News

Michigan’s secretary of state says linking the elimination of straight ticket voting to no-reason absentee voting might be a good idea. A bill moving through the state legislature would drop the straight ticket checkoff box from the Michigan ballot, but local and county clerks say the change will increase wait …

Debate will continue today on a package of juvenile justice system reforms at the state capitol. It’s the second round of testimony for the 20 bills before a House committee and State Representative Harvey Santana, D-Detroit, says it likely won’t be the last. Santana, who’s the lead sponsor of the …

A coalition of Michigan-based data centers is calling for a change to legislation in Lansing designed to attract a giant data center to west Michigan. The Senate last week passed bills offering data centers a break on state sales, use and property tax. The House is considering similar legislation. But …

21-year-old Matthew Shultz is off the hook for now. The Michigan Tech student from Norway, MI had been charged with Disturbing the Peace, a charge which had sparked controversy for its perceived leniency following a social media post that appeared to target the campus’s black community. Though questions about what …

It’s that time of year when Santa comes to visit and spreads his holiday cheer to the Keweenaw community. His first stop was Christmas in Calumet, where children gathered at the Vertin Gallery to tell Santa their Christmas wishes. Santa says he is very proud of kids in the Copper …

Every year, the Keweenaw Finnish community celebrates their heritage with Finland’s Independence Day. The day has been celebrated at Finlandia University, formerly Suomi College, since the first anniversary of Finland’s independence in 1918. This year’s festivities at the University’s Finnish American Heritage Center were a special celebration of the 150th …

An international environmental project has new research labs opening locally. Michigan Tech Materials Science Professor Jim Hwang met with an established Chinese Environmental company last year. He told them about the environmental research done at Tech and in the U.P. Now, the same Chinese company is opening its first international …

Michigan Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists said preliminary check station data shows mixed results for the firearm deer hunting season in the Upper Peninsula. So far, indications are there was a drop in the overall harvest. However, with hunters across the region registering a higher proportion of mature bucks, …

A fourth case of chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in southern Michigan deer. According to the Department of Natural Resources, a hunter from Clinton County’s Dewitt Township brought in the year-and-a-half-old buck last month. Preliminary tests suggest the deer may have had the neurological disease. Three other infected free-ranging …

A state lawmaker says that while new job development projects are commonplace around the state, new mining jobs in the Upper Peninsula too often get the silent treatment. State Senate Republican Tom Casperson of Escanaba wishes more attention is given to the jobs provided by mining in the UP. Casperson …