http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/enFri, 18 Jul 2008 10:19:38 -0500Movable Type Enterprise 1.52 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/no1972398http://www.feedburner.comhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/339154450/how_do_you_feel_about_the_cons.htmlCommunity: FlintQuestionMelissa Burden | The Flint JournalFri, 18 Jul 2008 10:19:38 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1192739 ]]>John W. Adkisson | The Flint JournalJason Swinson, of Burtchville Township, gives a thumbs up to passing cars while picketing Friday morning in front of the Durant Hotel on Saginaw Street. Laborer's Local 1075 Business Manager Daniel Husted organized the picket to protest renovators hiring out of town workers over locals. | See below for related articles on this project. FLINT, Michigan -- About 35 construction laborers, with signs reading "Local Jobs For Local People," picketed this morning along Saginaw Street in front of the more than $37-million Durant Hotel project. Daniel Husted, business manager of Laborers' Local 1075, said an out-of-town contractor was awarded abatement and demolition work at the hotel that could keep 20 to 30 local laborers busy for two to three months. "There's a lot of people in Flint who could use that," he said. Husted said Local 1075 has tried to work with developers for the past six months to secure a local contract. "To me, Flint's got enough unemployment problems here," Husted said. "We're out here fighting for the citizens of Flint."...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/how_do_you_feel_about_the_cons.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/339057871/saturday_is_national_hot_dog_d.htmlNewsNowQuestionRoNeisha Mullen | The Flint JournalFri, 18 Jul 2008 09:22:09 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1192463 ]]>Feedback: What do you like on your hot dog? Tell us in the comments area below. | Also see below for some hot dog-related recipes and post your favorite hot-dog or sausage-related recipes in the comments area below. It's a celebration of dogs, but not the four-legged kind. And leashes won't be necessary for the event; ketchup and mustard will suit the occasion better. July is National Hot Dog Month, and Saturday is National Hot Dog Day. Koegel Meat Co., one of the area's leading sellers of franks, has partnered with Leo's Coney Island to promote the holiday and weenie consumption, said John Koegel, president of the company. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, more than 7 billion hot dogs will be eaten by Americans between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Here's some recipes you may want to consider from Flint-based Koegel's Meats: Koegel's Smoked Sausage and Pineapple Kebabs...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/saturday_is_national_hot_dog_d.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/339017651/whats_your_view_on_the_gibbs_a.htmlNewsNowQuestionKathy Barks Hoffman | The Associated PressFri, 18 Jul 2008 08:09:26 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1192289 ]]>Thomas Simonetti | The Flint JournalThe Gibbs Aquada is an amphibious vehicle capable of speeds up to 100 miles per hour on land and 30 mph in the water. Feedback: Tell us your view on this amphibious vehicle in the comments area below. Do you think it would sell? LANSING, Michigan -- Bad news for Michigan in the auto industry on Tuesday was softened somewhat by the announcement that Dow Chemical Co. and a Kuwaiti company plan to open a headquarters building near Detroit for a new $11-billion joint venture. Gov. Jennifer Granholm also announced that the state's economic development arm is helping 13 companies grow by giving them economic incentives while backing five redevelopment projects around the state. "The companies that are choosing to invest here are critical to our effort to diversify Michigan's economy," the governor told reporters. She took time to look at a still-in-development sports car -- the Gibbs Aquada -- fitted with a water jet propulsion system that can be used on both land and water. Gibbs Technologies Inc. was awarded a $5.9-million state tax credit Tuesday. The company, based in the United Kingdom, plans to hire 60 to 80 workers by year's end to...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/whats_your_view_on_the_gibbs_a.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/338959210/who_is_your_favorite_super_her.htmlCommunity: Flint TownshipCommunity: Grand Blanc, Grand Blanc TownshpQuestionBrenda Brissette Mata | The Flint JournalFri, 18 Jul 2008 07:07:56 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1192140 ]]>Thomas Simonetti | The Flint JournalDwight Billings, 45, of Davison, has been a fan of Batman for decades. He collects Batman memorabilia and works at Flint's Amazing Bookstore, a comic book store. He said since he was a child, there has always been something that drew him to the Batman character. "I think Batman appealed to me because he used his brains," Billings said. Can't make today's midnight opening of the hot new Batman movie? Maybe a 3:10 a.m. showing would be more convenient. Or, before heading to work, you might want to try for the 6:30 a.m. show. In a sign of how hot "The Dark Knight" is -- and what big events film openings have become -- NCG Trillium Cinema's IMAX theater in Grand Blanc Township has scheduled 48 hours of the movie, with special showings at 3:10 a.m., 6:30 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. Friday (July 18, 2008) and Saturday. That's in addition to midnight digital showings at Trillium and Showcase Cinemas West in Flint Township, plus a midnight screening at Miracle Twin Drive-In in Burton. And tickets are selling fast. The buzz about the film, which many speculate will spark a posthumous Oscar nomination for Heath Ledger's...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/who_is_your_favorite_super_her.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/337190242/flint_police_chief_david_dicks_crackdown_on_saggy_pants_has_the_world_talking_whats_your_view.htmlCommunity: FlintNewsNowQuestionLinda Angelo | The Flint JournalWed, 16 Jul 2008 10:23:58 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1185095 ]]>Feedback: Tell us your view on the worldwide attention being given to this issue in the comments area below. FLINT, Michigan -- What started as a crackdown on indecent exposure has landed the city's police chief in the spotlight. Interim Police Chief David Dicks' directive to arrest people who wear baggy pants that expose their rear ends is piquing the interest of media outlets as far away as Ireland -- yes, Ireland. The chief, in fact, has been bombarded with so many interview requests that he won't talk about the issue anymore with the media. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan calls the crackdown unconstitutional. It issued a letter Monday warning against enforcing jail time and fines for wearing saggy pants or stopping and searching individuals who wear them. Paul Haltin of NewsTalk Radio in Ireland finds the whole controversy intriguing. His station is considering airing a segment on the saggy-pants rule....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/flint_police_chief_david_dicks_crackdown_on_saggy_pants_has_the_world_talking_whats_your_view.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/335981444/how_will_a_new_michigan_law_im.htmlQuestionLinda Angelo | The Flint JournalTue, 15 Jul 2008 05:32:55 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1180730 ]]>Feedback: Will the new laws impact the number of gift cards you buy this year? Let us know in the comments area below. GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- Rachelle Powell felt she got shafted when she couldn't use a gift certificate at the former Speakeasy Restaurant after it announced it was closing in February. The Mt. Morris Township woman says the experience left a sour taste in her mouth and she's glad retailers will no longer be able to get away with refusing gift certificates under a new law. "I think it's only fair," Powell said. Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm has signed into law legislation that strengthens consumer protections on gift cards and gift certificates. One of the provisions prohibits retailers from refusing to accept a gift certificate during a sale, closeout or liquidation. The package of new laws also bans most "inactivity" service fees on gift certificates. Rachelle and her husband, Keith, received a $100 gift certificate to Speakeasy in Flushing Township for Christmas from their daughter....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/how_will_a_new_michigan_law_im.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/335262657/offshore_oil_drilling_divides.htmlNewsNowQuestionSteven Mufson | The Washington PostMon, 14 Jul 2008 10:49:20 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1178103 ]]>Feedback: Should we be drilling for oil offshore or not? Tell us your view in the comments area below. On Jan. 28, 1969, a blowout on a Unocal rig six miles off the coast of California spilled 3 million gallons of oil into the waters off Santa Barbara. The blackened beaches and oil-soaked birds and seals became icons for the environmental movement and eventually brought oil exploration off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States to a halt. Now, President Bush, Republicans in Congress and big oil companies want to reopen those waters to oil and gas exploration. And the issue has become a dividing line for the presidential candidates. • Read the complete Washington Post article on offshore drilling and the presidential race....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/offshore_oil_drilling_divides.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/335262658/battle_over_billboards_brewing.htmlBusinessNewsNowQuestionTim Martin | The Associated PressMon, 14 Jul 2008 11:17:23 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1178040 ]]>Carlos Osorio | The Associated PressBillboards are seen on Interstate 75 in Detroit, Friday, July 11, 2008. Another battle over billboards is brewing in the state. Environmental groups are upset about legislation they say would undermine the state's cap on the number of billboards allowed alongside Michigan highways. Feedback: Tell us where you stand on billboards in Michigan in the comments area below. LANSING, Michigan -- Another battle over billboards is brewing in Michigan. Environmental groups are upset about legislation they say would undermine the state's cap on the number of billboards allowed along Michigan highways. But the outdoor advertising industry says the new proposal wouldn't change the overall number of billboards allowed on state roads. The dispute runs deeper than the latest legislation, passed by the Senate last month and headed to the House when lawmakers return from summer break. There's a fundamental disagreement over how current Michigan law affects an estimated 3,000 of the state's 16,000 billboard permits. Michigan has changed its billboard laws twice in the past decade to stop the proliferation of signs that detractors say interfere with the state's scenery....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/battle_over_billboards_brewing.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/332698326/what_do_you_think_of_the_flint.htmlCommunity: FlintQuestionShannon Murphy | The Flint JournalFri, 11 Jul 2008 08:32:20 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1170447 ]]> FLINT, Michigan -- Another Flint police union head may be disciplined for speaking to the media. Keith Speer, head of the police officers union, said he received notice Wednesday that internal affairs wants to talk with him. Speer said the notice indicated the internal investigation was because he spoke with the media last week, most likely about recent police layoffs. "It's almost like a dictatorship," Speer said. Speer would be the third Flint officer to be called before internal affairs for violating a department memo that states, in part, that only Interim Chief David Dicks can speak to the media about the department....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/what_do_you_think_of_the_flint.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/331813129/what_will_happen_with_gms_stoc_1.htmlCommunity: FlintCommunity: Swartz CreekQuestionKristin Longley | The Flint JournalMon, 14 Jul 2008 12:29:09 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1166475 ]]>John W. Adkisson | The Flint JournalDouglas Smith (left), a retired General Motors worker for 42 and a half years, drinks a cup of coffee while his wife Priscilla unloads a dishwasher Wednesday afternoon at their home in Swartz Creek. Smith's investment portfolio contains about one-third GM stock, which hit a 50-year low recently. "Heck, I never thought GM would be in the shape that it's in," said Smith. "You live on what you made and what you saved. You wonder if it's enough. You worry if it's enough." GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- After nearly 43 years with the company, it was loyalty that convinced Douglas Smith to hold on to his General Motors stock, even when signs pointed to the contrary. But after GM shares dropped earlier this week to a 50-year low, Smith and other local retirees are concerned about the company's future --and their nest eggs. Shares on Monday hit $9.92, tying their lowest point since Sept. 13, 1954, according to the Center for Research in Security Prices at the University of Chicago. The price is adjusted for splits and other changes. The stock later rebounded to close Wednesday at $10.33, still low for shares that have...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/what_will_happen_with_gms_stoc_1.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/331109405/when_it_comes_to_giving_would.htmlCommunity: LindenQuestionBryn Mickle | The Flint JournalMon, 14 Jul 2008 10:58:40 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1163663 ]]>Thomas Simonetti | The Flint JournalEight-year-old Michael Baxter had his hand-held Nintendo DS videogame stolen on his way from Hawaii to visit his great grandma in Linden. He says the game was going to keep him from being bored because he broke his leg. Siona Frances, of Florida, was a passenger on the flight and saw how upset he was. She is buying Baxter a new game. LINDEN, Michigan -- A young Hawaiian boy and his family saw firsthand this week how far some strangers will go to be kind. In his case, about 1,200 miles. As summers go, Michael Baxter's vacation has been a bit of a bummer. The 8-year-old broke his leg playing kickball two days after classes ended, scuttling a planned trip to Cedar Point during his stay with his great-grandmother in Linden. Stuck in cast, Michael turned to his prized Nintendo DS to pass the time. But sometime on the July 3 flight from Honolulu to Atlanta -- Michael's first trip alone on an airplane -- someone took his Nintendo while he slept....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/when_it_comes_to_giving_would.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/331769539/children_submit_their_fourth_o.htmlCommunity: FlintThe Flint JournalThu, 10 Jul 2008 08:21:03 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1159026 ]]>Bronwyn Smith, 11, of Grand Blanc designed this flag. We asked and you delivered, kids, with 22 Fourth of July designs for today's paper, including these and the one featured at the top of the page. Thanks! You can see a slide show of the other designs....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/children_submit_their_fourth_o.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/325766689/are_you_worried_about_the_late.htmlCommunity: FlintQuestionTom Krisher and Dee-Ann Durbin | The Associated PressThu, 03 Jul 2008 07:11:43 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1144316 ]]>Flint Journal extras: See below for related auto sales articles and a list of auto sales numbers. DETROIT, Michigan -- A last-minute no-interest financing offer and strong sales of some cars helped General Motors Corp. keep its U.S. sales over Toyota Motor Corp. last month, but it was still the worst June for the industry in 17 years and a harbinger of more misery ahead. "We're going to continue to see declines for the rest of the year," predicted Jesse Toprak, chief industry analyst for auto information site Edmunds.com. All major automakers but Honda Motor Co. reported steep sales declines for June as buyers continued to flee from trucks and sport utility vehicles to more fuel-efficient models. High gas prices and a sluggish economy helped keep sales low....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/are_you_worried_about_the_late.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/324066547/safest_drivers_still_motor_in.htmlCommunity: Genesee CountyNewsNowQuestionDirk Lammers | The Associated PressTue, 01 Jul 2008 11:17:54 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1137351 ]]>Flint Journal feedback: How would you rank Genesee County area drivers? Vote here and tell us your view in the comments area below. Flint Journal Poll: SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota -- An insurance study has found once again that Sioux Falls has the safest drivers in the nation, marking the third consecutive year that South Dakota's largest city has topped the list. Researchers with Allstate Insurance Co. analyzed two years of internal crash data to calculate the chance that drivers in 193 of the nation's most-populated cities would be involved in an accident. Last year, Flint was the one earning bragging rights from the same report, ranked most-improved among cities nationwide....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/07/safest_drivers_still_motor_in.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/feedback_flint_journal/~3/323323354/how_would_you_vote_on_question.htmlCommunity: FlintQuestionBrian Wilson | The Flint JournalTue, 01 Jul 2008 11:17:51 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/feedback//1542.1134600 ]]>Thomas Simonetti | The Flint JournalMark Kattola stands in Clara Hilborn Park, where he wants to relocate his Landmark Food Center grocery store. He says the city has been dragging its feet on the multimillion dollar project for nearly a year. The Flint City Council decided Monday (June 23, 2008) to send the issue to voters in November. Flint Journal Poll: FLINT, Michigan -- North side residents aren't unanimous about whether a new shopping center on the site of Clara Hilborn Park would be good for the area. Now, in a unique political situation, they'll decide at the polls. Voters will weigh in on the issue in November but Landmark Food Center owner Mark Kattola is worried that the proposal's vague wording might cause people to unknowingly vote against what he describes as a $5-million community center....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/feedback/2008/06/how_would_you_vote_on_question.htmlnonadult