Curious Bear…., originally uploaded by Allan M.

I was thinking about the previous article I wrote about the black bears that were hanging out in Ironwood over the weekend and thought I would see if anyone at flickr.com had some black bear pics. This was the first one that popped up when I searched for “Michigan black bears.” The photographer states that “the bears in Ontonagon all seem to flock to the dumpster behind this ice cream stand.”

Evidently, the owners of the ice cream stand have not yet read the DNR’s guide to preventing bear problems in Michigan.

There must have been a bear jamboree in Ironwood up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula over the weekend. On Saturday, Ironwood Public Safety Department officers received eight different reports/complaints of bears. A large number of the complaints seem to be in reference to one of the bears in particular. He was tracked and [...]

Okay, it took some doing, but I managed to peruse the 34 page Michigan Turnaround Plan that Dick DeVos unveiled late last week. Like all plans, his has a plethora of innovative ideas and common sense. However, putting this plan and individual ideas in place is a whole different ballgame.
I love fresh and [...]

The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary put together an incredible slide show of a series of pictures from “shipwreck alley” in Lake Huron. It is amazing how clear the water is in these images. You can see wood decking and anchor chains as well as a ship’s wheel.
The slide show doesn’t last too [...]

Gas this morning is averaging $2.846 across Michigan. Here in southwest Michigan I filled up for $2.68 over the weekend. I have seen prices anywhere from $2.67 to $2.78.
The average price of regular unleaded in Michigan one year ago was $2.269.
Gas prices courtesy of AAA’s Fuel Gauge Report

I just read an interesting article from the Dowagiac Daily News about the recent population boom of raccoons here in southwest Michigan. I have seen the increase firsthand this year with our garden constantly being attacked and damaged by raccoons either searching for grubs or just bent on destruction.
They broke one of [...]

This morning’s Detroit News has an in-depth article about the man behind the campaign for Michigan’s next Governor, Dick DeVos. The article lets readers get to know about DeVos from his early childhood to the present. It is nice to get some background information on him, but if you want to know what [...]

Fred Rydholm is a local historian up in Marquette. He has written a few Michigan-related books in the past, but his newest one will contradict what most of us have been taught about history. His new book is entitled “Michigan Copper - The Untold Story.”
As a boy he saw the ancient copper [...]

Today, June 21, marks the first day of summer (officially). This is the longest day of the year (as far as daylight hours go) so you better get out there and enjoy it :).
Looking for something to do? Head on over to the Travel Michigan website for lists upon lists of things to [...]

Contrary to what a lot of small town citizens might think, Wal-Mart does not crush thriving local businesses. Wal-Mart and other Big Box retailers carry the stigma of being small business killers in every town they set up shop. Wal-Mart merely exposes fatal flaws in the businesses that go under when the “big [...]