James wins drama award YourNew

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The Saginaw News
+ Metro briefs Page 4
+ Obituaries Pages 6,7
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
City: Dispute was fed’s fault James
JUSTIN ENGEL
THE SAGINAW NEWS
City Council members say
they want to prevent another situation like the contentious tug-of-war between
Saginaw’s city and county
over nearly $1 million in
federal funds.
Both sides on Friday
came to an agreement on
how to split $900,534 in
U.S. Department of Justice
grants — the city received
$540,320 while the Saginaw
County Sheriff’s Department settled on $360,214
— but not before they nearly
missed a federal filing deadline that could have left both
with empty pockets.
“We need to fix a system that pits communities
against each other,” Councilman Greg Branch said.
“It was too bad because,
in the end, we’re all in this
together.”
The council should speak
with federal officials about
changing the guidelines that
fostered the tough negotia-
tions, Branch said.
Federal officials used
crime data to determine that
Saginaw, which accounted
for about 70 percent of the
county’s violent offenses,
should receive $842,800.
Sheriff William L. Federspiel, however, cited a grant
SEE
CITY, PAGE 4 7
Saginaw – Citgo,
614 S. Washington. $. .2. .2. .4.9
Last week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.399
Saginaw Township –
Sunoco Express Stop
State at Hemmeter . $. .2. .2. .2.9
St. Charles –
Marathon/Fast Pax,
143 W. Belle . . . . . $. .2. .2. .7.9
JANET I. MARTINEAU
Last week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.399
THE SAGINAW NEWS
Statewide average
THIS WEEK . . . . . $
. .2. . 3. .4. 9
Last week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.289
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A Michigan tourism leader
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wins
drama
award
He’s nominated for
a Tony as well.
Last week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.399
YES
3
Multiplatinum 3 Doors Down to play Showboat
SUE WHITE
THE SAGINAW NEWS
Things are really rockin’ in Chesaning, with 3 Doors Down joining the
lineup at July’s Chesaning Showboat
Music Festival.
The five-piece Mississippi band, performing Monday, July 13, burst into
the mainstream in 2000 with “Kryptonite” and held on for six No. 1 hits,
three multiplatinum albums and several awards.
On the road nonstop for six years,
3 Doors Down performs “Away From
the Sun,” “Be Like That,” “Here Without You,” “Let Me Go,” “When I’m
Gone” and “It’s Not My Time.”
Tickets, on sale Thursday at the
Chesaning Showboat ticket office, 218
N. Front, and at all Star Tickets Plus
outlets, cost $45 for reserved seats and
$25 for general admission. Box office
hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and
Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday
until June 1. Hours then expand to
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to
noon Saturday.
Concert-goers also can call 845-3056
or (800) 585-3737, visit www.chesaning
showboat.org or www.starticketsplus
.com, or mail requests to Chesaning
Showboat, P.O. Box 83, Chesaning, MI
48616. Include an additional $2.95 to
a mail order to receive tickets in the
mail. Otherwise, tickets are available
at the will-call window on the night of
the concert.
VIP tickets cost $59, are available
at the showboat box office only, and
include preferred seating and parking, The Associated Press
hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. ❖
contributed to this report.
Proposed tax on soft drinks had better fizzle
Who knows the status of
the water in Boston Harbor all these years after
the famous Tea Party that
bears its name, but history,
folks, just might be trying to
repeat itself.
Senators reportedly are
pondering ways to raise
money to pay for their programs, and the “Gentlemen”
on the Senate Finance Committee are looking at taxes
on sugary drinks such as soft
drinks, fruit drinks, sports
drinks and flavored stuff days ago the governor of
such as coffee and tea.
Texas seemed to threaten
that the Lone Star State
just might consider secesOPINION
sion from the United States
— but going for my Coke is
GREG
a mistake.
Mancina
Leave Gatorade alone.
You may reach him at 776-9670
[email protected]
Back away from the Rock
Star.
Tea? A tax on tea?
There are few things that
No kidding.
might pull me away from
I’m always amazed at my mundane life and think
what politicians come up about exercising my Second
with — it wasn’t but a few Amendment rights, but tax-
ing Coke just might do it.
Realistically, the senators
are just sending up a “trial
balloon” to see reaction to
ideas such as pumping up
the tax on alcohol or Arizona
Tea, but if any gain traction
we could see higher prices
on our favorite beverages
such as Faygo Red Pop.
Of course, the same proposal also outlined raising
excise taxes on alcohol, and
was met with almost immediate rebuffs from the Dis-
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In a possible sign of things
to come, Saginaw native
Brian d’Arcy James won a
Drama Desk Award for outstanding lead actor in a musical.
James, a 1986 graduate of
Nouvel Catholic Central High
School, won for his work as
the title character in “Shrek
the Musical” during a Sunday ceremony in New York
City.
“Shrek” also won awards
for its costume design and its
set design, both by Tim Hatley.
A panel
of theater
reporters,
editors and
critics and
every mayor,
or mayor’s
representative since the
panel’s incep- Brian d’Arcy
tion, vote on James
the Drama
Desk Awards, now in their
54th year, to on- and offBroadway plays and musicals.
The awards often are an
indication of things to come in
June during the Tony Awards,
which go to on-Broadway productions. James is nominated
for a Tony as well.
“Billy Elliot,” the joyous
story of a coal miner’s son
who dreams to dance, was
the big winner at the Drama
Desk Awards, picking up 10
prizes, including best musical.
“Ruined” was named best
play. The drama by Lynn
Nottage is set against the
backdrop of an African civil
war and already has won the
Pulitzer Prize for drama as
well as the best play award
from the New York Drama
Critics’ Circle.
Other winning Drama
Desk actors this year include
Allison Janey, Angela Lansbury and Geoffrey Rush.
See dramadesk.com for a
full list of winners. ❖
776-9620
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You asked for it, and you’re getting it.
The new Saginaw News — coming to Move, local and regional business news
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tilled Spirits Council.
Perhaps what we need is
a Soft Drinks Council (there
probably is one at that I
don’t know about, but I
wouldn’t mind working for),
and a war chest of millions
for lobbying efforts.
Or, we could just threaten
to dump cola into the Boston Harbor, a history lesson
and political statement all
at once.
Tea-totalers under attack,
again. ❖