...won't be up until this afternoon Monday. Sorry for the delay! Enjoy your weekend!

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Today's Freep has a Farewell letter to Hockeytown from Darren McCarty. McCarty, with the Red Wings for over 10 years, was cut loose yesterday.

Migrants, Growers Fear Deportation Wave
The Detroit Free Press has a feature on fears of deportation that are sweeping through migrant worker communities in a five-county area of northwest lower Michigan that produces a big chunk of the state's strawberries, cherries, wine grapes and peaches. Farmers are fearing that Homeland Security may be trumping the labor needs of the agriculture industry (who can't find teens willing to do the intense work).

UM Solar Car Wins Rayce
The U of M News Service reports that the University of Michigan solar car Team Momentum finished first in the 2500 mile North American Solar Challenge that ended yesterday at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
North American Solar Challenge Rayce site
Also see the Photo Gallery for a slew of pics
Tangentally related: University of Michigan study urges fuel economy as strategic priority for Big Three from Auto Industry

Port Oneida Fair
The Fair (held annually the 1st weekend of August, the 5th & 6th) in the Port Oneida District of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is billed as a celebration of rural arts & culture. It lives up to it with exhibits & demonstrations (blacksmithing, barn building, weaving, Civil War Re-enactors, and many more) as well music, dance and storytelling over two days at five farms.

Deep Sea Detectives Explores Great Lakes Shipwrecks
The Muskegon Chronicle reports that filmmakers from the History Channel's "Deep Sea Detectives" show are coming to Muskegon and Grand Haven today to shoot footage on the loss of two Coast Guard cutters in 1944 and the sinking of the car ferry S.S. Milwaukee and its 52 sailors 76 years ago. The program explores shipwrecks and the stories behind the sinking and will run a show on each.
Tri-Cities Museum of Grand Haven (extensive archive on the SS Milwaukee)
Deep Sea Detectives web site

Tahquamenon Falls Suffering from Drought Conditions
The Mining Journal reports that the upper Tahquamenon Falls in Luce county (a major UP tourist attraction) are flowing at a much lower rate than usual at this time of year, 215 cubic feet per second as compared to the normal 315. The drought has left center section of the falls is dry, exposing rock formations and the article has both present and spring pics of the falls (quite a drop-off).

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Nearly surreal photo by Michael Ejercito, taken in July of 2005 from a Mackinaw City, Michigan hotel room of a double rainbow. The second rainbow is faint, but if you click to see his others, there's on where both rainbows are clear.

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WZZM Grand Rapids reported on the excitement of West Michigan kids about yesterday's shuttle Discovery launch ... something we share!

The Wanderers Tells the Story of Michigan Migrants
Northern Express writer Anne Stanton has a pair of excellent features on Northern Michigan migrant workers that provide a look into lives of Michigan's 45,000-125,000 migrant laborers. Part 2 tells the story of a 16-year-old living in Suttons Bay. These are heartily recommended!
Part 1 of The Wanderers in the Express

Permanent Great Lakes Drilling Ban Close to Passage
The Lansing State Journal reports that congressional negotiators agreed Tuesday to permanently ban new drilling for oil or gas in the Great Lakes as part of comprehensive energy legislation that could receive final approval this week. The ban was proposed by Rep. Bart Stupak and would bar the federal government and any state government from granting new permits to drill under the lakes.

New Fund to Encourage Michigan Technology Companies
MITECHNEWS.com reports that the Venture Michigan Fund was signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm and experts say will soon pump $150 million into promising technology companies in Michigan, helping Michigan diversify away from heavy dependence on the auto industry and manufacturing.
Venture Michigan fund web site

Canadian Government Makes Edmund Fitzgerald Off Limits
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium reports that put of concerns for family of the crew, the Ontario government is making expeditions to the shipwreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald off-limits to divers. The ore carrier sank November 10th, 1975 off Whitefish Point and all 29 men aboard were lost.
More on the Edmund Fitzgerald from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Great Lakes Scuba Diving Resources from the GLIN

Many Michigan Kids Below Poverty Level
The Detroit News reports the disturbing figure that 1/3 of the children in Michigan don't live with a parent who has a steady job, according to a new report released as state lawmakers consider limiting assistance and health benefits available to poor families. One in every six children in Michigan lived with a family earning below the poverty level and over 100,000 in a home where no adult works.
Kids Count web site

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Be sure to read The Passenger Pigeon in Michigan from Michigan History Magazine.

Mini-obit of the day: Michigan J. Frog, icon of WB has apparently met a tragic end.

Nickel Mine Generating Controversy
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium has an excellent radio feature on the controversy surrounding a proposed nickel mine near the shores of Lake Superior, north of Marquette, near Big Bay. Also includes a link to The Science of Acid Mine Drainage and Passive Treatment.

Headed for the Huckleberry Woods
The Traverse City Record-Eagle has a nice feature by outdoor writer Bruce Bischoff about the pursuit of huckleberries (wild blueberries). It's an engaging read and talks about how (in days gone by) some folks depended on wild berry picking for income and gives an idea of what the experience was like.

Michigan Counties Experiment with Soybean Fuel
The Lansing State Journal reports that under grants from the Frankenmuth-based Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Eaton, Ionia and five other counties will experiment with use of cleaner-burning biodiesel fuel during the next year. The committee will give each road commission up to $10,000 this year to cover the cost difference between biodiesel and petroleum diesel. If successful, the program would create an additional market for Michigan-grown soybeans.
Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee web site

Republican Rep Rejects Call for Film Fest Boycott
Detroit News columnist George Weeks writes that although Michael Moore, helped raise money for his Democratic opponent, freshman Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer has rejected calls by fellow conservatives for a boycott of the Moore-organized five-day Traverse City Film Festival that starts tomorrow. Elsenheimer noted that tourism is the life blood of his area and recommended leaving politics for elections.
Also see What AFR objects to in the Traverse City Record-Eagle
Traverse City Film Festival web site

The UP's Wooden Cannon Maker
The Mining Journal has a feature on Marquette/Big Bay area cannon maker David Niven. Niven claims his Superior Cannon Company is the only one in the world making wooden cannons that are functional. The cannons cost anywhere from $300 to $20,000 and Niven estimates he can complete a cannon in about a month.

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One of your better uses of a vanity plate...

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Detroit News columnist Jerry Green writes that in addition to Sanders' ice cream, Vernor's ginger ale, the redbrick building that housed the J.L. Hudson Co. and the Packard plant, The ziggy is something uniquely Detroit's. Freep columnist Susan Tompor suggests ways that you can tackle big tuition increases.

Exotic Fishery? Sharp Will Take the Original
Eric Sharp had a great column in Saturday's Detroit Free Press says that if he could wave a magic wand and rid the Great Lakes of every exotic salmon, steelhead and brown trout, he'd do it "in a Grayling minute". He then goes on to describe the amazing fishery that was the Great Lakes in the 1800s: huge lake trout and brook trout, countless walleyes, massive sturgeon and enormous northern pike and muskellunge and the extinct grayling. Heartily recommended as it describes how and why many of the first exotics came to the Lakes.

Muskegon Dive Park Proponents Keep Trying
The Muskegon Chronicle has an in-depth feature on the efforts of the West Michigan Artificial Reef Society the create the Muskegon Area Underwater Dive Park. They have been rejected twice in attempts to secure a permit to intentionally sink a surplus federal ship in about 80 feet of water in Lake Michigan west of Laketon Township. Advocates say that the park would boost tourism & not impact fisheries, but the DEQ is not buying that.

News that Probably Isn't: Summer 2005 is Hot
The Lansing State Journal reports on something you are no doubt aware of, 2005 is one hot summer. In fact, it's the third-warmest summer in 140 years in the capital city and the hottest since 1949. The mean temperature from June 1 - July 15 has been 72 degrees (66.7 last year) and 8 days have hit 90 degrees or higher.

Heat Impacting Workplace Fashion
Continuing the "dang it's hot" theme, the Detroit Free Press reports that in addition to flip-flops, other fashion choices are causing a stir in Michigan workplaces and articles suggestions for beating the heat without raising a fuss.

Weather, Camper Prices Driving Sales
WMMT Kalamazoo reports that hot summer weather, more affordable trailers and hectic lives are helping sell more pop-up campers this summer. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources says camping is up about 4% at Michigan state parks this year and sales of daily and annual state park vehicle permits are up about 10%.

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