Community
Main Streets Across the Upper Peninsula: An Assessment
How do four different Upper Peninsula main streets compare as markers of economic vitality? We take a look at the main streets of Marquette, Houghton, Sault Ste. Marie, and Ironwood and see how they size up against each other.
Read MoreA Conversation With Brigitte LaPointe, CEO of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
In the latest episode of the Rural Insights Podcast, David Haynes sits down with Brigitte LaPointe, CEO of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. In this episode, Brigitte talks about her experiences growing up in the UP on the KBIC reservation and how it influenced her values and her career, and the biggest issues currently facing the KBIC–including education, employment and job training, healthcare, and more.
Read MoreUpper Peninsula Digital Network project helps reveal the treasures of rural UP history
The Upper Peninsula Digital Network, or UPLINK, project is being started to help digitize, preserve, and share historically-significant materials from about the UP. Emily Tinder, senior student assistant for the Central UP & NMU Archives, shares why a project like UPLIINK is so important, how the project got started, and what the current progress looks like.
Read MoreDiscussion with Marquette Mayor Jenna Smith and City Commissioner Cody Mayer
In the latest episode of the Rural Insights Podcast, David Haynes talks to Marquette Mayor Jenna Smith and City Commissioner Cody Mayer to discuss the challenges currently faced by rural cities like Marquette, and what their thoughts are on where the future is headed for rural cities in the Upper Peninsula.
Read MoreA Tale of Two Counties: Houghton Sees Younger Population, Stronger Economy Than Marquette
Houghton and Marquette Counties are two major economic and population centers in the Upper Peninsula. Michael and John Broadway take a look at how the two have compared in recent years, and why proactive initiatives by Michigan Tech University and the MTEC Smartzone have contributed to Houghton County having a younger population and arguably stronger economy than that of Marquette.
Read MorePictured Rocks Tourism Levels Likely Unsustainable Unless Action Is Taken
Michael and John Broadway write about the potentially-bleak fate of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s future if the increasing strains from tourism are not adequately addressed.
Read MoreNorway Michigan: A Classic Community
What’s going on in Norway? In this piece we feature an interview with Norway City Manager Ray Anderson, and highlight the news and current happenings of interest in this classic Upper Peninsula community.
Read MoreThe Trouble with Tourism: Munising’s Economic and Demographic Challenges as a Seasonal Destination
In July 2018, The Detroit News characterized Munising as “a tourist boomtown.” But the economic and demographic benefits of the town’s tourism boom are not so clear–in fact, as Michael and John Broadway write–it’s quite complicated.
Read MoreSasawin Safe Haven Helps Ensure Pets’ Safety for People Escaping Domestic Violence in Marquette, Alger Counties
Imagine how it would feel to have to choose between your pet’s safety and your own. In Marquette and Alger Counties, the Sasawin Safe Haven program of the Women’s Center makes the choice between personal and pet safety unnecessary for people escaping domestic violence, writes Sasawin Safe Haven volunteer Maggie Morgan.
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