• They'll sweat - for a while
Fitness centers see an onslaught of customers each January as people resolve to lose weight and get in shape.

• An emerald green river for St. Patrick's Day?
BAY CITY -- What color do you get when you mix green and brown?

• Author, scholar leads Martin Luther King event at SVSU
A popular author and leading scholar on black America will help Saginaw Valley State University celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. later this month.

• back 40
Pest meeting

• Birch Run chef exhibits in Novi
NOVI -- Award-winning Birch Run Chef ''Dixie'' Dave Minar will prepare one of his signature fish recipes this week during the Ultimate Fishing Show here.

• Budget, academic proficiency markers on Saginaw schools retreat agenda
In 2009, Ronald Spess expects to see a repeat of 2008.

• Build a snowman, win some money
Saginaw County Parks and Recreation wants you to get out and build a snowman.

• Frankenmuth schools buy land for growth
The Frankenmuth School District will spend $600,000 to buy land for future expansion east of its three schools on East Genesee.

• Lange returns to school board
After a 3.5-year hiatus, Robert L. Lange is back on the Bridgeport-Spaulding Board of Education.

• METRO BRIEFS
School board

• Rezoning hoped to lure 'clean technology' work
Saginaw Township Planning Commission members rezoned 278 acres on Tittabawassee between Mackinaw and Lawndale to nurture business growth -- particularly development they expect to spin off from the Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. expansion.

• Stamas begins his term in Lansing
MIDLAND -- Newly-elected State Rep. Jim Stamas officially begins the 2009-10 Michigan House legislative session Wednesday, Jan. 14, after taking the oath of office.

• SVSU students to host reading clinics
Saginaw Valley State University's College of Education will host two ongoing reading clinics for pupils in kindergarten to 12th grade on Mondays and Wednesdays.

• Trial begins in fatal '06 crash
At 19, Monique C. Pool was so intoxicated she crashed her car on Interstate 75, causing a collision with a motorcycle that seriously injured the operator and killed his passenger, a prosecutor says.

• United Way gets federal funding boost
The United Way of Saginaw County received a nearly $30,000 jump -- to $193,935 -- in federal funding this year to supplement emergency food and shelter projects.

• Your News
Your News

• County Internet presence spotty
THE TIMES, THEY ARE

• New habits are hard to break
The atmosphere was an odd mix of excitement and weariness in Jodi Decuf's third-grade classroom Tuesday, the second day of classes since winter break.

• They'll march with history
When Tommy Atkins Jr. boarded his flight back to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, he began the two-week countdown to the presidential inauguration.

• Robotic artery surgery
New devices that staple coronary arteries into place during bypass surgery -- instead of a surgeon sewing by hand -- could allow for robotic-assisted heart bypasses in Saginaw within a few months.

• Not evicted, but may have to leave
For months, Tony A. Strickland has gone without running water in his home. He drags a garden hose across a three-lane street for it.

• Birth- Five still on
Saginaw County's Birth-Five parent education initiative has cut its annual budget in half since its start in 2000, but with local support, it still is helping children prepare for school.

• Bridge future up in the air
Diana Millikan implored Chesaning council members to return the Parshallburg Bridge to its place in Cole Park as soon as possible.

• CORRECTION
The Saginaw News, in this space, promptly corrects errors of fact and responds to requests for clarification.

• METRO BRIEFS
Trustees to meet less

• POLICE BRIEFS
Fire damages apartments

• Sunny Side gang member sentencing delayed
BAY CITY -- Court authorities postponed sentencing for the leader of Saginaw's Sunny Side gang.

• Wastewater overflow within acceptable limits
Hundreds of millions of gallons of potentially contaminated wastewater discharged into the Saginaw River early last week, when treatment plants were overloaded with stormwater and sewage.

• Lily's not walking, but her baby steps are huge
It's been several months since I wrote about my daughter Lily and her struggle to learn to walk.

• Before talking about personal responsibility, Congress needs to show it
Perhaps he didn't mean it. Perhaps it was a throw-away line. Perhaps he doesn't realize the impact of his words.

• METRO BRIEFS
Temple to show

• POLICE BRIEFS
Crash injures

• Polystyrene foam recyclable
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Isabella County Material Recycling Facility officials say they now are accepting polystyrene foam.

• Saginaw to test siren warning system
Saginaw will test its outdoor siren warning system at 10 a.m. Wednesday in conjunction with the test of the Saginaw County emergency warning system.