Detroit Receives Invitation to Bid for 2008 GOP Convention

Detroit was among 31 cities that received invitations to bid for the GOP Convention in 2008. Detroit last played host to the GOP Convention in 1980 when it saw Ronald Reagan become nominated as the Republican candidate for president. So, if you are thinking that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will not place a bid simply because he is a Democrat, think again. It was Democratic Mayor Coleman Young who helped host Ronald Reagan and the GOP Convention in 1980. It will be interesting to see what (if any) response Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will give.

The Democrats also have Detroit on their short list of about a dozen cities to host their 2008 convention. Hopefully this is a sign that after hosting the recent Super Bowl and baseball All-Star game the nation is realizing what a great place Detroit and Michigan is to host major events. I hope that it is not a political maneuver from both parties to play to the large number of African-American voters residing in Detroit and instead because they know that Detroit can host major events without a glich.

Catch the Detroit News article - GOP invites Detroit bid for '08 convention - 02/16/06 - The Detroit News

Winter Enthusiasts Rejoice - Winter is Back!

Except for us in southern lower Michigan, it looks like winter is hitting Michigan once again. A foot of snow is predicted all across northern lower Michigan. Grab your skis, load up the snowmobile, and make sure you have 4-wheel drive if you are heading up for some outdoor winter fun. If you are heading up to the Upper Peninsula, you might want to check out the Mackinac Bridge webcam and current Bridge Conditions. They are currently experiencing such high winds that the Mackinac Bridge Authority is asking you to use caution and reduce your speed to a maximum of 20 miles per hour.

The current bridge cam images allow you to barely see the highway when on a normal day you can see the towers of the bridge. Looks like travelling will be interesting. This is good news for the winter tourism industry though.

Granholm Leads DeVos in Recent Poll

Governor Jennifer Granholm currently leads her challenger Dick DeVos in a recent poll. Granholm garnered 53% to Devos' 36% with the remaining 11% undecided. The survey of 600 likely Michigan voters occurred Jan. 15-25 and has an error rate of +/- 4%. AP News from the Traverse City Record-Eagle

Incredible Pictures of Northern Michigan Beach in the Winter

The Traverse City Record Eagle ran an interesting piece today on Michigan's beaches in winter. The story and photos concentrate on the Frankfort area just south of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The icy photo of Point Betsie Lighthouse is simply surreal. The Record Eagle was nice enough to include the story exactly as it appears in the newspaper as a PDF. This is great for those of us who do not have a subscription to this fine northern Michigan newspaper. Enjoy!

Link to the PDF that you can download - A Day at the Beach

Link to the online story - Photo Essay: A Day at the Beach