Most drivers race across the Seney Stretch without a second look, but the tiny town at its end has a wild past. In Part 1, Seney’s story runs from Anishinaabeg homelands and the railroad through the white-pine logging boom, its Catholic mission, and the lurid ‘hell town’ legend that has followed it ever since.

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What Does It Mean to Be an American Series, Election Day Less Than a Month Away, Vaccination Waivers, School Absenteeism, UP University Enrollments, and Congress Term Limits

What Does It Mean to Be an American, Election Day Less Than a Month Away, Vaccination Waivers, School Absenteeism, UP University Enrollments, and Congress Term Limits. Read this week’s Rural Whispers, Noise & Rumors by David Haynes.

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The Changing Church Landscape of the Upper Peninsula

Gallup reports and U.S. Religion Census data show declining religious affiliation across Upper Peninsula counties. Michael Broadway traces denomination patterns, shrinking congregations, and what happens to vacant church buildings.

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Rural Voices

Still Believing in America, Still Asking Questions

In the third essay of our American series, Bill Vajda compares the faith he placed in America’s promises as a young man with what he sees today, urging voters to weigh their sources, see past propaganda and glittering generalities, and do the work, while affirming his faith in the American way of life.

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The Weight of Citizenship

In the second essay of our American series, Karen Ogle weighs the legal and moral duties of U.S. citizenship, drawing on her years representing the country abroad and arguing that voting and civic participation are obligations every American carries.

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We are the primary source for economic and policy research and information in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and beyond, working to ensure that our citizens and policymakers alike have the information they need to make informed decisions.

 

We believe that Truth + Knowledge equals Power, and that the people in rural areas deserve access to these tools just as much as anyone else.

The Issues

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9/11 Twenty-Five Years Later, Social Security Funding, and Fall University Enrollment for 2026

9/11 Twenty-Five Years Later, Social Security Funding, and Fall University Enrollment for 2026
Read this week’s Rural Whispers, Noise & Rumors by David Haynes.

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Michigan Future Inc: Michiganders want schools to prepare critical thinkers and lifelong learners

Michigan Future Inc.’s Lou Glazer writes that strong majorities of Michigan voters, across partisan, demographic and geographic divides, want schools to develop students as critical thinkers and lifelong learners.

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School Enrollments Decline, Ballot Proposal Fails to Qualify, Veterans Running in Record Numbers, and UP Residents Appointed to State Boards

School Enrollments Decline, Ballot Proposal Fails to Qualify, Veterans Running in Record Numbers, and UP Residents Appointed to State Boards. Read this week’s Rural Whispers, Noise & Rumors by David Haynes.

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Research

Assessing Socioeconomic Trends and Disparities in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: A County-by-County Analysis

We occasionally publish research by NMU students, and this article is an…

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Earned Income Tax Credit: Max Steele’s Analysis

Rural areas have several demographic components that lend themselves to having a…

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Recent Population Changes in the U.P. Amidst the Pandemic

The population dynamics of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are well documented. Its population,…

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Boom and Bust: Calumet and Keweenaw National Historical Park 30 Years On

Many communities throughout the Upper Peninsula have developed their sense of place…

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Survey Shows Diversity of NMU’s Student Veterans

Diversity is something that members of America’s armed forces inadvertently come to…

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