Flint Journal extra: See below for a photo of Ulysses Milana.

LEWISTON, Maine -- Army and Navy recruiters took one look at 330-pound Ulysses Milana and told him to forget about joining.

"'You've got to lose weight,'" Milana remembers them saying.

But Marine recruiters were willing to work with him as he began his weight-loss journey in December 2007.

Now, 11 months later, Milana is 140 pounds lighter as he begins boot camp at Parris Island, S.C.

It wasn't easy, Milana said, but he managed to slim down through exercise, healthier eating habits and forgoing an occasional beer after work. The 23-year-old said he even refused a beer at his going-away party Saturday night.

Milana said he always wanted to follow in his family's footsteps by serving his country. His wife, Latoya, also comes from a military family.

Much of his weight-loss motivation came from Latoya, a nurse, who helped him reduce his calorie intake when he began his effort in earnest last December.

Continue reading "Ulysses Milana loses 140 pounds in 11 months so he can join the U.S. Marines; What's more difficult - losing weight or quitting smoking or drinking?" »

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- Ford Motor Co. tries to revive its classic Mustang muscle car with a makeover for the 2010 model year that debuts at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show.

Tuesday's introduction comes as the Dearborn automaker and U.S. rivals General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC struggle with plunging sales and a severe financial crisis.

Ford sold 83,557 Mustangs in the U.S. in the first 10 months of the year, down 30 percent from 118,959 in the same period of 2007. Overall company sales fell 18 percent in the period to 1.66 million.

The 2010 Mustang has what the company calls a "new muscular, sculptured exterior," along with larger wheels, adjusted suspension and more power.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Executives of the Detroit Three automakers and the head of the United Auto Workers union are expected in Washington today to make their case for a $25 billion government rescue.

They'll appear at a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee.

Continue reading "Detroit Three beg for aid as bailout bill stalls" »

GRAND RAPIDS -- Base salary: $37,345, maxing out at nearly $58,000 after five years.

Benefits: Health insurance (medical, dental and vision), vacation and holiday pay, sick leave and education pay.

Probably the best benefit, according to Grand Rapids Police Officer Katie Hefron: "Every day now, I can't believe I get paid for doing this."

Despite her enthusiasm, police administrators said the city is among those nationwide having trouble finding qualified applicants.

The police department today is beginning a media blitz -- including eight billboards, signs on city buses and a specially marked recruiting vehicle -- as a way to draw prospective Grand Rapids police officers, and suggest that young people consider a career in law enforcement.

Continue reading "Wanted by the GRPD: More officer recruits" »

HOLLAND -- For some drivers, the first blast of winter means getting their cars reacquainted with snow. Or, in the case of Monday's myriad spin-offs, motorists found their vehicles cozying up to ditches, trees and traffic signs.

The season's first significant lake effect snowfall -- up to 9 inches fell in Ottawa and Allegan counties -- dropped on the Lakeshore and brought a harsh reminder on the hazards of winter driving.

"People have been relearning the lesson that they need to drive slower and leave more distance for the car in front of them," Holland Police Capt. Jack Dykstra said. "The stops don't come as quickly and you can't maneuver as easily, either."

During the morning and evening rush hours, only cops, wreckers and ambulances were moving quickly, authorities said. In an hour span from 6 to 7 p.m., Ottawa County dispatchers sent police to at least 20 separate crashes. Traffic along Int. 196 moved at a 35-mph crawl.

Continue reading "Lake effect snow causes accidents, hammers Lakeshore with up to 9 inches" »

GRAND RAPIDS -- What set President-elect Barack Obama apart from other politicians, said National Public Radio reporter Don Gonyea, "is he doesn't have that thing in him that needs to be loved."

Gonyea covered Obama's presidential campaign the past 21 months and shared, for the first time in a speech, his impressions for a capacity crowd at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum on Monday.

"He is a very different type of politician, the likes of which I have not seen," said Gonyea, a 20-year reporter who covered the previous two elections for NPR.

Continue reading "NPR reporter shares insights why Obama won, other candidates faltered" »

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- A woman who kept her 18 cats and a dog in an unlit storage unit after her house was condemned avoided criminal charges by agreeing to give up the dog.

But, now she wants the dog back -- so that it can live in a car with her and her son.

Genesee County Animal Control seized the animals Oct. 30 after people reported hearing meows coming from a padlocked unit at National Mini Storage of Grand Blanc on Holly Road.

Continue reading "18 cats found in Grand Blanc Township storage unit euthanized; dog survives and owner wants it back" »

DETROIT - Cash-strapped General Motors Corp. said Monday it will delay reimbursing its dealers for rebates and other sales incentives, an indication that the company is starting to have cash-flow problems.

Company spokesman John McDonald said payments due Nov. 28 will be delayed for two weeks until Dec. 11, while those due Dec. 4 will be paid Dec. 18. The normal weekly schedule will resume after that. He would not say how much money the company will save from the delays.

Continue reading "GM delays payments to dealers to conserve cash" »

WASHINGTON - Democrats and Republicans alike want to impose stiff conditions on any bailout of the auto industry, from limiting executive compensation and outlawing dividends to demanding union concessions.

That's a sharp contrast to the big bank bailout, in which Congress and the Bush administration set few restrictions.

Continue reading "Analysis: Strings attached to auto bailout bills" »

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- In case your stuffy nose, hacking coworkers and snow-covered driveway didn't already tell you: The Michigan flu season is officially off and running.

The state Department of Community Health has confirmed two cases of influenza, one involving a 49-year-old man in Wayne County and the other a 5-year-old child in Oakland County. Neither were hospitalized.

"It seems a little early. Usually it's Christmas time or after when most of the flu hits," said Paula Hall, clinic coordinator for McLaren Visiting Nurse and Hospice, a McLaren health service.

Continue reading "Flu is here -- but there's still time in Genesee County to get your flu shot" »

WASHINGTON - Judging from the lobbying lineup, legislation to bail out the auto industry should be assured of passage.

But it isn't, a case of conventional wisdom seemingly turned on its head as one administration gives way to another and an expiring Congress limps toward the exits.

Continue reading "Auto bailout: A Washington issue beyond lobbying?" »

BEECHER, Michigan -- Kayla Rolland's memory will live on, but the Beecher School District is ready to put the elementary school where the 6-year-old died to rest.

Buell Elementary is perhaps the most prominent physical reminder of a painful chapter this community. It and Kurtz Head Start building are set to be demolished, paid for through the $2.7-million bond request approved by voters last year.

Six-year-old Kayla was killed Feb. 29, 2000, by another first-grade student, a classmate who brought a .32-caliber handgun to Buell. The case shocked the nation, sparked state and national gun safety and school violence initiatives, and brought intense global media attention to the tiny community's doorstep.

Continue reading "Buell Elementary to be torn down; first-grader Kayla Rolland was killed there in 2000" »

WASHINGTON - Prospects dimmed on Monday for the $25 billion bailout that U.S. automakers say they desperately need to get through a bleak and dangerous December.

Though all sides agree that Detroit's Big Three carmakers are in peril, battered by the economic meltdown that has choked their sales and frozen loans, the White House and congressional Democrats are headed for stalemate over the government money that might go toward helping them.

Continue reading "Aid prospects darken for desperate US carmakers" »

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- Ken Thorburn of Davison doesn't want to find a new job -- and at age 88, he doubts he'll be able to.

But he's worried about how to pay for his health care -- especially in the wake of continuing changes to his General Motors retiree health care.

"I think it stinks," said Thorburn, who retired from the Technical Center in Warren. "When I retired in '82, I signed a contract for certain benefits and pension. As of now, it's almost all gone."

And that is a harsh reality for hundreds of GM retirees who have watched benefits dwindle since their retirements -- the most recent is the elimination of health care coverage for salaried retirees 65 and older beginning Jan. 1.

Continue reading "Hundreds of GM retirees pack conference on how to deal with cuts in health care insurance" »

ALVISO, California -- Digital video recording company TiVo Inc. said Monday it is teaming up with Domino's Pizza Inc. to allow subscribers to order pizza for delivery or pick-up from their TV sets.

"This is the first time in history that the 'on-demand' generation will be able to fully experience couch commerce by ordering pizza directly through their television set," said Rob Weisberg, vice president of precision and print marketing at Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Domino's.

Weisberg said TV watchers will see an ad for Domino's and will be able to click "I want it" from their TV remote. In about 30 minutes, the pizza will be at the door, he said.

TiVo subscribers will be able to enter their delivery address and select crust type and sauces through the TV, TiVo said.

The company said subscribers can also set up a user-name and pasword on Dominos.com to log in with an account number each time an order is placed.

Continue reading "TiVo, Domino's to let subscribers order pizza through their television sets" »

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) -- A Detroit-area man who committed murder at age 11 has pleaded guilty to drug possession.

Twenty-two-year-old Nathaniel Abraham pleaded guilty Monday in Oakland County to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Abraham faces a maximum of 20 years in prison at his Dec. 22 sentencing. Guidelines call for a minimum sentence of 24 to 40 months.

Continue reading "Nathaniel Abraham pleads guilty to Michigan drug charge" »

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) -- AAA Michigan says the statewide average price of gasoline is below $2 a gallon for the first time since January of last year.

The Michigan average is at $1.96. That's down 12 cents from a week ago.

Of the cities it surveys, AAA Michigan said Monday the cheapest price for self-serve regular fuel is in the Saginaw/Bay City area, where it's $1.88 a gallon. The highest average can be found in the Marquette area at $2.26.

Continue reading "AAA Michigan: Average gas prices drop below $2" »

Flint Journal extras: Related article: Winter weather brings slick roads, several traffic accidents in Genesee County

GAYLORD, Michigan -- The National Weather Service says up to a foot of snow could fall along Lake Michigan in the northwestern Lower Peninsula.

Snow fell across much of the state Sunday, and the weather service's Gaylord office says lake-effect snow was to fall in parts of western Michigan through this morning.

The agency said the highest totals would likely be in Antrim, Charlevoix, Crawford, Kalkaska and Otsego counties, with up to a foot of snow near Lake Michigan.

Chippewa County in the eastern Upper Peninsula and Emmet and Cheboygan counties in northernmost lower Michigan were expected to get up to 8 inches.

Continue reading "Lake-effect snow could make for snow-covered week in parts of Michigan" »