Free Republic

LANSING, MI -- Today is the 206th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, one of the greatest U.S. presidents. There's a lot to be thankful to Lincoln for: guiding the country through the Civil War and helping end slavery. But residents of Michigan have something special to thank the 16th president for. He coined the term many of us use to describe ourselves: Michigander. There is an ongoing debate about if Michigan citizens should be described as Michiganians or Michiganders. Lincoln coined the term Michigander when he was in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1848, Lincoln gave a speech against...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Evidence found at the remote, rugged Alaska site where an F-22 Raptor crashed indicates the pilot died, an Air Force official said Friday evening. Part of the jet's ejection seat was found at the site, which means Capt. Jeffrey Haney of Clarklake, Mich., could not have survived the Tuesday night crash, Col. Jack McMullen said. Also found were pieces of the flight suit Haney had been wearing. (excerpt)

William ‘Bill’ Jonathan Babor BENTON HARBOR — William “Bill” Jonathan Ba­bor, 47, of Benton Harbor died Sunday, June 8, 2008, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. A Celebration of Life ser­vice will be held 12:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funer­al Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, with Pastor Rob Meckley offi­ciating. Visitation is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memo­rial donations may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Founda­tion or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Those wishing to send a condolence message online may do so at www.starks­menchinger.com. Bill was...