Editorial: At last, possibly some good news on the economy

Could the sound of "Lights, Camera, Action" soon be heard in the corners of Northeast Michigan?

It could indeed be a possibility as apparently Michigan's recently enacted incentive package for film producers has many of them interested in doing several productions in state in the months ahead.

Last month Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed into law legislation that would make Michigan the most appealing in the nation for film producers to do business in. While the legislation gives large tax breaks to film companies working here, the experience in other states is that the investment in the state from the industry far outweighs the tax loss.

The Detroit Free Press reported over the weekend that 13 film productions had tentatively signed agreements for the tax incentives with Michigan for their next productions. However, those agreements are not binding and should financing, for instance, not become available, a film company could then back out of the agreement.

Still, having 13 agreements in the first month since the legislation was enacted is an encouraging sign about the possibilities these incentives could create.

Michigan residents have had to endure enough of bad economic news in recent months that positive news like this is very encouraging.