News

By Scott Pohl, WKAR

EAST LANSING, MI – Michigan State University's "Be Spartan Green" environmental stewardship program has branched out from the usual "reduce, re-use, recycle" to include the fleet of vehicles owned by the school.

MSU has purchased 30 Ford Fusion hybrid cars. The sale makes the university Ford's biggest customer for the new hybrids outside of the federal government and commercial fleet customers.

WKAR's Scott Pohl reports.

By AP

LANSING, MI – Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has returned from an international trade trip with the announcement that a German battery technology company plans to search for a
manufacturing location on the west side of the state.

Granholm's office said Thursday fortu PowerCell soon will begin a site search pending approval of state and local tax incentives.

The company would build a battery pack manufacturing facility.

Granholm met with company officials during a 48-hour trade trip to Germany and Belgium this week.

By Scott Pohl, WKAR

LANSING, MI – LANSING, MI (WKAR) - One of Lansing's earliest and longest-serving television personalities...Martha Dixon...has died.

Starting in 1954, Dixon hosted the long-running local cooking show "Martha Dixon's Copper Kettle", a mainstay on WJIM Channel 6, now known as WLNS. The show also led to the 1963 publication of a popular cookbook bearing the same title.

Martha Dixon had been living in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was in her 90s. Other details, including funeral plans, are not yet known.

By WKAR

DAVENPORT, IA – The scheduled Wednesday night game between the Lansing Lugnuts and the Quad Cities River Bandits was postponed due to rain. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 7:00 p. m. tonight. The Lugnuts return home to Oldsmobile Park on Wednesday, July 15th, opening up a six-game homestand.

By AP

AUBURN HILLS, MI – The Detroit Pistons have signed Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, adding two free agents to a roster full of new faces.

Gordon and Villanueva joined the Pistons on Wednesday, the first day NBA teams could sign free agents, after agreeing to deals worth $55 million and $35 million, respectively.

Detroit went into the off-season with a lot of salary-cap space because Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson had expiring contracts.

By AP

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) - Rookie Lucas French outdueled Zack Greinke and the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Wednesday night.

French (1-0) beat Greinke in just his second career start, holding the Royals to one run and six hits in 6 1-3 innings. Three Tigers relievers finished, with Fernando Rodney pitching the ninth for his 19th save in as many tries.

Greinke (10-5) gave up three runs, all in the first two innings, and seven hits in six innings. He struck out nine and walked two.

By AP

LANSING, MI – Paul Piche failed to get language approved for a petition recalling Gov. Jennifer Granholm. But he plans to try again.

The Ingham County Election Commission voted 3-0 Wednesday to turn down the petition language, saying it wasn't sufficiently clear. Piche says he plans to refile a new petition with different language.

By AP

LANSING, MI – The city of Warren, hard-hit by auto industry downsizing, will be the site of President Barack Obama's visit to Michigan next Tuesday.

The White House released the information Wednesday. No additional details were given.

Obama has not visited the state since he held campaign rallies in East Lansing and Grand Rapids last October. He plans to hold a town hall-style meeting to talk to Michigan families about their concerns and his policies during his first Michigan stop as president.

By Sarah Hulett, Michigan Public Radio Network

DETROIT, MI – Local governments facing financial hardship could be required to have their books reviewed by the state - under legislation set for introduction in the state House.

AUDIO:
The state can already step in when a city faces financial trouble - as it has with Hamtramck, Highland Park, Flint and now Pontiac.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

EAST LANSING, MI – The Michigan Court of Appeals says a public agency is not immune from lawsuits when its employees use their authority to hurt someone.

By AP

LANSING, MI – Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox wants the state to create an independent office to investigate Medicaid fraud.

Cox on Wednesday backed bills being drafted by Republican lawmakers in the Michigan Legislature. The bills would create an office with powers to oversee and audit Medicaid systems and records separate from the state's Department of Community Health.

Cox says that would lead to better enforcement and discovery of fraud, potentially saving the state more than $100 million a year.

By Scott Pohl, WKAR

LANSING, MI – John Astin has been a star since he brought the character of Gomez Addams to life on the 60's TV show "The Addams Family."

His lengthy resume has branched off from the stage and screen to the classroom in recent years. He's on the faculty at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, helping shape the school's theater program.

Astin is in Lansing to perform in "Bluff" Wednesday night through July 26th at the BoarsHead Theatre.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

EAST LANSING, MI – AUDIO:
Attorney General Mike Cox is calling for the creation of a new, independent state agency to root out fraud and corruption in the Medicaid program.

The Republican attorney general and candidate for governor says six other states have named a Medicaid inspector general to search through Medicaid records to weed out abuse, fraud, and waste.

Michigan spends about a billion dollars a year on Medicaid.

By WKAR

LANSING, MI – The South Bend Silver Hawks beat the Lansing Lugnuts yesterday 5-3 at Oldsmobile Park. The Lugnuts next head out on the road for a three-game series at Quad Cities followed by a three-game set in Burlington. Tonight's game against the River Bandits starts at 8.

By AP

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) - A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Detroit and Avery Johnson have ended talks about filling the Pistons' head coaching vacancy.

The person, who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the talks were private, says the two sides could not agree on the length of a contract and the salary.

By AP

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) - Marcus Thames hit a three-run homer to power Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers to an 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Verlander (9-4) struck out 11 Tuesday night to run his AL-best total to 141, the most by a Detroit pitcher before the All-Star game in 37 years. He gave up five runs and seven hits over six innings.

Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco also homered for the Tigers.

Three relievers combined for two innings to set up Fernando Rodney's 18th save in 18 chances.

By Scott Pohl, WKAR

LANSING, MI – John Astin has been a star since he brought the character of Gomez Addams to life on the 60's TV show "The Addams Family."

His lengthy resume has branched off from the stage and screen to the classroom in recent years. He's on the faculty at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, helping shape the school's theater program.

Astin is in Lansing to perform in "Bluff" Wednesday night through July 26th at the BoarsHead Theatre.

By Kevin Lavery

Lansing, MI – About 100 postal workers will picket in downtown Jackson Wednesday to protest a proposal to move mail processing operations. The US Postal Service is considering moving automated machinery and personnel from Jackson to Lansing. It would also close the postal store in downtown Jackson. Anthony Donoho is the vice-president of the American Postal Worker Union Local 273. He says such a move would hurt every postal customer south of Interstate 94.

By Laura Weber

Lansing, MI – A report from the National Wildlife Federation says Michigan needs to maintain control of its wetlands program, or it will put 100,000 acres of inland wetlands at risk of being destroyed.

Governor Granholm proposed saving the state money by returning Michigan's wetlands protection responsibilities to the federal government. The Army Corps of Engineers can look after wetlands connected to the Great Lakes, but it does not look after inland wetlands.

By Rick Pluta

Lansing, MI – An out-of-court settlement has ended an almost-decade long fight between a water bottling company and a conservation group. The litigation concerned the Ice Mountain plant in Stanwood, about 45 miles north of Grand Rapids.