By AP

DETROIT – Justin Verlander kept the Detroit Tigers on top in the AL Central, pitching eight innings in a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night that salvaged a split of their critical doubleheader.

Detroit increased its division lead to two over Minnesota, which won the day game 3-2 in 10 innings, with two games left in the series and five to go in the regular season.

By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – It's turning into a long day for lawmakers at the state Capitol. They're working toward finalizing a budget that includes big cuts to local governments, nursing homes and hospitals, and college scholarships. The Legislature is facing a deadline of Wednesday night to get a complete set of budget bills to Governor Granholm's desk.

By AP

LANSING, MI – The Michigan House has voted to cut state aid to local libraries by 40%.

Lawmakers have until midnight Wednesday to erase a $2.8 billion shortfall or there may be a partial shutdown of state government.

Aid to local libraries would drop from $10 million to $6 million under a budget bill approved 74-34 Tuesday by the Democratic-led House. The Republican-controlled Senate will vote on the bill next before it heads to Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

By AP

LANSING, MI – The Michigan Senate has approved a budget bill that avoids proposed cuts to Michigan's funding for welfare recipients.

Lawmakers are nearing a midnight Wednesday deadline to balance a $2.8 billion budget deficit.

A family of three receiving nearly $500 a month in welfare won't see a $30 per month cut in payments as proposed by Senate Republicans a few months ago.

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI – Lawmakers are preparing for a marathon session to vote on big spending cuts for budgets. The deadline for a budget deal is midnight on Wednesday.

So far the Legislature is sticking to the Republican plan to balance the budget with cuts alone.

Democrats were able to pass a tax increase during the budget crisis in 2007. And Republican House Minority Leader Kevin Elsenheimer says he thinks there are closed-door discussions going on for new taxes to fund some programs this year as well.

By AP

LANSING, MI – The Michigan Senate has voted to cut Michigan's tax revenue-sharing payments to local communities by 11% to help balance a $2.8 billion budget deficit.

Cities, townships and counties use the money to cover police, firefighters and other services.

Revenue sharing is one of the most contentious parts of the state budget before Wednesday's midnight deadline. The House could vote later Tuesday.

By Gretchen Millich

Lansing, MI – Physicians and hospitals in Mid-Michigan will soon have the option of switching from paper to electronic medical records. Health officials have launched the Capital Area Regional Health Information Organization, called RHIO. Participating health care providers in Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties will be able to share health records on a secure computer network.

By AP

DETROIT – The Tigers may still be battling to win the AL Central, but officials already are preparing for the possibility of a World Series in Detroit.

Federal and local law-enforcement personnel will descend from helicopters into Comerica Park Tuesday morning as part of an exercise to prepare for a possible championship series.

Officials say Detroit SWAT and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel will participate in the "fast-roping" exercise, in which agents descend into the ballpark on a thick rope from a helicopter.

By AP

LANSING, MI – A new study says Michigan needs to strengthen ways that parents are represented in child protection proceedings.

The study is to be released Tuesday by the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. It calls for improving the system by which attorneys are appointed to represent parents, resources available to those attorneys and accountability to both the client and courts.

By AP

DETROIT – Sparky Anderson says the reunion of the Detroit Tigers' 1984 championship team is special because the whole squad will never be together again.

The Hall of Fame manager easily drew the loudest cheers at Comerica Park when he was introduced with his former players and staff as they stood on a wet field Monday night before Detroit's scheduled game against the Minnesota Twins was postponed by rain.

Anderson and 1984 World Series MVP Alan Trammell addressed the crowd.