A comment by William Morris, president of the Monroe County Industrial Develpment Corp., got me thinking.

Morris was commenting on the fact that the number of businesses in Monroe County is down in the most recent census report.  You can read the entire article from The Sunday News here.

“With the layoffs and early retirements and buyouts, it seems you would have a lot of people forming new businesses,” Morris said.

Good point.

Thousands of smart, hard-working poeple have lost their jobs in the auto industry. Morris is right; it seems like that should lead to an increase in new businesses.

When Pittsburgh’s steel industry collapsed in the 1980s, it led to a tidal wave of new small businesses. Pittsburgh’s renaissance was built on the foundation of new entrepreneurs who were forced into mid-career changes when their jobs disappeared.

Is there something about Michigan’s culture that is different than Western Pennsylvania’s?

I’ve lived in both places, and I can tell you that residents of both states are deeply rooted. When they lose their jobs, they don’t want to move away.

Both also are blessed with great universities, an important ingredient when it comes to re-building an economy. And both suffer from low overall education levels - a legacy of the good-paying jobs in the steel and auto industries that didn’t require a college degree.

Pittsburgh has a reputation for toughness. So does Detroit. They’re both blue collar cities with strong work ethics. 

So, what’s the difference? Maybe it’s too early to tell. Maybe the surge in new businesses created by laid-off workers in Michigan is still below the radar and will surface soon.

I was in a conversation in the early 1990s with Morris’ counterpart in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located. He told story after story of engineers and accountants and union steelworkers who started businesses from scratch and five years later were employing 15 or 25 or 50 people.

Pittsburgh went from an economy dominated by some of the largest companies in the country - names like U.S. Steel and Pittsburgh Glass - to an economy dominated by small and medium-sized businesses and a much more diverse employment base.

The loss of manufacturing jobs is killing Michigan’s economy. But if those laid-off workers become entrepreneurs, today’s recession can be a building block for tomorrow’s comeback.

It’s not every day that a former industrial site is imploded in a scheduled, public event. 

Estimates were that more than 500 people watched demolition crews blow up the former Jefferson Smurfit Paper Plant’s smoke stack and water tower this morning.

It was quite a show. But some people were angry because only the smoke stack and water tower were blown up, not the entire building.

Here is an excerpt from an e-mail that came shortly after the event from retired Evening News copy editor Henry Passenger:

“Those same hundreds were upset (some almost angry) when it turned out that the implosion was limited to the water tower (behind the trees and shrubs) and smokestack (behind the building).”

Henry and others pointed out that the story in The Evening News Wednesday said the Smurfit building would be imploded.

Sorry, our mistake. It was never the intention to suggest that the entire building would be part of the explosion - just the more dramatic parts, the tower and stack.

The rest of the building will be destroyed in more traditional fashion, with bulldozers and other heavy equipment.

Still, the giant smoke stack made a dramatic, if short-lived, fall from the sky. You can see the video of the crash, followed by interviews with some people who watched and others who worked at the plant, by clicking here.

In letters to the editor, forum posts, phone calls and e-mails, everyone seems ready to throw the book at the youngsters behind bomb threats at Monroe High School and other schools.

Indeed, our own editorial board concluded as much; that opinion will be in Sunday’s Evening News.

The rationale seems to be that we need a significant deterrent. As a community, we need to make it clear that bomb threats are not a prank - they’re a serious crime.

I wonder, though, whether teen-agers pay attention to deterrents. It seems to me that young people simply don’t believe they’ll get caught - it’s in their DNA. “It won’t happen to me,” is part of the teen-ager credo.

Justice will be done. The culprits will be punished. But will it deter others in the future? I wonder.

Monroe School Board voted last night to keep the 5th and 6th grade band program.

It was a wise decision, even given the impossibly difficult task of cutting millions from the school district’s budget.

It’s been so long since I was a fifth grader, I can remember few things about it. But getting my first musical instrument - a flute - was one of the highlights.

Tom Treece, who actually has musical talent, wrote eloquently this week about the benefits of a music program in schools. I can’t claim that my involvement in a band program led to a lifetime avocation - no one would pay to listen to me play the flute.

But I can testify to the link between participating in a band program and building character, good study habits and an appreciation for that peculiar link between personal discipline and creativity.

I may not have been good, but that didn’t stop me from practicing long hours, working hard to eventually crawl up the line to first-chair flute in my little high school’s band.

My brothers and I spent most of our free time every day with balls and bats, playing whatever sport was in season. But each of us found time, after the sun went down, for our flute, saxophone and trumpet.

It’s amazing my parents survived with their hearing intact.

Monroe School Board members are going through a heart-wrenching time, choosing which classes and programs to cut. All of their decisions will be unpopular with someone.

But, personally, I’m happy they were able to save the 5th and 6th grade band program. I’d hate to think of all those fifth graders who didn’t get to experience their first flute, saxophone or trumpet.

A panel discussion Thursday night on censorship in American covered that issue and more.

The topic - censorship - was inspired by The Big Read and the book it features, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

In Bradbury’s novel, censorship has become the order of the day. People have quit reading books, which are burned when they’re found. Firefighters no longer put out fires; their job is to burn books.

Some of the images Bradbury created in the 1953 book are frighteningly close to reality today. My favorite is the family sitting in a numbed state of melancholy in front of the living room television screen, which covers three walls of the room. We’re not there yet in the average American home - just one wall with a 60-inch screen - but it’s easy to imagine in a few years.

Thankfully, the censorship imagined by Bradbury isn’t nearly as close to reality - at least not in America. All four panel members - myself and Monroe attorney Bill Braunlich, MCCC faculty member Necole Day and Wayne State law professor Robert Sedler - gave one version or another of that story line.

Each of us found fault with the media or the government in small ways. I complained about subpoenas of reporters’ notes and the Bush administration’s secrecy; Ms. Day criticized media coverage of international issues; Mr. Braunlich lamented the depth and balance of some news coverage; and professor Sedler noted that First Amendment rights belong to all of us, not just the media.

But generally the concensus seemed to be that while you can criticize some elements of media coverage, government censorship isn’t a serious problem.  

Our First Amendment still stands firm, a bedrock that dominates the daily tug and pull between the media and government. Generally, it’s a healthy relationship that leads to the truth winning out - if not immediately, then eventually.

When the audience began asking questions, the conversation quickly turned to other subjects, from Don Imus’ racist, sexist remarks and eventual firing, to the Virginia Tech shootings, anonymous sources, sex and violence on television, race relations and conspiracy theories.

One man questioned the media’s coverage of African-American people and issues, a topic covered in her Saturday column by Evening News Editor Deborah Saul.

One of the most challenging topics for me was the Don Imus firing. I may have seemed to be arguing both sides of the issue.

On the one hand, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I think Mr. Imus should have been fired long ago. He’s often rude, arrogant, racist, sexist and just plain boorish. But that’s not why he was fired.

Imus in the Morning is dead because of money, not good taste. Advertisers, bullied by special interests, threatened to pull their ads. Big money carried the day, not good news judgement. CBs and MSNBC fell right in line.

That raises difficult issues. On the one hand, firing Imus was the right thing to do. On the other hand, I always lament when journalists let money dictate content. And that’s what happened.

Subjects ranging from sex on television to how the internet has changed the censorship debate came up when staff  members of The Evening News gathered for a lunchtime discussion group on Fahrenheit 451 this week.

It was part of our participation in The Big Read. If you haven’t joined the fun, it’s not too late.  Here are some links to catch you up: Kickoff; Events; Next week; Deborah Saul column; Tom Treece column

I was fascinated by how wide our conversation ranged. I suppose that’s testament to how many themes that remain relevant to our lives that were explored in the Ray Bradbury novel.

One of the questions that gets discussed a lot these days - and we spent some time on it, too - is when and whether government ought to censor the media.

If you prefer family fare on television, and especially if you have children at home, monitoring the content that flows into your home can be a nearly impossible task.

Then there’s the lyrics of music these days, which make the sex and violence on television seem mundane. And it’s virtually impossible to avoid pornography on the internet, whether you’re looking for it or not.

As Tom Treece pointed out in his column (see link above), there must be a line somewhere.

As a journalist, I’ve argued against censorship of all kinds. My mantra has been, let people decide for themselves in an open marketplace of ideas. No man or woman has the right to tell another what they can read, write, say, film, photograph, etc. 

But as mass media becomes more and more pervasive, and as standards of decency fall lower and lower, I’m beginning to agree with Tom Treece - there must be a line somewhere.

I have the privilege of being involved in a panel discussion on April 19 (see events link above) on the topic of censorship. I suppose that gives me about two weeks to figure out an answer.

It takes courage to be a school board member these days.

At the moment, it’s the Monroe Public Schools board that is facing tough decisions about how to cut $5 million to balance the budget.

But most area school boards are facing similar financial issues, and others will almost surely be looking at school closures, too.

Last night, Monroe’s board decided to close Cantrick Middle School, moving all the sixth graders back into elementary schools and the 7th and 8th graders to Monroe Middle School, starting next week.

It’s a decision that makes sense. With empty classrooms in most of the elementary buildings and in Monroe Middle School, something needed to be done. Now those classrooms will be filled and the school district will be using tax money more efficiently.

It also kept all of the neighborhood elementary schools open, which is good for the city in general. Monroe is working hard to maintain the viability of its neighborhoods; this will help. 

The school board stopped short of adopting all of “Proposal 5,” which also called for using Cantrick to house pre-school programs. They also didn’t address the issue of whether to sell the administration building and move administrators to another building.

That also makes sense. They need more information. They still need to cut another $2.7 million from the budget. As they figure out how to do that, the future of the Cantrick and administration buildings can be considered.

Monroe school district residents, who were relieved by the decision Tuesday night, still have some nervous moments ahead as the school board decides where else to make cuts.

By the way, the story about the school board decision was posted on monroenews.com at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday night. By early Wednesday morning, more than 800 people had read the story.

Is anyone else amazed at the number of state championships that Monroe County high schools win?

St. Mary Catholic Central’s state championship in volleyball this weekend, Dundee’s wrestling championship two weeks ago and Erie Mason’s cross country championship last fall - it’s amazing. Three in one year from one county.

In Sunday’s Evening News, we printed a list of state champions from our region. It’s also hard to believe - 71 state championhips have been won since the first, a Monroe High School gymnastics title in 1926.

Of course, that list is highlighted by Bedford’s dominance in wrestling, with 11 titles in the last 30 years. Other big contributors are Dundee wrestling, Milan swimming, and Monroe gymnastics, track and tennis in the 1920s and 1930s.

There have been other big years, too. In 1998, Dundee won the wrestling championship, Bedford took volleyball, and Flat Rock won the cheerleading title. In 2001, Bedford won in volleyball and wrestling, and Dundee took the wrestling title. And in 1984, Bedford won in wrestling, Milan in swimming and Whiteford and Summerfield in softball.

Of course, Monroe region schools may not stop with three titles this year. There’s always the spring sports

The “Growing Smart Workshop” being held today in Monroe was billed by county board Chairman Bill Sisk as the first step - sort of a jump start - toward improving joint planning among the various government entities in the county.

The goal was to raise our level of consciousness about the benefits of smart growth instead of the kind of urban sprawl we’ve been seeing for the past 15 years.  

The hope was that many township, village and city officials - supervisors, board members, planning commission members - from throughout the county would attend, as well as developers and interested citizens.

Some were there this morning. Unfortunately, many were not. It’s not too late to attend tonight’s session, though. It’s free and open to the public from 6 to 9 p.m. in the IMH Motherhouse.

The Motherhouse isn’t hard to find - just turn into the main IMH entrance off Elm Street, park where it says visitor parking, and come in the front door. Signs will direct you to the meeting.

The five speakers each covered important areas of smart growth. Much of the talk was about water - the need to take care of one of our most precious resources, and how smart growth policies will help.

Larry Rutledge, the LaSalle Township supervisor and president of the Michigan Township Association, gave a short talk, then introduced the main speaker, Paul Goldsmith, an architect who is a leading proponent of “green” building.

As he neared the end of his talk, Goldsmith turned to Rutledge and said:

“The next time a subdivision goes in, you should be ready to say to the developer, we want it to be green,” referring to following smart growth policies that encourage things like energy conservation, a healthy inside environment and little or no water runoff.

Goldsmith added:

“The relationship between cities, townships and developers is going to have to make a paradigm shift.”

That’s what the smart growth workshop was all about - getting city, village and township officials and developers together to begin the conversation about how to make Monroe County a better place to live - for many years into the future.

If we don’t, the Monroe County we’ve come to love won’t be around for our children.

Rob Peven, a county planner, noted during his presentation that 17,000 acres of farmland were lost in Monroe County between 1990 and 2000, while 10,000 acres of subdivisions were added. During that time the population increased by 10,000.

That’s an acre of land lost for every person added. Not a very good ratio.

“This is not a sustainable land-use practice,” Mr. Peven noted. “We’re going to run out of land very quickily if we keep this up.”

We’ve already written nearly a dozen stories about plans by Monroe Public Schools to close some buildings, and more stories are planned for the next few days.

To make it easier for folks to find them - from the first story to the last, as well as all of the letters to the editor on the subject - we’ve created a separate page on monronews.com. You can find it here, or through a link from the home page, just below the local stories.

The page also will include links to forums and blogs that discuss the issue, giving readers all the facts as well as plenty of opinions on the topic.

All future stories, editorials, letters to the editor, forum and blog posts will be added to the page.

This is one of the most important issues Monroe residents have faced in recent years. The school board has an awesome responsibility to get it right - even though “right” depends on your perspective.

With enrollent shrinking, it makes sense that some schools need to close. But closing neighborhood schools can have a significant impact on the neighborhoods.

Our editorial board met with school officials Thursday, so we could ask our questions and probe for answers.

Assistant Superintendent Chris Butler did a nice job outlining the many factors the board will be considering - age of the buildings, handicapped accessibility, how many students would be displaced, number of classrooms in the building, etc. It’s clearly a complicated dynamic.

I asked if the board would consider another factor - impact of the closure on the neighborhood. June Knabusch Taylor, president of the school board, said that would be consdidered, too. But, she noted, it’s not easy to assess.

The public gets another chance Monday night to influence the board’s decision. Then the school board plans a workshop to talk it over Tuesday night, with a decision planned either March 20 or March 27.

It sounded likely, from our editorial bord meeeting, that some school buildings are going to be closed. With a $5 million budget deficit to cover, school officials don’t see an alternative.

In some ways, the school closing decision, while the most difficult, may not be the most painful. It will only save $1.2 million, at the most. The other $3-$4 million most likely will include cutting popular programs at all of the schools. 

These are difficult times to be a school board member.