Tuesday's elections saw the failure of Proposal D, which would have outlawed the use of bait and dogs in hunting bear. A victorious sportsman said the election returns may discourage efforts to limit hunting in the near future.
"I've got to believe the animal rights people will see Michigan as unfriendly territory," said Rick Jameson, executive director of the Michigan United Conservation Club. "This is the worst licking they got."
Though Michigan voters rejected Proposal D, they approved Proposal G, which gives the state Natural Resources Commission the sole authority to set hunting rules.
With 98 percent of the vote counted, "D" was opposed by 62 percent and supported by 38 percent. "G" had support from 69 percent and was opposed by 31 percent.
While sportsmen celebrated victory, sports fans prepared to move downtown. Proposition S passed, speeding up the groundbreaking date of a downtown stadium for the Detroit Lions.
The proposal called for excise taxes of 1 percent on hotel rooms for stays less than 30 days and 2 percent on car rentals, and is expected to raise $80 million over 30 years for the $225 million stadium.
The Lions' domed stadium would sit next to a new, open-air Tiger Stadium in a $485 million sports complex.
"We think the payoff for the people of Detroit and southeast Michigan is going to be tremendous," said Anthony Neely, spokesperson for Mayor Dennis Archer.
When the Lions do move downtown, people will be able to bet on them within city limits, thanks to the passage of Proposition E.
The proposal allows up to three casinos in the city. With 98 percent of the state's precincts reporting, Proposal E got "yes" votes from 52 percent and "no" votes from 48 percent.
Supporters, including Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, say Detroit casinos would create thousands of jobs and pump $1.2 million daily into the city economy.
But casino opponents said they object to the atmosphere that often surrounds casinos.
"If they want to have casinos, heroin and drugs, fine. That's not my idea of the rebirth of a city for the 21st century," said former U.S. Rep. Carl Pursell. "It sounds like another Las Vegas to me."
On the other three proposals on the statewide ballot:
n In a partisan fight, Democrats dealt a setback to Republican plans to forbid the use of bingo games to raise political money. Democrats mustered the votes to defeat a Republican law - passed by the Legislature but placed on the ballot by Democrats - to outlaw bingo games as political fund-raisers.
n A person wanting to be elected judge will need five years' experience on the other side of the bench before running under a Michigan ballot proposal that won lopsided approval.
n In an issue near to the hearts of Michigan veterans, voters approved Proposal C to make it harder to use the Michigan Veterans' Trust Fund for expenses other than programs for veterans. The proposal puts the trust fund in the Michigan Constitution, in an attempt to keep its funds safe from raids for other purposes.