Changing Gears

The industrial Midwest might not be the industrial Midwest if it weren’t for the iron-rich regions of northern Minnesota and Michigan. These iron ranges…

The recession has played havoc with personal finances all over the Midwest, whether you’re starting from scratch, or trying to stretch your budget to get…

There may be no better example of how the industrial Midwest is changing than the site of the old Fisher Body Plant No. 1 in Flint, Michigan. It’s one of…

Jack’s Liquor Store was never a beautiful building, even before it closed down and stood empty for more than 10 years. It was a dingy, generic convenience…

We’ve been reading all your comments on our Culture of Class series (If we haven’t heard from you tell us your thoughts).We’ve heard from people who have…

Today’s American manufacturing industry is a shadow of what it once was. It’s lost millions of jobs and thousands of factories.Many of us know what some…

Sweeping proposed changes to Michigan's Workers' Compensation law are working their way through the state government. Here's a recap on some basics about…

We’re looking at the challenges of the region’s empty places this month.For many people, the most threatening emptiness isn’t a shuttered factory. It’s…

Stereotypes of people living in poverty are persistent.But Alan Berube of the Brookings Institution says these stereotypes are becoming less accurate.A…

This week, Changing Gears kicks off a look at Empty across our region. During November, we’ll be looking at empty buildings, empty property — and how we…