The last auto came of the line for Pontiac Motors on Wednesday. According to The Detroit News, it was a white G6 sedan that was finished at 12:45 PM.

I spent the first nine years of my life living in Pontiac a mile or so from the plants (there were several). My dad and 3 uncles worked there and my dad retired after 38 years.

I chose not to work there because prospects for long term employment were shaky by the time I was old enough. But a lot of my friends and neighbors did,

I did own many Pontiacs, my favorite being a silver 1975 Trans Am I bought in 1977.

The impact on the community will be felt, but the company has scaled back production and closed many of the plants already so it has been a slow decline.

I'm sure many people will miss them. I know I will.

I live in St Clair Shores Michigan, which has three separate school districts. I live in the Lakeview district.

Lakeview is a North Central Accredited district for the first time. According to the St Clair Shores Sentinel, the district is the only NCA accredited district in Macomb County.

This could help local students get into college. It could also provide a boost in property values at some point.

I know this isn't earth shattering news, but with the state of affairs in this area right now we can use a little positive news.

The Pontiac Silverdome has finally sold.

The stadium, the former home of my Detroit Lions, was built in 1975 at a cost of around 55.7 million dollars. It held more than 80,000 people for football games.

The Lions played there until 2002 when they moved to Ford Field in downtown Detroit. I have many fond memories of games there, mostly involving Barry Sanders in some way, as well as one of the worst, seeing the last minute Brett Favre to Sterling Sharp touchdown pass in the NFC playoffs that ended the Lions season. The Michigan Panthers of the USFL also played there, giving us many chances to see former Wolverine Anthony Carter play before he went to the Vikings and broke our hearts so many times. The Detroit Pistons actually played their games there for 10 years 1978-88. The Super Bowl Was played there in 1982 (Won by the 49ers over the Bengals).

I also saw many other great things there including a Led Zeppelin concert in 1977 and years later the Rolling Stones. I saw Trevor Francis of the long defunct Detroit Express score 5 goals against the New York Cosmos (five goals by a soccer player in one game, you have to be kidding). Michael Jackson appeared there and the Pope held mass in 1987

What did it sell for ......$583,000, less than 10 percent of the original cost to build it. We don't yet know who the purchaser is but will know in about 45 days when the deal is finalized.

Read the Detroit Free Press article.

15 states have enacted term limits for their state legislators, with Michigan being one of them.

Michigan approved its term limits in 1992. They went into effect in 1998 in the House and 2002 in the Senate.

The last few years have been a succession of partisan fights trying to balance the budget. Every year it seems we are faced with a shutdown of State government because our senate and house can’t get the budget balanced (this is mandated by law in Michigan)

Term limits were very popular with the people when enacted. But reality has now set in. Do we really want a collection of relative newcomers running a state with an approximate budget of 40 billion dollars?

Michigan used federal stimulus funds to help balance the budget this year. Next year they will have substantially less federal money and the following year none. And the legislators that are learning now will be gone and  a new crop will be in office who will have no experience with this type of problem.

Maybe it’s time to revisit this issue.

After a full 162 game season, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins are tied.

Tuesday they will play one game to decide who gets to play the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Rookie pitcher Rick Porcello will pitch for Detroit in this important game.

The Tigers had a 3 game lead with 4 games to play and nearly blew it, having to win today to finish tied with the Twins (they beat Chicago 5-3).

So cross your fingers Tiger fans and lets finish the season strong!!!!

Lions 19  Redskins 14

The 19 game losing streak is over. The Detroit Lions beat the Washington Redskins today at Ford Field in Detroit.

Of course the game didn't sell out, so no one in the city actually saw it because it was blacked out locally by the NFL.

But the bottom line is, we finally won, we're no longer the laughing stock of the league ( at least until next week).

All I can say now is BRING ON THE BEARS!!!

If you live in the Detroit area and have followed the Detroit Tigers at all, you grew up listening to Ernie Harwell on the radio.

Some of my best memories are of Ernie describing Al Kaline, Denny Mclain and Willie Horton in the sixties to Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and Kirk Gibson in the eighties, both teams winning the World Series during their runs. He retired a few years ago but is still active in the community. He has continued to work for many charitable causes around the Detroit area.

He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and known around the country for his distinctive voice and style.

Unfortunately, last week Ernie disclosed that he is suffering from inoperable cancer.

On Wednesday night the Tigers will honor Ernie at Comerica Park. I can't be at the game but I will be watching on television.

Last week my wife and I went to the Michigan State Fair.

It is actually one of the longest running state fairs in the country, over 150 years. We don't go every year but read that this is the last year for it, and since one of our fondest memories is sitting through a Journey concert in a downpour when we were still dating, we thought we should make one more trip.

Apparently the state can no longer afford to pay six figures to subsidize the fair, which is held in Detroit, and barring a last minute reprieve from some other investor, this year will be the last.

I recently went to the 2009 Harper Avenue Cruise.

It is one of the last of the season in our area, and this year they extended it another half mile which  meant it went past my house. Cruises are huge around here ( the Woodward cruise attracts thousands and thousands of people and actually lasts almost a week.).

Here are some of my favorite cars from this year.

When I was a kid baseball was a passion of mine, but not just baseball, Detroit Tigers baseball.

I remember the 1968 World Series win over the St Louis Cardinals and the 1984 win over the San Diego Padres. I also remember the lean years that were mixed in .

One of the fondest parts of the memory of the Tigers back then was the teams group of broadcasters. On the radio it was hall of famer Ernie Harwell who retired a few years ago and on TV it was another hall of famer, both as a player and as a broadcaster, George Kell.

This morning I heard the news that George Kell has passed away at his home in Arkansas. He has been through a lot in the last couple years. His house (in which he grew up and  lived in his entire life ) burned down. Then, a few years ago he was involved in a serious auto accident that required six months of therapy just to walk with a cane.

Anyone who watched Tiger baseball back then will remember Mr. Kell, his down home, laid back style, as well as his extensive knowledge of the game. He was a part of my childhood and will be missed.

Rest in Peace Mr Kell.