Wayne County received $25.9 million in congressional funds to deal with vacant, abandoned, and foreclosed properties.

Excerpt:

The federal government dispersed $3.92 billion around the country to help governments deal with areas hardest hit by foreclosure and abandoned properties. Executive Robert Ficano will present a plan to the commission that will focus on reversing the negative impacts created by the country’s housing financing crisis.

“Thanks to a team effort, Wayne County will be able to put a plan in place to tackle these serious issues in our municipalities due to the downturn in our economy,” said Executive Ficano. “We will be able to buy properties, refurbish them and put them back into productive use or demolish the ones that are abandoned and unsafe. This is a great tool to rid our communities of blight and revive many communities.”

Get more Wayne County info here.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, through a new Neighborhood Stabilization Program, granted Oakland County more than $26 million in assistance.

Excerpt:

Oakland County and three Oakland County communities hit by a high rate of property foreclosure and delinquencies will receive more than $26 million in assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The NSP will provide targeted emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and blight within their communities.

“In a county hard hit by foreclosures, coupled with a terribly strained budget, these funds are a welcome addition,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “Hopefully, we will soon get our hardest pressed residents back in affordable homes.”

The City of Pontiac will receive $3.5 million, Southfield will receive $3.2 million, Waterford will receive more than $2 million and Oakland County will receive almost $17.4 million.

Find more Oakland County info here.

Bills introduced to legislation bring Aerotropolis closer to realization.

Excerpt:

Detroit Renaissance, Wayne and Washtenaw counties, in cooperation with local government units, proudly announced today that a series of bills were introduced Wednesday in the Michigan House of Representatives that would allow significant economic incentives to be available to attract businesses to locate in the proposed Detroit Region Aerotropolis. The New Economy and Quality of Life Committee, chaired by Representative Ed Clemente, heard testimony on the bills Thursday morning.

“This is a key step in planning the economic revitalization and future of our region,” said Doug Rothwell, president, Detroit Renaissance. “The incentives these bills provide will allow the Detroit Region Aerotropolis to successfully compete against other airport cities throughout the United States and the world for the new development, jobs, and income our region desperately needs.”

For more Wayne County information go here.

It hasn't all been soda pop and cotton candy for the film industry here. Michigan wasn't exactly set up for the film production tsunami of '08. Still, the incentive is less than a year old and some growing pains are expected. Luckily, local governments have been greasing the wheels for projects, making it easier to get things done. The hope is that the area will then become more enticing to a yet more moviemakers.

Excerpt:

Cities like Rochester Hills, Royal Oak and Ferndale have simplified or created new processes for getting permits to close streets, erect temporary structures and move forward with filmmaking.

In some cases, officials estimate these changes could shave up to a month off the time it takes to get certain permits by allowing administrators to issue them instead of making movie companies first go before a city council or commission.

Ferndale, Rochester and Rochester Hills are building Web sites to help market their communities to movie moguls while Redford Township is creating a promotional packet.

Read the entire article here.

Going green from the grave. No, that's not the title of a new scary movie being filmed in Michigan, though it is almost Halloween. It's a push toward environmentally friendly, green burial grounds. Oakland County's Addison Township received a grant to turn a huge plot of land into a sustainable cemetery.

Excerpt:

The new cemetery likely will feature native prairie grasses instead of mowed lawns, engraved rocks instead of headstones and biodegradable wood or wicker coffins that cost $1,000 or less instead of more expensive wood or metal ones that can cost as much as $35,000, experts said.

Environmentally conscious Michiganders also are beginning to explore green funeral options including not using formaldehyde to embalm bodies, using a biodegradable coffin and skipping the traditional concrete burial vaults.

Michigan has 24 funeral homes offering green funeral services -- more than any other state, according to Joe Sehee, director of the New Mexico-based Green Burial Council.

Read the entire article here.

It's basic math, really. Sixty bucks for a tank of gas divided by one wallet is 60 bucks. Sixty bucks for a tank of gas divided by four wallets is only 15. Car-pooling is cost effective (and easier on the environment). And it's up in and around Ann Arbor.

Excerpt:

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority van and car pooling program now has 3,588 participants, a 15 percent increase over last year, says Mary Stasiak, AATA community relations manager.

Web-based ride-sharing sites have made finding potential matches easier.

A search on Erideshare.com for car pools to a downtown Ann Arbor zip code returned 90 hits. The U-M Greenride Web portal has more than 2,500 users after its launch only a couple of months ago, said David Miller, U-M director for parking and transportation.

More than 2,500 employees have registered with the site so far, he said. Fourteen new van pools and 15 new car pools have registered with U-M to date. Overall, ride-sharing is up 8 percent among cars and 20 percent in the van-sharing program - and those are the just the ride-shares that U-M has registered.

Read the entire article here.

The two-wheelers were out this summer and in noticeable numbers. Light posts all over downtowns were locked with more bikes than last year. Local bike shops have seen an increase in sales during this summer of the $4 gallon and the $50 tank.

Excerpt:

At the Ann Arbor Cyclery on Packard Street, sales are up 27 percent from this time last year, said owner Jon Kieft.

Just recently, the 2009 bicycle models became available. But before that, customers were finding it more difficult than usual to get a bike in both the exact model and color they wanted, Kieft said.

Sales, are "stronger than usual because people are trying to avoid the cost of gas," Kieft said.

Bike shops all over the country tell similar stories. New bikes designed mostly for work commuters have been the hardest to keep in stock. The high cost of gas and a general desire to save money in uncertain economic times have also brought in customers asking mechanics to tune up old cruisers that have gathered dust for years.

Read the entire article here.

A film needs a crew and the crew needs to know what to do. Local colleges are making sure that happens. Many schools are now adopting film set training programs for eager beavers that want to break into the film industry. The upside? Jobs for the state and the talent that stays.

Excerpt:

Wayne State University is retooling its curriculum to meet both the expected needs of the studios and an increased interest from students.

WSU's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts office already is fielding calls from production crews that need extra help, said chairman Matt Seeger.

"It's mushroomed. ... We have to be aggressive to take advantage of these opportunities," Seeger said.

Community colleges -- Wayne County and Henry Ford among them -- are offering new classes to retrain workers for technical jobs in the film industry. The classes at Henry Ford begin today.

By next month, the Michigan Film Office expects to add a manager of job training, education and development. That person would coordinate with Michigan's higher education institutions to develop curricula to meet the new needs, said Tony Wenson, chief operating officer.

Read the entire article here.

Michigan is the place to be for some but it can be the place for all. It won't be without work, vision, and, possibly, chasing the unrealistic, according to Brian Pappas's Op-Ed piece in the Freep.

Excerpt:

We need new solutions. The "race to the bottom" to have the best business climate (lowest taxes) is nothing without an educated, healthy and cultured workforce. Our tax base is tapped out, our state budget is devastated, and we need a new direction. As counter-intuitive as it seems, now is the time for bold action and investment. Unrealistic goals can be easier to achieve than realistic ones, if they provide the challenge and interest that keep people involved and motivated.

Public transit is one such unrealistic goal. Metro Detroit has a lot of what Chicago has -- culture, entertainment, sports, recreation, talented people and a great waterfront. It's just not all concentrated in one city.

A region-wide public transit system can unite us and reframe the map over the long term, creating new centers of commerce and providing the infrastructure for long-term advancement. At a bare minimum, young people do not want to drink and drive, and don't want to battle traffic on the way home. Public transit addresses those concerns. The Woodward and Ann Arbor corridors are great starts, but we need to think big!

Read the entire article here.

Come out for the Seventh Annual Oakland County & Southern Oakland County Chapter NAACP Bid & Brunch Matchmaking Event on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008, between 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Shenandoah Country Club, 5600 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323.

Excerpt:

Identify sourcing opportunities through a matchmaking process where participants can meet one-on-one with representatives from a variety of corporate, federal, state, county, municipal and institutional purchasing departments. This is a Must Event for Small- to Mid-Sized Minority and Women Business Owners. Identify the decision makers who purchase your products/services; uncover the products/services various corporate, government and non-profit procurement departments put out to bid; meet and establish connections with corporate, government  and non-profit purchasing departments; discover future bid opportunities; diversify your client base and recession proof your business.

Get more information here.

Oakland University received state funding to for a new Human Health Building that will combine the School of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing.

Excerpt:

Oakland University will receive state funding for a new Human Health Building, thanks to the capital outlay bill passed by the Michigan legislature and recently signed into law by Governor Jennifer Granholm. The measure, part of an initiative to address funding projects for state university and community college campuses, will provide $40 million of the $61 million total cost of the building.

The proposed 157,300-square-foot Human Health Building will house the School of Health Sciences (SHS) and the School of Nursing (SON) as part of a broad effort to address the looming shortages in the health care industry and widen the university's economic impact on the region. The facility will significantly enhance education and research opportunities by providing state-of-the-art resources, including simulation labs, an interactive media center, a public health clinic for pre-symptom treatments and a distance learning classroom.

Read the entire release here.

There are fewer cars on the road, according to SEMCOG - two percent less, to be exact. The easing up on vehicle usage can be felt in a number of areas. There is less strain on the road, less emissions in the air, and less fuel being used. If you're part of the two percent, well, you might be noticing a little more of something... and that would be cash in your pocket due to fewer trips to the pump.

Excerpt:

Preliminary numbers from a Southeast Michigan Council of Governments study now under way show that the seven-county region overall has seen a decrease in weekday traffic volumes of 4.5% to 6.5% from 2002 to 2007. SEMCOG said the numbers are based on an analysis of traffic counts taken at 3,000 or so locations around Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Livingston, St. Clair and Monroe counties. The agency said weekend or discretionary driving is down about 2%.

Read the entire article here.

St. Clair Shores resident, H. Joseph Joachim, spent 15 hours a day developing a funeral tribute software that helps funeral directors create a video homage for the deceased. Now, five years later, it's paying off.

Excerpt:

Now, Joachim is expecting his FuneralOne business to explode, to an estimated $10 million this year.

In July, FuneralOne launched the next generation of its video software, called Life Tributes, which represents a strategic move in Joachim's plan to expand his enterprise through www.life tributes.com.

The new software, which was featured on the latest cover of the trade magazine Funeral Business Advisor, offers improvements to the personalized memorial videos, which can be burned to DVDs for guests and will help create accompanying printed materials, such as prayer cards.

Read the entire article here.

The early bird gets the worm. Or, in this case, saves 50 bucks.

The early bird discount pricing for the Creative Cities Summit ($250) has been extended to Sept. 19. After which it goes up to $300.

The conference, Oct. 13-15, will pull in minds from across the country to talk about creating a creative city. Tuesday, Oct. 14, the Big Creative Three featuring Richard Florida, John Howkins, and Charles Landry - the originators of the concepts of the "creative class", the "creative economy" and the "creative city" respectively - will take the stage for a discussion on the future of the auto industry.

A pre-conference "Unconference" called "Detroit 2.0" will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design on Sunday, October 12, between 1. p.m. and 5 p.m. with a $10 registration fee. This unconference is a facilitated, participant-driven, face-to-face conference around a theme or purpose.

For more information and to register visit here.

Congratulations, Ann Arbor. You've racked up another high-ranking slot on an interesting survey. Black Enterprise magazine listed Ann Arbor as the third best place to retire in the nation, just behind Durham, N.C., and Charlottesville, Va.

Excerpt:

Ann Arbor has come in third on Black Enterprise magazine's list of the 20 best places to retire, behind Durham, N.C., and Charlottesville, Va.

In rating the communities' quality of life in its October issue, the magazine considered housing prices, public schools, crime levels, traffic congestion and commercial air access. It also factored in health care, taxes, leisure opportunities, arts and culture, and climate.

It was the second time in recent months Ann Arbor scored highly as a place to live; in July, AARP magazine named Ann Arbor the healthiest city in the United States, particularly for seniors.

Read the entire article here.

If the future is biodiesel, might as well get the future involved. Students at Michigan Technical Academy, a charter school in Redford, are turning cooking oil from a tortilla factory into biodiesel to fully power two school buses at a mere 80 cents a gallon.

Excerpt:

The program is the brainchild of Depowski, a master certified automotive technician who manned the technical hotline at Ford Motor Co. before becoming a teacher. Depowski recruited Garden Fresh Foods, the Ferndale-based maker of salsa and tortilla chips, which agreed to donate the oil left over from producing its chips.

The students are working on solving a problem with the fuel: how to keep the biodiesel warm. Right now, two of the district's five buses are running on 100 percent biodiesel; warranty rules limit the other three to no more than 10 percent. Once the temperature drops down to about 40 degrees, they'll have to switch to about 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel, because the biodiesel will start to congeal.

Read the entire article here.

Whether you've been there since the beginning when Noir Leather was located on 3rd Street or if you bought your first chain, whip, or leather vest just last year, Oakland County's most famous fetish shop invites you out for their silver birthday bash. Yep, 25 years later, and a few moves, Noir Leather is still selling their black patent leather fare to people looking for some black patent leather fare.

On Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Crofoot, the party unfolds with a Noir Fetish fashion show, burlesque acts, artist exhibits, and 12 musical acts.

Get more information and directions visit Noir Leather here.

Is Michigan's film industry the answer to everything? Jobs, money, retaining and creating talent in the state are all questions that movie making seems to have answers to. Now, what to do with the old Smith Terminal at Detroit Metro? How about the movies?

Where will there be a growth in IT jobs in the fourth quarter? Survey says... Detroit-area. A survey by Robert Half International says that companies are planning to bulk up on the IT jobs in the near future.

Local "radiopreneurs" are finding new ways to promote their broadcastings and looking to make radio relevant again to locals.