A Lansing-based political consultant who provides crisis management says Michigan House members have to think hard before voting to throw out Representatives Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat. Both have been cited in an investigation into whether they used state resources to cover up an affair. Tom Shields, president of Marketing …

Upper Peninsula lawmakers want to close a loophole they say is costing their communities hundreds of thousands of dollars. State Representative John Kivela and State Senator Tom Casperson are introducing bills targeting the “Dark Store” theory used to lower property taxes. Kivela says big box stores are going before the …

Autism will not be included on a list of conditions treatable by medical marijuana in Michigan. That’s because the director of the state’s department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs denied a citizen petition to add autism to the list. They specifically wanted to use medical marijuana oils and extracts to …

The standards the state has set to fill specialized teaching vacancies could be contributing to an eventual teacher shortage in the Upper Peninsula, according to one state lawmaker. State Senator Tom Casperson says it’s especially hard for schools in rural areas to fill those vacancies. He says many districts have …

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to the Sturgeon River (Baraga and Houghton Counties) to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom.  Applications will be conducted on or about Sept. 8-17, 2015 in accordance with State of Michigan permits.  Applications will be complete in about …

One person really can make a difference, especially when it comes to a child’s life. U.P. Kids is in desperate need of volunteers for their Big Brothers—Big Sisters program. 20-year-old Shannon Dufek spends as much time with her little sister, 12-year old Abby Beaudoin as she can. They go swimming, …

  Washington Monthly magazine’s newly released College Guide ranked Michigan Technological University 7th in the nation for its ROTC program and 15th for faculty receiving significant research grants.  The magazine’s latest rankings also placed Michigan Tech in the top 25 percent of all national universities and the top 18 percent for …

The National Park Service was created on August 25, 1916. At the time, there were 35 national parks and monuments to look after—national parks and monuments had already been created at Yellowstone, Yosemite, and many other spectacular places—but they weren’t united under a single banner until Congress established the NPS …

For the 64th year, the Houghton County Fair will offer one last hurrah for the summer. The fair opens at 3pm today and visitors can expect the usual highlights and attractions, but Fair Board Member Bonnie DeCaire-Jones says there will be even more of them. Though there won’t be any …

The city of Houghton is in the process of updating its charter. A commission reviewed the current charter beginning in 2012 and found 22 items that needed to be updated. The charter was written in the 1960’s. Not all of the amendments can be changed at once…so the city selected …