A lot of great progress has been made to get Michigan back on track, with one problem: implementation of the pension tax. When the 96th Legislature began, our state was in serious debt and unemployment was at an all-time high. Bold reforms were necessary to start Michigan's revitalization. I was extremely proud last year to see the Legislature eliminate a billion dollar deficit and complete a budget based on real dollars months before the deadline. To really jumpstart the turnaround for our state, a new tax structure also was needed that would once again make Michigan a good place to do …

I’ve received an invitation to attend a fundraising party for Paul Scott and I’m wondering why the August 1st fundraising party was held in Flushing, which is not even in the district that he actually represents.  Is it because he's trying to avoid the embarrassment of running into his actual constituents who are intent on recalling him and are going door to door throughout his 51st District with recall petitions?  What other reason could Mr. Scott have for not holding his "celebratory" fund-raiser in a village, city, town, or township in the district that he actually represents?   Holding a …

Wait for the next election in 2012?  How much more damage can Paul Scott inflict on the voters in the "current" 51st District in the next 13 months? Scott has already scheduled a campaign fundraiser in Flushing which is not in the "current" 51st. District.  This event will also be attended by: Gov. Snyder; Lt. Gov. Calley; Senior Adviser Rustem; and Senator Pavlov (Chair, Senate Education). Scott is "full scheme" ahead for the redistricting of the 51st. Just as he was when he decided to run for Secretary of State in May, 2010. This decision reflected his true sense of responsibility to the …

It’s not difficult to pinpoint when I fell in love with the world of Harry Potter. One of my best friends dragged me to go see the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, back in 2003, when we were still in middle school. She’d been wanting to go and see it a second time, and when she found out I’d not seen any of the films, she saw fit to kidnap me and introduce me to something she thought I ought not to be missing. I knew very little of the Potter phenomenon back then, only having read parts of the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when I was in third grade…

I was disheartened to read in the latest church newsletter that the leaders of the Fenton United Methodist Church plan to object to a liquor license for a new restaurant at the Fenton firehall.  Fenton's downtown has languished for years and it's unfortunate that the church has chosen to stand in the way of this very positive development. The addition of Michigan Brewing Co.'s (MBC) restaurant at the Fenton firehall, will have many beneficial effects for the city of Fenton. Here are just a few of the positive effects of redeveloping the firehall.1. A building which sat vacant and unused for …

I take great offense to the recent article that suggests that the city manager, police chief, and I are using scare tactics to try and persuade people’s opinions, in regards to our 9-1-1 center.  I am a lifelong resident of this community and I take great pride in the fact that we try to do what is the very best for this community.  Our sole purpose is to provide for the safety and well-being of our residents, and that is exactly what we are trying to do. We have not withheld any “facts”.  We are trying to inform our residents of the difficult decision that we need to make.   I invite you to …

I entered the publishing world the day after my 18th birthday, fell passionately in love with it and have never left. I was hired at the Tri-County Times in 1997 as receptionist and after two years I transferred back to the composition department where I spent a decade designing ads, page layouts and taking photographs for the newspaper. After that amount of time, co-workers become family and Rick Rockman, Sr. was no exception. He passed away today, undoubtedly leaving behind a monumental mark in the history of the Fenton community. “Senior," as most of us at the office referred to him, had a…

As Michigan residents, we are all aware of how bad the weather can get. Many people must commute on the highway to go to work, school or other reasons such as visiting loved ones. But what happens when a large handful of people stop caring about other peoples safety? I am referring to those who decide it is safe to tailgate, or speed, not only when it is nice out, but when the roads are icy and dangerous as well. It is sickening to think that people don’t care that they could possibly cause someone else to get into an accident. On my way from Fenton, where I reside, to Miller Road in Flint, I…