Up North Progressive
Politics and commentary for Northern MichiganFun Wintertime Things to Do in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula: Snowmobiling … Antler Hunting … Wolf Counting
Friday , 22, February 2019 DNR, Wolf Hunt Leave a comment
If you missed the latest of two free fishing weekends Michigan offers this year but still want to participate in more DNR-related activities, you can always count the number of wolves living below the bridge.
Since 2014 when the DNR positively identified wolf scat in Emmet County, the number of wolves possibly living in the lower peninsula has remained unknown. Wolves have no barrier to moving into the upper peninsula, but wolves need ice cover on the Great Lakes to make it south. That happened in 2014 when the Great Lakes were 90 percent covered in ice. Currently, there’s only 56 percent total ice cover, but at the Straits of Mackinac, it’s around 90 to 100 percent.
The survey began on February 19, 2019, but there’s still time. The last day to report any evidence of wolves in the lower peninsula is March 15, 2019. The DNR is giving priority to reports north of M 55 and they ask that if you do find evidence of a possible wolf in the area to report it as soon as possible. DNR Biologist Jennifer Kleitch also asks observers to do the following when gathering evidence:
Those who find what they believe are wolf tracks should preserve the physical sign and take a photo of the tracks with a ruler in the frame to indicate size. We’d also be very interested in any recent pictures of a wolf in the Northern Lower Peninsula.
You can call the DNR Atlanta Field Office at 989-785-4251, ext. 5233 or use the Eyes In The Field form at Michigan.gov/dnr.
Teacher Says Every Time a Politician Mutters ‘Literacy Crisis” a Corporate Education Lobbyist Gets Their Wings
Tuesday , 19, February 2019 Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Section 16 Leave a comment
One of the happiest days of 2019 was watching Governor Gretchen Whitmer on February 12 give her first State of the State address in Michigan’s capital in Lansing. After eight very long, difficult years of the Nerd and Republican policy gutting the wealth of Michigan, there’s the possibility Michigan will get back on track and be a state of prosperity for all Michiganians. Listening to Governor Whitmer speak, nodding in agreement with almost everything she said, there was one point of head shaking and heavy sighs.
The second crisis is harder to see, but we all know it exists: it’s the crisis in education and skills. And, like infrastructure, it impacts every one of us — our employers, our workers, and all of our children. Today, third graders in Michigan rank in the bottom ten in the country in reading. The bottom ten. Since 2014, among states measured every year, Michigan has experienced the worst decline in childhood literacy. And the decline has been consistent across every racial and economic group in our state.
ARGH! NOOOOOOO! Who did this? Who included the ALEC-manufactured literacy crisis in the governor’s speech? Why do so many intelligent people fall for this manufactured crisis?
Third grade literacy requirements are the brainchild of corporate-backed friend to Republican state legislators everywhere, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Just in case you forgot what ALEC is all about, they are a group of corporations spending millions of dollars to keep Republican state legislators in office in all 50 states. In “exchange” those Republican legislators introduce “model” bills for consideration, and if the checks are big enough, passage into state law. The bill that became PA 306 in Michigan was House Bill 4822 of 2016, a bill that paraphrases Chapter 7 of ALEC’s “A Plus Literacy Act.” so closely, it’s as if Michigan Republicans barely bothered to try and cover up the fact that HB 4822 was an ALEC model bill at all.
So with barely any time to collect enough data (because that is the main function of public school teachers now, collecting data and documenting their job leaving very little time for them to actually do their job), Michigan has been declared a failure according to Michigan Achieves, a project of the organization Education Trust – Midwest. Who are these people?
It’s Bill and Melinda Gates, of course! Education Trust is an organization heavily funded by the Gates Foundation. Every spring, newspapers across Michigan publish press releases of doom and gloom with full-color reports provided about how Michigan schools suck so much, they really need to pass more ALEC model bills to improve academic achievement. The report is always very light on any actual data on Michigan academic growth, but results are always the same: Michigan is doing a terrible job and must do better by passing ALEC model legislation to give teachers more data-collecting hoops to jump through. The 2018 report that everyone took to be gospel last spring proves absolutely nothing about the status of Michigan’s public schools.
What is the Bill Gates-ALEC connection? Nothing publicly since 2012 when the Gates Foundation donated $375,000 to ALEC for the purpose of making “a single grant, narrowly and specifically focused on providing information to ALEC-affiliated state legislators on teacher effectiveness and school finance.”
Education Trust is the whistleblower arm of the Bill Gates agenda to run public education in the way he thinks public education should be run: Scare legislators into adopting ALEC model legislation, then force public schools to punish teachers through the Center for Educational Leadership arm of the Bill Gates agenda.
Does Governor Whitmer agree with Bill Gates that more corporate-funded legislation and policy are needed to whip Michigan’s failing teachers into shape?
This is not happening because Michigan kids are less talented. It’s not happening because our kids are less motivated. It’s not happening because our educators are less dedicated. It is happening because generations of leadership have failed them. In the past 25 years, Michigan has seen the lowest growth in the K-12 education spending of any state in the nation. During that time, our per-pupil funding revenue has actually fallen by 15 percent. And in the last decade, as our literacy crisis has grown, our predecessors have repeatedly raided K-12 education funding to fill gaps elsewhere in the state budget.
Yes, Governor Whitmer, this part of your speech about public education is almost accurate.
There is no literacy crisis in Michigan. There is however a public education crisis in Michigan. Corporate meddling with our public schools has cost the Michigan taxpayers billions and the only achievement so far is making Michigan’s public schools worse. Michigan’s public schools were once the standard for the nation. We now allegedly rank dead last and the responsibility lies not with Michigan educators, but with deep pockets who have the ears of corporate-friendly politicians in Lansing.
Governor Whitmer, if you really want to see real, effective change in Michigan’s public schools, then put the authority back into the hands of the people who can really fix it. Not Bill Gates, Not the DeVos Crime Family, and not ALEC. Michigan’s education professionals are the people you need to entrust with bringing Michigan public schools back from decades of corporate ruination. Listen to teachers, and let them be your guides.
And in a matter of weeks when Education Trust issues another press release of totally dire woe about Michigan’s public schools, please remember the corporate-funded source of that news before including their agenda in your speech.
National Forest Service Bans Alcohol Consumption on Portions of Three Rivers in Huron-Manistee National Forests – DELAYED February 12, 2019
Tuesday , 12, February 2019 Environment Leave a comment
On February 1, 2019, National Forests Supervisor Leslie Auriemmo signed order 09-04-19-01 making it illegal to have alcohol on portions of three rivers in the Huron-Manistee National Forests from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The order, according to Auriemmo was enacted to address safety and pollution issues on those sections of the three rivers. That order today has been delayed.
The closure order is intended to address persistent public safety issues and protect natural resources on rivers of outstanding recreational value. Our goal is to create a safer, more sustainable, and more enjoyable experience for the thousands of visitors who recreate on our National Wild and Scenic Rivers each year. Our National Wild and Scenic Rivers provide ample fresh water, critical fish and wildlife habitat, and family-friendly recreational opportunities. The Huron-Manistee National Forests are obligated to ensure that present and future generations can safely enjoy those benefits.
The following portions of these three rivers to be alcohol-free were:
- AuSable River between Mio Dam Pond and 4001 Canoe Landing
- Manistee River between Tippy Dam and the Huron-Manistee National Forests’ Administrative Boundary
- Pine River between Elm Flats and Low Bridge.
Violators of the ban faced a $5,000 fine and up to 6 months in jail if convicted. These beautiful Northern Michigan rivers are fun places to put in a boat, canoe, or kayak and float for the day. There are floating parties where groups of boats will enjoy the water together, and parties mean people want to drink while they have fun. Unfortunately, the fun has lead to problems with pollution, damage, and littering. People finish their beer and toss the can or bottle out of the boat. They finish a cigarette and toss the butt into the water. Drinking beer means you have to relieve yourself, and where people chose to do that also caused problems for the rivers. Public sections of each of the three rivers need to be protected, and this is how initially the National Forest Service decided to protect those rivers.
Private land and campgrounds were not included in the alcohol ban, but the new rule still had people complaining. Business owners renting canoes, boats, and kayaks claimed the alcohol ban will hurt their business. There’s even a petition to have the ban overturned.
Instead, the forest service decided to delay that ban and work with the community to come up with alternatives to totally banning all alcohol on public sections of the three rivers.
To learn more about the delayed ban and why the National Forest Service wants to protect these rivers, you can contact the National Forest Service by phone at 231-755-2421 or by email at nathan.peeters@usda.gov Perhaps if people come up with a solution that will protect the rivers but still allow people to have fun this summer as they enjoy Michigan rivers, the ban won’t be necessary. It will take everyone working together to keep the rivers open so people can float AND have their beverage of choice.
Paperwork, Delays and if You Have More Than One Kid You’re Paying More Money: Tax Time 2018 is Here
Tuesday , 29, January 2019 Community, IRS 1 Comment
When IRS employees came back to work on January 28, 2019, they faced a backlog of work left undone during the 35 day Trump shutdown. Yes, there were five million pieces of mail waiting for them and more pouring in every day. You probably think those 80,000 people walked into the IRS building, sat down in front of their computers, cracked their knuckles and got right to work processing your returns on Monday.
Not even close.
When the Trump shutdown happened back in December, the furloughed workers had to lock their computers so they wouldn’t be booted off the network servers. The max number of days they can do this is 45. The IRS instructed their employees to lock the computers for 30 days thinking that would be plenty of time for the Trump shutdown to resolve itself and they would all be back to work. The Trump shutdown was 35 days long so guess what, all of those computers were booted off the servers anyway and have to be reinstated by the IT department. How long do you think it takes to reinstate computers for 80,000 employees?
Not that it matters, because those 80,000 employees have yet to be trained on the new tax code and tax forms. This is something that usually takes place right after the first of the year with working computers so after the 5 day training period everyone can get right to work. But due to the Trump shutdown, the training period went from five days to two days while everyone waits for the IT department to put their computers back on the system. This likely will take at the very least a month before everyone is up and running again.
Once 80,000 employees receive their expedited training on the new tax code and forms, and their Windows 7 computers are up and running again – buzzing about-to-die fans and all – they can open up the command terminal and run the MS-DOS software that requires command codes to process our tax returns.
What about the new tax code and forms? The expedited training sessions IRS employees are going through confirms what the media has been saying all along about the “tax cut”: it’s a big money grab for the rich. If you’re single or a single parent with one child, you have a better chance of receiving some kind of refund. If you have more than one child, slim to none are your chances of seeing any refund at all. If you rely on family exemptions to keep the amount of tax you owe down, there is nothing but bad news for you. Those exemptions are gone.
The 2018 tax forms have been drastically changed from past 1040 returns. 1040A and 1040EZ are gone. Everyone turns in a form 1040 regardless of income, investments, and tax credits. Form 1040, just as promised, is now an extra large postcard that can be printed on one sheet of paper. What about tax credits? What about deductions? What about other taxes? What about refundable credits? What about additional income and all of the rest of the stuff that usually comes on 1040? Those parts of the tax return are now scattered over six separate schedules to fill out. Yes, you will still need all of those supplemental forms and worksheets to complete your taxes with the 1040 and 6 schedules that used to be part of 1040. The first thing you notice is that the Paperwork Reduction Act Notice at the bottom of each page seems ironic now. The next thing you will notice is your tax preparer charges by the page.
The reality of this tax season is it very likely will take the IRS a year to get caught up. New tax codes, new tax forms, and exemptions are gone. The rich will get more money while the poor will get none. Those 80,000 workers will still be doing this work on ancient hardware with a system that hasn’t been updated in years on decrepit computers running an operating system that Microsoft no longer supports after January 14, 2020. The delays will be long, and it’s guaranteed the federal government will owe hefty interest payments on those refunds the rich will be getting because of the delays.
80,000 IRS employees would like us to keep in mind that everything they do is at the direction of United States Congress, and these changes to our tax code were the work of the 115th United States Congress under the control of Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, and Donald J. Trump. They ask that we be merciful.
The good news for the IRS? They got paid.
The PACE of Embezzlement by Michigans’ For-Profit Charter Schools is the True Measure of “Success”
Wednesday , 23, January 2019 Section 16 3 Comments
Nancy Paris, founder of The Paris Academy based out of Saginaw was charged with embezzlement of $100,000 or more on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, when a May 2018, audit revealed her student count of 715 included 153 fake enrollees. The total amount of taxpayers’ money Paris is charged with embezzling is $800,000.
Paris opened her cyber for-profit charter school on June 21, 2016. With offices in Saginaw and Grand Rapids. she offered over 250 courses and dual enrollment for students attending her cyber “school”. One month later she registered her management company, Paris Academies of Compelling Education Inc., with the state of Delaware. Why would a Michigan for-profit charter school management company do this? Delaware is very pro-business, has business law that will handle your criminal corporate entity with kid gloves, and anyone who tries to sue your business will be told by the judge where you can shove your lawsuit while they kiss the CEO’s ass as an apology for not throwing the case out sooner. That’s Why.
PACE stats: PACE reports enrollment growth of over 700% in one year! Available statewide in Michigan!
— PACE-Paris Academy (@TheParisAcademy) September 15, 2015
700% in one year? Too good to be true! How does a school do that? Public Schools have to provide quality education and education services to increase enrollment. For-profit charter school CEOs do this.
It almost seems as if Nancy Paris knew at some point people would catch on that her charter school for homeschoolers was an excuse to grab Michigan taxpayer money and live the good life. Which she allegedly did.
The Paris Academy obviously is no more. The Genesee School District which authorized the charter school chose to dissolve the contract at the end of June of 2018. With the offices shuttered and the homeschooled students attending classes some other way, The Paris Academy can actually do some good for the education of Michigan by being another example of why for-profit charter schools are bad for the state and need to be eliminated. Perhaps it’s time to stop calling them for-profit charter schools and instead call them for-pilfer charter schools? It’s time to be honest about the real appeal of opening a charter school business because educating children is not it.
Two Upper Peninsula Wolf Poachers Caught on the Same Day
Friday , 18, January 2019 DNR, Upper Peninsula, Wolf Hunt 1 Comment
On Tuesday, January 15, 2019, conservation officers received confessions from two alleged wolf poachers in the Upper Peninsula counties of Menominee and Ontonagon. Both wolves were fitted with collars so the Michigan DNR could track the wolves’ movements.
The poacher from Greenland in Ontonagon County confessed to shooting the wolf on January 14, 2019, after the collar the wolf wore alerted conservation officers she was dead. The rifle he used was seized as part of the ongoing investigation. The suspect in Menominee County confessed to shooting a male wolf on November 19, 2018, during firearm deer season. Conservation officers found the wolf’s collar, but never located the carcass of the animal.
Both suspects will be required to appear for arraignment in county court. Wolf poachers face 90 days in jail and a $1000 fine if convicted. Marquette district law officer Lt. Ryan Aho stated:
“Wolves are examples of important wildlife species that play a critical predator role in the ecosystems of the Upper Peninsula. Our conservation officers did some great work in obtaining confessions from these two individuals who killed wolves collared for study purposes by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.”
Wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, however, some Upper Peninsula residents encouraged by state elected officials, ignore federal law and illegally shoot the animals anyway following the “shoot – shovel – shut up” method of dealing with the protected species.
Poaching incidents can be reported any time to the Michigan DNR by calling the Report All Poaching hotline at 800-292-7800. For more information about the important role wolves have in keeping Michigan’s ecosystems healthy, visit Michigan.gov/Wolves.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Will Issue Food Assistance Benefits Early Due to Trump Shutdown
Monday , 14, January 2019 Community Leave a comment
Residents of Michigan who rely on food assistance benefits for nutrition will receive their February benefits early. The release date is January 19, 2019. Anyone not receiving benefits on that day will receive their February benefits on the following week.
The USDA authorized states to issue food assistance early due to the Trump government shut down now in its 24th day with no end in sight. Due to the early release, there will be no food assistance benefits issued in February and all recipients will need to carefully budget their food benefits so they can meet their family’s nutrition needs through the month of February. MDHHS Deputy Director of Field Operations Terrence Beurer said:
MDHHS is pleased that the department is able to work with its federal partners to make sure Michigan families have food on the table in February.
Monthly benefits are usually issued over a 21 day period. January benefits will continue to follow that schedule. For now, WIC benefits will be issued in February using the established schedule. If there are any changes due to the Trump shutdown, MDHHS will inform WIC recipients.
The early release comes as more people are impacted by Trump’s partial shutdown of the federal government. Government employees most affected by the shut down are working without pay and there is no end in sight. Trump has referred to government employees as being on strike and also stated he sees no reason to end the shut down until he gets what he wants, which is $5.7 billion to pay for a metal fence on the border with Mexico. The majority of Americans do not favor Trump’s demands and want the government shut down to end.
With food assistance, other federal programs face an interruption in the future if the shutdown continues. IRS employees are also not being paid and until they return to work there will be no federal income tax returns processed or refunds issued. Local communities are working to help federal government employees impacted by the lack of income and also ensure that people who need assistance have access to it. For more information on the early release of food assistance benefits, go to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website
Mason County Democratic Party Challenges Mason County Republicans with Canned Food Drive
Sunday , 6, January 2019 Community, Gateway To Success Academy Leave a comment
The Mason County Democratic Party want to prove there’s more than one way to positively impact their county. They challenged the Mason County Republicans to a canned food drive. Between January 5, 2019, to March 8, 2019, Mason County Democratic Party want to collect food for the Lakeshore Food Club. The losing party will donate an extra $50 to the pantry.
The Mason County Democratic Party will collect canned goods at the Ludington Area Center for the Arts, 107 S. Harrison Street, during their business meetings on February 7, 2019, and March 7, 2019. Republicans can take their donations to the front porch at 309 N Harrison Street.
The Lakeshore Food Club is located in the Lakeshore Resource Network building in Ludington, Michigan. The program is made possible through the generosity of John and Anita Wilson’s Pennies from Heaven Foundation, the same organization that shuttered Journey Alternative Junior/Senior High School so they could open for-profit charter school Gateway to Success in Scottville, MI.
People who show the need for food but can’t afford the cost due to financial hardship can join the food club. Members pay a $10.00 fee per month or volunteer for two hours. Credits to buy the food in the club are based on family size and financial situation.
No matter who collects the most canned goods, the community wins. Good luck!
Attorney General Dana Nessel Will Write an Opinion on the Legality of PA 359
Wednesday , 2, January 2019 Enbridge Line 5 Leave a comment
Governor Gretchen Whitmer began her new job in Lansing today requesting Attorney General Dana Nessel to write her first opinion on PA 359 to determine if the lame duck-session law is legal. PA 359 started out as MI SB 1197 sponsored by Tom Casperson (R-Hates Clean Water) to add language to the PA 214 of 1952. The Mackinac Bridge is now the Mackinac Bridge and Utility Tunnel. The tunnel theoretically will be built to house Enbridge Line 5, the 70-year-old oil pipeline sitting at the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac only one accident away from rupturing and turning two Great Lakes into an ecological disaster.
Rick Snyder was so determined to make sure Enbridge could continue pumping oil through the pipeline when Gretchen Whitmer won the election he and the Republican-controlled legislature fast-tracked a bill that would allow Enbridge to continue pumping oil through Line 5 for 10 years under the pretense of digging a tunnel under the straits. The bill was passed so quickly no one even knows if it’s possible to dig a tunnel in the Straits and the Mackinac Bridge Authority was put in charge of overseeing the project. The Mackinac Bridge Authority didn’t know this until SB 1197 became public. Dana Nessel had this to say about the request:
There are serious and significant concerns regarding PA 359, which the previous governor and legislature initiated and passed without the care and caution one would expect for an issue that will have a monumental impact on our state. Governor Whitmer has rightly – and immediately – raised important questions about the legality and statutory underpinnings of this Act and my office is prepared to tackle her request for an opinion immediately. I encourage any interested or concerned party to forward a brief or legal memo on the issues raised by the opinion request.
The people of Michigan overwhelmingly support shutting down Enbridge Line 5 after the ecological disaster that happened in the Kalamazoo River when Enbridge Line 6B ruptured and leaked nearly a million gallons of heavy Canadian tar sands crude oil in 2010. The clean up has taken years and involved 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River. If Line 5 ruptures in the Straits it would be an environmental catastrophe impacting the largest source of freshwater in the world. Both Governor Whitmer and Attorney General Nessel campaigned on listening to the people and working to shut down Line 5.
Attorney General Nessel assured Governor Whitmer that this opinion will be given top priority as the legality of PA 359 is in question.
We can all get rid of our 2018 hangovers now.