Detroit Archives – Page 102 of 183

DTE invests $52M into downtown campus

By Newsroom

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December 12, 2008

DTE Energy's has completed $52 million in campus improvements, spurred, in large part, by the construction of the MGM Casino complex.Excerpt:It all got started in 2005, when the construction of the casino parking garage on Third Street took care of employee parking needs -- which then created an opportunity for green space. Acres of unsightly surface parking lots were traded for nine acres of pathways, parks and water features. A striking new main entrance and lobby was also added, as well as conference space and a central main-floor dining area. The southwest quadrant of the campus at the corner of Bagley and Third is open to the public and will serve as the main visitors' entrance. Here, water flows from three arches that frame the main driveway into an intricate 26,000-square-foot reflecting pond. The water feature will be retired in cold months, but the striped rock bed will continue to add visual interest.Read the entire article here.

GREEN SPACE: Great Lakes Renewable Energy Assoc. event at DIA this Saturday

By Newsroom

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Sustainability

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December 11, 2008

The worlds of energy and art will collide this Saturday when the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association hosts its annual meeting at the Detroit Institute of Arts. GLREA works primarily in education and advocacy for alternative energy -- their goal is to make such technology "mainstream." The statewide organization has been around since 1991 and is HQ-ed near Lansing. But they're bringing their message to the masses this weekend. Because Michigan finally adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard, which calls for 10% of all energy consumed in the state to come from renewable sources by 2015, GLREA is poised to become a real player in the alternative energy industry. Its board is comprised of utility company reps, renewable energy manufacturers and installers, energy efficiency advocates and organizations like the Michigan Energy Office. So, yeah, they're up for the job. There will be business conducted at the meeting, such as electing board members, and a keynote address by Michigan Public Service Commissioner Monica Martinez about the RPS and other state regulations. It starts at 2 p.m. with some mingling time and is scheduled to wrap up at 4:45 at which time attendees can network and wander the galleries. The cost is $30 for members or $50 for non-members. You can register on-line here.Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Happy Holidays from Wayne County Connect

By Prosper Oakland County, MI

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Community Development

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December 11, 2008

Happy Holidays

Local powerbrokers, state legislature give OK to mass transit plans

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 11, 2008

Metro Detroit's Big 4 just did something regional leaders haven't been able to do for generations – agree on a plan to improve mass transit.The leaders of Oakland, Wayne, Macomb counties and the city of Detroit signed off on the master plan for regional transit championed by Metro Detroit Transit Czar John Hertel. The plan will allow Hertel's team to streamline local service and pursue federal money for mass transit improvement projects. Among the first orders of business is getting the ball moving on the proposed Woodward streetcar line and the Detroit-Ann Arbor commuter rail line. Both projects are expected to either be online or close to completion by late 2010.The state legislature is also passing a number of bills that will allow these projects to move forward. They will basically allow for the establishment of a regional mass transit authority and funding mechanisms.Both projects are expected to lead to billions of dollars of economic development in the neighborhoods surrounding the rail and streetcar stations.Source: Megan Owens, director of Transportation Riders UnitedWriter: Jon Zemke

Uplift develops Strong Reader software for at-risk high school students

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 11, 2008

Detroit-based Uplift thinks it has developed a new tool in fighting illiteracy with its Strong Reader program. Excerpt: The people behind Uplift don't think all of the kids of today learn to read in the same tried and true ways pioneered yesterday. It's why the Detroit-based non-profit came up with its STRONG READER program. The program lets students learn through an Internet-style computer class. The program includes video lessons, video games, avatars and puzzles. "When you put kids on the computer you find that they're very tech savy, even though they might not do well in math or science," says Ida Byrd, president of Uplift. Read the rest of the story here.

Let The Sun Shine In

By Kelli B. Kavanaugh

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Sustainability

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December 11, 2008

The race is on! States around the Union are looking into alternative energy strategies big and small. And Michigan is no exception. With all the talk of wind power and alternative fuels, discussions of solar have been pretty absent. Is it our notoriously grey winters? Kelli Kavanaugh checks out who's looking to let the sun shine in in Metro Detroit.

Metro Detroit’s Habitats for Humanities team up to share resources

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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December 11, 2008

Even non-profits with practically the same name can learn how to share. That's what the Detroit and Oakland chapters of Habitats for Humanity are doing more of these days.For years the two non-profits that rehabilitated and built new affordable housing did pretty much the same thing, but on different sides of 8 Mile Road. That includes everything from organizing volunteers to running their respective ReStore shop. Today the two aren't merging but they are becoming much more regionally focused. The two decided to make the one-year pilot program of running each ReStore (one in Northwest Detroit and the other in Pontiac) as one business permanent. They are also sharing a centralized calling center."It makes so much sense," says Sally LePla, executive director of Oakland Habitat for Humanity. We can run them much more efficiently now."The non-profits are investigating other ways they can share resources and work with a more regional focus.Now if only our local governments would follow their lead.Source: Sally LePla, executive director of Oakland Habitat for HumanityWriter: Jon Zemke

Metro Detroit’s CineMagic

By Lucy Ament

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Arts & Culture

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December 11, 2008

While there's no shortage of big box multiplexes in Metro Detroit, the region also boasts a handful of vintage and offbeat movie houses that make a trip to the theater all the more magical. Not only do these venues offer a wider range of cinema, we at Metromode swear the popcorn tastes better.

DTE invests $52M into downtown campus

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 11, 2008

DTE Energy's has completed $52 million in campus improvements, spurred, in large part, by the construction of the MGM Casino complex.Excerpt:It all got started in 2005, when the construction of the casino parking garage on Third Street took care of employee parking needs -- which then created an opportunity for green space. Acres of unsightly surface parking lots were traded for nine acres of pathways, parks and water features. A striking new main entrance and lobby was also added, as well as conference space and a central main-floor dining area. The southwest quadrant of the campus at the corner of Bagley and Third is open to the public and will serve as the main visitors' entrance. Here, water flows from three arches that frame the main driveway into an intricate 26,000-square-foot reflecting pond. The water feature will be retired in cold months, but the striped rock bed will continue to add visual interest.Read the entire article here.

Wayne students only Michiganders selected for State Dept. internships

By Newsroom

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Community Development

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December 9, 2008

Getting a job with the U.S. State Department is one of the hardest gigs to line up with the feds, but four Wayne State University students have scored spots in the inaugural group department's Internship Fellows Program.The four Wayne State Honors College students are the only students from Michigan to get into the program. They will receive $6,000 stipends for their work in Washington, D.C., or abroad. The students include Mary Craft (a history major preparing for law school), Alexander Marinica (a pre-med student going for a philosophy degree) Rasha Natour, a political science major) and Srdan Sadikovic (also majoring in political science).Source: Wayne State UniversityWriter: Jon Zemke