Michigan Living is now news and information from Michigan sources.

The calendar suggests otherwise, but the playoff season has started. Hockey urgency in March is an unfamiliar sensation around here, but the rules of such desperation are fairly simple: The more determined gets the two points. Calgary wanted it more Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The No. 1 recruiting priority for Michigan in the class of 2011 is the offensive line. The Wolverines have signed four prospects in the last two classes on the offensive line, and just one of those was in the 2010 class.

Saline was down and nearly out, but managed to get within 11 points of Inkster entering the third quarter. Inkster failed to score on its first six possessions, and Saline was equally frustrated when Saline coach Jason Pickett called a time-out.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Remember Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series? So does Brad Thomas. He saw it on TV in his native Australia. He said it was the first time that he saw major league baseball.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Derick Nelson scored a career-high 36 points, and slow-starting Oakland defeated IUPUI, 76-64, in the Summit League championship game to advance to the NCAA tournament Tuesday night. The Grizzlies earned their second NCAA berth with their school-record 11th straight win. Their other NCAA appearance was in 2005.

The calendar suggests otherwise, but the playoff season has started. Hockey urgency in March is an unfamiliar sensation around here, but the rules of such desperation are fairly simple: The more determined gets the two points. Calgary wanted it more Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The No. 1 recruiting priority for Michigan in the class of 2011 is the offensive line. The Wolverines have signed four prospects in the last two classes on the offensive line, and just one of those was in the 2010 class.

Saline was down and nearly out, but managed to get within 11 points of Inkster entering the third quarter. Inkster failed to score on its first six possessions, and Saline was equally frustrated when Saline coach Jason Pickett called a time-out.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Remember Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series? So does Brad Thomas. He saw it on TV in his native Australia. He said it was the first time that he saw major league baseball.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Derick Nelson scored a career-high 36 points, and slow-starting Oakland defeated IUPUI, 76-64, in the Summit League championship game to advance to the NCAA tournament Tuesday night. The Grizzlies earned their second NCAA berth with their school-record 11th straight win. Their other NCAA appearance was in 2005.

The calendar suggests otherwise, but the playoff season has started. Hockey urgency in March is an unfamiliar sensation around here, but the rules of such desperation are fairly simple: The more determined gets the two points. Calgary wanted it more Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The No. 1 recruiting priority for Michigan in the class of 2011 is the offensive line. The Wolverines have signed four prospects in the last two classes on the offensive line, and just one of those was in the 2010 class.

Saline was down and nearly out, but managed to get within 11 points of Inkster entering the third quarter. Inkster failed to score on its first six possessions, and Saline was equally frustrated when Saline coach Jason Pickett called a time-out.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Remember Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series? So does Brad Thomas. He saw it on TV in his native Australia. He said it was the first time that he saw major league baseball.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Derick Nelson scored a career-high 36 points, and slow-starting Oakland defeated IUPUI, 76-64, in the Summit League championship game to advance to the NCAA tournament Tuesday night. The Grizzlies earned their second NCAA berth with their school-record 11th straight win. Their other NCAA appearance was in 2005.

In a rematch between two of the top teams in the PSL, Detroit Pershing held off Detroit King, 43-42, to advance to the Class A, Region 7 Final on Thursday at Livonia Ladywood.

Remember when the NFL draft was supposed to be a slam-dunk?

On a night when they could have given themselves a little breathing room, the Red Wings instead left themselves gasping.

Ernesto Bertarelli, billionaire owner of Alinghi V, insisted on steering his team's 115-foot catamaran during the recent America's Cup races.

With Michigan's basketball season nearly over, the end also is coming for senior forward DeShawn Sims. "The Journey" on the Big Ten Network made Sims one of four featured seniors in this week's episode, along with Purdue's Chris Kramer, Wisconsin's Trevon Hughes and Ohio State benchwarmer Mark Titus.

After the 2004 championship season, the Pistons had to make a tough decision: keep Mehmet Okur, a second-round pick (No. 38) from the previous year, who was starting to become a solid player; or keep veteran Rasheed Wallace, a cornerstone of the championship squad.

The calendar suggests otherwise, but the playoff season has started. Hockey urgency in March is an unfamiliar sensation around here, but the rules of such desperation are fairly simple: The more determined gets the two points. Calgary wanted it more Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena.

The No. 1 recruiting priority for Michigan in the class of 2011 is the offensive line. The Wolverines have signed four prospects in the last two classes on the offensive line, and just one of those was in the 2010 class.

Saline was down and nearly out, but managed to get within 11 points of Inkster entering the third quarter. Inkster failed to score on its first six possessions, and Saline was equally frustrated when Saline coach Jason Pickett called a time-out.

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Remember Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series? So does Brad Thomas. He saw it on TV in his native Australia. He said it was the first time that he saw major league baseball.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Derick Nelson scored a career-high 36 points, and slow-starting Oakland defeated IUPUI, 76-64, in the Summit League championship game to advance to the NCAA tournament Tuesday night. The Grizzlies earned their second NCAA berth with their school-record 11th straight win. Their other NCAA appearance was in 2005.

In a rematch between two of the top teams in the PSL, Detroit Pershing held off Detroit King, 43-42, to advance to the Class A, Region 7 Final on Thursday at Livonia Ladywood.

Remember when the NFL draft was supposed to be a slam-dunk?

On a night when they could have given themselves a little breathing room, the Red Wings instead left themselves gasping.

Ernesto Bertarelli, billionaire owner of Alinghi V, insisted on steering his team's 115-foot catamaran during the recent America's Cup races.

With Michigan's basketball season nearly over, the end also is coming for senior forward DeShawn Sims. "The Journey" on the Big Ten Network made Sims one of four featured seniors in this week's episode, along with Purdue's Chris Kramer, Wisconsin's Trevon Hughes and Ohio State benchwarmer Mark Titus.

After the 2004 championship season, the Pistons had to make a tough decision: keep Mehmet Okur, a second-round pick (No. 38) from the previous year, who was starting to become a solid player; or keep veteran Rasheed Wallace, a cornerstone of the championship squad.

Most members of the public have yet to see or hear about the real Sam Riddle, attorney Richard Convertino said today.

A Michigan State backcourt deemed by most preseason magazines as the country's best now appears to be the most disciplined. Coach Tom Izzo said the junior won't play Friday in MSU's first game of the Big Ten tournament.

Columbus, Ohio -- An Ohio State University janitor who was about to lose his job walked into a maintenance building for his early morning shift Tuesday and shot two supervisors, killing one of them and fatally shooting himself. No students were hurt.

Six running backs ran a 4.49 40-yard dash or lower at the NFL scouting combine last month, led by California's Jhavid Best (4.35) and Clemson's C.J. Spiller (4.37).

The Calgary Flames scored twice in 91 seconds of the third period for a 4-2 victory over the Wings at Joe Louis Arena Tuesday night.

Carefully, you ask the Tigers manager if he has seen anything different in Dontrelle Willis during these first weeks of spring camp. The caution has to do with past history.

Nearly a year after Robert Bobb pledged overspending in the Detroit Public Schools would end, the district has added nearly $100 million to its debt. Since being appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm as the emergency financial manager in March 2009 to control the finances of the state's largest school district, red ink is growing, according to district budget documents.

Last July, not long after Monica Conyers pleaded guilty to bribery-related charges, her attorney said he hoped to keep her out of prison. She'll find out if he can at 2 p.m. today, when she's sentenced for the five-year felony.

Detroit -- Kwame Kilpatrick hopes no one thinks he is trying to avoid paying the $1 million he promised the city as part of a plea deal to avoid trial in the text message scandal.

Detroit -- A federal judge Tuesday spared the lives of most of the roughly 40 dogs the federal government seized in connection with a 2009 dog-fighting investigation.

Detroit -- Fire officials are investigating the cause of a blaze that swept through a home on the city's east side Tuesday and left a woman dead.

Detroit; Hamtramck

Clinton Township -- One of the county's newest pet projects: teaming up with a nonprofit to share the animal shelter's operations.

Sterling Heights; St. Clair Shores

Sterling Heights -- Police believe some sort of a medical emergency caused an 84-year-old man to pass out and then crash his truck into the side of a medical building at about 7:15 a.m. today.

Harrison Township; Mount Clemens; Roseville

Warren -- Faced with a funding shortage, officials in the state's third-largest city are suspending overtime and taking fire trucks and fire stations out of service on days when staff levels dwindle.

Bruce Township

Hartland Twp.; Countywide

Hartland Township -- The Livingston County Sheriff's Department was investigating a package with wires affixed to it this morning.

Hartland Township; Countywide

Hartland Township -- Police are looking for a man who may have attempted to abduct a 12-year-girl waiting at a bus stop.

Howell

Hartland -- A 27-year-old Hartland man escaped drowning when he was rescued after he fell through the ice on a pond behind his parents' home.

The Michigan Department of Transportation this month will begin a lengthy, $51 million project to repair and rebuild 16 miles of Telegraph Road. The project, which will affect Southfield, Bingham Farms, Franklin and Bloomfield Township, is slated to be finished in December.

Allen Park -- All lanes of eastbound Interstate 94 at Southfield are open.

Allen Park -- All eastbound lanes of the Interstate 94 bridge over Southfield Road are expected to reopen by 7 a.m. today, with the right lane closing again between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Dearborn -- AAA Michigan says gasoline prices are up 7.2 cents per gallon over the past week to a statewide average of $2.72.

Detroit -- A Dutch undercover journalist successfully managed to carry what could have been liquid explosives onto a flight from Amsterdam to the United States, according to a press release.

Allen Park -- State officials say a bridge over eastbound Interstate 94 that slightly sank Thursday needs repairs but wasn't about to collapse or endanger motorists.

Nearly a year after Robert Bobb pledged overspending in the Detroit Public Schools would end, the district has added nearly $100 million to its debt. Since being appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm as the emergency financial manager in March 2009 to control the finances of the state's largest school district, red ink is growing, according to district budget documents.

Franklin -- A scary scene ended with only minor injuries Tuesday when a teacher accidentally reversed her vehicle through a wall and into a preschool learning area, sending four youngsters to the hospital, police said.

Detroit -- The City Council voted against a resolution today in support of the Detroit Public Schools' elected school board retaining control over academics.

The Detroit Public School Board unanimously voted Monday night to file a second lawsuit against Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb, saying $145,000 in private foundation support he receives under his new contract is unlawful.

Lansing -- A growing number of local school districts will face bankruptcy, layoffs and program cuts in the coming year due to budget woes, a survey revealed Monday.

Boulder, Colo. -- The students in Michael Dubson's physics class at the University of Colorado fell silent as a multiple choice question flashed on a screen, sending them scrambling for small white devices on their desks.

Chelsea

Ann Arbor -- Get a smart cast together with a free-spirited director, and you can end up with a theater experience that outshines the play.

In 1955, Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank headed west from New York to look for America. The pictures he shot during a sweltering July in Detroit star in "Detroit Experiences: Robert Frank Photographs, 1955," which runs through July 3 at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Seems like every time actor Michael York comes to Detroit, he's wearing a crown. This time around, the classically trained York puts on the mantle of Shakespeare's Henry V for performances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Sir Neville Marriner.

Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, that country's most celebrated folk-dance troupe, has been dazzling audiences for more than five decades with dances representing some 30 regions of Mexico. The company's 40 dancers and 20 musicians will bring nearly a dozen of them to Detroit's Music Hall this weekend.

If you are looking for a culturally stimulating date but don't want to over-stimulate your wallet, try "Detroit Tonight Live" with M.L. Liebler. The free event series, usually held the first Thursday of each month at the Jazz Café at the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, features poetry and music performed by local talent.