text:
Antrim County, Michigan

Antrim County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,431. The county seat is Bellaire. The name is taken from County Antrim in Northern Ireland.

Antrim County is home to Torch Lake, Michigan's deepest and second-largest inland lake. Torch Lake, famous for its clear and blue waters,  is part of the Chain of Lakes Watershed, most of which lies within Antrim County. The county is bordered to the west by Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan.

History

Meegisee County was separated from Michilimackinac County as an unorganized county in 1840. It took its name from a Chippewa chief who signed the 1821 Treaty of Chicago and the 1826 Treaty of Mississinewas. Meegisee also derives from the Ojibwe migizi, meaning bald eagle. The county was renamed Antrim County in 1843, one of the Irish names given to five renamed Michigan counties at that time, supposedly in deference to the increasing number of settlers of Irish heritage in Michigan at that time. In the text of the 1843 legislative act, the name was misspelled as "Antim". In 1851, for governmental purposes, Antrim County was attached to Grand Traverse County.

Separate county government was organized in 1863. The county seat was originally located in Elk Rapids, but was moved to Bellaire in 1904 after 25 years of litigation. In 1950 its population was 10,721.

YMCA Camp Hayo-Went-Ha, the oldest American summer camp that sits on its original site, was opened on the shore of Torch Lake in Central Lake Township in 1904.

Antrim County, which has reliably elected Republicans, was in national headlines during the 2020 presidential election because the unofficial tally showed Biden surprisingly ahead on election night. When the County Clerk realized that it was caused by human error, she corrected the tally before submitting to the Secretary of State for certification. Nonetheless, this error and a related lawsuit have been cited in multiple election conspiracies.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 602 sqmi, of which 476 sqmi is land and 126 sqmi (21%) is water.

Antrim County is flanked to the west by Grand Traverse Bay, a bay of Lake Michigan. Most of the bodies of water within the Chain of Lakes, including Torch Lake, are within Antrim County.

Lakes

 * Lake Arthur
 * Bass Lake
 * Bates Lake
 * Beals Lake
 * Lake Bellaire
 * Benway Lake
 * Birch Lake
 * Boat Lake
 * Browning Lake
 * Carpenter Lake
 * Clam Lake
 * Eaton Lake
 * Elk Lake
 * Ellsworth Lake
 * Finn Lake
 * Grass Lake
 * Green Lake
 * Hanley Lake
 * Harwood Lake
 * Hawk Lake
 * Henry Lake
 * Intermediate Lake
 * Lake of the Woods
 * Lime Lake
 * Little Torch Lake
 * Lyman Lake
 * Maplehurst Lake
 * Moblo Lake
 * Mud Lake
 * Scotts Lake
 * Six Mile Lake
 * Lake Skegemog
 * Skinner Lake
 * Smith Lake
 * St. Clair Lake
 * Thayer Lake
 * Toad Lake
 * Torch Lake
 * Wetzel Lake
 * Wilson Lake

Rivers

 * Boyne River
 * Cedar River
 * Dingman River
 * Elk River
 * Grass River
 * Green River
 * Intermediate River
 * Jordan River
 * Manistee River
 * Torch River

Adjacent counties
By land

 * Charlevoix County (north)
 * Otsego County (east)
 * Crawford County (southeast)
 * Kalkaska County (south)
 * Grand Traverse County (southwest)

By water

 * Leelanau County (west)

Villages

 * Bellaire (county seat)
 * Central Lake
 * Elk Rapids
 * Ellsworth
 * Mancelona

Civil townships

 * Banks Township
 * Central Lake Township
 * Chestonia Township
 * Custer Township
 * Echo Township
 * Elk Rapids Township
 * Forest Home Township
 * Helena Township
 * Jordan Township
 * Kearney Township
 * Mancelona Township
 * Milton Township
 * Star Township
 * Torch Lake Township
 * Warner Township

Census-designated places

 * Alba
 * Alden
 * Eastport
 * Lakes of the North

Unincorporated communities

 * Antrim
 * Atwood
 * Elmira
 * Clam River
 * Kewadin
 * Pleasant Valley
 * Torch Lake
 * Torch River

Ghost towns

 * Antrim City
 * Chestonia
 * Comfort
 * Creswell
 * Elgin
 * Essex
 * Green River
 * Wetzel

Indian reservations

 * Grand Traverse Indian Reservation, which has territories in five counties, occupies two small sections within Helena Township and one section in Milton Township.

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 23,580 people, 9,890 households, and 6,925 families in the county. By 2020, its population was 23,431.

Government
Antrim County has been reliably Republican since its organization. Since 1884 its voters have selected the Republican Party nominee in 94% (33 of 35) of the national elections through 2020.

Antrim County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance etc. – are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Elected officials

 * Prosecuting Attorney: James Rossiter
 * Sheriff: Daniel S. Bean
 * County Clerk: Sheryl Guy
 * County Treasurer: Sherry A. Comben
 * Register of Deeds: Patty Niepoth
 * Drain Commissioner: Mark Stone
 * County Surveyor: Scott Papineau

(information as of September 2018)

Education
The Northwest Educational Services, based in Traverse City, services the students in the county along with those of Benzie, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Kalkaska. The intermediate school district offers regional special education services, early education and English learner programs, and technical career pathways for students of its districts.

Antrim County is served by the following regular public school districts:

 * Alba Public Schools
 * Bellaire Public Schools
 * Boyne City Public Schools
 * Boyne Falls Public School District
 * Central Lake Public Schools
 * Charlevoix Public Schools
 * East Jordan Public Schools
 * Elk Rapids Schools
 * Ellsworth Community Schools
 * Gaylord Community Schools
 * Mancelona Public Schools

Antrim County has the one private school, the Ebenezer Christian School (Christian).

State-maintained highways

 * is a north–south highway that runs along the shore of Grand Traverse Bay in western Antrim County, passing through the communities of Elk Rapids, Torch Lake, Eastport, and Atwood. South of Antrim County, US 31 enters Traverse City, and continues further south along the Lake Michigan, passing cities such as Manistee, Ludington, Muskegon, Grand Haven, Holland, and Benton Harbor. North of Antrim County, US 31 passes through Charlevoix and Petoskey before terminating at Interstate 75 south of Mackinaw City.
 * in Antrim County follows a largely southwest–northeast route in the pastoral east of the county, passing through the communities of Mancelona and Alba. Following a north–south route further inland than US 31, the highway passes through cities to the south such as Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Cadillac. North of Antrim County, the highway terminates at US 31 in Petoskey.
 * is an east–west highway in northeastern Antrim County. The highway begins at East Jordan, just north of the Antrim County line, and continues east toward Elmira, Gaylord, Atlanta, Hillman, and Alpena. In Antrim County, M-32 shares a brief concurrency with US 131.
 * is a north–south highway that runs through central Antrim County. The highway enters from the south via a concurrency with US 131. At Mancelona, M-66 takes on an independent route, running north to East Jordan before terminating at US 31 at Charlevoix. South of Antrim County, M-66 runs through communities such as Sturgis, Battle Creek, Ionia, Lake City, and Kalkaska.
 * is an s-shaped highway, signed as an east–west route, that runs entirely within Antrim County. The highway serves to connect Antrim County's interior villages, Bellaire and Central Lake, with US 31 at Eastport and US 131/M-66 at Mancelona.

County-designated highways

 * serves as an easterly extension of M-88. The highway begins at US 131/M-66 in Mancelona, and continues east to Otsego County.
 * serves as a cutoff between US 131 at Alba and M-32 west of Gaylord in Otsego County.
 * is an east–west route in northwest Antrim County, connecting US 31 near Atwood to the village of Ellsworth and M-66 at East Jordan.
 * is a north–south route in northern Antrim County, connecting Ellsworth to US 31 in Charlevoix County.
 * is a short route in northeastern Antrim County, serving as a direct route between M-32 and M-75 near Boyne City.

Airports

 * Antrim County Airport - county-owned public-use airport, northeast of Bellaire, for general aviation. One paved runway. No airline service.

title: Antrim County, Michigan


text:
Alpena County, Michigan

Alpena County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,907. The county seat is Alpena. It is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Alpena County comprises the Alpena, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1840 as Anamickee County, then renamed in 1843 to Alpena County, a pseudo-Native American word — a neologism coined by Henry Schoolcraft, meaning "a good partridge country." This was part of a much larger effort to rename a great many of the Michigan counties at the time. The Thunder Bay Band of Chippewa and Ottawa, the original indigenous inhabitants of the area, merged with the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians in the mid 1800s under Chief Way-ge-maw-waw-be. The county was officially organized in 1857.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1695 sqmi, of which 572 sqmi is land and 1123 sqmi (66%) is water.

Alpena County is in the northeast of the mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Lake Huron and Thunder Bay are to the east, Alcona County to the south, Oscoda County to the southwest, Montmorency County to the west, and Presque Isle County to the north. Most of the county is drained by the Thunder Bay River and its tributaries. The Mackinaw State Forest occupies large tracts of land in the county. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is offshore adjacent to the county.

The 45th parallel bisects the county, meaning it is halfway between the North Pole and the equator.

Several islands in Thunder Bay are part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. There are automated lighthouses on Middle Island and Thunder Bay Island.

Geographic features
Glaciers shaped the area, creating a unique regional ecosystem. A large portion of the area is so-called Grayling outwash plain, consisting of broad outwash plain including sandy ice-disintegration ridges; jack pine barrens, some white pine-red pine forest, and northern hardwood forests. Large lakes were created by glacial action. Some of the inland lakes are truly massive.
 * Thunder Bay River
 * Long Lake
 * Grand Lake

Adjacent counties

 * Alcona County - south
 * Oscoda County - southwest
 * Montmorency County - west
 * Presque Isle County - north

Major highways

 * serves Alpena on its way along the Lake Huron shoreline. To the north, it passes past Long Lake and Grand Lake, thence to Rogers City, Michigan, through Cheboygan, Michigan, and on to Mackinaw City, Michigan, where it ends and connects to I-75 and the Mackinac Bridge.
 * ends its 100 mi easterly cross-peninsular route from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron within downtown Alpena at an intersection with US 23.
 * is a more direct route to the south than US 23, which meanders along the lake shore through many villages and towns. M-65 goes north to Rogers City.

National protected area

 * Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge (part)

City

 * Alpena (county seat)

Village

 * Hillman (partially)

Charter township

 * Alpena Charter Township

Civil townships

 * Green Township
 * Long Rapids Township
 * Maple Ridge Township
 * Ossineke Township
 * Sanborn Township
 * Wellington Township
 * Wilson Township

Census-designated place

 * Ossineke

Other unincorporated communities

 * Bolton
 * Cathro
 * Emerson Station
 * Flanders
 * Herron
 * Hubbard Lake
 * Lachine
 * Lakewood
 * Leer
 * Spratt

Demographics
The 2010 United States census indicated Alpena County had a 2010 population of 29,598. This is a decrease of -1,716 people from 2000. Overall, the county had a -5.5% growth rate during this ten-year period. In 2010 there were 12,791 households and 8,164 families in the county. The population density was 51.8 per square mile (20.0 square kilometers). By the 2020 census, the county population was 28,907.

There were 16,053 housing units at an average density of 28.1 per square mile (10.8 square kilometers). Among the population at the time, 97.5% of the population were White, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.1% of some other race and 1.1% of two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 26.8% were of German, 19.5% Polish, 12.9% French, French Canadian or Cajun, 8.1% English, 6.4% Irish and 5.7% American ancestry.

There were 12,791 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were husband and wife families, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.2% were non-families, and 30.8% were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The 2010 American Community Survey 3-year estimate indicated the median income for a household in the county was $36,242 and the median income for a family was $46,718. Males had a median income of $27,002 versus $15,670 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,713. About 2.5% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under the age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

The county operates three parks (and camp grounds) with beaches on local lakes, namely Beaver Lake Park in Lachine; Long Lake Park in Alpena; and Sunken Lake Park in Posen

Media
The Alpena News is the daily newspaper of record for much of Northeast lower peninsula of Michigan. For a complete list of other media, see Alpena, Michigan.

Museums

 * Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan
 * Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Historical markers
There are seven recognized historical markers in the county:
 * Alpena County Courthouse
 * Alpena City Hall
 * The Daniel Carter Family
 * First Congregational Church [Alpena]
 * Monarch Mill
 * St. Bernard Catholic Church
 * World's Largest Cement Plant

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Alpena County, Michigan


text:
Allegan County, Michigan

Allegan County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 120,502. The county seat is Allegan. The name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to sound like a Native American word.

Allegan County comprises the Holland, Michigan Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Grand Rapids–Kentwood–Muskegon Combined Statistical Area. It is primarily an agricultural area that is rapidly becoming urbanized as the population centers of Grand Rapids on the northeast and Kalamazoo to the southeast expand into Allegan County.

The county has long been a regional tourist draw, particularly the Tulip Time Festival in Holland and the area along Lake Michigan. The Lake Michigan shoreline has long been a popular place for vacation homes, and that development continues, especially around Saugatuck and Douglas. Another draw is Allegan State Game Area, a 45,000 acre forest attracting campers, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and hunters. Allegan County contains Saugatuck Dunes State Park with trails through scenic dunes and a swimming beach on Lake Michigan. The county also contains Pier Cove Park, a public beach with Lake Michigan access. Lake Allegan is a popular destination.

History
The Michigan peninsula was long occupied by bands of the Pottawatomi and Ojibwe of the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians. The United States government forced the tribes to cede their extensive territories to the federal government, in exchange for annuities and small reservations. The federally recognized Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi has a reservation here.

The boundaries of Allegan County were laid out by the Territorial legislature in 1831. The county was organized in 1835. At that time there were only about four European-American families in the area. Among the first settlers of Allegan County were Giles Scott and Turner Aldrich.

Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1833 sqmi, of which 825 sqmi is land and 1008 sqmi (55%) is water.

Adjacent counties
By land By water
 * Ottawa County – north
 * Kent County – northeast
 * Barry County – east
 * Kalamazoo County – southeast
 * Van Buren County – south
 * Lake County, Illinois – southwest
 * Kenosha County, Wisconsin – west
 * Racine County, Wisconsin – northwest

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 111,408 people living in the county. 92.9% were White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% Native American, 2.8% of some other race and 1.9% of two or more races. 6.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 23.0% were of Dutch, 17.5% German, 8.3% English, 7.1% Irish and 7.1% American ancestry.

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 105,665 people, 38,165 households, and 28,394 families living in the county. The population density was 128 PD/sqmi. There were 43,292 housing units at an average density of 52 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.47% White, 1.31% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.77% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. 5.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.6% were of Dutch, 17.8% German, 9.6% American, 8.4% English and 7.2% Irish ancestry, 93.6% spoke only English; 5.2% spoke Spanish at home.

There were 38,165 households, out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 20.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.15.

The county population contained 28.90% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,813, and the median income for a family was $51,908. Males had a median income of $38,681 versus $26,887 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,918. About 5.00% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

 * The Reformed Church in America was the largest Protestant denomination with 4,500 members in 11 churches.
 * The United Methodist Church was second, with 3,600 congregants in 20 churches.
 * The Christian Reformed Church was third, with 10 churches and 2,600 members.
 * The Catholic Church has 10,000 members.
 * The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has one meetinghouse.

Government
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions—police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc.—are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Elected officials

 * Prosecuting Attorney: Myrene Koch
 * Sheriff: Frank L. Baker
 * Chief 48th Circuit Court Judge: Hon. Roberts Kengis
 * 48th Circuit Court Judge: Hon. Margaret Bakker
 * 57th District Court Judge: Hon. Joseph Skocelas
 * 57th District Court Judge: Hon. William Baillargeon
 * Family Court Judge: Hon. Michael L. Buck
 * County Clerk/Register of Deeds: Bob Genetski
 * County Treasurer: Sally L. Brooks
 * Drain Commissioner: Denise Medemar
 * County Surveyor: Kevin D. Miedema

(Information as of September 2022)

Politics
Allegan County has been strongly Republican from its start, and is very Republican even by the standards of West Michigan. Since 1884, the Republican nominee has carried the county in every presidential election except 1964. It was one of the few counties in the nation where Franklin D. Roosevelt was completely shut out in all four of his successful runs for president. FDR actually garnered fewer votes in the county in his 46-state landslide of 1936 than he did in 1932. Lyndon Johnson is the only Democrat to have carried the county since 1884, and even then only by 701 votes; it was the last time a Democrat has managed even 40 percent of the county's vote until Barack Obama received 43.63 percent of its vote in 2008. The only other time that the Republicans lost the county in the 20th century was in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Theodore Roosevelt carried it on the Bull Moose ticket.

Arts and Culture
Allegan County is part of the annual Arts and Eats tour, which highlights local art, food, and farms.

Cities

 * Allegan (county seat)
 * Douglas
 * Fennville
 * Holland (partial)
 * Otsego
 * Plainwell
 * Saugatuck
 * South Haven (partial)
 * Wayland

Villages

 * Hopkins
 * Martin

Unincorporated communities

 * Argenta
 * Bakersville
 * Beachmont
 * Bentheim
 * Belknap
 * Bradley
 * Bravo
 * Boyd
 * Burnips
 * Castle Park
 * Cedar Bluff
 * Cheshire
 * Chicora
 * Corning
 * Diamond Springs
 * Dorr
 * Dunningville
 * East Saugatuck
 * East Martin
 * Fillmore
 * Ganges
 * Glenn
 * Glenn Haven Shores
 * Glenn Shores
 * Graafschap
 * Grange Corners
 * Green Lake
 * Hamilton
 * Hawkhead
 * Hilliards
 * Hooper
 * Hopkinsburg
 * Kibbie
 * Lacota
 * Lee
 * Leisure
 * Macatawa
 * Macks Landing
 * Merson
 * Miami Park
 * Millgrove
 * Moline
 * Monteith Station
 * Monterey
 * Monterey Center
 * Mount Pleasant
 * Neeley
 * New Salem
 * New Richmond
 * Old Saugatuck
 * Old Squaw Skin Landing
 * Overisel
 * Oxbow
 * Pearl
 * Pier Cove
 * Plummerville
 * Pullman
 * Sandy Pines
 * Shelbyville
 * Sherman Park
 * Shorecrest
 * Shorewood
 * South Haven Highlands
 * South Monterey
 * Spring Grove
 * Sulphur Springs
 * Watson

Townships

 * Allegan Township
 * Casco Township
 * Cheshire Township
 * Clyde Township
 * Dorr Township
 * Fillmore Township
 * Ganges Township
 * Gun Plain Charter Township
 * Heath Township
 * Hopkins Township
 * Laketown Township
 * Lee Township
 * Leighton Township
 * Manlius Township
 * Martin Township
 * Monterey Township
 * Otsego Township
 * Overisel Township
 * Salem Township
 * Saugatuck Township
 * Trowbridge Township
 * Valley Township
 * Watson Township
 * Wayland Township

title: Allegan County, Michigan


text:
Alger County, Michigan

Alger County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,842. It is the state's second-largest county by area, including the waters of Lake Superior. The county seat is Munising.

Alger County is home to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which features rock formations, waterfalls, and sand dunes along the shore of Lake Superior. Much of the county is also part of the Hiawatha National Forest.

History
Alger County was detached from Schoolcraft County, set off and organized in 1885. The county was named for lumber baron Russell Alexander Alger, who was elected as a Michigan Governor, and US Senator, and appointed as US Secretary of War during the William McKinley Presidential administration. See also, List of Michigan county name etymologies, List of Michigan counties, and List of abolished U.S. counties.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 5048 sqmi, of which 915 sqmi is land and 4133 sqmi (82%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Michigan by total area, mainly because of Lake Superior on the north side of the county.

Highways

 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
 * , passes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Adjacent counties
By land By water
 * Luce County – east
 * Schoolcraft County – southeast
 * Delta County – south
 * Marquette County – west

 * Thunder Bay District, Ontario – north

National protected areas

 * Grand Island National Recreation Area
 * Hiawatha National Forest (part)
 * Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Demographics
The 2010 United States census indicates Alger County had a population of 9,601. The racial makeup of the county was 86.3% White, 6.4% Black or African American, 4.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% of some other race and 2.7% of two or more races; of them 1.2% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). Regarding specific ethnicities, 15.7% of the population was of German heritage, 13.5% Finnish, 12.6% French, French Canadian or Cajun, 9.3% English, 7.3% Polish, 6.9% Irish and 5.3% American ancestry. In 2020, the county had a population of 8,842.

In 2010, there were 3,898 households, out of which 20.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 2.74. In the county, the population was spread out, with 17.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.3 years. The population was 54.4% male and 45.6% female.

In 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $38,231, and the median income for a family was $46,154. The per capita income for the county was $19,858. About 9.3% of people in families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. The 2021 census estimates showed the county had a median household income of $48,822.

Government
The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

Politics
Alger County was reliably Republican from the beginning through 1928. Since then it has voted for the Democratic nominee 65% (15 of 23) of the time.

City

 * Munising (county seat)

Village

 * Chatham

Civil townships

 * Au Train Township
 * Burt Township
 * Grand Island Township
 * Limestone Township
 * Mathias Township
 * Munising Township
 * Onota Township
 * Rock River Township

Census-designated place

 * Grand Marais

Unincorporated communities

 * Au Train
 * Christmas
 * Coalwood
 * Deerton
 * Diffin
 * Dixon
 * Dorsey
 * Doty
 * Eben Junction
 * Evelyn
 * Forest Lake
 * Green Haven
 * Indian Town
 * Juniper
 * Kentucky
 * Kiva
 * Ladoga
 * Limestone
 * Mantila Camp
 * Melstrand
 * Munising Junction
 * Myren
 * Onota
 * Rock River
 * Rumely
 * Sand River
 * Shingleton
 * Slapneck
 * Star
 * Stillman
 * Sullivans Landing
 * Sundell
 * Sunrise Landing
 * Traunik
 * Trenary
 * Vail
 * Van Meer
 * Wetmore
 * Williams Crossing
 * Williams Landing
 * Winters

Indian reservations

 * Alger County contains two very small portions of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians tribal community, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie in Chippewa County. One portion is in the northeastern corner of Au Train Township, and another slightly larger portion is about two miles south of Munising in Munising Township.

title: Alger County, Michigan


text:
Talk:United States Virgin Islands

Violence
And nothing about the murder rate of the U.S. Virgin Islands? Third highest in the world in 2010. 84.226.185.221 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 15:50, 13 October 2015 (UTC)
 * I was wondering about this too. The U.S. Virgin Islands has 52 intentional homicides per 100,000 people per year. In Mexico it is 18 (doubled in the last 5 years) and in the continental U.S. it is 4. Why is it so high? 178.39.255.25 (talk) 11:57, 10 January 2016 (UTC)
 * Indeed, this does not seem like a fluke. In 2016, it was still fourth in all the world for intentional homicide: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate#cite_note-UNODC-1 Brinerustle (talk) 12:09, 30 December 2018 (UTC)

This seems nothing but a white wash, and should be mentioned: Top 11 Countries with the Highest Homicide Rates* * Incidents per 100,000 people - United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2018 El Salvador - 52.02 U.S. Virgin Islands (U.S. territory) - 49.28 Jamaica - 43.85

201.114.189.240 (talk) 07:53, 23 April 2023 (UTC) baden k.

Official name
The source cited for the "official name" is the CIA which does not seem like a relevant body. However, they reference the USGS Board on Geographic Names which seems a lot more official. That body calls it "United States Virgin Islands" (https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/1802710). The US Department of State appears to agree (https://www.state.gov/dependencies-and-areas-of-special-sovereignty/). I think either the official name of "Virgin Islands of the United States" should be better cited, or that information should be stricken from the article. Dunchr22 (talk) 03:22, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:United States Virgin Islands


text:
Alcona County, Michigan

Alcona County is a county of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,167. Its county seat is Harrisville. Alphabetically it is the first county in Michigan; as its flag states, it is the "First of 83".

History

The county was created by the state legislature on April 1, 1840. It was at first named Negwegon County, after the name of a well-known Chippewa chief, also known as "Little Wing". He was honored as having been an American ally against the British in the War of 1812.

It was renamed to Alcona County on March 8, 1843, after a neologism created by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft from parts of words from Native American languages, plus Arabic, Greek and Latin. These were amalgamated to mean "fine or excellent plain". He was an influential US Indian agent and geographer.

Alcona County was initially attached to Mackinac County for purposes of revenue, taxation, and judicial matters. The attachment shifted to Cheboygan County in 1853, to Alpena County in 1857, to Iosco County in 1858, and to Alpena County in 1859.

Harrisville Township, then comprising the entire county, was organized in 1860. County government was organized in 1869, becoming effective on May 8, 1869. The county's slogan on its seal (a single gold star on a green field in the shape of Alcona County) is "First of 83," which refers to its place alphabetically among Michigan counties.

In 2007, Alcona County discovered that $1.2 million was missing and was forced to alter its $4 million budget. An investigation revealed that Thomas Katona, who had been the county treasurer for thirteen years, had wired $186,500 of county funds to accounts associated with a well-known Nigerian scam. Katona, who had already lost more than $70,000 of his savings on the scam, ignored repeated warnings from friends and his bank that his so-called investments seemed suspicious.

Katona was sentenced to 9–14 years imprisonment on June 12, 2007, by the 23rd Circuit Court. Judge William Myles said Katona's crimes warranted more severe punishment than called for in state sentencing guidelines, due to the amount of money involved and the number of victims in the case.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1791 sqmi, of which 675 sqmi is land and 1116 sqmi (62%) is water.

The area is part of the Au Sable State Forest, specifically the Grayling FMU (Alcona, Crawford, Oscoda, and northern Iosco counties). The county is considered to be part of Northern Michigan.

Alcona County has a shoreline on Lake Huron. Through Lake Huron, Alcona County has a water boundary with the Canadian province of Ontario. The Au Sable River flows through the southwest of the county.

Lakes
Lakes in the county include:

 * Lake Huron
 * Alcona Lake
 * Badger Lake
 * Bear Lake
 * Brownlee Lake
 * Byron Lake
 * Cedar Lake
 * Clear Lake
 * Crooked Lake
 * Crystal Lake
 * Curtis Lake
 * Honawan Lake
 * Horseshoe Lake
 * Hubbard Lake, one of the state's twenty largest inland lakes.
 * Hunter Lake
 * Indian Lake
 * Jenkins lake
 * Jewell Lake
 * Lost Lake
 * North Hoist Lake
 * North Lake
 * O'Brien Lake
 * Poplar Lake
 * Reid Lake
 * South Hoist Lake
 * Tompson Lake

Adjacent counties

 * AlconaDam.JPG on the Au Sable River in Curtis Township.]] Alpena County - north
 * Iosco County - south
 * Ogemaw County - southwest
 * Oscoda County - west
 * Montmorency County - northwest

National protected area

 * Huron National Forest (part)

City

 * Harrisville (county seat)

Village

 * Lincoln

Civil townships

 * Alcona Township
 * Caledonia Township
 * Curtis Township
 * Greenbush Township
 * Gustin Township
 * Harrisville Township
 * Hawes Township
 * Haynes Township
 * Mikado Township
 * Millen Township
 * Mitchell Township

Census-designated places

 * Hubbard Lake
 * Lost Lake Woods

Other unincorporated communities

 * Alcona
 * Alvin
 * Backus Beach
 * Barton City
 * Black River
 * Bryant
 * Cheviers
 * Curran
 * Curtisville
 * Glennie
 * Greenbush
 * Gustin
 * Killmaster
 * Kurtz
 * Larson Beach
 * Mikado
 * Springport
 * Spruce
 * Wallace

Ghost town

 * Bamfield

Government
The county government maintains rural roads, operates the local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and works with state agencies to provide social services. The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.

The Alcona County Circuit Court is part of the 23rd Circuit of Michigan. This multicounty circuit also includes Arenac, Iosco and Oscoda Counties. This court was previously part of the 26th Circuit, which included Alpena and Montmorency Counties.

Elected officials
(as of May 2018)
 * Prosecuting Attorney: Thomas Jay Weichel
 * Sheriff: Scott A. Stephenson
 * County Clerk/Circuit Court Clerk: Stephany Eller
 * County Treasurer: Cheryl L. Franks
 * Register of Deeds: Melissa A. Cordes
 * Road Commissioners: Alfred J. Scully, Harry L. Harvey, Theodore R. Somers

Demographics
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,942 people living in the county. 97.9% were White, 0.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Black or African American, 0.2% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 1.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). By the 2020 census, there were 10,167 people in the county.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $31,362, and the median income for a family was $35,669. Males had a median income of $29,712 versus $20,566 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,653. About 9.10% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 9.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Alcona County is served by three public school districts. Public school district boundaries are not coterminous with the county boundary or any municipality boundaries within the county. Only one district, Alcona Community Schools, is entirely contained within the county, enrolling 690 students for the 2021-2022 school year.

Students on the southern side of the county are assigned to Oscoda Area Schools in the neighboring county of Iosco, while students on the western side of the county in Mitchell Township are assigned to Fairview Area School District, based in Oscoda County. Each school district is supported by a different intermediate school district, with the majority of students enrolled in the county being covered by the Alpena–Montmorency–Alcona Education Service District, based in Alpena.

Districts
School districts include:

 * Alcona Community Schools
 * Fairview Area School District
 * Oscoda Area Schools

Politics
Alcona County has been reliably Republican since the beginning. Since 1884, the county has voted against the Republican nominee for president only five times.

Newspapers

 * The Alcona County Review located in Harrisville is the county's newspaper of record, and has served the community since 1877.
 * The Alpena News serves the northeastern lower peninsula.
 * The Oscoda Press is a weekly newspaper serving southern Alcona County and northern Iosco County.
 * Daily editions of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News are available throughout the area.

Radio

 * WXTF-LP

Historical markers

 * Greenbush School
 * West Harrisville Depot in Lincoln
 * Springport Inn, Springport home of Civil War Captain Joseph VanBuskirk.

Parks and recreation
There is a senior citizens center building that opened in the 1940s. In 2023 there was a controversy over how to use a $12,500,000 grant that was to be used to build a replacement building.

Highways

 * — north of Standish, it has been designated the Sunrise Side Coastal Highway. Parallels the Lake Huron shore, connects with M-72 in Harrisville. US 23 is the most proximate connector to Alpena and Mackinaw City.
 * — runs along the western side of the county, from US 23 north of Standish to Rogers City.
 * — In 1936, downtown Harrisville became the eastern terminus of the 133 mi M-72, which runs across the lower peninsula from Empire, Michigan. It is one of three true cross peninsular highways.
 * — runs from US 23 at Greenbush through Mikado to M-65 at Glennie.
 * — runs north–south from US 23 at Oscoda to US 23 south of Ossineke.
 * — runs north–south from US 23 at Oscoda to US 23 south of Ossineke.

Airport
Alcona County has been a part of developing the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, which became a public airport in 1993. It now occupies a portion of the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, which is in Oscoda Township, Michigan in neighboring Iosco County, Michigan. It is primarily used for cargo and light general aviation activities. The Airport offers 24-hour near all weather daily access.

title: Alcona County, Michigan


text:
Steve Taylor

Roland Stephen Taylor (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, music executive, film maker, assistant professor, and actor. A figure in what has come to be known as Christian alternative rock, Taylor enjoyed a successful solo career during the 1980s, and also served in the short-lived group Chagall Guevara. In contrast to many Christian musical artists, his songs have often taken aim at Christian hypocrisy or "error" with the use of satirical, sardonic lyrics. In 1997, he founded the record label Squint Entertainment, which fueled the careers of artists such as Sixpence None the Richer, Chevelle, and Burlap to Cashmere. Despite this success, Taylor was ousted from the label by its parent, Word Entertainment, in 2001. He has produced and written for numerous musical acts, one of the most consistent being Newsboys. As a film-maker, Taylor co-wrote, directed, and produced the feature films Down Under the Big Top, The Second Chance, and Blue Like Jazz. After a decade and a half of hiatus, Taylor returned to performing music in 2010 as the front-man for Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil, a supergroup he founded with Peter Furler, Jimmy Abegg, and John Mark Painter. Along with a university residency and continued filmmaking, Taylor would resume work on unfinished Chagall Guevara material into the 2020s.

Early life
Taylor, the eldest of three children, was born in Brawley, California. Taylor's father, Roland Taylor, was a Baptist minister. When Taylor was six years old, the family relocated to Northglenn, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. He graduated from Northglenn High School in 1976. While there, he attempted to learn the bass guitar, piano and trombone.

Upon graduation from high school, Taylor enrolled at Biola University in California. During his first year, he was first of the 100 chosen, from 20,000 applicants, to spend the summer at John Davidson's summer camp. At the camp, Taylor spent time learning from singers like Tony Orlando, Florence Henderson, and John Davidson.

Taylor returned home and enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder, to study "serious music". He graduated there in 1980, but described his Bachelor of Arts degree in music and theater as being worth "slightly more than the cash value of a Pizza Hut coupon."

1980s
In 1980, Taylor wrote and directed a pop musical comedy titled Nothing to Lose based on the parable of the Prodigal Son from the Bible. It had a short run at a community theater in Denver. He also wrote and starred in a short film, Joe's Distributing, a parody of avant-garde films.

Taylor wrote articles during this time that were published in The Wittenburg Door and CCM Magazine (for which he won an award from the Evangelical Press Association).

After recording a demo of original songs, Taylor began to write for the musical group the Continental Singers. The Continental Singers' founder, Cam Floria invited Taylor to join the group as assistant director on a tour to France, Italy, and Poland sponsored by Solidarity.

When he returned to the United States, he was asked to perform at the Christian Artists' 1982 Music Seminar in Denver. Billy Ray Hearn, president of Sparrow Records, was backstage and immediately signed Taylor to a recording contract.

He recorded his debut solo project I Want to Be a Clone in 1982 and released it in January 1983. He quickly gained a reputation for writing songs that satirized beliefs and practices with which he disagreed.

In 1983, Taylor recorded his first full-length album. Released in 1984, Meltdown included some of the demo material that was not on Clone along with some new material. His video single of the title track, "Meltdown (at Madame Tussauds)" was played on MTV, which was unusual for a Christian artist at the time. The video featured an appearance by actress Lisa Whelchel. The album also included "We Don't Need No Colour Code", which was critical of Bob Jones University and its anti-interracial dating policy, a policy that was not abandoned by the university until 2000.

Another track on Meltdown, "Guilty By Association", one of the original demo songs, includes a jab with an impression in the middle eight at televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. The song "On the Fritz", the title track from Taylor's next studio album, was also targeted at Swaggart. Swaggart later struck back by devoting part of a chapter of Religious Rock 'N' Roll, a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (ISBN 0-935113-05-3) to Taylor, whom he saw as playing evil rock music.

During a performance at 1984's Cornerstone Festival, Taylor fractured his ankle while jumping off the stage. He finished the summer's tour in an electric wheelchair.

In 1985, Taylor received his first Grammy nomination in the "Best Male Gospel Performance" category, while also being nominated for Dove Awards as "Gospel Artist of the Year" and for Meltdown as the "Best Contemporary Album of the Year". Taylor and "Some Band" performed at the Dove Awards ceremonies in Nashville in April of that year, where they were introduced by Pat Boone.

Taylor followed that release with On the Fritz, produced by Foreigner's Ian McDonald. Fritz was Taylor's first album to use all studio musicians instead of his usual backing group. Some of the musicians who played on this album were George Small, Tony DaVilio, Hugh McCracken, Carmine Rojas, Larry Fast and Allen Childs. Fritz, keeping with Taylor tradition, took aim once again at religious leaders, such as Bill Gothard ("I Manipulate"), greedy TV evangelists (again) ("You Don't Owe Me Nothing"), politicians using religion or avoiding questions of morality in order to get votes ("It's a Personal Thing"), and public schools teaching "values clarification" to children, asking them to determine who should be thrown overboard in an overcrowded lifeboat ("Lifeboat").

Taylor also recorded a duet with Sheila Walsh, "Not Gonna Fall Away", a tune written and recorded in 1981 by David Edwards. This was released as a 12" single titled "Transatlantic Remixes". Taylor and Walsh embarked on the Transatlantic Tour which included dates in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Taylor and Walsh also participated in the recording of "Do Something Now" in 1985, a collaborative effort, similar to "We Are the World", to raise money for Compassion International's famine relief programs in Africa. Other artists participating included Amy Grant, Larry Norman, Russ Taff, Randy Stonehill, Mylon LeFevre, Steve Camp, Evie, Phil Keaggy, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Sandi Patty, Bill Gaither and Rick Cua.

In between performing, recording and touring, Taylor met and married Debbie Butler of Irvine, California. They were married by Taylor's father at a private ceremony in Connecticut. Mrs. Taylor designed the album cover for a compilation on Sparrow, The Best We Could Find (Plus 3 That Never Escaped) and Myrrh's I Predict 1990, as well as some of Taylor's more colorful stage costumes.

In 1987, Taylor once again lived up to his controversial reputation with a song called "I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good". The song criticizes anyone who claims to be a anti-abortion activist who would blow up abortion clinics or kill doctors. The point of the song was lost on many and resulted in Taylor's album, I Predict 1990, being pulled from the shelves at some Christian record stores. Taylor himself would occasionally call those stores to explain the song to them. With 1990, Taylor's targets included mainstream universities ("Since I Gave Up Hope I Feel a Lot Better", featuring fiddle work from Papa John Creach of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna). Other tracks included "Jim Morrison's Grave", which once again brought Taylor some MTV exposure, and the Flannery O'Connor inspired "Harder to Believe Than Not To". Some stores also pulled the album as they thought the cover looked like a tarot card.

Taylor's tour for I Predict was his most ambitious to date, bringing him to Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and the Philippines.

1990s
Taylor then took a break from music until 1990, when he returned as the lead singer of Chagall Guevara. Their first recording was "Tale o' the Twister", which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1990 film Pump Up the Volume. The band released an album, the self-titled Chagall Guevara, in 1991 on MCA Records. A follow-up album was begun, but it was not finished until 2022 as part of a Kickstarter campaign. The band was released from its contract, following slow sales for their debut, and broke up.

Taylor returned with another solo album, Squint, and a live CD, Liver, in the mid-1990s. Squint included the track "Smug", which uses the persona of Rush Limbaugh as an apparent-example of smugness, and uses Barbra Streisand as an iconic master of apparent-smugness. The album also included the song "Cash Cow", which takes a jab at yet another televangelist, Robert Tilton, as well as "Bannerman" which is a tribute to American Football fans that hold up "John 3:16" banners behind the goalposts.

A tribute to Taylor entitled I Predict a Clone: A Steve Taylor Tribute was released in 1994 that featured performances by Sixpence None the Richer, Fleming and John, Starflyer 59, Circle of Dust, and others.

In the years following those releases, Taylor focused his efforts on running Squint Entertainment and producing projects for other artists, including Sixpence None the Richer's self-titled 1997 release that featured the hit singles "Kiss Me" and a cover of The La's "There She Goes". He would be most noted for his work with Newsboys, co-producing five of the band's albums while making contributions to the band's songwriting. During this time, Taylor also directed and produced the Newsboys' 1996 movie Down Under the Big Top in which the band stars.

Taylor began working as a full-time film maker, directing music videos for Fleming and John, Rich Mullins, Sixpence None the Richer, Newsboys, Guardian, Twila Paris, Dakoda Motor Co., Out of the Grey, and two video albums for himself.

2000s
While still running Squint, Taylor had begun a film project called St. Gimp, co-written with Ben Pearson and Willie Williams. That film was abandoned in 2001 when Squint Entertainment lost its financial backing and Taylor was forced out of the company. Taylor co-wrote and directed the feature film The Second Chance starring Michael W. Smith, released February 17, 2006. He also appeared in the documentary film Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? (released on DVD in 2006), in interview segments and performing part of "We Don't Need No Colour Code". New music was scarce, but Taylor did contribute one song, "Shortstop", to Squint's 2000 compilation Roaring Lambs. He also recorded "Yo Ho Hero", a collaborative track for the 2008 VeggieTales movie The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything.

2010s
In 2010, Taylor began working on a film adaptation of Donald Miller's book Blue Like Jazz. Kickstarter donations helped finish the project, and the film was released theatrically on April 13, 2012, and on DVD/Blu-ray on August 7, 2012.

June 2011 saw the release of "Closer" (featuring Steve Taylor and Some Other Band), a collaboration with Peter Furler on his first solo album, On Fire. The group consisted of Taylor on vocals, Jimmy Abegg on guitar, John Mark Painter on bass, and Furler on drums. According to Furler, an entire album was recorded from these sessions, the material consisting of Taylor/Furler songs unused by the Newsboys. One track from the group, "A Life Preserved", was released August 7, 2012 on the Blue Like Jazz Motion Picture Soundtrack album and credited to Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil. An "official remix" of "A Life Preserved" also surfaced at pastemagazine.com, and Taylor returned to the stage for Creation 2013 festival. A 2013 Kickstarter drive funded the band in studio and on the road.

A February 2014 Kickstarter update revealed previously completed studio work to be an album by tour co-headliner Peter Furler Band (released March 2014), with the four members of the Perfect Foil as producers. Soon after, Steve Taylor & The Perfect Foil announced via Kickstarter that their own new album Goliath was completed August 23, 2014. This marked Taylor's first studio album in twenty years. "Only a Ride", the debut single from the album, was released via streaming and mp3 download on September 16, 2014, only to Kickstarter campaign supporters. The music video for "Only a Ride" featured scenes from the film trailer for Stunt Rock, a 1980 film by director Brian Trenchard-Smith. Music videos for "Standing in Line" and the title track to Goliath followed. The album, distributed independently, through Taylor's own Splint Entertainment, was released on November 18, 2014. Plans for extensive touring were announced.

In June 2015, Taylor and the Perfect Foil entered Electrical Audio in Chicago with Daniel Smith of Danielson and engineer Steve Albini. In December 2015, Taylor announced (via Kickstarter) that the resulting EP, Wow to the Deadness, was released in January 2016, under the name Steve Taylor & The Danielson Foil.

Along with new music making, Taylor also had the honor of becoming filmmaker-in-residence at Lipscomb University's cinematic arts program. His roles would include assistant professor of film & creative media and director of the School of Theatre and Cinematic Arts. He would also begin development on another feature film, a political comedy: The Independent.

2020s
On August 1, 2020, a live crowdfunding campaign was launched for the release of The Last Amen, the long-delayed Chagall Guevara live album. It was to be accompanied by a collection, Halcyon Days, to include rare and unreleased CG material as well as new recordings with Taylor's former band. The latter nine-track release was made available to Kickstarter backers in mid-May 2022, and was released to the public in June of that year. The band played one show together on July 2, 2022 to celebrate the release of the new album.

Studio albums

 * Meltdown, 1984 album (Sparrow)
 * On the Fritz, 1985 album (Sparrow)
 * I Predict 1990, 1987 album (Myrrh)
 * Squint, 1993 album (Warner Alliance)
 * Goliath (with The Perfect Foil), 2014 album (Splint)

EPs

 * I Want to Be a Clone, 1983 debut EP (Sparrow)
 * Wow to the Deadness, 2016 EP (with The Danielson Foil) (Splint Entertainment/Sounds Familyre)

Live albums

 * Limelight, 1986 live album (Sparrow)
 * Liver, 1995 live album (Warner Alliance)
 * Wow to the Liveness, 2016 live album (with The Danielson Foil) (Splint Entertainment/Sounds Familyre)
 * The Last Amen, 2021 live album (with Chagall Guevara)

Compilations

 * The Best We Could Find (+3 That Never Escaped), 1988 album (Sparrow)
 * Christmas, 1988 album (one track by Taylor)
 * Now The Truth Can Be Told, 1994 two-disc box set (WAL)
 * Roaring Lambs Various Artists, 2000 compilation (one track by Taylor)
 * The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A VeggieTales Movie Soundtrack, 2007 (one track by Taylor)
 * Blue Like Jazz Motion Picture Soundtrack, 2012 (one track by Taylor; an alternate arrangement of this track can also be found on the Goliath album.)

With Chagall Guevara

 * Chagall Guevara, 1991 album (MCA)
 * Pump Up the Volume soundtrack, 1990, includes one song by Chagall Guevara, "Tale O' the Twister".
 * "Treasure of the Broken Land" (single), 1992, included on the 1994 album Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard and its 1996 re-release with more material Orphans of God.
 * Halcyon Days, 2022 studio collection

Video collections

 * Videoworks, 1985 video collection (Sparrow)
 * Limelight, 1986 live video (Sparrow)
 * I Predict 1990: The Video Album, 1987 video collection (Myrrh)
 * Squint: Movies From the Soundtrack, 1993 video collection (Warner Alliance)
 * Now The Truth Can Be Told, 1994 video collection (WAL)

title: Steve Taylor


text:
Tigrinya language

Tigrinya (ትግርኛ, ; also spelled Tigrigna) is an Ethio-Semitic language commonly spoken in Eritrea and in northern Ethiopia's Tigray Region by the Tigrinya and Tigrayan peoples. It is also spoken by the global diaspora of these regions.

History and literature
Although it differs markedly from the Geʽez (Classical Ethiopic) language, for instance in having phrasal verbs, and in using a word order that places the main verb last instead of first in the sentence, there is a strong influence of Geʽez on Tigrinya literature, especially with terms relating to Christian life, Biblical names, and so on. Ge'ez, because of its status in Eritrean and Ethiopian culture, and possibly also its simple structure, acted as a literary medium until relatively recent times.

The earliest written example of Tigrinya is a text of local laws found in the district of Logosarda, Debub Region in Southern Eritrea, which dates from the 13th century.

In Eritrea, during British administration, the Ministry of Information put out a weekly newspaper in Tigrinya that cost 5 cents and sold 5,000 copies weekly. At the time, it was reported to be the first of its kind.

Tigrinya (along with Arabic) was one of Eritrea's official languages during its short-lived federation with Ethiopia. In 1958, it was replaced by the Southern Ethiopic language Amharic prior to its annexation. Upon Eritrea's independence in 1991, Tigrinya retained the status of working language in the country. Eritrea was the only state in the world to officially recognize Tigrinya until 2020, when Ethiopia made changes to recognize Tigrinya on a national level.

Speakers
There is no general name for the people who speak Tigrinya. In Eritrea, Tigrinya speakers are officially known as the (nation of Tigrinya speakers) or Tigrinya people. In Ethiopia, a Tigrayan, that is a native of Tigray, who also speaks the Tigrinya language, is referred to in Tigrinya as (male),  (female),  (plural). Bəher roughly means "nation" in the ethnic sense of the word in Tigrinya, Tigre, Amharic and Ge'ez. The Jeberti in Eritrea also speak Tigrinya.

Tigrinya is the most widely spoken language in Eritrea (see Demographics of Eritrea), and the fourth most spoken language in Ethiopia after Amharic, Oromo, and Somali. It is also spoken by large immigrant communities around the world, in countries including Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. In Australia, Tigrinya is one of the languages broadcast on public radio via the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service.

Tigrinya dialects differ phonetically, lexically, and grammatically. No dialect appears to be accepted as a standard.

Phonology
For the representation of Tigrinya sounds, this article uses a modification of a system that is common (though not universal) among linguists who work on Ethiopian Semitic languages, but differs somewhat from the conventions of the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Consonant phonemes
Tigrinya has a fairly typical set of phonemes for an Ethiopian Semitic language. That is, there is a set of ejective consonants and the usual seven-vowel system. Unlike many of the modern Ethiopian Semitic languages, Tigrinya has preserved the two pharyngeal consonants which were apparently part of the ancient Geʽez language and which, along with, voiceless velar ejective fricative or voiceless uvular ejective fricative, make it easy to distinguish spoken Tigrinya from related languages such as Amharic, though not from Tigre, which has also maintained the pharyngeal consonants.

The charts below show the phonemes of Tigrinya. The sounds are shown using the same system for representing the sounds as in the rest of the article. When the IPA symbol is different, the orthography is indicated in brackets.

Vowel phonemes
The sounds are shown using the same system for representing the sounds as in the rest of the article. When the IPA symbol is different, the orthography is indicated in brackets.

Gemination
Gemination, the doubling of a consonantal sound, is meaningful in Tigrinya, i.e. it affects the meaning of words. While gemination plays an important role in the morphology of the Tigrinya verb, it is normally accompanied by other marks. But there is a small number of pairs of words which are only differentiable from each other by gemination, e.g., (he brought forth); , (he came closer). All the consonants, with the exception of the pharyngeal and glottal, can be geminated.

Allophones
The velar consonants and  are pronounced differently when they appear immediately after a vowel and are not geminated. In these circumstances, is pronounced as a velar fricative. is pronounced as a fricative, or sometimes as an affricate. This fricative or affricate is more often pronounced further back, in the uvular place of articulation (although it is represented in this article as ). All of these possible realizations – velar ejective fricative, uvular ejective fricative, velar ejective affricate and uvular ejective affricate – are cross-linguistically very rare sounds.

Since these two sounds are completely conditioned by their environments, they can be considered allophones of and. This is especially clear from verb roots in which one consonant is realized as one or the other allophone depending on what precedes it. For example, for the verb meaning cry, which has the triconsonantal root √b-k-y, there are forms such as ምብካይ (to cry) and በኸየ  (he cried), and for the verb meaning steal, which has the triconsonantal root √s-r-kʼ, there are forms such as ይሰርቁ  (they steal) and ይሰርቕ  (he steals).

What is especially interesting about these pairs of phones is that they are distinguished in Tigrinya orthography. Because allophones are completely predictable, it is quite unusual for them to be represented with distinct symbols in the written form of a language.

Syllables
A Tigrinya syllable may consist of a consonant-vowel or a consonant-vowel-consonant sequence. When three consonants (or one geminated consonant and one simple consonant) come together within a word, the cluster is broken up with the introduction of an epenthetic vowel, and when two consonants (or one geminated consonant) would otherwise end a word, the vowel appears after them, or (when this happens because of the presence of a suffix)  is introduced before the suffix. For example,

Stress is neither contrastive nor particularly salient in Tigrinya. It seems to depend on gemination, but it has apparently not been systematically investigated.

Typical grammatical features
Grammatically, Tigrinya is a typical Ethiopian Semitic (ES) language in most ways:
 * A Tigrinya noun is treated as either masculine or feminine. However, most inanimate nouns do not have a fixed gender.
 * Tigrinya nouns have plural, as well as singular, forms, though the plural is not obligatory when the linguistic or pragmatic context makes the number clear. As in Tigre and Geez (as well as Arabic), noun plurals may be formed through internal changes ("broken" plural) as well as through the addition of suffixes. For example, ፈረስ horse, ኣፍራሰ  horses.
 * Adjectives behave in most ways like nouns. Most Tigrinya adjectives, like those in Tigre and Ge'ez, have feminine and plural (both genders) forms. For example, ጽቡቕ good (m.sg.), ጽብቕቲ  good (f.sg.), ጽቡቓት  good (m./f. pl.)
 * Within personal pronouns and subject agreement inflections on verbs, gender is distinguished in second person as well as third. For example, ተዛረብ speak! (m.sg.), ተዛረቢ  speak (f.sg.).
 * Possessive adjectives take the form of noun suffixes: ገዛ house, ገዛይ  my house, ገዛኺ  your (f.sg.) house.
 * Verbs are based on consonantal roots, most consisting of three consonants: √sbr break, ሰበረ he broke, ይሰብር  he breaks, ምስባር  to break.
 * Within the tense system there is a basic distinction between the perfective form—conjugated with suffixes and denoting the past—and the imperfective form—conjugated with prefixes and in some cases suffixes—and denoting the present or future: ሰበሩ they broke, ይሰብሩ  they break.
 * As in Ge'ez and Amharic, there is also a separate "gerundive" form of the verb, conjugated with suffixes and used to link verbs within a sentence: ገዲፍካ ተዛረብ stop (that) and speak (m.sg.).
 * Verbs also have a separate jussive/imperative form, similar to the imperfective: ይስበሩ let them break.
 * Through the addition of derivational morphology (internal changes to verb stems and/or prefixes), verbs may be made passive, reflexive, causative, frequentative, reciprocal, or reciprocal causative: ፈለጡ fäläṭ-u 'they knew', ተፈልጡ tä-fälṭ-u 'they were known', ኣፈልጡ a-fälṭ-u 'they caused to know (they introduced)', ተፋለጡ tä-faläṭ-u 'they knew each other', ኣፋለጡ a-f-faläṭ-u 'they caused to know each other'.
 * Verbs may take direct object and prepositional pronoun suffixes: ፈለጠኒ fäläṭä-nni 'he knew me', ፈለጠለይ fäläṭä-lläy 'he knew for me'.
 * Negation is expressed through the prefix ay- and, in independent clauses, the suffix -n: ኣይፈለጠን ay-fäläṭä-n 'he didn't know'.
 * The copula and the verb of existence in the present are irregular: ኣሎ allo 'there is, he exists', እዩ ǝyyu 'he is', የለን or የልቦን yällän or yälbon 'there isn't, he doesn't exist', ኣይኰነን aykʷänän 'he isn't', ነበረ näbärä 'he existed, he was, there was', ይኸውን yǝ-ḵäwwǝn 'he will be', ይነብር yǝ-näbbǝr 'he will exist, there will be'.
 * The verb of existence together with object suffixes for the possessor expresses possession ('have') and obligation ('must'): ኣሎኒ allo-nni 'I have, I must' (lit. 'there is (to) me').
 * Relative clauses are expressed by a prefix attached to the verb: ዝፈለጠ zǝ-fäläṭä 'who knew'
 * Cleft sentences, with relative clauses normally following the copula, are very common: መን እዩ ዝፈለጠ män ǝyyu zǝ-fäläṭä 'who knew?' (lit. 'who is he who knew?').
 * There is an accusative marker used on definite direct objects. In Tigrinya this is the prefix nǝ-. For example, ሓጐስ ንኣልማዝ ረኺቡዋ ḥagʷäs nǝ’almaz räḵibuwwa 'Hagos met Almaz'.
 * As in other modern Ethiopian Semitic languages, the default word order in clauses is subject–object–verb, and noun modifiers usually (though not always in Tigrinya) precede their head nouns.

Innovations
Tigrinya grammar is unique within the Ethiopian Semitic language family in several ways:
 * For second-person pronouns, there is a separate vocative form, used to get a person's attention: ንስኻ nǝssǝḵa 'you (m.sg.)', ኣታ atta 'you! (m.sg.)'.
 * There is a definite article, related (as in English) to the demonstrative adjective meaning 'that': እታ ጓል ǝta gʷal 'the girl'.
 * The gerundive form is used for past tense, as well as for the linking function as in Ge'ez and Amharic: ተዛሪቡ täzaribu '(he) speaking, he spoke'.
 * Yes–no questions are marked by the particle ዶ do following the questioned word: ሓፍተይዶ ርኢኺ ḥaftäydo rǝiḵi 'did you (f.sg.) see my sister?'.
 * The negative circumfix ay- -n may mark nouns, pronouns, and adjectives as well as verbs: ኣይኣነን ay-anä-n 'not me', ኣይዓብይን ayabǝy-ǝn 'not big'
 * Tigrinya has an unusually complex tense–aspect–mood system, with many nuances achieved using combinations of the three basic aspectual forms (perfect, imperfect, gerundive) and various auxiliary verbs including the copula (እዩ ǝyyu, etc.), the verb of existence (ኣሎ allo, etc.), and the verbs ነበረ näbärä 'exist, live', ኮነ konä 'become', ጸንሔ s'änḥe 'stay'.
 * Tigrinya has compound prepositions corresponding to the preposition–postposition compounds found in Amharic: ኣብ ልዕሊ ዓራት ab lǝli arat 'on (top of) the bed', ኣብ ትሕቲ ዓራት ab tǝḥti arat 'under the bed'
 * Unlike most Ethiopian Semitic languages, Tigrinya has only one set of applicative suffixes, used both for the dative and benefactive and for locative and adversative senses: ተቐሚጣሉ täq̱ämmiṭa-llu 'she sat down for him' or 'she sat down on it' or 'she sat down to his detriment'.

Writing system
Tigrinya is written in the Geʽez script, originally developed for Geez. The Ethiopic script is an abugida: each symbol represents a consonant+vowel syllable, and the symbols are organized in groups of similar symbols on the basis of both the consonant and the vowel. In the table below the columns are assigned to the seven vowels of Tigrinya; they appear in the traditional order. The rows are assigned to the consonants, again in the traditional order.

For each consonant in an abugida, there is an unmarked symbol representing that consonant followed by a canonical or inherent vowel. For the Ethiopic abugida, this canonical vowel is ä, the first column in the table. However, since the pharyngeal and glottal consonants of Tigrinya (and other Ethiopian Semitic languages) cannot be followed by this vowel, the symbols in the first column for those consonants are pronounced with the vowel a, exactly as in the fourth column. These redundant symbols are falling into disuse in Tigrinya and are shown with a dark gray background in the table. When it is necessary to represent a consonant with no following vowel, the consonant+ə form is used (the symbol in the sixth column). For example, the word ǝntay 'what?' is written እንታይ, literally ǝ-nǝ-ta-yǝ.

Since some of the distinctions that were apparently made in Ge'ez have been lost in Tigrinya, there are two rows of symbols each for the consonants ‹ḥ›, ‹s›, and ‹sʼ›. In Eritrea, for ‹s› and ‹sʼ›, at least, one of these has fallen into disuse in Tigrinya and is now considered old-fashioned. These less-used series are shown with a dark gray background in the chart.

The orthography does not mark gemination, so the pair of words qärräbä 'he approached', qäräbä 'he was near' are both written ቀረበ. Since such minimal pairs are very rare, this presents no problem to readers of the language.

title: Tigrinya language


text:
User:Banshee~enwiki

There is a message on your talk page that needs your attention. --mav

title: User:Banshee~enwiki


text:
Tigrinya

Tigrinya may refer to:
 * Tigrinya language, an Afroasiatic language
 * Tigrinya people, an ethnic group of Eritrea

title: Tigrinya