Traverse City Record-Eagle

Benzie sheriff: County owes me $250,000
Benzie Sheriff Robert Blank is suing the county board, alleging they won't pay him roughly $250,000 in past and future retirement benefits. Blank, 60, was elected sheriff in 2000 and isn't running for re-election this year. His five-count lawsuit, filed July 3 in Benzie Circuit Court, alleges the county owes him that amount under "contract, either express or implied."
Judge won't allow drilling in Mason Tract
Opponents of a plan to drill for natural gas beneath a wilderness area known as the Mason Tract are celebrating a federal judge's decision to block mineral exploration there.
Entire board of Sierra Club chapter resigns
The Sierra Club's 800-member northern Michigan chapter finds itself in limbo after its entire board resigned in protest over the national office's decision to align itself with a chemical company.
Week In Review: 07/13/2008
Great Lakes invader plan hotly debated
As foreign species such as quagga mussels and a killer fish virus continue assaulting the Great Lakes, federal policymakers are taking long-delayed steps to slam the door on other invaders. But critics say the Environmental Protection Agency's plan does too little to prevent exotics from slipping into the lakes and other U.S. waters aboard ballast tanks of oceangoing cargo ships -- their most commonly used passageway.
Four vie for appeals court seat
Four candidates hope to seize the moment by winning a spot on the Michigan Court of Appeals without the formidable obstacle of having to topple an incumbent.
Editorial: Candor, transparency helped Cherry Festival heal wounds
The issue: Menzel's Festival tenure; Our view: Style, substance made a difference
Letters to the Editor: 07/13/2008
15K discrimination; Deafening noise; Negative prediction; Costly entertainment; Great canoe race; Leave dogs at home; Cherries galore; The state of our society; Unbearable noise; Entertainment or reality?
Op-Ed: Compact weak on protecting groundwater
There is concern in some circles that the Great Lakes Compact, the anti-diversion pact sent to Congress last week after Michigan was the last state to approve it, might fail on Capitol Hill because thirsty states have more clout than the Lakes states. Lt. Gov. John Cherry, chairman of the Great Lakes Commission, is not in that circle -- especially if Congress votes before the next census costs Rust Belt states even more seats.
Op-Ed: Stem cells likely biggest issue in Nov.
The stage is set for an epic battle at the polls this November that may determine Michigan's future. And it doesn't involve a single candidate for office. But it might be this year's most important contest of all. Michigan voters are all but certain to be asked to amend the state constitution and the state's ban on embryonic stem cell research.
Festival of Races complete results
Complete results from the 2008 National Cherry Festival's Festival of Races.
Former Glen Lake star romps in 15K
Just like she did in high school, Marissa Treece had one goal when it came to the Cherry Festival 15K race. "I came out here to win," said the 19-year-old former Glen Lake standout. "My goal was to break an hour and I went through it in like 56:30 or something. I did what I set out to do."
5K makes it two wins in two weeks for Iott
If there's a women's running race next weekend and Allison Iott is entered, make plenty of room on the medal stand. Iott won the Cherry Festival 5K in her first attempt on Saturday by nearly a full minute.
Pine River grad pulls away in men's 15K
Alex Vanias showed off his potential to his future University of Detroit teammates Saturday. The 17-year-old, who just graduated from Pine River, pulled away to win the Cherry Festival 15K by nearly a minute.
Yazzie goes from spectator to men's 5K winner
Peer pressure. Andy Yazzie succumbed to it late Friday night. But he didn't mind Saturday morning. The former Calvin College runner won the Cherry Festival 5K, holding off former Suttons Bay standout Kevin Cataldo by two seconds.
Mike Eckert: Running well worth the price
What could possibly possess someone to get up at the crack of dawn and beat themselves to a sweaty, stumbling mess for the annual Festival of Races? And to top it off, pay $30 for the experience? I was asking those questions not that long ago. But times have changed.
Miners put end to Beach Bums' streak
Tyler Lairson had two hits and three RBIs to lead the Southern Illinois to a 6-2 victory over the Traverse City Beach Bums on Friday. The loss ended a franchise-record seven-game winning streak by TC.
Dave Richey: A fish-fighting option
Fighting and landing big fish is an acquired talent, and becoming skilled at doing so means doing it often. Two schools of thought exist: go with light line and play the fish to total exhaustion over a long period of time or fight the fish hard and fast, and release it alive and healthy. What follows can apply to fish caught from the Great Lakes, inland lakes or streams.
TC wins district, advances to states
The Traverse City All-Stars defeated Grayling 13-4 Saturday to capture the Little League district baseball championship for 12-year-olds.
Businessman Bill Kurtz retiring
He started as a small businessman in Traverse City, his inventory limited to a handful of Thomas organs he sold in the back of a downtown music shop. That was before Bill Kurtz served on multiple local government boards, ran for Congress and became embroiled in one of the area's hottest development disputes.
Changes to our Sunday Business section
Today's Record-Eagle's Sunday Business section in print includes several changes to make more financial information and analysis available to our readers, and significantly increase stock and mutual fund information available on the newspaper's Web site.
VW looks to South for next U.S. plant
If Volkswagen AG decides to build its U.S. assembly plant in the South, the German company will join other foreign automakers that are increasingly turning the region into a hotbed of car manufacturing.
Business Memoranda: 07/13/2008
Let's Get Together: Class reunions are easier, yet tougher, to organize
Imagine planning a party for hundreds of people, some of whom have been MIA for 20 years. That's the daunting task organizers of the Traverse City High School class of 1988 reunion face. Coordinating a class reunion can be tough, but planners who pull it off say getting reacquainted with old friends is worth the effort.
Northern People: Airman ready to hop in B-17
It will be deja vu all over again for Elson Spangler when he steps on board the "Yankee Lady," a restored B-17 bomber. It's been 63 years since the longtime summer resident of Beaver Island last flew in a B-17, but it will all come back to him at noon July 18 when he takes to the air in the vintage warplane.
Northern Notes: Artist inspired by subjects
Since 2003, artist Bill Hosner of the Petoskey/Boyne City area has set aside one day a month to travel to Children's Hospital of Detroit to spend the day drawing portraits of children who are patients at the hospital. He was inspired to start doing the portraits when he read a quote by Albert Schweitzer that read, "Do some thing, for someone, each day for which you do not get paid."
On Poetry: Rhythm washes up in waves
Here's a question for summer: When the tide goes in and out, when the waves wash up in rhythm, why is it that most contemporary poetry doesn't have a regular rhythm, doesn't rhyme and often doesn't tell a story? What's the pleasure in that? I've been asked this question a lot.
Ed Hungness: Island hopping, Michigan style
Before my wife and I settled in northern Michigan, we would visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore during our summer vacations. This region offers a wealth of things to see and do. We camped in the Platte River Campground and hiked many of the trails in and around the dunes area. Whether we were on Pierce Stocking Drive standing on the overlook or doing the dune climb, our eyes would always gaze out to the Manitou Islands.
The View From Sunnybank: Duckling delights
While washing dishes and humming a favorite tune, I heard a familiar, but muted, quack. From the kitchen window I saw Juliet Mallard strut confidently into the Fairy Garden, followed by five fluffy ducklings in a neat line behind her pert tail. (Visitors had inadvertently left the first gate open.) Padding over the lush Irish moss, she quack-commented on its softness, and then waddled to the Fairy Fountain.
Senior Calendar: 07/13/2008
Books Calendar: 07/13/2008
Deaths in the Region: 07/13/2008
The following is a list of deaths reported during the past week by funeral directors in the 13-county northwest Michigan region.
Births: 07/13/2008