Amway Co-Founder’s Grandson Offers $500 for New Mich. Flag; ‘Bizarre’ Property Plan in Provo
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder speaks in front of the state flag. Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Top states for gun background checks in 2016; rental burdens in Chicago; and Portland’s “zombie house” action.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
STATE FLAGS | Does Michigan need a new state flag? The grandson of the co-founder of Amway thinks so. Rick DeVos, whose claim to fame is jumpstarting the annual ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, tweeted on Tuesday: “I've complained several times about how ugly and non-useful the current Michigan state flag is. It's a big missed opportunity.” He asked his followers to come up with a new design, tweet it out using #MIflag hashtag and is offering $500 to the top three designers. [@RickDevos; WOOD-TV]
PROVO, UTAH
PLANNING | Residents in a neighborhood here have been rattled by a wealthy businessman’s plans to purchase and tear down homes, in order to establish an eco-friendly community inspired by Mormon founder Joseph Smith. Companies affiliated with David Hall, 69, who is the heir to a synthetic diamond-making fortune, have already purchased almost 20 homes in Provo’s Pleasant View neighborhood. The city is about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City. Among other things, Hall’s plans call for people in the community he envisions to forego traditional private property ownership. They would each get about 200 square feet of private space, with up to 20,000 people living in one square mile. Residents in Provo have allied with people in rural Vermont, where Hall has acquired over 2,000 acres of land. One critic called Hall’s plans “bizarre” and added: “So many red flags and unanswered questions.” [The Salt Lake Tribune]
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
GUN OWNERSHIP | It’s not uncommon for Americans to stock up on weapons following a mass-shooting incident or terrorist attack. It’s happened plenty of times before. While it’s hard to pinpoint a specific number of guns in Washington state because the state does not have a firearms registry, there is some federal data available through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. So far in 2016, Washington state is No. 9 in the number of background checks conducted, nearly 347,000. Kentucky is No. 1 with around 1,520,000 background checks so far this year. [Crosscut]
MAYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
FIRE | A toxic industrial fire that tore through a warehouse facility with magnesium in it on Tuesday and Wednesday led to the evacuation of about 300 residents in this city of about 27,000 people, which is located southeast of Los Angeles. Roughly half of those people remained displaced early Thursday, while authorities sought to confirm there were no remaining health hazards from the blaze. Firefighters arriving on the scene of the fire initially sprayed water at a pair of burning buildings. But the oxygen in the water caused a chemical reaction with the magnesium, resulting in “fireballs” and strong explosions. [Los Angeles Daily News]
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
HOUSING | Nearly half of Chicago’s adult residents are spending more than they can afford on housing, according to a new study from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. To offset those costs, some people are taking second jobs, cutting back on food, or moving to less safe areas. About 48 percent of people in Chicago, the study found, said they are spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent or mortgage costs. [Chicago Tribune]
PORTLAND, OREGON
FORECLOSURE | In an effort to free up more housing in a city with a growing population and rising home costs, the Portland City Council voted to go ahead with a plan to foreclose on “zombie houses” for the first time in 50 years. Portland home prices increase by about 11 percent every year, and the city gains upwards of 1,000 new residents every month. The plan will initially focus on five of the cities worst abandoned properties. The last time Portland foreclosed on anyone was in 1965, when officials took over the home of a single mother because of a $28 sidewalk nuisance fee. The woman sued the city, and the incident so chastened the city that Mayor Charlie Hales wasn’t even aware he had a foreclosure manager on staff until recently. [The Associated Press via The Oregonian]
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