News

By AP

DETROIT – DETROIT (AP) Brandon Inge hit a three-run homer and Justin Verlander pitched into the eighth inning to help the Detroit Tigers sweep the Milwaukee Brewers with a 3-2 win Sunday.

Verlander (8-3), who no-hit the Brewers in his only other start against them, allowed two runs on five hits in 7 2-3 innings. He struck out eight while improving to 8-1 since April 27. Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 14th straight save.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – State lawmakers say struggling urban areas without grocery stores will have a hard time ever being revitalized. The state House Urban Policy Committee met Friday to hear testimony on the important role of supermarkets in cities.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

EAST LANSING, MI – Michigan still has the nation's highest jobless rate.

Michigan's unemployment rate in May was 14.1%. The US Department of Labor's ranking of states says that was the again the highest jobless rate in the U-S. It's a distinction Michigan's held for 25 of the past 26 months.

By AP

LANSING, MI – The developers of a nearly completed Michigan State Police headquarters aren't happy about lawmakers'efforts to back out of the deal.

The building's private owners said Friday it sends a "terrible message to anyone doing business with this state."

The Senate on Thursday passed a version of next year's state police budget that does not include the more than $3 million needed to pay rent on the building. Some lawmakers say that's all the state has to do to avoid moving into the $40 million building in January.

By Scott Pohl, WKAR

EAST LANSING, MI – It will cost more to attend Michigan State University next year, and the year after that.

AUDIO: MSU Trustees today approved a two-year budget plan calling for tuition hikes of 5.2% this fall, and another 4.9% the following year.

Officials say getting federal stimulus money could lower that figure to 2.5% to 3% this fall for resident undergrads. The plan includes a 10% budget cut over those two years.

By Mark Bashore, WKAR News

(Lansing, MI) – About 900 laid-off Lansing autoworkers will be returning to work in August.

Spokeswoman Heidi Magyar says strong sales of GM's three Lansing-made crossover vehicles prompted the return of the second shift to the Delta Township plant.

"Comparing May total sales with January total sales, the three products have increased more than 60 percent," Magyar says. "So, from looking at that perspective, for the strong sales, that's what we're looking at in the market."

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – Today is a holiday for 37,400 state employees. It's the first of six unpaid furlough days they'll take this summer to help balance the budget. The day off means more than a day of lost pay for state workers. It's also a day of lost income for the businesses that serve them coffee and lunches, and sell them office supplies.

By AP

LAS VEGAS – LAS VEGAS (AP) - Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom and Marian Hossa of the Red Wings have been named to the NHL All-Star second team.

Datsyuk also went home from last night's ceremony with his fourth straight Lady Byng Award honoring hockey's most gentlemanly player. He drew only 22 penalty minutes in 81 games.

Datsyuk also claimed his second consecutive Selke Award presented to the league's top defensive forward. He ranked second in the NHL with 89 takeaways and is considered one of the league's best two-way forwards.

By Melissa Ingells, WKAR News

MIDLAND, MI – MIDLAND, MI (WKAR) - The Lansing Lugnuts fell to the Great Lakes Loons 6-1 in the opener to a four-game series yesterday. The Lugnuts and Loons play the second game in the series tonight at 7:05 p.m.

By AP

ST. LOUIS – ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Tigers return home to open a three-game weekend series against the Milwaukee Brewers starting tonight.

Rookie Rick Porcello won for the seventh time in nine starts and Detroit shook off an offensive drought with a four-run first inning, beating St. Louis 6-3 last night.

By AP

DETROIT, MI – The FBI says DNA testing has confirmed that a 54-year-old Michigan man is not a toddler kidnapped in Long Island, N.Y., in 1955.

The FBI said Thursday that testing showed John Barnes of Kalkaska, Mich., is not Stephen Damman, who disappeared at age 2 from outside an East Meadow bakery while his mother shopped.

By AP

LANSING, MI – Michigan State Police troopers will vote over the next week on whether to sacrifice some of their own pay in order to at least temporarily avoid the layoffs of 100 troopers.

The troopers' union said Thursday it will send out ballots to its members to decide whether they will accept unpaid furlough time in exchange for keeping the 100 troopers on the road until Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Each trooper would give up nearly 37 hours of pay over a six-week period, or about six hours of pay each week.

By Mark Bashore, WKAR News

By AP

LANSING, MI – A state senator is introducing legislation that would provide some oversight for embryonic stem cell research in Michigan.

It's the first major legislative effort to address a measure approved by Michigan voters in 2008. Proposal 2 loosened the state's restrictions on the research by allowing people to donate embryos left over from fertility treatments.

Republican Sen. Tom George of Kalamazoo County's Texas Township says Thursday the bills headed to the state Legislature are not an effort to undo Proposal 2.

By AP

WASHINGTON – NASA will try to head back to the moon this afternoon.

The unmanned rocket launch marks the first such mission in a decade.

The space agency announced plans for the launch yesterday after deciding to postpone a space shuttle mission because of a hydrogen gas leak. The timing for the moon mission couldn't be set until NASA knew whether the shuttle plans would go forward.

By AP

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Opera Grand Rapids is building a $2.25 million facility to house rehearsals, offices, special events and small performances.

A groundbreaking was scheduled for Wednesday for the 14,000-square-foot Betty Van Andel Opera Center. It also will have room for costume and property storage, educational activities and a costume shop.

By AP

UNDATED – UNDATED (AP) - General Motors has met with teams in NASCAR's top-tier Sprint Cup series about its plans to scale back financial support.

GM already has notified teams in the lower-tier Nationwide and Camping World Truck series of cutbacks. The automaker is reorganizing through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and said last week it planned to make cuts across all of NASCAR's series.

Chevrolet spokesman Terry Rhadigan wouldn't provide details of the cuts.

By AP

ARLINGTON, TX – Ivan Rodriguez has caught his 2,227th game, more than any other major leaguer.

The former Detroit Tiger set the record last night against Texas. Now with the Houston Astros, Rodriguez tied Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk in Tuesday night's opener of an interleague series with the Rangers.

Rodriguez was 19 when Texas promoted him to the majors midway through the 1991 season. In 12 seasons with the Rangers, he won an AL MVP award, 10 Gold Gloves and was a 10-time All-Star.

By Melissa Ingells, WKAR News

DAYTON, OH – The Lansing Lugnuts beat the host Dayton Dragons 12-7 last night at Fifth Third Field. Lansing finishes off the first half of the 2009 Midwest League season with a four-game series in Midland, Michigan, against the Great Lakes Loons, starting tonight.

By AP

ST. LOUIS – he Tigers will try to snap a four-game losing streak when they wrap up a three-game interleague series against the Cardinals tonight in St. Louis.

Rookie Colby Rasmus had three hits and two RBIs to pace St. Louis to a 4-3 win last night.

Yadier Molina homered and Todd Wellemeyer earned the victory. Cardinals relievers allowed a run and three hits in 3 2-3 innings, with Ryan Franklin posting his 16th save in 17 chances.