MSU Libraries Blogs

Just in time for spring bedding plants, hanging flowering baskets, nursery stock, and fresh Michigan asparagus, the 2008 Michigan Farm Market and Agricultural Tourism directory is now available.

“This statewide listing of farm markets, U-pick operations, corn mazes, cider mills and much more, has been produced in Michigan since 1980,” said Don Koivisto, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA). “It remains the perfect pocket guide for those looking for farm fresh Michigan produce, specialty food products like jams, jellies, baked goods, maple syrup and honey, or for family friendly activities down on the farm.”

The 2008 directory was created by a partnership among the Michigan Farm Marketing & Agri-Tourism Association (MI-FMAT), Farm Bureau Insurance, Michigan Farm Bureau, and the MDA. Copies of the directory are available at all 13 Michigan Welcome Centers and at Farm Bureau Insurance agencies across the state.

The 2008 directory has more farm market listings than last year’s, features an alphabetical index, and a new regional tab design to help customers find the markets and products they are searching for. It also features 16 full-color pages and an availability chart showing when the various types of fresh fruits and vegetables produced in Michigan are in season.

"The Michigan Farm Marketing and Agri-Tourism Association is proud to provide this directory for our customers," said Steve Tennes, MI-FMAT board president and operator of The Country Mill in Charlotte. "Michigan farm marketers are gearing up for a terrific season, and look forward to welcoming visitors to their farms to share our high quality, locally grown food and agricultural products and unique on-farm experiences."

In addition to the printed directory, farm listings can be accessed via a searchable database on MI-FMAT’s Web site at http://www.MichiganFarmFun.com. Links to the electronic directory are also accessible from MDA’s agricultural tourism Web page at http://www.michigan.gov/agtourism, the Michigan Farm Bureau Web site at www.michiganfarmbureau.com, and the Farm Bureau Insurance Web site at http://www.farmbureauinsurance-mi.com.

For the Farm Bureau Insurance agent nearest you, visit http://www.farmbureauinsurance-mi.com. For more information about MI-FMAT and its mission and services, visit www.MichiganFarmFun.com.

For the full article, see "2008 Michigan Farm Market Directory Now Available", Michigan Newswire, May 1, 2008.

The business law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP recently released the second edition of its "Roadmap to Business Success in Michigan" handbook. The book offers current and future Michigan business owners and entrepreneurs comprehensive explanations of the new Michigan Business Tax and the latest hard-to-find business incentives.

"Current and future business owners need not be afraid to invest in Michigan" said Mark Hilpert, Tax and Incentive Manager for Honigman. "We hope that business people across Michigan and the nation will tap into the 'Roadmap to Business Success' handbook's wealth of resources for fostering a rich state economy and their own personal growth.”

Aimed at businesses and entrepreneurs looking to grow, expand or relocate in Michigan, the book offers practical insights on a multitude of business and tax laws -- including a wealth of information on hard-to-find business incentives and tax savings for the entire state. From in-depth coverage of real estate and intellectual property laws to employment and environmental regulations, this practical guidebook is the map people need to effectively navigate these subjects.

For a complimentary copy of the book, please contact Mark Hilpert at 1-800-970-7555 x 3727, or mhilpert@honigman.com.

Source : "Honigman publishes second Roadmap to Business Success in Michigan guidebook", Flint-Gennessee County Legal News, May 14, 2008.

As of May 29, 2008 the old proxy server will no longer be available. Off campus access to library electronic resources is now made easier through the EZ Proxy which has been in place and working well for the last two years. For more information on using this service see the EZ proxy website available from Distance Learning Services through the MSU Libraries - http://www2.lib.msu.edu/computer/offcampus-access.jsp. Please contact Distance Learning Services at 1-800-500-1554 or 1-517-355-2345 or reachout@msu.edu for more information or questions.

The Detroit City Council's appeal to Gov. Jennifer Granholm to oust Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from City Hall is a no-win proposition for the governor, political observers said Tuesday.

If she doesn't act, she looks like a wimp to some -- although she's using the law and the pending trial as her shield.

If she does initiate removal proceedings, she risks a backlash from Kilpatrick supporters and Detroiters still smarting from the state's involvement -- meddling, they say -- in the city school board and other Detroit issues over recent years.

Liz Boyd, the governor's press secretary, repeated her standard line Tuesday when asked about the council's request.

"Because the law prescribes a potential role for the governor, we are not going to comment on the council's actions today. We do not want to compromise the process," Boyd said. She said Granholm, a former federal prosecutor, is interested in protecting the mayor's legal rights as he defends himself against felony charges brought by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy that could land him behind bars.

Not everyone sees that as Granholm's principal motivation.

"We all know the governor is not going to do a thing," said Sam Riddle, a veteran political consultant with close ties to Detroit. "The talk about how the case is before the courts right now and wanting to see it work its way through is her politically correct response."

"But the reality is that no governor, particularly a white governor, would want to step into Detroit and engage in the racial politics that would result from such a move," added Riddle, who favors Kilpatrick's removal from office. "The ugly reality is that she wouldn't want the racial [animus] that would come from removing a black mayor from the blackest American city."

Craig Ruff, senior fellow at Public Sector Consultants, a nonpartisan public policy think tank, agreed that race is a big factor.

"Race is the third rail in Michigan and it's such a sensitive issue that no figure wants to touch it, whether it's in politics, business, labor or faith," Ruff said. "For a white governor to remove a black mayor would send goose bumps up people's spines and ignite new tensions."

Ruff noted that there are still bad feelings over former Gov. John Engler's decision to take over Detroit's school board.

"The residual bad feelings over that would pale in comparison to the outrage that would come if Lansing decided to basically take away the last election result and remove Kwame Kilpatrick."

Ken Brock, a Democratic political consultant, said the governor is in an unenviable position.

"It would be a tough spot for anyone -- a Democrat or Republican," Brock said. "There is the whole question of Lansing meddling in Detroit's internal affairs."

Brock said there are several ways the city could resolve this without relying on the governor to take action, including waiting 18 months for a mayoral election.

"There's no scenario under which this thing gets resolved quickly," he said.

Brock said the relationship between the governor and Detroit's mayor has "ebbed and flowed over the years. Any governor and city of Detroit mayor have to work together and will have their tensions. This certainly adds tension. How can it not?"

Bob Kolt, a public relations expert and sometime-political consultant, said he believes Granholm is justifiably reluctant to dive into the controversy.

"From a legal perspective, saying you have to let the process run its course is an easy one to use to stay out of it," Kolt said. "A lot of people will make it a racial issue -- a white governor coming in to take action in Detroit. Letting the process run its course probably makes sense. She's probably looking at it more like a lawyer than she would politically. That's her natural instinct."

For the full article, see Charlie Cain and Mark Hornbeck, "Ouster request called a no-win for governor; Inaction could appear weak, but alternative has more risks, observers say", Detroit News, May 14, 2008.

For another, see Mike Wilkinson and Christine MacDonald, "Cox won't skirt mayor issue; Even though he's called on Kilpatrick to quit, Cox will consult with gov on ouster bid if she asks", Detroit News, May 15, 2008.

House Democrats are scrambling to decide how they will handle surprise Senate-passed legislation that broadens their own ban on smoking in restaurants, bars and other workplaces.

The Senate version, passed last week, prohibits smoking indoors, including cigar bars, bingo parlors and Detroit's three casinos -- three places exempted from a no-smoking bill the House approved in 2007. Some members of the Detroit delegation in the House and the bill's sponsor, Rep. Brenda Clack, D-Flint, still prefer the exemptions, especially those for the casinos.

If the House doesn't go along with the more restrictive Senate version, the bill will be sent to a conference committee, where the two houses will seek a compromise.

"That is the issue now, and it's what we'll debate," Clack said Wednesday as the House delayed final action on the smoking ban to allow members time to consider their differences.

Clack also chairs the Legislature's black caucus, which is split over the differing versions of the smoking ban. Rumors of arcane strategies to defeat the legislation were rife in the Capitol on Tuesday morning, when the Senate-passed bill still hadn't been sent to the House chamber. The legislation finally was transmitted after the House adjourned Tuesday afternoon.

The official explanation was that Senate Clerk Carol Viventi had car trouble and was unable to proofread the bill Tuesday morning. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, who opposes the bill, confirmed that some lawmakers also didn't want a House vote on Tuesday, when hundreds of volunteers raising money for cancer research were holding a special event on the Capitol lawn.

Rep. Bert Johnson, D-Detroit, is among those who oppose the harsher Senate version. He said he fears it would hurt business and cause layoffs at the Detroit casinos. Michigan's tribal casinos would not be subject to the new rules. Tribes are sovereign, and therefore subject to their own laws on their land. Some fear that would give them a competitive advantage.

"It's about jobs," Johnson said. "I have people at home who get hurt when (Detroit's) casinos are threatened."

For the full article, see Gary Heinlein, "Smoking ban vote delayed; House wants more time to decide if it can go along with stricter Senate plan", Detroit News, May 15, 2008.