Michigan (pronounced ) is a Midwestern state of the United States. It was named after Lake Michigan, the word 'Michigan' itself being a French derivative of the Ojibwe misshikama (read "mish-ih-GAH-muh"), meaning "big lake" (compare kitchikama, meaning "Great Lake" - pronounced "gitch-ih-GAH-ma," or "Gitchee-Gumee" as rendered by Longfellow).

Bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair, Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the United States, the longest total shoreline after Alaska (including island shorelines)"Does Michigan have the longest coast line in the United States?" Michigan.gov, and more recreational boats than any other state in the union. A person in Michigan is never more than 85 miles (137 km) from open Great Lakes water and is never more than 6 miles from a natural water source.

Michigan is the only bi-peninsular state. The Lower Peninsula of Michigan, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is sometimes dubbed "the Mitten," owing to its shape. When asked where in Michigan one comes from, a resident of the Lower Peninsula may often point to the corresponding part of his or her hand. The Upper Peninsula (U.P.) is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The Upper Peninsula (whose residents are often called "Yoopers") is economically important for tourism and its natural resources.

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Mayor's job loss threats increasing with time
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:34:00 -0500
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick just told a district judge that if the city fails to reach an agreement with Windsor on a deal to sell Detroit's half of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel that he would have to lay off 2,000 city employees.
Chunk of Tiger Stadium falls on truck
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:12:00 -0500
Call it stadium revenge: a refrigerator-sized piece of Tiger Stadium crashed into a passing pick-up truck this morning and closed Trumbull Avenue.
TEXT MESSAGE SCANDAL: Judge orders Kilpatrick to jail
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:58:00 -0500
UPDATED AT 10:49 A.M. -- Judge Ronald Giles just sent Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail moments after the mayor pleaded for forgiveness and admitted he made an unauthorized trip to Windsor on city business. Come back to freep.com as this story develops.
State's reading scores go up, math stays the same
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:57:00 -0500
The second go-around of Michigan's new high school exam has students showing a slight increase in the number of students who passed reading, writing and science exams. But the performance of this year's test-takers did not change in the key subject of math, and they dipped in social studies.
MIKE WENDLAND: Hearing loss and iPods
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:28:00 -0500
I swear, ever since the iPod came out, my hearing has suffered. Either that, or I'm getting old. But the fact is, audiologists tell us that prolonged exposure to loud noises can indeed cause damage to the ear. And it's kids and teens who are really at risk.
TEXT MESSAGE SCANDAL: Judge denies Free Press request to release more text messages
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:21:00 -0500
UPDATED AT 9:50 A.M. -- Judge Ronald Giles just denied a request by Free Press attorney Herschel Fink to release new text messages Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick sent on his city-issued text messaging device.

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