1994 in Michigan

1994 in Michigan
History of Michigan
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1992 1993 ← → 1995 1996

Events from the year 1994 in Michigan.

Top Michigan news stories

Newspaper editors and broadcast news directors voted on the top news stories in Michigan for 1994 as follows:[1]

  1. Republican election victories. November 8 election in which John Engler was reelected to a second term as Governor and Spencer Abraham was elected U.S. Senator. In the Michigan gubernatorial election, 1994, Engler defeated Democrat Howard Wolpe by a margin of 61.5% to 38.5%. In the United States Senate election in Michigan, 1994, Abraham defeated Democrat Bob Carr by a margin of 52% to 43% with Libertarian Jon Coon receiving 4% of the votes.[2]
  2. Proposal A tax reform. On March 15, voters approved Proposal A by 65% to 35%. The proposal shifted funding for schools from property taxes to sales taxes. The proposal raised the state's sales tax from 4% to 6% and increased the tax on cigarettes by 50 cents.
  3. Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide. On May 2, a jury acquitted Jack Kevorkian in connection with the death of Thomas Hyde who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease. The trial was the first test of Michigan's assisted suicide law, adopted by the Legislature to stop Kevorkian from continuing his efforts to assist terminally ill patients to end their lives. After the verdict, Kevorkian told reporters: "I'm prosecutable. I'm just not convictable."[3] Days later, on May 10, a Michigan appellate court issued separate rulings that (i) persons assisting suicide could be prosecuted for murder, and (ii) Michigan's assisted suicide law was technically invalid but that a revised ban would be constitutional.[4]
  4. Growth in the Michigan economy.
  5. Charter schools. A judge ruled charter schools unconstitutional, and the Legislature then acted to authorize and fund them.
  6. Booming auto sales.
  7. Deep winter freeze. Severe cold weather struck the state in January.
  8. Detroit prison break. On August 21, 10 prisoners escaped from the Ryan Regional Correctional Facility in Detroit.[5] Nine of the escapees were captured. The tenth was found dead.[6]
  9. Day-care/child custody decision. On July 8, a 69-year-old Macomb County judge ordered that custody of three-year-old Maranda Ireland-Smith be removed from her 19-year-old mother and instead be awarded to the father. The judge found that the mother's use of commercial day care while attending classes at the University of Michigan was not in the child's best interest, whereas the father's mother was willing to care for the child full time. The decision drew national attention and criticism from working parents.[7][8][9] The New York Times wrote that the order was "an affront and threat to the millions of women for whom day care is the difference between ignorance and an education, poverty and a decent income, dependency and self-reliance."[10] The decision was reversed on appeal in 1995.[11]
  10. Deckerville child abuse trial. Stephen Rogers of Deckerville and his live-in girlfriend, Trudy O'Connor, were convicted of first-degree child abuse after Rogers' nine-year-old daughter was found by police in February 1994 chained to urine-soaked bed in dark closet. Rogers was sentenced to 10–15 years in prison, and O'Connor was sentenced to a six-to-15 year term.[12][13]

In separate balloting by Michigan Associated Press newspapers and broadcast stations, the state's top sports stories were selected as follows:[14]

  1. Nancy Kerrigan assault. On January 6, an assailant hired by the ex-husband of Tonya Harding struck Nancy Kerrigan's right knee with a club as she walked through a corridor at Detroit's Cobo Arena following a practice session at the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Kerrigan was treated for her injuries at Hutzel Hospital.[15]
  2. Firing of George Perles. On November 8, after the 1994 Michigan State Spartans football team began the season with nine losses and no wins, George Perles was fired as the team's head coach. He had been head coach for 12 years and was the second winningest coach in program history.[16] Nick Saban was hired as his replacement on December 3.
  3. Baseball strike. On September 14, the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike began. The strike resulted in the cancellation of the final weeks of the season as well as the World Series.[17]
  4. World Cup in Michigan. The 1994 FIFA World Cup had several games played at the Pontiac Silverdome, including a 1-1 tie between USA and Switzerland.
  5. Isiah Thomas. Isiah Thomas was offered a $55 million contract with the Pistons but took a post with Toronto instead.
  6. Detroit Red Wings lost in first round of playoffs and Bryan Murray fired as GM.
  7. The 1994–95 NHL lockout.
  8. Grant Hill signed. The Pistons selected Grant Hill with the third overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft.
  9. The 1993 Michigan Wolverines football team, including Colorado's victory in the Miracle at Michigan.
  10. Scott Mitchell signed. After losing Erik Kramer to free agency, the Detroit Lions on March 7 signed free agent quarterback Scott Mitchell to an $11 million contract, including a $5 million signing bonus.

Office holders

State office holders
Gov. Engler

Mayors of major cities

Federal office holders
Sen. Riegle
Sen. Levin

Population

In the 1990 United States Census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 9,295,29 persons, ranking as the eighth most populous state in the country. By 2000, the state's population had grown by 6.9% to 9,938,444 persons.

Cities

The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 50,000 based on 1990 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1980 and 2000 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1990
Rank		 City County 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. 2000 Pop. Change 1990-2000
1DetroitWayne1,203,3681,027,974951,270−7.5%
2Grand RapidsKent181,843189,126197,8004.6%
3WarrenMacomb161,134144,864138,247−4.6%
4FlintGenesee159,611140,761124,943−11.2%
5LansingIngham130,414127,321119,128−6.4%
6Sterling HeightsMacomb108,999117,810124,4715.7%
7Ann ArborWashtenaw107,969109,592114,0244.0%
8LivoniaWayne104,814100,850100,545−0.3%
9DearbornWayne90,66089,28697,7759.5%
10WestlandWayne84,60384,72486,6022.2%
11KalamazooKalamazoo79,72280,27776,145−5.1%
12SouthfieldOakland75,60875,74578,3223.4%
13Farmington HillsOakland58,05674,61182,11110.1%
14TroyOakland67,10272,88480,95911.1%
15PontiacOakland76,71571,16666,337−6.8%
16TaylorWayne77,56870,81165,868−7.0%
17SaginawSaginaw77,50869,51261,799−11.1%
18St. Clair ShoresMacomb76,21068,10763,096−7.4%
19Royal OakOakland70,89365,41060,062−8.2%
20WyomingKent59,61663,89169,3688.6%
21Dearborn HeightsWayne67,70660,83858,264−4.2%
22RosevilleWayne54,31151,41248,129−6.4%
23East LansingIngham51,39250,67746,525−8.2%

Counties

The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 150,000 based on 1990 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1980 and 2000 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1990
Rank		 County Largest city 1980 Pop. 1990 Pop. 2000 Pop. Change 1900-2000
1WayneDetroit2,337,8912,111,6872,061,162−2.4%
2OaklandPontiac1,011,7931,083,5921,194,15610.2%
3MacombWarren694,600717,400788,1499.9%
4KentGrand Rapids444,506500,631574,33514.7%
5GeneseeFlint450,449430,459436,1411.3%
6WashtenawAnn Arbor264,748282,937322,89514.1%
7InghamLansing275,520281,912279,320−0.9%
8KalamazooKalamazoo212,378223,411238,6036.8%
9SaginawSaginaw228,059211,946210,039−0.9%
10OttawaHolland157,174187,768238,31426.9%
11BerrienBenton Harbor171,276161,378162,4530.6%
12MuskegonMuskegon157,589158,983170,2007.1%
13JacksonJackson151,495149,756158,4225.8%

Sports

Baseball

American football

Basketball

Ice hockey

Music and culture
  • March 15 - Madonna's single I'll Remember was released. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
  • October 25 - Madonna's album Bedtime Stories was released. It reached No. 3 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. With 2,531,000 units sold in the US (8 million worldwide), the album was certified as triple platinum.
  • December 6 - Madonna's single Take a Bow was released. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the US Adult Contemporary chart.

Chronology of events

December
  • December 2 - The U.S. Department of Transportation agreed with General Motors to drop its investigation into GM pickup trucks in exchange for $51.4 million in funding for federal automobile safety programs.[24]
  • December 3 - Michigan State announced the hiring of Nick Saban as its new head football coach.
  • December 10 - Albion College won the NCAA Division III national football championship, defeating Washington & Jefferson in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl.[25]
  • December 11 - CBS changed its affiliate in Detroit from Channel 2 (WJBK) to Channel 62 (WGPR), causing confusion among viewers unable to find CBS programming. Channel 2 became a Fox affiliate.[26][27]
  • December 12 - Kmart Corporation announced the layoff of 900 employees at its corporate headquarters in Troy, Michigan. The terminated workers were escorted from the building by security personnel.[28]
  • December 13 - The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state's ban on suicide was constitutional, opening the way for possible prosecution of Jack Kevorkian in connection with 21 suicides he had attended since the law was enacted in June 1990.[29]
  • December 16 - Rick Rizzs and Frank Rathbun were not renewed as WJR's broadcast team for Detroit Tigers games. Frank Beckmann was announced as the new play-by-play announcer.[30]
  • December 20 - The federal government announced that Detroit had been selected as one of six sites for a $100-million empowerment zone.[31][32]
  • December 27 - Perry Drug Stores Inc., Michigan's largest drug store chain with its headquarters in Waterford Township, agreed to be acquired by Rite Aid Corp. for $132 million.[33]
  • December 31 - In a ceremony at the Governor's residence, John Engler was sworn in for his second term as Governor.[34]

Births
  • Devin Funchess

Deaths

See also

References
  1. "A year of politics, death and taxes". The Herald-Palladium. December 31, 1994. p. 38 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "GOP sweeps nation". Lansing State Journal. November 9, 1994. p. 1.
  3. "'I'm prosecutable. I'm just not convictable'". Detroit Free Press. May 3, 1994. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Ruling reopens suicides". Detroit Free Press. May 11, 1994. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "10 escape in jailbreak". Detroit Free Press. August 22, 1994. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Police suspect an inside job". Detroit Free Press. August 23, 1994. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Day care may be key element in custody fight". Detroit Free Press. July 8, 1994. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Judge defends taking child from mother using day care". The Herald-Palladium. July 28, 1994. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "The Maranda Decision". The Washington Post. July 30, 1994.
  10. "Taking Jennifer Ireland's Daughter". The New York Times. August 1, 1994.
  11. "Mother Wins Day-Care Custody Battle". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 1995.
  12. "DSS failed to rescue abused girl". The Detroit News and Free Press. November 19, 1994. pp. 1A, 12A – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Chaining girl draws prison". The Lansing State Journal. November 22, 1994. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Kerrigan attack top Michigan sports story". The Herald-Palladium. December 25, 1994. p. 6D – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Man attacks skater". Detroit Free Press. January 7, 1994. p. 1A – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "'I've been fired and that's a breach of contract'". Lansing State Journal. November 9, 1994. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Mitch Albom (September 15, 1994). "Heartless: Baseball brings no joy to America". Detroit Free Press. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "1994 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  19. "1994 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  20. "1994 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  21. "1994 Michigan State Spartans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  22. "1993–94 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  23. "1993–94 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  24. "U.S., GM settle truck dispute". Detroit Free Press. December 3, 1994. p. 1.
  25. "Albion brings home national crown". Detroit Free Press. December 11, 1994. p. 1.
  26. "The Big Switch". Detroit Free Press. December 11, 1994. p. 1.
  27. "CBS switch frustrates many". Detroit Free Press. December 12, 1994. p. 1.
  28. "Kmart cuts headquarters jobs". Detroit Free Press. December 13, 1994. p. 1.
  29. "Suicide ban is upheld". Detroit Free Press. December 14, 1994. p. 1.
  30. "Tigers announcers Rathbun, Rizzs fired". Detroit Free Press. December 17, 1994. p. 1.
  31. "Detroit celebrates $100-million win". Detroit Free Press. December 21, 1994. p. 1.
  32. "Teamwork is key". Detroit Free Press. December 22, 1994. p. 1.
  33. "Old corner drugstore wins big". Detroit Free Press. December 28, 1994. p. 1.
  34. "Quiet ceremony launches Engler's 2nd term". Detroit Free Press. January 1, 1995. p. 8A.
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