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Michigan History: Bridging the Straits

As early as the 1880s, Michiganians talked about building a bridge across the Straits of Mackinac. When the Grand Hotel opened on Mackinac Island in 1888, railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, a member of the hotel's board of directors,…
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Monday June 18, 2007: Clueless in the Capitol?

In the spirit of Five Things You Need to Know About Michigan, we're going to try to post a more or less daily page that gives you a little idea of what's happening in the Michigan news, events, the weather and on Absolute Michigan. We welcome…
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Michigan's Mackinac Bridge

2007 is the 50th Anniversary of the Mighty Mac. We'll be telling the story of the Mackinac Bridge piece by piece here on Absolute Michigan and on Michigan in Pictures and we'll post links to the photos and stories below. If you have some links…
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Michigan business tax deal reached

Morning Light by curlyson The Detroit Free Press (At last, state has business tax deal), mLive (Finally -- agreement on biz tax) and the Lansing State Journal (Business leaders welcome tax plan) report that Gov. Granholm and leaders of…
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Berrien County, Michigan

Berrien County is located at the southwest corner of Michigan along the shores of Lake Michigan and shares a state border with Indiana. Read on for history and links! St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights Courtest Archives of Michigan Berrien…
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Lapeer: A tale of Two Courthouses

Lapeer County Courthouse by Larry the Biker (click for a closeup of the marker!) In the summer of 1831, brothers Alvin N. and Oliver B. Hart left New York state and headed west in a quest for land. They camped along the fast-moving Flint…
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Lighthouse preservation and the DeTour Reef Light

Interlochen Public Radio's Peter Payette reports that the state of Michigan and lighthouse preservation community have been wrangling for years over the terms for taking abandoned offshore lighthouses from the Coast Guard and preserving them. Peter…
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Exploring right-sized housing in Northern Michigan

Up North, Towns Eye 'Granny Flats' Carolyn Kelly, Michigan Land Use Institute Related feature from MLUI Media: Young People Speak Up for Granny Flats Somehow, it doesn't seem to add up: Northwest Lower Michigan's population is rising,…
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Main Street America coming to Grayling

fabulous grayling. ok. not really fabulous by ArtsyT The Gaylord Herald Times reports that Grayling Township planning commissioners voted unanimously to approve a concept plan for a $161-million, four-season Main Street America theme park.…
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The Mood at Mackinac

Porch of the Grand Hotel by FrancescaM From the Grand Hotel at the annual Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Mackinac Policy Conference (via their "Fresh Thoughts" email), the Center for Michigan gauges the mood of the attendees: GENERAL…
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Rabbits and hats under the Capitol Dome

Michigan Capitol Dome by ratz plt I thought I might wend my way through the analysis of the "balancing" of Michigan's budget but it soon became apparent that there wasn't much to say in favor of what was little more than a cheap accounting…
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Freakonomics author Steven Levitt on Michigan's economy

Freaky Capitol by Andy McFarlane One of the things in the Center for Michigan's weekly email last Friday was a link to Model D's interview with Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt following his talk at Wayne State University. When we…