1988 in Michigan: Difference between revisions

Events from the year 1988 in Michigan.

The Associated Press (AP) selected the top stories in Michigan for 1988 as follows:^[1]

1. Michigan voters in November 1988 approved Proposal A prohibiting Medicaid-paid abortions. It passed by a margin of 1.94 million to 1.48 million. With the vote, Michigan joined 36 other states in banning Medicaid abortions. In 1987, Michigan had spent $6 million to fund 18,000 abortions. The Michigan Legislature had voted 17 times to ban Medicaid=funded abortions between 1977 and 1987 but it was vetoed each time by Governors James Blanchard or William Milliken.^[2]
2. A drought that shriveled crops and led Gov. James Blanchard to impose a statewide ban on outdoor burning, fireworks and cigarette smoking.
3. Presidential politics, including Pat Robertson‘s popularity, Jesse Jackson‘s victory in the Michigan caucus, and Michael Dukakis losing the state.
4. (tie) The creation of the Michigan Education Trust guaranteeing college tuition for youngsters who enrolled. Some 40,344 children were enrolled in 1988.
5. (tie) Debate over changes in school financing.
6. Medical waste, including hypodermic needles with traces of blood, washed up on Lake Michigan shoreline, forcing temporary beach closures.
7. The approval and subsequent litigation over the joint operating agreement (JOA) between The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press. The papers, rivals for 115 years, combined business operations. The JOA was approved by Attorney General Edwin Meese in August 1988.
8. The trial and conviction of Alberta Easter and her three sons (William, George and Roy Lemons) for the July 1987 Inkster police slayings in which three Inkster police officers (Sgt. Ira Parker and officers Daniel Dubiel and Clay Hoover) were killed in a hail of gunfire inside a room at the Bungalow Motel. The officers were trying to serve a warrant on Easter for writing a bad check. After a 13-week trial, the jury in August 1988 found all four guilty of first-degree murder
9. The war against crack cocaine in Detroit, including raids on hundreds of crackhouses and trials and convictions of Richard Wershe Jr. (“White Boy Rick”) and the Chambers Brothers gang.
10. The 10-day hunt for Vincent Loonsfoot through Upper Peninsula woods. Loonsfoort was wanted for fatally shooting four members of his ex-wife’s family at the Hannahville Indian Reservation near Escanaba. Loonsfoot eventually surrendered. He was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder in December 1988.

The AP also conducted a poll of Michigan sports editors who selected the state’s top sports stories as follows:^[3]

1. The 1987–88 Detroit Pistons defeating the Boston Celtics in the NBA semifinals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games of the 1988 NBA Finals.
2. The 1987 Michigan State Spartans football team‘s 20–17 victory over USC in the 1988 Rose Bowl.
3. The 1987–88 Detroit Red Wings advancing the Stanley Cup semifinals where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers in five games.
4. Kirk Gibson‘s signing as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
5. The Detroit Tigers finishing in second place by one game in the American League East.
6. The Detroit Lions‘ firing of Darryl Rogers and replacing him with Wayne Fontes.
7. Flint native Jim Abbott leading the US baseball team in the baseball competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
8. The 1988 Michigan Wolverines football team winning the Big Ten championship and earning a berth in the 1989 Rose Bowl.
9. Steve Yzerman emerging as a star with a 50-goal season.
10. The Red Wings’ suspension of Bob Probert and Petr Klíma and their rejoining the team in November.

In a separate poll by the Detroit Free Press, readers selected the top sports figures of 1988. The top 10 were Steve Yzerman (162 points), Jim Abbott (117 points), kayaker and 2x gold medalist Greg Barton (82 points), Traverse City football coach Jim Ooley (81 points), Central Michigan basketball player Dan Majerle (70 points), Isiah Thomas (57 points), Farmington Hills quarterback Mill Coleman (52 points), Kirk Gibson (44 points), Bo Schembechler (35 points), and Steve Avery (Steve Avery (baseball)^[4] or Steve Avery (American football)^[5]?) (33 points).^[6]

In the 1980 United States census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 9,259,000 persons, ranking as the eighth most populous state in the country. By 1990, the state’s population had grown only marginally by 0.4% to 9,259,000 persons.

The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 50,000 based on 1980 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1970 and 1990 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1980 Rank	City	County	1970 Pop.	1980 Pop.	1990 Pop.	Change 1980-90
1	Detroit	Wayne	1,514,063	1,203,368	1,027,974	−14.6%
2	Grand Rapids	Kent	197,649	181,843	189,126	4.0%
3	Warren	Macomb	179,260	161,134	144,864	−10.1%
4	Flint	Genesee	193,317	159,611	140,761	−11.8%
5	Lansing	Ingham	131,403	130,414	127,321	−2.4%
6	Sterling Heights	Macomb	61,365	108,999	117,810	8.1%
7	Ann Arbor	Washtenaw	100,035	107,969	109,592	1.5%
8	Livonia	Wayne	110,109	104,814	100,850	−3.8%
9	Dearborn	Wayne	104,199	90,660	89,286	−1.5%
10	Westland	Wayne	86,749	84,603	84,724	0.1%
11	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo	85,555	79,722	80,277	0.7%
12	Taylor	Wayne	70,020	77,568	70,811	−8.7%
13	Saginaw	Saginaw	91,849	77,508	69,512	−10.3%
14	Pontiac	Oakland	85,279	76,715	71,166	−7.2%
15	St. Clair Shores	Macomb	88,093	76,210	68,107	−10.6%
16	Southfield	Oakland	69,298	75,608	75,745	0.2%
17	Royal Oak	Oakland	86,238	70,893	65,410	−7.7%
18	Dearborn Heights	Wayne	80,069	67,706	60,838	−10.1%
19	Troy	Oakland	39,419	67,102	72,884	8.6%
20	Wyoming	Kent	56,560	59,616	63,891	7.2%
21	Farmington Hills	Oakland	—	58,056	74,611	28.5%
22	Roseville	Macomb	60,529	54,311	51,412	−5.3%
23	East Lansing	Ingham	47,540	51,392	50,677	−1.4%

The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 100,000 based on 1980 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1970 and 1990 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Counties that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.

1980 Rank	County	Largest city	1970 Pop.	1980 Pop.	1990 Pop.	Change 1980-90
1	Wayne	Detroit	2,666,751	2,337,891	2,111,687	−9.7%
2	Oakland	Pontiac	907,871	1,011,793	1,083,592	7.1%
3	Macomb	Warren	625,309	694,600	717,400	3.3%
4	Genesee	Flint	444,341	450,449	430,459	−4.4%
5	Kent	Grand Rapids	411,044	444,506	500,631	12.6%
6	Ingham	Lansing	261,039	275,520	281,912	2.3%
7	Washtenaw	Ann Arbor	234,103	264,748	282,937	6.9%
8	Saginaw	Saginaw	219,743	228,059	211,946	−7.1%
9	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo	201,550	212,378	223,411	5.2%
10	Berrien	Benton Harbor	163,875	171,276	161,378	−5.8%
11	Muskegon	Muskegon	157,426	157,589	158,983	0.9%
12	Ottawa	Holland	128,181	157,174	187,768	19.5%
13	Jackson	Jackson	143,274	151,495	149,756	−1.1%
14	Calhoun	Battle Creek	141,963	141,557	135,982	−3.9%
15	St. Clair	Port Huron	120,175	138,802	145,607	4.9%
16	Monroe	Monroe	118,479	134,659	133,600	−0.8%
17	Bay	Bay City	117,339	119,881	111,723	−6.8%
18	Livingston	Howell	58,967	100,289	115,645	15.3%

• January 10 – Peter Meijer, business analyst and US House of Representatives (2021-23), in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• January 19 – JaVale McGee, basketbal player, in Flint, Michigan
• January 21 – DeShawn Sims, basketball player, in Detroit
• February 5 – Chris Summers, hockey player, in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• February 12 – Mike Posner, singer, rapper, songwriter and producer, in Detroit
• February 21 – Grace Latz, rower, in Jackson, Michigan
• March 9 – Drakkar Klose, mixed martial artist, in Kalamazoo, Michigan
• April 3 – Brandon Graham, football player, in Detroit
• April 5 – Alisha Glass, volleyball player, in Leland, Michigan
• April 11 – Dar Tucker, basketball player, in Saginaw, Michigan
• April 14 – eric Alexander, soccer player, in Portage, Michigan
• April 15 – Andy Miele, hockey player, in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan
• April 21 – Jennifer White Holland, politician, in Detroit
• April 27 – Lizzo, singer, rapper, songwriter, in Detroit
• April 28 – Laurie Pohutsky, politician, in Detroit
• May 1 – Johnathon Jones, basketball player, in Okemos, Michigan
• May 6 – Justin Davis, soccer player, in Southfield, Michigan
• May 13 – Freddie Braun, soccer player, in Royal Oak, Michigan
• May 15 – Nikki Nemitz, softball pitcher, in St. Clair Shores, Michigan
• May 25 – Lee Chatfield, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives (2019-2021)
• May 25 – Britta Büthe, volleyball player, in Dearborn, Michigan
• June 21 – Allyssa DeHaan, volleyball player, in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• June 22 – Danny Davis, snowboarder, in Highland, Michigan
• July 24 – Maejor, record producer, songwriter, singer, in Southfield, Michigan
• July 26 – Zach Redmond, hockey player, in Traverse City, Michigan
• July 31 – Kyra Harris Bolden, associate justice of Michigan Supreme Court, in Southfield, Michigan
• August 3 – Ronald Johnson, wide receiver, in Muskegon, Michigan
• August 6 – Jeff Maddux, football lineman, in Monroe, Michigan
• August 8 – Robby Soave, Libertarian journalist, in Detroit
• September 14 – Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008, in Farmington Hills, Michigan
• September 18 – Andrew Miller, hockey player, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
• September 24 – Steven Kampfer, hockey player, in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• October 28 – Kat Timpf, Libertarian columnist and television personality, in Detroit
• October 28 – Ian Conyers, politician and businessman, in Lansing, Michigan
• November 12 – Mitch Hildebrandt, soccer goalkeeper, in Livonia, Michigan
• December 4 – Justin Meram, soccer player, in Shelby Charter Township
• December 24 – Keith Nichol, football player, in Lowell, Michigan

• January 25 – Colleen Moore, silent movie star from Port Huron, Michigan, in Paso Robles, California
• January 26 – Paul G. Goebel, football player and Mayor of Grand Rapids, in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• February 2 – G. Mennen Williams, Governor of Michigan (1949-1961), at age 76 in Detroit
• February 6 – Nick Pietrosante, football player, in Royal Oak, Michigan
• June 16 – Floyd J. McCree, first African-American Mayor of Flint, at age 65
• August 1 – John Dearden, Archbishop of Detroit (1958-1980) and a cardinal from 1969, at age 80 in Southfield, Michigan
• September 12 – Bill Mitchell, automobile designer, in Royal Oak, Michigan
• September 27 – J. C. Heard, swing, bop, and blues drummer, at age 71 in Royal Oak, Michigan
• October 19 – Son House, Delta blues musician, in Detroit
• November 13 – Antal Doráti, conductor and composer, conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (1977–81), at age 82 in Gerzensee, Switzerland.
• November 22 – Vic Desjardins, hockey player, in Sault St. Marie, Michigan