A porn purveyor dropped a lawsuit meant to force Garfield Township to accept his adult sexually orientated business near a church and residential neighborhood.

Layoffs may be imminent in Benzie County's Building Safety and Code Enforcement Department as the agency continues to lose money during the state's economic lull.

Officials called a program designed to pump life into downtown Manistee an "important step" toward a healthier city. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority chose Manistee for participation in its "Michigan Main Street" program.

Three northern Michigan counties now have five chief judges.

Gaylord Alpenfest schedule for Friday, July 18, 2008.

A man with seven prior drunken driving convictions faces new charges.

Wolverine Power Cooperative will hold a meeting to discuss its plans for an electrical substation in Elmwood Township.

A downstate man involved in a deadly Leelanau County traffic crash was bound over for trial on a negligent homicide charge.

A PowerPoint presentation posted on a Web site shows the Michigan Democratic Party and some unions are behind an effort to make sweeping changes to state government through a ballot proposal.

Michigan's K-12 public schools would get between $56 and $112 more per pupil next budget year and grants would be available to start smaller high schools under a proposal approved Thursday by the state Senate.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation to pull state funds and investments from companies that do business with Sudan and other nations accused of government-supported genocide or terrorism.

Detroit Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel says she has given a federal grand jury her file on a $47 million sludge recycling contract being investigated by the FBI.

The issue: Cheney, the Chinese and Cuba; Our view: He's a master of the 'Big Lie'

A great air show; Unsettling remarks; Let's hear it for lawyers! Dogs at the Open Space; Thoughtless and selfish; Militarism glorified

Back in 1998, Angela Ruggiero spoke to a high school class in Connecticut. One of the girls in that class is now her Olympic teammate. Ruggiero and Caitlin Cahow are two of four members of the United States women's hockey team in Traverse City this week, teaching a new wave of players.

Already the member of three Halls of Fame, Bob Lober will make it 'fore' next summer. Lober, former golf coach at Traverse City Central and current executive director of the Traverse City Junior Golf Association, will be inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame next summer.

As the fireworks exploded above Wuerfel Park on Wednesday night, two busy days of Frontier League All-Star Game activities came to a close. While nearly all of the events went well and reflected well on Traverse City, the Frontier League needs to make a few minor changes for the midseason contest to go from a three-run homer to a grand slam.

Traverse City's Randy Hutchison lost just one hole while winning two matches at the 83rd U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship on Thursday.

In a game dominated by pitchers, it was once again the big boppers that decided the outcome. When nine innings couldn't decide a winner in Wednesday's Frontier League All-Star Game, the contest was determined by a home-run hitting display for the fourth time in seven years.

The start of Wednesday's Frontier League All-Star game wasn't that unusual for Ryan Gehring. The Beach Bums left-handed pitcher took the mound in front of the Wuerfel Park crowd and delivered a strike down the middle. The only difference was the player receiving the pitch.

On May 9, I declared that America was being held hostage over high oil prices, and that drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was the ransom. Now two months have passed and the first concessions have been made by President Bush. Until this week, nothing had been offered by our government except more discussions.

Oil prices tumbled below $130 a barrel for the first time in more than a month Thursday, as crude's dramatic slide entered a third day accompanied by a sharp sell-off in natural gas.

General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to take what's happening on the road and enhance it, so aging drivers with vision problems are able to see a little more clearly.

Tricia Noss cringes a little when she thinks about the 22 movies she'll see at this year's Traverse City Film Festival. But she recovers quickly. She tried to limit her ticket-buying this year, but in the end couldn't narrow her choices by much.

It may be a presidential election year, but the yard signs and bumper stickers cropping up in Northport these days are for an even more rancorous contest: the Jets vs. the Sharks. The rival gangs of "West Side Story" will face off as part of the Northport Community Arts Center's performance series.

The Coal Miner's Daughter whose unlikely success story inspired an Oscar-winning movie and more than 50 Top 10 hit songs believes it's her authentic approach that keeps fans coming back for more. "I've always been pretty honest," said Loretta Lynn, the Kentucky-born country icon who will perform Saturday at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

The Dave Bennett Quartet is returning to Northport and bringing with it the sounds and style of Benny Goodman, a little rockabilly and comedy thrown in for good measure. The band is led by the 24-year-old swing jazz artist known for playing clarinet and dressing like Goodman.

In his career, jazz musician Jeff Haas has taken to the stage with many notable musicians including Marcus Belgrave, George Benson and scores of other renowned musicians. But on Monday, July 21, in a concert that aptly could steal its title from Haas' 1996 award-winning jazz album "L'Dor VaDor -- Generation to Generation," Haas will share the stage with some lesser-known musicians.

At Clancy's Kitchen in Interlochen, it's all about the potato. Vintage Mr. Potato Head dolls peer down from the shelves. Cartoon potatoes string their Web site. Potatoes for breakfast, potatoes for lunch, potatoes for dinner -- even potatoes for dessert.

Terri Haugen spent childhood summers hanging out at the store her mother managed. She started selling watercolor paintings when she was 10. Haugen's youngest daughter Kindra grew up in her mother's studio. She started selling her painted rocks when she was 5. The two have teamed up for an exhibit this weekend at the Leland Old Art Building.

A Chicago-based theater troupe returns for its fifth season of performing Shakespeare plays in the Elberta Waterfront Park this month.

Carmike Cinemas is bringing the closing performances of "Rent" and Cirque Du Soleil's "Delirium" to its big screens.