It is an American dream to have a job that you can wake up excited to go to, a job that involves doing what you love.

In the 1970s, Steve Russell Tompkins and his father found their dream job.

Tompkins and his father bought a snowmobile as a hobby three decades ago that turned into a lifelong job.

Nicole Laidlaw often uses the city streets just north of Central Michigan University to walk and visit with friends who live on Main Street.

But the Oxford freshman said she would feel more comfortable and safe if there were lights to guide her way.

“The only time I’m down here, it’s always at night,” Laidlaw said.

In the past 16 days, almost 500 residents statewide have applied for Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Program.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, 483 people have applied for the program, however no cards have been issued thus far.

“(This) week we are going to issue our first set of licenses,” said MDCH Spokesman James McCurtis Jr.

The missing pieces of the Mount Pleasant Iraq War Memorial were found Friday in the Chippewa River near Pickens Field, police officials said.

According to a press release from the Mount Pleasant Police Department, officers acted on a tip that led to both the location of the missing pieces and to two suspects.

Great Lakes shipping supports 240,000 U.S. jobs around the Great Lakes.

The cargo that freighters haul to the port of Bay Aggregates, Inc. in Bay City, is the lifeblood of industry throughout mid-Michigan. Mount Pleasant-area companies – mostly in construction industries – are some of the jobs that directly benefit from Great Lakes shipping.

In 2004, former President George W. Bush scribbled his signature and issued an executive order categorizing the Great Lakes as a “national treasure.”

But more than five years later, not much has been done to support the Great Lakes and Ken DeBaussaert, director of the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes, said the Bush Administration was never supportive of funding for Great Lakes restoration.

This summer Mount Pleasant will be hosting “Le Tour de Mont Pleasant,” the first bike race of its kind in mid-Michigan.

Mount Pleasant will be welcoming bicyclists to mid-Michigan July 12-14 for a festival celebrating bicycling and healthy lifestyles. There will be races for all ages and skill levels during the festival.

As four-year-old Ian Johnson sat on a wooden bench in a trolley on Saturday, he could hardly contain his excitement.

Johnson, armed with a map of the “hot spots” on Central Michigan University’s third annual Culture Crawl and a bag of potato chips he’d grabbed along the way, was every bit the eager tourist.