Happy Michigan Day!
Illustrated map of the state of Michigan.
Today, January 28th is National Michigan Day! While I doubt there will be any picnics or parades today (we couldn’t get something in summer?) It’s still a great day to reflect on our great, Great Lakes state.
First a grade school refresher course:
Nickname: The Wolverine State
Statehood: 1837; 26th state
Capital: Lansing
Biggest City: Detroit
Bird: American robin
Flower: apple blossom
Drink: NONE
Big Jim’s House brought the idea up on Friday of “What should be the state drink of Michigan?” Things quickly got narrowed down to three choices: Vernors, Faygo Red Pop, and Strohs. Then things got ugly. It was AMAZING listening to the amount of passion people had for Vernors and Faygo! We ALL had an opinion. #teamvernors for me. Faygo is a huge part of Michigan culture and their song is iconic to the history of our great state. However, Vernors was what my mom gave me when I was sick. Vernors has always been that double-up: pop and medicine. What other beverage can say that? Faygo won’t soothe your upset tummy, friends. You can’t mess with Dr. Vernors creation.
Do you know how Michigan got its name? Michigan.gov tells us that the name Michigan is “derived from the Indian word Michigama, meaning great or large lake.”
We have a state motto! Speaking honestly, I had no idea. Michigan’s motto is in Latin, so that’s easy. “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice,” which translates, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” Pretty fancy, right? Thank God I never had that question come up on a test.
Michigan's Minimum Wage Raise in 2023
It’s a raise, but just barely… as in 23 cents. As of January 1st Michigan‘s minimum wage raise in 2023 sees an increase from $9.87 to $10.10… don’t spend it all in one place. According to Michigan.gov, the 85% rate for minors aged 16 and 17 will increase to $8.59 per hour, and the tipped employee rate of hourly pay increases to $3.84 per hour. However, there’s also some pending litigation behind the increases. One Fair Wage started a campaign back in 2018 to get the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2022. So far, obviously, that hasn’t happened. You can find out more about it at Michigan.gov.
The minimum wage is different from state to state. There are actually 27 states that raised their minimum wage this year. Eleven states raised their minimum wage by more than a dollar. California is the state with the highest minimum wage at $15.50. Washington D.C. has the highest overall minimum wage at $16.10 AND it’s scheduled to go up again in July of this year.
Before you get too frustrated, keep in mind, there are 20 states that still have a minimum wage of $7.25.
Of the 27 states seeing increases, Michigan, Alaska, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Washington are all raising their minimum wage by less than a dollar. The other 11 are raising the minimum wage by MORE than a dollar per hour. Florida is the only state seeing a two-dollar increase. Here’s a link to TheHill.com to check out what all 50 states are paying.
11 States Raising Their Minimum Wage by More Than a Dollar in 2023
Donielle Flynn has two kids, two cats, two dogs, and a love of all things rock. She’s been in radio decades and held down top-rated day parts at Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington DC radio stations throughout her tenure. She enjoys writing about rock news, the Detroit community, and she has a series called “The Story Behind” where she researches the history of classic rock songs.
