It’s Fieger time

Geoffrey Fieger and his law partner Ven R. Johnson announced Tuesday that they will represent the family of 15-year-old Brett Elder who died shortly after police used a taser to subdue him. Amnesty International, an outspoken critic of Tasers, said that Elder’s incident illustrates the dangers of the weapon.

Bay City police answered a disturbance call about 3:40 a.m. Sunday and said an officer used a Taser on Brett Elder after he tried to fight with them. An autopsy was conducted on Monday, but a cause of death has not yet been determined.

Attorney Fieger to Represent Family of Tasered Teen – WWJ 950

Reduce, Reuse, Renegotiate

“Monday night, Midland Public Services Director Karen Murphy told council members that Republic Services, Inc., which holds the city’s recycling contract through June 2010, has requested to renegotiate its rates upward, citing a recent downturn in pricing and movement of recyclable commodities.

Murphy quoted the current annual cost to the city for twice-monthly curbside recycling at $243,567. Republic Services has offered to (1) continue the same service at a new annual rate of $405,000; or (2) reduce service to a monthly pickup at an annual rate of $299,700.”

How the hell does their cost of doing business go up 66%???  And why would the City let them renegotiate rates if they already signed a contact through 2010??  Tell them to get lost.

Should City drop recycling program? – MDN

Great comment post by one reader:

” How about trying the age-old tradition of actually HONORING the contract that you signed. If the contract runs through June 2010, then Republic should honor it through then rather than try to force the city to renegotiate.

If they choose not to renew, so be it. Midland can find someone else willing to haul or garbage/recycling. In a state with 12% unemployment, i know of a few people that would be happy to earn the wage paid out to sanitation workers.

I’m so sick of all of these companies trying to opt out of contracts and holding local governments hostage as a result. A contract is apontract and should be honored by all parties, period. “

Death of print media climbs north

“Several Booth and MLive.com affiliate newspapers today announced major changes, including the closing of The Ann Arbor News and fewer days of print publication for The Flint Journal, The Saginaw News and The Bay City Times.

The Grand Rapids Press, Kalamazoo Gazette and The Muskegon Chronicle will remain seven-day publications, but will implement reduced wage and benefit packages for current employees.

The Ann Arbor News will close in July and will be replaced by a Web-based, media company.”

Such is a sign of the times.  The MDN’s coverage points out that they are not a Booth newspaper, but if you’ve noticed your new “mini-paper” or just have any common sense, you’ll probably realize that this trend will continue.

Mlive.com

Is this our new economic advisor?

Can we leave the yoga instructing to the hippies and the economics to the economists?

“Andrew Criswell, 47, never really took an interest in politics until recently. “We are in a state of crisis,” said Criswell. “Now is the time for me to speak out and make my opinion known.” Criswell, who currently works as a yoga instructor in Midland, spent nearly 20 years in the manufacturing industry.”

Thanks for the insight.

Buy American! – MDN

What the hell is the Great Lakes Bay Region?

This is possibly the stupidest thing I have ever even heard of.  Who is behing trying to re-name the tri-cities the GLBR?  How does that tell anyone where we are located geographically? 

According to Wikipedia, there are 22 bays in the Great Lakes including Green Bay, Grand Traverse Bay, Thunder Bay, etc.  Apparently everyone is supposed to assume that the GLBR obviously means the Saginaw Bay. 

The next time someone asks where you’re from and you say “The Great Lakes Bay Region” instead of Mid-Michigan or the Tri-Cities,  let me know how that works out for ya.

 “Where innovation flows.”