While the threat to Lake Michigan from the Kalamazoo River oil spill seems to be diminished, the cleanup and concerns raised by the oil industry's follow up to the Gulf disaster are far from finished and will reverberate far outside the Wolverine state. Enbridge Energy Partners, owners and operators of the pipeline which spilled over a million gallons of oil into the Michigan waterway, announced that they had finally excavated the damaged pipe late yesterday as controversy raged over the Canadian company’s response to the spill. more ›

The Obamas are taking more than a mother-in-law with them to the White House. Chicago native chef Sam Kass will be cooking for the first family. Kass served as the Obamas' personal chef at their Hyde Park home and is familiar with what the family enjoys eating. He is known for his interest in healthy, local foods. more ›