42) HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES

Kay Lorraine Lauro works on her animal issue related blog at a friend's Shiawassee Twp home. photo by Anthony Cepak

42) HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES

from THE ANNEX OPEN FORUM kaylor "Thanks for the post Kevin...........Just read the story, myself and I certainly wish to thank Gary Gould and Anthony Cepak for their efforts and the Argus Press for the publicity.
Publicity is always welcome for these blogs.
WELCOME to the neighborhood Gary, I hope you have a long run here.

(Sorry everyone will be expecting you to be related to the Gould Family of Owosso founding fame.)
I will have to say newspaper articles can certainly be like horseshoes and hand grenades, even with the best of intentions.

Words get remembered just a little bit askew here and there.
So, I know I'm a bit "picky" (most of you know how I am) but hope ya'll don't mind, too much, if I make just a few corrections here."

Kevin Michael Brown "Front Page Sunday Argus - Kay Lorraine Lauro (Kaylor) and her blog!!
Christine is also mentioned and quoted. Way to GO, ladies!

"Grass Roots" activism at its best!
Sign a petition here: http://www.christinebarry.com/johnson-petition"

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"Local bloggers want to be heard"

By GARY GOULD Argus-Press Staff Writer

Rather than carrying a picket sign to enact change at city hall, many are turning to the Internet to take up their cause for politi­cal change and responsibility.

Web logging, or “blogging,” has become a way for people to not only write about issues that interest them, but it also let’s them speak out about politics — whether it be on a national, state or local level.

For Christine Barry of Caledonia Township, she started her blog — http://www.christinebarry,com/ — right after the 2004 election at a time when she felt Democrats had no voice in Shiawassee County.

“I’ve had people tell me they thought they were the only liber­als left out there until they read my blog,” she said. “I think blog­ging is good because it creates dialogue and gets people involved in the process.”

Barry said blogging forces her to learn about a subject that is interesting to her so she can not only write about it, but become versed well enough to discuss and debate that issue with other people.

In her blog, which she adver­tises as “the only blog focusing on the people and politics of Shiawassee County,” Barry has written about a variety of issues, ranging from the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners to the November gubernatorial election and even her thoughts on former Detroit Lion’s quarterback Joey Harrington.

“Today Joey made his first Thanksgiving touchdown pass … and then he threw a couple more,” Barry said in her Nov. 23 blog entry. “He’s having a pretty good game today. I think that’s great. But it sucks that he’s doing it as a (Miami) Dolphin. ”

Kay Lorraine-Lauro of Owosso Township became involved in blogging when she grew dissatisfied with licensing fees and practices of Shiawassee County Animal Control. "close"

Lorraine-Lauro, a kennel owner, said she thinks the county has become arrogant over its interpretation of state laws and is setting the fees for kennel licenses too high.

I said dog licenses (individual licenses).

“They have an attitude that they will do what they want to,” she said. “I’ve talked to almost 70 percent of the counties in the state and so far Shiawassee has the highest dog licensing fees.”

I said maybe 70 % of lower Michigan I looked up on the web

As she dug into state laws regarding dog licensing and kennels, Lorraine-Lauro began to put all of her research up in her Internet blog, found at http://www.shiawasseecounty.net.

Found at http://shiacac.blogspot.com/ and I started last spring when kennel licensing for veterinary clinics came up

The site has now become a major stopping point on the Internet for Shiawassee residents who are concerned with dog licensing issues.

Don't recall saying that, don't know if that is true, but I hope it is useful.

“People have so many questions,” Lorraine-Lauro said. “(The blog) has become a resource of information. It makes it so I don’t have to answer so many questions myself.”

I did put the entire Shiawassee County Animal Control Ordinance on it, and the City of Owosso animal code, as well as current dog licensing info.

She said she thinks people find blogs easier than Web sites to use and construct. Last year Lorraine-Lauro said she helped a friend put up a blog regarding the recall attempt against Owosso Township Supervisor Richard Gute and his wife, Clerk Judy Gute.

The blog provided readers with the specific reasons behind the recall attempt and worked to difuse some of the misinformation Lorraine-Lauro claimed (thank you Gary - The Argus has always printed the lies , without qualification, but I "claim") was circulating regarding the Gutes. The recall had to do with the Gutes voting to disband Owosso Township’s ambulance service in favor of an outside contractor.

“We were opposing the recall and they (the Gutes) are still in office,” she said. “I hope we made a difference.”

The recall against the Gutes failed in February 2006.

Lorraine-Lauro has also had some success in grabbing the atten­tion of county officials regarding the dog licensing issue.

NOT LIKELY

About two years ago she said the county looked into the state law and discov­ered they were overcharging kennel fees.

THEY DID, BUT NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING I SAID. I ONLY ASKED WHEN THEY WERE GOING TO REFUND THE OVERCHARGES (LIKE THE SOIL EROSION FEES THEY REFUNDED) THEY IGNORED ME

State law said the fees should have been $10 a year for people own­ing 10 dogs or fewer and $25 for more than 10 dogs. Shiawassee County was charging $30 and $60 and was forced to bring the fees in line with state law.

They voluntarily did so. But they didn't volunteer to refund any of the illegal overcharges.

“Usually (county officials) ignore me,” she said. “But I think they are conceding a little bit.”

NOT LIKELY.. AND DON'T THINK I SAID THAT

Barry has been a vocal critic of the Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners in her blogs, particularly over the drain commis­sion fee scandal that has plagued the county for the past year. She has defended former Drain Commissioner Bernie Butcher who is now facing a charge of embezzlement from the county prosecutor’s office for accepting more than $31,000 in soil erosion inspection fees.

Barry, who said the charges against Butcher are unfair, has solicited donations to Butcher’s legal defense fund through her blog and raised hundreds of dollars .

Butcher’s case is scheduled to go before a Circuit Court judge Jan. 16.

Not all local bloggers have an axe to grind with officials, howev­er. At least one blogger is a local official.

Owosso City Manager Gregg Guetschow maintains a blog on the city’s Web site — http://www.ci.owosso.mi.us/ — which he says is used to inform the public about services and events.

Started about a year and a half ago, Guetschow said the blog has been very helpful with the city’s fall leaf collection program, letting the public know where leaf removal crews would be daily.

“We look at it as one more opportunity we have to communicate with residents,” he said. “We do a lot with pictures so people don’t have to take a lot of time reading something.”

While the blog is idle right now, Guetschow said it will be used again when there is more time in his schedule to work on it.