SW Michigan

KALAMAZOO, MI - Justin Gillette seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself during the Kalamazoo Marathon Sunday. The professional marathoner from Goshen, Ind., was encouraging spectators at spirit stations along the course to cheer louder, he high-fived a few others and he got a crowd gathered downtown to laugh when he made an unexpected stop to answer nature's call in a porta-potty.

The deluge of rain last month didn't just flood local roads, homes and basements, it also messed up the dredging schedule for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Grand Haven. "They've tried to get here all spring," Corps of Engineers Area Engineer Tom O'Bryan said. "We're very glad they're finally on board."

Rebuffed by voters last fall, officials in Battle Creek Public Schools have hit the pavement this spring trying to convince residents of the need for a tax to fund facilities upkeep. In November, 52 percent of voters nixed a six-year renewal of BCPS' 2-mill sinking fund property tax, which funds upkeep and renovation throughout the district's aging properties.

East Lansing - Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson compared fellow Republican and House Speaker Jase Bolger to Nazi leader Adolph Hitler on Friday in a public television interview.

LANSING, MI - Back in late January, Gov. Rick Snyder asked the Michigan Supreme Court to weigh in on the constitutionality of the state's right-to-work law. The high court hasn't yet issued an advisory opinion or said if it will do so. Snyder's request remains pending.