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State works to cure Pfizer loss
Granholm pledges $1M; leaders form teams to aid workers. ANN ARBOR -- The state of Michigan on Monday pledged $1 million to help Pfizer workers who will lose their jobs as the drug company closes its research and development facility here.
The money will come from a fund established with federal money to help dislocated workers in regions experiencing plant closings and mass layoffs.

Two groups rally to pre-empt state tax increase proposals
No hikes have been proposed, although administrators say they must balance the budget. Anti-tax groups have launched separate online campaigns to head off tax hikes being considered in the state capital as a way to close an $800 million deficit in this year's state budget.

Police look to turn up heat on crime
The ability to look into a dark area and locate a suspect — without actually seeing him with the naked eye — has members of the Green Oak Township Police Department quite excited.

ZILCH FOR ZOO?
If zoo doesn't get $12M in state aid, it faces cutbacks and more fundraising ROYAL OAK -- Detroit Zoo officials are looking for $12 million from the cash-strapped state, warning that they would have to consider raising prices, cutting back hours or going into debt if the money isn't forthcoming.

Authority 'insulted' by Brighton's offer
Could more than 100 years of cooperation between the Brighton and Howell fire departments toward providing coverage of Genoa Township be coming to an end, and on a bitter note?

U.S., state work on health initiative
Federal cabinet member supports governor's plan to help 550,000 uninsured, but funding delays plan. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said they are getting closer to an agreement on the governor's $1 billion proposal to expand health coverage to the state's 550,000 uninsured residents.

Company will move, add jobs for tax cut
AIC Equipment & Controls wants to expand production at new facility in Brighton. BRIGHTON -- AIC Equipment & Controls Inc. plans to add jobs and increase production if Brighton officials grant it a tax break to move its plastics machinery company from Oakland to Livingston County.

Livingston Briefs

Iraqis thwart plot to kill Shi'ite clergy
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's army announced yesterday that it had foiled a plot to kill leading Shi'ite clerics and killed the leader of a heavily armed band of messianic Shi'ites called "Soldiers of Heaven" during a fierce gunbattle near the southern city of Najaf.

French diplomat says ties with U.S. are on the mend
Relations between France and the United States are back on track after years of tumult and should remain that way regardless of who wins the French presidential election this spring, Paris' envoy to Washington said yesterday.

Did you know that your money really belongs to Kennedy?
Kennedy, GOP engage in war of words on tax cuts
During an impassioned floor speech last week, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy lashed out at Republicans for insisting on tax cuts targeted for small businesses to offset the cost of raising the minimum wage.

Inside Politics

OPINION
What? Me worry? Time to scuttle
John Warner is against the war in Iraq and he sleeps better knowing the anti-war crowd is about to bring the Americans scuttling home. Surrender is an odd sleep aid for an ex-Marine. Probably something borrowed from John Murtha's prescription bottle.

U.S. 23 needs to be bigger as well as better
Be careful what you wish for.
In Livingston County, we've lobbied — with some justification — to get our fair share of transportation money, both for repair and for needed new projects.

Know the facts on minimum wage
I am compelled to respond to Rick Salas' letter ("Minimum wagers deserve a raise," Jan. 26) so that I may set the record straight.
Mr. Salas made a number of statements and implications regarding my letter ("Minimum wage hikes ineffective," Jan. 25) and my businesses that he has no knowledge of and are simply false. He "guesses" that we have "many longtime employees in minimum-wage jobs." Nothing could be further from the truth

1/30/07 News

State/Local

Group fights for wounded vets
Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Rick Briggs has shifted his focus from providing protective headgear for troops overseas to ensuring proper care for troops returning home to Michigan with head injuries.

Now out of office, still on state dole
Term-limited legislators don't leave Lansing, they just get government jobs or become lobbyists. LANSING -- While Bob Emerson toils to fill an $800-million hole in the state budget in his new job as budget chief, he shouldn't have much trouble making ends meet at home.

Despite shortfall, GOP urges tax cut
The state budget is facing an $800 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, and a potentially greater one next year.
So does it make sense to reduce revenue even more in the face of the cuts to programs and services that appear necessary?

Rising wages force cutbacks
Restaurants, shops across Michigan slash workers’ hours, freeze hiring as minimum pay rate edges up to $7.40. Nobody in the Reineke family is happy about Michigan's first minimum wage increase in 10 years.
Nineteen-year-old John Reineke's work hours at a snack shop at Central Michigan University were cut in half when the minimum wage went up the first time in October, and his family's ice cream shop will employ fewer workers this summer when the wage goes up again.

GOP getaway focuses on return to roots
CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- House Republicans spent most of their 48 hours at last week's retreat here examining why they lost the congressional majority and trying to formulate a winning way forward.
"If we continue to work together as a team, we will in fact earn our way back to majority status," Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio said as members gathered at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay.

Livingston Briefs

U.S., Iraqis take out 250 rebels
Insurgents slain in daylong fight suspected in deadly plot; 2 U.S. troops die in copter crash. BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi soldiers, backed by U.S. helicopters, stormed an encampment of hundreds of insurgents hiding among date palm orchards in southern Iraq in an operation Sunday that set off fierce, daylong gunbattles during the holiest week for the country's Shiite Muslims.

Arts center, gym construction winds up
School district's two major projects, other updates will help make room for growth. FOWLERVILLE -- The school district is in the final stretch of construction on two of its major projects from a $49 million bond passed in 2004. The 800-seat performing arts center at the high school will be complete in June, followed by the gymnasium in August.

1/29/07 News

State/Local

Iraq war foes mass on Mall
Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters led by several Hollywood celebrities converged on Capitol Hill yesterday and railed against President Bush and his plan to send thousands of additional troops to Iraq.

Community grieving for fallen Marine
A Marine known in his Brighton-area church for his devotion to God and his country lost his life in an apparent sniper attack Thursday in Iraq.

Church-state 'wall' coming back down?
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ..."
the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution, which took effect Dec. 15, 1791

County caught in Pfizer fallout
Brighton Township resident Randy Pouliot, one of 2,410 people poised to be laid off from Pfizer Inc.'s Michigan facilities, isn't worried about finding a new job.

Committee assignments set
Livingston County's state legislators have been assigned to various committees in the 2007 Legislature.
Rep. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, and Rep. Chris Ward, R-Brighton Township, will serve together on the Health Policy Committee.

Secrets of Obama family unlocked
WHEN Barack Obama, America’s newest presidential hopeful, was hit by allegations that he had attended a radical Islamic madrasah school as a boy in Indonesia, the claims spread like a virus through the media and internet.

Comments are sought on post office proposal
Those interested in submitting comments on the proposed new Fowlerville-area post office — at the northwest corner of Cemetery Road and Grand River Avenue in Handy Township — have until Feb. 15 to send in their submissions for consideration.

The Buzz

OPINION
Huge hike in gas tax benefits only those who build the roads
Times are tough in Michigan. Those companies that aren't going out of business here are closing up shops and laying off workers. Employees who are still on the job and aren't giving back pay or benefits to their employers face higher prices at the store.
So it's a perfect time for a tax hike, right? And no need to keep it small, a whopper of nearly 50 percent would be a really good idea, right?

Livingston Briefs

Hartland shares the pain
Reduced state funding slashes wage hikes for all school employees to save them from layoffs. Mid-year cuts in state funding will mean reduced pay for all school employees in Hartland Consolidated Schools.

1/28/07 News

State/Local

Preparations Set, Giuliani Now Faces a Big Choice

Rudolph W. Giuliani, who developed a national reputation for decisive and reassuring leadership after 9/11, now faces the odd challenge of having to reassure some supporters that he can be decisive about a very different issue: running for president.

Democratic chairman starts job with vigor
Significant headway made recently, he says. Matt Evans, the new chairman of the Democratic Party in Livingston County, has lofty goals for his party in a county historically dominated by Republicans: "We're planning to elect candidates with the ultimate goal of getting a (Democrat) state senator or representative,'' said Evans, who took over the party's reins Jan. 1 from longtime leader Joe Carney.

MEAP scores reveal mixed outcomes
Livingston students hold ground in most subjects, but writing skills drop Local educators saw their efforts pay off as math and reading scores improved on state standardized tests taken last fall. But results were mixed in social studies and writing.

Districts seek to cut bus diesel exhaust
Devices cut down on odors, emissions. Students in two local school districts are being exposed to less diesel exhaust from school buses.

High schools eyed in No Child Left Behind renewal
Educators, lawmakers and the White House are indicating that high school reform should be included in this year's renewal of the No Child Left Behind law, and the discussion about what it will include is already under way.

Bush rallies GOP on Iraq plan
CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- President Bush yesterday rallied House Republicans gathered for their annual retreat, saying the party can unite around his domestic agenda but acknowledging his ideas are overshadowed by fractured positions on the Iraq war.

Brighton school board reflects on what future holds for the district

Retreat posed opportunity to re-examine vision, core values
Budget cuts, high school curriculum changes and labor negotiations were set aside as Superintendent Jim Craig led the Brighton Board of Education in a Saturday morning work session that reflected on the future of the Brighton School District.

IN BRIEF

IN BRIEF

Pinckney library space at a premium

Board considers putting bond or millage request on November ballot The public library is no longer just a collection of books loaned out to patrons.

'Spirit rock' decision gets crushed
Putnam trustees change their minds about message site
Saying its original decision was made too hastily, the Putnam Township Board of Trustees has rescinded its approval of a "spirit rock'' in the Township Square in downtown Pinckney.

Pinckney soldier gets a special delivery
Radio host, 'Mom' fly to Germany with special sandwiches. The roast beef was great, but letters of support to a homesick soldier from Pinckney really hit the spot, said Brian "Bubba'' Cowan

1/27/07 News

State/Local

State union work force falls to 19.6%
Nationwide membership continues decline to 12% in 2006, the lowest yet. Union membership in Michigan fell 4.4 percent last year and declined even faster nationwide.

State bets lottery sale could fix deficit
Granholm and Legislature show interest in idea that could provide cash to erase Michigan's $820M deficit. LANSING -- A high-stakes gamble that the sale of Michigan's 35-year-old lottery could provide the cash infusion the state badly needs to balance its budget is drawing a serious look in the state capital.

NO QUICK FIX
2007 will be key year for Mulally-led turnaround. Last year brought the biggest financial loss in Ford Motor Co.'s history, but this year could determine whether the automaker has a future.

Alien hiring fine fails on Hill
Senate Democrats quashed a proposal yesterday that would have dramatically increased civil fines on employers who hire illegal aliens.

Books' objections: Sex or race?
Two of the authors of books —assigned to Howell High School students — under attack by a family values group are black. Is that a coincidence, or a racial overtone that is remaining from Livingston County's days as a home to a Ku Klux Klan leader?

7,100 suburbanites wait for '05 Detroit tax refund
DETROIT -- More than 7,000 people, most of them commuters, are still waiting for 2005 Detroit income tax refunds totaling $3 million, because of additional red tape instituted by city officials last year to crack down on tax cheats. The refunds are owed primarily to people who are employed by Detroit-based companies but don't actually work in the city. They were required to have their employer provide documentation stating the location of their workplace last year when they filed 2005 returns.

Military moms unite
Jan Taylor, Beth Drury, Kim Meixner and Denise Bible — all Livingston County mothers of troops serving overseas — will launch a group next month for local military mothers seeking support, answers and an occasional shoulder to cry on.

Condo site plan fixes will be aired
BRIGHTON -- City officials, residents of the Northridge Hills Phase II Condominium and the project's developer will gather Saturday morning in hopes of resolving an 18-month dispute over site plan issues.

Livingston Briefs

OPINION

President's Union speech pleases conservative base
President Bush's State of the Union speech surprised and pleased much of his conservative base by appealing as much to them as to the new Democratic majority in Congress.

It's important to 'keep hate alive'
Destroying a president is not much of a strategy to win a war, but it's all the Democrats have.

Murder isn't supposed to pay off in any way
A college degree may be the ticket to a better life for many, but let's not underestimate the amount of work it takes to get one. There's a lot more to it than earning grades good enough to get accepted, although that in itself is no small accomplishment.

1/26/07 News

State/Local

Parents mixed on 'flex' schedule
For J.R. Armstrong, deciding whether to pick up flexible scheduling next year for her daughter at Parker High School was a slam dunk.
The Howell Township woman said Chelsea, who will be a senior next year, is excited about the chance to mold her own schedule.

Neighbors out to stop homes at golf course
A neighborhood group is putting its opposition to a proposed housing development at the Chemung Hills golf course on the record in a petition drive. The Earl Lake Home Owners Association is circulating the petitions at local businesses, and it plans to present them to the Oceola Township Planning Commission or Board of Trustees, said association President Mike Keenan.

City may get large medical building
A big, bold medical building with a helicopter landing pad on the roof could be coming to Brighton. Developer Mark Murphy is hoping city officials approve the 122,000-square-foot, three-story building that would be placed in the ever-growing Brighton Towne Square development at Challis Road and Grand River Avenue.

Robo-doc rolls into action at hospital - with video news report
It looks like a scene out of a science-fiction movie, but for the staff at Howell's Saint Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital, seeing a robot with the face of one of their counterparts in Pontiac stroll down the halls is nothing odd.

Livingston Briefs

Fate of Brighton's historic Pink Hotel unclear
BRIGHTON -- The future of the historic Pink Hotel remains uncertain as the planning commission considers allowing larger scale projects downtown.

GOP renews 'amnesty' defiance
House Republicans opposed to amnesty vowed yesterday to fight President Bush's proposal to legalize millions of illegal aliens as outlined in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Bush rebuke advances
Senate Democrats rebuked President Bush yesterday over his handling of the war in Iraq with a rare wartime vote condemning the commander in chief's plan to add troops to the battlefield.

OPINION
Hometown heroes deserve admiration
Heroes don't always know they are heroes.
RAY ROEHLK, for example, pulled an 8-year-old girl out of a fiery car crash in Deerfield Township in September. The youngster did suffer burns, but without Roehlk's fast action, Chase-lyn LaBell surely would have died.

Minimum wage hikes ineffective
In response to Kathleen Carney's Jan. 24 letter, "Rogers wrong on the minimum wage," I would like to respectfully suggest that Ms. Carney's emotionally charged letter is really what is "wrong."

1/25/07 News

State/Local

Speech highlights
While President Bush urged Congress not to fight proposed troop build-up in Iraq, his State of the Union address Tuesday emphasized domestic issues:

Bush plan to cost Big 3
He wants tougher fuel rules, more ethanol use WASHINGTON -- President Bush called Tuesday night for a dramatic increase in auto fuel efficiency standards, a step long-dreaded by an already battered auto industry.

Text of President Bush's State of the Union address

'We must not fail in Iraq'
President Bush pleaded with Congress last night to give his new strategy for victory in the struggle in Iraq a chance because "America must not fail in Iraq."

A stranger's kindness — Woman tends to grave of Vietnam vet she never knew As she crouches down on all fours, Sue Buell swipes away the hard, icy chunks covering the headstone of Dennis K. Carson. Sun beams bounce off the ground at Sanford Cemetery in northern Livingston County's Cohoctah Township.

UAW may run health care for retirees
Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers are looking at a plan that would transfer responsibility for retiree health care from the companies to the union.

GOP urges Berger lie test
Eighteen House Republicans have urged the Justice Department to proceed with a polygraph test for Samuel R. Berger, the former national security adviser who agreed to take the test as part of a plea of guilty of stealing documents from the National Archives.

Fire at deputy's house treated as arson
The Jan. 14 blaze that gutted a Cohoctah Township house owned by Livingston County sheriff's Deputy Jason Baker is being investigated as an arson by the Michigan State Police, although evidence does not point toward any specific suspect.

Will Pfizer's exit hurt Mich. science industry?
Some say U-M's talent pool will attract firms to region. The future of Michigan's life sciences industry shined brilliantly in November 2001.
Soon after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. merged with Warner-Lambert, Pfizer announced it would invest up to $800 million to expand its newly acquired research facility in Ann Arbor and hire hundreds more people.

Roundabout in the works for Howell
By Matt Doran
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Livingston County has roundabout fever, and it's spreading to Howell.
Howell City Manager Shea Charles said plans, approved by the City Council, are in the works to construct a two-lane roundabout at the intersection of Pinckney Road (D-19) and Interstate 96 in 2008, using funds from a $1.2 million federal grant.

Livingston Briefs

OPINION
Tough education times call for tough people to run for school boards
This is a very tough time to be a school board member in Livingston County. Budgets are tight and will likely get even tighter. There's little relief from Lansing on the horizon. Our school boards will be making some very tough decisions in the coming months and years — decisions that will have a direct impact on the quality of education our children receive.

It's the war in Iraq, not roundabouts
I would like to encourage Democrats and Republicans in Livingston County to get in touch with U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, and make their views known about President George W. Bush's plan to escalate the number of troops in Baghdad.

Black authors' books split school board
Toni Morrison's novel deemed 'smut' by parent; acclaimed memoir 'Black Boy' also is under fire. The works of two noted African-American authors are among three books that a group of residents touting family values want banned from Howell High School

1/24/07 News

State/Local

Bush speech to showcase domestic issues
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Delivering his first State of the Union address to a Democratic-controlled Congress, President Bush hopes to balance a rebuke of his Iraq policy already promised by lawmakers with a high-profile invitation to cooperate on vexing domestic problems.

Pfizer stuns Mich. with huge job cuts
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. announced Monday it will shutter its massive research and development facility in Ann Arbor and cut 2,410 jobs in Michigan by the end of 2008 as it retrenches in the face of fierce competition from generic drug makers.

Book picks under fire in Howell
More books being assigned to Howell High School students were questioned for their graphically sexual content and profanity at the Howell Public Schools Board of Education meeting Monday, but a decision on whether to allow them to stay in the classroom was delayed.

Gorcyca: State's covering up
Oakland prosecutor says protests prompt officials to deny Abraham was offered services. PONTIAC -- The Oakland County prosecutor accused state officials Monday of launching a cover-up to quell the enormous public outcry over statements that Michigan taxpayers would pay for housing and college tuition for a 21-year-old convicted murderer.

Brighton, Howell consolidate 4 school voting precincts
GENOA TOWNSHIP -- The township board recently approved consolidating precincts for the Brighton Area Schools and Howell Public Schools to reduce costs for the May 8 school board elections.

City hears plan to redevelop 'pink hotel' site
Considering he's proposing to demolish the historic "pink hotel" building in downtown Brighton to make way for a new structure, Stan Schafer wasn't greeted with any cheers at the first public review of his proposal.

School tests flex scheduling
New plan for fall also will allow high school students to try a 'collegiate model.' Julie Gravelle of Marion Township said her 10th-grader brought home a class schedule for next year that shows he will attend school for only three days a week.

County ahead of state on MEAP
Livingston County's schools as a whole fared better than the state in math and reading in grades 3-8 but raised red flags in early elementary writing skills in the most recent Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) results.

Livingston Briefs

OPINION
Hamburg's decision to stop treating dirt roads doesn't serve residents
The recent decision by Hamburg Township to quit applying chloride to its dirt roads doesn't make a lot of sense, nor does it serve its residents well. Its decision makes it the only township in Livingston County to eliminate the dust-control practice. Hamburg says it won't pursue the road millage renewal that provided funding in the past.

Don't tell us how to raise our kids
It is amazing to see the contempt shown when some of us stand up for our rights to raise our own kids; to put our own spin on such matters as personal morality, particularly in matters of sexuality.

Hartland's taxes already too high
I am totally convinced there is a disconnect between the government and the taxpayers in Hart-land Township. The government evidently views itself as a growth industry, forever trying to expand its position.

1/23/07 News

State/Local

Roe's 34th year sees a new Washington
Today marks the 34th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, and as thousands descend on the District to protest abortion, some new twists have emerged on the political landscape, including a Democrat-controlled Congress, an upcoming Supreme Court decision and a burgeoning presidential race.

Military families salute troops with video Message From the Homefront Despite cold temperatures and a miserable freezing rain, a number of soldiers stationed overseas will be getting online video greetings from Livingston County, thanks to a recording session held by the Daily Press & Argus and livingstondaily.com Sunday at the Brighton Mill Pond.

Higher co-pays sought from deputies
Contributions to health-care benefits appear to be the main point of contention between Livingston County and about 50 sheriff deputies in talks over a new contract.

Support grows to make English official
The push to make English the nation's official language is building momentum, with a congressional bill on the horizon and seven states pushing legislation to make English the official language or to strengthen laws already in place.

Rogers votes against Dems' agenda
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, voted against four out of the six major bills approved by the new Democratic House majority. The only two parts of the Democrats' so-called "first 100 hours" agenda that Rogers supported were a proposal to lower interest rates on student loans and approval of the recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission.

GOP seizes on dissent in majority
House Republicans have been quoting some unlikely allies when complaining about the methods used by the new Democratic majority -- Democratic leaders.

Developers stuck on what to do with Brighton's 'pink hotel'
BRIGHTON -- Figuring out a way to use the city's "pink hotel" -- for something other than a rooming house -- has left at least a dozen developers who've studied it scratching their heads.

Livingston Briefs

OPINION
Meddling politicians get a spanking
Outta my mind on a Monday moanin': I have always been against spanking kids. Then I became a parent. I have changed my view, using it (very) sparingly. I realize even the "experts" disagree about whether spanking is a legitimate or effective way for parents to discipline. Be that as it may, I DO know for sure I don't want the government involved. The California Legislature is at it again with a "No Spank Bill" under consideration.

Frank wants to impose Great Society rules on trading partners
Barney Frank, the 14-term Massachusetts congressman who chairs the Financial Services Committee, says it might be useful to "make it a misdemeanor to use metaphors in the discussion of public policy," such as "a rising tide lifts all boats." Against what he considers that too-complacent view of economic growth (the metaphor was John Kennedy's), Frank says: A rising tide is wonderful "if you have a boat."

Revive fair deal on Michigan federal judges
Every judicial nominee should be given a vote. Now that the new Congress with a Democratic majority has been seated, wrangling will begin anew on appointments to the federal judiciary. But there is some old business regarding Michigan federal courts that should be handled.

1/22/07 News

State/Local

Families can record messages for soldiers today - With sample 'Message From the Homefront'
Livingstondaily.com and the Daily Press & Argus are sponsoring a project called "Messages From the Homefront," in which Livingston County families and friends with loved ones serving overseas will be able to send a video greeting that can be viewed on the newspaper's Web site.

Levin: Cap on troops is needed
Michigan's senior senator told a crowd of Livingston County Democrats on Saturday that the end of the Iraq conflict will need to come from placing a cap on troops or specifying a four- to six-month timetable for withdrawal.

(7) Students hold war protest
Perhaps weary from final exams, Pinckney Community High School junior Lindsey Greenfelder held a sign that read "A) peace; B) war" while standing on the edge of M-36 Friday.

City tries to end dispute over condominiums plan
Hoping to put an end to the yearlong controversy over the Northridge Hills condominium development, the Brighton City Council voted last week to have three representatives from each group — city council, developer Stephen Davis and condo residents — meet on a Saturday morning and not leave council chambers until they reach a
resolution.

The Week Ahead

New use elusive for 'pink hotel,' developers say
At least a dozen developers have looked at Brighton's "pink hotel," pondered ways to use it and walked away, according to Brighton architect Piet Lindhout.

Schools shake up schedule

'Flex' approach will enable students to earn college credit
It's called "flex scheduling" and it will allow students to attend school for fewer but longer days each week and to accumulate up to two years of college credit before they leave high school.

OPINION
Students pay for Granholm's fiddling
H ere's how I predict the march to raise your state taxes will proceed: With the state budget deficit now at $810 million and growing like Jack's beanstalk, the solution for balancing the budget will be to slash school spending by up to $220 per pupil.

Michigan's prison spending eats large hole in budget
LANSING -- Some politicians are as wary of freeing prisoners as they are of raising taxes.
But with Michigan facing a daunting $800 million-plus budget hole this year, it's harder to ignore how much the state spends locking up criminals.

Way to go Wendy!
Our schools have a duty to consider content
In response to the recent controversy over the use of "The Freedom Writers Diary" in a Howell High School English class:
When a parent refuses to allow their child to drink beer, watch R-rated movies, or read Hustler magazine, it is called good parenting. Most thoughtful people can grasp the idea that there are things in this world that children need not be exposed to. As Americans, we understand and respect the fact that not all parents will agree. And as Americans, we respect free speech, but understand that comes with responsibilities.

Rich Perlberg: Second thoughts on some big topics
"Did you ever have to make up your mind?" was the musical question asked decades ago by the soft-pop group the Lovin' Spoonful. Well, yes, as the song said, sometimes you have to finally decide. But you can also waffle and change your mind, as I have about several Livingston County topics.

Why did people vote for Granholm?
I am completely floored that the state of Michigan is going to make budget cuts to our public schools. It seems ironic that our governor has always seemed to time her support for public schools and their funding right before election time.

State/Local

1/21/07 News

State/Local

High court slams door on delay of Prop 2
U.S. Supreme Court won't hear case; decision leaves Mich. affirmative action ban in effect. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday denied a request to partly delay implementing Proposal 2 at the state's three largest universities.

Lawyers, state clash on aid plan for Abraham
Lawyers: Officials agreed Jan. 8 to provide free rent, tuition; State: Deal wasn't final but he may still be eligible for help Despite the continued assertions of the principal lawyers in the case, state officials said Friday they did not agree to provide convicted murderer Nathaniel Abraham with two years of housing and four years of college tuition.

6 physicians set up practice in Livingston
St. Joseph Mercy continuing work to bring more doctors
St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital has announced that six new physicians are setting up practices in Livingston County.

Richardson to launch presidential bid
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After years of freelancing his diplomatic skills from the unlikely position as governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson is taking the first step toward a bid to become president and put his skills to work in the White House.

Livingston Briefs

Judge pushes for probe of state Supreme Court
EAST LANSING -- Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver on Friday ramped up her feud with her four fellow Republican colleagues on the state's highest court, calling for the creation of a three-member commission to investigate the "misconduct and abuse of power" she says is rampant on the court.

Turning the lights off
Coast Guard's plan to get out of lighthouse business makes waves across Michigan. TRAVERSE CITY -- Like candles blown out by an ill wind, the lighthouses of Michigan are going dark, one by one.

Arson fire investigated
Michigan State Police will investigate the possibility that an arson at the former home of a Livingston County Sheriff's deputy could have been related to his job.

A smoke-free Livingston County? Some officials, residents want it
It's well known that smoking is a dangerous health risk, and is the leading cause of preventable death in Michigan.

Anti-smoking American milestone reached
RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Thirty years after it began as just another quirky movement in Berkeley, Calif., the push to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and other public places has reached a national milestone.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

County road projects ahead
Major highways to get upgrades: All of the major highways cutting through Livingston County - US-23, M-59 and I-96 - will have work done this year, Michigan Department of Transportation officials told local officials at a gathering earlier this week.

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

Japanese eatery is planned
Brighton site at Grand River and Main. A Howell couple is planning to open the Brighton area's first Japanese restaurant in a small downtown shopping center.

Plans call for razing Brighton's 'pink hotel'
Before he's done, Brighton builder-developer Stan Schafer may end up redeveloping the entire west side of downtown Brighton.

Rich Ray to rejoin Brighton board in appointed seat
Led school body in '90s; money key issue. The Brighton school board will swear in a new board member when it meets on Monday.

1/20/07 News

State/Local

State pays Abraham's housing, college tabs
Young killer free after 8 years, wants fresh start. PONTIAC -- Yesterday, Nathaniel Abraham was a convicted murderer. Today he greets the morning a free man celebrating his 21st birthday -- with a furnished Bay City apartment paid for by Michigan taxpayers.

Study: State to lose 40,000 jobs in 2007-08

LANSING -- Michigan will lose 40,000 more jobs over the next two years, the state budget is more than $800 million in the red and there's no end in sight to the economic woes.

GOP expects secret ballot
Republican National Committee members think they will get a secret ballot on today's election of a new general chairman, which would protect members opposed to the White House's push to fill the new slot with an advocate of an amnesty for illegal aliens.

Grant to help schools tackle air pollution
More Howell, Hartland buses to get filters. The black puff of smoke typically seen trailing behind school buses is expected to be decreased in four state school districts, including two in Livingston County, under a federal grant program aimed at improving air quality and children's exposure to diesel exhaust.

Senate passes ethics reform by 96-2 margin
The Senate last night overwhelmingly passed an ethics bill after breaking a day-long stalemate over a Republican proposal on earmarks that had threatened to kill the legislation.

Livingston Briefs

Liljegren takes over Hartland chamber
As the new executive director of the Hartland Area Chamber of Commerce, one of the first things Julia Liljegren is stressing is getting the word out that the chamber does exist.

Ban of trans fats sought in Oakland
Commissioner wants to bar local eateries from serving food with the artificial fat in 2008. PONTIAC -- Taking a cue from New York City and others around the country, an Oakland County commissioner wants to bar the county's restaurants from serving foods that contain trans fats -- the artificial fats linked to heart disease.

House to echo criticism of troop surge
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that House Democrats will support a Senate resolution denouncing President Bush's proposal to increase the number of troops in Iraq.

OPINION
Turf battle
Auto industry's future at issue as House Speaker Pelosi and Mich.'s Dingell clash over who leads energy, climate reform. If you don't think all politics are local, ask Rep. John Dingell.

The Pink Hotel should stay as is
I am concerned that the old Western House may be the site of another new building that will further take away the community character of our town.

We need to teach kids the Bible
Cheers to the Press & Argus for capturing a laughable irony in last week's headlines. "School won't have Bible as literature" followed a few days later by "Book ('Freedom Writers') coming back to class" is an amazing coincidence in one week's time, let alone downright humorous.

1/19/07 News

State/Local

Districts bracing for cuts
The state's financial crisis and midyear cuts in school funding might make Livingston County districts impose larger class sizes or higher fees for certain activities, administrators said.

Jobless rate climbs to 7.1%
December numbers close out sour year for state; 2006 average looks slightly worse than '05. Michigan's jobless rate in December jumped to 7.1 percent, an increase of two-tenths of a percentage point from November, according to data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth.

Roundabout may ease traffic
County proposes solution for congested intersection at Winans Lake and Hamburg roads en route to U.S. 23. HAMBURG TOWNSHIP -- As more development moves into this fast-growing community, the county road commission has proposed a $500,000 roundabout to ease some of the congestion at one of the township's busiest intersections.

Royal Oak man's WWII vet project takes flight
Inspired by TV program, Dave Cameron works to fly veterans to Washington, D.C., memorial for free. An early morning TV show moved insurance agent Dave Cameron to tears, and then to action.

Firefighter arraigned in crash
A volunteer Hamburg Township fire lieutenant was arraigned Wednesday on criminal charges stemming from an Oct. 28 accident involving a Fire Department vehicle.

Latest water fight: $367K lawyer bill
DETROIT -- Oakland County officials are balking at bills from a lawyer who charged water customers more than $367,000 last year while trying to settle a fight for control of the Detroit system.

More Supplier Bankruptcies Loom
DEARBORN -- February could bring more auto supplier bankruptcies than ever before, according to Ford Motor Co.'s global purchasing chief.

Livingston Briefs

Area fire authorities propose coverage shift
The Howell Area Fire Authority on Wednesday proposed a $305,700 yearly contract with the Brighton Area Fire Authority for the Howell authority to cover the western half of Genoa Township.
OPINION
Phil Power: Mine would kill natural treasure
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality last week announced tentative approval of Kennecott Minerals Co.'s application to dig a mine in the middle of one of the Upper Peninsula's most beautiful, pristine and environmentally sensitive regions, the Yellow Dog Plains.

Move to study city's tap-in fees a good one
For the second time in recent months, developers have blamed high municipal water tap-in fees for the demise of a plan to open a new restaurant in downtown Brighton. City officials deny the fees are too high, but have resolved to further study the rates for fairness

In our instant-gratification society, perseverance has gone by the wayside.
Rogers must admit mistake in Iraq
Regarding the "Rogers balks at troop 'surge' " article from the Jan. 11 Daily Press & Argus:
Every parent asks, "When are you coming home, son?" The simple question "How long did you intend on American kids being in Iraq when you voted for war?" has not been answered. We are four years out, and supporters of the Iraq war have never explained why we are engaged in a long-term conflict.

1/18/07 News

State/Local

Schools may lose $220 per student
State's $850M shortfall also could mean cuts for colleges, local services.
LANSING -- Michigan's sagging budget is $850 million out of whack, state fiscal experts reported Tuesday, portending possible tax increases and a school aid cut of up to $220 per student.

Leadership, laughter will be missed
The impact Donald Wyland had on Livingston County and Hartland Township is not hard to see.
Wyland, who died Sunday at the age of 71, helped start the Livingston Technical Academy, now known as Kensington Woods High School.

Bar feud spills over to court
Deerfield Township residents have been voicing complaints about a neighborhood bar since 2005, but now the owner of Snappers on the Water has turned the tables and is suing one of those complaining residents.

Thousands wait for power to get restored
A spokesman for DTE Energy says it might take until Thursday to restore service to an estimated 3,000 customers in Livingston County still without power in the wake of an ice storm.

Group spices up ice festival
Cool ice sculptures alone wouldn't do the trick, so the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce began thinking of ways to heat up its annual winter event.

Livingston Briefs

MDOT outlines road projects to area business leaders
HOWELL -- Business leaders across the county got a glimpse on Tuesday of several major road projects planned for the construction season.

Family wins mold case
After three years, health problems persist. MARION TOWNSHIP -- A family that bought a nearly $375,000 newly constructed home on a one-acre lot near Howell lived there for just 10 months before toxic mold forced them out. A poorly built roof allowed rain to seep into the walls and floors on all three levels of the home.

Thousands shiver as storm toll hits 54
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- Hundreds of people hunkered down in emergency shelters and thousands stuck it out in darkened homes after a winter storm that left 54 dead in nine states.

OPINION
Does anyone here want to survive?
The rap on George W. Bush is that he can't make a rousing speech like Winston Churchill, and indeed he can't. But who can? Not Hillary, not "the husband of," not John McCain or Rudy Giuliani, or even Barack Obama, worthies all.

Inside Politics

Financial considerations key to creating plans for expansion of facility
Finances are a key part of any consideration. If, for example, you are in the market for a new car, you have to have an idea of what you can afford even before you start shopping. Don't bother visiting a Lexus dealership if you live on a Chevy budget. It will only make you unhappy, even if you end up with a very nice Chevrolet.

1/17/07 News

State/Local

Roadwork set to squeeze U.S. 23
If you travel the U.S. 23 expressway between Brighton and Ann Arbor, get ready for the spring from hell.
Not that the summer and fall will be any better.

UAW: Expect sacrifice
This year, it's not business as usual as union tells members that concessions may be needed to help Big 3 survive. DETROIT -- The message coming down from the United Auto Workers' top ranks as they prepare for this year's contract talks is not the hard-line rhetoric of the past.

Ice storm lashes county - with video news report
Waves of freezing rain and sleet with some snow hammered Livingston County and knocked out power to thousands of households Monday, and the storm has been blamed for at least 36 deaths in six states, but none in Michigan.

2007 Automotive News World Congress kicks off in Dearborn
The annual Automotive News World Congress was slated to get underway this morning with an opening speech by Jim Lentz, executive vice president for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

Pain wanes at gas pumps

County drivers thrilled to fill up for less than $2 a gallon. Justin Hoffman of Howell had a huge smile on his face as he was filling his gas tank on Monday afternoon. The reason? The fuel was costing him less than $2 a gallon.

Blaze at deputy's old home 'suspicious'
A weekend fire that gutted a house belonging to a Livingston County sheriff's deputy has been labeled "suspicious" by authorities.

Brighton school board fills short-term vacancy
The Brighton Area Schools Board of Education opted for experience when it came to filling a short-term vacancy on the board.
Last week, the board selected Rich Ray to fill a seat left vacant by Dawn Boss, who resigned at the end of December because she was moving out of the school district. Her term was to expire in June.

Official: Tyrone to pay $325,000 to leave fire authority
Tyrone Township will pay a total of $325,000 to separate from the Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority, Joe Petrucci, authority board chairman and Hartland Township trustee, said Monday.

Livingston Briefs

Choice of Martinez sparks GOP rebellion
Rebellion is brewing among conservatives on the Republican National Committee over President's Bush's attempt to "impose" Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida as "general chairman" of the party, who favors "amnesty" for illegal aliens.

Pit bulls vs. stalwarts in House GOP
At a recent meeting of the House Republican leadership, members of the new minority party looked around and realized they were entering unfamiliar territory: Only one of them -- Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio -- had ever served as a member of the minority party on Capitol Hill.

OPINION
Howell school board got this one right
Damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Never has that phrase been more appropriate than when the Howell Public Schools Board of Education was considering a proposal to add to its curriculum a class on the Bible as history and literature.

Why do we pay more in county?
Where is the gas coming from for Livingston County? Mars? If the people in the state government don't think there is gas-price gouging going on, then their heads must be buried in the sand.

Day wrong about book she's not read
I was very pleased to read that "The Freedom Writers Diary: How 150 Students Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them" was approved for use in Howell Public Schools. It is always nice to see our school district breaking from its sometimes overly strict nature (article, "Book coming back to class," Jan. 12).

1/16/07 News

State/Local

Group may push to pump up gas tax
A coalition of business, labor, local government and transportation organizations are gearing up for a push to find more money for Michigan's roads in 2007, possibly from an increase in the gasoline tax.

'Plenty of work' left in crusade for diversity
Editor's note: The following story contains a racially derogatory term that may be offensive to some readers.
Lee Reeves recalled her first encounter with racism in mostly white Livingston County. A young mother of two, she went to the Pinckney village government office and met an older man who asked her where she was from. She told him she had moved from Royal Oak.

Carpenters' union holds protest at future Olive Garden restaurant site A carpenters' union is protesting the use of nonunion labor at the construction site of a new Olive Garden restaurant in Green Oak Township. The demonstration began Friday and is expected to continue today, said William Goble, an organizer with the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters.

Gas could fall well below $2
Oil costs drop due to mild winter, falling demand for heating; some predict pump prices will keep declining.
Gas prices in Metro Detroit are poised to fall below $2 a gallon for the first time in nearly two years.

51,000 opt out of Detroit schools
Nearly a third of students attend charter or suburban schools
Nearly a third of Detroit's students -- or about 51,000 -- are attending charter schools and suburban public districts, causing enrollment and budgets at other districts to surge while Detroit Public Schools shrinks.

New home building plummets
Metro construction permits drop nearly 50% as stalled subdivisions become common sight. Construction of new homes in southeast Michigan -- which reached record levels just two years ago -- fell dramatically in 2006 in the face of harsh economic conditions.

Web site offers ways to save on drug costs
Rochester physicians create portal for patients to find coupons and rebates on prescription medications. A free, new Internet site is now available to help Metro Detroiters and others save on prescription medicines. Based in Rochester and founded by a group of physicians and health care veterans, www.optimizerx.com is a portal for patients to access coupons and rebates for brand-name prescription drugs. The site also accesses sales and other offers for savings on over-the-counter products.

Bush won't budge on Iraq
President and Cheney brace for confrontation as lawmakers pledge to stop U.S. troop surge. WASHINGTON -- Digging in for confrontation, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney say they will not budge from sending more U.S. troops to Iraq no matter how much Congress opposes it.

Signs to point village in the right direction
Students hope project directs people downtown. PINCKNEY -- Some students at Pinckney High School are working on a project they hope will draw more people downtown to dine, shop and play.

Livingston Briefs

Hats off to you Sean. Thank you for your service.

Why we're fighting this war in Iraq
In response to Marilyn Kreger's letter (Jan. 10, "What are we defending in Iraq?"), I can only respond with simplicity and facts.
As a nation, we were never attacked by Germany in World War I and World War II. We declared war on Japan and conquered that nation with both weapons of mass destruction and waves of good American boys' lives.

Democrats re-enter stage as protectors of procedure
Duty presiding over the houses of Congress can be a parliamentary geek's dream or a shy congressman's nightmare.
After 12 years watching Republicans sitting in as the speaker, Democrats are again performing the mundane, somnolent and occasionally unintentionally laugh-provoking task of wielding the presiding officer's gavel.

Iraq plan 'going forward'
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney say they have full authority to send more than 21,000 troops into Iraq, with or without congressional approval, and with funding already in place for the increase, lawmakers have little chance of stopping the surge.

Rice vows U.S. back on track for 'road map'
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged yesterday that the Bush administration will do more in its final two years to try to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

1/15/07 News

State/Local

Brighton grad no stranger to close calls in Iraq

- with audio download
A Brighton High School alum has survived no less than three improvised explosive device (IED) attacks — a form of warfare that has increasingly become the weapon of choice of Iraqi insurgents — since his overseas deployment in October.

The Week Ahead

Paving the way on Grand River Ave.
Plans for a bike and pedestrian path along East Grand River Avenue are not set in stone, but officials remain optimistic they'll be building one at the same time the road is expanded in 2008.

Auto Show Front Page

Levin has 'no confidence' in Iraq government's promises
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Carl Levin said Sunday he has no confidence that Iraq's government will keep its commitment to rein in Shiite militias and address their nation's sectarian political divide -- a commitment the Bush administration has said is crucial to success of the president's new plan for the war.

Climate trumps terror in Europe
BRUSSELS -- A European Commission proposal to slash greenhouse-gas emissions by the end of the next decade has highlighted a growing trans-Atlantic split over global warming that is further stressed by a recent poll that shows Europeans are more concerned about climate change than terrorism.

Conservatives see validation in fight over 'pork'
Republicans sought to burnish their tarnished credentials as foes of pork-barrel projects last week, winning cheers from spending critics but a wait-and-see response from other conservatives and the party's grass roots.

OPINION
Rich Perlberg: Plenty to discuss on important day
On Monday, I'll be talking diversity with a classroom of Hartland High School students. It's part of the high school's first-ever program to honor the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the famed civil-rights leader who was murdered in 1968

Critical time for most important industry in state
The auto show is big news in these parts. This year is no exception, as the 2007 North American International Auto Show opened Saturday for an eight-day run at Detroit's Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center.

Buddy Moorehouse: Tear down the pink hotel? Never!
The "pink hotel" in Brighton hasn't been pink for more than 20 years, and it hasn't been a hotel for longer than that.

1/14/07 News

State/Local

Levin walks fine line on strategy for Iraq war
Mich. senator, military panel leader opposes Bush's plan, but not funds for troop increase. WASHINGTON -- Trying to steer between President Bush's unpopular strategy for Iraq and calls by some Democrats to deny funding for the war, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin said Friday he hopes the opposition of many prominent Republicans will force the president to change his plan.

Bush's surge already in latest budget
The White House yesterday said there already is enough money in the budget to pay for President Bush's proposed troop surge in Iraq, leaving Congress almost no viable way to stop him before he commits the troops.

Defense Reversal
In a long-overdue policy reversal, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday that the Bush administration would finally begin increasing the sizes of the active-duty Army and Marine Corps on a permanent basis. Altogether, the military will permanently add 92,000 active-duty troops to the Army (65,000) and the Marine Corps (25,000). That is a good start.

Auto Show Front Page

U.S. 23 work to hinder retail, drivers
Resurfacing, bridge rebuilding expected to affect downtown Brighton businesses, Green Oak Village Place. GREEN OAK TOWNSHIP -- It takes Jeanne Strickland 20 minutes to travel on U.S. 23 from her home in Brighton to her job at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Add an accident along the route, and a one-way trip increases to about an hour.

Livingston Briefs

White House rips Boxer over Rice
The White House and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday accused Democrats of suggesting that the secretary's childlessness, race and sex are to blame for mistakes in Iraq.

NWA filing deems stock worthless
Declaration is part of laws Northwest Airline is following in trying to emerge from bankruptcy. With an eye toward emerging from bankruptcy by summer, Northwest Airlines filed a preliminary reorganization plan in federal court on Friday, asking that all common and preferred stock be deemed worthless, but leaving out many details of its future plans.

1/13/07 News

Local/State

Book coming back to class
Howell Public Schools officials returned "The Freedom Writers Diary" to their list of acceptable books Thursday, just weeks after pulling the book due to complaints regarding its content.

'Freedom Writers' book OK'd for Howell classes
HOWELL -- A book that was pulled from an Advanced Placement English class last month due to some parents' concerns will return to the classroom Jan. 29.

JROTC funds falling short
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps won't be marching in precision at Howell High School anytime soon. It's not for lack of interest -- the waiting list is long -- but the district doesn't have the money to support the program.

Fees take off
Fliers pay more as Metro Airport gives airlines a break
Retrieving her car last week from the long-term lot at Detroit Metropolitan Airport's popular McNamara Terminal cost Peggy Newman $238 -- $56 more than it would have a year and a half ago.

Local resident shows glamour of the auto show
Joe Rohatynski spent Wednesday introducing United Nations dignitaries from eight foreign countries to the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Skiers finally hit the slopes - with 2 video news reports
Anticipation.
Anticipation, it's making me wait ...
Skiers who flocked to Mt. Brighton Ski Area Wednesday for its first open day in 2007 knew exactly how it felt to wait. The ski facility opened briefly in December, but closed due to warm temperatures and didn't re-open until this week.

Livingston Briefs

Planning waiver approved in split vote
A resolution coming before the county board next week has some high stakes, according to one commissioner: "What do you want where you live to look like?"

Detroit schools hit boiling point
DETROIT -- Leaders of the Detroit Federation of Teachers vowed Thursday to recall the president of the school board as community tensions grew surrounding a plan to close 52 schools and a much-criticized candidate pool for superintendent.

OPINION
Christopher Behnan: The value of 'Freedom Writers'
Neurotic comic Lewis Black speaks a lot of truth in his act.
In his recent concert, "Red, White & Screwed," Black speaks about something constantly debated: Our use of language.

Jones has been tireless advocate for community
After serving for 11 years on the Brighton City Council, Kathy Jones said if she could turn back the clock, she'd do it all over again.

Tax policies hurt the homeowners
This is in response to your editorial of Jan. 10, "Governments can take sting out of tax hikes." Yes, I agree that increasing the taxable value seems ludicrous when the actual market value of the property probably has declined. Sale prices of properties in Michigan have plummeted, and actual sales of properties have become sluggish, to put it mildly.

STATE STORIES

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/OPINION01/701120339/1008
Friday, January 12, 2007
Spineless governor buys cover for raising taxes
The Detroit News
If there was any doubt that Gov. Jennifer Granholm intends to raise taxes on Michigan residents, it disappeared when she appointed a commission of tax sympathizers to solve the state's budget mess.
Former Govs. William Milliken, a Republican, and Jim Blanchard, a Democrat, will head the Emergency Financial Advisory Panel, made up mostly of former politicians and bureaucrats, nearly all of whom have expressed sympathy in the past for higher taxes.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/OPINION01/701120342/1008
Friday, January 12, 2007
Granholm puts pique ahead of good policy
Governor vetoes Patterson's plan to fund retiree benefits out of spite
The Detroit News
Someone should tell Gov. Jennifer Granholm that vindictiveness and good government are incompatible. Granholm let her desire to get even with Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson derail an idea that promised to lift from local communities the burden of future unfunded health care liabilities.
Aside from ticking off Patterson, Granholm's veto will result in higher costs for taxpayers and fewer benefits for public employees.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/POLITICS/701120354/1022
Lansing
36 bills jump-start legislative session
Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Democrats, who took control of the state House when the Michigan Legislature convened this week, wasted no time attacking with their two hottest issues.
Proposals to ban landfill expansion until 2011 and to end the state's so-called "drug immunity" law are among the 36 bills lawmakers have introduced.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/POLITICS/701120347/1022
Friday, January 12, 2007
Law gives drivers age 50-plus break on insurance
New rules allow firms to offer savings to those who successfully finish voluntary safety course.
Tom Greenwood / The Detroit News
Gov. Jennifer Granholm recently approved legislation that will allow, but not require, insurance companies to give discounts to Michigan drivers age 50 and older who have successfully completed voluntary enrollment in a driver's safety course.
House Bill 5661, which was sponsored by Rep. Mike Nofs, R-Battle Creek, allows insurers to offer the discount if the older drivers successfully complete a voluntary traffic accident prevention course that insurers determine meets a number of requirements, including:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/AUTO02/701120383/1322/AUTO04
Friday, January 12, 2007
Daniel Howes
Mulally shows faith in Fields
CEO moves to quiet rampant speculation that Ford Americas chief may be on his way out.
DETROIT -- Word on the auto show floor was out -- Mark Fields, president of Ford Motor Co.'s struggling Americas unit, has six months to prove himself or he's toast.
No, they said, he has three months.
No, he has this week.
All interesting and titillating, this talk that the head of yet another industry shooter would end up on a pike. However common rumors are at auto shows, those predicting Fields' imminent demise reached such a fever pitch during the North American International Auto Show press days that Ford CEO Alan Mulally did something about it.

http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116852520217330.xml&coll=9
Best of Show for Detroit?
Tuesday, January 11, 2007
For an industry segment that is nearly as beleaguered as the city's football team, American automakers have put on a good game face at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
With Toyota on the heels of General Motors as the world's biggest automaker, GM came out on offense with a nifty game plan.
First, going long with a plug-in electric hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, that GM officials say could make it to market by the end of the decade.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/OPINION03/701120396/1383
Friday, January 12, 2007
Neal Rubin
Ah, the untold stories at the auto show stink
You there, with the soft drink. Please move away from the vehicle.
As for you there, with the baby? If you're about to do what Richard Loniewski has been forced to deal with before, you can just move away from the whole auto show.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/COL06/701120445
Cobo plan a reality in 6 months?
Ficano says it could happen
January 12, 2007
BY TOM WALSH
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
A deal to expand and upgrade Cobo Center, Detroit's tired convention center, could be hammered out in as little as the next six months, says a confident Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, architect of the latest Cobo proposal.
Ficano's team is making detailed presentations on the plan during the next few weeks to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, plus each of Detroit's three automakers and the Detroit Renaissance and Detroit Regional Chamber business groups, seeking support from each.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120371/1003
City-owned slum awaits wreckers
Some residents welcome plans to rebuild Jeffries project
January 12, 2007
BY MARISOL BELLO and SUZETTE HACKNEY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Amid Detroit's construction boom in Midtown, where new state-of-the-art lofts and condos sell for more than a quarter of a million dollars, the city's poorest live in squalid public housing infected with roaches and vermin, where open-air drug dealing is rampant and junkies stumble out of apartments that double as dope dens.
That's life in Jeffries East, but not for much longer.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120316/1003
TURNING PAGES TOGETHER: Detroit then, now
Multi-city reading program aims to bring complexity of racism to forefront
January 12, 2007
BY SHABINA S. KHATRI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Ike McKinnon still remembers traveling to Alabama to attend his grandmother's funeral. As the then-14-year-old and his family walked down a local road, they were attacked by six men -- and then rescued by four others -- all of whom were white.
The incident, said the 63-year-old University of Detroit-Mercy professor and former Detroit police chief, reminds him that racism isn't as simple as black and white -- a lesson he hopes metro Detroiters will internalize over the next few months as they read and discuss "Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age."

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-40/116855815664000.xml&storylist=newsmichigan
Supreme Court again hears Ann Arbor same-sex benefits case
1/11/2007, 6:22 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court again heard arguments Thursday in a lawsuit challenging the Ann Arbor school district's same-sex benefits policy.But the justices didn't focus on the constitutionality of providing health insurance and other benefits to workers' gay partners.The case involves whether 17 taxpayers followed the proper procedure to stop Ann Arbor Public Schools from offering benefits to gay couples.

http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-2/116852723782600.xml&coll=5
Achieving diversity
Racial preference ban means UM, others need K-12 fixes
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The University of Michigan is only being practical as it agrees to comply with a voter-approved ban on some of its most heavily used and aggressive affirmative action policies.
Had UM continued its hold on 2007 admissions in hopes of winning a court delay in implementing Proposal 2, some of the students the university most wants to admit would have begun looking at other campuses. So the university has given in, but not given up on having a diverse student body.

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1168530067225660.xml&coll=2
New admissions era begins at U-M
University will not initiate new legal action against Prop 2
Thursday, January 11, 2007
BY LIZ COBBS
News Staff Reporter
The new era of admissions at the University of Michigan began Wednesday with officials saying there will be no further university-initiated legal actions against Proposal 2 as they begin evaluating applicants on about 50 criteria that no longer include race and gender.
U-M said it would comply with Proposal 2 because it has to move on with its 2007 admissions process, said university spokeswoman Julie Peterson.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120459/1003
Schools anger boils over
Frustration grows over closings list
January 12, 2007
BY CHASTITY PRATT
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
An angry crowd waited in the cold for hours Thursday to jam the Detroit Public Schools' first meeting since it announced a plan to close 52 schools.
But by the time the issue was at hand, several hours after the meeting began, nearly half the audience had left and those who remained were not satisfied with the answers they received.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1168608316257920.xml&coll=6
Switch to trimesters gives school year new look
Friday, January 12, 2007
By Beth Loechler
The Grand Rapids Press
Step aside, block scheduling; the trimester has arrived.
More and more area high schools are changing to three grading periods a year, considering the trimester a happy compromise between more expensive block scheduling and the hourlong classes offered in a traditional two-semester schedule.
"I think trimesters give kids more stability," said Joe Beel, principal of East Kentwood High School.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS06/701120453/1008
Old nuclear site called safe for public's use
January 12, 2007
BY JOHN FLESHER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRAVERSE CITY -- A federal agency declared the grounds of the former Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant safe for any kind of public use, including housing or recreation.
The roughly 435-acre property north of Charlevoix falls below the maximum allowable radiation dosage of 25 millirems per year from residual contamination, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Thursday.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/OPINION03/701120335/1008/OPINION01
Friday, January 12, 2007
James P. Hoffa: Labor Voices
Congress should empower workers
Reform labor laws so employees can form unions without interference
As we admire the latest automotive innovations at the North American International Auto Show, we should also remember the incredible history of the auto industry.
Millions of middle-class Americans have assembled and delivered General Motors, Ford and Chrysler products, providing convenience and enjoyment. Perhaps more important, the solid wages and benefits the workers earned for their families have helped them raise generations of our fellow citizens.

http://hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110805/1202/NEWS12
PHIL POWER: Focus on leadership - not partisan politics
Back in 1975, along with some other Michigan folks, I was invited to visit Jerry Ford at the White House. Those were the days when some of us in the media were still getting used to calling the regular guy we'd known as Jerry "President Ford." Even "Gerald Ford" seemed a bit formal and strange.
I had known Ford — slightly — when I had run the Washington office of another Michigan congressman in the mid-1960s. And by the time the '70s rolled around, I was the publisher of a bunch of newspapers.

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/1168528802168060.xml&coll=5
Windfall Mobile home owners cash in on Fla. offer
$1-million trailer
LINDEN
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Thursday, January 11, 2007
By Linda Angelo
langelo@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6340
Leon Bush of Linden couldn't pass up the chance to become a millionaire by selling his share of one of southern Florida's last waterfront mobile home park towns to a developer.
But his wife could have passed on the money.
"That doesn't mean as much to me," said Sally Bush, 79. "By the time we pay our taxes, I don't know if it was worth it.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/COL04/701120337/1007/NEWS05
BRIAN DICKERSON: Call of military service is a dad's secret dread
January 12, 2007
My only son was 11 years old when the United States invaded Iraq. The cell phone greeting he recorded that year still makes me smile when I get his mother's voice mail, even if the cherubic soprano voice has long since been subsumed in a surlier, perpetually sardonic baritone.
I was not alarmed, back in 2003, by Zack's then-nascent fascination with all things military. I smiled when he recounted some Special Forces derring-do he'd read about, reminding him that war was a bad business in which such unalloyed triumphs were rare. I marveled at his ability to recite the technical specs of each weapons system the allies deployed, never worrying that his dreams of manning the thing might come true one day.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS01/701110366/1001/news
Published January 11, 2007
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Mid-Michigan lawmakers disagree on Bush's plans for Iraq war
By Katherine Hutt Scott
State Journal correspondent
WASHINGTON - There was no agreement among mid-Michigan's congressional delegation about President Bush's plan to send almost 22,000 more U.S. troops to quell the ongoing violence in Iraq.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, opposes a troop increase and newly sworn-in Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, supports it. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, didn't definitively state his position.

http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17698374&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
Camp: Don't tie Bush's hands
By Stuart Frohm
01/11/2007
Midland Republican Dave Camp says the United States can succeed in Iraq and that it would be wrong to restrict funds or set a date for withdrawing U.S. troops.
Camp was more supportive of President Bush's new course in Iraq than some other lawmakers from Michigan.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/POLITICS/701120386/1022
Friday, January 12, 2007
Bush ally Miller wary of Iraq strategy
Gordon Trowbridge and Deb Price / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- There is perhaps no clearer sign of President Bush's political difficulties in Iraq than the transformation of Rep. Candice Miller.
The wife of a retired Air Force officer and chairwoman of Bush's 2004 Michigan re-election campaign, Miller should be among the president's staunch allies in Congress. But Thursday, the Harrison Township Republican said she remained "deeply skeptical," if somewhat more optimistic, about Bush's new plan for the Iraq war.

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/News01/70111004
January 10. 2007 6:59AM
Local Marine family, Michigan lawmakers react to president's speech
By TROY KEHOE
WSBT-TV Reporter
President Bush's new plan brought mixed reaction from local lawmakers and military families with loved ones serving overseas.
Sara Beckwith's husband, Cpl. Mike Beckwith, serves with South Bend's Engineer Company B Reserve unit, and like most Marines in the unit, it's his second tour there.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/UPDATE/701110479/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Hart Plaza protest spotlights treatment of Guantanamo detainees
Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- A group of 40 people braved frigid temperatures and fierce winds off the Detroit River on Thursday afternoon to protest the treatment of detainees from Iraq and Afghanistan at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The prisoners are terror suspects who have been arrested by the U.S. military iduring the past five years.
The demonstrators held placards saying "Stop Torture" and "Shut Down Guantanamo" during their protest in front of Hart Plaza. Some cars and trucks honked their horns in support while a couple of passersby shouted insults and expletives at the group.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18891
Rudy Giuliani: Right on Race
by Deroy Murdock
Posted Jan 11, 2007
NEW YORK—Like a stack of scratched records, pundits repeatedly dismiss Rudolph W. Giuliani’s presidential prospects because of his “social liberalism.” True, the former New York mayor’s views on abortion, guns, and gays (despite his opposition to same-sex marriage) clash with those of many socially conservative Republican primary voters.
However, socio-cons care about more than just these three important matters. On school choice, welfare reform, adoption, and quality of life, evangelicals cannot quibble with Giuliani’s achievements. His Bush-like immigration proposals are no more liberal than the president’s. Socio-cons also like to see violent criminals incarcerated and terrorists incinerated. No Rightist calls Giuliani Leftist on that.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100311.html
Democratic Sen. Dodd Enters Presidential Race
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A06
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) plunged into the 2008 presidential race yesterday, an admitted dark-horse candidate for the Democratic nomination who nonetheless said his experience and record qualify him to lead the country at a time of terrorism abroad and economic insecurities at home.
He began his campaign in outspoken opposition to President Bush's newly announced plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq in an effort to quell the violence there. Dodd said he backs a proposal by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) that would prevent Bush from deploying any new troops until specifically authorized by Congress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100781.html
Democrats Pick Denver For 2008 Convention
By Chris Cillizza
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A02
The Democratic National Committee chose Denver yesterday as the host city for its 2008 nominating convention in hopes that the electoral gains made in the Rocky Mountain West in recent years will help the party win the White House.
Denver, which beat out perennial host New York City, has not had a national convention since 1908. Republicans will hold their convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul -- the first time the Twin Cities have hosted a party convention since the late 19th century.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/
Posted at 05:30 AM ET, 01/12/2007
The Line: Two '07 Governor's Races Heating Up
The Fix tried hard to resist the urge to rank governor's races, given that 2006 is barely over and that just 14 states will elect governors in 2007 and 2008 combined.
But with campaigns beginning in earnest in two of the three 2007 states -- Kentucky and Louisiana -- and an outcry from Fix fanatics for a governor's Line, the time seems right to jump in.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01/12/news/politics/17_19_461_11_07.txt
Democrats stumble on approach to special projects
By: JIM ABRAMS - Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Senate's new Democratic leaders, the fragility of their thin majority on display for the first time, were set back Thursday when nine Democrats joined with Republicans in support of stricter House-passed rules on lawmakers' pet projects
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was forced to delay a final vote on a measure he opposes after losing 51-46 a parliamentary attempt to kill it.
The measure, an amendment to an ethics and lobbying bill, would have adopted a wider definition of "earmarks," specific projects inserted in bills, to include Corps of Engineer water projects, Pentagon weapon systems and items from other federal entities.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18874
Conservative Movement Needs Leaders
by Kenneth Blackwell
Posted Jan 12, 2007
Conservatism in America is in need of leaders who demonstrate fidelity to principle. The Republican Party, the conservative movement’s partisan home, received a stern repudiation in the 2006 midterm elections. Many Republican elected officials were thrown out of office or denied advancement. Voters across the nation expressed their growing dissatisfaction with Republican leadership.
Twelve years of Republican majorities have witnessed expansive corporate welfare, ineffective industrial subsidization and the increasing federalization of education and health care. The GOP Congress has responded to failing federal initiatives with equally unsustainable programs, and Americans have learned the hard way that a government cannot spend away its own inefficiency.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTNmNTlkNDE0MmU1NmY0MmZhMzQxMjI5NzNmZjIzMzc
January 12, 2007 7:40 AM
Taxing Debate
With his balanced-budget plan, the president ups the ante.
By James C. Capretta
The new Democratic leaders in Congress and President Bush have both taken steps in recent days with significant implications for the federal budget battles that lie ahead.
In one of their very first moves (pre-“100 hours,” as it were), the new House Democratic leaders reestablished the so-called “pay-as-you-go” budget rule. “Paygo” requires — at least during House consideration — offsetting spending cuts or tax increases for any new proposals which reduce taxes or increase entitlement spending. Democratic leaders put this rule in place with one clear target in mind: President Bush’s tax cuts, now scheduled to expire after 2010.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_RDP?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:39 AM EST
Stem cell bill sails through House
By JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted to expand government-financed embryonic stem cell research Thursday, but for the second time in two years lawmakers were unable to muster enough votes to overcome a promised presidential veto.
Still, the 253-174 vote was a high watermark in the stem cell debate, drawing advocates closer to the two-thirds vote threshold needed to override President Bush's objections.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/POLITICS/701120390/1022
Friday, January 12, 2007
House OKs embryonic stem cell research bill; Bush vows veto
Andrew Taylor / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Democratic-controlled House on Thursday passed a bill bolstering embryonic stem cell research that advocates say shows promise for numerous medical cures.
But the 253-174 vote fell short of the two-thirds margin required to overturn President Bush's promised veto. Bush vetoed identical legislation last year, and the White House on Thursday promised he would veto it again.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MEDICARE_DRUGS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:35 AM EST
Medicare bill likely to pass House
By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A veto threat from President Bush isn't deterring Democrats from pushing legislation that would require the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare patients.
The House planned to consider legislation Friday that would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct those negotiations. The bill is one of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's six priorities for the new Democratic-controlled House.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011102081.html
Drug Bill Demonstrates Lobby's Pull
Democrats Feared Industry Would Stall Bigger Changes
By R. Jeffrey Smith and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A01
Before taking control of the House last week, Democratic leaders briefly considered proposing a new government-run prescription drug program as a way to reduce seniors' drug costs, according to Democratic aides and lawmakers involved in the deliberations.
But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her allies chose a far less ambitious plan -- to require the government to negotiate for lower Medicare drug prices -- that will come to a vote today. They stepped back largely out of concern that the pharmaceutical industry would stall a complex change, denying them a quick victory on a top consumer-oriented priority, aides say.

http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168530222225660.xml&coll=2
Schwarzenegger earns applause
Health care for all children, even illegal immigrants', a challenge to status quo
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Guaranteed health care for children is the new political apple pie. No one can say he is against it, and it's a sure applause line for politicians who want to show concern for reducing the number of uninsured people in America.
But special recognition is due California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is reportedly ready to begin his new term with an actual proposal that his state insure all children. And by all, he means undocumented immigrants, too.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_ENERGY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 6:58 AM EST
Democrats unveil energy package
By H. JOSEF HEBERT
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democrats next week will push to impose a conservation fee on oil and natural gas taken from the Gulf of Mexico if prices remain at current high levels.
Also, under a package of energy measures to be unveiled Friday, oil and gas companies would be barred from future Gulf lease sales unless they agree to renegotiate flawed 1998-99 leases that allowed them to avoid federal royalty payments.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CRIME_FIGHTER_FREEZE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:49 AM EST
Justice Dept. hit with hiring freeze
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A hiring freeze has hit two federal crime fighting agencies and a third has slowed its recruitment efforts because of congressional budget delays that some officials say threaten efforts to combat terrorism and violent crime.
The hiring crunch is largely the result of Congress' failure to approve the Justice Department's 2007 spending request. Lawmakers who oversee spending bills are now negotiating how much - if at all - to increase government spending. In the meantime, the agencies are being funded according to last year's budget levels.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116853340566520.xml&coll=3
The federal judiciary: There's no pay crisis
Tuesday, January 11, 2007
Americans beset with many other crises learned on New Year's Day that there's a "crisis" in the federal judiciary. According to Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court, judges aren't being paid enough and that is causing too much turnover. Well, we wouldn't even classify this as a problem, let alone a crisis.
Federal judges are paid as follows: District court, $165,200; appeals court, $175,100; associate supreme-court justices, $203,000; chief justice, $212,000. For most of us, those wages would not put the household budget into the red. However, Roberts is trying to persuade the nation -- particularly Congress, which holds the purse strings -- that such wages are too low.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101666.html
Jewish Membership in Congress at All-Time High
By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A17
While Democrats celebrated the election of the House's first female speaker, another milestone passed more quietly: The 110th Congress includes more Jewish lawmakers than any other in history, and all but four are Democrats.
About 2 percent of Americans identify themselves as Jewish. But in Congress, the proportion of Jewish members is now four times that. Six new Jewish House members were sworn in last week, bringing the total to 30. In the Senate, the 13 Jewish members include freshmen Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) and Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), according to the National Jewish Democratic Council.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_BUSH_AP_POLL?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:53 AM EST
Bush's approval rating hits new low
By NANCY BENAC
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Public approval of Congress has edged up a bit now that Democrats are back in control, but it's still nothing to write home about. Approval for the way Congress is handling its job rose to 32 percent in the latest AP-Ipsos poll, up from a meager 27 percent a month earlier. That puts Congress on par with President Bush, whose 32 percent approval rating represents a new low for him in AP-Ipsos polling.
The Democrats, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, took control of Congress when the new session began on Jan. 4.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_OLD_AND_NEW?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:49 AM EST
Congress treats Gates with kid gloves
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Being a newcomer has its benefits. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in charge of the Pentagon for a mere three weeks, got off easy Thursday when he went before the House Armed Services Committee to defend President Bush's decision to send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq.
Lawmakers congratulated the former CIA director and university president for coming out of retirement to take the assignment. One said the committee was blessed to have him appear.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101104.html
Intelligence Chiefs Pessimistic In Assessing Worldwide Threats
Negroponte Cites Resilience of Al-Qaeda, Iraqi Insurgency
By Dafna Linzer and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A12
Iraq is at a violent and "precarious juncture," while al-Qaeda is significantly expanding its global reach, effectively immune to the loss of leaders in battle, Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte told Congress yesterday. He also warned that the Taliban is mounting a vigorous insurgency in Afghanistan, that Pakistan has become a safe haven for top terrorists and that Iran's growing regional power is threatening Middle East stability.
In their annual worldwide threat assessment before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Negroponte and other top intelligence chiefs provided a bleak assessment of regions and conflicts at the center of President Bush's foreign policy agenda.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TERROR_REFUGEES?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:34 AM EST
Anti-terrorism restrictions eased
By SUZANNE GAMBOA
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is shifting policy to allow foreigners who have aided armed groups not considered terrorists to seek asylum or resettle in the United States.
Hundreds of foreigners already in the country - including some who have been held for months or years in detention - claim to have been forced to help violent groups. Many are fleeing violence from the groups they were forced to assist.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101698.html
Unveiled Threats
A Bush appointee's crude gambit on detainees' legal rights
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A18
MOST AMERICANS understand that legal representation for the accused is one of the core principles of the American way. Not, it seems, Cully Stimson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs. In a repellent interview yesterday with Federal News Radio, Mr. Stimson brought up, unprompted, the number of major U.S. law firms that have helped represent detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

"Actually you know I think the news story that you're really going to start seeing in the next couple of weeks is this: As a result of a FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] request through a major news organization, somebody asked, 'Who are the lawyers around this country representing detainees down there,' and you know what, it's shocking," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100587.html
Falling Flat
By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; 7:56 AM
Well, I'm bleary-eyed from searching, but I haven't found anyone who thinks that George W. Bush delivered a great speech Wednesday night.
There are certainly pundits who back the president's plan to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq. But the consensus is that Bush looked weary, subdued and almost pained as he spoke from the White House library. The verve and cockiness were gone. Few went as far as Howard Fineman, who said Bush spoke with the confidence of a perp in a police lineup, but for a major speech at a critical time for a faltering war, the president's demeanor was surprising.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101575.html
An Opening for the Democrats
By David Ignatius
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A19
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the architect of the Democratic victory in November's congressional elections, watched President Bush's Iraq speech Wednesday night like the coach of an opposing debate team: "Tired," he said. "Too wooden." "Doesn't fill the screen."

The military consequences of Bush's new policy in Baghdad aren't knowable. But politically in Washington, it appeared to be dead on arrival. Emanuel's reaction was typical of leading Democrats, but many Republicans in Congress and on TV talk shows were lukewarm in their praise and a few were outright critical. Looking at Bush's grim demeanor, you sensed a presidency in eclipse: He has lost the House and Senate; he has lost the public on the war; and he has attached his presidency to a riderless horse.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/OPINION03/701120334/1008/OPINION01
Friday, January 12, 2007
Frank Beckmann
Democrats imitate GOP, become gutless on Iraq war
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. -- The Who
The old boss, the 109th Congress run by Republicans, was routed from office last November because it could not make tough decisions of leadership -- whether it involved Social Security, restrictions on government spending or a cogent policy on the Iraq war.
The 110th Congress -- run by Democrats -- was supposed to change all that. But sadly, we've all been fooled again.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101709.html
Fight and Talk
President Bush is taking chances with U.S. troops; why not with his diplomats?
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A18
PRESIDENT BUSH promised in his speech Wednesday night to "use America's full diplomatic resources" in support of his new plan to stabilize Iraq. But the tour of the region that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is beginning today looks like a sideshow. Ms. Rice will talk with Israelis and Palestinians and meet with ministers from Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states; her idea, she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday, is "to work with those governments that share our idea of where the Middle East should be going." Since that excludes two of Iraq's neighbors, Iran and Syria, as well as the two countries that now stand in the way of progress in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon -- again, Iran and Syria -- it's hard to see how her diplomacy can accomplish much.

Indeed, President Bush's speech gave the impression that military steps have priority in the administration's regional policy. The president said he had ordered another carrier group to the area; that Patriot air defense systems would be deployed "to reassure our friends and allies"; and that the United States "will seek out and destroy the networks" supported by Iran and Syria that provide "advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq." Hours after he spoke, U.S. forces raided an Iranian government office in Irbil, northern Iraq.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/POLITICS/701120436/1022
Friday, January 12, 2007
War in Iraq
Opinions on plan mixed
70% of U.S. oppose troop surge; aides try to deflect criticism
Detroit News wire services
Aday after President Bush announced his decision to send 21,500 more combat troops -- at a cost of $5.6 billion -- to Iraq, everyone seemed to have an opinion on his new strategy for the war: the White House sent top members of his national security team to Capitol Hill for hearings and to deflect Democratic criticism of the plan, the president visited troops at Fort Benning, Ga., for a pep talk, and Americans had their say, with 70 percent in one poll saying they oppose sending more troops to Iraq. The offensive continues today with more hearings before Congress and a trip to the Middle East by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100389.html
At Fort Benning, a Quiet Response to a Presidential Visit
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A12
FORT BENNING, Ga., Jan. 11 -- The pictures were just what the White House wanted: A teary-eyed President Bush presenting the Medal of Honor posthumously to a slain war hero in the East Room, then flying here to join the chow line with camouflage-clad soldiers as some of them prepare to return to Iraq.
There are few places the president could go for an unreservedly enthusiastic reception the day after unveiling his decision to order 21,500 more troops to Iraq. A military base has usually been a reliable backdrop for the White House, and so Bush aides chose this venerable Army installation in western Georgia to promote his revised strategy to the nation while his Cabinet secretaries tried to sell it on Capitol Hill.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011102219.html
U.S. Unit Patrolling Baghdad Sees Flaws in Bush Strategy
By Sudarsan Raghavan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A01
BAGHDAD, Jan. 11 -- A few hours before another mission into the cauldron of Baghdad, Spec. Daniel Caldwell's wife instant-messaged him Thursday morning. President Bush, Kelly wrote, wanted to send more than 20,000 U.S. troops and extend deployments in Iraq. Eight weeks pregnant, she was worried.
Caldwell, a tall, lean 20-year-old from Montesano, Wash., wondered whether he would miss the birth of his child. He walked outside and joined his comrades of Apache Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Stryker Brigade. They, too, had heard the news.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011102106.html
Bush's Shift in Strategy Gets Dubious Reception On Streets of Baghdad
To Many Iraqis, Premier Is Key to Quelling Violence
By Joshua Partlow and Robin Wright
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A15
BAGHDAD, Jan. 11 -- From the men drinking lemon tea in cafes to the politicians fighting to strengthen their fledgling government, Baghdad residents greeted President Bush's announcement of a shift in Iraq strategy with a skepticism born of nearly four years of war.
To many, the crux of Iraq's intractable problem is whether the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki -- installed as Shiite Muslims were emerging from oppression under Saddam Hussein to become the country's ruling majority -- can rise above deep sectarian rivalry and protect Iraqi neighborhoods equitably, even in the face of catastrophic insurgent attacks by Sunni Arabs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011100437.html
Bush's Iraq Plan Meets Skepticism On Capitol Hill
Opposition to Troop Increase Is Bipartisan
By Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A01
President Bush's proposal to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq encountered strong bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill yesterday, and his top national security advisers, dispatched to defend the strategy, were greeted with a skepticism not seen from Congress over the past six years.
Lawmakers said they have little confidencethat the Iraqi government has the capacity to deliver on promises to take the lead in cracking down on violent militias and providing security in Baghdad, as the president's plan contemplates. Democrats and Republicans alike said they are concerned that Bush's plan, announced Wednesday night in a nationally televised prime-time address, is too little and too late and does not appear very different from previous efforts to secure the capital.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_MILITARY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 12, 7:03 AM EST
Pentagon abandons active-duty time limit
By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon has abandoned its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty, officials said Thursday, a major change that reflects an Army stretched thin by longer-than-expected combat in Iraq.
The day after President Bush announced his plan for a deeper U.S. military commitment in Iraq, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters the change in reserve policy would have been made anyway because active-duty troops already were getting too little time between their combat tours.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168530303251430.xml&coll=8
Catastrophic strategy limits our Iraq options
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Our commander-in-chief, having misled America into the swamp of Iraq and away from certain victory in Afghanistan, now proposes to lead us further into the swamp. Small wonder nearly four-fifths of the public don't share the president's faith in his own poor generalship and doubt his assurances about the ultimate outcome of his misadventure.
This is a dangerous moment in U.S. history. To go forward? To retreat? To stand down? All the choices are fraught with peril and uncertainty because of catastrophic leadership decisions that have limited our options in Iraq to bad or worse. Yet here we are.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009514
Getting Iraq to Work
New York City's successes have lessons for Baghdad.
BY RUDY GIULIANI AND NEWT GINGRICH
Friday, January 12, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
The American mission in Iraq must succeed. Our goal--promoting a stable, accountable democracy in the heart of the Middle East--cannot be achieved by purely military means.

Iraqis need to establish a civil society. Without the support of mediating civic and social associations--the informal ties that bind us together--no government can long remain stable, and no cohesive nation can be maintained. To establish a civil society, Iraqis must rebuild their basic infrastructure. Iraqis must take control of their destiny by rebuilding houses, stores, schools, roads, highways, mosques and churches.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011102080.html
WASHINGTON SKETCH
Rice, a Uniter of the Divided
By Dana Milbank
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A01
Within minutes of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's arrival on Capitol Hill yesterday, it became apparent that the Bush administration had, after four divisive years, finally succeeded in uniting Congress on the war in Iraq.
Unfortunately for Rice, the lawmakers were unified in opposition to President Bush's new policy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011102145.html
Rice Seeks Backing Abroad for Iraq Plan
Trip to Middle East, Europe Also Aims to Revive Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A14
With President Bush's plan to boost troops in Iraq facing blistering criticism at home, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice departs today on another difficult sales mission: winning the support of Arabs for the Iraq plan and seeking momentum for a renewed push on Middle East peace.

Rice endured hours of tough questions in both the Senate and House foreign policy panels yesterday over the administration's strategy for Iraq and its diplomacy toward Iraq's neighbors, particularly Iran and Syria. She had prepared for the hearings carefully, anticipating some of the toughest questions at several practice sessions known as "murder boards," and so remained unruffled when lawmakers pummeled her with complaints.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011102329.html
U.S. Troops Went Into Somalia After Raid
No Top Targets Confirmed Dead
By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A01
NAIROBI, Jan. 11 -- A small team of American military personnel entered southern Somalia to try to determine exactly who was killed in a U.S. airstrike Monday that targeted suspected al-Qaeda figures thought to be hiding in swampy mangrove forests along the Indian Ocean, U.S. sources said Thursday.

So far, "no one can confirm a high-value target" among the dead, said one U.S. source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But items recovered at the strike site -- a piece of bloody clothing and a document -- indicated that Aden Ayrow, head of the military arm of the deposed Islamic Courts movement, had been at the scene.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/11/AR2007011101699.html
A Test on Burma
Will China and Russia side with the dictators?
Friday, January 12, 2007; Page A18
THE BUSH administration is pressing the U.N. Security Council to vote, possibly as early as today, to condemn one of the world's worst human rights violators: the military regime of Burma. The resolution doesn't call for sanctions or other punitive measures; it would simply make clear that the most august assembly of nations finds Burma's behavior unacceptable and will press for change. Nonetheless, China and Russia are threatening a veto. How it turns out should provide, at least, a moment of clarity in global affairs.

Burma's government is not only one of the world's most repressive; it's also a rare case of a dictatorship that can't even pretend to legitimacy. That's because in 1990 the generals permitted a reasonably free election. The overwhelming winner was Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Burma's independence hero, and her National League for Democracy. The junta refused to cede power; it has kept Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, under house arrest for most of the years since the election while locking up many of her colleagues. The generals have waged terrible war against various nationalities in the hills of their lush Southeast Asian nation, displacing more than 1 million people; led the world in the use of rape and forced labor as military weapons; and draped a blanket of fear over their 50 million subjects.

Local/State

Rogers balks at troop 'surge'
Reaction from Michigan lawmakers to President Bush's announcement Wednesday that he plans to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq was lukewarm, at best.

Bush gets cool reception in Michigan
Even former staunch supporters of Iraq policies are hesitant to accept president's plan. From Michigan's delegation in Congress to the families of soldiers in harm's way, President Bush's plan to increase the U.S. commitment to Iraq got a cool reception Wednesday.

Troop 'surge' creates controversy
Use of the word to describe Bush's proposal for reshaping Iraq sparks a political brouhaha. WASHINGTON -- Is it a "surge?" Is it an "escalation?" Is it harmless semantics? Is it disingenuous spin?

Bush vows surge to fix 'mistake'
President Bush last night conceded that he made a mistake by failing to increase troops in Iraq last year and committed to boosting more than 21,000 troops, setting up a battle with the congressional Democrats, who vowed to fight the new war strategy.

Suit against judge tossed
Howell attorney Thomas Kizer Jr.'s lawsuit against Livingston County District Judge L. Suzanne Geddis, alleging that the judge had retaliated against Kizer for opposing her husband's candidacy to the bench in last year's election, was dismissed Wednesday.

Livingston Briefs

Local Metroparks' history revealed in new book
They're southeast Michigan's playgrounds, nature preserves, picnic sites and daylong retreats.

OPINION
Keeping the Bible out of our schools
I was just plain delighted to see that the Howell Public Schools Board of Education decided to rule against using the Bible as part of an elective (read that: "voluntary") class on literature.

Who keeps the world safe? It's us
A German politician said, "If the United States wants our good will, then they will reconsider the military base closures here in Germany." Approximately 20 base closures are set for closure in 2008-2009. Direct translation: "Spend your money here."

Apparently some folks WANT another Vietnam
Democrats: Get us out of Iraq now
The majority of the people in this country are sick and tired of the same old story of we must support the troops by spending more money and soldiers' lives in continuing our failed efforts in Iraq.

STATE STORIES

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS06/701110434/1008/NEWS06
Granholm asks for a budget fix
She picks group, gives it 3 weeks; tax hike predicted
January 11, 2007
BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced Wednesday the formation of a special commission of public sector experts, led by a pair of former governors, to advise her on how to remedy the state's dismal financial situation.

Some of the governor's critics said the makeup of the group indicates Granholm is looking for political cover for proposing a tax increase.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS04/701110345/1005/opinion
Published January 11, 2007
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Granholm seeks help on budget dilemma
New 12-member panel includes two governors
By Kathy Barks Hoffman
Associated Press
Gov. Jennifer Granholm says she's looking for some good advice. She has set up a new advisory panel to help her decide how to deal with the state's continued sea of red ink.

The 12-person Emergency Financial Advisory Panel will be headed by two former governors - Republican William Milliken and Democrat James Blanchard - and have a bipartisan mix of former lawmakers and state officials, current university officials and the president of the Michigan Catholic Conference.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1164904579303510.xml&coll=3
Granholm enlists past governors to help fix state's fiscal crisis
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Susan J. Demas
Gov. Jennifer Granholm is calling for all hands on deck, enlisting two of her predecessors to help vanquish next year's projected $3 billion budget shortfall and state¹s ongoing fiscal crisis.

Former Republican Gov. William G. Milliken and former Democratic Gov. Jim Blanchard will head up the 12-person Emergency Financial Advisory Panel, Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said today.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110375/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Will new state panel push for tax increase?
Milliken and Blanchard to lead Granholm's advisory group to sort out options for ailing Mich. budget.
Charlie Cain and Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced Wednesday that she's impaneled a 12-member emergency commission to figure out in just three weeks how to bail the state out of its worsening fiscal morass.

Granholm's bipartisan Emergency Financial Advisory Panel, chaired by former Govs. William G. Milliken and James J. Blanchard, was widely seen by political observers as cover for an impending tax increase proposal.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/1168446145104260.xml&coll=7
Time to discuss sales tax on services
Monday, January 10, 2007
Which of the following would voters prefer:
Continued state budget cuts -- possibly to the tune of another $500 million this year -- that would certainly have an impact on schools, parks, police protection and health care?

Or a state sales tax reduced one percentage point, but broadened to include most services, including haircuts, movie tickets and lawn care?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS06/70110023/0/NEWS06
Granholm vetoes bill that would have helped fund retiree health care costs
January 10, 2007
By KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed a bill today that would allow municipalities to sell bonds to cover retiree health care costs.

Oakland County wanted the bill to ensure that the fund that pays for the health care for its current and future retirees is fully funded. It had planned to sell $500 million in low-interest general obligation bonds for the plan, which would have covered more than 1,900 current and 4,500 future retirees.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS03/701110401/1008/NEWS06
Patterson calls Granholm veto act of revenge
January 11, 2007
BY KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's veto Wednesday of a bill written primarily to help Oakland County save as much as $9 million a year in interest costs was payback for his key role in speeding the demise of Michigan's Single Business Tax, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said Wednesday.

Granholm said the bill would have cost the state millions in federal reimbursements for Medicaid costs.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS03/701110341/1008/NEWS06
Patterson's state of the state is irate
January 11, 2007
The once-cozy political relationship between Republican Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm is on the rocks.
He declared Wednesday: "The best thing that could happen is that Hillary Clinton gets elected president ...and Granholm gets some federal appointment, so we can get her the hell out of Michigan."

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS01/301100005/1002
Budget to top state lawmakers' priorities
Tim Martin
The Associated Press
LANSING — The state Legislature began gathering for its 2007-08 session today, overshadowed by the upcoming tough decisions about the state’s budget challenges.

Power in the Legislature is divided entering the new session. Democrats, with a 58-52 advantage, are in charge in the state House for the first time since the 1997-98 session. In the Senate, Republicans have a 21-17 edge.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110333/1008
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Big 3 must win hearts and minds of consumers
James Harbour
New production and concept vehicle are getting all the buzz at Detroit's International Auto Show. General Motors already has proudly taken the prizes for the best car (Saturn Aura) and best truck (Chevrolet Silverado).
But what isn't being discussed at the auto show is whether the Japanese onslaught will continue to decimate the Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors. The key to stopping this losing battle is changing the American buying public's perception that Japanese vehicles have better quality, reliability and fuel economy. This and other issues need to be tackled.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/BUSINESS05/701100391/1018/BUSINESS
NWA loses bid for China flights
United wins direct, daily D.C.-Beijing route
January 10, 2007
BY JEWEL GOPWANI
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
In a setback to Michigan's economic hopes, Northwest Airlines has lost a bid to United Airlines for new daily nonstop service to China.
Northwest had applied to fly from Detroit to Shanghai, a manufacturing and business center with 17 million people that is a center of China's booming auto industry.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/116843670242490.xml&coll=6
Businesses hope to capitalize on liquor license law
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Chris Knape
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- A state law designed to encourage development in urban areas could open the doors to a host of new restaurants and bars in places such as downtown Grand Rapids.
The law, passed during December's lame-duck session of the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, allows new liquor licenses to be issued in designated areas with a city's approval.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1168446073104260.xml&coll=7
Dreaming of chrome and steel Detroit's annual automaker extravaganza opens to the public on Saturday
Monday, January 10, 2007
Higher door lines and more glass in the roof. Sleek, low hood lines with big chrome grilles. Functional interiors, including house-like lighting and a van with seats on two sides of a table.

That's what the cars and trucks you'll be driving soon will look like, as seen at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1168446061104260.xml&coll=7
If you go
Monday, January 10, 2007
What: North American International Auto Show.
Where: Cobo Center, One Washington Blvd., Detroit.
When: Show opens to the public Jan. 13 and runs through Jan. 21. Hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (no admittance after 9 p.m.) through Jan. 20. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 21, with no admittance after 6 p.m. There is early access to those with physical disabilities daily at 8 a.m. through the Oakland Hall entrance.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS01/701110352/1003
School closing uproar grows
Detroit's hastily compiled list raises questions
January 11, 2007
BY CHASTITY PRATT
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
If Detroit Public Schools follows through with a plan to close 52 school buildings this year and next, it would result in the dissolution of some of the district's best schools, could intensify gang rivalries at some institutions and leave boarded-up structures where millions of dollars have been spent on improvements, some educators and parents say.

Parents and students plan to pack a school board meeting tonight to ask about those effects as they try to decipher the impact and rationale behind the proposed closures -- a plan that local and national experts say is unprecedented.

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-40/116850150349000.xml&storylist=newsmichigan
Proposal to close 52 Detroit schools spawns uproar
1/11/2007, 1:30 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A proposal to close 52 public schools in Detroit is drawing objections from parents and educators who say the plan would shutter some of the city's best schools, close facilities where millions of dollars have been spent on improvements and possibly intensify gang rivalries.

Detroit Public Schools last week proposed closing the schools by summer 2008 as part of a reorganization to deal with lower enrollment and save nearly $19 million annually. The district plans to hold public hearings before the school board approves the final closures in February.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS01/701110353/1003
Potential closures
January 11, 2007
School officials announced a plan to close 52 school buildings, including a few with high academic performance or millions of dollars in updates.
Here are some of the schools and rationales for closing them:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110360/1069
On Prop 2, U-M rightly follows law
January 11, 2007
The University of Michigan should be heralded, not harangued, for trying to minimize the fallout from the flawed, but voter approved, ban on affirmative action. It was perfectly reasonable to try not to subject the incoming class to different admissions standards. But it's equally prudent, unfortunately, to restart admissions and give answers to students trying to figure out where to go this fall.
The law is on the books and reflects the will of the voters. Until and unless it is ruled illegal, U-M has to follow that law.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110342/1008
Thursday, January 11, 2007
U-M picks better way to deal with Prop 2
School will obey the law while seeking other routes to diversity
The Detroit News
The University of Michigan made the right decision to begin implementing Proposal 2 this morning. Now, the state and U-M need to apply the proposal fairly for all state residents.
U-M leaders said Wednesday they would no longer consider gender and race as the university resumes its admission process today. Officials had halted admissions temporarily as they retooled to comply with the voter-backed ballot initiative that ended affirmative action.

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1168443801307130.xml&coll=2
U-M to ignore race and gender on applications
University will comply with Proposal 2 immediately
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
BY LYNN MONSON
News Assistant Metro Editor
The University of Michigan announced today that it will immediately implement changes in its admissions process to comply with Proposal 2, the ban on affirmative action passed by Michigan voters Nov. 7.

Admissions counselors will no longer consider the race or gender of applicants as they sort through the thousands of applications to determine who will be admitted to the university, U-M officials said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/1168442412255690.xml&coll=5
'We want a mosaic of students'
Diversity still a priority at UM, president says
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Beata Mostafavi
bmostafavi@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6210
FLINT - Iranian students, black students, Hindu students.
The urbanites and kids with rural roots.
The entrepreneurs, musicians, even the Michigan Squirrel club.
Diversity will always matter at the University of Michigan - affirmative action or not - UM President Mary Sue Coleman vowed Tuesday during the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. tribute dinner.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS06/701110332/1008/NEWS06
Justice enters Prop 2 case
Court seeks briefs; U-M drops race, gender to qualify
January 11, 2007
BY KRISTEN JORDAN SHAMUS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
Hours after the University of Michigan announced it would set aside its hard-fought practice of using race and gender in admissions, a U.S. Supreme Court justice opened the door for the nation's highest court to wade into the already thick legal entanglement.
Caught in the middle of a legal battle over Proposal 2 that could take years to resolve are students such as 17-year-old Lauren Hollier of Detroit, who is among the roughly 10,000 would-be undergraduates who have applied to U-M but have yet to hear whether they'll be accepted for the fall term.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS06/701110333/1008/NEWS06
Proposal 2 Q&A
January 11, 2007
BY KRISTEN JORDAN SHAMUS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The following are questions and answers to issues related to Proposal 2 and how it affects the state's public universities:
QUESTION: What is Proposal 2?
ANSWER: Proposal 2, which passed with about 58% of the vote, took effect Dec. 22. It amended the Michigan Constitution to ban public institutions, including universities, from giving preferential treatment based on race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin.

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/1168442451255690.xml&coll=5
Flint native ranked among top young black leaders
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Daniel Fearson
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
FLINT - Ebony magazine thinks Flint native Jonathan Quarles so represents the "enormous talent and promise of African-Americans who are 30 years or younger" that it has named him to its list of the country's "Top 30 Leaders Under 30."
In Quarles' case, the list of qualities could include humility - his parents didn't even see the honor until their pastor brought a copy of the magazine to church.
Quarles, 24, a 2000 Northern High School and 2004 Florida A&M University graduate, he was nominated for the magazine's list by his boss, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kirkpatrick, and media personality Tavis Smiley.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS03/701110403/1008/NEWS06
Overloaded court could add a judge
Cost an issue in Oakland County
January 11, 2007
BY KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
With one of the highest caseloads in the state, Oakland County circuit judges are hoping to add to their ranks in 2009.
They've got the approval of the state Legislature, which passed a bill last year allowing for an additional judge, and the signature of Gov. Jennifer Granholm on the law last week.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110308/1008
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Detroiters should rise up against murders
Adolph Mongo
There were more than 400 murder stories in the Motor City in 2006, up from 354 in 2005, according to the FBI. And no one paid any attention to them except law enforcement statisticians and the friends and families of the victims.
Yeah, we hosted the Super Bowl and invited the world into Michigan's living room. City officials patched up the old furniture. Slapped a coat of paint on the old and rusty walls and locked up all the crazy relatives in the basement.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110416/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Bush gets cool reception in Michigan
Even former staunch supporters of Iraq policies are hesitant to accept president's plan.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
From Michigan's delegation in Congress to the families of soldiers in harm's way, President Bush's plan to increase the U.S. commitment to Iraq got a cool reception Wednesday.
In Washington, the state's newly empowered Democrats ranged from skeptical to critical. But it was reactions from Republicans -- many of them former staunch supporters of the president's Iraq policies -- that may have the more lasting impact.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS06/701110452
State delegation's reaction
January 11, 2007
"America's military men and women who have sacrificed so much must know that the new way forward in Iraq is a plan in which the military mission and the rules of engagement are clearly defined, and ... benchmarks are outlined for Iraqis." U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-40/1168483445146330.xml&storylist=newsmichigan
Michigan lawmakers react to president's Iraq address
1/11/2007, 5:56 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
(AP) — Reaction from members of Michigan's congressional delegation to President Bush's announcement Wednesday night that he was sending 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq:
"I oppose increasing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq as the president outlined. An escalation of American troops is a flawed strategy for two reasons: It implies that there is a military solution to the violence when what's needed is a political solution among the Iraqi leaders, and it suggests that the future of Iraq is in our hands, not theirs. More promises by the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future and more statements by the president on the need for doing so are no substitute for U.S. actions to force political compromises by the Iraqis. The president did not set benchmarks for the Iraqis that have hard deadlines and clear consequences for failure." — U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS06/701110451
Reaction from troops' families
January 11, 2007
"I understand what the government is trying to do, rebuilding Iraq, but sending 20,000 more troops over to Iraq, I really don't agree with it because of the young soldiers that have been dying every day. ... It just seems like if someone had come and destroyed my home and my family, it's hard to believe that he's going to try to rebuild my home. We're just putting young soldiers at risk, and there's a lot of families whose souls are just hurting right now because of losing the lives of their loved ones."
MARCUS D. JONES, Saginaw, cousin of Army Spec. Bobby Mejia II of Saginaw, killed in action Dec. 23

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/116843671542490.xml&coll=6
Increase U.S. troops? Military families unsure
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Ted Roelofs
The Grand Rapids Press
To Mary Jo Haywood, the troops in Iraq have done all we could ask -- and then some.
"It's amazing what we have asked them to do, over and over again. They are honoring their commitment.
"It's our leaders we should call to task," said Haywood, 53, a Lowell Township mother of a Marine who served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168467348232450.xml&coll=8
John Halmond was a giant for Muskegon County
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
John Halmond, the former chairman of the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners, was a towering figure in the community and among the most influential local figures of his time.
Halmond, who died at age 90 this past Sunday, did not achieve his stature by virtue of genetics or physical prowess, but by his commanding presence, his passion for consensus, his vision for his hometown and his deeply held respect for the opinions of others.

http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION01/701100323/1014/OPINION
Phil Power: The moderation of Gerald Ford
Back in 1975, along with some other Michigan folks, I was invited to visit Jerry Ford at the White House. Those were the days when some of us in the media were still getting used to calling the regular guy we'd known as Jerry "President Ford." Even "Gerald Ford" seemed a bit formal and strange.

I had known Ford — slightly — when I had run the Washington office of another Michigan congressman in the mid-1960s. By the time the '70s rolled around, I was the publisher of a bunch of newspapers.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/
Posted at 05:30 AM ET, 01/11/2007
Biden '08: Not Just All Talk
Sen. Joe Biden months ago began making clear that he intends to run for the Democratic nomination in 2008. But until the last few days there was very little beyond the Delaware senator's rhetoric that suggested a real campaign was underway.
That changed yesterday with the announcement that Luis Navarro would serve as Biden's campaign manager. Navarro most recently served as executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. He also was deputy campaign manager for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) during the 2004 election and spent several years as political director of the Service Employees International Union.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110304/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
House aide keeps eye on 100-hour clock
Majority leader's floor director counts the hours as Democrats plow through their agenda.
Mark Leibovich / New York Times
WASHINGTON -- Rob Cogorno is busy watching the clock. And not just any clock.
It is The Clock, at least as far as Capitol Hill is concerned this week -- and early next week, and maybe into late next week, depending on how long House Democrats decide it will run.
Cogorno's formal title is floor director for Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House majority leader, but for all practical purposes, he is the Keeper of The Clock. That is the digital timepiece on Hoyer's Web site marking the passage of legislative time as House Democrats push their "Hundred Hours for a New Direction" agenda

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002019.html
Where '100 Hours' Will Hit the Brakes
By David S. Broder
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A25
The three rooms on the third floor of the Capitol, steps away from the Senate floor, have a storied past. They are called the LBJ Suite, because they were the domain of Lyndon B. Johnson, who as majority leader famously installed two wet bars and added a bathroom, from which he conducted meetings and issued directives while taking care of his personal business.

The suite's new occupant is a man as anonymous as Johnson was flamboyant, Richard Durbin, the 62-year-old senior senator from downstate Illinois. In the next two years, however, a great deal of the Democrats' fate depends on Durbin. As assistant majority leader, or whip, it is up to him to figure out how to corral enough votes in the narrowly divided Senate to pass at least some of the flood of bills that the energized House Democratic majority will send over.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/opinion/11thu2.html
Tax Cuts and Consequences
Published: January 11, 2007
The tax system in the United States is supposed to mitigate inequality. But a recent report by Congress’s budget agency provides fresh evidence that Bush-era tax cuts have done more to reinforce inequality than to redress it.

The agency found that in 2004, the latest year for which comprehensive data were available, the top 1 percent of households pocketed 14 percent of total after-tax income in the United States, up from 12.2 percent in 2003. That increase, the third largest in one year since the agency started keeping track in 1979, works out to an extra $128 billion. And yet despite that hefty gain, the effective federal tax rate of the top 1 percent decreased slightly.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/STEM_CELLS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 11, 5:41 AM EST
House to pass stem cell research bill
By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Their ranks bolstered by the November elections, supporters of legislation boosting taxpayer-funded research on embryonic stem cells were poised to easily pass the bill again even though President Bush vetoed it last year.

The House was to pass the bill Thursday. But the vote was virtually certain to fall short of the two-thirds margin needed to override another Bush veto, vote counters on both sides of the issue said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002076.html
On Stem Cell Legislation, a Reprise With Twists
Passage, Veto Likely as Supporters Wield New Power and Foes Cite New Alternatives
By Rick Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A04
The House is expected to pass today, by a substantial margin, legislation that would loosen President Bush's restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research -- a bill identical to the one it passed in 2005.
Next month, the Senate is expected to do the same, as it did last year.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110319/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
House OKs minimum wage bill
Measure to hike hourly pay to $7.25 now goes to Senate
Jeannine Aversa / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Democratic-controlled House voted Wednesday to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, bringing America's lowest-paid workers a crucial step closer to their first raise in a decade.
The vote was 315-116, with more than 80 Republicans joining Democrats to pass it.
"You should not be relegated to poverty if you work hard and play by the rules," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011001666.html
House Passes Increase in Minimum Wage to $7.25
Measure Gets Support of 82 Republicans; Senate to Take Up Own Bill This Month
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A06
The House yesterday overwhelmingly approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in nearly a decade, boosting the wages of the lowest-paid American workers from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over the next two years.

The 315 to 116 vote could begin the process of ending Congress's longest stretch without a minimum-wage increase since the mandatory minimum was created in 1938. In the past decade, inflation has depleted the value of the minimum wage to the lowest level in more than 50 years.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0110/p02s02-ussc.html
from the January 10, 2007 edition
In California, big plans to expand health coverage
Governor Schwarzenegger plan would insure most Californians – including children of illegals.
By Daniel B. Wood | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
LOS ANGELES – A sweeping plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to guarantee health insurance for all Californians - including children of illegal immigrants - is being characterized both as a bold model for improving healthcare access and as a costly government intrusion that will hurt the state's economy.

Arguments for and against near-universal healthcare have already been fought out in the few other states that have moved ahead with health-insurance reforms, namely Massachusetts and Vermont. But the sheer numbers involved in Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal - a $12 billion price tag and coverage for 6.5 million people who currently don't have health insurance - are guaranteed to raise the stakes as the California legislature considers whether to approve it.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110303/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Kennedy: Extend health care to all
As new head of Senate health committee, Mass. lawmaker urges Congress to OK universal coverage.
Kevin Freking / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The federal government should join the state of Massachusetts in enacting universal health coverage, said Sen. Edward Kennedy, the new chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over numerous health issues.
Kennedy's home state is the first to require everyone to have health insurance, just as drivers must have automobile coverage.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MEDICARE_DRUGS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 11, 3:38 AM EST
CBO faults medicare drug plan
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. John Dingell, author of a bill requiring the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, says he's not discouraged by a Congressional Budget Office conclusion that such negotiations would not save money.
"The secretary would be unable to negotiate prices across the broad range of covered Part D drugs that are more favorable than those obtained by (the plans) under current law," Donald B. Marron, the CBO's acting director, told Dingell, D-Mich., in a letter made public Wednesday.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110302/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Pelosi bans smoking near the House floor
Representatives will have to go outside or to their offices, where smoking is still allowed.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Smokers may be one minority in Congress with even fewer rights than newly demoted Republicans. Now they're losing one of their last, cherished prerogatives -- a smoke break in the ornate Speaker's Lobby just off the House floor.
New House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced a ban Wednesday, effective immediately.

http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/UndertheDome/011107.html
Club smoking ban a drag for Republicans, not Democrats
By Emily Heil
Looks like members of Congress will just have to huddle out of doors, with their cold, shivery fingers gripping their cigarettes, just like the rest of us. Or at least the Republican ones will.

Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Wednesday banned smoking in the once notoriously nicotine-friendly Speaker’s Lobby, Democrats can still retire to the comforts of the Democratic National Club for a smoke. The venue, located just blocks from the Capitol, offers a bar, dining room, and private dining and meeting spaces. And the private club still permits smoking in certain areas, even though there’s a distinctly anti-smoker vibe in the air, what with D.C. instituting a smoking ban at the beginning of the year and cigarettes being snuffed out in the Speaker’s Lobby.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18852
What's Worse Than Open Borders?
by Mac Johnson
Posted Jan 10, 2007
Look around you...
When the U.S. is trespassed upon at will by 15 million to 30 million illegal aliens, our border troops are under orders to flee from their posts if attacked, and the only thing upon which President Bush and Speaker Nancy Pelosi agree is the need for amnesty for brazen masses of immigration criminals, it would be easy to say that America has a de facto policy of open borders.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18870
The Mess at State
by Robert Novak
Posted Jan 11, 2007
Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republicans and Democrats alike, were alarmed last week that John Negroponte was leaving as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) after less than two years to become deputy secretary of state. By way of explanation, he informed one Republican senator that he did not want to make the switch but that the White House prevailed on him.

Just what career diplomat Negroponte was doing as the new intelligence czar in the first place is puzzling. But to pull him out just as his on-the-job training as DNI had been completed reflects a panicky desire to fill the deputy secretary's post that had been unfilled for an unprecedented six months. Five other key State Department positions are either vacant or soon to be vacant.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS07/70110051
Text of Bush's address to the nation
January 10, 2007
By The Associated Press
Text of President Bush's address on Wednesday, as prepared by the White House.
Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror - and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002437.html
Bush to Add 20,000 Troops In an Effort to Stabilize Iraq
By Michael Abramowitz and Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A01
President Bush appealed directly to the American people last night to support a renewed campaign to pacify Iraq, saying it is necessary to add new troops so that the beleaguered Iraqi government can regain control of the streets of Baghdad and revive the process of political reconciliation and economic rebuilding.

In a nationally televised address, Bush acknowledged for the first time that he had not sent enough troops to provide security in Iraq last year. Standing in the library of the White House, he described the situation in Iraq as "unacceptable" to the American people and to himself. "Our troops in Iraq have fought bravely. They have done everything we have asked them to do," he said. "Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me."

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS07/701110343
Bush arms for a buildup
21,500 more troops: Goal is to stabilize Iraq now, come home earlierMore pressure on Iraqis: Plan gives them until November to control entire countryBig fight on home front: President admits errors, faces tough sell in Congress
January 11, 2007
WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush defied pessimism about the war in Iraq, saying Wednesday night that he would send 21,500 more troops to battle sectarian violence.

"To step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government," Bush said in an address to the nation. "If we increase our support at this crucial moment and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110415/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Reality or rhetoric? Maybe a mixture
Calvin Woodward / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- President Bush promised a diplomatic offensive to win support for Iraq from Middle Eastern countries that, if anything, have become more hostile to U.S. policy in Iraq since Saddam Hussein's execution.
In doses of rhetoric hard to square with facts in the region, Bush portrayed the ordinary people of the Middle East as being behind U.S. goals in Iraq, in his speech to the nation Wednesday night.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_FACT_CHECK?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 11, 3:15 AM EST
Bush rhetoric hard to square with facts
By LARRY MARGASAK
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Winning support among Middle Eastern countries is part of President Bush's revised strategy for Iraq. But he pitched the new plan by leaving out a pertinent fact: Anti-U.S. rhetoric in those nations has grown increasingly hostile since the execution of a man Bush never mentioned - Saddam Hussein.

Bush said in his speech to the nation Wednesday that he's sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region on Friday in a new diplomatic offensive to build support for Iraq. He portrayed average citizens in the Middle East as supportive of U.S. goals.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110362/1069
IN OUR OPINION: President's vision no match for reality
January 11, 2007
President George W. Bush at least acknowledged past failings and did not promise roaring success in outlining his new strategy for Iraq in a grim-faced address to the nation Wednesday night. In fact, he braced the American and Iraqi people for at least another year of bloodshed -- maybe the worst yet.
But that does not make this escalation of the war -- the president didn't use the word but that's what he intends to do -- the best course of action. It is based on hope without demonstrable evidence that the Iraqi government and its military are truly ready to take control of their country instead of taking sides in internecine combat. It is based on the belief that an American force of 157,500 can achieve what a force of 135,000 could not, given a little more leeway to act. And it is based on the president's conviction that a decisive military victory in Iraq can somehow break the back of global terrorism.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSHS_GAMBLE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 11, 2:24 AM EST
Bush's new plan for Iraq war a gamble
By ANNE GEARAN
AP Diplomatic Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's new approach to the Iraq war depends for success on another new approach, from an Iraqi leader who has failed U.S. expectations at every turn.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has failed to deliver the unified government or additional troops he promised. And he's protected his own political footing at the expense of his American sponsors' goals.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 11, 5:38 AM EST
Bush's Iraq plan faces defiant Congress
By JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's troop-boosting plan for Iraq was headed straight into a political gale in Congress, with Democrats, some Republicans and an increasingly organized anti-war movement arrayed against the buildup.
Lawmakers were ready to pounce on the plan Thursday during a day of congressional hearings featuring top Bush administration officials such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Leaders of the Democratic-controlled Congress also were considering options for a nonbinding resolution, to be introduced next week, denouncing the troop increase.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110414/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Bush faces tough sell
Dems plan to fight sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq
John Aloysius Farrell / Detroit News wire services
WASHINGTON -- In a last gasp for victory in Iraq and credibility at home, President George W. Bush staked his presidency Wednesday night on a plan that will do exactly the opposite of what most Americans want.
To "step back now would force a collapse of the Iraqi government," Bush told a skeptical public, 83 percent of which oppose his proposed increase of troops, according to a recent poll.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002613.html
Response From the Hill
Democrats Aim to Block Funds for Plan
By Jonathan Weisman and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A01
Senior House Democrats said yesterday that they will attempt to derail funding for President Bush's proposal to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, setting up what could become the most significant confrontation between the White House and Congress over military policy since the Vietnam War.

Senate Democrats at the same time will seek bipartisan support for a nonbinding resolution opposing the president's plan, possibly as early as next week, in what some party officials see as the first step in a strategy aimed at isolating Bush politically and forcing the beginning of a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from the conflict.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_ANALYSIS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 11, 1:18 AM EST
Analysis: Bush speech draws lines
By TOM RAUM
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's announcement that he is sending more troops to Iraq sets up the first major test of wills between his Republican administration and the new Democratic-controlled Congress. Both sides are digging in.
The political stakes raised by Bush's prime-time television address were high on both sides.
Democrats, who came to power in midterm elections two months ago in large part because of growing public opposition to the war, must walk a fine line between criticizing Bush's plans and appearing to be obstructionists or undermining the military.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/NEWS07/701110344
ANALYSIS: Troop decision sets up battle of wills for Bush, Dems
Party's challenges likely to be vetoed
January 11, 2007
BY TOM RAUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq sets up the first major test of wills between his Republican administration and the new Democratic-controlled Congress. Both sides are digging in.
Democrats, who came to power in midterm elections two months ago in large part because of public opposition to the war, must walk a fine line between criticizing Bush's plans and appearing to be obstructionists or undermining the military.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002731.html
Analysis
As He Touts a 'Way Forward,' Bush Admits Errors of the Past
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A10
As his reelection campaign geared up in 2004, President Bush was asked to name his biggest mistake. He couldn't think of one. By the time he was asked again last year, he had thought of one, his inappropriate "tough talk." Last night, Bush acknowledged that some of the most fundamental assumptions underlying the U.S. venture in Iraq were wrong.

The evolution tracks the sharp deterioration not only of the U.S. position in Iraq, but also of Bush's position at home. As he argued to send even more troops into a war that has lost public support, Bush labored to convince Congress and the American people that he understands where he went wrong and has learned from those errors.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110417/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Analysis
Troop 'surge' creates controversy
Use of the word to describe Bush's proposal for reshaping Iraq sparks a political brouhaha.
Johanna Neuman / Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON -- Is it a "surge?" Is it an "escalation?" Is it harmless semantics? Is it disingenuous spin?
One thing is clear: Use of the word "surge" by Pentagon officials and others to describe President Bush's plan for reshaping U.S. efforts in Iraq has ignited a political brouhaha.

The furor, raging on the Internet, began in complaints to reporters and in the blogosphere. News organizations across the United States have been drawn into the fray.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/OPINION01/701110331/1008
Thursday, January 11, 2007
More troops best hope for succeeding in Iraq
The Detroit News
President Bush only has one opportunity to fix the mess that has become Iraq. Bush's plan to increase troops there, outlined in a national address Wednesday night, is the right strategy, but we worry it may not have enough fire power. Iraq's unstable condition has demanded more troops for some time, and the Bush administration now admits that sectarian violence is out of control.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DEMOCRATS_TEXT?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 10:29 PM EST
Text of joint statement from Democrats
Text of a joint statement from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin following President Bush's address to the nation Wednesday:
Last November, the American people delivered a strong message of no confidence in the president's Iraq policy and clearly expressed their desire for a new direction. The president had an opportunity tonight to demonstrate that he understood the depth of the concern in the country, make a long overdue course correction, and articulate a clear mission for our engagement in Iraq. Instead, he chose to escalate our involvement in Iraq's civil war by proposing a substantial increase in the number of our forces there. This proposal endangers our national security by placing additional burdens on our already over-extended military thereby making it even more difficult to respond to other crises.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/11/opinion/11thu1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The Real Disaster
Published: January 11, 2007
President Bush told Americans last night that failure in Iraq would be a disaster. The disaster is Mr. Bush’s war, and he has already failed. Last night was his chance to stop offering more fog and be honest with the nation, and he did not take it.

Americans needed to hear a clear plan to extricate United States troops from the disaster that Mr. Bush created. What they got was more gauzy talk of victory in the war on terrorism and of creating a “young democracy” in Iraq. In other words, a way for this president to run out the clock and leave his mess for the next one.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002307.html
Hadley's Role
Bush's New Plan for Iraq Echoes Key Parts of Earlier Memo
By Glenn Kessler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A13
President Bush's new Iraq policy was said to be the product of weeks of meetings, discussions and analysis by the president and his national security advisers. Yet core elements of the plan were contained in a classified memo that national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley sent to members of Bush's Cabinet on Nov. 8 -- a month before the bipartisan Iraq Study Group issued its report.

Most news accounts about the Hadley memo, which was published by the New York Times in late November, focused on his critique of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But the 1,800-word document was composed mostly of recommendations for Bush on how to bolster Maliki and improve the security environment.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/POLITICS/701110418/1022
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Muslim congressman wants withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The first Muslim member of Congress says the solution to Iraq lies in an immediate withdrawal of military forces and focusing instead on political and diplomatic efforts.

"We could describe it as a redeployment or withdrawal, but I think we have run the course in terms of our ability to resolve this conflict militarily," said Rep. Keith Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat and Detroit native.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002694.html
A Diplomat Who Loves The Really Tough Jobs
In Harm's Way Is Where Ryan Crocker Thrives
By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page C01
On April 18, 1983, Ryan Crocker was in his office at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, with its spectacular view overlooking the Mediterranean. His wife, Christine, was working next door. At 1:05 p.m. a dark delivery van made a sharp left onto the guarded cobblestone lane and rammed into the front wall, detonating an explosive that ripped apart the seven-story high-rise. A huge brown cloud of smoke could be seen for miles.

It was the first suicide bombing by Islamic extremists against a U.S. target.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002687.html
The Economic Plan
Reconstruction Effort to Emphasize Iraqi Jobs
By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A13
While the core of President Bush's "new strategy" for Iraq calls for the military to think big, the economic component is centered on making smaller, more incremental progress.

In a speech last night, Bush said that "America will hold the Iraqi government to the benchmarks it has announced" and noted that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has pledged to devote $10 billion of his government's substantial unspent surplus to rebuilding and economic development. U.S. officials said the administration will seek an additional $1.2 billion on top of the $21 billion already sent to Iraq for reconstruction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002581.html
Military Analysis
Intensified Combat on Streets Likely
By Thomas E. Ricks and Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A01
President Bush's plan to send tens of thousands of U.S. and Iraqi reinforcements to Baghdad to jointly confront Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias is likely to touch off a more dangerous phase of the war, featuring months of fighting in the streets of the Iraqi capital, current and former military officials warned.

"The terrorists and insurgents in Iraq are without conscience, and they will make the year ahead bloody and violent," the president said last night in explaining his revised approach. "Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue -- and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011000873.html
The Day in Iraq
12 Die in Attack on Shiite Pilgrims in West
More Than 70 People Slain or Found Dead in Baghdad; Two Added to U.S. Toll
By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, January 11, 2007; Page A12
BAGHDAD, Jan. 10 -- Two busloads of Shiite Muslims returning from their holy pilgrimage to Mecca were gunned down Wednesday while passing through a predominantly Sunni Muslim swath of western Iraq, news services reported.

The attack on the convoy of pilgrims, who were returning to their homes in southern Iraq from the hajj in Saudi Arabia, killed 12 people and wounded 18, Iraqi state television said. Insurgents have frequently targeted travelers on the highways through the barren desert of western Iraq.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2007/01/the_president_giveth_and_he_ta.html
William M. Arkin on National and Homeland Security
War With Syria and Iran = Peace With Iraq?
Seek out and destroy.
If there's anything in the President Bush's remarks tonight that we didn't already know or didn't anticipate him saying militarily about Iraq, it is his evident willingness to go to war with Syria and Iran to seek peace.
Speaking about the two countries tonight, the president said that the United States wiill "seek out and destroy" those who are providing material support to our enemies.
It is only a threat. But it is a far cry from the diplomatic proposals floated just last month for making Syria and Iran part of the solution. Can the president really be saying that we are willing to risk war with the two countries, and even attack elements inside them, to achieve peace in Iraq?

Local/State

State facing another year of jobs pain
A leading Detroit-area economist told a Howell business group Tuesday that although Michigan is mired in a one-state recession, there are hopeful signs that the domestic auto industry's decline will plateau soon, which could mean a hopeful economic outlook by the end of the year.

Posh eatery off the table — Sluggish economy, startup costs doom venture in Brighton Above Main, an upscale restaurant touted as becoming Brighton's premier destination eatery, has been kicked to the curb and won't happen. The owners said the high startup costs — including water and sewer tap-in fees — for a restaurant played a significant role in stopping the project, and one person familiar with the project said the state's poor economy also was a factor.

Send your love overseas

- with video Mesage From The Homefront
Livingstondaily.com and the Daily Press & Argus are sponsoring a project called "Messages From the Homefront," in which Livingston County families and friends with loved ones serving overseas will be able to send a video greeting that can be viewed on the newspaper's Web site.

Heroes come in all sizes — Red Cross salutes lifesavers, good deeds
Chase-lyn LaBell would have burned to death at age 8, trapped in a flaming car, if Ray Roehlk hadn't set out to investigate when he heard a big bang.

Helping feed the county's needy
Donations to Gleaners Community Food Bank ran about $150,000 short of what is needed to feed the hungry in Livingston County last year. That didn't sit well with Jack Berry, and he decided to do something about it.

U-M halts fight against Prop 2
The University of Michigan will not consider race and gender when it resumes admitting students today and concedes that fighting Proposal 2 may be futile, according to a memo obtained by The Detroit News.

Levin: Don't block funds for troops
Bush to beef up military presence in Iraq starting at the end of month, official says. WASHINGTON -- As the Bush administration prepared for a surge of troops to Iraq that could begin by the end of the month, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin said Tuesday that Congress should not block funding for the new deployment, a position that could set him at odds with fellow Democrats seeking a way to block the president's plan.

Planned retirement community clears another hurdle
Developers of a retirement community in Hartland Township are hoping to break ground in April, after the Board of Trustees gave the planned development preliminary approval Tuesday. Technically, the developers, Waldenwoods Properties, still need final approval, but officials said that go-ahead is a lock, pending any concerns from other involved agencies, such as the county.

Livingston Briefs

Big 3 predict soft sales in '07
Economists note uncertain oil prices, falling home values in an increasingly competitive auto market. DETROIT -- The chief economists for Detroit's Big Three predicted flat to slightly lower U.S. auto sales in 2007 -- which could push car and truck sales to their lowest level in a decade.

OPINION
It's time to hold the line on taxes
We were amazed by the comments from Livingston County Commissioner Jack LaBelle and Finance Officer Belinda Peters in the Jan. 7 Daily Press & Argus (article, "Tax hike may creep up on homeowners").

Governments can take sting out of tax hikes
The housing market in Livingston County is, to put it mildly, in a slowdown.
Homes aren't moving very fast. Asking prices are falling. Most sources indicate the average price of a county home is falling.

Opinions Differ

What are we defending in Iraq?
Darrell Prescott (letter, "Soldiers serve to keep us free," Jan. 7) is correct when he says no one wants his or her loved ones to go to war. And most of us would not object to serving to defend our country and the Constitution.

STATE STORIES

http://www.mlive.com/news/statewide/index.ssf?/base/news-8/116838420226340.xml&coll=1
Michigan's economy backpedaling, study shows
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
By Sarah Kellogg
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Michigan's economic momentum is the worst among the 50 states, lagging the vitality of even other Rust Belt states and those in the Deep South, according to an analysis of state economic trends.

The latest report by Federal Funds Information for States, a research group financed by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures, shows that Michigan's economic momentum in the fourth quarter of 2006 was moving in reverse.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/OPINION02/701080309/-1/OPINION
Article published Monday, January 8, 2007
Granholm's challenge
MICHIGAN Gov. Jennifer Granholm took the oath of office on New Year's Day, fully aware she was facing a thicket of thorns, not a rose garden. "I am very clear about the mission you have laid upon my shoulders," she said, adding, "I intend to do everything in my power to transform this state and its troubled economy."

Nobody doubts her sincerity. The question, however, is whether she, or anyone, can do enough to prevent Michigan from economically ending up as the Mississippi of the Midwest.

http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17687320&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472539&rfi=6
Our View: Granholm, Legislature need to stem flow of residents leaving for better economic climates
01/09/2007
United Van Lines has provided the Mackinac Center for Public Policy of Midland an early look at 2006 data for client moves in the United States.
What did the data show? That Michigan saw a 2.1 percent increase in outbound moves over 2005 and is now tied with North Dakota as having the highest outbound move rate in the nation.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS06/701100371/1008/NEWS06
Tentative OK goes to mine
Operations in UP could start in '09
January 10, 2007
BY JOHN FLESHER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRAVERSE CITY -- Kennecott Minerals Co. moved a step closer to opening a nickel and copper mine in the Upper Peninsula backwoods when it won tentative approval Tuesday from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The Eagle Mine would operate six to eight years in the Yellow Dog Plains region of northern Marquette County, a remote area popular with hikers and snowmobilers and home to moose and bear. It would create about 120 full-time jobs, the company has said.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION01/701100342/1008
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Big Three must be in black to become green
Stanching red ink with hot cars will aid environmental push
The Detroit News
General Motors Corp. generated a lot of buzz this week with the introduction of the Volt concept car, a plug-in that if driven properly may never need gasoline.

We can't wait for the day that this becomes a mass production reality, but don't bet on it anytime soon. The Volt is one of dozens of prototypes and concept cars that have been introduced in recent years at the North American International Auto Show to rave reviews and promises. It is the refined incarnation of decades of research and development of green technologies that GM has produced over the years, and it won't be the last.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/COL06/701100418/1081/COL
TOM WALSH: GM's message to the world: Don't count us out
January 10, 2007
General Motors Corp. set out this week to show not only that it has survived a scary financial crisis, but also to prove that GM is -- and intends to remain -- a world leader in automotive technology, design, fuel economy and market muscle.
Not an easy task in a year when Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to surpass the much-maligned GM as the top seller of cars and trucks worldwide.

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/1168356016218980.xml&coll=5
GM chief 'positive' about Flint
DETROIT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
By Matt Bach
mbach@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6330
DETROIT - In the downsizing of General Motors in the past 20 years, Flint has taken the brunt of it, Rick Wagoner, GM's chairman and chief executive officer, acknowledged Monday.
But Wagoner said GM needs Flint's continued support of the remaining plants here for the automaker to succeed in the future.
Wagoner, who spoke briefly to The Flint Journal during previews for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, answered questions about GM's Flint Truck Assembly Plant and the role the Flint area will play in the future of the world's No. 1 automaker.

http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1168354317154390.xml&coll=5
GM charging
Electric vehicle concept bigger than car, truck honors
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Technological advances happen regularly in the auto industry, but rarely are there breakthroughs that change the basic product. And companies that pull them off can be transformed just as dramatically, which likely would be the case for General Motors if it can get its exciting electric concept car quickly into production.

The Chevrolet VOLT has created a most-welcome buzz at the North American International Auto Show, providing an enormously positive story line for GM - and Detroit in general - to counter the ever-present chatter about U.S. manufacturers' competitive struggles.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION01/701100345/1008
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Teaming up may aid Ford, Toyota
Matthew E. May
Ford Motor Co. and Toyota are competing against each other on the floor of the Detroit auto show and in markets across the world, but they are exploring cooperation away from the sales rooms.

Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally's trek to Japan to see Toyota's Chairman Fujio Cho has sparked speculation, ranging from simple diplomacy to talk of a complex merger. But if DaimlerChrysler and the failed General Motors-Nissan talks are any indication, big name match-making hasn't exactly blown the doors down in the automotive industry.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/AUTO02/701100357/1322/AUTO04
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Daniel Howes: Ford shoves Aston in corner
DETROIT -- The only thing missing at the Aston Martin stand is the Century21 "For Sale" sign.
Nestled deep in the corner of parent Ford Motor Co.'s massive stand at the North American International Auto Show, behind Volvo, which is behind Mazda, which is behind the Blue Oval, stands a stark, grey, lunar plot with two Vantage V-8 Roadsters. One is "fire red" and the other is "silver ice."

They're gorgeous. They're sexy. They're the British answer to a Porsche 911, and they probably go like stink because that's what Astons do.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070108/UPDATE/701080421
Monday, January 08, 2007
Stabenow: Dems will host manufacturing jobs summit
Deb Price / The Detroit News
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats will host a manufacturing summit in Washington this spring, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, said today, as part of a Democratic push to create a "level playing field" for American companies competing globally.

"We don't stand up for our own businesses," Stabenow said of what she characterized as weak enforcement by the Bush White House of trade laws.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION03/701100369/1386
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Scott Burgess: Going to the show? Don't miss these standout cars
DETROIT-- When the doors of Cobo Center open to the public for the North American International Auto Show on Saturday, you won't want to miss it.

Technological wonders, high-priced exotics and flight of fancy concepts abound, but the best surprise at the show may be the cars you or I might actually buy -- those practical cars, daily drivers we use to commute to work, jump in for a long weekend in Traverse City or shuttle kids from school to practice to home.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS04/701090330/1005/news
Published January 9, 2007
[ From Lansing State Journal ]
Lawmakers gear up to return to Capitol
Legislative action on floor not expected until later this month
By Tim Martin
Associated Press
State lawmakers kick off their new legislative session Wednesday with swearing-in ceremonies at the state Capitol.
Democrats are in charge in the state House for the first time since the 1997-98 session. They'll have a 58-52 advantage over Republicans, giving Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm a legislative ally for her second term. The GOP still controls the state Senate, with a 21-17 edge.

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS01/101090040/-1/NEWs
Richardville to take leadership role in Senate
By: Adam Bennett story updated January 09. 2007 11:27AM
He may be a freshman in the state Senate, but Randy Richardville won't be another beginner in the crowd.

The Monroe Republican will assume the post of president pro tempore when the Senators are sworn in Wednesday in Lansing. He would preside over the assembly when the Senate leader - the lieutenant governor - is absent.

The position essentially puts him third in line of the Republican caucus in the Senate and allows him a leadership role like he held when he served in the state House.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION01/701100347/1008
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Sales tax proposal is just tax increase
The Detroit News
Extending Michigan's sales tax to services is simply another way to impose a tax increase. That's the last thing Michigan needs as it competes for jobs and residents.

The Republican head of the state Senate Appropriations Committee, Ron Jelinek of Three Oaks, told The Detroit News that "those who understand the revenue situation we're in are showing some interest in this." And State Treasurer Bob Kleine has said a sales tax on services would make the state tax system more responsive to economic growth.

http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/010907/loc_2007010930.shtml
Veto would leave county with $9M budget hole
Web-posted Jan 9, 2007
Granholm has until Wednesday to decide fate of health-care legislation
By CHARLES CRUMM
Of The Oakland Press
Oakland County built its budget around legislation that would allow it to bond for its health care costs. Passed by the lame-duck Legislature in December, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has until Wednesday to decide whether to sign or veto that legislation. A veto leaves Oakland with a $9 million budget hole to fill.
Granholm's pattern of vetoes in the legislation that was sent to her in December suggests she will veto legislation that affects the state's bottom line heading into Jan. 18 revenue estimating conferences.

http://www.mlive.com/business/grpress/index.ssf?/base/business-4/1168357588276610.xml&coll=6
Governor vetoes hotel tax
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
By Chris Knape
The Grand Rapids Press
LANSING -- Under pressure from mid-Michigan politicians and media, Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed a proposed increase in Kent County's hotel tax Friday.
The veto of the bill, which had been passed in the state Legislature's lame duck session, scuttles a plan to increase the room taxes in Kent County for marketing the region to tourists, small business groups and sports-related events.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION01/701100344/1008
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Detroit must cut schools for the sake of children
William F. Coleman III
No one approaches the closure of a school lightly. Like the church, it is the anchor of most neighborhoods, a mainstay that gives a community its identity. That's why we presented our proposal to close 52 schools late last week with considerable trepidation.
But the survival of our beloved public school system demands that we change the way we've been doing business.

Since 1996, Detroit's public system has lost more than 60,000 students -- or more than a third of its enrollment. This loss is largely attributable to declining birth rates in Detroit, the city's plummeting population and the consistent poaching of our students by charter schools and neighboring public school systems.

http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168357433254230.xml&coll=2
Guidelines on school discipline are solid Districts should follow new standards
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
School must be a safe place for students and faculty. The State Board of Education has adopted sensible standards for the emergency use of seclusion and restraint of students. These clear guidelines about what should and shouldn't be done should protect children from practices that could harm them. Training will be crucial to ensure appropriate response to dangerous behavior that poses a threat to the student or others. School districts would be wise to follow the recommendations.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168379103153080.xml&coll=8
Court was right to end delays on Proposal 2 effect
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
As much as we disagree with the motives and intent behind November's anti-affirmative action Proposal 2 ballot issue, the people have spoken in a loud voice. That voice, heard at the ballot boxes during the last election, must be respected. Hence, we reluctantly agree with a recent federal appeals court decision denying requests to delay compliance with the measure by state universities.

Proposal 2, we believe, was foisted upon the public under false pretenses and phony assurances. Its very name, "The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative," revealed the deception inherent in its premise.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS06/701100301/1008/NEWS06
Prop 2 delay for 3 universities goes to Supreme Court
January 10, 2007
BY KRISTEN JORDAN SHAMUS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER
A pro-affirmative action group asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday for an emergency injunction that would allow three state universities six more months to comply with the state's new ban on affirmative action.
By Any Means Necessary asked the court to give the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University until July to comply with Proposal 2, which, among other things, bans the use of race or gender in public university admissions.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/COL04/701100326/1007/NEWS05
BRIAN DICKERSON: Weaver renews attack on her GOP colleagues
January 10, 2007
If you ran into Betty Weaver on a street corner and didn't know she was a Michigan Supreme Court justice, you might mistake her for a bag lady.
Dowdy and unbrushed, with a conversational style that might charitably be described as rambling, Weaver can, in her most distracted moments, leave casual observers with the impression that she has temporarily lost her moorings in time and space.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS06/701100320/1008/NEWS06
Chief justice fires back at accuser
'Strange rantings' untrue, improper
January 10, 2007
BY DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Clifford Taylor said Tuesday that he's offended and dismayed by Justice Elizabeth Weaver's extraordinary accusations that he and three other justices are guilty of improper conduct and abuse of power.
But, in a lengthy interview with Free Press reporters and editors, Taylor said he's at a loss to figure out what to do about it.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/116835989259730.xml&coll=7
Taking politics out of stem-cell research
Sunday, January 9, 2007
Is it possible that medical researchers have found a way to generate productive stem cell lines without destroying embryos?
If so, stem cell research, hampered by restrictions or outright bans on the embryonic variety, may finally be able to take off, absent a debate over whether human life is being sacrificed for scientific research.

Researchers at Harvard University and Wake Forest University announced this week that stem cells discovered in amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women may eventually offer the same research and therapeutic potential as stem cells taken from embryos.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/OPINION01/701100338/1069
IN OUR OPINION: Aim to break the cycle of crime
January 10, 2007
Law enforcement officials often talk about wanting to do more to prevent crime, not just lock people up. The crises of the moment generally make that difficult. It takes vision and courage for strapped police departments to step back and figure out how to partner with other agencies to create safer communities.

A case in point that's getting deserved national attention is the Fresh Start program started by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office 2 1/2 years ago. Instead of simply arresting and re-arresting prostitutes, Fresh Start offers a positive alternative. The 15- to 24-month program helps them beat the poverty and addictions that drove them into the streets through counseling, education, job training and drug testing.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS01/701100408/1003
Kilpatrick's charity fund examined in federal probe
Contract followed $50,000 donation
January 10, 2007
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW and MARISOL BELLO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Federal authorities examined Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's charitable fund as part of their tax-evasion case against the president of a Highland Park homeless shelter who has been one of Kilpatrick's major financial backers.

In November 2003, the Internal Revenue Service assigned an agent to examine the Kilpatrick Civic Fund as it investigated whether the leaders of Metro Emergency Services, Jon Rutherford and Judith Bugaiski, evaded taxes, according to notes the federal government gave the pair's attorneys.

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-40/1168373371269270.xml&storylist=mibusiness
Law allows insurance discount for senior drivers
1/9/2007, 3:00 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation that would allow, but not require, insurers to give discounts to Michigan drivers age 50 and older who take a safety course.
The law signed last week is seen by the AARP as a starting point to encourage Michigan insurers to offer senior discounts and to get more seniors taking safety classes. Nearly 53,000 people in Minnesota completed the AARP class in 2005, while Michigan had just 2,800 graduates.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS05/701100417/1007/NEWS05
Muslims seek peace
Sunnis, Shi'ites to meet after Detroit spots vandalized
January 10, 2007
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Concerned about the possible spread of sectarian violence in metro Detroit, Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims are set to meet today in a Dearborn Heights mosque to hash out any tensions between the diverse Middle Eastern and Muslim communities.
As Iraqi-American Shi'ites seethed over the trashing of several of their businesses and mosques in Detroit over the weekend, leaders in the Shi'ite and Sunni sects of Islam worked Tuesday to try to defuse animosity between the two sides that has existed for years but was amplified with the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in December.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/POLITICS/701100362/1022
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Levin: Don't block funds for troops
Bush to beef up military presence in Iraq starting at the end of month, official says.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- As the Bush administration prepared for a surge of troops to Iraq that could begin by the end of the month, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin said Tuesday that Congress should not block funding for the new deployment, a position that could set him at odds with fellow Democrats seeking a way to block the president's plan.

Bush is expected to announce a plan to send roughly 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq in a nationally televised speech tonight. Tuesday, a Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the first troops could arrive in Iraq by the end of this month.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS06/701100309/1008/NEWS06
THE U.S. PRESENCE IN IRAQ: Families split on surge
Michiganders call it needed, risky
January 10, 2007
BY JOHN MASSON
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
With the president poised to announce plans to send as many as 20,000 new troops to Iraq during a prime-time speech to the nation tonight, military families -- including some who have lost relatives in combat -- seem as divided as Congress, the political parties and the rest of the country over how to quell the violence there.

"Just plain do it," said Joyce Fabian of Warren, whose son Norman is an Army lieutenant colonel helping train soldiers in the Kurdish area of Iraq. "Send however many they need to get the job done, and don't do it piecemeal. ... If it takes 20,000 more, by all means. But if it takes 30,000 or 40,000, send what it takes."

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/116835988359730.xml&coll=7
A remarkable storyabout Gerald Ford
Sunday, January 9, 2007
Any journalist would have felt privileged to have had exclusive interviews with an American president who offered candid views about White House occupants who were his predecessors and successors.
Mike Lloyd, veteran editor of the Grand Rapids Press, a sister newspaper of the Kalamazoo Gazette, is among these fortunate few in our business.
Lloyd's story, based on interviews over the decades with the late Gerald R. Ford, was published Sunday. It is fascinating and informative reading.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/K/KENNEDY_HEALTH?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 2:37 AM EST
Kennedy seeking universal health coverage
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal government should join his home state of Massachusetts in enacting universal health coverage, says Sen. Edward Kennedy, the new chairman of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over numerous health issues.

Massachusetts is the first state to require everyone to have health insurance, just as drivers must have automobile coverage.

Kennedy has his own version of what universal health coverage would look like. He wants to extend Medicare to all. But, in prepared remarks for a hearing scheduled Wednesday, he signaled an intent to consider programs being tried in the states.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901630.html
Schwarzenegger Agenda Could Flex California's Muscle
Governor Aims to 'Blaze the Way'
By Sonya Geis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A03
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 9 -- A lesson from California: Never underestimate the ambition of a former Mr. Universe. Over the past week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has unleashed a torrent of proposals to shake up everything in his state from health care to road-building to politics itself, all in an effort to reshape his party and set a national agenda.

The most recent offering, in Schwarzenegger's State of the State address Tuesday, is a plan to cut vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases by 10 percent. He will require petroleum refineries to reduce the carbon content of their fuel over the next 13 years -- a signal to any doubters that his recent aggressive positioning as an environmentalist is not mere political theater.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10wed1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Moving Ahead on Stem Cells
Published: January 10, 2007
House Democrats are poised to push through a bill this week that would loosen President Bush’s restrictions on federal support of embryonic stem cell research. The bill will be opposed by legislators beholden to religious conservatives. Many are likely to cite a new study suggesting that broadly useful stem cells can be derived from amniotic fluid without destroying embryos to get them.

The new study, while certainly intriguing, in no way lessens the need to widen the array of embryonic stem cells available for research and ultimately therapy. The Democrats’ proposal is extremely modest — about the least that could be done to accelerate progress in this promising field. It deserves support from veto-proof majorities in both houses.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MINIMUM_WAGE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 3:23 AM EST
House Democrats to tackle minimum wage
By JEANNINE AVERSA
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After not budging for 10 years, the federal minimum wage could be going up, increasing paychecks for hundreds of thousands of janitors, fast food clerks and other workers at the bottom of the wage scale.

As their second bill since taking control of Congress, House Democrats moved toward passing legislation Wednesday that would boost the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over 26 months. It's one of their top priorities.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901812.html
Life at $7.25 an Hour
As House Prepares to Vote on Minimum-Wage Increase, Issue Is Complex for Those Who Earn, or Pay, That Amount
By David Finkel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A01
ATCHISON, Kan. -- It was payday. Money, at last. Twenty-two-year-old Robert Iles wanted to celebrate. "Tonight, chimichangas!" he announced.
He was on his way out of the store where his full-time job pays him $7.25 an hour -- the rate that is likely to become the nation's new minimum wage. Life at $7.25: This is the life of Robert Iles, and with $70 in a wallet that had been empty that morning, he headed to a grocery store where for $4.98 he bought not only 10 chimichangas but two burritos as well.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901718.html
Ex-Interior Deputy a Target in Abramoff Probe
By Susan Schmidt
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A03
Federal prosecutors have notified a former deputy secretary of the interior, J. Steven Griles, that he is a target in the public corruption investigation of Jack Abramoff's lobbying activities, sources knowledgeable about the probe said.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that among the possible criminal charges being investigated is whether Griles made false statements to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in 2005 about job discussions Abramoff initiated while Griles was deputy secretary. Griles's attorneys did not return calls seeking comment yesterday.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SENATE_ETHICS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 1:49 AM EST
Senate moving on ethics bill
By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senators moved Tuesday to put more muscle into legislation to sanitize their tarnished image with proposals requiring lawmakers to pay charter rates for corporate jet rides and shell out the full cost for Skybox tickets to sporting events.

Members of Congress need to "demonstrate once and for all that we care more about representing the American people than the perks of power," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said.

http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/116836683114350.xml&coll=9
A first stepon ethics
Sunday, January 9, 2007
The first order of business for the 110th Congress: A much-needed House-cleaning.
The Senate should follow right away.

Hours after beginning the 2007 session Thursday, the House approved a package of rules changes designed to limit the institutional incest between lawmakers and lobbyists.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10wed3.html
Well-Grounded Ethics Reform
Published: January 10, 2007
The Senate’s new majority leader, Harry Reid, like most of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, is an admitted frequent flier on posh lobbyist-provided corporate jets. So we were very pleased yesterday when he proposed legislation that would require senators to pay the full charter-flight fare if they wanted to ride in the style of a C.E.O.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the issue further with a full House ban on private jet perks, enacted through a rules change, not legislation. But Senator Reid’s initiative could be just as effective, provided no loopholes creep in as the Senate takes up wide-ranging proposals for ethics reform.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901647.html
Bush Lifts Oil-Drill Ban in Alaska's Bristol Bay
Royalties to Rise for Some Offshore Wells in Advance of Democrats' Plans to Roll Back Tax Breaks
By Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page D01
The Bush administration yesterday moved to boost U.S. oil and gas supplies by lifting a long-standing moratorium on drilling in Alaska's Bristol Bay, as OPEC accelerated plans to reduce supplies in order to prop up sagging crude prices.

Days before the House is expected to roll back oil industry tax breaks, the Bush administration also decided to boost royalty rates by a third for ultra-deep-water oil and gas drilling. The action eliminates extra incentives that had been given to offset some of the high costs of operating in those offshore areas. The Interior Department said the change would generate an additional $4.5 billion over 20 years.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WARMEST_YEAR?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 9, 11:33 PM EST
Warm December pushes 2006 to record year
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Last year was the warmest on record for the United States, with readings pushed over higher than normal by the unusual and unseasonably warm weather during the last half of December.
Preliminary data from the National Climatic Data Center listed the average temperature for the 48 contiguous states last year as 55 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 2.2 degrees warmer than average and 0.07 degree warmer than 1998, the previous warmest year on record.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901949.html
Climate Experts Worry as 2006 Is Hottest Year on Record in U.S.
By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A01
Last year was the warmest in the continental United States in the past 112 years -- capping a nine-year warming streak "unprecedented in the historical record" that was driven in part by the burning of fossil fuels, the government reported yesterday.

According to the government's National Climatic Data Center, the record-breaking warmth -- which caused daffodils and cherry trees to bloom throughout the East on New Year's Day -- was the result of both unusual regional weather patterns and the long-term effects of the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DATA_MINING?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 2:48 AM EST
Advocate criticizes govt data mining
By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government's ability to use computers to gather personal information about citizens and act on it has far outstripped the federal laws designed to protect them from secret federal dossiers, a privacy advocate says.

Leslie Harris, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, wants the Senate Judiciary Committee to update the Privacy Act and other laws to keep pace with the digital age.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/POLITICS/701100382/1022
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
House gives OK to anti-terror measure
First legislation to clear under new Dem control includes vows to inspect all incoming cargo.
David Espo / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House on Tuesday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign promises made by Democrats last fall.
Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901064.html
House Passes Bill to Implement More of 9/11 Panel's Suggestions
Lieberman to Draft a Measure for Senate Consideration
By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A03
In a lopsided vote that masked underlying divisions, House Democrats approved legislation yesterday to implement many of the remaining recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission even as portions of the sprawling package faced immediate problems in the Senate.

Voting 299 to 128, congressional Democrats, backed by scores of Republicans, delivered on a key part of their "100 hours" agenda. The nearly 300-page anti-terrorism measure sets new mandates to scrutinize air- and ship-borne cargo, send more federal aid to areas at the greatest risk of terrorism, improve emergency communications, fight nuclear proliferation overseas, and strengthen a civil liberties watchdog board.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_TERROR?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 5:07 AM EST
9/11 bill may face scrutiny in Senate
By BEVERLEY LUMPKIN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- An anti-terrorism measure that easily passed the House faces tougher scrutiny from senators skeptical of its call for tougher screening for cargo aboard ships, a new way to divide federal security aid among states and other provisions.

Raising further questions about the bill's future, the Bush administration said it opposed the measure's collective bargaining rights for airport screeners, inspections of cargo on passenger airliners and the cargo-scanning requirement for ships bound for U.S. ports. A White House statement, however, did not threaten a veto.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901929.html
Document-Theft Probe Is Criticized
Justice Dept., Archives Cited in Report
By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A04
The Justice Department and the National Archives improperly assured the Sept. 11 commission that its members had access to all relevant materials about the Clinton administration's terrorism policies, without knowing if original, uncopied documents had been removed from the archives by former national security adviser Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger, a Republican congressional report said yesterday.

The report, issued by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), accused both agencies of inadequately investigating the theft Berger admitted had occurred on two occasions in 2003. It quoted two Archives officials as saying that they had no way of knowing whether Berger took other documents from the files during two earlier visits.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901333.html
Lessons for One Last Try
By David Ignatius
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A13
What makes sense in Iraq? The political debate is becoming sharply polarized again, as President Bush campaigns for a new "surge" strategy. But some useful military guideposts can be found in a new field manual of counterinsurgency warfare prepared by the general who is about to take command of U.S. forces in Baghdad.

Lt. Gen. David Petraeus supervised the development of the manual when he ran the Army's training center at Fort Leavenworth, before he had any idea he would be heading back to Baghdad as the top commander. In that sense, the document reflects a senior officer's best judgment about what will work and what won't -- independent of the details of the current "to surge or not to surge" debate. The manual was published by the Army last month and can be downloaded at http://www.leavenworth.army.mil.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901555.html
Bush Warns Democrats About Effects of Troop Pullout From Iraq
By Glenn Kessler and Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A10
President Bush gravely warned House Democrats yesterday that America's credibility would be shattered if the United States pulled its troops from Iraq, forcing close ally Saudi Arabia to look elsewhere for protection and potentially destabilizing Egypt, the region's most populous country, according to participants in the meeting.

But Democrats in both the House and the Senate signaled that they will actively oppose his plan to send several additional U.S. combat brigades to Iraq, the first of which -- made up of about 3,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division -- could move relatively quickly into position from its current assignment in Kuwait. Bush's decision, which he will announce in a speech tonight, is rapidly becoming the first test of wills between the Republican president and the new Democratic-controlled Congress.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901610.html
surge (surj) n. 1. a sudden increase . . . in political parlance
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page C01
It's one of those words -- like "chad" or "blog" or "waterboarding" -- that's suddenly become the go-to phrase to describe a contemporary phenomenon.

"Surge," the country's latest catchword, is what President Bush intends to propose tonight in a prime-time speech -- a "surge" of troops, perhaps 20,000, to bolster the American military presence in Iraq.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901872.html
With Iraq Speech, Bush to Pull Away From His Generals
By Michael Abramowitz, Robin Wright and Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A01
When President Bush goes before the American people tonight to outline his new strategy for Iraq, he will be doing something he has avoided since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003: ordering his top military brass to take action they initially resisted and advised against.

Bush talks frequently of his disdain for micromanaging the war effort and for second-guessing his commanders. "It's important to trust the judgment of the military when they're making military plans," he told The Washington Post in an interview last month. "I'm a strict adherer to the command structure."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901481.html
For GOP Senators, Bush's Next Step in Iraq Means a Delicate Dance
By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A02
Senate Republicans, dreading President Bush's prime-time address tonight calling for more U.S. troops in Iraq, emerged from their weekly party luncheon yesterday displaying more dance steps than the Joffrey Ballet.
"We should listen to what the president has to say," proposed Sen. John Warner (R-Va).

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 5:07 AM EST
Democrats vow to resist troop escalation
By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Preparing to present a weary nation with his highly anticipated new war plan, President Bush faced Democrats determined to confront him over sending thousands more Americans to Iraq. Fresh troops are to be in place within three weeks.

For a little over 20 minutes Wednesday night, Bush is to explain why a gradual buildup of about 20,000 additional U.S. troops, along with other steps expected to include pumping $1 billion into Iraq's economy, is the answer for a war that has only gotten deadlier with no end in sight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/washington/10capitol.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast&oref=slogin
Democrats Plan Symbolic Votes Against Bush’s Iraq Troop Plan
By JEFF ZELENY and CARL HULSE
Published: January 10, 2007
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 — Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they intended to hold symbolic votes in the House and Senate on President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Baghdad, forcing Republicans to take a stand on the proposal and seeking to isolate the president politically over his handling of the war.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AP_INTERVIEW_ELLISON?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 10, 2:29 AM EST
Congressman wants U.S. forces out of Iraq
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The first Muslim member of Congress says the solution to Iraq lies in an immediate withdrawal of military forces and focusing instead on political and diplomatic efforts.

"We could describe it as a redeployment or withdrawal, but I think we have run the course in terms of our ability to resolve this conflict militarily," said Rep. Keith Ellison, a freshman Minnesota Democrat.

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/011007/iraq.html
Bush’s military nominations likely to get Dems’ OK despite Iraq concerns
By Roxana Tiron
Despite stepping up opposition to President Bush’s yet-to-be-announced troop-surge plan, the Democratic-led Senate is likely to swiftly confirm military officers selected by the administration to carry out its new plan for Iraq.
But several congressional leaders, both Democrat and Republican, are indicating that nominees will face tough questions on strategy and policy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/07/AR2007010700221.html
U.S. Airstrikes Back Troops in Baghdad Clash
Insurgents Wage Fierce Battle In Mostly Sunni Arab Enclave
By Sudarsan Raghavan and Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A01
BAGHDAD, Jan. 9 -- With F-15 fighter jets and Apache helicopter gunships providing cover, U.S. and Iraqi troops on Tuesday battled hundreds of Sunni Arab insurgents firing from apartment buildings and houses in downtown Baghdad in one of the fiercest clashes in the capital in recent memory.

"It was the most intense combat I have ever seen," said Maj. Jesse Pearson, operations officer for the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Stryker Brigade, on his third tour in Iraq. "We were in a fight for 11 straight hours."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900475.html
U.S. Is Not Saying Who, or What, Was Hit in Somalia Raid
Accounts Differ in Mogadishu and D.C.
By Karen DeYoung and Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, January 10, 2007; Page A07
Two days after the United States launched an airstrike against alleged al-Qaeda terrorists in southern Somalia, U.S. officials declined yesterday to provide details of who, or what, was hit.

In Mogadishu, the Somali capital, reports circulated that as many as 50 people, many of them civilians, were killed in the attack by a U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship. U.S. officials said they are fairly certain that at least one targeted individual was hit; they said they had no information about civilian deaths in the strike along the Kenyan border.

http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168357338254230.xml&coll=2
Somalia's opportunity - and Bush's
African force needs backing to hold off fundamentalists
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
An unexpected turn of events in Somalia has given the Bush administration a rare opportunity to help stabilize a failed state that has been a harbor and breeding ground for al-Qaida. In less than two weeks of fighting, troops from neighboring Ethiopia appear to have decimated the Islamic Courts movement, which had controlled most of the southern half of Somalia during the past six months. Foreign jihadists, including some al-Qaida members, have fled the capital, while many of their Somali allies have melted back into the population. A U.N.-sanctioned transitional government has taken up residence in Mogadishu, marking the first time the country has had a recognized and unchallenged government since 1991.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/10/opinion/10wed2.html
Venezuela Inc.’s Hostile Takeover
Published: January 10, 2007
President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela — the very portrait of a modern Latin American strongman — is not content to exercise near-total political and military control of his country. Now he is tightening his grip on the Venezuelan economy. That’s bad news for foreign investors, but even more so for the Venezuelan people who will have to pay the price for an economy plagued by increasing inefficiency and corruption.

Mr. Chávez announced this week that he would nationalize electricity and telecommunications companies. Venezuela’s biggest telecommunications company is partly owned by Verizon Communications. Its largest publicly traded electricity company is controlled by another American company, the AES Corporation. Mr. Chávez also declared his intention to take control of four multibillion- dollar oil projects with significant investments from foreign companies.

Local/State

Bond refinancing to save taxpayers $2 million
School district plans to reissue $75M in building, site bonds; residents may see savings on property tax. HOWELL -- School officials expect to save taxpayers more than $2 million by reissuing bonds at a lower interest rate. HOWELL -- School officials expect to save taxpayers more than $2 million by reissuing bonds at a lower interest rate. HOWELL -- School officials expect to save taxpayers more than $2 million by reissuing bonds at a lower interest rate.

Latest Auto Show

Board Quiet on Bible Class
HOWELL -- A Howell school board member tried to advance a proposal Monday night to offer a Bible class as an elective at Howell High School, but failed to get any support.

School won't have Bible as literature class
The Howell Public Schools Board of Education opted against approving an elective class on the Bible as literature on Monday, but the debate at the board meeting would make a good lesson plan on comparative views of religion and education.

'Pink hotel' might be on its way out
A downtown Brighton building that has stood since the railroad came to town in the 1870s could be demolished to make way for a larger building that would feature retailers, offices and condos.

Michigan may tax services
Lawmakers are receptive to extending sales tax to cover things like haircuts in face of $500M deficit. LANSING -- A new sales tax on services ranging from haircuts and golf fees to car repairs and legal advice is drawing second looks in the state capital, as another budget deficit looms.

Livingston Briefs

Residents fear cuts will leave them in the dust
Memorial Day won’t be the springtime celebration it once was for Hamburg Township resident Ken Hoehn.
Hoehn, a Richardson Road resident, said it’s often too dusty along his road in late May for him to take his car out without getting it covered in dust.

Study: Michigan, North Dakota tie for most outbound migration
ST. LOUIS -- Americans continue to move to the West and Southeast and away from parts of the Northeast and Midwest, according to an analysis of migration trends by the nation's largest mover.

OPINION
Great support for our troops in Iraq
The 144th Military Police Company would like to extend a special thank-you to all of the businesses and people of Howell who helped raise funds and donate goods for our care-package mission.

Controversy goes back to the flag
This is in response to Katie Morell's letter in the Jan. 3 Daily Press & Argus, "We need to learn lessons of diversity."

Give thanks for board members
January is School Board Appreciation Month, and I hope the community will take the time to thank its school board members. They have very time-consuming, important positions that help our school systems run smoothly.

STATE STORIES

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS06/701090372/1008/NEWS06
Michigan tops list of states that people are leaving
January 9, 2007
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
More people left Michigan last year than moved in, continuing a trend that has lasted almost 30 years, according to a survey from a leading moving company released Monday.

Of the 10,325 interstate shipments handled by United Van Lines in Michigan during the year, 66% were for moving people out of the state, putting Michigan in a tie with North Dakota for the largest percentage of outbound moves for the year.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/METRO/701090331/1022/POLITICS
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Michigan may tax services
Lawmakers are receptive to extending sales tax to cover things like haircuts in face of $500M deficit.
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- A new sales tax on services ranging from haircuts and golf fees to car repairs and legal advice is drawing second looks in the state capital, as another budget deficit looms.
A growing number of Democrats, Republicans and public policy experts are saying Michigan needs to at least look at broadening the sales tax and lowering the current 6-cents-on-the-dollar rate by a penny or more on other purchases, as a partial give-back.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1168273446247100.xml&coll=7
Communities assemble acreage to lure employers
Saturday, January 8, 2007
By Chris Killian
Special to the Gazette
Officials from the cities and townships of Hartford and Watervliet, working with economic-development firm Southwest Michigan First, are aggressively moving forward to prepare a 2,100-acre strip of land along Interstate 94 for large-scale industrial facilities -- perhaps even an automobile plant.

Grant proposals have been sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Michigan Economic Development Corp., each seeking $50,000 to finance a feasibility study to determine what types of infrastructure needs exist -- and how they should be addressed -- in order to woo companies to the site.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/1168273613247100.xml&coll=7
Decision delayed, but the work continues
Saturday, January 8, 2007
For a year, rumors have been running rampant that Toyota Motor Co. was about to build a new engine plant somewhere in southwestern Michigan.

It started with a story in The Detroit News in December 2005 and heated up with a subsequent story in The Wall Street Journal identifying the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek area as a likely location.

Since then, this area has had Toyota fever, and some thought a plant here was almost a done deal.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/COL14/701090389/1081/COL
MARK PHELAN: This year’s event has it all
January 9, 2007
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
The 2007 North American International Auto Show is shaping up to be the most diverse event the auto industry has ever seen.

For every big engine, there's an eco-friendly alternate-fuel vehicle. For every mega-dollar luxury car, there's an affordable model. And for every brand that's reinforcing its position, there's one striking out in a new direction.

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/116817240287000.xml&coll=5
Detroit shocker: GM unveils plug-in hybrid - and plans to build it
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Sunday, January 07, 2007
By Todd Seibt
tseibt@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6315
DETROIT - General Motors unveils a shocking concept car today: the Chevrolet VOLT.
The VOLT moves GM toward a car driven solely by electrical components - yes, an electric car.
But it's one that plugs in to a normal outlet to recharge and has a small engine on board.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1168264511234040.xml&coll=6
West Michigan auto parts fill new, future cars
Monday, January 08, 2007
By Julia Bauer
The Grand Rapids Press
DETROIT -- When drivers of the new Chrysler 300C back up, they will be looking into much more than a simple rearview mirror.
And some day, a family in a crossover vehicle could admire Michigan skies through a headliner-skylight created in Holland.
The same family might scroll through the kids' latest music collection with circuitry developed locally by Johnson Controls Inc.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/OPINION03/701090364/1322/AUTO04
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Daniel Howes: 2007 North American International Auto Show
China IS COMING and why Detroit should be worried
DETROIT -- If turnabout is fair play, the Motor City players pouring billions into the booming Chinese market should get set for metal from the Middle Kingdom.
In an auto show press event more akin to diplomatic ceremony than industry unveiling, more a geopolitical statement than one of business strategy, China's Changfeng Group took the wraps off a few not-so-special SUVs Monday and issued a clear statement -- it wants to enter the U.S. market, preferably with an American partner.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/COL06/701090401/1081/COL
TOM WALSH: Battered leader faces the storm
LaSorda calls on dealerships
January 9, 2007
You don't lay an egg as big as the one Tom LaSorda laid three months ago -- a $1.5-billion third-quarter loss for the Chrysler Group he leads -- and not know that your job is on the line.
"I'm a big boy. We're in the big leagues. I'm expected to deliver," LaSorda, 52, said Monday in an interview with the Free Press about his plan to put Chrysler back on track after a disastrous inventory buildup when SUV and truck sales hit the skids last year.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/OPINION01/701090303/1008
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Don't force radical shift on crash tests
The Detroit auto show is always a time to talk about vehicle safety and examine the improvements in cars and trucks. And no one does that better than the manufacturers. Of course, that doesn't stop many from chiming in with non-productive ideas, including federal administrators.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters did just that on Monday when she toured the North American International Auto Show here in Detroit. She said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would begin changing its New Car Assessment Program, which is the government's "star system" for rating vehicle safety.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1168271315155100.xml&coll=6
Terri Lynn Land: the road ahead
Monday, January 08, 2007
Not everybody will meet the governor, write a legislator or seek help from the attorney general. But nearly every Michigan citizen will at some point come to know the secretary of state -- or her representatives.
That makes it imperative that the office respond to citizen needs. Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's first term has largely followed that road. She has increased on-line transactions, doubled the number of registered organ donors, expanded branch office hours and beefed up services.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/1168264502234040.xml&coll=6
Governor held up as modern biblical heroine
Monday, January 08, 2007
By Charles Honey
Press Religion Editor
GRAND RAPIDS -- In a rousing three-hour gospel service, 1,400 worshippers praised Gov. Jennifer Granholm as a leader anointed by God to lead the state into a new era of justice and prosperity.
At an inaugural prayer service, preachers compared her to the biblical heroine Esther, a Persian queen who saved her fellow Jews from slaughter.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS06/701090396/1008
Stem-cell advance welcomed in state
New finding may bypass the deadlock over using embryos
January 9, 2007
BY DAWSON BELL and PATRICIA ANSTETT
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
All sides in the ethical and political debate over stem-cell medical science hailed as promising newly reported research on the potential of stem cells derived from amniotic fluid rather than embryos.

But the sides remain far apart on what implications the finding might have for policy decisions in Washington and Lansing.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/OPINION01/701090310/1008
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
End Michigan's racial bias lawlessness
Terence J. Pell
On Nov. 7, Michigan overwhelmingly voted to amend the Michigan Constitution to forbid its public institutions from considering "race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin" in state programs, including admissions to the three major state universities.

Though the amendment clearly states that Michigan colleges shall no longer "grant preferential treatment to" any individual on the basis of race, state officials implausibly claim the amendment is too ambiguous to implement. Late last month, the governor, the attorney general and three Michigan universities got a federal judge to suspend the application of the new amendment to this year's admissions cycle.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS05/701090330/1007
U-M, MSU tuitions rated as good deals
January 9, 2007
BY KRISTEN JORDAN SHAMUS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
College may cost a ton, but Michigan's two biggest public universities still offer good value for the money.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance said in a report issued Monday that, despite hefty tuition increases over the last two years, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University are among the 100 best values in public education. The study considers economic value and the quality of education in determining where schools place on the list.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/OPINION01/701090343/1069
IN OUR OPINION: Do the homework on school closings
January 9, 2007
There's no question that school closings -- a huge number of them -- must be a part of the Detroit Public Schools future. The student body has shrunk and remaining students' education will be further depleted if the district tries to stretch insufficient dollars over excess buildings.
A district of 119,000 students shouldn't be run as if it still had 180,000.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1168274164287240.xml&coll=3
Prison jobs spur colleges
Saturday, January 8, 2007
By Chad Livengood
clivengood@citpat.com -- 768-4918
Count leaders at local colleges among those paying close attention to the sagging Michigan job market.
In response to growing demand, Baker College's Springport Road campus this fall plans to launch an associate's-degree program to train corrections officers.
President Patty Kaufman said the program is in response to the state's rising prison population and projected mass retirements of baby boomers working in corrrections.

http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-20/1168270855137240.xml&coll=2
New hope for more jail beds
But addition is at least a year away, and county battles continue
Monday, January 08, 2007
BY ART AISNER
News Staff Reporter
As a new Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners met for the first time last week, members brought with them a renewed optimism about ending chronic overcrowding at the Washtenaw County Jail.

Much of the hope revolves around a $21 million bond proposal to fund a 96-bed expansion of the crammed facility at Hogback Road in Pittsfield Township. Unlike previous attempts, this measure likely won't face organized opposition from citizens.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS06/701090394/1008/NEWS06
Study pans state's traffic safety laws
Fatal crash closes I-75 during rush
January 9, 2007
BY MATT HELMS
FREE PRESS DRIVING WRITER
As U.S. traffic deaths hit a 15-year high in 2005, lawmakers in Michigan and most other states largely did little to toughen laws that could make roads safer, an advocacy group said Monday.
The report was released the same day a fatal accident closed part of southbound I-75 in Detroit, snarling traffic for miles during the afternoon rush.

http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17680087&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
Moolenaar's wind bill vetoed
By Stuart Frohm
01/07/2007
Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed a wind energy tax credit that Midland Republican Rep. John Moolenaar proposed.
Moolenaar said Friday he hopes state lawmakers and the governor will agree to encourage "renewable energy."
He thinks the veto was "more symbolic than anything else," he said.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/OPINION03/701090326/1348
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Laura Berman
Weather becomes the new hot topic
The weather used to be a safe conversational topic, suitable for chatting up strangers in elevators or stand-offish mothers-in-law. No more.
"Hot enough for you?," long a lame cliché, can now be heard as a political challenge, only a step or two away from asking that woman in the mink coat, "Which way to the PETA convention?" Or asking the guy driving the Silverado, "What kind of mileage do you get in that baby?"

http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-2/1168273622247100.xml&coll=7
Charitable giving making a difference
Saturday, January 8, 2007
If there were more people like Warren Buffett, who has parted with $31 billion of his vast fortune, a lot more people in our nation would be much better off.

Buffett was a major factor in a recent report that 2006 was a banner year for donations to U.S. charities. The year broke previous records by an enormous margin.

Even without Buffett's largesse, 2006 was an exceptional year for philanthropy, with a record number of gifts totaling more than $100 million. Much of the private giving was attributed to the disastrous Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast.
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-41/116826968596150.xml&coll=5
War protest marks death No. 3,000
FLINT TOWNSHIP
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Monday, January 08, 2007
By Chad Swiatecki
cswiatecki@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6237
FLINT TWP. - There are times when Bonnie Petee feels hopeless at the daily news of more military and civilian deaths in Iraq.
Combating that dread by banding together with others who want an end to the war brought the Swartz Creek resident out in the cold rain Sunday.
"I'm just saddened at the number of kids we've lost in the three years we've been there, and I don't really know what else to do," said Petee, one of about 40 peace marchers on the corner of Ballenger and Miller roads.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS07/701090363/1008/NEWS
Levin: Troops need to leave
Michigan senator says Iraqis must take responsibility
January 9, 2007
BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Carl Levin said Monday he would consider sending more U.S. troops to Iraq only if President George W. Bush agrees to start withdrawing troops within six months.

Levin, Michigan's senior senator and the new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, plays a key role as Bush prepares to announce his new Iraq policy, expected to include sending in 20,000 more troops, Wednesday night in an address to the nation.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NEWS01/701090400/1003
Damage raises wider fears
Was it Hussein-connected retaliation, local Shi'ites ask
January 9, 2007
BY CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
As they repaired the broken windows of at least a dozen businesses and mosques along Warren Avenue in Detroit, many Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims wondered Monday if the vandalism was retaliation by local supporters of Saddam Hussein who resented that they celebrated the hanging of the Iraqi dictator.

Sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, someone vandalized at least nine businesses and three mosques, all but one Shi'ite, according to Ali Zwen, manager of the Kufa Cultural Forum, a mosque at Warren and Archdale that sustained $4,000 in damage.

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1168273055231260.xml&coll=4
Parents agree soldier in magazine looks familiar
Monday, January 08, 2007
By PATTI BRANDT
TIMES WRITER
When Lesley Hammond saw the photograph of her son, William R. Hammond, in the Dec. 18 issue of Time Magazine, she got out a magnifying glass to read the patch on the front of his shirt.
Just to make sure it was him.
Hammond, a captain in the U.S. Army, 10th Mountain Division, and a Bay City native, was standing sideways in the photo so his face was in profile and she could only make out the last three letters in his name, printed on a patch on the left side of his chest: o-n-d.

http://www.mlive.com/news/bctimes/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1168273040231260.xml&coll=4
'He died a hero'
Monday, January 08, 2007
By TOM GILCHRIST
TIMES WRITER
VASSAR - Some may say U.S. Marine Cpl. Christopher E. Esckelson lived a short life, but time will hail him as a leader among his family, friends and town.
Esckelson, 23, of Vassar was one of three ''brave and selfless Marines'' who died Dec. 28 in Iraq, said Marine Lt. Col. Melinda Herr-mann, one of about 850 people attending
Esckelson's funeral Sunday at Vassar High School in Tuscola County.

http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-21/1168266002274620.xml&coll=9
Vassar Marine gets last salute
Saturday, January 8, 2007
LaNIA COLEMAN
THE SAGINAW NEWS
VASSAR -- A lone Canada goose honked four or five times as it flew over a crowd of mourners huddled against the cold outside Vassar High School.
Minutes later Sunday, six U.S. Marines carried their fallen brother, Cpl. Christopher E. Esckelson, out of the auditorium.
A group of motorcycle enthusiasts, dressed in leather jackets and chaps, proudly held American flags flanking the Marines' path.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1168271142155280.xml&coll=8
Mayor, chairman, educator, Halmond led for over 60 years
Monday, January 08, 2007
By Dave Alexander, Lynn Moore and Steve Gunn
CHRONICLE STAFF WRITERS
John Halmond -- one of the most respected public officials ever to hold elective office in Muskegon County -- died Sunday at the age of 90.

Known as "Mr. Cooperation," Halmond was synonymous with government in Muskegon for more than six decades as a 30-year history and government teacher at North Muskegon High School, former mayor of North Muskegon and original member of the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners. He continued serving on the Muskegon County Mental Health Board until 2003 when he finally retired from public life at the age of 86.

But Halmond made his lasting mark on Muskegon during his years on the Muskegon County board, to which he was elected when it was established in 1968. He served as chairman from 1979 to 1983, the first Republican to hold that position.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168271021137240.xml&coll=2
Pelosi's ascent is a milestone; will there be another in 2008?
Monday, January 08, 2007
Last week, when Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became the nation's first woman speaker of the House, another glass ceiling was smashed.
Considering the obstacles faced by women in politics, Pelosi's feat is remarkable.
A recent study of women in politics by Union College political science professor Richard Fox showed that women still are underrepresented in politics. That's especially true in leadership positions, because party leaders are less likely to ask women to run. Also, some women delay seeking public office until their children are older. The result is shorter political careers and less seniority.

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168292703272490.xml&coll=8
Hold on, senator
Monday, January 08, 2007
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., one of Congress' conservative culture warriors, opposes one of President Bush's judicial nominees because she dared to attend a same-sex commitment ceremony in 2002. Whether they want to enable the senator's bigotry is a question for Kansans and, eventually perhaps, the rest of us (Brownback is a possible 2008 presidential candidate). But the Senate can and should take action to prevent a single senator from imposing his prejudices on the entire body.

A senator can frustrate the will of the Senate by using a "hold," which allows any senator to block a vote on a nominee or piece of legislation. The practice is indefensible even when asserted on behalf of a worthy cause, and even when a senator is open, as Brownback was, about his obstructionism. Rooted in tradition and Senate rules that often require unanimous consent for business to proceed, the hold undermines the principle of majority rule even more than its procedural kissing cousin, the filibuster.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801710.html
Romney Raises $6.5 Million in One-Day Blitz
By Chris Cillizza
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A06
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney raised $6.5 million for his presidential exploratory committee yesterday, sending a powerful message to his potential opponents about the seriousness of his bid for the Republican nomination. Romney gathered about 400 of his largest financial backers for an all-day call-a-thon at the Boston convention center. The group included politicians such as Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, former Massachusetts governor William F. Weld and former lieutenant governor Kerry Healey, as well as deep-pocketed fundraisers such as Utah billionaire Jon Huntsman Sr., eBay chief executive Meg Whitman and Tennessee money man Ted Welch.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18789
Raising Taxes Would Doom GOP in 2008
by Grover Norquist
Posted Jan 08, 2007
There are many mistakes the Democrats might make in the next two years to lose control of the House and Senate.
There is one big mistake the Republicans can make that would keep the Democrats in charge of the Congress and hand them the White House:
Raise taxes.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18813
A Bush Tax Increase on the Horizon?
by Robert Novak
Posted Jan 08, 2007
More than the ascension of Nancy Pelosi & Co. was disturbing congressional Republicans last week. They worried that George W. Bush may proceed down the same path that made his father a one-term president. Thus, they ask this question: Will the current President Bush embrace a tax increase that would produce potential economic disaster and guaranteed political catastrophe?

Henry M. Paulson Jr. is a shark on Wall Street but a rookie on Pennsylvania Avenue. As Bush's third secretary of the Treasury, he has engaged in secret bipartisan talks discussing an increase in the current $97,500 limit on personal income subject to the Social Security payroll tax. That would spike up the top marginal tax rate, demolishing supply-side tax principles that Republican administrations have purportedly followed for 26 years.

http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168266030274620.xml&coll=9
A fairer House?Not quite yet
Saturday, January 8, 2007
OPINION OF THE WASHINGTON POST
The new Democratic House majority has an ambitious plan for its first 100 hours in power, from increasing the minimum wage to strengthening ethics rules to having the federal government negotiate prescription drug prices.

Unfortunately, its plans don't include getting those provisions passed in the democratic fashion that the Democrats promised to adhere to once in the majority. When Republicans took over in 1995, they at least went through the motions of putting their "Contract With America" proposals through the normal committee process. Democrats under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of California, have decided not to bother with that, nor to let Republicans offer amendments on the floor, nor even to put a GOP alternative up for a vote. This is exactly the kind of high-handed mistreatment that Democrats complained about, justifiably, when they were in the minority.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/STEM_CELLS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 9, 2:24 AM EST
House to resume stem cell debate
By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Round two of Congress' battle with President Bush over the morality of stem cell research opens this week, with opponents bolstered by a study that suggests stem cells can be extracted from pregnant women's amniotic fluid as well as from human embryos.
But opponents won't have much luck peeling off support from a bill to be debated in the House this week that would clear the way for expanding taxpayer-funded embryonic stem cell research, a co-sponsor of the bill predicted.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801641.html
Minimum-Wage Bill Stirs Controversy in Pacific Islands
Democrats Aim Raise for Northern Marianas but Not Samoa
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A04
After years of protection from the likes of Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff, employers on the Northern Mariana Islands would finally have to pay workers the federal minimum wage under legislation before the House tomorrow.

Democrats have long tried to pull the Northern Marianas under the umbrella of U.S. labor laws, accusing the island government and its industry leaders of coddling sweatshops and turning a blind eye to forced abortions and indentured servitude. But Abramoff, the once-powerful Republican lobbyist now in federal prison, spent millions of dollars from the island and its business interests currying favor with Republicans, aligning support with conservative interest groups and thwarting every effort to intervene in the Northern Marianas' economy.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HEALTH_CARE_SPENDING?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 9, 12:21 AM EST
Health care spending up 6.9 pct. in '05
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Health care spending grew in 2005 at the slowest pace in six years thanks in part to a greater reliance on generic drugs.
Health spending went up 6.9 percent in 2005, approaching $2 trillion. That represents about $1 out of every $6 spent in the U.S., compared with about $1 out of every $10 in the early 1980s.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800865.html
Schwarzenegger Proposes Universal Health Coverage
California Plan Could Cost State $12 Billion
By Sonya Geis and Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A03
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday proposed a system of universal health insurance for Californians that would make the nation's most populous state the third to guarantee medical coverage for all its residents.
"Prices for health care and insurance are rising twice as fast as inflation, twice as fast as wages. That is a terrible drain on everyone, and it is a drain on our economy," Schwarzenegger said. "My solution is that everyone in California must have insurance. If you can't afford it, the state will help you buy it, but you must be insured."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/opinion/09tue2.html
Common Sense on the Census
Published: January 9, 2007
Last November, the director of the Census Bureau, C. Louis Kincannon, and the deputy director, Hermann Habermann, abruptly decided to quit, acknowledging tensions with their bosses in the Bush administration but giving no other details. Both men are statisticians who had served in their positions since 2002 and, before that, had decades of experience as civil servants.

The leadership problems — on top of severe budget cuts — threaten to throw the preparations for the 2010 census into disarray. At stake is the accuracy of the next count and, with it, the legitimacy of important decisions that are rooted in the census, including the drawing of electoral districts and the allocation of government resources.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801440.html
Bundles of Influence
The checks that lobbyists collect matter more than the ones they sign.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A14
THE MOST pernicious aspect of the relationship between lawmakers and lobbyists doesn't involve skybox tickets or golf junkets. It centers on the role that lobbyists play in providing lawmakers with the campaign cash they need to survive. Lobbyists write their own checks, which must be disclosed. But lobbyists are even more valuable to politicians in their role as bundlers, tapping their clients and other networks to deliver campaign cash far in excess of what they are permitted to contribute personally. The master of the bundling game was President Bush, with his $200,000-and-up Rangers and his $100,000-and-up Pioneers.

Yet while you can be assured that lawmakers and their campaigns know who their big bundlers are, and that the bundlers keep careful track of how much they help bring in, the people aren't let in on the news. That information ought to be made public, especially regarding those who make their livings seeking to influence Congress.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_ETHICS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 8, 9:25 PM EST
Senate torn over ethics panel measure
By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Presidential candidates from both parties are urging the Senate to set up an independent office to probe ethical questions involving fellow senators. That could be a tough sell.

There is some "institutional resistance," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a potential candidate who has long championed the notion of an independent office of public integrity that would take over some of the self-policing duties of the Senate ethics committee.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH_ABRAMOFF?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 8, 9:53 PM EST
Campaign photo shows Bush with Abramoff

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A liberal watchdog group published on its Web site Monday a picture of President Bush and imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the kind of photo the White House has refused to release.

The picture was taken at a campaign fundraiser in December 2003, according to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. It was taken by a private photo contractor who posted it on a Web site, but then was removed before it made it into distribution, said Melanie Sloan, CREW's director.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801003.html
Bush Picks Reagan White House Counsel Fielding to Succeed Miers
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A04
President Bush has selected Fred F. Fielding to be his White House counsel, recruiting a seasoned Washington veteran to represent the president with Democratic congressional investigators and reprise the job he held under Ronald Reagan, sources close to the process said yesterday.

The White House plans to announce the appointment today, just days after longtime Bush loyalist Harriet Miers was eased out as the president's top lawyer in preparation for the anticipated struggle with a new Democratic Congress eager to investigate the administration. A White House official confirmed the appointment but insisted on anonymity because it has not been announced.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/OPINION01/701090309/1022/POLITICS
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Rabbi Aaron Bergman
Americans should celebrate electing Muslim to Congress
History may show that the most significant event of the most recent elections was not the return to power by the Democrats or the election of the first female House speaker. It may be the election of a relatively unknown Minnesota politician, Keith Ellison, to become the first Muslim in Congress.

Though some feel threatened by having an adherent to Islam in government, this is one of the best things that could happen to America. It may be the beginning of a larger shift to democracy throughout the world, accomplishing through the ballot what all our wars overseas have not done.

http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1168266069274620.xml&coll=9
Order on the border
Saturday, January 8, 2007
OPINION OF THE LEAF-CHRONICLE
(CLARKSVILLE, TENN.)
Naysayers predicted that President Bush's decision to send National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border wouldn't have any effect on the number of illegal immigrants entering the country.
Guess what? It's working.
Since Operation Jump Start began six months ago, apprehensions of illegal immigrants dropped by 8 percent overall and 11 percent in Arizona alone.

Opponents of the program claim that having the Guard there hasn't actually changed anything and that the immigrants simply are entering somewhere else along the border where the National Guard troops are not stationed.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_TERROR?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 9, 2:28 AM EST
House Democrats to debate terror bill
By BEVERLEY LUMPKIN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democrats are turning to national security for their first legislation in the new Congress: a bill to screen all cargo containers shipped to the U.S. and enact most remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Just five days after taking control of Capitol Hill, Democrats planned to push the legislation through the House on Tuesday as part of the first 100 hours of action promised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801439.html
A Bad Investment
A lot more cash for a little more security
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A14
WHAT'S MORE important, Coast Guard patrols or collecting fingerprints at border crossings? Running checked bags through X-ray machines at airports or installing blast barriers at nuclear plants?
Given a limited amount of money and an endless list of programs and procedures that could make Americans safer, it's essential to buy the most homeland security possible with the cash available. And as the little list above demonstrates, that can be a tough job. That's all the more reason not to waste money on the kind of political shenanigan written into a sprawling Democratic bill -- up for a vote in the House this week -- that would require the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that every maritime cargo container bound for the United States is scanned before it departs for American shores.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801623.html
House Bill Backs Additional Reforms From 9/11 Report
By Dan Eggen and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A01
House Democrats announced legislation yesterday aimed at implementing many of the remaining reforms suggested by the Sept. 11 commission, including calls for more thorough cargo screening, better emergency communications and more money for cities at the highest risk of terrorist attack.

Democratic leaders plan to push through votes this week on a long list of Sept. 11-related changes that were rejected by the previous Republican-controlled Congress. The proposals signal an early willingness on the part of House Democrats to pressure their colleagues in the Senate, where lawmakers from both parties are cooler to some of the ideas and where no similar package of legislation has been proposed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801485.html
House Nears Passage of Resolution To Add Intelligence Oversight Panel
By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A04
The House is scheduled to pass a resolution as early as today to add a select intelligence oversight panel within the Appropriations Committee, but this change is far different from the proposal to enhance congressional oversight of intelligence proposed in 2004 by the Sept. 11 commission.

In past years, the House and Senate intelligence committees authorized intelligence spending, and the two chambers' appropriations panels approved the funding for the director of national intelligence and the 17 agencies that make up the community.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070109/NATION/701090355/1022/POLITICS
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Bush: Increase troops
In primetime address, president will refer to 9/11 to gain support for unpopular Iraq war.
Stewart M. Powell / Detroit News wire services
WASHINGTON -- President Bush will cite the Sept. 11 attacks in an effort to build public support when he unveils his long-awaited "new" Iraq strategy in a nationally televised address at 9 p.m. Wednesday, the White House announced.

Bush's expected plan to add 20,000 combat troops to the 132,000 troops in Iraq and his effort to link Iraq with potential terror attacks are likely to ignite resistance from Democrats, who gained control of the House and Senate in midterm elections on the strength of their criticism of the war.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010800237.html
Bush Works To Rally Support for Iraq 'Surge'
By Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A01
President Bush yesterday began promoting his plan to send more troops to Iraq, bringing more than 30 Republican senators to the White House as part of a major campaign to rally the American people behind another effort to stabilize the country.

Senators who met with Bush said the president made it clear that he is planning to add as many as 20,000 U.S. troops to help quell violence in Baghdad. They also said the president is arguing that his new plan has a better chance for success than past plans because of a greater willingness of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to commit Iraqi forces against all perpetrators of violence, including Shiite militias.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 9, 3:47 AM EST
Bush Iraq plan faces Democratic challenge
By ANNE FLAHERTY
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush is telling lawmakers that he will send thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq's two most troubled regions, but before he can unveil the plan it is facing stiff challenges from Congress' majority Democrats.

Bush on Wednesday will announce a new war strategy, and has decided to call for 20,000 additional troops, said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., who was among more than 30 senators briefed by the president on Monday.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_RDP?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 9, 2:32 AM EST
Democrats may deny funds for Iraq surge
By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a blunt challenge to President Bush, the leader of the Senate's new Democratic majority said Monday he will "look at everything" within his power to wind down the war in Iraq, short of cutting off funding for troops already deployed.
"I think we've got to tell the president what he's doing as wrong. We've got to start bringing our folks home," said Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, in remarks that portend a struggle if, as expected, Bush announces plans later this week for an increase in troop strength of 20,000.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/laney/201584,CST-EDT-LANEY08.article
Time to hear from those who experienced Saddam's brutality
January 8, 2007
BY MARY LANEY
What is it with some Americans? Why are they so quick to condemn America? The questions are posed to me by Iraqi immigrants as they ponder what they read in some papers and hear on some newscasts.

The questions come from people who left Iraq -- via Jordan and Lebanon -- and found freedom here in the United States. They tell me that Saddam Hussein rose to power and then destroyed a beautiful country, greedily taking for himself, his wives, his children, his loyalists -- and taking from or killing others.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010900258.html
New Video of Saddam's Corpse on Internet
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; 4:26 AM
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A new video of Saddam Hussein's corpse, with a gaping neck wound, was posted on the Internet early Tuesday, the second leaked release of clandestine pictures from the former leader's hanging.

The video appeared to have been taken with a camera phone, like the graphic video of the hanging which showed guards taunting Saddam in the final moments of his life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/09/opinion/09tue1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Past Time to Get Real on Iraq
Published: January 9, 2007
We’ve been down this road before. This time, it has to be different.
There have been too many times that President Bush has promised a new strategy on Iraq, only to repeat the same old set of failed approaches and unachievable objectives. Americans need to hear Mr. Bush offer something truly new — not more glossy statements about ultimate victory, condescending platitudes about what hard work war is, or aimless vows to remain “until the job is done.”
If the voters sent one clear message to Mr. Bush last November, it was that it is time to start winding down America’s involvement in this going-nowhere war.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801433.html
Russian Extortion, Continued
Now an oil pipeline through Belarus runs dry. Will its customers in Western Europe finally be stirred?
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A14
RUSSIA'S CONTINUING attempt to squeeze neighboring Belarus yesterday led to the shutdown of a pipeline carrying oil to Europe -- another stark reminder of how the Kremlin's aggressive use of energy as a political tool threatens Western democracies as well as its neighbors. Just days after forcing Belarus to accept a huge increase in the price of natural gas, the government of Vladimir Putin stopped oil deliveries in an attempt to impose a large new duty that would eliminate a longstanding and lucrative subsidy. Because the pipeline carrying oil to Minsk also serves the rest of Europe, Poland, Germany and other European Union countries also did not receive Russian oil deliveries. Those countries have reserves to fill the gap for the near future. But once again the message should be clear: Countries that depend on Russia for energy can be subject to capricious and politically motivated demands -- and interruptions of supplies if those demands are not met.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SPY_CHIEF?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 8, 9:24 PM EST
Spy chief inherits a work in progress
By KATHERINE SHRADER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- If confirmed as the nation's top spy, Mike McConnell will inherit a work in progress - a new agency that is supposed to streamline the nation's intelligence defenses but which has been beset by bureaucratic resistance in its first two years.
House Democrats may push him even further on Tuesday as they seek to enact unfinished recommendations of the Sept. 11 Commission, some of them directly affecting the 16 spy agencies he oversees.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_EUROPE_TRADE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Jan 8, 9:24 PM EST
Bush: Important to complete Doha talks
By FOSTER KLUG
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso agreed Monday that the United States and Europe must resolve deep differences over farm subsidies that are stalling global free trade talks.

"We both recognize that the best way to help impoverished nations is to complete this Doha Round," Bush said, referring to the world trade talks, "and to encourage the spread of wealth and opportunity through open and reasonable and fair trade." Bush spoke after he and Barroso met at the White House.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/08/AR2007010801486.html
House Votes To Tighten Rules on Tariff Breaks
Measures Often Benefit Big Foreign-Based Firms
By Joe Stephens
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A03
The House voted last week to shine a spotlight into the murky world of import-tariff suspensions, a little-known form of special-interest legislation that has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.

The House overwhelmingly approved a bill that, for the first time, officially equates tariff suspensions with a better-known variety of legislative pork, the congressional earmark. The new rules require public disclosure of each measure's sponsor, purpose and cost whenever lawmakers slip one into legislation.

Local/State

Marching into the future

— Young people chase job training, fulfillment in armed forces. Some have wanted to be in the military their whole lives. Some want money for college or career training. Some just need a jump-start to their lives.

Web site sending videos from home

- With first 'Messages From the Homefront' segment
Marine Capt. Michael Pherson of Brighton is stationed near Fallujah, Iraq, where his duties include coordinating military aircraft in the area. Pherson is in his third tour of duty in the Iraq war, and hasn't seen his family in nearly a year.

Councilwoman 'agonized' over calling it quits
Kathy Jones said she "agonized" for more than a year about resigning from her seat on the Brighton City Council before finally doing so last week.

More land needed for library, board says
Most members of the Cromaine District Library Board of Trustees are standing by the need for a new library location to serve the growing Hartland Township area.

The Buzz:

Livingston Briefs

Now that the stage is set, it's time to start moving state forward
This editorial originally was published in the Lansing State Journal. Inaugural addresses are not the province of policy wonks. So, perhaps it's not surprising that Gov. Jennifer Granholm's second inaugural was more about spirit than specifics.

Why did we even bother to vote?
Well, Michigan has voted. But why vote? When a proposal passes, some stamp their feet and say, "No." Then we as taxpayers and voters should have the same right to our money (taxes). We just won't contribute to their schools.

Hospital to start women's halfway house
Goal of its campaign is to raise $100,000 for the renovation of building to house ex-drug addicts. BRIGHTON -- To help its female patients transition from addiction treatment, Brighton Hospital has started a campaign to raise $100,000 to provide a women's halfway house.

Latest Auto Show

GM, Ford say their China Sales Rose Sharply
BEIJING -- General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said Monday their sales in China's booming car market jumped last year, a boost for automakers that have seen demand slump in North America.

5,000 miss out on tax breaks
Qualified Detroit homeowners don't take advantage of cuts DETROIT -- Who doesn't like a tax cut? Apparently, some Detroiters. Less than 30 percent of the homeowners eligible for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's expanded Neighborhood Enterprise Zones tax cut took advantage by applying for the break this fall.

Old Man Winter is back in town
Colder temperatures, maybe snow, to replace Metro Detroit's balmy weather this week. DETROIT -- Put away the golf clubs and bundle up. Winter is making a comeback. Higher-than-usual temperatures have made this the fifth-warmest winter in Metro Detroit since the National Weather Service began compiling data in the early 1870s -- but the party is over for people who have been enjoying the balmy weather.

Nation/World
Plan Sets Series of Goals for Iraq Leaders
WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 — President Bush’s new Iraq policy will establish a series of goals that the Iraqi government will be expected to meet to try to ease sectarian tensions and stabilize the country politically and economically, senior administration officials said Sunday.

Republicans’ division over Iraq grows
By Guy Dinmore in Washington
Published: January 7 2007 18:43 | Last updated: January 8 2007 05:14
Leading Republicans on Sunday showed further signs of dissent over President George W. Bush’s reported plans to send more troops to Iraq, while the Democrats, now in control of Congress, said they would not give the president a “blank cheque” for reinforcements.

Other Democrats distance themselves from Pelosi on additional troop funding
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Some of the other leading Democrats in Congress aren't ready to echo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that lawmakers might hold up funding for additional troops in Iraq.

Iraq could open oil reserves to foreign firms
LONDON (AFP) - Iraq is preparing to allow foreign companies to exploit its oil reserves, according to a British newspaper report that cited a draft law expected to come before the Iraqi parliament.

DEM VOW ALREADY BROKEN: HOUSE SETS 4-DAY WORK WEEK
Democrats ran to expand the work week in the House to 5 days. But guess how long that lasted? Not even one week!

Speaker looking for way to pay for tax cuts for middle-class
WASHINGTON – Democrats are not ruling out raising taxes for the wealthiest people to help pay for tax cuts for middle-income families, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

House rules change clears way for tax increases
One of the first key procedural votes in the Democrat-controlled House last week established legislative rules that Republicans say will make it easier to raise taxes by a simple majority vote.

Pelosi threatens to reject funds for troop surge
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats yesterday said their party might deny funding for President Bush's expected call this week for a troop surge in Iraq if he doesn't meet their demands for detailed consultations and congressional debate on military strategy.

Immigration debate gets religious
A number of leading Christian conservative groups have formed a coalition on immigration and illegal aliens that will push religiously grounded positions that both sides of the current immigration debate will both love and hate.

Bush Prepares to Announce New Iraq Plan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush is putting the finishing touches on a revised war strategy he plans to announce this week, possibly on Wednesday. In addition to a troop increase, the proposal could provide more money for jobs and reconstruction programs in Iraq.

Local/State

Fallen soldier's valor 'one of a kind'
The 125th Infantry was moving through Salman Pak, Iraq, when, all of a sudden, its soldiers noticed two Iraqi police vehicles they were traveling with had disappeared.

Tax hike may creep up on homeowners
The sluggish housing market could result in a strange situation for some Livingston County homeowners — the values of their homes may fall, but their property taxes may rise at the same time.

Complete Auto Show Coverage

MLK Day event a first for school

Event to feature 'diversity wall' for student artists. While some school districts will have Jan. 15 off in remembrance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Hartland High School students will still have a unique opportunity to honor the slain civil-rights leader.

Retired lawman's heroics save life at fitness center
A Livingston County man who collapsed during an early morning workout last week is alive today, thanks to the quick action of another patron of the place where they were exercising.

The Week Ahead

Trailblazing judge leaves mark on county
As a girl, Susan Reck would daydream about some day becoming someone in the law field just like the main character in Erle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason detective stories.

OPINION
Soldiers serve to keep us free
As a former member of the Army, I have spent a period of my life knowing that should the call come, I would willingly go defend my country. I have lots of friends in the military — some have paid the ultimate price so that we have the right to stand up and speak our mind. No parent, grandparent, wife, husband, fiancé, brother or sister wants their loved ones to go to war. No one wants to hear of these soldiers dying.

Recalling Day makes no sense
I am writing in response to the story regarding the effort to recall Wendy Day from the Howell Public Schools Board of Education. My question is why would anyone even consider spending our tax dollars on such a waste when we can hardly afford to keep our schools open as it is?

Rich Perlberg: Crossing paths with Gerald Ford
It's a bigger stretch than even I can make to say that my path crossed a few times with Gerald R. Ford, the nation's 38th president, who was buried last week in Grand Rapids.

Nation/World

Abbas bans Hamas militia
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday declared Hamas' militia in the Gaza Strip illegal, and the Islamic movement responded by defiantly announcing plans to double the size of the paramilitary unit.

Offensive to pacify Baghdad begins
BAGHDAD -- In the opening battle of a major drive to tame the violent capital, the Iraqi army reported it killed 30 militants yesterday in a firefight in a Sunni insurgent stronghold just north of the heavily fortified Green Zone.

Democrats: Nuclear Iran unacceptable
Iran with nuclear weapons is unacceptable, new House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told The Jerusalem Post hours after entering the party leadership position.

Bloggers unleash a virtual campaign
Former Gen. Wesley K. Clark boasts 35,000 more friends than ex-Sen. John Edwards, and there are more flattering photos of Sen. Barack Obama than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Revealed: Israel plans nuclear strike on Iran
UZI MAHNAIMI, NEW YORK AND SARAH BAXTER, WASHINGTON
ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.

Gay 'marriage' ballot measures running their course
The legislative approval of a marriage constitutional amendment in Massachusetts last week means that at least three states have a good chance of having such measures on their 2008 ballots.

Saddam's village a calm refuge for U.S. troops
OWJA, Iraq - Like many residents of Saddam Hussein's ancestral village of Owja, No'man al Nasseri bears more than a passing resemblance to its most famous son.

Barriers cause drop in foreign adoptions by Americans
NEW YORK (AP) -- After tripling in the past 15 years, the number of foreign children adopted by Americans dropped sharply in 2006, the result of multiple factors that have jolted adoption advocates and prompted many would-be adoptive parents to reconsider their options.

Local/State

Services for Pfc Wilson A. Algrim today.

Atheist leader admits misinformation
Council's curriculum on Bible study was not deemed unconstitutional in 4 states, director says. HOWELL -- The leader of an atheists' group opposing a proposal to bring a Bible study curriculum into Howell schools acknowledged Friday that she spread misinformation about the legality of the plan.

Livingston Briefs

Lawmakers criticize WH's Iraq troop plan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq is running into trouble on Capitol Hill, with Republicans joining Democrats in raising eyebrows before the president even has a chance to make his case.

2007 NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
SHOW-ME TIME! Can flashy new products jumpstart ailing Big 3?

Detroit may shut up to 52 schools
Plan targets 8 high schools, shrinks district by 20 percent; board to finalize list next month. DETROIT -- The Detroit Public Schools announced a massive restructuring plan Friday to close 52 schools, a number that would shrink the state's largest district by more than 20 percent.

Comcast will raise cable rates 3.3% in February (Some Metro Areas)
Company cites market factors for latest increase, but analysts say it's competition from AT&T. Cable customers in much of Metro Detroit will see their bills increase next month.

Judge OKs Sheldon project
Land deal set aside; tunnel work will start Tuesday PLYMOUTH -- A controversial $14 million project that will close one of the main roads into the city for two years is set to begin Tuesday after a judge set aside a land deal that threatened to imperil the work.

Ignore war defeatists

To start the new year, The News featured an Associated Press article on the front page about the war in Iraq -- citing the mounting casualties and other statistics that sought to portray the war on terror in a negative light ("U.S. toll in Iraq hits 3,000," Jan. 1). Not surprisingly, the article

Nation/World
House OKs budget rule changes
House Democrats yesterday approved powerful measures to thwart new deficit spending, but Republicans warned that the new majority is paving the way to increase federal taxes.

PM: Baghdad Security Plan Is Now Ready
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq's prime minister said Saturday that Iraqi forces will lead a new effort - with U.S. help - to wrest control of Baghdad's neighborhoods from militias and other sectarian killers.

Abbas Declares Hamas Militia Illegal
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday declared Hamas' paramilitary militia in the Gaza Strip illegal, raising the stakes in his standoff with the Islamic movement.

Reid, Pelosi rip Iraq buildup
Top House and Senate Democrats yesterday said they oppose boosting the number of troops in Iraq, giving them a jump on President Bush's speech next week detailing a new war strategy and setting a roadblock in front of one of the major options he is considering.

Democrats backpedal on 9/11 commission
House Democrats campaigned on a promise to implement the recommendations of the September 11 commission, but now say they will not enact all of them.

Jobs, income gains bright spots in 2006
The job market was the brightest spot in the economy at the end of last year, with wage gains hitting a six-year high of 4.2 percent and employers creating another 167,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

Reagan bust OK'd for Hill
Nearly twenty years after leaving office, Ronald Reagan is coming back to Washington. California lawmakers have voted to place a bronze bust of the former president in the Capitol Rotunda and alongside other national luminaries such as Abraham Lincoln, Sam Houston and Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Inside Politics
Taking the pledge
Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, both Republicans and presidential hopefuls, have pledged not to raise taxes should they reach the White House.

It's estrogen, stupid, and plenty of it
The Democrats finally installed Nancy Pelosi as the speaker of the House yesterday, and the talk of Capitol Hill was not about what to do about the war in Iraq, the minimum wage, finding that oxymoron quaintly called "congressional ethics," or even the prospect of raising congressional pay.

Inside the Ring
Prime target The difficulty of trying to rebuild Iraq as insurgents try to destroy it was hammered home by an incident in November. The U.S. operates Camp Loyalty, a forward operating base near Baghdad, and stores building material there. In this case, they were husbanding a huge amount of electrical wiring and components to help turn the lights on in Sadr City, the capital's Shi'ite slum.

Local/State

A sorrowful homecoming - with video news report
The body of Army Spc. Wilson Algrim — killed in Iraq on Dec. 23 — arrived at the Spencer J. Hardy Livingston County Airport in Howell Township on Thursday.

Guardsman from Marion Twp. is killed in Iraq
Pfc. Wilson Algrim, 21, is 5th serviceman from county to die in war. Donald and Judy Algrim still remember their son's first elevator ride. Wilson Algrim, then 8 years old and new to the United States, clung to the wall. Wilson was rattled by the sudden movement, and his face expressed both joy and anguish.

Iraq War deaths
Friday, January 05, 2007 At least five soldiers from Livingston County have died while serving in Iraq.

Laughs, tears for fallen friend Andrew Daul died in Iraq
The night before the funeral for one of their high school buddies, Jordan Camps and Nick Kantola spent hours watching old movies of their high school antics with friends.

Judge Geddis asks for sanctions against attorney
Attorneys for a Livingston County District Court judge accused of retaliating against a former prosecutor will ask a Circuit Court judge to dismiss the "frivolous" lawsuit and sanction the attorney who made the allegations.

Security firm loses courthouse duties to deputies
County commission cuts contract short in favor of using retired officers with arrest powers part time. HOWELL -- Part-time sheriff's deputies will take over duties at the Livingston County Judicial Center in March, cutting short a three-year contract with Securitas Security.

Howell teachers OK pulled book
Howell Public Schools' English and language arts teachers gave the OK Thursday for high school students to read "The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them."

Talking past each other on Iraq
One of my favorite films is Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing." One of the most memorable scenes features black and white characters spitting out a string of racial slurs and stereotypes, illustrating the prejudice and hatred simmering just under the surface of daily life in New York City.

Something wrong with roundabouts
When the dual roundabouts were proposed in Green Oak, I approached the entire idea with an open mind — neither pro nor con. I have driven in other roundabouts both here and in Europe.

County to get another roundabout
Newest, planned for 2008, meant to reduce backups from highways. A solution is in the works for the daily traffic backups on Winans Lake Road at Hamburg Road in Hamburg Township. A roundabout - it would be Livingston County's sixth - is being planned for the intersection with construction in 2008.

Now HERE’s a Roundabout problem

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS

BUILDING PERMITS

Livingston Briefs

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Detroit schools to announce closings today
The list of Detroit public schools that will be closed is expected to be announced late this afternoon during a school board committee meeting at Spain Elementary/Middle School.

Nation/World
Joyful Democrats salute Speaker Pelosi
House Democrats unanimously picked Nancy Pelosi yesterday to be their leader and the first female speaker of the House in U.S. history.

Former Democratic Party boss lambasts Kerry campaign
In his scrappy memoir, McAuliffe criticizes the 2004 campaign that he was responsible for defending but ultimately lost to what he describes as a more organized Republican machine. McAuliffe calls the Kerry campaign gun-shy, distracted and incompetent.

Bush nominates top spy, moves Negroponte
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush nominated an intelligence veteran, former National Security Agency Director Mike McConnell, to be the country's second national intelligence director. In a reshuffling of his national security team, Bush also chose his former top spymaster, John Negroponte, to be deputy secretary of state.

U.S. ships hunt for al Qaeda off Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya -- U.S. Navy warships yesterday stepped up patrols off Somalia, boarding fishing boats and oil tankers to search for al Qaeda agents who fled after their Islamist allies were chased into hiding.

Medical teams saving more troops
The killed-in-action rate in the Iraq-Afghanistan wars is half what it was in World War II and a third less than Vietnam and Desert Storm, according to internal Pentagon documents that say battlefield medical teams are doing a better job of stabilizing the wounded and getting them to doctors.

Nancy Pelosi Basks in Historic Day
WASHINGTON (AP) - Swept into the most powerful political job ever held by a U.S. woman, Nancy Pelosi embarked on a jubilant victory lap with children and grandchildren in tow and a soundtrack by Tony Bennett: "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

Local/State

UM Suspends Admissions
The University of Michigan will suspend admission decisions until Jan. 10 while university officials decide what to do next after a federal appeals court ordered the state's three largest universities to immediately comply with Proposal 2.

Ford starts early talks with UAW
Mulally: Painful concessions needed from union; 'The only thing I care about is the competitiveness of Ford.' Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally is holding weekly meetings with United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger in the run up to this year's watershed contract negotiations. He praised the labor leader for his willingness to work with Ford, but said painful concessions will be needed from the union if his company is to compete against foreign rivals.

Race for May school board seats gears up
The race for local school boards is about to get under way. Those who want to serve on local boards of education have roughly six weeks to get their paperwork ready for the county clerk in order to become candidates.

Fashion show promotes modest dressing
With the purpose of promoting modest dress among girls, Pregnancy Helpline's third annual "Pure Style" fashion show is returning to Crystal Gardens in Genoa Township on Feb. 11.

Officials: '07 not to be a year of change in county
Around this time each year it's always exciting to sit back and reflect on the year that just passed by.
But what about the year that lies ahead?

Brighton Diesel Diagnostics working with military
The U.S. military has enlisted the help of a Brighton-area company to formulate new maintenance procedures for its diesel engines, following government-mandated changes to diesel fuels.

Art comes to Green Oak
Who needs the atomic clock when there is the Green Oak Village Place Mall's sundial? That's artist John Sauve's tongue-in-cheek take on the issue following the installation Wednesday of his 20-foot functional steel sundial — named "Being and Time" — at the shopping center, where he is also curator of a sculpture project that aims to install 15-20 pieces of public art, many by this summer.

Conway, Fowlerville need to compromise on recreation program
Parents in Conway Township, located north of Fowlerville, are about to get whacked in the wallet if their children play sports.
The Conway Township Board of Trustees has decided to opt out of the Fowlerville Community Recreation program (run by Fowlerville Community Schools), saying it had problems with the recreation department's budget.
Livingston Briefs

Fond memories of President Ford
That was a very nice column by Buddy Moorehouse on President Gerald R. Ford ("The right man at the right time," Dec. 28). Ford was able to move past Watergate, and put the country back on track. Back on track enough to allow a largely unknown governor from Georgia a fair shot at a national election shortly afterwards.

Roundabouts chase away shoppers
Roundabouts in Brighton, they are a terrible nightmare!
Believe me, I can do without the roundabouts because they cause confusion and rattle the nerves.

Nation/World
Saddam execution video leads to arrests
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi authorities report the arrests of two guards and an official in the investigation into who taunted Saddam Hussein as he stood on the gallows and took cell phone pictures showing his body dangling at the end of a rope.
Tough end to a tough year
Big Three U.S. market share dives as Toyota rises in '06 Detroit's automakers finished 2006 with their lowest share of the U.S. auto market in history, as Toyota Motor Corp. breached the top ranks after outselling DaimlerChrysler AG for a full year.

Family needs help paying for girl's funeral
DETROIT -- Diamond Madison was always ready to lend a hand at Courtis Elementary School.
The popular 13-year-old was a cheerleader, a member of the school's Future Teachers group and participated in the school's Black History Month programs.

Social Security for illegal aliens
An agreement the Bush administration reached with Mexico on Social Security benefits would allow illegal aliens granted amnesty in the future to claim credit for the time they worked illegally.

Britain free from WWII payments
LONDON -- More than six decades after the fact, Britain has finally paid back the billions of dollars it had borrowed from the United States and Canada to help pay for rebuilding the country after World War II.
At the click of a few computer keys in London on the last business day of 2006, $83.25 million was sent electronically winging to Washington and $22.7 million to Ottawa, to free Britain from annual installments it occasionally has struggled to pay.

Bush warns Democrats on stalemate
President Bush yesterday reasserted his role in domestic policy as the spender in chief and ultimate legislative backstop, urging Democrats to cut pork-barrel spending in half and telling them they will take the blame for stalemate if they send him bills he has to veto.

Pelosi ready to make history as new speaker
A new Congress convenes today with a narrow Democratic majority lording over a despondent Republican minority.
While the full weight of Republicans' powerlessness sinks in after 12 years of control, Democrats are celebrating the historic election today of the first female speaker of the House.
Newsview: Bush Fights to Stay Relevant
WASHINGTON (AP) - Weakened by election losses and hemmed in by time, President Bush is using what he's got left - a bully pulpit, a veto threat and a sudden interest in working with Democrats.

SHEEHAN, IRAQ WAR PROTESTERS BREAK UP HOUSE DEMOCRATS' PRESS CONFERENCE
WASHINGTON — Iraq war protesters broke up a press conference by House Democrats on Wednesday with chants to bring American troops home from Iraq.
Chanting "de-escalate, investigate, troops home now," the protesters disrupted a briefing aimed at outlining priority goals when Democrats take over the House and Senate on Thursday.

Local/State

Recall effort put on hold
The effort to recall Wendy Day from the Howell Public Schools Board of Education is on hold, at least until word comes from Lansing on a possible midyear budget cut.

Walberg entering Congress with mission to repair GOP
Lawmaker faces criticism within his own party
WASHINGTON - Tim Walberg considers himself a Republican in the mold of Ronald Reagan: a believer in limited government, low taxes and conservative values.

Ethics panel closes Conyers probe
The Republican-led House ethics committee -- in possibly its last action before Democrats take over Congress -- closed the three-year investigation of Rep. John Conyers Jr. after he agreed to stop using staffers for campaign work and personal errands.

Teacher loses life to stroke
Friends and family members are remembering a Brighton woman who died Sunday as an energetic teacher who loved her
students. Friends said Mary Elaine Meisling, a science teacher at Scranton Middle School just south of downtown Brighton, died Sunday morning after a stroke at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor. She was 52.

Police have suspect in graffiti case
Brighton police believe a "tagger" is responsible for last month's vandalism in downtown Brighton, in which six buildings were painted with graffiti, causing thousands of dollars of damage by some
estimates.

Livingston Briefs
Howell: Funeral Mass planned for soldier

Brighton enters housing dispute
BRIGHTON -- When Jim Bohn bought his $240,000-plus condo nearly two years ago, he was expecting the same landscaping and pond retention walls he was shown in the model home. Instead, he said, the developer deviated from what was promised.

Phil Power — We must consider consolidating
On Feb. 1, 1824, one Arthur Power left his home in Farmington, a tiny community in north-central New York. A devout Quaker and a widower, he was headed for the recently opened Michigan Territory, then way out on the frontier.

We all need to face grim realities of school funding
It's great news that the Howell school district will save about $2 million by refinancing bonds approved by voters in 2003. That was the election that allowed the school district to borrow money to build Parker High School, scheduled to open in Marion Township next fall.
Interest rates are more favorable today and credit is due to the district's administrative team, especially Rick Terres, who is the long-serving associate superintendent for business.

Believe: Post-inaugural, Granholm has to offer some big specifics
A Lansing State Journal editorial
Inaugural addresses are not the province of policy wonks. So, perhaps it's not surprising that Gov. Jennifer Granholm's second inaugural was more about spirit than specifics.

Nation/World

Coming Home: Gerald Ford 1913 – 2006

Romney eyes 2008 bid, sets sights on conservative base
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who today will file papers forming a committee to explore a run for president in 2008, has spent recent months moving steadily to try to occupy the conservative ground in the Republican presidential field.

Same-sex 'marriage' measure advances
Massachusetts lawmakers yesterday twice passed a proposed constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex "marriage," bending to a recent court ruling that said they had a duty to vote on the measure.

HILLARY PREDICTS: OBAMA CANDIDACY WILL DIMINISH
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton views Barack Obama as her biggest obstacle to nomination, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report, but she believes the threat of his candidacy will diminish -- as voters learn how inexperienced he is in government and foreign affairs!

6 of 75 cities get top disaster rating
WASHINGTON (AP) -- On Sept. 11, 2001, New York fire battalion chief Dennis Devlin issued an urgent plea: His men were in "a state of confusion" and needed more working radios immediately. Yet, more than five years since Devlin and 342 other members of the city's fire department perished at the World Trade Center, the government says only six U.S. cities have fully answered the late fire chief's call by adopting advanced emergency communications systems.

Local/State

County full of intriguing people in 2006
With a worries over a Web site, misgivings over a mannequin and jubilant new judges, we met plenty of intriguing people in Livingston County throughout 2006.

The first baby of '07: It's a boy
Livingston County's first baby of 2007 came along later on New Year's Day than some of his predecessors, but it wasn't due to a long delivery.

District moves to save Howell taxpayers $2M
Livingston County’s largest school district is looking to save taxpayers more than $2 million by getting more favorable interest rates on bonds.

Rec group may raise fees to keep running
Even though taxpayers have snubbed a 1-mill levy to support the Howell Area Parks and Recreation Authority, officials from the communities that make up the authority want to keep it together.

County politics saw some changes in 2006
There were plenty of changes, but also more of the same in Livingston County politics in 2006.

Despite economic slump, county did reasonably in 2006
The downturn in home construction in Livingston County that started in 2005 became a full-fledged slump in 2006.

Hamburg Township, state should take care of environmental mess
If you don't change the oil in your car, you really can't complain too much when you blow a piston rod. If you can't be bothered to check the air in your tires, you shouldn't be surprised when you have a flat.

Lawmakers may skip Detroit auto show
WASHINGTON -- The January junket to warmer climates -- a postholiday tradition of sorts for some members of Congress -- could be headed to the wayside.

Livingston briefs

The next Michigan
Granholm acknowledges woes, vows to transform state LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm laid her hand on the Bible, launched her second term at precisely noon Monday and then pledged to lead a profound transformation of Michigan and its struggling economy.

Schools opt for Nov. elections
More districts are moving to the fall cycle to combine with local, state, national ballots. REDFORD TOWNSHIP -- Facing mounting deficits and the prospect of midyear state budget cuts, several local school districts are giving up stand-alone elections in favor of ballots combined with national, state and local contests.

Families bid farewell to Guardsmen
Dearborn hosts a goodbye party for 175 reservists bound for N.J., tour of duty in Iraq. DEARBORN -- Sitting around a circular table, the same way they gather for family suppers, the Menzel family spoke very little on New Year's Day morning, but their eyes said it all.

Nation/World
Bush pays respects to a predecessor
President Bush and first lady Laura Bush paid their respects to Gerald R. Ford yesterday, the final day the former president's body lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

Rules changes set as Democrats retake reins
Democrats savoring a return from the political wilderness are ready to move quickly this week to take the levers of power in a Congress that has been run by Republicans the last 12 years.

Revealed: Rudy's '08 battle plans
It's clearly laid out in 140 pages of printed text, handwriting and spreadsheets: The top-secret plan for Rudy Giuliani's bid for the White House.

Romney to File Paperwork for 2008 Bid
BOSTON (AP) - Gov. Mitt Romney will file paperwork forming a presidential exploratory committee on Wednesday, a delay of 24 hours out of respect for the funeral services scheduled Tuesday for former President Gerald R. Ford, according to a top aide familiar with his plans.

U.S. Toll in Iraq Lower Than Past Wars
A four-figure number hovers 50 feet over a busy Philadelphia street, visible in an office window. It changes maybe once or twice a day like the cost of something. A janitor once stopped, just to stare. "I see that number, and it makes me cry," he told Celeste Zappala, who keeps the running tally.

Skill, luck credited for terror-free year
MADRID -- Bombs left on commuter trains in a busy station in Germany, a plot to blow up tunnels and flood New York City's financial district, another to bring down packed commuter airliners flying out of London.

Sunni areas erupt in rage over Saddam
BAGHDAD -- Rage over the hanging of Saddam Hussein spilled into the streets in many parts of the Sunni Muslim heartland yesterday, especially in Samarra, where a mob of protesters broke the locks of the badly damaged Shi'ite Golden Mosque and marched through carrying a mock coffin and photo of the executed former Iraqi dictator.

Bush 'to reveal Iraq troop boost'
US President George W Bush intends to reveal a new Iraq strategy within days, the BBC has learnt. The speech will reveal a plan to send more US troops to Iraq to focus on ways of bringing greater security, rather than training Iraqi forces.

Iran vows to 'humiliate' U.S.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad scorned U.N Security Council sanctions imposed against Iran, telling a crowd Tuesday that Iran had humiliated the United States in the past and would do so again

Local/State

'Super, caring guy' gets a lift from friends

— They're rebuilding cancer patient's truck
Brighton resident Elon Gawley has always given 100 percent in life, especially when it came to working. If the job wasn't done, he wasn't leaving.

Free wireless access, new jail among leaders' hopes for '07
With the arrival of 2007, Livingston County's movers and shakers have a list of accomplishments they'd like to see achieved in the county in the new year.

Way to go Pam!
A little help from the archives
When Jan Suchma decided it was time to trace her roots, she found herself following in the footsteps of some of her ancestors: starting out in Livingston County.

County saw big shopping developments in '06
Livingston County moved up a notch in the shopping arena when Green Oak Village Place opened its doors in late October 2006.

Group’s ideas should spark discussion on state’s constitution
This editorial first ran in the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Michigan voters in 2010 will decide whether the state’s constitution needs to be revamped. Other than amendments, the document has not been altered since 1963 when voters approved an updated version. In 1978 and again in 1994, Michiganians decided that a new constitutional convention was not necessary.

Bible study elective in schools debated
Michigan Atheists says class is unconstitutional; curriculum committee will review the course.
HOWELL -- Religion and politics are taking center stage once again in Howell Public Schools, where parent Tim Thatcher wants a Bible study class offered as an elective in Howell High School.

Livingston Briefs

2 Mich. Marines die in Iraq
Clifford man was proud of military service; Vassar native wanted a way to fund his education.
The day before he died, Marine Lance Cpl. Nicholas Miller told his mother he loved and appreciated her in an e-mail.

Granholm kicks off inauguration
Gov. Jennifer Granholm's second inauguration began Sunday night with a 90-minute interdenominational church service at Peoples Church in East Lansing. Leaders from various faiths offered prayers for Granholm and her lieutenant governor, John Cherry.

Detroit's budget gets back on track
City may end fiscal year with balanced books, but less state funding and loan payments could hurt.
DETROIT -- When Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick goes to Wall Street this month to sell analysts on the city's cost-cutting progress, his staff says the message will be the rosiest in recent years.

Nation/World
Inside the Beltway

U.S. toll in Iraq hits 3,000
Incoming Democratic majority pledges to focus on unpopular war and Bush's handling of it.
WASHINGTON -- American deaths in the Iraq war reached the sobering milestone of 3,000 on Sunday even as the Bush administration sought to overhaul its strategy for an unpopular conflict that shows little sign of abating.

Thousands pay respects to Ford
WASHINGTON -- Democrat and Republican, conservative and liberal, their reasons for coming were the same: to pay honor and respect, and to view history up close.

Democratic hopefuls pan 'surge' in Iraq
Two Democrats who have officially entered the 2008 presidential race yesterday criticized proposals for an immediate "surge" of U.S. forces to secure war-torn areas of Iraq.

Revelers pack Times Square to welcome 2007
NEW YORK (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of revelers from all over the world rang in the new year at the city's massive holiday party in Times Square.

US 'licence to snoop' on British air travellers
Britons flying to America could have their credit card and email accounts inspected by the United States authorities following a deal struck by Brussels and Washington.

Bulgaria, Romania join EU
BRUSSELS - The admission today of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union boosting the bloc's membership to 27 nations and almost half a billion people should be a moment for self-congratulatory celebration. But few outside of Bulgaria, Romania and the Brussels beltway are in a mood to toast the accession of the former communist states.

Islamists quit last bastion in Somalia
KISMAYU, Somalia - Islamist fighters abandoned the last major town they held early today and were seen heading south toward the Kenyan border while government forces approached slowly because of land mines, residents and a government spokesman said.

Thousands flock to Saddam's grave
BAGHDAD - Thousands of Iraqis flocked to Saddam Hussein's hometown of Ouja yesterday, where the deposed Iraqi leader was buried in a religious compound 24 hours after his execution.

Evil Saddam's last moments
SADDAM Hussein went to Hell with the vicious curses of executioners ringing in his ears

Inside Politics
Some senior Republicans are looking at the next four weeks as 'make it or break it' time for the White House," U.

Local/State

'He stood for us'

— Fallen Brighton grad's loved ones give hero his send-off Army Spc. Andrew Daul, 21, received a hero's send-off at his funeral service Friday at Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church in Brighton Township.

Michigan lawmakers honor Ford
WASHINGTON -- Amid the military honor guards and streams of dignitaries, Saturday's memorial service for Gerald Ford felt to some like a comfortable, if solemn, reunion of old pals.

County plans $500,000 roundabout
By Dan Meisler
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
What's better, waiting two minutes at a stop sign while traffic blocks your way, or negotiating a traffic roundabout?

Mich. universities consider next step after Prop 2 ruling
Officials at Michigan's three largest universities are spending the holiday weekend reviewing a federal appeals court ruling that ordered late Friday full compliance with state's new affirmative action ban, also known as Proposal 2.

No. 1 news story of '06: Malls emerge
A mall here, a mall there, a mall everywhere.

Community coped with war in positive ways in '06
Livingston County residents supported and honored their soldiers en masse in 2006, doing everything from sending care packages to paying their respects at a poignant memorial unveiling.

The Buzz

Officers credited with saving boy's life
A Livingston County sheriff's deputy and state Department of Natural Resources officer are being credited as lifesavers after they pulled a 16-year-old boy from a pickup truck that burst into flames after striking a tree Saturday afternoon in the Pinckney area.

Rich Perlberg: Watch these stories in 2007
Anybody can list the top 10 stories for the year just ending. But how about describing the important stories for the year to come? I'll take a shot at it, in a mostly serious attempt to predict the big news in Livingston County next year. I'm not sure how these stories will play out, but I think they will be in the headlines.

Paper did well by fallen soldier
Thank you very much for making the lead story on Thursday's front page a memorial to Spc. Wilson Algrim.

Michigan poised to become leader in alternative fuels
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Jennifer Granholm laid it on the line for the members of the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission.

Nation/World

State funeral honors Ford
WASHINGTON -- Gerald Ford returned Saturday evening to the House that was his professional home, taking a final trip through the halls of the Congress in which he served for nearly three decades.

Hundreds flock to see Saddam's gravesite
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Hundreds of Iraqis flocked to the village where Saddam Hussein was born on Sunday to see the deposed leader buried in a religious compound 24 hours after his execution.

Shi'ite-Sunni rift laid bare by hanging
BAGHDAD -- As Iraqis awoke yesterday to television images of Saddam Hussein's neck twisted by a hangman's noose, Shi'ites cheered, Sunnis vowed revenge and at least 80 persons died from bombings and death squads -- not far from the daily average.

Saddam execution images shown on TV, Web
NEW YORK (AP) -- Although Iraqi authorities released no video of Saddam Hussein's execution, crude images of the hanging emerged Saturday on the Internet, and some TV networks used portions leading up to the trap door opening.

Hillary falls to earth in poll race
THE first vote is still more than a year away, but the campaign to replace President George W Bush in the White House is already throwing up surprises.

New year rings in multitude of new laws in states
The new year will bring raises for hundreds of thousands of minimum-wage workers across the country. Musicians worried about copycats get some protection in Illinois. And California takes steps to reduce the power-plant pollution that is thought to contribute to global warming.

Polar bear meltdown?
Last week the Bush administration proposed to list the polar bear as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act. It's a futile gesture that only signals a weakening in the administration's earlier strong stance against global warming hysteria.

WORLD BRIEFINGS

Listening to the right voice
With President Bush in receipt of his Iraq Study Group (ISG) report card, two events -- one prior to its issuance and one after -- should be noted that raise serious issues about the ISG's assessment.

Saddam hanged for war crimes in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Saddam Hussein struggled briefly after American military guards handed him over to Iraqi executioners. But as his final moments approached, he grew calm.

Area Iraqis celebrate execution
DEARBORN -- A cheer went up at 10:08 p.m. near the Karbalaa Islamic Education Center as a crowd of about 200 people got the word that Saddam Hussein had been executed.

Local/State

Racial ban back on for 3 colleges
Court rules admissions policies must comply with Prop 2 right away. A federal appeals court ruled Friday night that Michigan's three largest universities must immediately remove race and gender consideration from their admissions and financial aid decisions and fully comply with Proposal 2.

A somber Christmas
But support flows to family that lost son in Iraq
Michael Daul said the outpouring of love and support from family, friends and total strangers in the 10 days since the death of his son in Iraq has been "absolutely overwhelming.''
Attorney facing time in jail for contempt case
State appeals court upholds ruling made by local judge; lawyer plans further appeals. A Livingston County attorney convicted of a contempt of court charge says he will ask the Michigan Court of Appeals to reconsider its decision upholding a Livingston County Circuit Court ruling that could send him to jail.

Livingston Briefs

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

RECREATION CALENDAR

Nation/World
Six days of mourning begin
PALM DESERT, Calif. -- Borne by eight servicemen in crisp dress uniforms, Gerald R. Ford's flag-draped casket was carried past his widow into their hometown church yesterday for a public viewing that marked the start of six days of mourning for the former president.

Dictator Who Ruled Iraq With Violence Is Hanged for Crimes Against Humanity
BAGHDAD, Saturday, Dec. 30 — Saddam Hussein, the dictator who led Iraq through three decades of brutality, war and bombast before American forces chased him from his capital city and captured him in a filthy pit near his hometown, was hanged just before dawn Saturday during the morning call to prayer.

Oil Prices End 2006 Where They Started
Oil prices settled above $61 a barrel Friday to finish 2006 roughly where they began, marking another tough year for energy consumers and another stellar one for the petroleum industry. It was the fifth straight year in which oil prices were higher than the year before, on average.

Stock market surged in 2006
NEW YORK -- Wall Street yesterday closed out a year that will be remembered for the stock market's great comeback -- a year-end rally that pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average past 12,000 for the first time.

Overflow Crowd Greets Edwards' Tour
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) - It was a crowd to warm any candidate's heart - even in a New Hampshire winter. Over a year ahead of the nation's first presidential primary, so many voters turned out Friday to hear Democratic hopeful John Edwards' call for a new spirit of American activism on problems ranging from poverty to global warming that hundreds were left standing outside in freezing temperatures.

Retired judges' opinions shunned
An appeals court considering whether Guantanamo Bay detainees have constitutional rights said yesterday that it will not accept arguments by seven retired federal judges who oppose a new U.S. anti-terrorism law.

A scoopful from the newly dead
You've got to hand it to Mortuary Bob. Nobody interviews the newly dead like he does.

Stocks Drop, Closing Out Record Year
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street slipped lower Friday, closing out a year that will be remembered for the stock market's great comeback — a year-end rally that pushed the Dow Jones industrials past 12,000 for the first time.

Katrina is a bipartisan boondoggle
G overnment sucks. It sucks billions of taxpayer dollars down the drain in the name of preventing disasters. It sucks billions more cleaning those disasters up when prevention fails. It sucks millions on top of the billions for investigations and recriminations. And then the cycle begins anew.

Inside the Beltway

Local/State

Soldier hoped to go to Iraq
He enlisted in National Guard with that goal
Donald and Judy Algrim still remember their son's first elevator ride. Wilson Algrim, then 8 years old and new to the United States, clung to the side. Wilson was rattled by the sudden movement, and his face expressed both joy and anguish.

Ford’s Last Journey

Ready to 'Light up the Night'
If you've ever wanted to see the historic McPherson mansion in downtown Howell from the inside, your wishes could come true Saturday night.

Controversial Proposal 2 will face three more appeals
City of Lansing, others fight to join prominent lawsuit challenging race preferences ban. The debate over Proposal 2 got even more intense Thursday as three more appeals headed to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

More tough times ahead
Experts say Michigan's jobless rate will grow in '07
This year was a somber one in Michigan, with only a few bright spots for businesses. And 2007 will bring more of the same, experts say.

Roundabouts had drivers buzzing
This summer, Livingston County became one of the few places in America with a "dual-roundabout" traffic configuration.

Plenty of downtown drama in '06
The downtown areas of Livingston County didn't disappoint in 2006 when it came to producing plenty of news. Art in both Brighton and Howell took center stage this year with public art gaining its share of supporters and opponents in Brighton, while the effort to renovate the Howell Opera House gained momentum heading into 2007.

Local nonprofit organizations step up in 2006

Livingston County's nonprofit organizations were crucial perhaps more than ever in 2006 — a year in which Michigan's economy continued to lag, claiming jobs and creating financial and other hardships for many.

Resident goes from sitting in audience to board table
Since he was appointed to the Oceola Township Board of Trustees in early November, Bob Henshaw is finding that it's different sitting behind the desk than in the audience.

Livingston Briefs

Nation/World

Officials: Saddam still under U.S. watch
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Saddam Hussein's half brothers visited him in his jail cell and he gave them his will and personal belongings, Iraqi officials said Friday, indicating his execution may be approaching. But they said he had yet to be transferred to Iraqi custody.

Saddam to hang, but confusion over how soon
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Senior Iraqi officials on Friday dismissed suggestions from Washington that they would hang Saddam Hussein this weekend and said some in cabinet were pushing for the execution to be put off for a month or more. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Senior Iraqi officials on Friday dismissed suggestions from Washington that they would hang

10 Taliban militants die in Afghan clash
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- Fugitive Taliban chief Mullah Omar pledged in a statement released Friday to drive foreign troops out of Afghanistan, as NATO and Afghan forces killed more than 10 of his fighters in the volatile south.

Thai insurgency targets Buddhists
BANGKOK -- Buddhists are fleeing their homes in southern Thailand in the face of an increasingly militant Muslim insurgency that has begun calling for an independent and pure Islamist nation in the impoverished region bordering Malaysia.

Obama joins '08 hopefuls in call against troop surge
Sen. Barack Obama yesterday joined a chorus of potential Democratic presidential candidates criticizing U.S. policy in Iraq, telling supporters he opposes sending more troops and urging them to send letters to persuade President Bush to change the course of the war.

Edwards confirms plan to run for White House
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards yesterday made his first public announcement that he will again seek his party's nomination for president.

Local/State

Howell soldier killed in Iraq
Judy Algrim remembered when her oldest son, Wilson, would play around the house as a child and pretend to be his favorite superhero.

(Brighton Twp) Soldier's funeral to be on Friday
Brighton-area family will receive visitors Thursday from 2 to 9 p.m. The funeral for a soldier from the Brighton area who was killed Dec. 19 in Iraq will be held Friday, with visitation on Thursday.

A State, A Nation, Mourn a President

Editorial: Ford Restored our Trust
When the nation needed healing, Gerald R. Ford was the skilled physician who restored its spirit.

Nude statue had tongues wagging
For several weeks in spring 2006, the bronze sculpture in front of Brighton's Mill Pond stood alone and unknown. Jay Holland's bronze sculpture, "Decision Pending," was just another one of the 28 sculptures in the Brighton Biennial, an outdoor sculpture exhibit.

Buddy Moorehouse: The right man at the right time
The first time I saw Gerald Ford in person was the spring of 1976. I was a sophomore in the Ypsilanti High School marching band, and we were invited to march in the Tulip Time Festival Parade in Holland, Mich.

Political jousting slows the wheels of justice

Lawmakers must end battle over judges. "We are exhausted, our staffs are weary and the public is not receiving the prompt administration of justice they have historically received.''

Livingston Briefs

New islands mucking up Thompson Lake
Land masses frustrating officials HOWELL -- Mysterious little muck islands are emerging in Thompson Lake, leaving local residents and officials scratching their heads about where they're coming from and what to do about them.

Feds Look for Fraud in Detroit City Lease
Audit shows $1.5M overbilling for building owned by political donor; his lawyer says city was repaid. DETROIT -- The U.S. Justice Department is investigating possible fraud in a building lease held by Detroit's Employment and Training Department after an audit identified $1.5 million in apparent overcharges, sources familiar with the investigation said.

Nation/World

Iraq prepares for rapid Saddam execution
Iraq was preparing for the rapid execution of former dictator Saddam Hussein, with the US-backed government eager to bring his chapter in the country's bloody history to an end. Iraq was preparing for the rapid execution of former dictator Saddam Hussein, with the US-backed government eager to bring his chapter in the country's bloody history to an end.

Ford to Lie in State in Capitol Rotunda
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a state funeral for the president who only wanted to be speaker of the House, Gerald R. Ford's casket will return to the Congress he served on his historic journey to an unelected presidency.

Ried to Miss Ford Funeral
WASHINGTON - Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will miss the state funeral for former President Gerald Ford at the Capitol Rotunda on Saturday night, opting instead to lead a delegation to South America with an expected stop at the Machu Picchu Inca ruins.

Schwarzenegger seeks $95M for green research
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed nearly $95 million in state spending on "clean" energy, biotech and nanotech research, the governor's office said on Wednesday.

John Edwards Joins Presidential Race
Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards is running for president for a second time, his campaign said Wednesday. Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards is running for president for a second time, his campaign said Wednesday.

Ford's integrity praised
President Bush and other lawmakers paid their respects to Gerald R. Ford yesterday, as plans were completed for several days of funeral services and memorials, which will include the late president's body lying in state at the U.S. Capitol on Sunday and Monday.

Islamic militias 'on run' near Mogadishu
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Somali and Ethiopian troops drove Islamic fighters out of the last major town before Mogadishu yesterday, and the government predicted that the capital and stronghold of the radical Islamists would fall without a fight.

Afghan air strike irks U.S. soldiers
Special-operations soldiers say that if the command in Afghanistan had listened to them four years ago, there would have been no need this month for a U.S. air strike that killed senior Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Osmani.

Local/State

Gerald Ford dies at 93
Gerald R. Ford, the nation's 38th president, has died. He was 93. "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Gerald Ford, our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather has passed away at 93 years of age," Betty Ford said in a brief statement issued from her husband's office in Rancho Mirage, Calif., yesterday. "His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country."

Bush Calls Ford 'A Great American'
President Bush issued a statement Tuesday night in response to the death of former President Ford: Laura and I are greatly saddened by the passing of former President Gerald R. Ford.

Ford Never Second-Guessed Nixon Pardon
WASHINGTON (AP) - The presidential pardon of Richard Nixon's Watergate misdeeds defined Gerald Ford's singular presidency. That's not exactly what Ford had hoped. He saw Nixon's pardon as the first step toward being elected to the presidency on the merits of his own work. And there was no way Ford could focus on the nation's business as long as Nixon's legal fate remained unresolved. A criminal trial could take years, and Nixon would not wait out that time quietly, Ford wrote in his autobiography.

Michigan lawmakers reflect on Ford's legacy
WASHINGTON -- Calling President Gerald Ford "a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country," President Bush was at the head of leaders from across the country and around the world expressing sadness at the passing of Michigan's greatest political luminary.

Det News Frontpage on Ford

Judge brokers back-room deal on civil rights
Michigan voters -- beware! Your vote only counts when the politicians and judges say it does.
Some six weeks after the election, a federal judge last week allowed the governor, attorney general and officials of three state universities to unilaterally delay implementation of Prop. 2 solely because they thought observing the official effective date of Dec. 22 would be "inconvenient and disruptive."

School districts should make voting easier
More Metro districts wisely drop May elections to save money
If school districts that hold May elections ask for additional money, that's a pretty sure sign they shouldn't get it.

Residents steamed over condos
By Jim Totten
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Residents still angry over project
Despite Brighton city officials spending numerous staff hours and holding informational meetings to resolve ongoing problems at the Northridge Hills No. 2 condo development, several residents walked away from a recent meeting boiling over with anger.

Housing slump was big news in 2006
Livingston County's housing market — like that of the entire state of Michigan — continued to falter in 2006.

Kids help peers change ways
Hartland students target bullying, mean behaviors
HARTLAND TOWNSHIP -- Every day, members of the Be the Change Club at Hartland's Ore Creek Middle School check nearly 30 suggestion boxes placed throughout the school. The students are looking for unsigned notes about instances of bullying, teasing, gossiping, pushing or other mean behavior that students want help addressing.

Officials eye free wireless Internet
Using Oakland County's plans as model, group is meeting monthly to lay groundwork for service.
Livingston County officials are working on a plan to offer free wireless Internet throughout the county.

Livingston Briefs

Nation/World
Saddam to be hanged within 30 days
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam Hussein's appeal yesterday and said the former dictator must be hanged within 30 days for his role in the 1982 slayings of 148 Shi'ite Muslims from a town where assassins tried to kill him.

Biden to fight troop surge
The incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday said he will try to block President Bush from sending an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq, calling it "the absolute wrong strategy."

AIDS program loses track of funds, results
Even Bush administration officials acknowledge it was a lot to expect all at once: rush billions of dollars of help into AIDS-stricken nations, demand quick results from U.S. contractors, and then expect those contractors to produce tidy progress reports

School's flag flap makes big news
A flap over flags at Howell High School caused ripples of discontent in the community for 18 months before finally ebbing in June.

Religious issues at forefront of big '06 stories
By Christopher Behnan
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Questions over the role of religion in schools and government were a recurring theme in Livingston County in 2006.

Candidate's past emerges in busy year for cops
By Lisa Roose-Church
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
A budding politician's shady past, a father accused of rape and torture, and a mother facing kidnapping charges were just three of the crime stories that made headlines in Livingston County in 2006.

Police witness share of lighter moments
By Lisa Roose-Church
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Local law enforcement officers oftentimes investigate the darker side of life in Livingston County — rapes, robberies, drugs and more.

Pulled book not an issue one year ago
By Lon Medd
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
A book that has made waves this school year due to its profanity and references to drugs and sex acts was used in a class during the 2005-2006 school year without any complaint, according to students and teachers at the high school.

District must enforce its policies
It is cause for concern that everyone is either asking for patience or is not commenting on this issue about the "The Freedom Writers Diary."

Memorable races yield 2 new judges
By Dan Meisler
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS
Two of the county's six judges retired in 2006, making way for one of the largest shifts on the Livingston County bench in decades.

NATION/WORLD
Troops mark Christmas in Green Zone
BAGHDAD -- U.S. forces celebrated Christmas yesterday by feasting on turkey, hugging Santa and singing carols, their enthusiasm tempered by the announcement of three more American deaths.

Obama More Pro-Choice Than NARAL

Sen. Barack Obama (D.-Ill.) portrays himself as a thoughtful Democrat who carefully considers both sides of controversial issues, but his radical stance on abortion puts him further left on that issue than even NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Democratic dropouts tip '08 race to left
The Democratic presidential lineup tilted more to the left when former Virginia governor Mark Warner and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh dropped out of the race for the 2008 nomination, party strategists say.

U.S. Is Holding Iranians Seized in Raids in Iraq
By JAMES GLANZ and SABRINA TAVERNISE
BAGHDAD, Dec. 24 — The American military is holding at least four Iranians in Iraq, including men the Bush administration called senior military officials, who were seized in a pair of raids late last week aimed at people suspected of conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces, according to senior Iraqi and American officials in Baghdad and Washington.

Bipartisan Effort to Draft Immigration Bill
By RACHEL L. SWARNS
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 — Counting on the support of the new Democratic majority in Congress, Democratic lawmakers and their Republican allies are working on measures that could place millions of illegal immigrants on a more direct path to citizenship than would a bill that the Senate passed in the spring.

Inside Politics
McCain's letter
Sen. John McCain has signed a letter for the Environmental Defense Action Fund, in which the Arizona Republican emphasizes the group's support for his bill that aims to place "the first-ever national cap on global warming pollution."

A sad time of year for the jihadists
These are tough times for the Islamists in our midst, forced to live in the dirty, rotten society they couldn't wait to get to. First there was Hannakuh, cheering the Zionists. Then came Christmas, lifting the spirits of the Crusaders. And now here comes Kwanzaa, thrilling in Swahili.

KCCI Poll Shows Vilsack 3rd Among Democratic Hopefuls
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Tom Vilsack campaign said it will get out the message that he is the best nominee for the party. But an exclusive new poll by KCCI-TV shows he has some work to do in his own state.

Last-minute gifts
Friday, December 22, 2006
Here are the top five last-minute holiday gifts, according to a 2005 survey by the Macerich Co., a regional mall management and development firm.

Project angers residents
Those affected in Howell Twp. could pay more than $1,000 annually in extra taxes. A massive water and sewer project that was initiated in 2004 is finally coming to fruition, and to many Howell Township residents affected by the improvement, the timing couldn't be worse. They voiced concerns at a recent public hearing and in letters to local officials.

Livingston Briefs

Christmas break options
Friday, December 22, 2006
Here are some ideas for things to do with the kids during the two-week holiday break from school.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Flex schedule for Parker High School
Friday, December 22, 2006
Starting next fall, juniors and seniors will have options for their required six courses each semester.

Howell law on rentals to get refinements
Council decides against mandatory inspections
City officials say Howell's proposed rental ordinance will undergo a few minor refinements - such as cleaning up typographical errors - before being presented for probable adoption in two weeks. The latest draft of the proposed set of rules governing rental housing was unveiled at this week's City Council meeting.

Career technology school to open
Facility to be self-contained at current Howell High
As Howell High School students prepare to make the move to the new Parker campus for the 2007-08 school year, a self-contained career technology school will open in a renovated wing of the current high school building.

Tyrone outgrows horses
Township insists seven horses on five-acre plot must go, but owner says state law is on her side.

Light Up the Night
Friday, December 22, 2006
• What: Fundraiser and celebration of the 125th anniversary of The Opera House.

Nation/World
Rice: Black president a real option, but not her
America is ready to elect a black president, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The nation's highest-ranking black government official, Miss Rice has said repeatedly she will not run for president, despite high popularity ratings and measurable support in opinion polls. "Yes, I think a black person can be elected president," Miss Rice said in an interview.

Ecuador's leader to oust U.S. from base
MANTA, Ecuador -- President-elect Rafael Correa has promised to oust the United States from an Ecuadoran air base in the coastal city of Manta as soon as an agreement expires in 2009.

Judge faults Iran in '96 bombing
A federal judge in Washington yesterday blamed the Iranian government for the deaths of 19 members of the U.S. Air Force in a 1996 terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia, allowing the victims' families to seek more than $260 million in compensation from the Islamic regime in Tehran.

Don't smear good soldiers
That element within our society that seeks always to paint America's Iraq experience with the darkest of brushes has seized upon the town of Haditha and what may have occurred there in the course of a desperate firefight ("Military charges troops with murder," Nation, yesterday).

Parker High problems make 2006 newsmakers
In the beginning of the year, it looked as if Parker High School would not open on time for the start of the 2007-2008 academic year.

Conway Township kids facing higher costs to compete in sports programs
While a possible exit from the Fowlerville Community Recreation program might save Conway Township some money, it's going to cost residents a lot more for their children to play sports.

Livingston Briefs

Tubaists take center stage
It won't be a silent night when tuba players from across Livingston County converge on downtown Howell on Saturday to perform Christmas carols in the city's first Tuba Christmas.

Holiday patrols boosted
After spikes in fatalities, accidents over New Year's, more county, state police will look for drunken drivers.
HOWELL -- Motorists can expect to see more police cars on Livingston County's roadways during the New Year's holiday.

Baby steps or sleepwalking?
You have to crawl before you can walk.
That could be the mantra of local Democrats as they review the November election results.

$1B state shortfall could hurt schools and cities
LANSING -- Michigan could face more than a $1 billion budget deficit combined over the next two years, triggering additional cutbacks that could again slam public schools, cities and universities.

Detroit: Race ban won't change its rules
DETROIT -- The state's largest city has no immediate plans to stop giving favor to businesses owned by minorities and women, despite the state ban on racial and gender preferences that begins Saturday.

Mich. population dips for 1st time since '80s
For the first time since 1983, census estimates released today reveal Michigan lost population this year as job-seekers sought paychecks across the country.
“Falling taxes are causing troubling deficits…” How about overspending and lost revenue from no jobs?

Passing the buck runs amok in Lansing
T he guv, in her inimitable "What, me decide?" way, says Michigan needs to choose between higher taxes and fewer services.

Delphi investors battle for control
WASHINGTON -- A hedge fund's rival refinancing offer Thursday for bankrupt Delphi Corp. appears to have thrown the Troy-based auto supplier's future up for grabs.

Chrysler presents fix-it plan
After meeting this week with DCX board, CEO LaSorda to unveil plan in mid-February.

Kerry Belittles Troops - Here's how they took it.

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