Free Republic

Seven weeks after his car was stolen, Terry Dresdow got a call from police saying it had been found. Oh-oh, this usually isn't good. What tree is it wrapped around? How many pieces is it in? Where did you say that chop shop was again? Not this time. Terry's ride had been pimped, as they say on TV. "Actually, Mr. Dresdow kinda made out on the deal. He got a car back that's probably worth three times what it was when it was stolen," said John Davis, the Milwaukee County sheriff's detective who found the car and arrested the suspected...

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" and insured for $1 million is missing from a Grand Rapids museum. Police Chief Leigh Serfling said the slippers were stolen late Saturday or early Sunday

Two decades ago, few in the booze business believed it would happen here, in the beer capital of the world. Sobering Facts College students spend $5.5 billion a year on alcohol, more than they spend on textbooks, soft drinks, tea, milk, juice and coffee combined. Source: Harvard School of Public Health study 12th-graders who reported consuming alcohol in the last 30 days dropped to 48% in 2004 from 66% in 1985. Source: University of Michigan study While other, more sober states caved in to the federal government's order to raise their drinking ages to 21 or lose a portion of...

Detroit - Auto-parts suppliers' trust in General Motors Corp. is at its lowest level in 15 years, according to a survey by a Michigan consulting firm. Eighty-five percent of the suppliers questioned who work with GM reported a poor working relationship and just 3% said they have a good or very good relationship. Fifty-three percent of suppliers said they prefer not to work with the world's largest automaker, saying the company has little regard for suppliers' financial stability. Planning Perspectives Inc. questioned 259 suppliers in March and April about whether automakers help or hinder them, how well they communicate and...

WASHINGTON — Wine lovers may buy directly from out-of-state vineyards, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, striking down laws banning a practice that has flourished because of the Internet and growing popularity of winery tours.

To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration (search) is about to implement new rules recommending that any man who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor...