Sec. of State offices closed July 4
GENESEE COUNTY — Customers are reminded that all Secretary of State offices and the Office of the Great Seal will be closed July 4 in observance of Independence Day.
Licenses and plates that expire on a day when state offices are closed can be renewed the following day without penalty. Motorists also can renew license plates by mail.
With the exception of holidays, branch offices are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Wednesdays 9 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information visit www.Michigan.gov/sos. — E.M.

Join the camping club
AREAWIDE — The Flintstones #105 Camper Club plans its next weekend getaway for June 30-July 1 at Addison Oaks Park, 1480 Romeo Rd., nine miles north of Rochester.
The club, a chapter of the international camping organization Family Campers and RVers (FCRV), holds campouts a couple weekends every month from May-October. The club currently has about 50 member families but welcomes new members.
Members must camp at a minimum of three campouts per year and attend 2-3 winter monthly meetings. The club also hosts special themed campouts, like “Christmas in June.”
For more information, contact Gail Griffin-Sackett at 810-233-5923. FCRV on the Web: www.fcrv.org. — J.N.

Passport requirements waived
temporarily
WASHINGTON — Due to a backlog of passport applications yet to be processed, the U.S. Dept. of State and Homeland Security announced recently that citizens traveling by air to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda can now enter and depart the U.S. with only a government issued photo identification and a Dept. of State official proof of application for a passport.
This is a temporary waiver set to expire Sept. 30. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) had mandated that passports were required to travel by air out of the U.S. and when attempting to regain entry, which went into effect Jan. 23.
Citizens can still travel by land or sea into Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, but beginning in January 2008, WHTI departments will begin requiring passports for such travel. — K.S.

High goals set for hunger awareness
FLINT — The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, in partnership with UAW locals, community organizations and others, announced last Wednesday its goal to gather 500,000 pounds of food for Hunger Awareness Day.
Hunger Awareness Day was designed to create awareness for the more than 35 million individuals who are hungry in the U.S. America’s Second Harvest, the food bank’s parent organization, is the nation’s largest hunger relief organization, with a network of more than 200 food banks and rescue programs.
The FBEM distributes food to the hungry in 22 Michigan counties through more than 380 partner agencies. Last year, over 16.2 million pounds of food was distributed to those in need and 16.5 million is expected this year.
Contact the FBEM at 810-239-4441 or visit www.fbem.org for donation information and program details. — E.M.

Garden tour and luncheon
GOODRICH — Tickets for the third annual Salads Galore Luncheon in conjunction with the Goodrich Garden Tour are now available at Brown’s Hardware, 7281 S. State Rd.
The July 14 tour includes visits to a few gardens then lunch at the Goodrich United Methodist Church, 8071 S. State (M-15), anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. A $6 lunch donation includes unlimited salads, breads, beverages and desserts. Tickets also are available at the door. For more information, call 810-797-5126. — E.M.

Genesee County Reverse 911
FLINT — Genesee County has devised a way to alert large numbers of people at a relatively fast pace in the event of an emergency. The Genesee County Reverse 911 is a system, currently in place for all listed phone numbers, which can call 100 phone lines a minute to deliver a pre-recorded emergency-related message.
Genesee County is now requesting that anyone with unlisted phone numbers, which includes cell phones and voice over internet users, register their phone number as well. Messages will be brief and will occur when important information needs to be passed along immediately to members of a particular neighborhood or geographic area.
The Genesee County 911 Communications Center asks that those who do not have a phone number listed with the center fill out an application and submit it to Genesee County 911 Communications Center, Attention: Reverse 911, 4481 Corunna Rd., Flint, MI 48532 or e-mail reverse911@geneseecounty911.org.
Applications are available at abc12.com or www.co.genesee.mi.us/emergency/lepc.htm. — K.S.

No burning permits
GRAND BLANC TWP. — The fire department is no longer issuing burning permits for Grand Blanc Township residents. The department resumes issuing burning permits on Oct. 15 this year through April 30, 2008.
The fire department does not issue burning permits to City of Grand Blanc residents at any time of the year. — J.N.

Getting it right
In last week’s story on A-1, we erroneously put the wrong first name for one of the students who addressed the Grand Blanc Board of Education at their meeting. The name should have read Mitchell Walker. We apologize for the error.

Middle school walk-a-thon raises $2,500
GRAND BLANC — As part of an optional math project, 200 Grand Blanc West Middle School students participated in a walk-a-thon on June 4.
The event raised $2,500 for the American Cancer Society and the Middle School’s Relay for Life team. All West Middle School math teachers also participated in the event, which was organized by Kelly Smith. For more information, call 810-591-7312. — E.M.

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