The Lansing Hub has a cool Cinco de Mayo picture and the Freep explains a bit about the history of the holiday (but seems to be a little more focuse on the tequila).

Huron Explorer Totally Petroleum Free

The Alpena News reports that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel Huron Explorer, the first U.S. government research vessel to be completely petroleum free, will be returning with honors to its home base at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, one of the agencies under the NOAA umbrella, recently received an award for converting the Huron Explorer and two other vessels in its fleet over to environmentally-friendly fuels. In addition to utilizing 100% soybean oil B-100 for propulsion, the boat uses a canola oil blend for motor oil and rapeseed hydraulic oil for its deck crane, winches, and marine transmission gear.

Dennis Donahue, marine superintendent for GLERL said of the B-100 biodesiel "It's a renewable energy source ... It's a Michigan-grown product, and Michigan processed and used right here in Michigan as well."
Read Research vessel returning home as award winner in the Alpena News
Read NOAA RESEARCH VESSEL RECEIVES AWARD FOR VEGETARIAN DIET from NOAA News Online

Group to Work on Legislative Solution for Michigan's Energy Woes
The Freep reports that the Senate Technology and Energy Committee is forming a technical working group to come up with long-range legislative solutions to Michigan's energy crunch. While focused primarily on electric generation capacity, the group will also address related issues such as petroleum delivery, nuclear power options, renewable fuel alternatives and other concerns.
Read State launches next phase of energy plan in the Freep

Timeline of Detroit and the Detroit Free Press
In celebration of its 175th Anniversary, the Detroit Free Press has a great timeline from 1831 to the present that charts the growth of Detroit and the newspaper. In 1831, Detroit had a population of 2,300 (35th in the nation). The mayor was Marshall Chapin and Lewis Cass, John R. Williams and Joseph Campau were the power brokers. At its launch, the paper was called the Democratic Free Press and M
Read Evolution of a paper, city in the Freep

Bono Preaches Against Poverty

In 1981, U2 held a concert at Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids. He returned to the city to tout his ONE Campaign and to deliver an hourlong speech about the twin crisis of AIDS and poverty in Africa, which he likened to a preventable modern-day Holocaust, saying

"If you look at what happened in South Asia with the tsunami, you had 150,000 lives lost in an instant ... Well, in Africa, 150,000 lives are lost every month -- a tsunami every month. And it's not a natural disaster. It is a completely avoidable catastrophe."

Read Bono takes GR pulpit in the Grand Rapids Press
Visit the ONE Campaign

Employment Outlook for Michigan Graduates
Jack Lessenberry interviews Phil Gardner of Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University to find out what kind of jobs are out their for this years crop of college grads. Jack then muses about the wisdom of tattoos, email addresses contaqining Boopsie, Dominator, & Hotmama and the importance of getting a foot in the door before trying to change corporate culture.
Read/Listen to Interview: Phil Gardner from Michigan Radio
Also see The Job of Getting a Job