Headlines

You don't have time to read all of the news articles of interest so here are brief highlights on interesting stories followed by my editorial comments so you will understand their significance quickly and painlessly.

1) "Council should explore more options on tunnel"

Is this the impression being conveyed: Eddie just wants to keep the Tunnel away from those big bad private companies that want to exploit our 5,000 commuters so that "public" Eddie can exploit Detroit instead. Is Windsor really trying to pull a fast one at the expense of our financially distressed neighbours? Is that the message being conveyed by this Editorial and the WDIV story?

2) "Mayor wants to hear from commuters

The mayor's office is trying to determine how many Windsorites are commuting to jobs out west.

Mayor Eddie Francis said that while anecdotally he has heard about people who are travelling to work, becoming separated from their families, he wants to have better numbers before going ahead with a plan involving Alberta employers flying workers back and forth between Alberta and Windsor."

Such urgency. What has it been now, 4 months of study so far on this concept by the Mayor and only now he can come up with a few questions to pretend something is happening. Must be the Tunnel deal that is occupying his time rather than his so-called first priority, jobs, jobs, jobs!

3) "City hall flag raising marks start of Pride Week

A rainbow of colour shone over City Hall Square Monday with a flag raising ceremony to mark the official kick-off of Windsor Pride 2008.

Mayor Eddie Francis was among the people on hand to help raise the rainbow-coloured Pride flag."

The Tunnel pressures must be off now. Eddie was so tied up he had to stay in his office and snub John Tory last week.

4) "Core businesses urged to cash in on Grand Prix

"We want to see a Canadian presence there to highlight the fact this is a two-nation destination and a two-nation destination event," said Gordon Orr, managing director of the local visitors and convention bureau...

He said the downtown business leaders have been encouraged "to think about how they might want to tap into the opportunities that exist."

The visitors bureau and the city have also secured a block of specially priced tickets to sell in Windsor."

DUH, perhaps Gordon could stop reviewing movies with the Mayor's wife on CKLW and start thinking about how to draw people from Detroit to our events here rather than to boost spending for a Detroit function by making it so easy for people to go there.

5) "Beware being an inadvertent drug mule

News that drug dealers may be targetting Sarnia's seniors to get narcotics across the Blue Water Bridge is unsettling to say the least.

The traffickers are fastening drugs to cars, then attaching a tracking chip while the vehicle is still in the United States.

Once the traveller returns home, drug dealers locate the car with a GPS tracking system and remove the contraband."

Now there is a good reason to shop in Canada instead.

6) "Going green

I thought for sure a stink would be raised by a myopic minority of Windsorites upset at seeing their tax dollars invested in trees and rocks to beautify the city's entrance corridors.

Well clearly I underestimated our collective desire to see Windsor dump its "armpit" first impression and become an environmentally progressive urban centre whose residents can hold their heads high."

Poor Star Online. Even the Star staff will not admit reading the Star Forums. I told you that Dalson was being trained by the best name-caller in print.

7) "Auto Talk

VW LOOKS TO ALABAMA SITE TO BOOST MARKET APPEAL

Volkswagen's supervisory board is expected to confirm today that the company has chosen Huntsville, Ala., as the site of its new North American assembly plant.

Chattanooga, which is only 160 km north of Huntsville, was VW's second choice for a new manufacturing home in North America, according to the industry trade publication Automobilwoche."

I wonder if Chris ever saw the "Dewey defeats Truman" news paper frontpage considering VW announced that it would spend up to $1bn on a new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

8) Delays at bridge to grow with Detroit freeway work

The traffic snarls and detours associated with Michigan's Gateway Project at the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge got a little more complicated Monday...

For commuters and travellers from Windsor, there will be extensive detour signs, said Rob Morosi of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Once you exit the bridge you will be guided for a short stretch on city streets until reaching either the service roads for I-75 or I-96, allowing access to those freeways, he said."

Gee, Michigan officials believe that Canadians won't get lost because of Interstate closures. But if the Bridge Co. does bridge repairs that would close a small road temporarily, our Council fears that tourists will get hopelessly lost finding their way downtown. I guess Michigan knows about "detour signs."

9) "Going green

Coun. Dave Brister, for instance, has heard heaps of praise but has yet to receive a critical e-mail or phone call. "Not a word. Not a single complaint from residents," marvelled the Ward 1 representative.

He believes city dwellers have fully embraced the view that Windsor, now more than ever with this automotive centre experiencing grim times, must invest money to transform its image and become a more inviting community.

"We're only able to do this now because of the work done on the city's finances over the past several years," said Brister. "People would have run us out of town if we had done this 41/2 years ago."

Whew, thank goodness Gord is back to praise Dave and boost his chances for the mayoral job. His Wardmate, Drew Dilkens, has been getting too much good coverage while Gord has been renovating.

10) "Lights still out in downtown Vancouver

Gary Rodford, BC Hydro's senior vice-president of operations, said Hydro has backup power systems for some parts of the downtown core, but not all. "In some ways, this highlights the need for Hydro to reinvest in its infrastructure," said Danard, noting Hydro recently won approval for a rate increase to do just that."

Yup, let's just keep on putting up barriers to the Bridge Co.'s Enhancement Project.