During the late 1960s, the DNR’s Fisheries Division of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) turned an aquatic wasteland into one of North Americas’ most sensational recreational fisheries. In doing so, the DNR harnessed a disastrous alewife invasion and restored a balanced ecosystem ...
Republicans call it the House Oversight Committee. The Democrats label it the House Witch Hunt Committee. For you students of government you know the three branches are supposedly co-equal. The courts have power to review what the other two branches do and the governor and legislature ...
Last week, I attended my nephew's high school graduation. Like most graduations, it was filled with excitement. Proud parents took pictures. Grandparents fought back tears. Friends celebrated together. And at the end, hundreds of caps flew into the air. As I watched those students ...
Last week, I attended my nephew's high school graduation. Like most graduations, it was filled with excitement. Proud parents took pictures. Grandparents fought back tears. Friends celebrated together. And at the end, hundreds of caps flew into the air. As I watched those students celebrate, I found myself thinking about a question that probably crosses the minds of a lot of people in Northeast Michigan. What comes next? Not just for my nephew, but for all of those graduates. Will they stay here? Will they find careers here and be able to build a life here? Will they leave ...
Most times when I'm invited to speak at a conference, someone introduces me by reading the short bio provided. But this past week at the Southeastern Writers' Association Conference, my friend, the Georgia judge and novelist Lori Duff, introduced me. She started off by warning she might ...
In a recent letter, you were told that at the APS Retirement Dinner I didn’t honor the retirees and talked only about myself. What I did was spend thirty seconds establishing that as a teacher myself, I have some understanding how hard their jobs are. In the remaining four minutes of my talk I said: “Let me thank you for working so hard for so long to bring to fruition that vision that burned within you, that fire that drove you to achieve all that you have and which inspired you to help others and take care of our students here at APS. You have proven your commitment and ...
