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The Better Business Bureau has issued a warning about an internet scam that is trying to take advantage of the identity of slain Michigan soldier Byron Fouty. It works through the online classified Craig's list. An add appearing on the website says someone claiming to be Fouty's father Mick is trying to sell his son's BMW M6 for $2,800. The car has a Kelley Blue Book value of $80,000. The add reads: "this car will be my gift, my gift in the memory of my son. money not a problem, all I want is to find the right person. person...

Where the Fans Once Roared, Demolition Crews Now Have Their Day By NICK BUNKLEYNew York TimesJuly 19, 2008 DETROIT — The wake began as soon as bulldozers punched throughthe wall behind Section 501. All month, carfuls of mourners havebeen arriving steadily on an otherwise desolate street in theshadow of the 96-year-old ballpark. Most have digital cameras dangling from their wrists and a D, inOld English lettering, on their shirts. The more prepared pull step ladders from the backs of their vehicles; others climb ontothe roofs of their cars to peer over the eight-foot-tall fenceshrouding workers inside. Across Trumbull Avenue, Greg...

WARREN, Mich.--Speaking to a group of General Motors Corp. employees, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) promised to provide a $5,000 tax credit for Americans who buy electric-powered cars such as the future Chevy Volt and "other automobiles that put us on the path to energy independence," even as he suggested he might alter his climate plan to aid the auto industry.

<p>WARREN, Michigan (CNN) – John McCain on Thursday described Barack Obama’s Senate record as “more to the left” than Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont — an independent who caucuses with Democrats but has described himself as an “independent Democratic socialist.”</p>

An Action News investigation is raising questions tonight about whether Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pulled some strings to help a well-connected defendant avoid a trial. It’s a story of a preacher, a prostitute and the mayor—and some say it’s also more evidence of how some people accused of wrongdoing can seem to simply avoid facing the music in the city of Detroit these days under Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Everett was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Novi (Michigan) where he and the teen were to meet. He was wearing a T-shirt with the words, "Worlds Greatest Dad" on the front, when he was taken into custody.

An Ida (Michigan) Township woman who handled a college scholarship fund named in memory of a local soldier killed fighting in Iraq was convicted yesterday in Monroe County Circuit Court of stealing money from the account.

G.M. Suspends Dividend and Plans More Layoffs DETROIT — General Motors said Tuesday that it would reduce labor costs for salaried workers by 20 percent, eliminate its quarterly dividend and further reduce truck production to ensure that it has enough cash to finance its turnaround for at least two more years. The moves, which include selling at least $2 billion in assets and borrowing as much as $3 billion,... would stop providing health care coverage to salaried retirees at age 65...reduce its salaried work force and freeze base pay for salaried employees through 2009... executives will no longer receive discretionary...

Rick Wagoner just finished briefing the employees, here are a few highlights... Cut truck production by 300,000 units Next gen truck development suspended Retirees will lose health care at age 65, but pensions will get a bump to fund private health care, plus medicade/medicare kick in then All salaried employee merit increase and bonuses eliminated (inc. execs) through the end of 2009 Engineering levels to be at 2006-2007 levels, no new hiring + head count reductions No mention of salary decreases Buyouts, MSP (mutual separation packages) and "other separation strategies" will be rolled out. Investment in small engine development and...

Scott Romney, the older brother of John McCain’s former GOP rival Mitt Romney, will become a co-chairman of the McCain campaign in Michigan, CBSNews.com confirms.

Southfield (WWJ) -- General Motors is preparing to announce a major downsizing and restructuring moves Tuesday in response to falling U.S. sales. A statement from the company says Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner will discuss the changes at a news conference at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Before the news conference, Wagoner will address employees. The company released no further details.

Barack Obama has more than doubled his lead over John McCain to eight percentage points in the economic battleground state of Michigan, with much of his new support coming from voters who have moved away from the Republican hopeful. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds 47% of Michigan voters favoring Obama while 39% back McCain.

Michigan should be a layup for Barack Obama. The state's economy is in the doldrums, blue-collar auto workers are losing jobs and the state hasn't voted for a Republican in a presidential election since 1988. But recent polls show the race is closer than many expected... Among the factors that could help Sen. McCain are Sen. Obama's decision not to contest Michigan's mid-January primary...and critical comments he made last year about Detroit's auto makers. But perhaps the biggest boon to his efforts: the unpopularity of the state's Democratic governor, Jennifer Granholm. Gov. Granholm has an approval rating of 30%... Voters...

Could growing fresh vegetables help save crumbling inner cities around the world and tackle hunger? ___ That is the ambitious aim of a charity called Urban Farming, which has its headquarters in Detroit, the capital of the US's wilting car industry. The idea is very simple: turn wasteland into free vegetable gardens and feed the poor people who live nearby. Motown has lost more than a million residents since its heyday in the 1950s and it is common to see downtown residential streets with just a few houses left standing. Taja Sevelle saw the hundreds of hectares of vacant land...

I'm very saddened to learn of my friend, Tony Snow's passing from cancer, this morning. I've known Tony for more than two decades--since I was literally in junior high school, and he was an editorial writer for The Detroit News before it transformed into the Detroit Newsistan. At that time, the newspaper was actually worth reading, and under then-Editorial Page Editor Thomas Bray, Tony was a rising star as his deputy. Tony was not afraid to write very pro-Israel editorials in the face of rising Muslim and Arab whining in town. My dad introduced me to Tony's writing in the...

The Detroit campaign office of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama was targeted by thieves.

Obama's Liberal Shock Troops By JOHN FUND July 12, 2008 While he is a skilled candidate, Barack Obama's ability to surprise, stun and sweep over the vaunted Clinton Machine to capture the Democratic nomination was rooted in his background as a community organizer. He's now turning those skills to the general election. But liberals aren't just on the march on the presidential level. This year, liberal activists are spending parts of the fortunes of their wealthy donors to transform politics at the state and local level. In 2005, billionaire investor George Soros convened a group of 70 super-rich liberal donors...

In my last enduring image of Fanchon Stinger, she was flat on her back. It was last week and the perky FOX2 Morning co-anchor was tightening her abs on camera with a fitness expert, one of those fluffy, get-bikini-ready-for-summer feature segments that separate morning newscasts from the somber evening reports. Turns out the vision was symbolic, since Stinger is now truly down, and could be out. The most flamboyantly named news personality in our market has herself been stung: suspended indefinitely by Detroit's FOX affiliate due to her alleged association with developer Rayford Jackson, a central figure in the latest...

NEW YORK, July 10 (Reuters) - MasterCard Inc (MA.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the world's second-largest credit card network, will replace Ace Ltd (ACE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in the Standard & Poor's 500 .SPX, and will also replace General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in the S&P 100 index .OEX of major blue-chip companies, S&P said on Thursday. S&P said it is dropping Ace from its flagship index because the insurer is reincorporating in Switzerland, rendering it ineligible for including in S&P U.S. indexes. MasterCard shares have risen more than sixfold since the Purchase, New York-based company went public in...

Scott Rasmussen points to these striking results: Barack Obama said yesterday that "instead of worrying whether immigrants can learn English," Americans "need to make sure your child can speak Spanish." A national telephone survey conducted last month by Rasmussen Reports found that U.S. voters overwhelmingly disagree with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English... ... A reader noted this is among the pieces of information that voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and MIchigan need to hear before they make their decision in November.

A Michigan man is suing Zondervan Publishing and Thomas Nelson Publishing, claiming biblical references to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and $10 million from Thomas Nelson, The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press reported. He is representing himself in both claims. Fowler claims the Bible has made him an outcast and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment." "As frivolous as this case may sound, it's an indicator of where the homosexual agenda is headed," said...

McCain slammed economic adviser Phil Gramm for his “mental recession” and “nation of whiners” comment. He said he didn’t agree with him and even proposed a position in a McCain administration -- ambassador to Belarus, “though I’m not sure the citizens of Minsk would welcome that,” McCain said. “I don’t agree with Sen. Gramm,” McCain said at a news conference this afternoon. “I believe that the person here in Michigan who just lost their job, isn’t suffering from a ‘mental recession.’ The mother here who is trying to get enough money to feed her children, isn’t ‘whining.’” “Phil Gramm doesn’t...

A homosexual man is suing two major Christian publishers for violating his constitutional rights and causing emotional pain, because the Bible they publish refers to homosexuality as a sin. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, of Canton, Mich., is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Grand Rapids Press reported. Fowler filed his claim against Grand Rapids-based Zondervan Monday, alleging its Bibles' references to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and...

The Grand Rapids PressCASCADE TOWNSHIP -- A Canton man is suing Zondervan Publishing and a Tennessee-based publisher, claiming their versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin violate his constitutional rights and have caused him emotional pain and mental instability. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan, based in Cascade Township, and $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in the lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Fowler filed the suit against Zondervan on Monday, the same day U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr. refused to appoint an...

A homosexual man is suing a major Christian publisher for violating his constitutional rights and causing emotional pain, because its Bible versions refer to homosexuality as a sin. Bradley LaShawn Fowler, 39, of Canton, Mich., is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing in lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Grand Rapids Press reported. Fowler filed his claim against Grand Rapids-based Zondervan yesterday, alleging its Bibles' references to homosexuality as a sin have made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods...

Drawing the sharpest distinctions yet between himself and the man he hopes to replace, Sen. John McCain said Tuesday his presidency would focus on climate change issues, reducing federal spending, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center and eliminating torture by the U.S. government. In a meeting with the Tribune-Review's editorial board, McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, said "spending got out of control" under the Bush administration. He blamed Congress for pushing spending and the administration for failing to halt it.

Don’t blame a bird for the punch that the Northwest Airlines plane took in the nose on Sunday. Northwest is now examining the dented nose cone of a Boeing 757 jet that was damaged during a flight from Detroit to Tampa. Images snapped by passengers... show the front tip of the plane looking a bit like a beer cup smashed in after a football game. Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the F.A.A. in Atlanta, said pilots heard a bang when the plane was at 18,000 feet during its descent into Tampa. Its radar went out, prompting the crew to suspect...

Christian publisher Zondervan is facing a $60 million federal lawsuit filed by a man who claims he and other homosexuals have suffered based on what the suit claims is a misinterpretation of the Bible.

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) -- A frustrated gun shop owner in Ottawa County has been robbed again - the third time in three years. On the evening of the Fourth of July, or sometime the next morning, Felix's Gun Shop in Robinson Township was broken into, say authorities. Eighty-two guns were stolen - including handguns, antiques, military style rifles, and pellet guns.

Bruised by a deep sales slump and a half-century-low in its stock price, General Motors Corp. is preparing to cut thousands more white-collar jobs and is considering whether it should sell or shutter more of its brands, people familiar with the matter said. Both moves are part of a broader re-evaluation of GM's strategy and of its ability to meet an internal projection of returning to profitability in 2010, these people said. [Snip] The company currently sells vehicles under eight different brands, but most, including Buick, Saturn and Saab, struggle to attract buyers despite offering new models that cost GM...

John McCain finally got the memo about Michigan's eye-popping 8.5 percent unemployment rate and is returning to the Mitten State next week to talk about the economy. That's something I mentioned that he needed to do at his town hall on May 7. He also appears to be getting his campaign in order here after many supporters complained it was in disarray. But he's got ground to make up against Barack Obama's operation here and his lead in the polls.

Add Monica Conyers's name to that list of Dems run afoul of the law whose party affiliation the MSM fails to mention. The Detroit City Council President Pro Tem, a Democrat and an Obama supporter, has made unwelcome headlines before, from getting into an argument with an eight-grader to allegedly threatening to shoot an aide to the Detroit mayor. Now things have taken a turn for the worse. According to the Detroit News in an article today entitled Bribe probe ensnarls Conyers: "Federal investigators have electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers with...

Our reporting partners at the Detroit News are reporting that the FBI has electronic surveillance that links Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers to the Synagro scandal. The evidence reportedly proves that Conyers received either a payment or payments in connection with the city-approved sludge contract.

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An independent arm of the Republican National Committee plans to air its first political ad of the 2008 presidential campaign with a spot that contrasts the two candidates on energy issues. The group, which was set up by the national committee but is not limited by the same rules that govern the RNC's direct spending, plans a $3 million expenditure to run the television spots in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The ads will begin running on Sunday. The advertising program will be run by Brad Todd, a partner in an Alexandria, Va.-based firm called On Message, Inc. Todd had...

"When John Brookner died of liver cancer at the age of 66 in late May, he'd been living at the Grand Rapids Home For Veterans for 12 years. Up until the day before he died, Brookner didn't want his daughter to know his condition. Officials at the facility showed the paperwork documenting his wishes to 24 Hour News 8." Veteran dies, family notified 38 days later.Video at link.Sad story.Doesn't sound like the daughters kept in close touch with their Dad.

The mayor today denied any involvement in the Detroit City Council scandal involving a multimillion dollar waste contract before he has been accused of anything. Kilpatrick, through one of his lawyers, sent a letter to WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) Monday threatening to sue if the station aired reports saying the mayor was a proponent of a sludge recycling contract with Synagro Technologies Inc. "Mayor Kilpatrick had no involvement whatsoever in this contract,” Attorney Jim Parkman III wrote in the letter to WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) that was obtained today by the Free Press. “Mayor Kilpatrick has never been questioned by the FBI...

Sen. Barack Obama did patriotism yesterday, today it is faith and by the end of the day both speeches will have been done in back-to-back states that swing: Missouri and Ohio. The Obama campaign said the Illinois senator plans to go to Zanesville, located in eastern Ohio, to visit a church program that provides food and clothing assistance to those in need.

Waste Not, Want Not by: Deborah Lambert, June 30, 2008 There’s a new “academic endeavor” coming soon to a campus near you. It’s called “Waste Studies,” and according to Charlotte Allen in mindingthecampus.com, it’s not “the study of sewage systems or waste-processing plants.” Founded by Susan Signe Morrison, an English professor at Texas State University, San Marcos, the field of Waste Studies involves the way “societies are . . . structured around the control and regulation of excrement.” Not surprisingly, this new Marxist-inspired field of study was cooked up by the women’s studies movement. It seems that the dearth of...

Welcome to Dearborn, Mich., where politicians come to take the pulse of U.S. Muslim voters -- DEARBORN, MICH.–In a time before 9/11, this town – home to the nation's largest population of Arab Americans – was one of George W. Bush's stomping grounds. He spoke of the indignities of racial profiling and the use of secret evidence and the plight of Palestinians. And he appealed to the largely conservative nature of the population on issues such as abortion. That was 2000, and many Muslims here had Bush bumper stickers. Now, this Detroit suburb of 100,000 – often cited as a...

CAMP RAMADI — Hot wind swirled orange dust around idling Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles as 2nd Lt. Stephan Shuster, platoon leader, described the day’s mission to the combat-equipped force. The troops mounted their vehicles and headed for the heart of the provincial capital city of Ramadi. What might have been a hair-raising combat mission just a year ago is today a trip to securely deliver civil-military operations personnel to the Ministry of Health for a meeting with Iraqi officials. And the combat gear? Well, that is a precaution, not a preparation for battle. Shuster and other Soldiers from...

General Motors has been an American fixture for 111 years, but some warn that might be ending. The Michigan automaker faces tough obstacles ahead critical to its survival. Brian Williams raised the possibility of General Motors (NYSE:GM) going out of business on the June 26 “NBC Nightly News” to Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money.” “[J]im, I know you talk about this, think about this everyday for a living and have a formula regarding this,” Williams said. “But first, what’s going on out there? I heard one analyst today said, ‘GM will go out of business,’ though I know...

CASCADE TOWNSHIP -- GE Aviation today announced it will cut about 100 jobs at its Digital North America operations at plants in the Grand Rapids area, Clearwater, Fla., and Germantown, Md. Spokeswoman Jennifer Villarreal said about 95 of those positions will come from the Cascade Township location, formerly Smiths Aerospace, 3290 Patterson Ave. SE, which employs about 1,500. GE purchased Smiths last year. The job cuts are a cost cutting measure to keep the company competitive and "complete engineering design work for some of our large aerospace programs," according to a prepared statement.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Why is General Motors still in the Dow? GM (GM, Fortune 500) may still be the biggest of the Big Three. But it's getting more and more difficult to justify keeping GM in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an exclusive list of what's supposed to be the 30 leaders in the U.S. markets and economy. GM confirmed on Monday that it is looking into selling its Hummer brand of monstrously-sized vehicles. And in a major sign of desperation, it also announced that it would offer six-year, zero-percent loans for 2008 models until the end of June...

I was away for an afternoon of lunch and shooting at a gun range with a friend. It was fun, and I hit the target exactly where I was supposed to. The only thing I didn't like: they make you wait a second or two between shots. In case you were wondering, I used a 9mm Glock 19 model. Read analysis of the Glock 19. Glock 19

For More Americans, Retirement Can Wait By TED ROELOFS   Julie Johnson, 68, of Grand Rapids, Mich., has been helping a nonprofit to organize and fill new residential space for the homeless. (Photo by Emily Zoladz)     [Grand Rapids, MI] -- At age 68, Julie Johnson is something of a fixer for the Heartside neighborhood nonprofit housing agency in Grand Rapids, Mich. Give her a tough job, and she will find a way. "I like to get things done,'' said Johnson, a former community college administrator.As the American work force continues to gray, millions of workers are rewriting the...

FLINT, Mich. — Because he has moved so often, 9-year-old Richard Kennedy has already attended four different schools in Flint. In his mother’s latest rental house the other day, he described how it felt to enter an unfamiliar classroom. “My mind gets mixed up,” he said softly. “They’re always starting with different stuff than what I know.” He could only nod, tears welling up, when asked if it was hard to make new friends. The frequent dislocations may help explain why he is being held back in the fourth grade, and why his 11-year-old sister, who has attended eight different...

In an effort to cut costs, the partnership that oversees the joint business and advertising operations of the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News is seeking 150 volunteers to accept buyouts by July 18. The 150 positions represent about 7 percent of the total staff of the two publications and the partnership. The Detroit Media Partnership also will halt publication of the 11 Free Press weekly community sections and Twist, the Free Press Sunday supplement aimed at women, by early August, said Susie Ellwood, the partnership’s executive vice president and general manager. “The environment in which newspapers operate continues...

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. told dealers Monday it plans to raise prices on 2009 models by an average of 3.5% despite a tough market that is forcing the automaker to cut production and discount its 2008 models. Company officials said in conference calls to dealers that the increases will allow GM to recover only part of the rising cost of steel and other commodities and the cost of safety and other features on the new models. The increases will amount to about $1,000 per vehicle. GM already had increased the prices of its 2008 model year vehicles twice because...

Barack Obama succumbed to Muslim demands. It started at a campaign event that Obama held last Monday, at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. There have been very few news reports about this matter, but they all seem to point to a consistent turn of events. Before the event kicked-off, a campaign staffer (who apparently was female and black, should anybody care) approached two young men in the crowd and asked if they’d like to sit up on the platform, and appear behind Obama while he was speaking from the podium. As the two guys accepted the invitation, one of them asked...