"Michigan is at a tipping point, economically," Granholm told me as the meeting broke up. "We need to move in a direction, growing these green, cutting-edge technology companies right here, where we're leading the nation."

Charles Rothstein of Beringea, a Farmington Hills venture capital firm and one of three program managers for InvestMichigan, said the Penske-led council is impressive.

"We're not just giving firms a pile of money. We're giving them smart money and connected money," he said, referring to people like Penske, Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris and Charter One regional bank president Sandra Pierce, who are available to offer advice in many industries and provide connections to tap key talent.

TiVo subscribers can order pizza through several advertising entry points on the TiVo user interface including Gold Star Sponsorship, Program Placement, Interactive Tags in live TV spots, and through Music, Photos, Products, & More by clicking on "Order Your Dominos Pizza Now."

TiVo subscribers can set-up a user name and password on Dominos.com so that each time they use their TiVo remote to place an order, they can log-in with a simple account number. Alternatively, TiVo subscribers can enter their delivery address, build their pizza order right from the television set by selecting type of crust, toppings, and sauces, and get the pizza delivered by their local Domino's Pizza.

The group wants Royal Oak to create a non-motorized transportation plan that will set goals to increase safety for bikers and walkers by adding bike lanes and signage to roads that remind everyone streets are meant to be shared by cars, bicyclists and pedestrians.

"The situation is bad here. We have to plan change carefully. Cyclists are riding on the sidewalk; they are getting struck crossing driveways or at corners," said Regan, a Royal Oak resident. "We want that to change. Motorists need to know that they are legally entitled to be there."

At the meeting, commissioners appointed Regan and two other cyclists to a task force to write up some recommendations. A meeting between the task force and City Manager Tom Hoover is being planned, Regan said.

Six miles from the new North Terminal, a planned station on county-owned land at Michigan and Henry Ruff would connect commuters to their flights via an airport shuttle. The station would be one of five along the line that would share track with Amtrak and freight trains and include stops in Ypsilanti and at the New Center in Detroit.

Carmine Palombo, director of transportation for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, said the train line is a key component of the ambitious plans for a mass transit system that could complement and add to the region's economy.

"The site gives us a lot of accessibility and with getting to and from the airport, it gives us good travel time," Palombo said.

The threats to data security are most severe at home, a Seattle security expert told the Secure World Detroit conference at the Ford Conference and Events Center in Dearborn Wednesday.

Gordon Mitchell, president of Future Focus Inc., told the audience of a couple of hundred IT security professionals how to "become a counterspy in three easy lessons."

Mitchell said good counterspies must figure out what information is valuable, think about who could be a spy, think likea spy would and protect the information.

Companies and institutions are constantly surrounded by people who are spying on them, Michell said. The strategies can range from the sophisticated to the simple -- like the biotech client that actually had an employee listening to board meetings by using a drinking glass up against a wall.

Bicycle racks that combine the utility of security with the aesthetics of art are popping up across the USA.

"It creates a better environment for people who live here and visit here, and it gives people a place to park their bikes," says Lacy LaBorde of the Downtown Austin Alliance.

This year's parade offers something for the entire family. The fun begins at 9 am with special parade day sales in participating downtown stores. The parade runs from 10 am – 11 am, with the route starting on Washington at Lincoln and heading up to Fourth Street. Plus, there is free parking downtown from 10 am to 2 pm.

There will be floats, marching bands, and a variety of other performers from over 50 different area groups. And, to top off the event, Santa will be arriving from the North Pole for one of his first stop in metro Detroit to kick off the holidays. Kids will have the opportunity to visit Santa at Stagecrafters at the Baldwin Theater from 11 am to 1 pm.

To volunteer or for more information contact Stephanie McIntyre, Downtown Manger for the Royal Oak DDA, at 248-246-3286 or visit www.downtownroyaloak.org.

It also fulfills a a long-held wish, said Mayor John Hieftje, who remembers using the Whitmore Lake Road property as an example when he promoted the idea of a greenbelt program in 2003.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to preserve agriculture around Ann Arbor for a very long time to come," he said.

Wayne State's 8-2 football team makes its first ever appearance this week in the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.

The Warriors, coming off a 42-21 win over Northwood, are ranked No. 25. They have a showdown against No. 1 Grand Valley (9-0) on Saturday at home at noon. It is the final regular-season game for both teams.

This is the first time Wayne State has been ranked in any national poll since 1976.

“Hitting this landmark just 10 months following sales launch proves that the Smart Fortwo is changing the landscape of America’s highways,” said Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA. “More U.S. consumers are discovering that the Fortwo is the right car at the right time, offering a high level of fuel efficiency, comfort, agility, safety and ecology.”

The Smart Fortwo is the most fuel efficient, non-hybrid vehicle in the United States according to the 2009 EPA Fuel Economy Guide, achieving an average of 41 miles per gallon on the highway.

The Fortwo is also certified by the EPA as a “Smartway” vehicle, which indicates good environmental performance, placing it among the “greenest” vehicles on the market.

"The Cool Cities Internship Program is just one more way to bring creativity and new ideas from our young people into our communities and neighborhoods throughout the state," Gov. Jennifer Granholm said. "By attracting these young and knowledgeable workers into our cities and giving them the opportunity to unleash their imaginations will help us keep them in Michigan while improving our economic diversity."

Since 2003, the Cool Cities program has worked to revitalize neighborhoods, build community identity and retain knowledge workers. Plans are under way to further manifest the cultural ethos of the Cool Cities with a mix of internships, fellowships, workshops, and networking and collaboration opportunities for young people.

Resale is one of the fastest-growing segments of retail, with a growth rate of 5 percent a year during each of the past three years, according to the St. Clair Shores-based National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops. Resale is a multibillion dollar business -- exact sales figures are not available -- with more than 25,000 resale, consignment and thrift shops in the United States.

In a national survey of association members, including those in Michigan, 62.5 percent said sales have increased by an average 30 percent this year. Some 85.8 percent said their stores were seeing new customers.

Demand is growing at many Metro Detroit thrift shops, including those operated by the Grace Centers for Hope. Sales in the past year are up 10 percent to 20 percent, and the stores slashed prices on everything by 50 percent to help struggling customers.

Twenty-two communities or groups in metro Detroit were awarded $92,825 in Community Forestry Grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, with much of the money to be spent on tree planting.

Of the region's recipients, Novi received the most dollars -- $20,000 -- for a street tree inventory and plan project, according to the state Web site. Grants totaling $214,665 were awarded to 50 projects statewide.

Some say the best location for a new business is right across the street from a similar business -- the customer base is already there. But for Jim Geary, owner of Detroit's 2-month-old Woodbridge Pub, the right spot was a void in an old neighborhood desperate for something to re-invigorate.

"I live here, so it's pretty much a no-brainer," Geary says. "We needed it. The neighborhood needed it."

The neighborhood is Woodbridge, specifically north of Warren Avenue and west of Trumbull Avenue, where the pub's neighbors are limited to a gas station and Wayne State University's athletic fields. Residents are thrilled to have someplace within walking distance that serves hot food (sandwiches, burgers, vegetarian meals) and cold beer (40 of them, including local brews Ghettoblaster and Dragonmead).