Michigan as i see it

Polar Plunge on the Michigan Capitol lawn

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:27:47 PST

State Rep. Barb Byrum does a belly flop into a pool on the Michigan Capitol lawn as part of the Michigan Special Olympics Polar Plunge, on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012.

A Northern Michigan castle where animals rule the roost SEE VIDEO

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:27:18 PST

"The Eagles Nest" is more like an animal kingdom in Fife Lake!
Whether you're an animal lover, or simply love to display your prized pieces, to say this Northern Michigan home is the cat's meow, is an understatement!
"Well these are kind of different animal heads," says Mary McNabb, owner of "The Eagle's Nest," as she looks up at her collection of trophy animal heads.
"We love animals, so we have all kinds of critters," says Doug McNabb, owner and designer of the home.
Spread across 345 acres on a private lake, this castle in Fife Lake is more like a village. A village where animals rule the roost. At $5.2 million and more than 8,000 square feet, it's the one-of-a-kind construction that's the most eye-catching. Link to full story

Detroit 300 on manhunt for baby’s killer, The well-known crime-fighting group Detroit 300 is on a hunt for justice.

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:09:48 PST

Members are outraged over the death of 9-month-old Delric Miller . He was killed Monday morning when someone unloaded 37 shots from AK-47 into the home where Delric was sleeping on a couch.
Detroit 300 isn’t just going after his killers, they’re demanding justice for all of the children that have been victims of senseless crime. They say they’re looking to track down these “child killers".SEE VIDEO BELOW

Melee at MotorCity Casino Hotel Caught on Tape Fists of fury break out at buffet

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:46:53 PST

A wild scene was caught on tape inside MotorCity Casino Hotel. A viewer recorded a brawl involving numerous women inside the casino's Grand River Deli early Friday morning. see video

Melee at MotorCity Casino Hotel Caught on Tape: MyFoxDETROIT.com

'They raising monsters out here' cries grandmother of baby killed when bullets ripped through house

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:05:23 PST

Nearly eleven years ago, Cynthia Wilkins lost her four-year-old daughter, Shania Salter, when someone opened fire on her Detroit home.
On Monday Wilkins nine-month-old grandson was murdered when someone sprayed a home on the 8400 block of Greenview with bullets.
"Don't nobody care about the kids no more", cried Wilkins. "They raising monsters out here".

23 and counting! Red Wings' home cookin' continues

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:25:57 PST

23 and counting! Red Wings' home cookin' continues

Sometimes the way they play is extraordinary and sometimes the Red Wings are less than that. There have been times during this 23-game win streak at Joe Louis Arena they’ve won late, other times they’ve taken control of a game early. link to full story

'Daily Show' examines Michigan primary, skewers ads by Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:06:40 PST

Stewart pointed out a few problems with one of Romney's ads and suggested Santorum's anti-Romney ad appeared to be an attempt to entrap the talk show host.

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Black On Black Hate Crime Baffles Local Couple / Noose and lynching pictures sent by mail

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:19:19 PST

Black On Black Hate Crime Baffles Local Couple: MyFoxDETROIT.com

It was a sickening case of racial intimidation. A local African American couple received a noose in the mail, with pictures of lynching - and more.
The man who sent that racist garbage is one not someone you might expect.
He's also African American.

Resident living with dioxin wants Dow Chemical to do more SEE VIDEO

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:34:32 PST

John Taylor believes Dow Chemical needs to do more to clean up dioxin at his home.
"That's kind of a slap in my face along with a few others I know who would like to relocate," Taylor said.
The down river Saginaw County resident lives on the Tittabawassee River. He has been found with high levels of dioxin in his system.
"Nine years ago I was tested my the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and I am real high body burden of dioxin," Taylor said.
Taylor's upset that Dow Chemical's voluntary property purchase program is not being offered to residents like him who live downstream from the company.

The Detroit Red Wings Set NHL Record with 21 Straight Wins at Home

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:14:23 PST

link to full story

With a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars Tuesday night, the Detroit Red Wings set a new all-time NHL record for consecutive home wins, with 21.
They are now 24-2-1 at Joe Louis Arena this season. To put that in perspective, the Red Wings have more home wins than the Canadiens, Islanders, Hurricanes, Ducks, Oilers and Blue Jackets have total wins.
"It's something special, especially with all the really great teams I've been on here over the years and great players, but we've never had a chance to do something like this," Red Wings captain Nick Lidstrom said. "This is a real special moment for the team." see video below

Red Wings Set NHL Record with 21 Straight Wins at Home: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Rescue crew saves 4-week-old puppy stuck in drainage pipe for 12 hours in Detroit

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:47:15 PST

The Michigan Humane Society says "Piper," as they are affectionately calling him, is alive and well after spending more than 12 hours stuck in a drainage pipe on Detroit's west side.
The puppy's owner called a rescue hotline Thursday morning several hours after the 4-week-old puggle-dachshund mix disappeared into an uncovered pipe in the basement of the family's home on the 17000 block of Pembroke.
Kevin Hatman, a spokesman for the Michigan Humane Society, says the rescue team spent several hours trying to free the puppy from the basement before realizing he had traveled more than a dozen feet down the pipe and was likely outside the home.
Working with Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society, along with local plumbing and excavation companies, the crew was able to dig a hole outside the home, use a stethoscope to find the puppy's heartbeat through the pipe and cut him free Thursday evening.

Oakland University student suspended after writing essay titled 'Hot for Teacher'

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:20:16 PST

link to full story
Joseph Corlett can’t believe he was suspended from Oakland University after writing about his attraction to one of his professors in an essay titled “Hot for Teacher” that was based on a song by Van Halen.
Corlett, 56, is an aspiring writer and says not even his wife had a problem with the words he used to describe his teacher.
“Tall, blonde, stacked, skirt, heels, fingernails, smart, articulate, smile,” he wrote.
“The fact is she’s an attractive woman. I see lots of attractive women that I don’t hit on, but I wrote about it,” Corlett told 7 Action News.
Corlett says he was never warned that writing about his attraction to his professors who are women crossed the line in his Advanced Critical Writing class.
Corlett says the same professor who was offended had previously praised him for his written work that detailed his attraction to women. SEE VIDEO

Snyder Says Michigan is on the Rebound

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:22:07 PST

link to full story
Speaking to tthe Detroit Econmoic Club, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder says the Great Lakes State is on the upswing.
The state's 48th governor spoke to an overflow crowd at the Westin Book Cadillac Monday afternoon.
Snyder says the state not only has to recover, but must forge a new and reinvented path in order to sustain economic viability.
Despite continued economic hard times, Snyder said the auto industry is staging a comeback that he looks forward to working together with Detroit Mayor Dave Bing to help with the city's financial woes.
Meantime, Mayor Bing left before reporters could question him. As of now, a review team is working to determine if a financial manager is needed to rescue the city from the brink of bankruptcy.

Snyder Says Michigan is on the Rebound: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Mild weather leaves ice fishermen out in the cold

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:22:27 PST

Old man winter seems to have given ice fishermen the cold shoulder this year.
Warmer than usual temperatures this winter have meant anglers have had fewer chances to break out their shanties and get on the ice covering Metro Detroit's lakes.
Temperatures were higher than usual in January and the first week of February, according to the National Weather Service.
"We've just had an incredibly warm January and February," said Matt Mosteiko, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake. "Simply put, that's why we don't have any ice."
It should get somewhat colder and down to freezing over the next week, but then it looks like it'll warm up again, he said.
In its latest fishing report, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is warning anglers that there's little ice and unsafe ice conditions on most waterways in the southern half of the state's lower peninsula.
Lee Paquette, 53, of Mount Clemens, said he hasn't even pulled his ice fishing shanty out of storage this year. He's been ice fishing since he was a boy and prefers to get out on the water when it's got 6-to-8-inches of ice on top of it.
"This year's ice fishing season has been very poor because there hasn't been any ice," he said. "It's the worst I've ever seen."
Paquette said he's resorted to fishing from the shore with equipment that he typically uses in the spring and summer. On Friday, he was fishing from the DNR's Selfridge Boating Access Site at the end of Rosso Highway near Jefferson in Harrison Township.
Michigan is well-known for fishing with about 3,200 miles of freshwater coastline, more than 11,000 inland lakes and 36,000 miles of rivers and streams — even in the winter.
Fishing — and ice fishing — contributes about $2 billion to the state's economy and generates $225 million in tax revenues every year, according to the DNR.
Veronica Pinto, co-owner of the Lakeside Fishing Shop in St. Clair Shores, says Metro Detroit lakes' lack of ice has been bad for business. Pinto's store is on Jefferson at 10 Mile.
"I've been here 35 years, and I've never seen it this bad," she said. "It's been a nightmare of a winter."
Last year, Lake St. Clair had ice suitable for fishing on it by Dec. 10, she said. On a single day during the Christmas shopping season, the shop sold six shanties in one day. This year, she said the store hasn't sold that many all season.
"There's no way you can run a business and sell shanties, augers and tackle when you have no ice. It just doesn't work."
The weather has been so warm that Kensington Metropark in Milford was forced to cancel its ice fishing beginners' class scheduled for Saturday.
"It's been quite the non-winter," said Denise Semion, a spokeswoman for the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.
Alex Balowski, 19, of Clinton Township, said he's tried to get in some ice fishing when he can but it hasn't been easy. He usually fishes for northern pike in the Clinton River at least a couple of times a week during the winter, he said.
When the mercury dipped a little a couple of weeks ago, Balowski and his older brother, David, 22, took full advantage of the colder weather and took to the ice on one of Stony Creek Metropark's lakes in Shelby Township to cast their fishing lines.
"I've had to do a lot more fishing from the shore," said Balowski, who has been going ice fishing ever since he can remember. "There just hasn't been a lot of ice this year."
Balowski said he's found one cool thing about the dearth of ice.
"I've been catching more pike this year," he said. "Because of the warm weather, they've moved up the river to spawn sooner than they usually do."
Paquette said he's hoping for another silver lining. "Because so many lake perch haven't been plucked out of the water this winter," he said, "I'm hoping perch fishing will be better this spring." link to full story

Romulus Man Collects All Things Faygo SEE VIDEO

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:42:19 PST

Romulus Man Collects All Things Faygo: MyFoxDETROIT.com

He's been collecting for years. Faygo was so impressed they gave him a private tour. FOX 2's Jason Carr recently got to meet the company's number one fan.
Steven Seiler is a self-described Faygo cola nut. Seriously, he even has a button that says "I'm a Faygo cola nut!"
"I've asked everybody at Faygo. Nobody seemed to remember it," he said.
Seiler has more than 100 rare bottles and cans and memorabilia -- all Faygo. Remember Moonshine?
"They had to stop producing it because the people that made Mountain Dew said it was a little too close," he explained.
He even has an original Feigenson Brothers seltzer bottle. link to full story

Angry Kid Rock slams reports on Made in Detroit clothing line

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:30:40 PST

Made in Detroit website
Click to read the letter

An angry Kid Rock is addressing reports that his 'Made in Detroit' clothing line isn't manufactured in Detroit.
In a letter posted on the front page of the Made in Detroit website , the singer says the goal of Made in Detroit "is to re-instill a sense of Detroit pride, give back to the community, try to create jobs in our home state and maybe one day build our own facility somewhere close the the riverfront in Detroit."
The letter also takes issue with the report saying they fail "to say the majority of our products are in fact MADE IN AMERICA."
As for the products not made in their country, Kid Rock says "It's very difficult to even find quality and affordable USA made products, lord knows we have been looking from day one, not only for the MID brand but also for the Kid Rock merchandise we sell on tour.
He goes on to say "we have NEVER laid claim to our items actually being made in Detroit, it's been on our website since we took the company out of bankruptcy what we are about." The letter then directs to the About Us section of Made in Detroit for more information about the company's mission.
Kid Rock then goes on to say that while some of their products are not created in America, "That doesn't mean we can't do better. We're trying to move away from those products while still keeping our prices affordable and keeping us and the stores that depend on us in business."

Michigan boating business rides wave to recovery, After a six-year downturn, the boating industry is on the rise in the Great Lakes State.

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:02:18 PST

The Detroit Boat Show at Cobo Center is riding this wave of tentative recovery, boasting more boats, brands and leased exhibit space than in prior years when it opens Saturday, said boat show spokeswoman Nicki Polan.
Sales of luxury yachts, refurbished boats, dock space and maintenance services are increasing, Metro Detroit businesses say. Boat repossessions are diminishing, a local company reports. And yacht club membership is recovering, according to two local clubs.
But boat registrations still need a life preserver. Michigan boat registrations have fallen for seven consecutive years through January, according to the Michigan Secretary of State's Office. The result is fewer watercraft on the lakes.
Still, owners are investing more money in the boats they already own, said Mike Tusa, owner of Mike's Marine Supply in St. Clair Shores. The business gains are due to an improving automotive industry and a bump in consumer confidence, he said.
"Since the first of the year, we have sold numerous electronics packages to people who recently purchased new boats or have decided to upgrade equipment on their current boats," Tusa said.
Scott Gregory II has seen an upswing in business at his Detroit-based detailing service, Scotty G.'s Mobile Detail Service. Business nearly ground to a halt last winter, but "this year, I'm having a hard time keeping up."
"I think things are turning around slowly," he said. "I think we're through the hardest part of the recession."
Sales of luxury yachts are projected to increase more than 7 percent nationwide, and sales of powerboats 15 feet or longer have risen above the February 2006 level for the first time in almost six years, according to the Michigan Boating Industries Association.
That's good news for Michigan, which ranked third in the nation behind Florida and Minnesota for the number of boat registrations in 2010, the latest year available, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The nine-day Detroit Boat Show reflects the industry's comeback by featuring three times as many boats 30 feet or more in length than last year, Polan said. The star is a 45-foot Sea Ray that measures 3 feet longer than 2011's largest boat.
Sales of exhibit space are up 24 percent over last year as dealers expand their presence. link to full story

International Space Station crew shoots spectacular photo of the Great Lakes

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:55:11 PST

The crew of the International Space Station wasn't able to watch the Super Bowl, but they were able to snap an amazing photo of Indianapolis and the Great Lakes region. Check out this photo, which was taken at night during the game!

McClure's Pickles snaps up former American Axle plant

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:45:22 PST

link to full story

Brothers and business partners Joe and Bob McClure were in a pickle.
Their gourmet food business, McClure's Pickles, had grown so much in six years, they had taken over the third adjoining suite in a business complex in Troy. Its 4,500-square-foot layout, however, was far from ideal. That sent them on a quest for a new manufacturing and warehouse facility that gave them room to grow.
After searching Troy, Clawson and even New York City, where Bob is based, they found it in Detroit at a former American Axle plant.
They begin setting up their new 20,000-square-foot leased home in a week or so, more than quadrupling their size.
"This extra space will help in many ways, right down to our glass jars," Joe McClure said. "I can place an order for more glass jars, which will save costs because the bigger the order, the smaller the price. We didn't have enough storage to do that before."
McClure's, which was founded in 2006, is following the footsteps of a storied pickling past. Michigan is the largest pickle-producing state in the country with names like Vlasic and Heinz —both with Michigan-based manufacturing plants— leading the way, said Brian Bursiek, executive vice president of Pickle Packers Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the pickling industry.Michigan grew nearly 177,000 tons of pickling cucumbers in 2011, twice as many as second-place Florida and five times as many as third-place North Carolina, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pickles are a Michigan tradition, said Stephanie Peterson of Ann Arbor, who grew up in Bloomfield Hills and remembers local restaurants that kept self-serve pickle jars in the dining room. She bought four jars of Vlasic pickles on a recent grocery shopping trip and, in the past, has even canned her own.
"It's always been a popular side dish in my family, and they are certainly a tastier alternative to celery," she said.
McClure's extra space will help the company compete more with the Vlasics of the world. McClure's purchased new equipment to automate some of the production process of their signature spicy pickles, a recipe handed down by their great grandmother, and garlic dill spears.

Watching the Super Bowl with former Lions Lomas Brown and Corey Schlesinger

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:38:45 PST

Erin Andrews, she’s not. But Detroit Free Press reporter Zlati Meyer spent Super Bowl Sunday with two former Detroit Lions -- Super Bowl winner Lomas Brown and Corey Schlesinger. Get ready to learn more about the sport where players wear more accessories than Kim Kardashian. Well, at least more than you’d pick up from an episode of “Friday Night Lights.” SEE VIDEO

You haven't lived here until ... You dress like a Michigander

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:06:10 PST

link to larger photo

Essential gear for dressing like you're from the Mitten state.

I-500 off to the races with Governor Snyder's green flag start, The 44th annual I-500 hit the track in Sault Ste. Marie Saturday

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:55:29 PST

link

In a race of speed and endurance, snowmobiles revved up and ripped through Sault Ste. Marie Saturday for the 44th annual I-500 race.Some of the best snowmobile racers took to the track to reach speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.
The Governor dropped the green flag to kick it off.
For the first time since 2005, the I-500 had a full field. 38 teams testing their endurance, seeing who can finish 500 miles on this one mile track the fastest.
"This is ‘Pure Michigan,’ it's awesome, it's really great. It’s a volunteer effort to do something like this, and the way these guys are riding these sleds is just incredible," says Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.
Sporting his new, red, I-500 snowmobile jacket, Governor Rick Snyder gave the green flag "go" to rev up the 44th Annual I-500. The Governor was fulfilling the only promise he made on the campaign trail two years ago while in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and it was if he won, he'd be back.

A poisoned eagle took flight after it recovered

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:03:25 PST

Bald Eagle takes flight once again

A sick bald eagle was rehabilitated and Friday, she went back into the wild.
The Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians held a special ceremony to celebrate its life.
We were there as the eagle flew away.
"We look at them as relatives, helpers, and teachers, same as we look at all creation, in the same manner," says Odawa Tribal member Msko Maiingan.
The bald eagle is a spiritual part of life to Native Americans. Friday, more than 200 tribal and community members met at the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians' Pow Wow grounds.
The ceremony started with a celebration of prayer and offering to the Creator and to the eagle. Last Thursday, the adult female was spotted struggling near Pellston. Mark Givens found it help.
"There are quite a few eagles around here, but you hate to lose any bird like that," says Givens.
"It only got as high as 6 feet off the ground, and it never got higher than that, so we knew there was probably still something wrong with this bird," says Maxwell Field from the LTBB-Odawa Conservation Office.
The Tribal Department of Natural Resources captured it. The bird went to Jensen’s Animal Hospital where she was treated for food poisoning and nursed back to health at Wings of Wonder.

Slain Islamic Woman's Name on 'Human Rights' Conference Upsets Her Family Loved Ones Dispute Her Murder Was an Honor Killing

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:07:05 PST

Link

It's been almost ten months since Jessica Mokdad's murder. She was just 20 years old.
"It's like still in disbelief," said Mohammed Mokdad, her father.
Jessica's murder made international headlines. She left Minnesota to escape an allegedly physically and mentally abusive stepfather, but in April of 2011, her stepfather, Rahim Alfatlawi, drove from Minnesota to her grandmother's Warren home and shot her in the head.
Her family calls it an awful tragedy, but others are calling it an honor killing. SEE VIDEO

Slain Islamic Woman's Name on 'Human Rights' Conference Upsets Her Family: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Woody the woodchuck is predicting Michigan is in for an early spring.

noreply@blogger.com ((Jan)) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:37:36 PST

The weather prognosticator didn't "see" her shadow Thursday during an event at Howell Conference and Nature Center. She's billed as Michigan's official groundhog.
She was attempting a 10th correct prediction in 14 years.