State Representative Kate Segal during news conference Friday on Kalamazoo River oil spill. With her is Rob Sisson of Republicans for Environmental Protection.

State Representative Kate Segal (D-Battle Creek) held a press conference along the Kalamazoo River on Friday (July 30th) where a malfunction caused a pipeline to leak and spill nearly 1 million gallons of oil into Talmadge Creek between late Sunday and early Monday.

Segal urged citizens to visit www.CleanKzooRiverSpill.com to help make sure Calhoun County receives the cleanup and containment response that this tragedy demands.

With Segal was Rob Sisson, President of Republicans for Environmental Protection.

Source:  Michigan House Democrats

Andy Goldberger, Director of 911 Central Dispatch, is slated to provide a ‘County-wide Radio System Update’ during the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday (August 2nd).

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Hummingbirds got top billing during the Michigan Hummingbird Festival, but butterflies and flowers were key ingredients of the celebration as well. (click on photo to enlarge)

Saturday – the final day of July – brought the 4th annual Michigan Hummingbird Festival at the River Lake Inn Trails and Gardens near Colon.

Midway through the event, Marv Bliss, owner of the River Lake Inn, said, “It’s been a real success.  It seems to get better every year and this year we’re well organized.  We learn something as we go and now we’re getting I think nailed down pretty good.  It’s been a beautiful, beautiful outing.”  (Marv_Bliss_audio clip – :17)

Bliss admitted he was a bit “nervous” about the rain Saturday morning, but the weather cleared and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

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A bankruptcy filing is reported in connection with the proposed Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development project in Leonidas Township.

To access stories on this topic from the Kalamazoo Gazette, Sturgis Journal and Three Rivers Commercial-News, click on the links below:

• Bankruptcy filing gives both sides of dairy farm project in Leonidas a lot to talk about
• Vreba-Hoff Dairy files for bankruptcy
• Leonidas dairy property files for Chapter 11

Detroit – American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AAM), which is traded as AXL on the NYSE, has reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2010.

Second Quarter 2010 Results

•    Second quarter 2010 sales of $559.6 million
•    Gross profit of $98.9 million, or 17.7% of sales
•    Operating income of $50.4 million, or 9.0% of sales
•    Net income of $25.4 million, or $0.34 per share
•    EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) of $83.2 million, or 14.9% of sales
•    Net cash provided by operating activities of $85.9 million
•    Free cash flow (net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures net of proceeds from the sale of equipment) of $68.1 million, a $109.4 million year-over-year increase.

AAM’s results in the second quarter of 2010 were net earnings of $25.4 million or $0.34 per share.  This compares to a net loss of $288.6 million or $5.20 per share in the second quarter of 2009.

In the second quarter of 2010, AAM incurred a net charge of $1.7 million, or $0.02 per share, primarily consisting of asset impairments related to the planned closure of AAM’s Salem Manufacturing Facility in Ohio, net of adjustments to previously recorded estimates for supplemental unemployment benefits (SUB) and idled leased asset accruals.

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A forty-year old underground pipeline travels through the lower peninsula of Michigan and typically carries millions of gallons of oil per day to Canada.  The Embridge, Inc., Lakehead System pipeline was shut down on Monday, July 26th following the discovery of an estimated one million gallon oil leak near Marshall.  The pipeline likely has weak spots along its entire length, according to Carol Higgins of Mendon Township.

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WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph), top Republican on the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Thursday (July 29th) introduced legislation to create a new framework for spent nuclear fuel management that is capable of withstanding national political changes over the long life of the program.  As the United States seeks to meet its growing energy demands through an expansion of nuclear energy, Upton’s U.S. Nuclear Fuel Management Corporation Establishment Act of 2010 (H.R. 5979) establishes a framework for addressing the spent nuclear fuel issue that has been deadlocked for decades at a tremendous cost to American consumers and the nation’s energy security.

Specifically, Upton’s bill seeks to: (1) implement an accountable and sustainable governance structure for the short- and long-term management of spent nuclear fuel; (2) enable operation of a technology-neutral fuel management enterprise with appropriate consideration of safety, nuclear proliferation, environmental, and economic factors; and (3) ensure that the fees paid into the Nuclear Waste Fund are applied for their intended purpose.

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The Sturgis City Commission has approved an amendment to the city’s Code of Ordinances as it relates to Snow Removal Emergencies.

Action on the matter came during the commission meeting Wednesday evening (July 28th).

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The presence of this banner across East State Street in downtown Colon provides strong evidence that Magic Week is almost here!

‘Magic Week’ in ‘The Magic Capital of the World’ is rapidly approaching.

The celebration in Colon, Michigan is scheduled for Wednesday through Saturday of next week – August 4th through 7th.

Abbott’s Magic Company and The FAB Magic Company will be actively engaged in the four-day festival and other facets of the Colon community will also be involved.

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Department of Natural Resources and Environment officials are reporting that the oil spill on the Kalamazoo River has not affected camping or day-use activity at Fort Custer Recreation Area in Kalamazoo County.

“We are receiving many phone calls from concerned park patrons who want to know the status of the park,” said Tony Trojanowski, park manager at Fort Custer Recreation Area. “There is a water advisory from the Kalamazoo County Health Department that allows ‘no surface water activity.’ Our first concern is for the safety of our park users, so we have closed the Kalamazoo River boating access site and the Riverside Family Cabin.”

“Eagle Lake is still safe for swimming and boating, and our drinking water that comes from wells deep in the ground is fine. Both Whitford-Lawler Lake and Jackson Hole Lake are also safe for boating and fishing,” reported Trojanowski.

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