The Freep has 5 Reasons Pistons can win. Favorite: #3 When there are bad calls, the Palace fans can yell and scream and cry about the refs -- so Rasheed won't have to. He can try concentrating on basketball for a change. Go Pistons!

Nestle to Request Water Ruling Be Overturned
The Grand Rapids Press reports that today Nestle, owner of Ice Mountain, will ask the state appeals court to throw out a 2003 ruling by Judge Lawrence Root, who said the environment is at risk no matter how much water is pumped by Nestle. Gov. Granholm, business leaders and environmentalists will be watching this ruling as it will have profound impacts on the future of groundwater withdrawals.
Also see Granholm shoves after Legislature refuses to push for water laws and editorial from the Bay City Times

Flag Day, Every Day
June 14th is Flag Day, and the Lansing State Journal has a feature on Diane and Gary Durow who will display 50 to 100 extra American flags at their Okemos home. The Durows are willing to donate the flags to a museum or other institution that would display them and use them to help educate people about them.

Eye-Opening Crime Numbers for Downtown Detroit
Detroit Free Press columnist Tom Walsh reports on a new study from Wayne State that finds if you divide the number of downtown crimes by the number of downtown residents plus the number of commuters who work downtown, Detroit's crime rate is 26% lower than that of the United States and 21% lower than the state of Michigan's crime rate (and much safer than widely believed).

Wires Are Apparently Not Cool...
The State News reports that in an effort to land a state grant as part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Cool Cities Initiative, city officials are hoping that a proposal to add free wireless Internet "hot spots" in downtown will put them on the list to receive some extra cash.
Michigan's Cool Cities Initiative

UAW Tells GM Workers to Prepare for Insurance Hike
The Detroit News reports that United Auto Workers officials are telling hourly workers with General Motors to prepare to pay significantly more for health care coverage. GM has indicated it could take unilateral actions to reduce employee health care expenses, which will grow to $5.6 billion this year -- or $1,500 for every vehicle it makes.

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