The Detroit News: Michigan's Best

local life: city life & culture

Best recent scandal:

Monica Conyers bar fight

Second place:

Cox/Fieger feud

Third place:

U - M public radio fraud

Best reform we need:

Education

Second place:

Health insurance

Third place:

Local taxes

Best place to work:

Henry Ford Behavioral Health

Detroit

Second place:

Aisin Seiki

Handy Township

Third place:

Compuware

Detroit

Best Michigan related Web site:

michigan.gov

Second place:

detnews.com

Third place:

spartanedge.com

Best reason to live in Michigan:

Four seasons

Second place:

The Great Lakes

Third place:

Sports teams

Best reason to leave Michigan:

Winter weather

Second place:

Because your job left

Third place:

Winter heating bills

Todd McInturf / The Detroit News

Richmond Police Officer Robert Gibbs, 35, poses for a portrait when he could be issuing traffic tickets. This is one of the reasons the Richmond P.D. is named one of Michigan's Best.

Best police precinct:

Richmond Police Department

36725 Division Road (586) 727-7545

Second place:

Waterford Police Department

5150 Civic Center Dr., Waterford

(248) 674-0351

Third place:

Royal Oak Police Department

221 E. Third St., Royal Oak (248) 246-3500

Best -Republican:

L. Brooks Patterson

Second place:

Mike Cox

Third place:

Dick DeVos

Best democrat:

Jennifer Granholm

Second place:

Carl Levin

Third place:

John D. Dingell

Best zoo animal:

Zebra

Second place:

Polar bear

Third place:

Monkey

Best looking building:

Wyandotte Museum

2610 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte (734) 324-7297

Second place:

Ford Field

2000 Brush St., Detroit (313) 262-2000

Third place:

Fox Theatre

2211 Woodward Ave. (248) 433-1515

Best civil or criminal judge:

Randy Kalmbach

27th District Court, Wyandotte

Second place:

Judge Fred Mester

6th Judicial Circuit Court, Pontiac

Third place:

Hon. Paul Cassidy

42nd District Court, New Baltimore

Best neighborhood to live in:

Ann Arbor

Second place:

Wyandotte

Third place:

Grosse Pointe

Best movie theater to see a flick:

Emagine

Novi and Canton

Second place:

MJR Theatres

mjrtheatres.com

Third place:

Landmark Main Art Theatre

118 N. Main St., Royal Oak (248) 263-2111

Best art gallery:

Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit

(313) 833-7900

Second place:

Rivers Edge Gallery

3024 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte (734) 246-9880

Third place:

Dancing Eye Gallery

Walled Lake and Northville locations

Best outdoor art fair:

Ann Arbor Street Art Fair

Ann Arbor, artfair.org

Second place:

Wyandotte Street Art Fair

Wyandotte

Third place:

Arts, Beats and Eats

Pontiac, artsbeatseats.com

Best fast-talking politician:

Kwame Kilpatrick

Mayor of Detroit

Second place:

Geoffrey Fieger

Lawyer

Third place:

Martha Reeves

Detroit City Council

Best small-town parade:

Richmond Good Old Days

Richmond

Second place:

Walled Lake Memorial

Day Parade

Walled Lake

Third place:

Grosse Pointe Park Little League Parade

Grosse Pointe Park

Best nonprofit organization:

American Red Cross

redcross.org

Second place:

WAG Animal Rescue

P.O. Box 222, Wyandotte (734) 782-5768

Third place:

Arts & Scraps

16135 Harper, Detroit (313) 640-4411

Steve Perez / The Detroit News

Arts and Scraps, a non-profit organization, provides a wonderful opportunity for children such as Anna Majewski, 8, to explore their creativity using recycled industrial scraps.

Best place to show out-of-town guests:

The Henry Ford

20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn

(313) 982-6001

Second place:

The Detroit Zoo

8450 W. 10 Mile Road, Royal Oak

(248) 398-0900

Third place:

Greektown

Best rainy-day-hideaway:

Greenfield Village

20900 Oakwood

Blvd., Dearborn

(313) 982-6001

Second place:

Greektown Casino

555 E. Lafayette Ave., Detroit (888) 771-4FUN

Third place:

Royal Oak Public Library

222 E. 11 Mile Rd.,

Royal Oak (248) 246-3700

Best place for bingo:

Paradise Bingo

2340 Dougall Ave., Windsor

(519) 977-6100

Second place:

Carousel Hall

3022 W. St. Joseph St., Lansing (517) 484-4340

Third place:

St. Mary’s Parish

32477 Church St., Rockwood (734) 379-9248

Best use of taxpayer money:

Roads

Second place:

Refunds

Third place:

Education

Best case of wasting taxpayer money:

Mayor’s mansion

Second place:

Low budget road repair

Third place:

Cars for politicians

Best sports disappointment:

Piston’s loss to

the Spurs

Game 7 of the 2005 NBA finals; 81-74

Second place:

MSU loss to George Mason

1st round of the 2006 NCAA basketball

tournament; 75-65

Third place:

Lions keep Matt Millen

Best new development:

Campus Martius Park

Detroit

Second place:

The new MGM Grand

Detroit Casino

Detroit

Third place:

Labadie Park

Wyandotte

Best street name you probably

mispronounce:

Schoenherr Road

Second place:

Dequindre Road

Third place:

Charlevoix

Best road to avoid:

Haggerty Road and

12 Mile Road

Second place:

All ramps to the

John C. Lodge

Third place:

Orchard Lake Road and Maple

Best blog to make you seem smarter at cocktail parties:

badjocks.com

Second place:

foodgoat.blogspot.com

Third place:

electablog.com

The Detroit News

detnews.com/blogs

Best local gadfly:

Michael Moore

Director/gadfly

Second place:

Steve Wilson

WXYZ, Channel 7 investigative reporter

Third place:

Geoffrey Fieger

Lawyer

Best car for Michigan roads:

Hummer

Second place:

Jeep

Third place:

Abrams Tank