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Michael Moore says film festival a big hit
The lineup consisted largely of independent productions, including some documentaries and foreign films, that organizers said demonstrated cinematic excellence but were the types often ignored by large studios and theater chains. The audience grand prize was awarded to the romantic comedy The Baxter. Sharing the founders' grand prize were The Edukators, a German drama about a politically inspired kidnapping, and Grizzly Man, a documentary about a man who lived among grizzly bears until they killed him.
GT County mulls smoking ban ordinance
The county's tobacco task force and health department favor an ordinance similar to one recently adopted by Emmet, Charlevoix, Antrim and Otsego counties, but county commissioner Herb Lemcool, who supports a ban, said he fears there isn't enough political support to pass a similar ordinance.
Organizers pull plug on anti-Moore movie
The "family-friendly" Traverse Bay Freedom FilmFest turned R-rated. Festival organizers had planned to show "Michael Moore Hates America," a documentary-style film by Michael Wilson that examines the filmmaking methods of director Michael Moore, at 7 p.m. Friday. But about 10 minutes into the film - one of the festival's main attractions - organizers discovered it was R-rated, containing profane language. TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT NOW: CLICK HERE
TC Film Festival debut lived up to its promise
People from across all political and social boundaries rallied around the idea of movies for movies' sake. Traverse City probably surprised itself last weekend. Retirees, teen-agers, yuppies, hippies, baby boomers, gen-Xers, tree-huggers and business types found themselves shoulder to shoulder watching Jaws at the Open Space or "Mad Hot Ballroom" on opening night. No sniping, no griping. They were there to see great movies, and that's what they got. And they were proud of what their community had pulled off. Big-time kudos to Moore, Doug Stanton, John Robert Williams and their steering committee. They did what they promised, with a little help from some friends. Mickey and Judy would be proud. TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT NOW: CLICK HERE
That's a wrap for film fest
TRAVERSE CITY - Traverse City Film Festival founders gave their Grand Prize to "The Edukators" and "Grizzly Man," while the audience nod went to "The Baxter." The three films were among nine movies and directors singled out for prizes at the inaugural festival that ended Sunday.
Film festival boosts downtown business
Local businesses, especially those downtown, said film festival traffic provided a boost in an already-busy time of year. Merchants say the festival is bringing in the kind of crowds they like - the kind that spends cash while they're here.
"There's a ton of people in town, and they've got money," said Mike Nolan, owner of a tobacco shop downtown. "It's not like the Cherry Festival."
Plugging in to the Wind and Sun
Live off the grid without losing the modern comforts of life. Solar panels and small-scale wind turbines can provide ample power for a family home, and plenty of websites and green-living companies are out there to help potential back-to-the-landers electrify their refuges.
Jaws Agape as Predators Attack the Audience at Open Space
Traverse City—As perhaps the largest crowd of people to ever share Open Space [official estimates indicate the crowd as exceeding six-thousand people] in downtown Traverse City looked on, representatives of the predatory group opposed to the Traverse City Film Festival lead by Suttons Bay resident Genie Aldridge and a Texas group who call themselves the American Film Renaissance went on the attack. Aldridge and a handful of supporters have been praying and preying on the wildly successful Traverse City Film Festival since it was announced last month at the Traverse City Commission meeting. A small group of Aldridge sympathizers launched an attack, advertising their counter-event, from the waters of West Bay tonight against the Traverse City Film Festival as they sailed in circles behind a thirty-five foot tall movie screen just as the classic movie Jaws came to life with the shark attack sound-track blaring. How strangely appropriate ...
Michael Moore Hates America
The movie Michael Moore Hates America attempts a counter blast at Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore's critique of George W. Bush and the war on terror. It premiered on September 12th, 2004 at a small conservative film festival in Dallas, Texas. 'Michael Moore Hates America' is directed by Michael Wilson, a young independent film maker, with funding from Brian R. Cartmell, the president of a large online pornography corporation, Internet Entertainment Group (IEG), headquartered in Seattle. Cartmell and his employer were named as defendants in an early cybersquatting case. They were sued by the toy manufacturer Hasbro for using 'Candy Land', one of Hasbro's trademarks, in a domain name for a porn site. IEG was a known spammer. At least some of IEG's sexually explicit spam postings were made to non-adult-orientated newsgroups. TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT NOW: CLICK HERE
 Thanks Mike: Lights go up at State Theatre
Traverse City—There was no red carpet and only one limousine arrival, but the excitement on Front Street was palpable as moviegoers arrived at the historic State Theatre for the opening film of the first Traverse City Film Festival. Organizers planned the festival in just two months. Among its 31 domestic, foreign language, independent and documentary films are seven premieres and four free classics that will be shown nightly at dusk at the waterfront Open Space Cinema.
Interlochen reaps benefits
When Michael Moore sold the first Traverse City Film Festival ticket, it was no mere happenstance that he rang it up at Bravo!, a gift shop downtown owned by the Interlochen Arts Academy. Adjacent to the State Theatre, Bravo! is handling ticket sales for the festival, as is Interlochen's box office. The academy's prominent role represents a unique partnership between Interlochen and the Traverse City Film Festival - a partnership each sees as mutually beneficial.
City honors Nazi Group
CADILLAC - A civil rights group wants some answers after city officials gave a certificate of appreciation to the self-described America's Nazi Party.
Large Volume of FBI Files Alarms US Activist Groups
WASHINGTON, July 17 - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has collected at least 3,500 pages of internal documents in the last several years on a handful of civil rights and antiwar protest groups
Septage plant 'structural failure' is investigated
The county's "state-of-the-art" septage treatment plant is in a state of disarray after part of the new $7.8 million facility collapsed, shutting it down indefinitely.
Sam's Club cuts food gift program again
Sam's Club has again sliced a program that provided day-old baked goods to local churches for meals for the needy.
The East Bay Township Planning Commission Instructs Developer to Do Further Study
President Myrna Yeakle expresses cautious optimism after the June Seventh meeting when the environmental, legal, and social arguments were expressed for conserving Arbutus Lake. Ms. Yeakle praised Commisssion Chairman Mike Nikels for having allowed a public forum. She added that the excellent turnout at the meeting can only have impressed the township with the serious concern of the Arbutus Lake community. Several people who attended the meeting praised the CCAL's legal and environmental arguments as persuasive and lucidly logical. Protests against the development have come from different parts of the country, including people who had attended camp 50-60 years ago.
New Website: TC Talks
TC Talks offers a better way to find your next contractor and other services. Our Message Center offers the personal experiences and opinions of real people, just like yourself, who have already hired regional professionals. It is our hope that our readers experiences will help you make an informed decision about who is good, who is bad, and who is downright awful in NW Michigan.
Go to the Beach: Some sun protects from many cancers
For years we have been told to stay out of the sun, paste ourselves with sunblock, sit in the shade and wear a hat. Now, it seems that we should be spending some of that time out in the sun, without the hat or sunblock, if we want to have a plentiful supply of Vitamin D and reduce our chances of developing cancer. Recent studies have found that the vitamin D you get from the sun protects you from lymphoma, colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and even skin cancer.
Psychiatric group supports gay marriage
Representatives of the nation's top psychiatric group approved a statement Sunday urging legal recognition of gay marriage in the interest of maintaining mental health.
Woman battles to change road's name
[The following story illustrates yet again the Grand Traverse County Road Commission's arrogance and callous disregard toward the public when it threw American tradition out the window. Rather than name a road after a pioneering family who were born, lived and died on the farm that the road passes through, the Grand Traverse County Road Commission has decided to name a road in Blair Township after an obscure religious figure.] Eunice Groesser's family farm abutted an unnamed road for 108 years until Grand Traverse County's Road Commission named it without notifying her. "They treat me like I'm not even there, like I'm not a person," Groesser said.
Drop the pants, or we'll put on the cuffs
Thank goodness for a sharp-eyed detective with the Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department.
The plainclothes detective, ever-vigilant for major crimes and potential threats to local and national security, last month spotted Traverse City resident Keith Schwartz downtown decked out in a pair of brown pants with a dark stripe down each leg.
New Web Site: Weird Michigan!
It's a pageant of the improbable; a road-trip toski boy the bizarre. Scratch the Wolverine State's surface with one curving talon and discover....Imps and goblins from the dark underbelly of Michigan's past, roadside signs and icons like the giant fiberglass ski guy, people and characters who live la vida loca, monsters such as the Michigan Dog Man, ghosts and more.
Orth resigns city positions
TRAVERSE CITY - Longtime local politician and outspoken city commissioner Phill Orth suddenly resigned his city positions. "Due to personal reasons I am submitting my resignation as mayor pro tem and city commissioner effective immediately," Orth wrote in a Friday letter to Mayor Linda Smkya. Orth refused to elaborate [on the very scandalous story behind his decision].
Coming to Your Pocket: A Terrorist Beacon?
April 5, 2005—What do you suppose our enemies would pay for a device capable of identifying all the Americans walking down the street in a foreign city? And why might the U.S. Department of State be making such a weapon possible? We're talking about a plan to embed RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips into U.S. passports, which the State Department claims will help swoosh U.S. citizens through border crossings.
Feeling Blue? A Lot of People in Traverse City Are These Days and That's a Very Good Thing!
A group of Traverse City, Michigan, voters who call themselves TC for Common Sense are committed to bringing common sense to government. A major part of their mission is to get Democrats and blue-values citizens to run for local government positions or to help out on campaigns? Visit the web site at TC-commonsense.org and learn more.
Future border rules
April 6, 2005—Under proposed rules, by Jan. 1, 2008, Canadians and Americans will need secure documentation proving citizenship to cross the border between the two countries. The requirements would take effect on Dec. 31, 2006, for travelers entering the United States from Mexico and Canada by air and sea, and on Dec. 31, 2007, by land. The deadline is even earlier -- Dec. 31, 2005 -- for travel from Bermuda, the Caribbean and Panama.
Living Will for You
With all the talk about writing a Living Will. We submit the following for you to copy and paste for your own use. It begins "I, [Your Name], being of sound mind and body, unequivocally declare that in the event of a catastrophic injury, I do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. I hereby instruct my loved ones and relatives to remove any and all life-support systems, once it has been determined that my brain is longer functioning in a cognizant realm. However that judgment should be made only after thorough consultation with medical experts; i.e., individuals who actually have been trained, educated and certified as doctors." ...
Nice Pants
Nice pants, Keith Schwartz thought when he came across a pair of second-hand slacks at a local thrift shop. Grand Traverse County sheriff's officials didn't agree with his sartorial choice, however. After spying Schwartz in the well-worn brown britches with the distinctive leg stripes, a detective ran his name through a criminal computer and later showed up at his Traverse City residence to seize the pants.
Public access television funding uncertain
TRAVERSE CITY - Public access cable television funding hangs precariously in the region as area townships wrestle with a new cable franchise agreement.
Program to discuss poverty in region
TRAVERSE CITY - James Rowlett hopes the upcoming program "A Call to Action" sponsored by the Poverty Reduction Initiative will spur a greater grassroots effort to curtail the region's poverty.
Congress Overhauls Bankruptcy Laws
April 14, 2005 · The House of Representatives approves an overhaul of the nation's bankruptcy laws Wednesday, in a vote of 302 to 126. The bill, which passed in the Senate last month, will make it more difficult to get rid of debts by filing for bankruptcy, forcing tens of thousand of people to work out repayment plans instead.
More News on The Sacred Institution of Marriage
As you may recall, this past November Michigan passed the boneheaded "Michigan Marriage Amendment to the State Constitution denying health care and other benefits to unmarried partners and their children. However, Michigan is not the only place that is embracing the inane: (1) In six weddings this year in India, two boys and four girls were married in tribal-custom ceremonies to dogs, which is believed to bring better luck to children who have been cursed by teething first from the upper jaw ("dog teeth"). (Agence France-Presse reported that the four February marriages in Jharkhand state involved, [thank goodness, dogs of the opposite gender from the spouse].) (2) In February, a Pakistani tribal council in Kacha Chohan (Punjab state) ordered a 2-year-old girl to marry a man, age 42, to punish the girl's uncle for having sex with that man's current wife (although the marriage will not be official until the girl turns 18). [Agence France-Presse, 2-24-05, 4-7-05] [New Haven Register-AP, 2-21-05]
DEQ seeks to rebuild its image
TRAVERSE CITY - Bay Harbor's creation was enabled through a 1994 covenant not to sue between the resort's developers and officials in then-Gov. John Engler's administration. The covenant included a stipulation that the state would take no action against the developers for existing contamination at the site in exchange for remediation steps regulators now agree were insufficient.
Antrim corrections officer arrested in connection with sex crimes
BELLAIRE - An Antrim County corrections officer is in jail for alleged sexual contact with a female inmate. David R. Dorland, a corrections officer with the Antrim Country Sheriff's Department since 2000, was arrested by state police Monday on a five-count warrant.
Land use planning takes regional focus
TRAVERSE CITY - Thirteen townships, three villages and one city soon will ask each other, "What's the plan?" Local governments surrounding Grand Traverse Bay will meet in a series of workshops in upcoming months to discuss the state's Joint Municipal Planning Act. The 2003 act allows regional land use planning across jurisdictional boundaries.
Victim advocate placed on leave
BEULAH - Benzie County's crime victims' advocate is on indefinite leave after being accused of victimizing the wife of her ex-husband.
Social Security to Social Insecurity
Welcome to Senator Stabenow's Social Security Online Resource Center. Now more than ever, we need to fight to keep the security in Social Security! On this website, you can get more information about the proposed changes to Social Security, including a benefit calculator that allows you to see how well you'll do if the President's plan is enacted. You can also read reports about the future of Social Security, learn more about how Social Security works, and sign my Online Petition to tell Congress and President Bush that privatization is not the answer!
Ex-official may face more charges
BELLAIRE - There's a "high likelihood" Arlen Turner will face additional felony charges for alleged illegal conduct while he headed the Antrim County building department, a prosecutor said. Kalkaska County Prosecutor Brian Donnelly is handling a case against Turner in Antrim County Circuit Court for felony corruption by a public official and two misdemeanor violations of the state construction code.
Groups use privacy as Freedom of Information Act exempt | 
