{From the Yellow Pages}

Bay Regional Medical Center {Visit Website]

Bay Regional Medical Center has grown considerably over the years, and is Bay County's largest employer. The hospital began as General Hospital many years at its present spot on Columbus avenue, which has had sever additions added over the years. Today the hospital is a part of the McLaren Health Care group and its reputation as a quality heath care facilities has been acknowledge by several studies done on a national level.

^ Jul. 1 - Local Developers Want To Push Uptown Project Along.

BAY CITY: The city's commissioners heard from Paul A. Rowley and Arthur P. Dore at this past Monday's commission meeting. What learned is that local developers want to take on the Uptown At River's Edge project, and they are ready to offer the city 350 years of experience and know-how for free.

^ Jul. 1 - Construction Has Begun On Waterfall Park.

BAY CITY: Construction has begun on the new waterfall park at the river's edge on Third Street. Gregory Construction is doing the project and has target mid-November for its completion.

^ Jul. 2 - Delta College Joins High Tech Education Alliance.

MIDLAND: Delta College took a major step last week towards addressing the high tech educational needs of future workers in the Saginaw Valley by joining the Great Lakes Process Technology Alliance (GLPTA), which includes over 40 corporations, schools and government leaders.

^ Jul. 3 - Missing Rare Stamp Collection Found On EBay.

MIDLAND: One of the rarest stamp collection in the world has been missing for 22 years, until Michael Perlman identified it on for sale on Ebay. The stamps were stolen from the Midland home of the late Charles J. Starnes in 1983, the collection had an estimated value of $350,000 at that time.

^ Jul. 3 - Vassar Gets Two Cool Cities Awards.

VASSAR: Scott A. Adkins, City Manager of Vassar, would have been happy to receive one of the Cool Cities awards annouced by Governor Granholm, instead he was more than elated when he learned the city was awarded two.

^ Jul. 3 - Bay County Taxpayers Soaked By Attorney Fees.

BAY CITY: A Times' Editorial takes issue with substanial attorney costs being passed onto the taxpayers of Bay County, which are perfectly legal, but absolutely outrageous compared to other counties.

^ Jul. 5 - MLive Has Temporary Website, Awaiting Normal Service.

INTERNET: The normal website of MLive.com is down and a temporary website is being used until their normal service can be restored. This affects links on this page to news stories published by The Bay City Times and The Saginaw News, which host their online news service on MLive.

^ Jul. 6 - London Awarded 2012 Olympics.

SINGAPORE: London came out the winner in a close race between London and Paris the honors of hosting the 2012 Olympics. The Oympics were held in London in 1948, while Paris hasn't hosted the Olympics since 1924.

^ Jul. 7 - London Subway Rocked By Terrorist Bombs.

LONDON: Four terrorist bombs rocked the subway system in London causing more than 40 deaths and injuring about 700 others. Prime Minister Tony Blair attending the G-8 summit in Schotland immediately returned to London.

^ Jul. 7 - Three Retired Pioneer Professors Recall SVSU's History.

MIDLAND: Professors Eldon Graham, David Weaver and Donald Bachand retired this year after more than 30 years at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU). Each joined SVSU when it was in its infancy. They took time with reporter William Shoemaker of the Midland Daily News to recount the early history of the university, which began on former farmland that is now a spralling campus for higher education for over 10,000 students.

^ Jul. 8 - Civil War Soldiers To Storm Brooklyn This Month!

LANSING: The folks in Brooklyn, MI, are looking forward to two days of living history, which will bring over 300 Civil War reenactors to their Walker Tavern Historical Complex on July 16 and 17. Visitors will be treated with simulated historical battles and encampments depicting the daily life back then.

^ Jul. 10 - Alarming Statistics On Local Economy Require Action Now!

BAY CITY: Last month, Rob Clark of The Bay City Times reported the shocking news that Bay County led the nation in percent of jobs lost for the period April 2004 to April 2005. Since then there hasn't been hardly any public dialog from leaders in this community exbrassing an urgency in this matter. The dialong may be going on behind closed doors, but if it is, they should let the public in on what is being discussed.

It is gratifying to know that The Bay City Times trying to keep the subject on the table. A Times' editorial today addresses the issue calling for action now, and in some desparation to get the ball rolling, offers its own ideas about what might be done to stop this disasterous trend, which has lingered like a cancer that needs to be stopped before its too late.

I agree with all the points made in the Times' editorial. However, I would go further on their suggestion that the county needs to get on the road and sell itself to industries and businesses. I believe that course is too little too late. Instead, I believe what is needed is a regional economic alliance between Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties, which has the means to create a full-time staff that can continuously work on the problem. -- See article, Oct. 10, 2004, {Bay County Economy - Dynamic Change Required.} for further details.

Bay County isn't the only community that has slipped over the last 30 years loosing the bulk of its manufacturing base. However, there is little consolation in being among the loosers group. We can blame the new world market for the rath it has brought upon our economy, but the realty is we haven't addressed the solutions required of us to compete in the world as it is today.

^ Jul. 10 - A Future Tri-County Water System May Be Possible.

BAY CITY: In 1971 Bay County residents turned down a chance to join with Saginaw and Midland in a metropolitan water system by only 150 votes. Three decades later, presents leaders of this community may be wishing their predecessors would have pressed forward on the proposition wth a second vote or however many it took for passage. They didn't and today new leaders find themselves inheriting the consequences of their predecessors' mistake.

The basic problem is that Bay County water is drawn from the Saginaw Bay, which requires more expensive filtering than the Lake Huron source used by the Saginaw/Midland system. Today the Bay County system is now run by Bay City who in turn contracts water service to the townships. This has led to several of the townships developed water alliances, such as the Bangor-Monitor Metropolitan Water System which contracts with the Saginaw/Midland system. A nt huge unexpected water rate increase to Hampton township early this year by Bay City sent them on a search for a similar solution. The present water system will be undergoing major updates costing millions, and the cost of water has escalated significantly to service these essential projects.

These are difficult times and its likely that an eroding base of working taxpayers would soundly defeat such a future proposal or any present one that impacts their tight personal budget. The number one solution to the majority of our problems is doing whatever it takes to increase jobs, and this has to be the number priority. Jobs are a metropolitan problem that require a metropolitan solution. Taxpayers should be demanding that our government leaders devote their full attention now to doing whatever is necessary help correct the problem. A growing job base is ultimately the only solution to our other financial problems.

^ Jul. 12 - Dow Chemical Co. Foundation Gives $400,000 To Local Projects.

BAY CITY: Funding of restoration work on the State Theatre and Pere Marquette Depot got a shot in the arm from the Dow Chemical Company Foundation, which has donated $200,000 to each project. Both of these buildings represent the last of their kind that are still standing. The State Threatre has been in use for several years shutting down during the summer months for restoration work being done in phases. The Pere Marquette depot, which has sat idle for decades, is intended to become a center for community information with several organizations being housed there.

^ Jul. 12 - SC Johnson Of Bay City Receives State Award.

LANSING: SC Johnson, one of Bay City's finest corporate citizens, recieved the Ergonomic Innovation Award from the state of Michigan today at . The employee safety award was accepted by SC Johnson's Joe Liefbroer, Site Manager; Judy Woodham, Safety Health & Environment Manager; and Pat Hoist, Erognomic Committee Chair. Other SC Johnson official at the award ceremony were Bill Schiller, V.P. North America and Time Woods, Director of Home Storage Manufacturing. Congratulation to the "full team" at SC Johnson.

^ Jul. 13 - Bay County Creates Committee To Investigate Legal Fees.

BAY CITY: Bay County Commission Chairman, Eugene E. Gwizdala, has appoint a four-member committee to investigate legals fees in response to a recent Times newspaper article on the subject.

^ Jul. 13 - Vassar Holds Totally Cool Celebration.

VASSAR: Vassar, which received two Cool Cities awards from the state of Michigan, held a celebration this past Tuesday at Veterans Parks. Plans are to use the money to accomplish a market study of the downtown district to determine what action can be taken to make improvements.

Full story: [Jul. 13: William E. Ketchum III] - The Saginaw News

^ Jul. 14 - New Museum To House Dobson's Fire Truck Collection.

BANGOR TWSP.: The huge fire truck collection Jim Dobson will soon become the Antique Toy & Firehouse Museum, at 3456 Patterson Road. The museum which is expected to open this September will house 80 vintage trucks and thousands of related antique toys. Dobson does not plan on charging visitors to the museum, which is sure to quickly become a family favorite place to visit.

^ Jul. 18 - Saginaw County Log Cabin May End Up In Clare County.

SAGINAW: The Saginaw County has accepted a proposal on the historical log-cabin that sits in the county's Veterans Memorial Park on River Road. Mystic Lake YMCA Camp in Clare County plans on using the timber from the cabin to erect two small buildings at their site. (Source: Erin Alberty - Times News Service.)

^ Jul. 19 - New Charity Chili Cook-off Event Being Planned.

BAY CITY: Mayor Robert Katt believes he makes the best chili in town, and he wants to to prove it by stacking up his chili against all challengers in what may become another festival in Bay City. The charity cook-off event would take place September 18 in the Midland Business street district if approved by the city commission.

^ Jul. 19 - Drivers Panic At $3 Gallon Gas Price Rumor.

LANSING: Drivers were sent scurring to gas pump as a false rumor spread rapidly that gas prices were going to more than $3:00 per gallon. After filling up, many of the angry drivers registered a complaint with the state, which resulted in an official statement from Governor Granholm on the subject. The rumor appears to have been ignited by a new gas station in Midland that was testing its gas price sign showing gas at $3.03 per gallon, which resulted in a number of drivers passing by the sign to alert friends and family about what they saw.

^ Jul. 19 - Midland's New Ice Arena Nearing Completion.

MIDLAND: A new $10 million state of the art ice arena in Midland is only weeks away from being complete. Plans are to have the new facilities available to skaters some time in August, with a grand opening ceremony taking place at a later date.

^ Jul. 21 - Man Killed At Apartment Party Near Police Station.

BAY CITY: Twenty-one year old Ricky R. Navaiz died this morning due to shotgun wounds while attending a party in a Baytown apartment, the apartment complex is located north east of Madison and Third streets, just east of the police station. The suspect who fled the scene was described by witnesses as a black male, 20 to 25 years old, and around 5 feet 5 inches tall.

^ Jul. 21 - Concrete Firm Interested In Property On Mackinaw Road.

MONITOR TWSP.: Elmer's Crane & Dozer Inc., based in Traverse City, would like to build a new ready-mix concrete plant off Mackinaw Road, across from the Valley Center Technology Park, and on Monitor township land that is presently zoned for agricultural use.

^ Jul. 22 - Gov. Granholm Heading To Japan To Hawk Jobs For Michigan.

LANSING: Next Monday, Governor Granholm departs for Japan on a week-long effort meeting with investors and businessmen that are interested in locating plants in the USA. Her focus will be on promoting Michigan as the premiere state for advanced automotive, life science, and high-tech manufacturing.

^ Jul. 23 - Midland's Allen Foundation Gives $1 Million To SVSU.

MIDLAND: Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) will undertake a special research program thanks to a one million dollar grant from the Allen Foundation of MIdland. The aim of the new program is to help boost the economy in the Saginaw Valley by exploring niche markets in food and renewable energy.

Jul. 23 - Proposed State Tax Change Aimed At Theaters.

BAY CITY: If Senate Bill 595 passes, movie lovers can expect to pay higher prices for a ticket. The bill was introduced by Senator Michael Switalski, D-Roseville, in June, which is expected to generate $20 million in revenue for the state.

^ Jul. 24 - Lack Of Local Jobs Forces Worker To Colorado.

BAY CITY: The personal story of an unemployed worker from Mio who began an extensive job search in Bay County in March to find a job. Three months later she gave up and moved to Fort Collins, CO. where she found work within two weeks. Her story is one shared by a many unemployed workers in Michigan, which has the highest unemployment and the lowest economic recovery rates in the USA.

^ Jul. 25 - Saginaw Police Citations Down 77% Since 1999.

SAGINAW: The reduction of city and county law enforcement officers over the years may have saved some money, but it has been costly to both units of government in other ways. Fewer police officers has lead to fewer traffic infractions being dealth with and fewer tickets being written, and a loss in the revenue they provide.

^ Jul. 26 - Monitor Board Rejects Rezoning For Concrete Plant.

MONITOR TWSP.: The Monitor township's board of trustees voted 5 to 2 against rezoning agricultural property, which had earlier been approved by the Monitor Township Planning Commission. that would have allowed a new ready-mix cement plant to be built on Mackinaw Road near the Valley Industrial Park Center. The rezoning request was made to clear way for a new ready-mix concrete plant proposed by Elmer's Crane & Dozer INc. based in Traverse City.

^ Jul. 26 - Light Pole Sparks Long Debate Among Commissioners.

BAY CITY: Nearly one hour at this Monday's Finance and Policy Meeting was devoted to disussing a light pole in front of the Westown bar's new $20,000 dollar marqee on Midland Street. At issue was the pole blocking view of the letter "N" in Westown, and whether or not it should be removed, and if so, who should pay for it -- the city or the owner of the business? Commissioners decided to delay rendering a verdict on the issue so that more information could be developed on this important matter.

^ Jul. 27 - Portsmouth Group Against Wal-Mart Store File Suit.

PORTSMOUTH TWSP.: Friends of Portmouth, a group opposing a new store by Wal-Mart in Portsmouth township aren't giving up on their efforts. They have filed a suit which they hope will halt its construction.

^ Jul. 27 - Midand's One-Way Streets Hindering Progress.

MIDLAND: One of the first things noticed by a group from the state's Main Street program is that the city has too many one-way streets which hinder access to the downtown area and its development. When the group arrived from Lansing they took the exit designated downtown business district, but instead ended up at Eastman Road heading for U.S. 10.

^ Jul. 27 - New Society Donates $80,000 To Schools.

SAGINAW: The new Indo-Pak Friendship Society of Mid-Michigan is off to an impressive start. The society is formed by immigrants from India and Pakistan. Countries that have a long history of distrust and conflict, which members of the new society have been able to overcome. That's quite an achievement. They have set their sights on raising money for charitable causes. In May they held a fund raising event at the Temple Theater that yielded $80,000 which they donated to school districts in Saginaw, Saginaw township, Midland and Bay City.

^ Jul. 28 - Midland's Family And Children Services Reaches 80.

MIDLAND: Employees and friends of Family and Children Services of Michigan gathered together on Wednesday to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the agency that was founded in 1925 by the King's Daughters.

^ Jul. 28 - State's Unemployed Figures Has Bay County At 6.9%.

	Unemploy	Employed	Total
Bay Co.
June 2005:	3,900(6.9%)	53,000	57,000
June 2004:	4,600(8.0%)	53,200	57,900
Change:	-700(1.1%)	-200	-900
Michigan
June 2005:	357,000(6.9%)	4,798,000	5,155,000
June 2004:	373,000(7.3%)	4,756,000	5,129,000
Change:	-19,000(0.4%)	+42,000	+26,000

LANSING: Michigan's Labor & Economic Growth agency has released figures for June 2005 showing unemployment figures have decreased in 15 out of 17 major labor markets since June 2004. Bay County's figure dropped from 4,600 (8.0%) to 3,900 (6.9%) unemployed.

While Bay County's figures shows 700 fewer are unemployed, however, the bad news is that the total workforce has descreased by an alarming 900 jobs over the past year. The later is a more significant indication of how well a community's economy is doing overall. For example, if you were to compare only the unemployment figure between Bay County and the state, Bay County is doing much better which is misleading since the state added 26,000 to the work force while Bay lost 900.

A comparsion of unemployment rates for 83 counties in Michigan has Mackinac County with the lowest percentage of unemployed at 3.8% and Baraga County the highest with 10.7%. Counties in the Sagnaw Bay Area rank as follows: #19 - Midland (6.0%), #45 - Huron (6.7%), #48 - Bay (6.9%), #63 - Tuscola (7.5%), #66 - Genesee (7.8%), #67 - Saginaw (7.9%), #87 - Arenac. (8.1%)

^ Jul. 29 - Its Been A Year Of Historical Discovery For Bay City.

BAY CITY: Besides celebrations of the unification of Bay City and West Bay City 100 years ago, there has been several major discoveries this year of documents that have been considered lost or missing.

Just this week the original archectectural plans of the Masonic Temple were stashed away in a vault inside the building. The plans were prepared by Pratt and Whitney sometime before 1893 which is when the building was finished. They will be given to Bay County Historical Society Museum by the Bay Arts Council which recently purchased the building.

In another story this week, Ray Nagy, owner of Phoenix Antinques on Third Street came into possession of the original members register of the Masonic Temple. The register lists over 500 of Bay City's prominent businesses from the lumbering boom era. It is being highlighted in the first showing of a new local television special featuring local history stories told by Mr. Nagy, which may be seen on Charter Communications channel 16. The show aired last night at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., and will be repreated. Check the cable schedule for when..

You may recall that earlier this year an 1863-64 original newspaper of the Bay City Press and Times was donated to Bay-Journal by Rick and Linda Pierson, who had inherited it from Rick's father, Harry Pierson, an agent for Detroit Free Press. The paper which was the only years of it that had never been micro-film, was considered lost forever. The Bay County Library System has had it micro-filmed and it will soon be available for researchers and the general public to view.

^ Jul. 30 - Charitable Work of Young Adults Gives Hope.

BAY CITY: A team of about 400 young adults have been hard at work around Bay County this past week. They are from the Riverside Work Camp program which brings young adults together in a common charitable cause, fixing the homes of people in need. The program was originally founded by the First Presbyterian Church in Bay City, has spread to become a national church program comprised of young volunteer teams from around the country.

Jul. 6 - Recipe of the Day.

We've added a daily recipe feed to our Food and Beverage page, which includes a Recipe of the Week and other resources on food and beverages.