Something Something Rats Sinking Ship: Bay City Academy Advertises for First Grade Teacher on Facebook

Saturday , 3, September 2016 Up North Progressive Dr. Ingersoll, Section 16 Leave a comment

Sometimes schools at the last minute find themselves in hiring situations when teachers and school staff find another job at another school. The job gets posted on the school’s website, and also school job websites like K12 Jobspot or REAP. But for-profit charter school Bay City Academy seems to think Facebook is a perfectly good place to post a job, especially a crucial teaching position like first grade.

Early elementary teaching jobs can be difficult to fill, especially when literally a day away from schools opening for the fall. That new first grade teacher will also have the responsibility to teach students using Steve Ingersoll’s Integrated Visual Learning as curriculum, something he or she has no training in because in college prep courses they’re trained in actual pedagogy and curriculum that works. Like the rest of the BCA staff, it will be up to that new first grade teacher to figure out quickly it’s on them to provide real standards-based curriculum, especially as those kids progress to third grade, the first year they take state standardized tests that teachers are assessed on how effective they are in the classroom. Good Luck!

Meet the Candidates: US House District 5 Congressman Dan Kildee

Friday , 26, August 2016 Up North Progressive Elections, Environment, Flint Water, Uncategorized Leave a comment

Congressman Dan Kildee has represented the people of Michigan’s 5th district in the U.S. Congress since 2013. He has made a significant positive impact in his district by fighting for hard-working families and those most affected by decisions made in Lansing at the risk of public health.

Dan Kildee is a native of Flint, Michigan. He attended Flint Northern High School and earned a degree in Community Development Administration from Central Michigan University. He is married with three children. Kildee was elected to the Flint Board of Education in 1977 when he was 18 years old. He also served on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and as Genesee County Treasurer from 2000 to 2008. In 2002 Kildee founded the Land Bank with the purpose of redeveloping neighborhoods in cities. In 2012 Kildee ran for US Congress 5th district after his Uncle, Dale Kildee, announced his retirement.

Kildee’s district includes the City of Flint. He has been a strong voice for the people after Governor Rick Snyder’s appointed emergency manager ordered the switch from the Detroit water system to the Flint River as the city’s water source. While Michigan’s governor has yet to do anything constructive to fix the damage done to the people of Flint, especially the children poisoned by lead, Congressman Kildee works in Washington DC and Michigan to help Flint get the help it needs to recover from this avoidable catastrophe orchestrated by Rick Snyder’s administration.

Dan Kildee continues his work in Washington helping the people of the Fifth District with the issues most important to all Americans. Jobs, improving K-12 and higher education, maintaining Medicare for seniors and protecting the environment. The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund and Sierra Club both endorse Dan Kildee.

The people of the 5th district and the state of Michigan need to send Dan Kildee back to Washington D.C. to fight for the people of the Fifth District. On November 8, 2016, re-elect Dan Kildee for U.S. Congress. Visit his campaign website for more information and sign up to volunteer.

There is No Way This Election is Even Real

Friday , 26, August 2016 Up North Progressive Elections, Sad! Leave a comment

144 Year Old Forgotten Lake County Burial Plot Rededicated Gould Cemetery

Monday , 22, August 2016 Up North Progressive Community, DNR Leave a comment

Pinora Township Trustee Sidney Woods never expected researching his family history would lead to finding and rededicating a cemetery that had been lost in time. His interest in local history came from wanting to know more about his own family’s past in Lake County, Michigan. What he discovered set him on an adventure into the past, and brought a community together to restore what was lost over a hundred years ago.

In 1872, The Gould family buried their infant daughter, Priscilla, on a hill near State Road in Pinora Township, once the main road from Grand Rapids to Traverse City. Over time, other family members and locals were buried in the same location, and Gould donated the three-acre family plot to the township to be used as a cemetery. Over the next 8 years, 16 people were buried there.

The land changed hands from 1880 to 1903. After the property was timbered, the state took ownership for back taxes. The deed of sale however never showed there was a three acre cemetery plot on the property, and it was forgotten until 2011. Sidney Woods got the township board involved, and with Wood’s research they went to the state to inquire about the cemetery.

The state planned to have the land timbered again, and a power company had erected large metal electrical towers right through the plot where it was believed the cemetery was located. ORV trails also criss-crossed through the area, and one well-used trail went right over where the township believed there were people buried. Local surveyors were brought in with ground-penetrating radar, and the graves were found. Historian Shanna Avery went to work looking through records to figure out who exactly was buried in the cemetery. She narrowed it down to sixteen names – ten of European ancestry and six Native Americans. The state of Michigan demanded proof that a cemetery was on the land, and the township proved it.

By 2015, the state and township had worked out a plan for protecting the newly discovered cemetery. The state would keep ownership of the land, but the township would have a grave marker at the location. Guardrails were installed to keep ORV traffic out of the cemetery, as years of trail riding had eroded the hill. It’s fortunate none of the graves were disturbed over time.

On August 19, 2016, people gathered to rededicate the little cemetery in Pinora Township. Residents, descendants of the Gould family, and Native Americans from the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians all took part. Sidney Woods, Vicki Dennett and Shanna Avery all spoke about their work to find the cemetery. Dru Johnson offered a prayer in blessing, and a Pipe Ceremony was performed by Ron Wittenberg to offer up prayers as well.

Records, newspaper clippings, and the radar images of the graves can be seen at the Pinora Township Hall. Through cooperation with the township, the state, and the people involved, Gould Cemetery will not be forgotten again.

Meet the Candidates: US House District 2 Dennis Murphy

Saturday , 20, August 2016 Up North Progressive Candidates, Elections Leave a comment

The Democratic Party candidate for US House District 2 is Dennis Murphy of Grandville. Murphy is a lifelong resident of West Michigan. He graduated from Muskegon High School and earned his Bachelor’s at Western Michigan University. He taught music in public schools in Michigan and Arizona. Murphy has also worked in the automotive industry as a Quality Engineer. He currently lives in Grandville with his wife and two children.

Dennis Murphy describes himself as a pragmatic progressive and it shows in the issues he supports. He supports keeping Social Security and Medicare intact for seniors. Murphy also supports the Affordable Care Act. With his experience working with youth, Dennis Murphy knows the importance of K-12 education, and especially the need for quality, affordable training and education beyond high school. Murphy opposes the Trans Pacific Partnership. His position on issues such as women’s reproductive freedom, clean energy, and the Second Amendment all reflect Murphy’s pragmatic approach to being a progressive.

Organizations and individuals endorsing Dennis Murphy include the Lakeshore UAW Cap Council, Michigan AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers – Michigan, Michigan Education Association, Communication Workers of America, and Former chair of the Muskegon County Democratic Party Steve Keglovitz.

If you’re interested in learning more about Dennis Murphy and want to support his campaign, you can contact him be email at dennismurphyforcongress@gmail.com by mail at Dennis Murphy for Congress, PO Box 722, Grandville, MI 49418, on Twitter and Facebook.

Vote for the candidate who will represent everyone in the 2nd District in Washington. On November 8, vote for Dennis Murphy.

Head of Breitbart Steve Bannon Now Runs Trump’s Winning Campaign

Wednesday , 17, August 2016 Up North Progressive Candidates, Elections, Sad! Leave a comment

Which means we have two and a half months of this level of quality messaging to look forward to:

And what about Paul Manafort? He’s still working pro bono for the Trump campaign despite his obvious Russian ties because why change course on the train wreck that is Trump’s campaign now?

Steve Bannon, everyone.

Not sure how much more winning America can take …

Many People Are Saying Сука Блять About Trump’s Campaign Manager Paul Manafort: Smart People, Well Connected People Who Must Be Protected

Monday , 15, August 2016 Up North Progressive Candidates, Elections, Sad! Leave a comment

Donald Trump and the media have had a rocky relationship for months. Much to everyone’s delight the media has done their part to report about the dumpster fire Trump campaign. Reporters gleefully dug up the fact that Trump tossed Corey Lewandowski for Paul Manafort, and that Manafort suspiciously worked pro-bono for the Trump Campaign. In April we learned about Paul Manafort was a partner in a consulting firm that tried to improve the image of some of the most repulsive authoritarian rulers on the planet, the most recent addition to Manafort’s portfolio of tyrants being disgraced former President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.

Wild speculation that members of Trump’s campaign staff could possibly be on the Kremlin payroll gave us the story that a week before the Republican National Convention, Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page spent time in Russia. When he returned, the Trump campaign insisted the Republican Party Platform change their stance on Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea.

When Wikileaks released DNC emails the day before the Democratic National Convention, and smug libertarian rapist Julian Assange gloated over the fact the DNC email servers were compromised by Russian hackers, it became obvious to anyone paying attention that the Kremlin had a stake in who won the White House in November. A week later, when Trump begged Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 emails, the people who were paying attention became alarmed and disgusted with Donald Trump.

As Republicans refused to endorse Trump, and some said they wouldn’t vote for him in November, Trump continued his diatribe against the press. The Washington Post, CNN and the New York Times among many others have all been the subject of Trump’s haiku-like tweets accusing them of lying, making things up, and threatening to pull their credentials to his campaign. Then Trump rally attendees also vented at the press to show their support for Trump.

Here’s the funny thing about the media: If you insist on smacking at that hornet’s nest with a stick, the hornets will eventually come after you. People Magazine jumped into the swarm with their story about Ivanka Trump taking a break from her dad’s campaign, and raising her four month old baby to take a holiday in Croatia with Putin’s girlfriend, Wendi Deng Murdoch. This doesn’t look the least bit suspicious at all, right? Ivanka and Wendi have actually known each other for years, and it was Wendi that introduced Ivanka to her husband. It should also be shared that Wendi Deng Murdoch emphatically denies she’s in a relationship with the Russian president. As if that matters at this point, right? This is the 2016 election, and nothing matters.

And if that wasn’t crazy enough to end the week, Late Sunday night on August 14, Corey Lewandowski got the jump on everyone and tweeted this New York Times article about Paul Manafort, the guy who took his job on the Trump Campaign, still secretly working for Yanukovych after all these years and being paid millions to do it.


Euromaidan has been over for a couple of years, but the investigation into the corruption of the Yanukovych administration is ongoing. If it’s true Manafort was secretly paid millions to continue his work in Ukraine aiding pro-Russian politicians to regain power, what are the chances he’s working for the Kremlin to get Trump elected? Why would Manafort maintain an office in Kyiv when his client left the country over two years ago?
Manafort released a statement early Monday morning denying all of the allegations against him. In the election year where literally nothing matters, it may take more for this story to really pick up steam. Adam Weinstein tweeted that it will.


It will be fun to watch and see which news source beats the others to report more on Trump’s Kremlin connections.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to whinge about the media being unfair and lacking facts (meaning only publishing articles that make him look good) and has a “Mainstream Media Accountability” survey on his campaign website.

Smart Cat Reacts To Self-Proclaimed Billionaire @realDonaldTrump

Sunday , 14, August 2016 Up North Progressive Sad! Leave a comment

 

We know how you feel, kitty.

Poverty Island Fire Sixty Percent Contained

Friday , 12, August 2016 Up North Progressive DNR, Environment, Upper Peninsula Leave a comment


A wildfire burning since June on Poverty Island is sixty percent contained according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The fire started by lightning strike on June 26, 2016 and so far burned around 127 acres. Fire fighting efforts focused on saving a historic lighthouse.

By using controlled burns to remove vegetation, fire fighters from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Forest Service have contained enough of the fire on the island to save the lighthouse and two other structures. There are no other buildings on the island.

Recent rain will also help with controlling the fire. High winds could push smoke far enough where it may be viewed from a distance. The fire is being monitored from the air, and will likely be completely contained once rain and winter snow help put out the fire.

Poverty island is located in northern Lake Michigan, on the southern tip of Garden Peninsula.

This Just In …

Friday , 12, August 2016 Up North Progressive Sad! Leave a comment