Carbon Monoxide Hazards

June 1, 2005

A Traverse area family is hosting a day dedicated to educating the public on the hazards of accidental carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in memory of their parents.
The four Overbeck siblings lost their parents several years ago on Elk Lake. The senior Overbecks had just moved into their new retirement home when a vehicle was accidentally left running in an attached garage, and they were overcome by the resulting CO build-up.
The Overbeck Foundation, GT Metro Fire, and Town & Country Cedar Homes are staging an awareness day of the dangers of accidental CO poisoning.
The Saturday, June 4 Garfield Township fire hall event will be held in conjunction with the department’s annual open house. Some 400 CO monitors will be given away (a donation will be encouraged) along with refreshments and firehall displays.
Over 1,000 people die annually from CO poisoning according to the National Safety Council, and several thousand more are treated in emergency rooms for CO exposure.

FEELIN‘ BLUE BENEFIT
The group behind Traverse City’s politically stimulating “Blue Values” billboard campaign invites like-minded Northern Michigan residents to its first fund-raiser, a soiree at Tratorria Stella at the Grand Traverse Commons in Traverse City.
TC Common Sense, whose mission is to get “blue values”-- or liberal and progressive -- candidates into office, is hosting the fund-raiser at Tratorria Stella on Sunday, June 5, from 4-7 p.m. The gathering will enable supporters to discuss enlightened ideas and support TC Common Sense in its quest for a bluer future.
A $25 ticket buys hors d’oeuvres and fine wine.
Entertainment will be provided by Traverse City’s Jeff Gibbs, co-producer and composer for “Fahrenheit/911,” on piano, along with
Julija Nikonovaik, a gifted pianist and graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy.
For more info, check out www.tc-commonsense.org

SMART STUFF
On the drawing board for Michigan are “smart“ cars and roads.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is testing vehicles equipped with Vehicle Infrastructure Integration technology, which use high-speed wireless networks to transmit data between vehicles and sensors built into road beds.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm says the research and development of new automobile technology will give Michigan a leg up in the world auto market.
“The state of Michigan and MDOT are at the cutting edge of advanced automotive technology,” Granholm said in a release. “Smart cars and smart roads not only will lead to safer travel and less congestion, but also hold the promise of more Michigan jobs by positioning our state as a global economic powerhouse.”

LOVE THAT DIRTY WATER
National River Cleanup Week sure turned up a heap o’ trash in the Boardman River. Some 83 persons were involved in the project, including 38 paddlers and 24 trail walkers. The paddlers cleaned 20 miles of river while the downtown TC river banks and Conservation District trails along the river were cleaned by walkers. They turned up 85 – 90 trash bags weighing a total of more than 900 lbs. along with junk such as inner tubes, tires, a plastic lawn chair, a barrel of railroad spikes and much more.