lovely to be able to afford to do that here, one, because the community is so forgiving. And two, because it's less expensive than other places. So it's affordable," he says.

Music producer Chris Koltay was drawn to Detroit from Cincinnati by the vibrant music scene and the cheap real estate. He says he knew he could afford a whole building. He found one across the street from Slows for just $38,000. The recording studio is packed with guitars, keyboards and microphones.

Koltay has made a loft in the back of the building and for a year lived there without hot water. "It was gnarly, but whatever. Now I'm golden. And it's so wide open, and I think that's beautiful. I've never seen a city that has this kind of opportunity for growth, and I think that's beautiful," he says.

Check out some Detroit commercial real estate listings from Loopnet, follow the Detroit rebirth via Model D and get links from Absolute Michigan's Real Estate & Development section for Southeast Michigan.

Investors find real estate gold in Detroit from CNN explores a similar phenomenon in the Detroit housing market.

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Photo: You with the camera, enough pictures!! by Daylily18

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Photo: You with the camera, enough pictures!! by Daylily18

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