Michigan
PAGE 1/SECTION FRONT RECOMMENDATIONS:
— OBAMA-FUEL ECONOMY
— DETROIT SCHOOLS-EMERGENCY MANAGER
MICHIGAN NEWS PHOTO RECOMMENDATIONS:
— NYRD201, 207, 209-214, with ROSA PARKS ARCHIVE
— With TRANSPARENT CAR-AUCTION
MULTIMEDIA:
— AP Video, with ROSA PARKS ARCHIVE
PULL-OUT BOX:
— UNEMPLOYMENT-MICHIGAN-GLANCE
TOP STORIES:
OBAMA-FUEL ECONOMY
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is announcing a compromise with the auto industry to increase fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. Under the new standards, fuel efficiency would double to 54.5 miles per gallon. The mileage goals will be phased in starting with the 2017 models.
DETROIT SCHOOLS-EMERGENCY MANAGER — Teachers, administrators and other Detroit Public Schools employees are being forced to take a 10 percent wage cut by the district’s state-appointed emergency financial manager as part of efforts to erase a $327 million budget deficit. The district announced Friday in a statement that employees also will begin contributing 20 percent of the cost toward their health benefits. By Corey Williams.
ROSA PARKS ARCHIVE — Long before Rosa Parks was hailed as the “mother of the civil rights movement,” she wrote a detailed and harrowing account of nearly being raped by a white neighbor who employed her as a housekeeper in 1931. The six-page essay, written in her own hand many years after the incident, is among thousands of her personal items currently residing in the Manhattan warehouse and cramped offices of Guernsey’s Auctioneers, which has been selected by a Michigan court to find an institution to buy and preserve the complete archive.
AP Photos Video
SPORTS:
FBN--LIONS-PRACTICE STARTS
ALLEN PARK — Amid a whirlwind start to the preseason, the Detroit Lions start practice. Detroit can also start officially announcing free agent signings Friday. By Noah Trister.
AP Photo.
FOR USE SUNDAY, JULY 31, AND THEREAFTER:
CENTERPIECE: EMERGENCY MANAGERS-MICHIGAN
LANSING — No new cities or schools have been added to Michigan’s roster of places governed by state-appointed emergency managers since the law was changed earlier this year. A ballot drive aimed at repealing the measure is progressing. AP Photo.
Eds: This week’s Capital Focus and a Michigan AP Centerpiece. Moving Friday.
With:
— EMERGENCY MANAGERS-MICHIGAN-GLANCE
EXCHANGE-SCOUTS TURN 100
MUSKEGON — It was 1911 when the boys from Chicago first climbed aboard a steamship to head into wilds unknown. They were among a new breed who called themselves Boy Scouts, committed to being helpful, loyal, obedient and brave, among other virtues. When the Boy Scouts finally disembarked in Whitehall, a world away from the bustle of city life, the townspeople lined the streets to greet them. AP Photos MIMUS101, 103-104.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from The Muskegon Chronicle. Moved Thursday.
EXCHANGE-BEATING CANCER
BUCHANAN — Blood in your urine is never a good sign. For Bill Loux, the general manager and golf course superintendent at Orchard Hills Country Club, it was followed by even worse news. “He (University of Michigan Hospital Dr. David Wood) looked me in the eye and said I had incurable cancer and would not live more than two years. It was just devastating, almost like numbing,” he said. “I was in good shape and had always had good health. The flu was the worst thing I’d had.” That was five years ago. By Lou Mumford.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune. Moved Thursday.
FOR USE MONDAY, AUG. 1, AND THEREAFTER:
EXCHANGE-ITALIAN-AMERICAN HISTORY
DETROIT — Behind a strip mall on Plymouth Road in Redford Township lies a homemade piece of American history — Italian-style. But blink, and you’ll drive right by it. Silvio Barile, 70, has created a museum of sorts that pays tribute to everyone from George Washington to Julius Caesar in a maze of Italian and American history that fills his yard and storefront. By Megha Satyanarayana.
AP Photos MIDTF101-104.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the Detroit Free Press. Moved Thursday.
EXCHANGE-HISTORY BOOK
NORTHPORT — Local historian John C. Mitchell faced a big question in 2007 when he considered writing a book about the Grand Traverse region. Was there enough local historical information to create the book he envisioned? He didn’t want to rehash Civil War history or write a military history filled with minutiae. By Loraine Anderson.
AP Photo MITRA101.
Eds: An AP Member Exchange from the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Moved Thursday.

Business for Saturday

fuel standards
Detroit’s automakers hailed the fuel standards that will drive mileage standard to 54.5 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade, setting the stage for sweeping changes in automotive technology.
Only a handful of cars currently on the road such as the electric Chevrolet Volt, the all-electric Leaf and Toyota’s experimental Prius Plug in hybrid, match or exceed the targeted standards announced Friday by President Barack Obama.
Chrysler Group LLC, one of the holdouts against the tougher regulations, said it could live with the new standards.

Citizens Republic - szczesny
After three years of losses stretching over 12 consecutive quarters, Citizen Republic has finally managed to eke out a profit.

Meadowbrook Auction - szczesny
The Meadow Brook Concourse d’Elegance has moved from Rochester Hills to Plymouth but annual auction of valuable cars continues.

Ford UAW - szczesny
Ford opens negotiations with the United Auto Workers. (Late, Late afternoon)

cars sale outlook - szczesny
Car sales in July went up.

from The Associated Press:
TOP STORIES:

ECONOMY-ANOTHER RECESSION? — The economy stalled in the first half of this year and is now at risk of slipping into another recession. The government says economic growth was slow in the second quarter and almost nonexistent in the first. The threat of recession will rise further if Congress can’t reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling. AP photos, graphic.
— ECONOMY-REVISIONS — The 2007-2009 recession, already in the record books as the worst in the 66 years since the end of World War II, was even worse than previously thought. From the start of the recession at the end of 2007 to the end in June of 2009, the U.S. economy shrank 5.1 percent.
DEBT SHOWDOWN-INVESTORS
Ordinary investors are wrestling with tough decisions about what to do with their money — stand pat or get out of the market — as Washington’s gridlock brings government default ever closer. Sean Sproul of Columbus, Ohio, shifted all his money out of stock funds for fear the market is going to crash. Retiree Barb Dietrich of Cedarburg, Wis., is holding firm — for now.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN — Demoralized House Republicans are trying for a third straight day to pass a debt-ceiling bill that has almost no chance of surviving the Senate, even as the clock ticks closer to next week’s deadline for avoiding a potentially calamitous government default.
WALL STREET
The word of the day in financial markets: Anxious. Stocks plunge early after a dismal report on economic growth added to traders’ fears that the U.S. might default on its debt. But major indexes erased about half of their losses by early afternoon after President Barack Obama said there were many paths to a compromise on raising the country’s borrowing limit.
MEDICAL DEVICES-SAFETY REPORT
WASHINGTON — Federal health regulators asked the country’s leading medical experts two years ago to recommend ways to improve its system for approving medical devices, from pacemakers to X-ray scanners. On Friday the experts came back with a surprise answer: scrap it because it fails to protect patients. Even more surprising, the FDA summarily dismissed the idea.
EARNS-MERCK
Merck & Co. plans to cut as many as 13,000 more jobs under a new round of restructuring as the drugmaker prepares for generic competition for its top-selling drug and slower revenue growth from the U.S. and Europe. The new cuts would bring to 30,000 the positions eliminated since Merck’s November 2009 megadeal to buy Schering-Plough Corp. The announcement came as Merck reported a higher second-quarter profit than a year ago. By Linda Johnson.
AP Photo.
MARKETS & ECONOMY:
OIL PRICES — Oil drops near $96 a barrel after the U.S. government said the economy expanded at a meager 1.3 percent annual rate in the second quarter. The data raises questions about demand for oil in the months ahead.
— BANK CLOSURES — After 5 p.m., the FDIC reports on bank closings. By Marcy Gordon.
EARNINGS:
EARNS-CHEVRON
NEW YORK — Chevron says profit jumped 43 percent in the second quarter as higher oil and gasoline prices made up for a decline in oil production. By Chris Kahn.
FRANCE-EARNS-EADS
PARIS — Airbus parent company EADS NV said its first-half earnings fell from a year earlier as the impact of the weakening U.S. dollar offset higher commercial and military jet sales and record orders for its new A320 fuel-saving jet. By Business Writer Greg Keller.
— EARNS-AMGEN — Biotech drugmaker Amgen said its second-quarter earnings slipped 3 percent on increased research spending and sales costs for product launches plus falling revenue from a key drug.
— BRITAIN-EARNS-INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP — International Airlines Group, which operates British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia, has returned to profit for the first half of the year despite sharply higher fuel costs.
— EARNS-AEP — American Electric Power Co. Inc. says its second-quarter earnings more than doubled as states in its service territory experienced warmer-than-usual weather.
INDUSTRY:
OBAMA-FUEL ECONOMY
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and top auto executives are set to unveil details of a compromise to slash the amount of gasoline cars and trucks will need down the road. The deal will double fuel economy standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 and further restrict the tailpipe emissions blamed for global warming. By Dina Cappiello.
— AUSTRALIA-WESTFIELD — Westfield Group announced it plans to manage a new shopping precinct at the site of New York’s World Trade Center, as the world’s largest listed shopping mall operator strikes a deal to return almost 10 years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA:
NEWS CORP-WALL STREET
For long-suffering shareholders of News Corp., there may be a silver lining in the phone-hacking scandal: A chastened Rupert Murdoch. To politicians and pundits, the power of his media holdings elicits a mix of awe and fear. But on Wall Street, the response is mostly fear —fear that Murdoch is going to orchestrate another dubious deal that weighs on the company’s stock. Indeed, Murdoch’s critics say he has focused too much attention on expanding his empire, with little regard for Wall Street’s chief measure of success: a rising stock price. By Bernard Condon and David K. Randall.
With:
— BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING — British lawmakers demand James Murdoch clarify why testimony he gave to a parliamentary committee probing the phone hacking scandal conflicted with a statement from two former executives.
YAHOO-ALIBABA
NEW YORK — Yahoo, Japan’s Softbank and the Chinese Internet company Alibaba Group have agreed on a compensation plan involving the Web payment service Alipay.
JAPAN-NINTENDO
TOKYO — Shares of Nintendo Co. took a beating, losing more than a fifth of their value at one point, after the Japanese video game giant announced a worldwide price cut for its new 3DS in an effort to salvage poor sales.
— SKOREA-EARNS-SAMSUNG — Samsung’s net profit slid 18 percent in the second quarter as weakness in semiconductors and liquid crystal displays offset the electronics giant’s growing strength in smartphones.
— EARNS-BSKYB — British Sky Broadcasting PLC reported that operating profit rose 23 percent. The satellite broadcaster, which is 39 percent owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., will buy back shares and raised its dividend by 20 percent.
INTERNATIONAL:
SPAIN-FINANCIAL CRISIS
MADRID — Moody’s warned that it may downgrade Spain’s credit rating given the country’s weak economic growth prospects and ongoing funding pressures, in a further sign that last week’s bailout of Greece has not ended contagion fears. By Business Writers Pan Pylas and Alan Clendenning.
— EU-ECONOMY — Inflation in the 17 countries that use the euro unexpectedly fell in July, raising speculation that the European Central Bank may not need to raise interest rates as quickly as markets have been predicting.
— JAPAN-ECONOMY — Japan’s industrial production rose for the third straight month in June as the world’s No. 3 economy stages a recovery from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
— FRANCE-BRAZIL-PLANE CRASH — French investigators describe a string of unexplained pilot errors and unreliable equipment in a report on the 2009 crash of an Air France plane in the Atlantic.
INTERNATIONAL EARNINGS:
— FRANCE-EARNS-TOTAL — French oil company Total SA said the weakening U.S. dollar hit its second-quarter profit but that successful exploration in Bolivia and Angola would help to underpin future growth.
— ITALY-EARNS-ENI — Eni SpA, Italy’s largest natural gas and oil company, reported that second quarter profit slid 31 percent due to production shutdowns in Libya, which has descended into civil war.
— JAPAN-EARNS-MAZDA — Mazda reported its third straight quarter of red ink after vehicle production was hurt by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
— BRITAIN-EARNS-ANGLO-AMERICAN — Mining company Anglo American PLC says its net profit nearly doubled in the first half thanks to higher demand and higher prices for its metals and raw materials.
— TAIWAN-EARNS-HTC — Taiwan’s top smartphone maker HTC says its second quarter earnings doubled, with shipments reaching 12 million handsets amid growing demand.
— BRITAIN-EARNS-PEARSON — Publisher Pearson PLC raised its full-year guidance as its expanding international education division led a gain in first-half operating profit.
— JAPAN-EARNS-ANA — ANA Group, Japan’s largest airline, reported an 8.4 billion yen ($108 million) quarterly loss as travel declined after the earthquake in northeastern Japan.

Nation/world
NEW & DEVELOPING
OBAMA-FUEL ECONOMY — Obama set to announce deal with automakers to double fuel economy by 2025.
SPAIN — Embattled Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero calls early election amid crushing economic woes. AP photos.
TURKEY-MILITARY — Reports: Turkish military’s top brass resign because of tensions with government.
TOP STORIES
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner hastily reworks his stalled emergency debt-limit bill as Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid signaled he’s pushing ahead with his own version. President Barack Obama declares “we’re almost out of time” in a wrenching political standoff that has heightened fears of a market-rattling government default. By Charles Babington.
AP photos, videos, interactive.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-OBAMA — Obama says there are multiple ways out of debt ceiling mess but must be bipartisan.
ECONOMY
WASHINGTON — The economy grew in the first half of the year at the slowest pace since the recession ended, and the second half isn’t looking much better. By Economics Writer Christopher S. Rugaber.
AP photos.
AWOL SOLDIER
KILLEEN, Texas — As Pfc. Naser Abdo beseeched officials to grant him conscientious objector status and release him from the military, he condemned a fellow Muslim soldier accused of shooting 13 people to death at Fort Hood as committing “acts of aggression by a man and not by Islam.” Less than a year later, officials say Abdo admitted planning to launch another attack on Fort Hood with a bomb in a backpack and weapons stashed in a motel room. By Jamie Stengle.
AP photos, videos.
NORWAY-MASSACRE
OSLO, Norway — Norway is holding memorial services to mourn the 76 victims of a bombing and youth camp shooting one week ago as the suspect in both attacks faced his second interrogation. By Ian MacDougall and Bjoern H. Amland.
AP photos.
EAST AFRICA-FAMINE-NURSE
DADAAB, Kenya — Nurse Serat Amin is treating an endless stream of starving children coming out of famine-struck Somalia. He has worked at the world’s largest refugee camp for four years, and although he has painful memories of the children who have died, watching the weak get stronger gives him the courage to carry on. “You can see if a child is getting better just from the face of the parent,” he says. By Katharine Houreld.
AP photos, video.
LIBYA
BENGHAZI, Libya — Fear and confusion grip Benghazi, where heavy gunfire crackled in the early hours, following the killing of the rebels’ military chief. Mourners chant “Martyrs are God’s Beloved” as they carry the coffin bearing Abdel-Fattah Younis, Moammar Gadhafi’s interior secretary before defecting to the rebels. His death raises questions about the direction of the rebel movement. By Rami Al-Shaheibi.
AP photos, video
ROSA PARKS ARCHIVE
NEW YORK — Long before Rosa Parks was hailed as the “mother of the civil rights movement,” she wrote a detailed and harrowing account of nearly being raped by a white neighbor who employed her as a housekeeper in 1931. The essay is among thousands of her personal documents which will be sold as a group by Guernsey’s Auctioneers. By Ula Ilnytzky.
AP photos, video.
EGYPT
CAIRO — Ultraconservative Muslims turn out in force as tens of thousands fill Cairo’s central Tahrir Square in a rally marked by a growing rift in the protest movement. In one of the largest protests square since the popular uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February, Salafis chanted for the implementation of strict Islamic law — spurring accusations that they violated an agreement to keep the rally free from divisive issues. By Ben Hubbard.
AP photos, video.
DELAWARE EXECUTION
SMYRNA, Del. — Delaware carries out its first execution since 2005, putting to death a man who was convicted of killing a woman with an ax during a burglary nearly two decades ago. By Jessica Gresko.
AP photos.
GETTING ATTENTION
— VENEZUELA-CHAVEZ — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he intends to stay in power for two more decades as he celebrates his 57th birthday looking ahead to months of cancer treatment. AP photos, video.
— MISSING GIRL-NH — Investigators go door to door in search for missing New Hampshire girl, alert Canadian mounted police. AP photo.
— WOODS RETURNS — Ending a three-month layoff, Tiger Woods returns in time for final major. AP photos.
— NEW ZEALAND-EMPEROR PENGUIN — Penguin lost in New Zealand passes health test, gains weight, will soon be returned to wild. AP photo.

FRIDAY, July 29
A1

FLOODING IN OAKLAND
@ rainfall in various parts of the county; power outages. More rain expected this afternoon or evening. Dave doing late check for rainfall totals.
STAFF PHOTOS & VIDEOS
SOLAR JOBS COMING TO ROCHESTER HILLS
@ General Motors Ventures LLC has invested $7.5 million in Sunlogics PLC, provider specializing in solar projects, which is shifting its headquarters from to Michigan and in the process of creating 200 new jobs in Rochester Hills.
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson hailed the collaboration between GM and a company dedicated to clean alternative energy.
SZCZESNY

ORION BICYCLIST KILLED
@ A Lake Orion man riding his bicycle died Wednesday, July 27, after being struck by a car.
The crash occurred on in the 4500 block of Giddings Road south of Liberty Court about 5:41 p.m. Wednesday, according to Oakland County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
HOPKINS

VOTE ON DEBT CEILING - tonite (AP)

A3 - FOR MACOMB

COURT HEARING FOR BROTHERS ACCUSED IN GRADUATION KILLING
@ Witnesses identified one of two brothers as having a gun the night a man was killed at a graduation party in Pontiac, but no one could say that they saw Tong Lor fire the gun.
Tong Lor, 25, and Tou Lor, 23, were in court Thursday for the beginning of their preliminary exam. They are charged with open murder.
ZANIEWSKI VIDEO & SCREEN GRAB

CONCOURS - event is this Sunday
@ “My dad did it. I grew up with it. It’s been a part of my life,” says Scott Manning of Rochester Hills, a collector of classic automobiles.
Every summer, there are classic car shows virtually every night of the week in southeast Michigan.
But the most prestigious, the Concours d’Elegance, will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 31.


MUST RUNS
JALEN ROSE TICKETED AFTER JAIL SENTENCING
@ Yesterday just wasn’t Jalen Rose’s day.
The University of Michigan and NBA basketball player was ticketed Wednesday for speeding just hours after being sentenced to 20 days in jail for drunken driving.
The speeding ticket was a fairly minor, Clawson Police Chief Harry Anderson said.
BYRON file art


CHURCH SIGNS OK’D
@ The troubles between Orion Township and the New Beginnings Baptist Church are over — both sides having reached an agreement that will allow the church to continue using its “Free Food” and “Free Clothes” signs.
“We did resolve the situation,” said Tim Chappell, pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church.
WORKMAN PHOTO

POLICE BLOTTER


ALSO AVAILABLE

INTERN DEB PHOTO (Brian Joseph at Exotic & Classic Restoration)
WATERFORD AUDIT
@ Conservative budgeting is predicted to be part of Waterford Township’s future.
Township officials recently discussed budgets during a review of the 2010 audit, as presented by Plante and Moran staff.
HOPKINS

STANDALONE PHOTO — ribbon cutting for Watd home built by students, photo set

LOCAL BRIEFS

Some of the stories the AP is covering Thursday.
— The trades and cuts keeps coming in the NFL: Reggie Bush to Miami, Albert Haynesworth exiled to New England and plenty of other moves expected. This is the first day veterans can be released.
— NEW YORK — NFL doctors and experts in heat-related illnesses have spoken with each team. The calls take on added importance following the end of the 4 1/2-month lockout.
— PHILADELPHIA — Carlos Beltran is expected to be in the lineup for the San Francisco Giants for their series finale against the Phillies in a game between division leaders. Game starts 7:05 p.m.
— SHANGHAI — Ryan Lochte sets the first world record since high-tech bodysuits were banned at the start of last year, beating Michael Phelps in the 200-meter individual medley at the world championships.
— CARNOUSTIE, Scotland — Brittany Lincicome has the early lead in the first round of the Women’s British Open, where Yani Tseng is the defending champion.
— WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Stuart Appleby begins defense of his Greenbrier Classic title at The Greenbrier resort. Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson are in the field.
— TOLEDO, Ohio — The opening round of the U.S. Senior Open, with Bernhard Langer defending his title and coming back from a thumb injury.
— CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A day after firing football coach Butch Davis, North Carolina also will start searching for a new athletic director. Dick Baddour plans to leave after 14 years as soon as the school can hire a replacement.
— LOS ANGELES — Two-time Olympic snowboard champ Shaun White plans a revolutionary skateboarding trick at the X Games this weekend.
— MEDELLIN, Colombia — Spain will be the favorite to add another World Cup to its trophy case — this time the Under-20 World Cup. The showcase for young soccer talent begins Friday.

Business

GM invests - szczesny
General Motors Ventures LLC has invested $7.5 million in Sunlogics PLC, a provider specializing in solar projectsthat has shifted its headquarters to Michigan and is in the process of creating 200 new jobs in Rochester Hills. photo, video

Pulte earnings - szczesny
PulteGroup Inc. of Bloomfield Hills has reported a net loss of $55 million or 15 cents per share and a 29 percent drop in revenue from home building as the company continued to suffer from the U.S.’ lengthening housing slump.

federal Mogul, BorgWarner earnings - szczesny
Two local automotive suppliers, Federal Mogul and BorgWarner, posted solid earnings for the second quarter.

EARNS-KELLOGG — Kellogg Co.’s second-quarter net income rose 14 percent on higher prices and stronger sales. The world’s biggest cereal maker raised prices to offset higher costs and is starting to see the benefit of those adjustments.AP Photos ARDJ202, 204.



spotlights

7.29 Oakland Vita Hair Salon West Bloomfield 13
7.29 Macomb Macomb Community College no art

local briefs

on the web
PERSONAL FINANCE:
OF MUTUAL INTEREST-MID-CAP MENTALITY
BOSTON — Stocks of smaller companies usually lead the pack in a rising market, while larger companies offer more protection when stocks are falling. Where to go when the market wavers between optimism and pessimism, as it has the past five months? Mid-cap stocks often have the resiliency to help mutual fund investors sail through the market’s back-and-forth periods. Indeed, they’re leading the market this year. Yet many ignore mid-caps when they build portfolios. We’ll discuss opportunities and risks with top fund managers. By Personal Finance Writer Mark Jewell. AP Photos.
Eds: Available exclusively on AP Exchange/ AP Web Feeds
CEO INTERVIEW-BUFFALO WILD WINGS
Sally Smith joined Buffalo Wild Wings when it was a fledgling restaurant with about 30 locations and no procedures for how to manage its leases, franchisees, or other processes. She was named CEO a couple of years later, when the founder left to run a figure skating association and his replacement failed to show up for work. Today, Smith’s chain has grown to more than 750 restaurants and just opened its first international location, in Canada. In a recent interview she talks about how to run a sports bar, the best time to buy chicken wings, and the question she always asks job applicants. By Business Writer Christina Rexrode. AP Photo.
SMART SPENDING-KIDS BACK-TO-SCHOOL
NEW YORK — Prices on everything from socks to notebooks are rising 10 percent on average this fall, just in time for back-to-school shopping. But there are deals aplenty, and stores and manufacturers are redesigning their websites and planning new promotions to get consumers to spend more than last year. Here are five tips. By Retail Writer Anne D’Innocenzio. AP Photos.
Eds: Available exclusively on AP Exchange/ AP Web Feeds

Business
TOP STORIES:
DEBT SHOWDOWN-ECONOMY
WASHINGTON — No matter how the debt crisis ends, it will probably be bad news for the economy. Failure to raise the federal borrowing limit could cause a default, pushing interest rates higher and maybe tipping the United States back into a recession. And even if there’s a deal, it will probably include spending cuts that could weaken the economy. “Pick your poison,” one economist says. By Paul Wiseman and Christopher S. Rugaber.
With:
DEBT SHOWDOWN- WIRELESS AUCTION
WASHINGTON —The debt ceiling battle could produce an unlikely winner: smartphone users. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan would give the Federal Communications Commission authority to auction off highly valuable radio spectrum. The proposal would be a win for the nation’s big wireless carriers, which are struggling to keep up with the exploding use of smartphones and other devices on their networks. Reid’s proposal would raise more than $13 billion for deficit reduction. By Joelle Tessler
Also:
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — House Republicans press ahead with a vote on a newly modified plan to stave off an unprecedented government default next week even though the legislation faces a White House veto threat and unanimous opposition among Senate Democrats. By Andrew Taylor.
FORD-FOCUS SHORTAGE
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. can’t build as many hot-selling Focus compacts as it wants to because of equipment problems at a parts factory, say two people familiar with the matter. The problem has left dealers short of the cars and forced customers onto waiting lists. The Focus was Ford’s top-selling passenger car last month. By Auto Writer Tom Krisher.
MARKETS & ECONOMY:
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since early April, a sign the job market may be healing after a recent slump. The Labor Department says weekly applications fell 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 398,000. That’s the first time applications have fallen below 400,000 in 16 weeks. By Christopher S. Rugaber.
PENDING HOME SALES
WASHINGTON — The number of people who signed contracts to buy homes rose for a second month in June. But the gain was not enough to signal a rebound in the weak housing market. By Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger.
AP Photos.
— MORTGAGE RATES — Fixed mortgage rates were mostly unchanged this week as credit markets showed little reaction to Washington’s impasse over raising the federal government’s borrowing limit.
— FORECLOSURE RATES — Most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are seeing a sharp drop in foreclosure activity as banks take longer to move against homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments.
— WALL STREET — An unexpectedly strong report on jobs is sending stocks higher even as a stalemate continues over the U.S. debt limit.
— OIL PRICES — Oil prices held steady above $97 a barrel a day after they tumbled over $2 following confirmation that the U.S. has released emergency crude reserves.
ALABAMA COUNTY BANKRUPTCY
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Leaders in Alabama’s most populous county say it’s time to resolve a multi-billion dollar debt left by questionable sewer financing. The Jefferson County commission meets to consider filing what would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Officials say the total value of the bankruptcy would exceed $4.1 billion. By Jay Reeves.
EARNINGS:
EARNS-OIL
NEW YORK — Soaring fuel prices led to big gains in second-quarter earnings for oil giants Exxon, Shell and BP. As they announced their windfall, oil executives said they’ll devote billions of dollars more to finding new deposits of crude oil that will eventually bring more supply to the market. A lot of their attention will be focused on the United States. By Chris Kahn. Incorporates BC-US--Earns-Exxon, BC-EU--Netherlands-Earns-Shell.
EARNS-STARBUCKS
Starbucks Corp. reports quarterly financial results after the market close. By Sarah Skidmore.
EARNS-DUPONT
NEW YORK — DuPont’s second-quarter earnings rose 5 percent as the impact of surging revenue was partly offset by acquisition costs. The chemical maker also raised its outlook for the year. By Samantha Bomkamp.
EARNS-COLGATE-PALMOLIVE
NEW YORK — Colgate-Palmolive’s second-quarter net income climbs 3 percent thanks to higher pricing, strong sales overseas and a growing market share for its toothpaste and toothbrushes. By Christina Rexrode.
— EARNS-KELLOGG — Kellogg’s third-quarter net income rose 14 percent on higher prices and stronger sales. The world’s biggest cereal maker raised prices to offset higher costs and is starting to see the benefit of those adjustments. By Sarah Skidmore.
— EARNS-STARWOOD — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.’s second-quarter net income climbs 15 percent on improving demand among business and leisure travelers. The company, whose brands include St. Regis and Sheraton, also raised its full-year earnings forecast. By Michelle Chapman.
— EARNS-AVON PRODUCTS — Cosmetics seller Avon Products Inc.’s second-quarter net income rose 23 percent, helped by higher revenue in Latin America, its largest region.
HEALTH CARE:
NATION’S HEALTH TAB
WASHINGTON — The nation’s health care tab is on track to hit $4.6 trillion in 2020, accounting for about $1 of every $5 in the economy, government number crunchers estimate. By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar.
EARNS-BOSTON SCIENTIFIC
Medical device maker Boston Scientific reports a nearly 50 percent increase in second-quarter profit and says it will cut up to 1,400 employees, or 5 to 6 percent of its staff, to streamline operations. By Matthew Perrone.
EARNS-BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB
TRENTON, N.J. — Drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s second-quarter profit fell nearly 3 percent because of higher taxes and increased costs for production, marketing and administration. Sales rose 14 percent. By Linda Johnson.
— FRANCE-EARNS-SANOFI-AVENTIS — Sanofi saw its earnings slump 41 percent in the second quarter as growing competition from generic alternatives ate into sales of its more expensive drugs and offset gains from the recent acquisition of U.S. biotechnology firm Genzyme.
— BRITAIN-EARNS-ASTRAZENECA — Anglo-Swedish drug marker AstraZeneca PLC on reported nearly unchanged profit for the second quarter as it weathered a hit to sales revenue from generic competition.
— GERMANY-EARNS-BAYER — Pharmaceutical and chemical company Bayer AG says strong growth in the crop science division helped second-quarter profits rise more than 40 percent.
INDUSTRY:
SWITZERLAND-EARNS-CREDIT SUISSE
GENEVA — Credit Suisse Group said it will cut more than 2,000 jobs after its second-quarter profit dropped by half, more than expected, due to a strong Swiss franc and a plunge in trading and investment banking earnings.
— JETBLUE-UNLIMITED FLIGHTS — JetBlue introduced several new three-month, unlimited flight plans in an attempt to snare more higher-paying business travelers.
— GERMANY-EARNS-SIEMENS — Industrial machinery maker Siemens saw quarterly profits fall sharply as it took hefty hits from pulling out of a nuclear joint venture and a new cancer treatment technology failed to match hopes.
AUTOS:
EARNS-GOODYEAR
CLEVELAND — Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the biggest tire maker in North America, said second-quarter earnings surged 43 percent, helped by a 24 percent sales increase. By Tom Sheeran.
— GERMANY-EARNS-VOLKSWAGEN — Carmaker Volkswagen AG says net profit more than tripled in the second quarter on stronger sales in emerging markets and the United States, but its shares slumped after it warned of challenges in coming months.
— FRANCE-EARNS-RENAULT — French carmaker Renault SA said its earnings rose in the first half as higher international growth helped offset a squeeze on profitability after the disaster in Japan choked off supply chains.
— SKOREA-EARNS-HYUNDAI — Hyundai Motor’s net profit rose 37 percent in the second quarter amid record global vehicle sales, disrupted auto production in Japan and the popularity of new models in the South Korean market.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA:
EARNS-SPRINT NEXTEL
NEW YORK — Sprint Nextel’s loss widened in the second quarter as it spent more to attract and keep customers, in the face of competition from AT&T and Verizon. The extra spending meant that Sprint kept adding subscribers, continuing a fragile turnaround, but investors disliked a decline in operating income and sent the stock down sharply. The country’s No. 3 wireless carrier also announced that it will be building and operating the national wireless broadband network for LightSquared, a startup financed by a hedge fund. By Peter Svensson.
EARNS-MOTOROLA MOBILITY
Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. reports quarterly financial results after the market closes. By Peter Svensson.
— JAPAN-EARNS-SONY — Sony Corp. sank to a 15.5 billion yen ($199 million) quarterly loss, hurt by the disasters in northeastern Japan, a massive online security breach and plunging TV prices.
— JAPAN-EARNS-NINTENDO — Nintendo Co. stayed deep in the red in the latest quarter, forcing the Japanese video game giant to cut its full-year forecasts and slash prices on its new 3DS handheld device.
— EARNS-TIME WARNER CABLE — Time Warner Cable Inc. said its second-quarter profit rose 23 percent, boosted by strong results in its business services and higher revenue from residential users. By Barbara Ortutay.
— JAPAN-EARNS-PANASONIC — Panasonic slumped to a 30.4 billion yen ($389 million) quarterly loss, hit by lower sales after the earthquake in northeastern Japan, and announced the sale of part of its refrigerator and washing machine business to Chinese rival Haier.
— FRANCE-EARNS-ALCATEL-LUCENT — Alcatel-Lucent SA said it made a small profit in the second quarter and expects to hit its full-year earnings targets, but its stock slumped as revenues missed analyst forecasts.
— EARNS-MCCLATCHY — Newspaper publisher McClatchy’s second-quarter earnings fell 32 percent as advertising declined.
— EARNS-THOMSON REUTERS — News and information provider Thomson Reuters Corp. said its second-quarter net income nearly doubled thanks to growth in its professional division.
— SPAIN-EARNS-TELEFONICA — Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica says net profit slumped 27 percent in the second-quarter with falling revenue in Spain marring strong growth in Latin America.
— BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING — A senior judge opens an inquiry into Britain’s phone-hacking scandal that will start by looking at whether the country needs tougher media regulation.
INTERNATIONAL:
EUROPE-FINANCIAL CRISIS
PARIS — The French Finance Ministry says that French banks and insurers have promised to give Greece easier lending terms on (euro) 15 billion ($21 billion) in bonds they hold. The contribution of the private sector — estimated at (euro) 106 billion by 2020 — is a central part of a second rescue package for Greece, and will be supplemented by (euro) 109 billion in new loans from the eurozone and the IMF.
— ITALY-FINANCIAL CRISIS — Italy raised (euro) 8 billion ($11.4 billion) from bond markets at sharply higher interest rates as investors worry about the debt crisis reaching the eurozone’s third-largest economy.
— ASIA-ECONOMY — Surging inflation, a weak post-tsunami economic recovery in Japan and debt woes in the U.S. and Europe threaten East Asia’s economic outlook, the Asian Development Bank said.
— GERMANY-ECONOMY — Summer vacations drove Germany’s unemployment rate up to 7 percent in July, but officials said demand for skilled workers remained high.
— SKOREA-CYBERATTACK — The personal information of about 35 million Internet users in South Korea was stolen in an alleged hacking attack that originated in China.
— GERMANY-EARNS-BASF — Chemical company BASF said its ability to raise prices helped boost net profits 22 percent in the second quarter, but that its sales growth would slow in the second half of the year.
— SPAIN-EARNS-REPSOL — Spanish energy company Repsol YPF SA said second quarter profit fell 7.3 percent, less than analysts had expected, as production was hurt by Libya’s civil war and strikes in Argentina.
— NORWAY-EARNS-STATOIL — Higher oil and gas prices and the sale of a stake in a Brazilian oil field helped Norwegian oil company Statoil ASA post record profits in the second quarter of the year.
— SPAIN-EARNS-BBVA — Spanish bank BBVA said second-quarter net profit fell 7.6 percent from a year earlier as a weak domestic market offset gains in South America.

Michigan
TOP STORIES:
MICHIGAN-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says he’ll meet a Friday deadline to ask an entire appeals court to uphold the state’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions and government hiring. Schuette said Thursday that a recent 2-1 decision that struck down the law was “nutty.” He says there’s nothing illegal about a law that prohibits discrimination.
LAKE CRASH SURVIVOR — A New York pilot who crashed into Lake Huron while flying to Wisconsin and survived without a life jacket by swimming and treading water for 17 hours is to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon at a Michigan hospital where he is recuperating from his long exposure.
AP Photos.
Eds: Press conference scheduled for 1 p.m.
MISSING BOYS-MICHIGAN
ADRIAN — A southern Michigan man has pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful imprisonment in the disappearance of his three young sons. John Skelton appeared Thursday in Lenawee County Circuit Court in Adrian. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 15. Skelton’s attorney says his client could receive up to 15 years in prison. Kidnapping and parental kidnapping charges were dropped.AP Photo.

Nation/world
DEVELOPING
— LAKE CRASH SURVIVOR — A New York pilot who crashed into Lake Huron and survived, treading water 17 hours, talks about his ordeal at 1 p.m. news conference.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN — House vote expected late afternoon.
TOP STORIES
DEBT SHOWDOWN — The Republican-controlled House struggles toward a showdown vote on legislation to avert a threatened government default. If it passes, the measure will be immediately taken up in the Senate, where Democratic leaders say it can’t win. Still, differences appear to have narrowed between the GOP and Democratic plans, raising hope a compromise can be reached by Tuesday’s deadline. AP photos, video, interactive.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-HIGHLIGHTS — Differences and similarities between the competing plans by Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-DAILY SUMMARY — Brief explanation of debt standoff and latest developments.
DEBT SHOWDOWN-ECONOMY — No matter how the debt crisis ends, it will probably be bad news for the economy. Failure to raise the federal borrowing limit could cause a default, pushing interest rates higher and maybe tipping the United States back into a recession. And even if there’s a deal, it will probably include spending cuts that could weaken the economy. “Pick your poison,” one economist says. AP photos.
EAST AFRICA-FAMINE — African Union troops launch an anti-militant offensive to ensure that aid groups can deliver food after intelligence reports show that 300 insurgents have moved into Mogadishu, raising fears that al-Shabab could try to attack the squalid camps filled with famine refugees. At least six people die and 39 are wounded, including 19 peacekeepers. By Jason Straziuso.
AP photos by Schalk van Zuydam and Farah Abdi Warsameh. AP video.
NORWAY-MASSACRE — Norway casts it as the isolated act of a lone wolf attacker whose boasts of a far-flung network are the fantasies of a sick mind. European officials at an emergency counterterror meeting see a continent-wide threat from right wing extremists amid mounting Islamophobia and warn of possible copycats. Two visions of the Norway atrocity emerge as Europe gropes for answers. At stake is the continent’s political and security response to the massacre. AP photos, video.
AGING AMERICA-BOOMER POLL-FINANCES — The “golden years” may lose some luster for baby boomers fretting about money. Many of the nation’s 77 million boomers are worried about being able to pay their medical bills as they get older — a concern so deep it outpaces worries about facing a major illness or dying, an AP-LifeGoesStrong.com poll finds. AP graphic.
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR
KILLEEN, Texas — Authorities say an AWOL Muslim soldier is arrested and bomb-making materials are found in a motel room near Fort Hood, Texas — the same Army post where 13 people were killed during a shooting spree in 2009. Pfc. Naser Abdo, who was granted conscientious objector status before being charged with possessing child pornography at Fort Campbell, Ky., will face federal charges after a local gun dealer alerted police. AP photos.
AP ENTERPRISE: WOUNDED WARRIOR — For the past four years, Luis Carlos Montalvan has been advocating for injured Iraq war veterans. Since serving two tours of duty, for which he received two Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart, the former Army captain has become a strong critic of the war and a promoter of better care of those who served. But his popular book “Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrier and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him” is being called into question by several men who served with him. And documents obtained by The Associated Press contradict Montlavan’s claims about the extent and severity of his injuries. AP photos.
MORE ON THE DEBT SHOWDOWN
DEBT SHOWDOWN- WIRELESS AUCTION —The debt ceiling battle could produce an unlikely winner: smartphone users. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan would give the Federal Communications Commission authority to auction off highly valuable radio spectrum. The proposal would be a win for the nation’s big wireless carriers, which are struggling to keep up with the exploding use of smartphones and other devices on their networks. Reid’s proposal would raise more than $13 billion for deficit reduction. By Joelle Tessler.
WASHINGTON
US-IRAN-AL-QAIDA — The Obama administration accuses Iran of entering into a secret deal with an al-Qaida offshoot that provides money and recruits for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Treasury Department designates six members of the al-Qaida unit as terrorists subject to U.S. sanctions.
INTERNATIONAL
EGYPT-MUBARAK — Hosni Mubarak goes on trial next week in a Cairo convention center outfitted with a medical facility and a metal defendants’ cage large enough to hold the man who ruled Egypt unchallenged for three decades, his two sons and eight associates. The trial is a key demand of activists who led the uprising that toppled his regime. AP photos.
PAKISTAN-FLOODS-TWO VILLAGES — Two villages, both devastated by Pakistan’s floods a year ago, now are vastly different. In one, sewage runs in the streets and some residents still get by in tents. In the other, villagers are moving into new houses that are better than those they lost. Recovery in Pakistan is patchy, and success can depend on access to the rich and powerful.
AP photos. AP video.
AFGHAN-POLICE DYING
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban were firing when Afghan policeman Jan Agha, already wounded in the hand by a bullet, heard the whoosh of an incoming rocket. Shrapnel sprayed his legs, but he lived to tell the story. Many comrades do not — Afghan policemen suffer more deaths than Afghan soldiers or U.S.-led coalition forces. And the toll on the 130,600-member force is likely to rise as it takes over from foreign troops. By Deb Riechmann and Ahmad Seir.
AP photos by Musadeq Sadeq.
— AFGHANISTAN — Three suicide bombers strike a government compound in southern Afghanistan, the opening salvo of an hours-long gunbattle that leaves at least 19 people dead.
NATIONAL
IRAN-US HIKERS
MINNEAPOLIS — Two Americans held in Iran for nearly two years on espionage charges face what may be the final hearing in their case this weekend in Tehran. In the U.S., the families of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal say they are counting on the men being released but acknowledge they’ve been disappointed before. By Steve Karnowski.
AP photos. AP video will move Friday morning.
POSTAL PROBLEMS-APPALACHIAN TRAIL
RALEIGH, N.C. — Hiking the nearly 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail is tough enough. Now hikers trekking from Georgia to Maine say the trip will be even tougher if the U.S. Postal Service proceeds with a plan to close post offices along the route that they use to pick up supplies like food, gear and cold-weather packs. By Renee Elder and Clarke Canfield.
AP photos.
POLAR BEAR-SCIENTIST
JUNEAU, Alaska — A federal wildlife biologist whose observation that polar bears had drowned in the Arctic galvanized the global warming movement is now on leave, as officials investigate “integrity issues.” A watchdog group representing Charles Monnett says he is being persecuted and that the probe focuses on the scientific article he wrote about the bears. Whatever the outcome of the investigation, it is likely to fuel the ongoing fight between climate change activists and skeptics. By Becky Bohrer.
AP photos.
HEALTH
STROKE-PREGNANCY
Strokes have spiked among pregnant women and new mothers, who are probably paying the price for rising rates of high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity, researchers report. By Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
— NJ GOVERNOR — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who suffers from asthma, is taken to a hospital for tests after having difficulty breathing, but spokeswoman says the brash politican is “fine and in charge.” AP photos, video.
— AVIATION SHUTDOWN — The shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration is producing big economic gains and little pain for the airlines, while thousands of federal employees and tens of thousands of other workers suffer layoffs.
— TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Don moving across the Gulf of Mexico toward southeastern Texas
— POLYGAMIST LEADER — Warren Jeffs dismisses his legal team at the start of his sexual assault trial and tells the court he wants to represent himself.
— STRAUSS-KAHN-ASSAULT — The hotel maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault personally thanks her New York supporters. AP photos.
— BRITAIN-PHONE HACKING — Charity says the mother of a murdered girl was targeted by a detective who worked for the News of the World.
— SKOREA-LANDSLIDE — Rescuers dig through mud in hopes of finding survivors of deadly landslides and flooding, and South Korea’s military warns that land mines may be buried in the muck.

Michigan
PAGE 1/SECTION FRONT RECOMMENDATIONS:
— MICHIGAN-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
— LAKE CRASH SURVIVOR
— MISSING BOYS-MICHIGAN
MICHIGAN NEWS PHOTO RECOMMENDATIONS:
— With MICHIGAN STORMS-FLOODING
— With LAKE CRASH SURVIVOR
TOP STORIES:
MICHIGAN-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
DETROIT — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette says he’ll meet a Friday deadline to ask an entire appeals court to uphold the state’s ban on affirmative action in college admissions and government hiring. Schuette said Thursday that a recent 2-1 decision that struck down the law was “nutty.” He says there’s nothing illegal about a law that prohibits discrimination. By Ed White.
LAKE CRASH SURVIVOR
SAGINAW — A New York pilot who crashed into Lake Huron while flying to Wisconsin and survived without a life jacket by swimming and treading water for 17 hours is to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon at a Michigan hospital where he is recuperating from his long exposure.
AP Photos.
Eds: Press conference scheduled for 1 p.m.
MISSING BOYS-MICHIGAN
ADRIAN — A southern Michigan man has pleaded no contest to three counts of unlawful imprisonment in the disappearance of his three young sons. John Skelton appeared Thursday in Lenawee County Circuit Court in Adrian. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 15. Skelton’s attorney says his client could receive up to 15 years in prison. Kidnapping and parental kidnapping charges were dropped.
AP Photo.
EARNS-KELLOGG
BATTLE CREEK — Kellogg Co.’s second-quarter net income rose 14 percent on higher prices and stronger sales. The world’s biggest cereal maker raised prices to offset higher costs and is starting to see the benefit of those adjustments.
AP Photos ARDJ202, 204.
EARNS-PULTEGROUP
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Homebuilder PulteGroup posted a second-quarter loss as sales fell in a national housing market that hasn’t recovered from the recession. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., company said closings dropped 28 percent to 3,633 during the quarter and the average price fell 1 percent to $248,000. But last year’s results were boosted by a tax credit for first-time buyers.
SPORTS:
FBN--LIONS-SCHWARTZ
ALLEN PARK — Late last year, Jim Schwartz felt he had to defend his Detroit Lions following a 2-10 start that looked all too familiar for the troubled franchise. Now, Schwartz is trying to shield his team from some different expectations. Detroit is considered a team on the rise in the NFC, and the third-year coach doesn’t want the Lions to get ahead of themselves. By Sports Writer Noah Trister.

THURSDAY, July 28
A1
Lede
22-YEAR-OLD BEATEN BY HER FATHER DIES
@ The Oxford woman whose father beat her severely with a baseball bat has died.
Megan Roberts, 20, died Wednesday morning, according to her family. She had been in a coma since May 9, when her father, Robert Brian Kelly, is accused of entering her bedroom and beating her on the face and head.
PHILLIPS FILE MUGS (Megan Roberts and father Robert Brian Kelly); Video with guardian today

on the gatefold
JALEN ROSE JAILED FOR DRUNK DRIVING
@ Former Michigan and NBA player Jalen Rose was sentenced Wednesday to jail by a judge who talked at length about the dangerous consequences of drunken driving.
Bloomfield Township’s 48th District Court Judge Kimberly Small sentenced Rose to 93 days in jail, with him serving 20 days beginning Aug. 2 and the remainder of the sentence held in abeyance.
Rose was given 12 months of write-in probation and must attend an alcohol awareness program.
ZANIEWSKI PHOTO & VIDEO use photos of both the judge and Rose

ROCHESTER FATHER-DAUGHTER RACE
@ ROCHESTER HILLS — For the first time a father-daughter team will compete in the 115-mile GORE-TEX Transrockies run and Kelly and Michael Donoughe of Rochester, Michigan are doing their training and racing with purpose. Kelly is the President of Cornerstone Youth Development Fund, a Detroit-based nonprofit that works to provide resources to support activities focused on properly preparing youth in Detroit and Eastern Africa to lead productive lives for the benefit of society.
BYRON PHOTO VIDEO & SCREEN GRAB

PONTIAC AND FERNDALE POST OFFICES TO CLOSE
@ Jesse Johnson drives to the Phoenix Post Office at 45 Oakland Avenue in Pontiac two or three times a week.
Johnson, who lives 2.5 miles away on Fourth Street, said he’d heard the Phoenix location was one of the post offices slated to close at the end of this year.
HOPKINS VIDEO & SCREEN GRAB
Photo of post office on the front, photos of patrons with the jump


A-3 -- send to Macomb

ORION SAYS FREE FOOD SIGN “LESS OF A CONCERN”
@ Orion Township Supervisor JoAnn Van Tassel said the free food sign put up by New Beginnings Baptist Church is not what prompted a code enforcement officer to issue two tickets to the church.
“The ticket was issued for what’s in the photos,” Van Tassel said, referring to photos taken on July 18 by a code enforcement officer. “Free food never entered into it.”
WORKMAN submitted art

COURT DATE SET FOR MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING 4-MONTH OLD
@ A pre-exam for a Commerce Township man accused of killing his 4-month-old son has been set for Sept. 22.
Richard Gillis III, 22, will appear at 9 a.m. in front of 52-1 District Judge Dennis Powers for a pre-exam. He is charged first-degree felony murder and first-degree child abuse.
HOPKINS



MUST RUNS

STANDALONE PHOTO — west blm fire dept equipment

STANDALONE PHOTO — novi police and fire academy

VACANT HOME FIRE
Fire in Auburn Hills; short story
PHILLIPS no photo

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO TRESPASSING
@ A Waterford man accused of six incidents against his neighbor recently plead guilty to one charge of trespassing.
Elmer Austin who lives on Silver Lake Road had been accused of incidents such as trespassing, malicious destruction of property, and assault and battery, all misdemeanors.
HOPKINS file art



ALSO AVAILABLE

Photo of found dog -- possible story from Hopkins


STANDALONE PHOTO — weather shot

STANDALONE PHOTO — Pontiac Garden Club (Dillaber copyblock)

ZUCHOWSKI FUNDRAISER
@ Coaches, youth ministers and friends of Thomas “T.J.” Zuchowski who incurred a spinal cord injury July 7 are doing everything they can so the former athlete can lead a normal life.
Zuchowski, 23, is in the rehabilitation unit at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital undergoing therapy.
His family has no doubt the young man who won 12 letters in sports at Hamtramck High School will turn what some would think is a tragedy into a successful recovery.
WOLFFE

Michigan at 12:35 p.m.
All times EDT.
PAGE 1/SECTION FRONT RECOMMENDATIONS:
— LAND USE-DETROIT
— MISSING PLANE-LAKE HURON
MICHIGAN NEWS PHOTO RECOMMENDATION:
— With LAND USE-DETROIT
PULL-OUT BOX:
— EARNS DOW CHEMICAL-SUMMARY BOX
TOP STORIES:
LAND USE-DETROIT
DETROIT — Mayor Dave Bing says the city of Detroit will realign services to neighborhoods depending on the condition of homes and infrastructure, as well as the potential for economic development. Bing said Wednesday that the city’s limited resources are part of the reason for the decision to provide different levels of services in some areas. The announcement is a major update on the city’s Detroit Works Project. By Corey Williams.
AP Photo.
MISSING PLANE-LAKE HURON
HARBOR BEACH — Authorities say the New York pilot of a small plane that crashed in Lake Huron has been rescued in good condition after treading water all night off the Michigan coast. The man was picked up by a fishing boat around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, more than 17 hours after the Federal Aviation Administration lost contact with him Tuesday.
MICHIGAN CONGRESS-SCHAUER
DETROIT — Former U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer of Battle Creek says he won’t run for Congress next year. The Democrat made the announcement in an email sent to supporters on Wednesday. By Mike Householder.
JALEN ROSE-ARREST
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Former NBA guard Jalen Rose has been sentenced to jail time for a drunken driving crash along a snowy suburban Detroit road in March.
AP Photo.
Also:
— BASKETBALL STAR-MARIJUANA — A former college basketball star has been arrested and accused of operating a sophisticated marijuana growing operation from his North Carolina home. Thirty-one-year-old Rodney White was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Iredell County. White led UNC Charlotte’s basketball team to the 2001 NCAA tournament and was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the NBA draft that year.
GM-OPEL
DETROIT — General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson says the company’s European car business is not for sale. There have been numerous reports that GM wanted to sell its Opel operations. But Akerson told reporters at the opening of contract talks with the United Auto Workers that Opel would not be sold. By Auto Writer Tom Krisher.
ASH BORER
MOREAU, N.Y. — Six pieces of firewood in the trunk of her car earned Nanette Pelkey a $250 fine. Her offense: Transporting the sticks more than 50 miles, a violation of New York law aimed at stopping the spread of the destructive emerald ash borer, which has already laid waste to tens of millions of trees from Michigan eastward and threatens to march into New England. Campers and loggers are getting snared at checkpoints as officials take severe measures. By George Walsh.
AP Photos.
EARNS DOW CHEMICAL
MIDLAND — Dow Chemical Co. said Wednesday that its second-quarter profit surged 73 percent on a combination of higher prices, increasing sales and comparison to results a year-ago weighed down by one-time charges. The company also said it predicts continued growth in major markets like the U.S. and Europe, despite what it calls the “somewhat uneven and jagged pace” of economic recovery. The statement echoed similar outlooks this week by major companies including United Parcel Service Inc.
With:
— EARNS DOW CHEMICAL-SUMMARY BOX
SPORTS:
BBA--TIGERS-WHITE SOX
CHICAGO — Max Scherzer goes for his 12th win and the first-place Detroit Tigers try to capture two of three from the White Sox in the series finale. John Danks pitches for the White Sox, who trail the Tigers by 4 1/2 games. Game starts at 2:05 p.m.
AP Photos.

The world at 11 a.m. Times in EDT.

NEW & DEVELOPING
— Adds WALL STREET, BRITAIN-LIBYA, LIBYA, URBAN LEAGUE-MIDDLE CLASS
— TERROR HEARINGS — Lawmaker: More than 40 Americans radicalized and joined Somali terror group to fight. Hearing is under way.
— POLYGAMIST LEADER — Hearing begins at noon
TOP STORIES
WALL STREET
NEW YORK — Stocks fall as lawmakers remained at odds over how to avoid a debt default. A weak report on orders for manufactured goods also weighed on stocks. House Speaker John Boehner had planned to hold a vote on his debt-limit plan, but that was postponed after conservative lawmakers scoffed at the proposal and congressional budget officials said it would have cut spending less than advertised. By Business Writer Chip Cutter.
AP photos.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN — Budget analysts say Senate Democratic plan cuts deficits by $2.2. trillion, less than promised. AP photos
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-SHORT TERM — A central question is how long new borrowing authority should last. But the nation often has increased the debt ceiling by shorter periods than either side proposes. A Spin Meter story.
NORWAY-MASSACRE
OSLO, Norway — Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg vows that the twin terror attacks that have stunned his country will not intimidate Norway and that his countrymen will fight back with “more democracy.” Norwegians will defend themselves by showing they are not afraid of violence and by participating more broadly in politics, he says. By Ian MacDougall And Karl Ritter.
AP photos, video, graphic.
GLOBAL ECONOMY TRACKER
Wealthy countries all over the world are dealing with debt and strained budgets as they mop up after the Great Recession. But the United States is in a bigger fix than almost everyone else. The U.S. federal debt, as a percentage of the overall economy, was 95 percent in the first three months of 2011, the fifth-highest in the world, according to the Associated Press Global Economy Tracker. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman.
AP photos. AP Interactive GLOBAL ECONOMY TRACKER.
— URBAN LEAGUE-MIDDLE CLASS — Urban League study says black middle class hit hard by downturn; college unemployment rate up. AP photo.
CLOSING WALTER REED
WASHINGTON — Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Army’s flagship hospital where privates to presidents have gone for care, is closing its doors after more than a century. Hundreds of thousands of the nation’s war wounded from World War I to today have received treatment at Walter Reed, including 18,000 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. By Kimberly Hefling.
AP photos, video.
AFGHANISTAN
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber, explosives hidden in his turban, walks into the office and kills the mayor of Kandahar — the second assassination this month of a powerful figure in the southern Taliban stronghold. Mayor Ghulam Haider Hamidi had been mentioned as a person to replace President Hamid Karzai’s powerful half brother who was gunned down July 12 by a close associate in his heavily fortified home. By Mirwais Khan.
AP photos, video.
PHILANDERING POLITICIANS-ANALYSIS
WASHINGTON — There’s been risque tickling. Raunchy twittering. Emailed photos. Stolen sex tapes. And in the latest episode of Washington’s own unseemly take on “Sex and the City,” Rep. David Wu is resigning in response to allegations by an 18-year-old woman that she had an “unwanted sexual encounter” with the congressman. Seems like sex scandals snagging Washington politicians are piling up faster than the federal debt. An AP News Analysis by Nancy Benac.
INTERNATIONAL
BRITAIN-LIBYA
LONDON — Britain officially recognizes Libya’s main opposition group as the country’s legitimate government, and expells all diplomats from Moammar Gadhafi’s regime. By Raphael G. Satter.
AP photos.
— LIBYA — Libyan state TV shows Lockerbie bomber, in wheelchair, attending pro-Gadhafi rally. AP photos.
SKOREA-LANDSLIDE
SEOUL, South Korea — Walls of mud barreling down a hill bury 10 college students sleeping in a resort cabin and flash floods submerge the streets and subway stations in Seoul, killing at least 32 people. By Sam Kim And Hyung-Jin Kim.
AP photos, video.
HEALTH
HYPNOSIS SURGERY
LONDON — As the surgeons cut into her neck, Marianne Marquis was thinking of the beach. As she heard the doctors’ voices, she was imagining her toes in the sand, the water lapping. Marquis had been hypnotized before surgery to have her thyroid removed. She’s among a growing number of surgical patients at the Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels who choose hypnosis and a local anesthetic to avoid the groggy knockout effect of general anesthesia. By Medical Writer Maria Cheng.
AP Photos
NATIONAL
AIRSPACE VIOLATORS
DENVER — Authorities say fewer pilots are violating airspace restrictions this year despite a recent weekend surge near the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md. The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled fighter jets twice on July 9 and once on July 10 to intercept private planes that were flying near Camp David and weren’t in radio contact with civil aviation officials. Federal Aviation Administration statistics show 122 airspace violations so far in 2011. At that pace, the total would be about 220 for the full year. That would be the lowest by far since 2008, when the agency began tracking the numbers in detail. By Dan Elliott.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
— STREET CROSSING DEATH — Georgia mother weighing offer for new trial after getting probation in son’s jaywalking death.
— NEW ZEALAND GOLDFISH — New Zealand goldfish survive Christchurch quake, 134 days without food before being rescued
— EAST AFRICA-FAMINE-MINNESOTA — In US, Somalis rally to send help for famine back home; former refugees remember own misery. AP photos.
— AMY WINEHOUSE-SALES — Amy Winehouse gets posthumous sales bump as fans purchase her music after her death. AP Photos.

Editors:
Among the Business News stories from The Associated Press
MARKETS & ECONOMY:
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — Budget analysts say a Senate Democratic plan to reduce the deficit and increase the nation’s borrowing authority would save $2.2 trillion over a decade, more than a rival House Republican proposal but less than promised. With both bills stuck in neutral, Congress, financial markets and the public remained on edge days before the deadline for heading off a potentially calamitous default. By Andrew Taylor.
WITH:
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-GIMMICKS — They may promise to reduce federal spending by $3 trillion or thereabouts, but the immediate spending cuts in rival budget and debt proposals by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid only measure a few billion dollars. The rest are mostly promises — and in Reid’s case, a glaring $1 trillion ploy.
DURABLE GOODS
WASHINGTON — Businesses cut back on orders for aircraft, autos, heavy machinery and computers in June, sending demand for long-lasting manufactured goods lower for the second month in the past three. The Commerce Department says orders for durable goods fell 2.1 percent in June, with the weakness led by a big drop in orders for commercial aircraft. A key category that tracks business investment plans fell 0.4 percent. By Martin Crutsinger.
WALL STREET
NEW YORK — Stocks fall as lawmakers remain at odds over how to avoid a debt default. A weak report on orders for manufactured goods also weighs on stocks. By Chip Cutter.
— OIL PRICES — Oil prices fall below $99 a barrel after a report showed U.S. crude supplies unexpectedly jumped last week, suggesting demand may be weakening.
EARNINGS:
EARNS-BOEING
Boeing’s commercial airplane profits surged in the second quarter, pushing net income up almost 20 percent. It raised its guidance for the year. Boeing also said it will not deliver as many of its new 787s and 747-8s this year as previously hoped. By Josh Freed.
EARNS-DELTA
Delta Air Lines said 2,000 workers took voluntary buyouts and it will reduce its flying more than planned later this year as it cuts costs to make up for higher fuel prices. The high cost of jet fuel was the main reason Delta’s second-quarter net income fell by 58 percent compared to a year ago. By Josh Freed.
EARNS-CONOCOPHILLIPS
NEW YORK — ConocoPhillips says its second quarter profit dropped 18.3 percent but beat expectations. The year-ago quarter benefitted from large gains as the company shed assets. Chris Kahn.
— EARNS-AETNA — Health insurer Aetna’s second-quarter net income rose 9 percent in part because it benefited from a continued slowdown in the use of health care services by its members. The company also raised its full-year adjusted earnings forecast.
— EARNS-WELLPOINT — WellPoint’s second-quarter profit fell 3 percent as benefit expenses climbed in its Medicare Advantage business, but the health insurer raised its 2011 profit forecast for the second time this year.
— LUXEMBOURG-EARNS-ARCELORMITTAL — ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steel maker, remains optimistic about the second half of the year even though it posted an 11 percent decline in second quarter profit.
— EARNS-DOW CHEMICAL — Dow Chemical Co. says its second-quarter profit surged 73 percent on a combination of higher prices, increasing sales and comparison to results a year-ago weighed down by one-time charges.
— EARNS-CORNING — Specialty glass maker Corning Inc. says its second-quarter profit slumped 17 percent, mainly because of a higher tax rate and a liquid-crystal-display glass supply disruption caused by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami in March.
— EARNS-GENERAL DYNAMICS — General Dynamics Corp.’s second-quarter earnings rose slightly as lower costs somewhat offset revenue declines across several business units.
— EARNS-NORTHROP GRUMMAN — Northrop Grumman’s second-quarter profit fell 30 percent on tough comparisons to the same period last year, when it recorded a $298 million tax benefit.
AUTOS:
EARNS-AUTONATION
RICHMOND, Va. — AutoNation Inc.’s second-quarter net income jumped 52 percent on higher new and used vehicle prices despite lower new-vehicle sales caused primarily by shortages from Japanese manufacturers. By Michael Felberbaum.
— JAPAN-EARNS-NISSAN — Nissan’s quarterly profit dropped 20 percent as Japanese automakers took a battering from the quake and tsunami disaster that disrupted car production and destroyed dealerships.
— GERMANY-EARNS-DAIMLER — Daimler AG’s second-quarter profit swelled by nearly a third. But revenue was short of expectations amid signs of a growth slowdown in China.
— FRANCE-EARNS-PEUGEOT CITROEN — French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen SA warned that repercussions from this year’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan will weigh on its earnings in the second half of the year, sending its share price sharply lower.
INDUSTRY:
DUNKIN BRANDS-IPO
NEW YORK — Shares of Dunkin’ Donuts parent company are set to start trading after pricing at $19 per share, more than the $16 to $18 range it predicted two weeks ago.
TOBACCO LAWSUIT
CINCINNATI — A federal appeals court is set to hear arguments over a law giving the Food and Drug Administration the power to regulate tobacco advertising and marketing. The tobacco companies say the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act illegally restricts their free speech rights. By Brett Barrouquere.
— CHICKEN NUGGETS RECALL — A voluntary recall of thousands of pounds of ready-to-eat chicken has been expanded over concerns that the meat could be contaminated with bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
FOOD AND FARM-TEXAS DROUGHT
LUBBOCK, Texas — Thousands of farmers are counting their losses amid record heat and drought this year. The drought has spread over much of the southern U.S. But the situation is especially severe in Texas, which trails only California in agricultural productivity. The crop and livestock losses this year could be the worst the state has seen. By Betsy Blaney.
AP Photos.
TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA:
— NOKIA-DEBT RATING — Moody’s downgrades Nokia’s credit rating. The world’s largest producer of mobile phones is losing market share in the smartphone market.
— BRITAIN-BSKYB — The board of British Sky Broadcasting meets, facing a possible decision about the position of its chairman, James Murdoch, after he became embroiled in the phone hacking scandal.
— SKOREA-EARNS-LG ELECTRONICS — LG Electronics, a top global manufacturer of mobile phones and flat-screen TVs, said second-quarter net profit plunged as sales declined and its mobile phone business remained in the red.
INTERNATIONAL:
— SKOREA-ECONOMY — South Korea’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter because of weaker exports, manufacturing and services.
— SPAIN-EARNS-SANTANDER — Spain’s Banco Santander said its second-quarter net profit fell 38 percent as growth in Latin America was offset by weaker results in crisis-hit Europe and a one-time charge in Britain.
— GERMANY-EARNS-MERCK — German drug and chemicals company Merck KgaA on Wednesday lowered its earnings outlook after reporting a loss for the second quarter, when it wrote down the value of acquisitions.
— GERMANY-SIEMENS — Industrial equipment maker Siemens AG says its board has extended CEO Peter Loescher’s contract for another five years.
— GERMANY-GREECE-INVESTMENT — The German economy minister says Greece must cut red tape to attract investors.

Nation/world
NEW & DEVELOPING
— BRITAIN-LIBYA — Britain officially recognizes Libyan opposition, expels Gadhafi diplomats
— DURABLE GOODS — The Commerce Department reports on business orders for durable goods in June at 8:30 a.m.
— TERROR HEARINGS — Hearing begins at 10 a.m.
— POLYGAMIST LEADER — Hearing begins at noon
TOP STORIES
DEBT SHOWDOWN
WASHINGTON — Neither the House nor Senate has a clear path forward for must-pass legislation to allow the government to continue to borrow to pay its bills, putting lawmakers and financial markets alike on edge less than a week before the deadline for heading off the nation’s first-ever default. By Andrew Taylor.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-SHORT TERM — A central question is how long new borrowing authority should last. But the nation often has increased the debt ceiling by shorter periods than either side proposes. A Spin Meter story.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN-GIMMICKS — Few concrete savings in rival debt-reduction and budget plans by Boehner, Reid.
GLOBAL ECONOMY TRACKER
Wealthy countries all over the world are dealing with debt and strained budgets as they mop up after the Great Recession. But the United States is in a bigger fix than almost everyone else. The U.S. federal debt, as a percentage of the overall economy, was 95 percent in the first three months of 2011, the fifth-highest in the world, according to the Associated Press Global Economy Tracker. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman.
AP Photos. AP Interactive GLOBAL ECONOMY TRACKER.
DEBT SHOWDOWN-JORDAN’S REVOLT
WASHINGTON — When President Barack Obama complains about House Republicans unwilling to compromise on a deficit reduction package, he’s talking about Rep. Jim Jordan, a former wrestling champion from Ohio who is becoming a driving force in the debt debate on Capitol Hill. By Stephen Ohlemacher.
AP Photo.
NORWAY-MASSACRE
OSLO — The leader of Norway’s Delta Force said Wednesday the breakdown of the police special-operations team’s boat didn’t cause any significant delay in its efforts to reach the island where Anders Behring Breivik’s shooting rampage killed 68 people. By Ian Macdougall
AP Photos.
PHILANDERING POLITICIANS-ANALYSIS
WASHINGTON — There’s been risque tickling. Raunchy twittering. Emailed photos. Stolen sex tapes. And in the latest episode of Washington’s own unseemly take on “Sex and the City,” Rep. David Wu is resigning in response to allegations by an 18-year-old woman that she had an “unwanted sexual encounter” with the congressman. Seems like sex scandals snagging Washington politicians are piling up faster than the federal debt. An AP News Analysis by Nancy Benac.
EAST AFRICA-FAMINE-MINNESOTA
MINNEAPOLIS — From Facebook campaigns to car washes and concerts to local collection sites, Minnesota’s Somali community — the nation’s largest at an estimated 25,000 — is raising tens of thousands of dollars to help the starving millions back home. They’re also taking precautions to make sure their money gets to the right place. By Amy Forliti.
AP Photos
— EAST AFRICA-FAMINE — 7-month-old Somali famine victim fights for life in Kenyan field hospital. AP Photos.
INTERNATIONAL
AFGHANISTAN
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber, explosives hidden in his turban, walks into the office and kills the mayor of Kandahar — the second assassination this month of a powerful figure in the southern Taliban stronghold. Mayor Ghulam Haider Hamidi had been mentioned as a person to replace President Hamid Karzai’s powerful half brother who was gunned down July 12 by a close associate in his heavily fortified home. By Mirwais Khan.
SYRIA
BEIRUT — A human rights group says Syrian security forces have killed eight people in an attack on a Damascus suburb. By Bassem Mroue.
PERU-GARCIA’S LEGACY
LIMA, Peru — When Alan Garcia handed over power as his first term ended in 1990, Peru’s Congress erupted in a din of catcalls. The South American nation was saddled with hyperinflation and was bleeding badly from the Shining Path’s fanatical rebellion. Garcia leaves Peru in much better shape as he ends his second term on Thursday. Economic growth averaged 7 percent a year during his 2006-2011 administration and the government amassed $47 billion in foreign reserves. The economic numbers only tell part the story, however. Social conflicts in which authorities had to intervene nearly tripled on his watch. By Carla Salazar.
AP Photos
— PHILIPPINES-STORM — 20 dead, 9 missing in floods and landslides unleashed by slow-moving storm in NE Philippines. AP Photos.
— SKOREA-LANDSLIDE — South Korean landslides leave 32 dead, 10 missing as heavy rain pounds the country
— CHINA-TRAFFICKED CHILDREN — China rescues 89 trafficked children as young as 10 days, arrests 369 suspects
HEALTH
HYPNOSIS SURGERY
LONDON — As the surgeons cut into her neck, Marianne Marquis was thinking of the beach. As she heard the doctors’ voices, she was imagining her toes in the sand, the water lapping. Marquis had been hypnotized before surgery to have her thyroid removed. She’s among a growing number of surgical patients at the Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc in Brussels who choose hypnosis and a local anesthetic to avoid the groggy knockout effect of general anesthesia. By Medical Writer Maria Cheng.
AP Photos
WASHINGTON
US-IRAQ-REFUGEES
WASHINGTON — Hussein Ibrahim al-Tikriti has a name and a resume that can create a lot of enemies in Iraq. A native of Saddam Hussein’s hometown and a translator for American and British security companies, the 31-year-old hoped to find safety by moving to the United States under a program designed to help Iraqis who’ve risked their lives for the U.S. government. But like many other would-be refugees, al-Tikriti has been stuck in limbo amid a sharp tightening in security checks for entry to the United States. By Bradley Klapper and Sameer N. Yacoub.
AP Photos.
— CLOSING WALTER REED — In cost-cutting move, storied Walter Reed Army hospital in Washington closing after 102 years. AP Photos.
— TERROR HEARINGS — Lawmaker: More than 40 Americans radicalized and joined Somali terror group to fight.
NATIONAL
AIRSPACE VIOLATORS
DENVER — Authorities say fewer pilots are violating airspace restrictions this year despite a recent weekend surge near the presidential retreat at Camp David, Md. The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled fighter jets twice on July 9 and once on July 10 to intercept private planes that were flying near Camp David and weren’t in radio contact with civil aviation officials. Federal Aviation Administration statistics show 122 airspace violations so far in 2011. At that pace, the total would be about 220 for the full year. That would be the lowest by far since 2008, when the agency began tracking the numbers in detail. By Dan Elliott.
NATIONAL PARKS-DRILLING
SALT LAKE CITY — Environmental activist Tim DeChristopher became an antihero when he derailed a government auction of oil and gas leases. He used his sentencing Tuesday as a platform for a 35-minute address urging others to take similar steps of civil disobedience to fight climate change. During the sentencing about 100 protesters gathered at the courthouse in support of DeChristopher and over two dozen were jailed. By Jennifer Dobner. AP Photos. By Jennifer Dobner.
AP Photos
— FOOD AND FARM-TEXAS DROUGHT — Severe drought in Texas could result in record losses in nation’s No. 2 agriculture state
ENTERTAINMENT
AMY WINEHOUSE-LESSONS
NEW YORK — Most entertainers prepare for a concert tour with rehearsals. For Amy Winehouse, it was rehab. Just before her disastrous European tour last month, she entered a rehabilitation center on doctor’s orders. She left a week later, with her publicist announcing she was “raring to go.” But she clearly wasn’t. At the concert’s kickoff, she struggled and stumbled. Her tour was soon canceled. A little over a month later, she was dead. The music industry has a long history of performers who wither away because of addiction and Winehouse’s death has again raised questions of whether the entertainment community could have done more to prevent the self-destruction of one of its most gifted young artists. By Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody.
AP Photos.
— AMY WINEHOUSE-SALES — Amy Winehouse gets posthumous sales bump as fans purchase her music after her death. AP Photos.
CHINESE OPERA-STAR STUDENT
SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler Thompson is an unlikely star in the world of Chinese opera. The African American teenager from Oakland has captivated audiences in the U.S. and China with his ability to sing pitch-perfect Mandarin and perform the ancient Chinese art form. Thompson, 15, is a standout student in Chew’s Oakland-based Purple Silk Music Education program, which teaches children and youth — mostly from low-income immigrant families — how to sing and play traditional Chinese music. The program’s Great Wall Youth Orchestra and Chorus has performed around the country. By Terence Chea.
AP Photos, Video
SPORTS
SALT LAKE CITY — Olympic silver medalist Jeret “Speedy” Peterson was found dead in a remote canyon in Utah in what police are calling a suicide. One of the world’s most risk-taking and innovative freestyle skiers, the creator of the one-of-a-kind “Hurricane” called 911 before shooting himself, police said. By Eddie Pells and Lynn DeBruin.
AP Photos.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
— LIBYA — Libyan state TV shows Lockerbie bomber, in wheelchair, attending pro-Gadhafi rally.
— DRUG WAR-MEXICO-HIT BOY — Mexican judge sentences teenager to 3 years for organized crime, homicide, kidnapping.
— STREET CROSSING DEATH — Ga. mother is spared prison in son’s jaywalking death; charges had caused an outcry
— TEXAS-BORDER INCURSION — Dozens of uniformed Mexican troops cross Texas border; US officials return them to Mexico
— US CHICKEN NUGGETS RECALL — Pilgrim’s Pride expands voluntary recall of chicken to nuggets shipped to Dollar General
— NEW ZEALAND GOLDFISH — New Zealand goldfish survive Christchurch quake, 134 days without food before being rescued

WEDNESDAY, July 27
A1 PROPOSALS
Lede
ORION TICKETS CHURCH FOR FOOD GIVEAWAY SIGN
@ People picking up free food from New Beginnings Baptist Church on Tuesday weren’t happy to hear that Orion Township has ticketed the church for its signs advertising the much-needed help.
“We watch for that sign,” said Donna King, a Clarkston resident who was picking up food from the church’s pantry with relatives.
King said her sister lives in Oxford. When the white and black sign that simply says “Free Food 10-2 pm” is placed on the church’s front lawn, her sister calls King to let her know that food is available.
WORKMAN PHOTO & VIDEO


FORMER WATERFORD WOMAN’S BODY IDENTIFIED NEARLY 30 YEARS LATER
Son Jeff Earley, found some information online on the DOE Network for unidentified bodies that he thought matched his mother. After two years, DNA tests confirmed the body was his mother. Information helped revive the investigation into the 1982 disappearance of his mother, Amy Rose Hurst.
PHILLIPS YOUTUBE VIDEO & SCREENGRAB (of press conference with Jeff Earley)

READER REACTION TO DEBT CEILING
@ should debt ceiling be raised? what cuts should be made? reaction from person-on-the-street, Facebook
HOPKINS PHOTO & VIDEO


SPRINGFIELD MAN CRUSHED BY VEHICLE
@ A Springfield Township man is dead after being crushed by the vehicle he was working on.
The incident happened at about 5:44 p.m. Monday in the 700 block of Broadway, near Andersonville Road.
BYRON

STANDALONE PHOTO — Weather enterprise


a-3

AUBURN HILLS GIFT TO PONTIAC SCHOOLS PROMISE ZONE —
@ AUBURN HILLS — Children attending Pontiac Public Schools will get a shot at college thanks to a generous donation from the city’s neighbor.
The Auburn Hills Tax Increment Finance Authority is donating $400,000 to the Pontiac Promise Zone Authority.
The check was presented Monday afternoon at Auburn Hills City Hall.
In attendance for the presentation were elected leaders from Auburn Hills and Pontiac, State Rep. Tim Melton (D-Auburn Hills), Pontiac school officials, and members of the Pontiac Promise Zone Authority and the Auburn Hills Tax Increment Finance Authority.
BYRON PHOTO & VIDEO
MCCULLOCH FOLDS CAMPAIGN AGAINST STABENOW
@ John P. McCulloch, the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner who announced less than two weeks ago that he would seek the GOP nomination to run against incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2012, is instead folding his campaign and throwing his support to former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra.
CRUMM MUGS


MUST RUNS

TROY BREAK-INS
@ Police are searching for suspects in a break-in and other suspicious incidents after burglars escaped with electronics and a vehicle from a home invasion.
The first incident happened between 7:45 a.m. and 7:55 a.m. Saturday in the 5000 block of Muirfield Lane, south of Square Lake Road and east of Rochester Road.
BYRON
OU PROF SENTENCED FOR STALKING FORMER STUDENT
@ A judge ordered an Oakland University professor accused of stalking a former student to spend 30 days in jail and be on probation for five years.
Srinarayan Sharma told 52-3 District Court Judge Julie Nicholson, he didn’t know he was stalking the student and never meant any harm.
Prosecutors accused Sharma, 43, of sending the woman multiple emails and also sending her a variety of items even after she expressed a desire for him to stop. Sharma had previously pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor stalking charge.
ZANIEWSKI PHOTO & VIDEO
BMX NATIONAL RACE COMING TO WATERFORD
@ After leaving their Florida home by bicycle on April 20 and traveling more than 3,000 miles, the Warren family — parents Jason and Tammy Warren and 12-year-old daughter Neva — will arrive in Waterford Friday, July 29 for the Great Lakes National Race, an annual motocross race being held this year at Waterford Oaks County Park.
HOPKINS submitted photo

also available


CLARKSTON SCHOOL DISTRICT TRAFFIC LIGHTS
@ Several car sideswipes and near misses have occurred at the Clarkston and Flemings Lake Road and Waldon and Walters Road intersections in Independence Township, and the Independence Township board, the Clarkston School District and the Oakland County Road Commission are planning to partner to improve safety with an approximately $60,000 traffic light installation.
DRAKE
RIVERWALK APPROVED BY ROCHESTER COUNCIL
@ Improvements designed to draw pedestrians onto North Main Street from the Riverwalk along Paint Creek were approved by Rochester City Council Monday.
But due to much-higher-than-expected bids, the final project is a scaled-back version of what the Downtown Development Authority had hoped to do. Still, supporters expect it to spur foot traffic and, eventually, new economic development north of University Drive.
ROCHESTERMEDIA.COM
PONTIAC POLICE LAWSUIT AGAINST SHERIFF DISMISSED
@ Both parties have agreed to dismiss the attempt by a police union to halt the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office fro taking over law enforcement and dispatch services for Pontiac.
A hearing was scheduled to be held Wednesday before Oakland County Circuit Court Judge James Alexander after the Michigan Association of Police requested a preliminary injunction to stop the changeover.
BYRON

STANDALONE PHOTO — Novi police and fire academy

Stories under consideration today

Feel free to comment below about what you think should be included in the 7/27 print edition of the Oakland Press




Michigan

TOP STORIES:
SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT — State and federal officials are expected to announce that Michigan will be the first place eligible for loans to small businesses investing in clean energy or located in economically distressed areas.
Eds: Developing from a 1 p.m. conference call.
STATE EMPLOYEES-MICHIGAN — The state of Michigan and one of its largest employee unions is set to kick off a round of labor negotiations Tuesday. It’s likely that Gov. Rick Snyder’s push for $145 million in concessions from state employees will influence the talks with the United Auto Workers.
— HUMAN SERVICES-ROCKET DOCKET — Administrative law judges in 13 Michigan counties are expected to quickly complete more than 600 benefits hearings involving people on public assistance under a new Department of Human Services initiative.


Nation/world

DEVELOPING
— DEBT SHOWDOWN — Senate debating debt showdown plan, no votes expected.
TOP STORIES
DEBT DIFFERENCES — ANALYSIS
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama wants to solve the debt crisis with a single deal that would last through next year’s election. Republicans prefer a two-step that bleeds into campaign season. In the struggle to avoid a default, that difference still counts as progress — and maybe even the beginnings of a deal. AP News Analysis by Special Correspondent David Espo.
AP photos.
— DEBT SHOWDOWN — Rebelling against their own GOP leader, conservatives balk at the plan that House Speaker John Boehner has been fighting to push past the president and congressional Democrats.
—DEBT SHOWDOWN-DAILY SUMMARY — Brief explanation of debt standoff and latest developments.
DEBT CREDIT RATINGS
A deal to raise the country’s borrowing limit and avoid a default on the debt does not guarantee the U.S. will preserve its sterling credit rating. The agencies that rate the country’s debt have indicated that without a significant spending cuts or a high enough debt limit increase, they will downgrade the creditworthiness of Uncle Sam, a move that could mean higher interest rates on everything from mortgages to corporate loans.
NORWAY-DEADLY DELAYS — When a gunman began killing the campers of Utoya Island, he may have expected elite special forces to swoop down and stop him. But Delta Force police officers drove — they have no helicopter — and had to be rescued by civilians when their boat broke down. Experts say Norway must learn from a massacre made worse by a lackadaisical approach to policing terror. “Children were being slaughtered for an hour and a half.... It is unforgivable,” says a law professor whose niece survived. AP photos, video.
— NORWAY-MASSACRE — A 23-year-old at an island camp who told his father “Dad, dad, someone is shooting.” A woman killed by a bomb in Oslo. Police begin identifying the victims of Norway’s twin terror attacks. AP photos, video.
EAST AFRICA-FAMINE — Seven-month-old Mihag Gedi Farah is the fragile face of Somalia’s famine. He stares out wide-eyed almost in alarm, his skin pulled taut over his ribs and twig-like arms. At only 7 pounds, he weighs as much as a newborn but has the weathered look of an old man. Officials warn as many as 800,000 children could die across the Horn of Africa due to hunger and drought. AP photos, video.
Editors: Calling your attention photo ASVZ101-108 and ASVZ218: Mihag Gedi Farah, a seven-month-old child who weighs only seven and a half pounds. These and other photos by Associated Press photographers capture the human toll in drought-ravaged Somalia where militants banned aid more than two years ago. Tens of thousands already have trekked to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, hoping to get aid in refugee camps. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam).
GLOBAL ECONOMY TRACKER, HFR
Wealthy countries all over the world are dealing with debt and strained budgets as they mop up after the Great Recession. But the United States is in a bigger fix than almost everyone else. The U.S. federal debt, as a percentage of the overall economy, was 95 percent in the first three months of 2011, the fifth-highest in the world, according to the Associated Press Global Economy Tracker. By Economics Writer Paul Wiseman. Eds: Hold for release online at 4 a.m.; available for morning newspapers.
AP photos, interactive.
AMY WINEHOUSE-LESSONS — Why Amy Winehouse was still being booked for concerts even though she was battling a devastating drug habit is a troubling question. It also raises the issue of whether the entertainment community could have done more to prevent the self-destruction of one of its most gifted young artists.
AP file photos.
— BRITAIN-AMY WINEHOUSE — Carole King’s “So Far Away” and her father’s farewell — “Goodnight, my angel, sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much” — end the funeral for singer Amy Winehouse.
INTERNATIONAL
INDIA-INDIAN MUJAHEDEEN — The prime suspect in the deadly bomb attack in Mumbai — the Indian Mujahedeen — has re-emerged three years after authorities thought they had virtually wiped out the terror group in a crackdown that left many of its leaders dead, in jail or hiding abroad. AP photos.
EGYPT-IRAN — Egypt’s ruling generals have taken pains to reassure their allies that they won’t mend ties with Iran, a longtime foe and regional rival. But, they suggest, a future elected government could take a different path. Iran is eagerly courting Cairo, a development that alarms the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. AP photos.
HAITI-MARTELLY MISSTEPS — Alienated Haitians pelt Michel Martelly and his entourage with bottles and rocks in a spontaneous protest — the latest sign that the honeymoon is over three months into the former pop star’s presidency. The country is mired in problems, and nothing is happening quick enough for the hungry and the homeless. AP photos.
NATIONAL
STREET CROSSING DEATH — A mother whose 4-year-old son was struck and killed by a van as they were jaywalking across a busy street is spared a prison sentence after a public furor over her arrest for not using a crosswalk. Raquel Nelson could have gotten three years behind bars — far more than the hit-and-run driver received. A judge instead gave her a year’s probation and took the unusual step of offering her a new trial. AP photos.
AP EXCLUSIVE: RECRUITERS SHOT-FAMILY’S FIGHT — The parents of a young soldier killed in a self-professed jihadist’s attack outside an Arkansas military recruiting center say they’re fighting for Purple Hearts for the sacrifices of their son and his wounded comrade. Abdulhakim Muhammad’s state court trial abruptly ended with a plea deal and life prison sentence, but relatives of Pvt. William Andrew Long say they’re still struggling to convince the military that he and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula were victims of the global war on terror, not merely a random act of violence. AP photos.
GAY MARRIAGE-RIPPLE EFFECT — A lot of people are looking forward to same-sex marriage becoming legal in New York. Divorce lawyers. Marriage counselors. Insurance agents. The effect of New York becoming the most populous state to allow gay marriage is expected to ripple into the lives of professionals who offer marriage-related services. “I’ve never seen the kind of an influx of potential new clients like this,” says a matrimonial lawyer. AP photos.
WASHINGTON
PERRY-JOBS — When it comes to attracting jobs, is Texas Gov. Rick Perry really such a force to be reckoned with? That question is stirring discussion as Texas markets itself as a job mecca and Perry ponders whether to run for president. AP photos.
WU-SEX SCANDAL — Rep. David Wu of Oregon announces he will resign over a sex scandal, becoming the second House Democrat to step down in six weeks. He says he will remain in office until Congress resolves the debate over the debt ceiling. AP photos.
OFFSHORE DRILLING-REVOLVING DOOR — Documents obtained by the Associated Press show that ties between offshore oil and gas companies and the agency that regulates them persist, nearly a year after Obama administration announced an overhaul of ethics rules to deter that cozy relationship. About 1 of 5 employees involved in offshore inspections in the Gulf of Mexico has a personal connection to a company they regulate. AP photos.
—OFFSHORE DRILLING-REVOLVING DOOR-GLANCE — Statistics on recusals in Gulf Coast regulatory offices.
HEALTH/SCIENCE
MEDICARE DRUG COVERAGE, HFR — A new study suggests that Medicare’s 5-year-old prescription drug plan is keeping seniors out of hospitals and nursing homes, saving the federal program an estimated $12 billion a year in those expenses. For release at 4 p.m.
— STUDY-CALORIES ON MENUS, HFR — Like any fitness program, it only works if you pay attention to it. A study on New York City’s effort to encourage healthy eating by posting calories on menus shows that it worked for about one-sixth of the chain restaurant customers, those who paid attention. Those who ignored the numbers ordered whatever they wanted, regardless of how fattening it was. By Karen Zraick. Eds: Hold for release at 6:30 p.m.
ALSO GETTING ATTENTION
— MCDONALD’S-HAPPY MEAL CHANGES — McDonald’s is adding apples to all its Happy Meals and launching a nutrition-focused mobile phone app as part of a broader health push.
— ALABAMA COUNTY BANKRUPTCY — Alabama’s largest county nears the largest municipal bankruptcy ever after corruption-tainted bonds left Jefferson County more than $3 billion in debt. AP photos.
— LONDON 2012-YEAR TO GO — With most of the venues already completed, tickets nearly sold out and a massive security operation in the works, London is preparing to mark the one-year countdown to the biggest sports show on earth. AP photos.
— MYSTERY INMATE — A mystery man locked up in a Utah jail for more than three weeks has baffled investigators because he refuses to reveal his identity or provide any details about his life. AP photos.
— PETS-MICROCHIPS — California lawmakers will vote later this summer on a bill requiring microchips in every pet adopted or claimed from a shelter. Identification numbers in microchips. AP photos.
— MOROCCO-PLANE CRASH — A C-130 military transport plane crashes into a Moroccan mountain, killing 78 people.
— GERMANY-ISRAEL-PLAYING WAGNER — An Israeli orchestra breaks a decades-old taboo by playing the music of Hitler’s favorite composer, Richard Wagner, in Germany. AP photos.