North-Star News

A $680,000 upgrade at Reed Park in Gratiot County's North Star Township is due to begin next month.

The temperature was in the 80s but that didn't stop the "Polar Express" from lumbering into Alma on Saturday.

The temperature was in the 80s but that didn't stop the "Polar Express" from lumbering into Alma on Saturday.

Summer is jazz festival season. Of course, the big daddy of them all is the four-day 29th annual Detroit International Jazz Festival on Labor Day weekend.

Dick Braman doesn't like parties. That's why family members had to tell a little white lie to get him to come to Thursday's annual Rural Urban Day celebration at Hidden Oaks Gold Course in St.

“We have to forgot about today and go back and hit the ball.”

The St. Clair County Community College softball team split a doubleheader Thursday with Henry Ford CC, winning the opener 5-0 before falling 2-0. Sophomore Kim Lackowski struck out six while surrendering three ... via The Times Herald

Reading up on laws and regulations covering the state's utilities is a lot of like trying to figure out how we finance public education -- the more you read, the more your shoulders shrug and your brow furrows ... via MichiganLiberal

FORUMS Help Saginaw get bang for its bucks COLE WATERMAN The fuses on the Fourth of July's fireworks are igniting Friday. via Saginaw News

Muskegon Commerce Bank Wednesday was hit by an apparent e-mail "phishing" scheme, which bank officials quickly assured customers was a phony attempt to derive information about their accounts. via Muskegon Chronicle

Spring is here, seriously folks. The thermometer is finally starting to creep over 40 - maybe even 50 on a good day - on a regular basis. via Model D

The Lambda Mu chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society at St. Clair County Community College was recognized as a top chapter during the 90th annual Phi Theta Kappa International Convention. via Times Herald

“They're getting $12,000 per student and Ypsilanti is getting less than $8,000”

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith appeared before the Ypsilanti Public Schools' Board of Education at last week's meeting to give a report of developments in education and educational funding at the state level. via Courier

“We speculate that because of the evening service, people who couldn't use the bus because they couldn't get home are now able to ride the bus both ways”

AAA Michigan reported the average price of a gallon of gasoline statewide was $3.26 in March, a full 23 cents higher than the month before and 75 cents higher than last year, but Jim Wilson, general manager of ... via Times Herald

“The difficult thing for the building is tracking the students that leave. You've got kids transferring in and transferring out. Some of those kids, frankly, you don't hear where they go”

Across the Blue Water Area, more than 90% of students are graduating from high school -- a nice number that may be about to plummet this year. via Times Herald

“It's time (again) that we put homeowners' needs over Lansing's needs”

How, in a severely-depressed housing market, can assessed property values and taxable values continue to rise? It's just more of Lansing's voodoo taxation. via Times Herald

“I've had a personal relationship with a lot of these artists, many since they first started”

Pearl's Music Store owner Walter Esaw has put one of Detroit's most dynamic selections of music well within reach of the people that matter the most to him. via The Michigan Citizen

The Michigan Department of Transportation has announced it will close Interstate 75 at Warren Avenue -- between I-94 and I-375 -- tonight, Wednesday and Thursday night for bridge deck removal. via Detroit News

Last week's column about the Department of Natural Resources confirming the recent discovery of a cougar track in the Upper Peninsula prompted dozens of e-mails and telephone calls from readers who weren't the ... via Detroit Free Press

“My birth certificate reads 'born in Port Huron, Michigan.”

A critic of striking American Axle workers struck a nerve. Our first two callers take exception to Self-employed's Sunday comments. via The Times Herald

“He (then) said, 'Well, I better move on before I get in trouble or get sued,'”

A hearing on the fate of Rockford District Court Judge Steven Servaas is under way today before the Judicial Tenure Commission. via MLive.com