Google has asked communities around the nation to submit proposals by March 26 for consideration as a trial location for the Google fiber network. It is expected to deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. The fiber-to-the-home connections of more than 1 gigabit per second will be offered at a competitive price to a community of at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people.
"Google fiber is a perfect fit here as no state can match the exploding new technology investment in Michigan in recent years," Granholm said. "Google fiber would spark economic activity and job creation here as Michigan entrepreneurs and businesses stand to gain enormous advantages through this extraordinary innovation."
Granholm is encouraging Michigan communities to submit applications for the trial network with several already in the works including, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Lansing/East Lansing. Those applications are being supported by citizens through social-media sites, including Facebook and Twitter.
George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States, will be in Grand Rapids June 2 as the guest speaker at the 23rd annual dinner meeting of The Economic Club of Grand Rapids.
The Economic Club announced the speaker this morning in an email to members.
Maybe a protest, for old time's sake? Could be fun.
Site Selection, a global business publication, verified 371 projects that met capital investment, job-creation or size standards, up from 296 for 2008, as part of its annual Governor's Cup ranking. This is the second year in a row that Michigan has finished in the top three. This year, Michigan was 10 projects back of first-place Ohio and three back of second-place Texas. Pennsylvania finished fourth with 333 projects. Rounding out the top 10 were Tennessee, New York, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia and Indiana.
Economic Symposium in Livonia on Saturday
(Cordelia Lear)
An Economic Symposium: 2010 The Next Steps for Michigan's Future
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Schoolcraft College VisTaTech Center
Street: 18600 Haggerty Road
City/Town: Livonia, MI
Michigan unemployment has skyrocketed to 14.6%, the highest in the nation. Unemployed auto workers look to redefine their skills and search for work. The green, alternative energy state Michigan strives to become seems to be stalled without adequate funding. Our education system is in financial peril and Michigan is facing the largest deficit in its' history. How do we move forward as a State in transition? Come to the symposium to hear knowledge and opinion leaders discuss the way to our future.
Moderator: Ron Dzwonkowski
Detroit Free Press Associate Editor
Panelists:
Lou Glazer -- Michigan's Future
Dr. Soji Adelaja-- Land Policy Institute-Bio Economy
Mike Hansen-Michigan Community College Assoc.
Mark Gaffney - Michigan AFL-CIO
Rupesh Srivastava -- Founder Youngsoft and H2H Solutions
Governor calls on lawmakers to complete budget by July 1
And if it's not done by July 1st, perhaps it should be changed to the "Countdown to Shutdown" running clock - but chances are, certain news sites and blog sites will be on that action, too.
Michigan DNRE Hiring For 1,200 Summer Jobs
(wizardkitten)
Must be 18, and available for all shifts.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment is taking applications for full- and part-time jobs at state parks, visitor centers, harbors and boating access sites. The agency expects to hire more than 1,200 people.
Seasonal employees are paid a minimum of $7.65 an hour and will have an opportunity to work up to 1,040 hours during the summer season.
The money will allow the state to spend a total of $15 million on the campaign - half of what was spent last year. The award-winning ads feature the voice of Michigan-born actor Tim Allen exalting the state's golf, water, trees and beaches.
The bill goes to the House, where intense lobbying by tourism businesses is expected to try to boost the amount of state money for the ads.
Senate Republicans defeated a Democratic amendment to raise another $13 million for the campaign by imposing a $2.50-a-day fee on all rental cars at airports and hotels.
Tick... tick... tick... this needs to get done soon, or we will miss the summer ad buy.
The $438,000 U.S. Department of Labor community-based job-training grant will be administered by the Detroit Workforce Development Department (DWDD), a Michigan Works! agency.
"Michigan's burgeoning film industry means increased demand for talented, educated people to work in this sector," Granholm said. "Building a Michigan film industry is part of our ongoing economic diversification efforts, and this grant helps us toward that goal."
The DWDD film technician training program will provide employment opportunities in the film industry with a curriculum developed by the Wayne County Community College District in collaboration with the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Michigan Film Office.
Screening for applicants will be done by Goodwill Industries and the grant committee. Detroit residents can apply online for a slot - and with studios already looking for trained workers, there is no time to waste!
Michigan "Cash For Appliance Clunkers" Up and Running
(wizardkitten)
The Recovery Act provides rebates to people who buy energy efficient appliances. Michigan received $6 million in funding, first come, first served. If you are thinking off a new appliance, now is the time...
Michigan has $6.6 million in federal funds to finance the rebates for dishwashers, clothes washers and refrigerators and another $2.2 million for propane and solar water heaters and propane and oil furnaces.
The rebates, meant to stimulate the economy and lower fuel use, will only continue until money runs out. No one is sure how long that will be.
Stores throughout West Michigan are piling on additional incentives in an attempt to capitalize on the offer. Some businesses are slashing the price of qualifying items and offering an additional cash rebate.
The amount of rebate varies with the type of appliance. Sign up at:
For more information on the Michigan Appliance Trade Up Program go to www.MIrebates.com (refrigerators, clothes washers, & dishwashers) or www.michrebate.com(furnaces & water heaters). Customers without internet access or who prefer telephonic communication can call 1-866-621-8782 (refrigerators, clothes washers, & dishwashers) or 1-888-642-4674 (furnaces & water heaters). Michigan retailers are encouraged to contact our toll free helpline at 1-866-949-6425.
Vanir executives say groundbreaking for the studio, to be built on 26 acres in northern Clinton Township, will take place this spring.
The project's architect is Abraham Kadushin of Kadushin Associates Architects Planners, Ann Arbor.
A statement announcing the project says the complex will be built in stages and, when finished, will feature several buildings, including docking stations for mobile production units, overnight housing for visiting professionals, office and classroom space for degreed programs through Baker College, and three production studios including a Vanir Dome, a 20,000 square-foot domed green screen.
Read the whole story, sounds like it will be a state-of-the-art facility. And it will be "green" as well.
Greene said the complex will be built on a geothermal energy grid to both lessen the carbon footprint and lower studio energy costs. Selling excess energy on the state's energy grid will be a fifth although lesser revenue stream for the studio complex, said Greene.
MEDC, Baker College, the Macomb County Film Office, and private funding all have a hand in the venture.
White House Carp Meeting Set for Feb. 8th
(wizardkitten)
From the inbox:
Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Obama administration officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Coast Guard will meet at the White House at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) Monday, February 8, with Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn regarding Asian carp and the Great Lakes.
Ford Motor Co. says it made $2.7 billion in 2009, its first annual profit in four years.
Ford says it benefited from cost-cutting, debt reduction and popular cars and trucks like the Ford Fusion sedan and Escape SUV. It's enjoying customer goodwill for avoiding bankruptcy and refusing federal aid.
Ford's net income of 86 cents per share rose from the year before, when it lost a record $14.6 billion.
Ford still carries a pretty big debt load, but gains in market share and the upturn in the economy have them expecting a profit for this year as well.
Spring Democratic Endorsement Covention?
(wizardkitten)
Remember when campaigns didn't really start until Labor Day? Ha. Those days are gone. With campaigns starting earlier (and earlier) all the time, waiting until the end of August to nominate the AG and SOS candidates seems kind of late in the election year.
The Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer has a novel idea to give a head start to the party's candidates for attorney general and secretary of state: Endorse them at a special convention in April or May instead of waiting to nominate them at the party's August state convention.
Brewer told the Free Press he will ask hundreds of top party officials today to call for an "endorsement convention" as a way to give those candidates more months to raise money for their campaigns, and to promote the party's ticket - whatever that will be.
Would not apply to candidates in primaries, of course.
If they can't pull it off this year, it's definitely something to think about for the future. Getting these positions set early will free up resources to concentrate on other races.
Detroit: Over 2,000 Volunteers Kick Off Reading Corps Event
(wizardkitten)
This is a great story that restores your faith in mankind.
Today was the kickoff of a massive effort to sign up volunteers to help tutor students in reading. The volunteers, part of a Reading Corps, were solicited after scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in December showed Detroit fourth- and eighth-graders had the worst scores among students in urban districts in the country.
In just a few weeks, the district was able to attract 3,639 volunteers, who have committed to spend 430,000 hours tutoring. Bobb said Saturday that the volunteers represent more than 130 communities in metro Detroit.
Hats off to those volunteers. It is a noble thing you do.
Wixom Co. Will Remove Bible Verse References From Gun Sights
(wizardkitten)
The fact that they were there in the first place is chilling. Seriously, WTF were they thinking?
The inscriptions came to light this week, and U.S. Army officials said they would investigate whether the gun sights -- used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq -- violate U.S. procurement laws. The company, which employs about 200, has hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with the U.S. military alone. It sells its sights around the world, including in Muslim countries.
Trijicon said it has had such inscriptions on its products for three decades and has never received complaints about them before. The inscriptions, which don't include text from the Bible, refer numerically to passages from the book.
The wingnuts won't be happy about this, but the safety of the troops should take priority here.
Uni-Solar Receives $13M Manufacturing Tax Credit, Will Create 600 Jobs
(wizardkitten)
Been wondering what has been happening with Uni-Solar lately. This was a bit of good news:
The credit will support United Solar's plan to invest $42 million in an Auburn Hills facility to upgrade equipment used to make flexible solar roofing materials.
It is estimated that the project will create about 600 jobs in the state and will lower the company's cost of producing the materials and increase output.
This credit is coming from the stimulus, nice to hear that a bunch of jobs are being created from it. More of this, please!
Residential Renewable Energy Net Metering Customers Double in the Past Year
(wizardkitten)
Keep in mind these figures are taken from the height of the Great Recession. Imagine what happens when recovery really takes hold. The price on these systems will start to come down as the technology continues to improve in both ease of installation and increased energy efficiency. Some day, you will be your own power plant.
A new report from the Michigan Public Service Commission shows that the number of net metering customers in the state more than doubled in the fiscal year running from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009. Those customers have small wind- or solar-powered generators connected to the electrical grid, and they receive credit for the energy their systems generate but isn't used.
The PSC says the number of net metering customers statewide increased from 53 in the 2007-2008 fiscal year to 137 in 2008-2009. Wind installations increased from 29 to 96 and solar installations increased from 23 to 39.
Are these huge numbers? No. But it shows the trend of the future. Existing construction will retrofit, and new construction will include these systems from the start. "Green" is here to stay - and it's very exciting to witness the start of the energy revolution.
A Massachusetts battery manufacturer will begin hiring hundreds of skilled Michigan workers this year for jobs at massive plants under construction in Livonia and Romulus.
Watertown, Mass.-based A123 Systems expects to hire 540 workers in construction, engineering, sales and marketing, administration and research and development at 300,000-square-foot plants in Romulus and Livonia.
The company develops and manufactures advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries and battery systems for various clients, including Chrysler Group LLC and Delphi Holdings LLP. A123 recently received a $249 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and funds from its recent initial public offering to produce batteries for hundreds of thousands of hybrid vehicles.
The expansion is also enabled by a multi-year battery supply agreement with Fisker Automotive, a California-based green vehicle manufacturer. The battery systems will supply the Fisker Karma Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, set to launch late this year.
A123 already has a facility in Novi that employs 120 people. Livonia will open mid-2010 with Romulus to follow.
