Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern MichiganBlog Archives
In May of 2014 I started Up North Progressive to be a voice for political candidates and issues important to Progressive Democratic people in Northern Michigan. Over the past 11 months I have used this blog to introduce candidates, expose widespread corruption in for-profit education reform, the plight of Michigan wolves and the sale of […]
Rick Snyder Hints At White House Run If Feds Retire Warthog
Saturday , 28, March 2015 Nerd Problems, Presidential Primary 2016 Leave a commentQuick, we need a distraction! That’s what The Nerd was likely thinking when he told the media in Washington D.C. on March 25 that he’s much too preoccupied with what’s happening in Michigan at the moment but said, “there’s time to evaluate opportunities.” By opportunities he means consider running for President of the United States. […]
Michigan Department of Education Awards Three-Year Contract To Two Companies For M-STEP
Thursday , 26, March 2015 Section 16 Leave a commentToday Superintendent of Education Mike Flanagan announced that two companies were awarded contracts for administering the new standardized assessment for Michigan’s public schools, known as M-STEP. The companies are Data Recognition Corporation and Measurement Incorporated. The Michigan Department of Education and Department of Technology, Management and Budget awarded the contracts together. The three-year contract will […]
Tea Party Republican Dan Benishek Lies: Promises To Run For A Fourth Term In 2016
Thursday , 26, March 2015 Tea Party Leave a commentRemember when Dan Benishek promised he would only run for three terms? Dan Benishek lied. He’s decided to run again in 2016. Having no integrity or honesty is something we expect from Republicans, especially tea party Republicans, so it should come as no surprise that Dan Benishek, without a bit of shame or remorse, wants […]
That Moment In The Story When The Hero Finds Proof of The Villain’s Evil Plan: Richard D. McLellan’s 1990 Notes On School Choice
Monday , 23, March 2015 Section 16 7 CommentsIn Michigan, one of the first instances of school choice happened in the 1970s when Jack Hoekstra, president of the Kalamazoo School Board, tried to stop desegregation of Kalamazoo Public Schools by allowing parents to choose the school they wanted their kids to attend with the condition they were responsible for transportation. School choice has […]
An Open Letter To Our New State Superintendent of Education Brian Whiston
Sunday , 22, March 2015 Section 16 5 CommentsCongratulations on being selected for the important position of State Superintendent of Education. You have entered into a position where there are many old and new challenges to face. Public education in Michigan faces constant attacks from both the state and corporate education reformers, often working together to take our schools out of the hands […]
Graymont Makes Third Offer for 10,000 Acres of State Owned Land: You Still Have Time To Contact The DNR
Tuesday , 10, March 2015 DNR, Environment 17 CommentsOn March 6, 2015, British Columbia-based limestone company Graymont submitted a third revised proposal to purchase 10,000 acres of state forest land that spans three Upper Peninsula counties. The royalty for the limestone is still 30 cents per ton. Changes to the proposal include the value of the timber on the land in the price, […]
A Special Kind of Stupid: @Todd_Courser @GaryGlennUS @CindyGamrat and the Obtuse Electoral Vote-Rigging Bill
Sunday , 8, March 2015 Presidential Primary 2016, Tea Party, Tealiban 4 CommentsBack in November Pete Lund came up with a really bad idea. Let’s split the electoral votes Michigan has in the presidential election between the winner and runner up. That way, the state becomes even more irrelevant to candidates who need to win the most electoral votes to make it to the 270 finish line […]
Our Christian School Was Never A Christian School: Isn’t Lying One of the Thou Shalt Nots?
Tuesday , 3, March 2015 Section 16 2 CommentsYesterday Jay McNally of American Christian Academy American Classical Academy Lindbom Classical Academy Livingston Classical Academy wrote a rebuttal to Eclectablog after a series of articles were published on the blog reporting the treatment of Glenn and Sue Ellen Ikens after they tried to enter the Lindbom Elementary School last Saturday for an “open to […]
DNR Natural Resources Commission Meeting Set For March 19 In Roscommon
Tuesday , 17, March 2015 Up North Progressive Community, DNR, Environment Leave a commentOn Thursday, March 19, 2015, The DNR Natural Resources Commission will hold it’s monthly meeting in Roscommon at the Ralph A. Macmullan Conference Center. The agenda for the meeting begins at 10:00 and continues through the day until Keith Creagh will announce his final decision on the Graymont purchase of 10,000 acres in the Upper […]