News

From Ipads to Skype, Copper Country residents had the opportunity last night to learn about the newest forms of technology as a part of Digital Learning Day at Jeffers High School. Members of the Business and Technology Club taught informational classes for those interested in programs like Microsoft Excel. Wynter …

State lawmakers continue to work on a compromise supplemental budget bill in Lansing, which could include spending about 200 million dollars more this year for roads. The proposal follows concerns raised by local road commissions who are facing winter budget woes due to recent harsh weather. The plan is to …

Legislation that could make it easier for telephone companies to end landline service has been approved by the Michigan House of Representatives. The bill removes the role of the Michigan Public Service Commission in any effort by a phone company in abandoning a local exchange. Instead, the bill leaves the …

Seven health insurance companies in Michigan will be offering abortion coverage riders when a new law takes effect on Thursday. State lawmakers in December passed a law prompted by a Right to Life petition drive and not subject to a veto from Governor Snyder to outlaw insurance companies from offering …

A new report on Michigan’s 2013 tourism industry from the Toronto-based tourism research firm Longwoods International says the state’s Pure Michigan campaign drove more than 4 million trips last year, producing $1.2 billion in economic impact. State officials said $13 million was spent on out-of-state advertising for the Pure Michigan …

Thanks to a record-shattering late February and early March Arctic blast, ice cover on the Great Lakes is now the most widespread in 35 years, and nearing an all-time record. According to an analysis by NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor, ice cover peaked at 92.2 percent …

A U.S. House committee is launching a probe of an expanded General Motors recall. Lawmakers in Washington want to know if GM officials and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration failed to detect an ignition switch problem that caused at least 13 deaths over several years. A key issue is …

A draft for an economic strategic plan for Baraga County has been completed. The Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region has been researching the area for about a year and feel that the three strategies they have created take into account the county’s competitive advantages, natural resources and recent …

The Michigan Department of Transportation is taking to social media to “myth-bust” misconceptions about the department and the condition of state roads. New “Reality Check” videos are being posted on You Tube. One of the videos responds to claims that Michigan’s roads are not in bad of shape and more …

Researchers at Michigan State University say tourism spending in Michigan was strong in 2013 and is poised for another robust year in 2014. Dan McCole and Sarah Nicholls, of MSU’s Department of Community Sustainability presented their annual report at the Pure Michigan Governor’s Conference in Traverse City. The MSU researchers …