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Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 4

Location:
Detroit, Michigan
Issue Date:
Page:
4
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

4A SUNDAY, AUG. 20. 2006 DETROIT FREE PRESS WWW.FREEP.COM MICHIGAN CAPITOL BRIEFS fFHft uniTi "rin iinrsii lOfj aUJciu i isiVrjif diiiih driven the Seney Stretch DtTAlL Internet search on the Seney Stretch and you will find descriptions such as extremely monotonous, dreaded boredom, desolate swampland and worst stretch of road in the country. IS IT REALLY THAT BAD? One good thing you can see cars coming from a long distance so it is easy to pass slowpokes in front of you. By Steve Spalding Cot an idea for "You haven't lived here E-mail it to livedhere freepress.com touching the wheel.

IS IT AT LEAST SCENIC? To be charitable, it's not as nice as the rest of the UP. In "A Place on the Water: An Angler's Reflection on Home," Jerry Dennis called it "23 miles of straight-as-an-arrow highway through a monotonously uniform region of wetlands and tamarack stands." THEN WHY SHOULD I DRIVE IT? So you can say you did. For such a boring road, everyone has something to say about it. Do an WHAT IS IT? As one traveler on an AOL travel site put it, the Seney Stretch is "the world's straightest and most boring stretch of road known to mankind." WHERE IS IT? The Stretch is the two-lane M-28 between Seney and Shin-gleton in the central eastern Upper Peninsula. It's about 23 miles long, though others claim it's 50 miles, only because it seems longer.

WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE? The Stretch has no turns, STABENOW AD Re-election bid is on the airwaves Michigan's U.S. Senate race shifted into a higher gear Thursday as incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow aired her first TV campaign ad. Stabenow portrays herself as fighting for Michigan in the 30-second ad. The first-term senator says she wants to crack down on countries that violate trade laws, is fighting to reduce health care costs and wants to invest in education. "Times are tough in Michigan, but so are we," Stabenow says at the beginning of the ad.

The ad buy cost about $467,000, enabling the ad to run through Aug. 27, the Stabenow campaign said. The ad is being shown on broadcast and cable channels in Detroit, Lansing, Flint, Grand Rapids and Traverse City. Stabenow faces Republican Mike Bouchard in the November election. Bouchard, the Oakland County sheriff, aired commercials during his successful primary campaign that continue to run.

STATE BUDGET Granholm signs last of the state budget bills Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed the last of the major bills setting up the state government budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The bill signings, announced Wednesday, cover several state departments including the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality and the Michigan State Police. The Natural Resources budget includes nearly $45 Lake Superior Munisingrt-cS, -BVfl fZ'V II Shingleton (28 Marie 1 25 miles "v.W 1 Michigan Litxiie 1.

MARTHA THIERRYDetroit Free Pres bends or twists. It's also flat as can be. If there were cruise control for steering, you could drive the Stretch without i Jt I 7 At home or at work. million for management of the state's forests; the DEQ budget includes $40 million for water quality programs and more than $21 million for environmental cleanup and redevelopment. The state police budget includes about $2.5 million for a 50-member trooper recruit school.

Granholm had already signed other budget bills that provide more funding for public schools, universities and community colleges next fiscal year. BALLOT PROPOSALS Measures on spending, funding may be in conflict Two measures likely to appear before voters on the November ballot might be headed for a collision. One restricts state spending. The other requires more state money for schools. The conflict became more apparent Wednesday when the state elections board listened to a debate over the proposed wording for the ballot issues and their potential costs.

One proposal would automatically give school districts, universities and community colleges enough money each year to at least cover inflation. Another would limit overall state spending to a combination of inflation plus population growth. That measure has not been certified for the Nov. 7 ballot, though supporters say they turned in more than the 317,757 needed. The elections board will meet later this month and in early September to vote on ballot language crafted by state elections director Chris Thomas.

Compiled from the Associated Press Court to 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person younger than 16. Prosecutors say Findlay had sexual contact with male students from Ricker Middle School in Buena Vista Township from November 2004 to March 2005. PRUDENVILLE Man run over after son starts engine A truck driver died in a parking lot in Ontario, near the Idaho border when his 13-year-old son started the engine to start the air conditioning and the vehicle rolled backward, police said. The boy apparently did not know that his father, Fran-klyn Morey Pugh, 64, of Pru-denville was working beneath the truck when he turned on the engine Wednesday morning, Police Chief Mike Kee told the Idaho Statesman. The truck contained a full load of steel when the back wheels of the cab rolled onto Pugh at the truck stop.

When emergency crews arrived at the scene moments later, Pugh was still partly pinned beneath the wheels. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Compiled from the Associated Press SHE SAID IT "I said, 'Look, we're planning a funeral. We're not planning a It's frustrating. We're hitting a wall." MICHELE PERRIN, the stepmother of Carla Ringleka, who is in prison for second-degree murder.

Ringleka, 56, is dying of cancer in her liver, lungs and spine, and her family in Comstock Park is urging the state to release her from prison. AROUND THE STATE Vs -is" ai -A 1 '-3-1' S3 A MAXSAVER'M 4 APY APY 4.75 3.80 1.00 PREMIUM ACCOU NT BUSINESS PREMIUM MONEY MARKET A75 ZsSBSg a BALANCE 7K WAPY BALANCE APY $50,000 and above $10,000 to $49,999 $0 to $9,999 4.75 3.80 1.00 $50,000 and above $10,000 to $49,999 $0 to $9,999 GRAND MARAIS Boy killed in tunnel collapse Authorities at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore have released the name of an 11-year-old boy who was killed when a sand tunnel collapsed near Grand Marais. Lloyd Andrew Kopack of Oak Park was playing Tuesday and became trapped after a tunnel he helped dig collapsed and buried him, park rangers said. Preliminary information about the incident shows the boy was buried in 1 to 2 feet of sand for more than 20 minutes before bystanders dug him out, the Mining Journal of Marquette reported. He was declared dead later that night.

SAGINAW Ex-band teacher gets 7 to 25 years in sex cases A former middle school band teacher who admitted that she had sexual contact with six male students was sentenced Thursday to seven to 25 years in prison. Laura L. Findlay, 32, pleaded guilty under an agreement with prosecutors last month in Saginaw County Circuit Take advantage of our everyday great rates for yourself or for your business. At home or at work, your success is our success. Fifth Third Bank Working Hard To Be The Only Bank You'll Ever Need! WALK IN Over 85 Southeastern Michigan locations CALL 1-877-579-5353 I VISITwww.53.com Annual Rentage Yield (APYj accurate i as of 081006 Closed account will be charged a $50 Must have a Fifth Third Business Checking and Business Rewards Mastercard.

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