Be sure to check out our new guide to Michigan events, entertainment, restaurants and activities: Off the Couch, Michigan.

Nestle Files Suit Against State of Michigan
The AP (via the Detroit News) reports that Nestle Waters North America Inc. (bottlers of Ice Mountain) filed a complaint in Ingham County Circuit Court and a federal lawsuit in Grand Rapids, contesting a requirement that water from the city of Evart be sold only within the Great Lakes basin. Federal law allows the governor of any Great Lakes state to veto water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin -- which includes all of Michigan and portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
Nestle Waters

Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation

Granholm Job, Bond Plan Cut in Half by Senate
The Detroit News reports that Gov. Granholm's plan to sell $2 billion in bonds over 10 years to foster growth in areas such as automotive manufacturing, alternative energy, life sciences and homeland security technology has been cut in half by the Michigan Senate.

St. Clair Farmland Preservation Seeking a Farm
The Port Huron Times-Herald reports that the county Agricultural Preservation Board will seel to identify the first project for a program to preserve farmland in St. Clair County in late summer or early fall. St. Clair County has lost 10% of its farmland since 1990 and the program would pay farmers the difference between the agricultural value of the land and the developed value.

2005 Miss Michigan - Octavia Reese
The Detroit Free Press reports that Octavia Reese, a 22-year-old Detroit native and Hope College graduate, was crowned Miss Michigan on Saturday. In addition to winning the right to represent Michigan in the Miss America contest in the fall, Reese won a $7,000 cash scholarship.
Miss Michigan web site

Rip Current Advisories to Be Posted
The Detroit Free Press reports that the National Weather Service plans to start issuing rip current warnings for lakes Michigan and Huron using a model that calculates such factors as wind speed, wave height and time between waves. State parks along the shores are expected to take the forecasts into account when they post warning flags.
Grand Rapids National Weather Service web site

Read More (external link) »