February 2011

Metro Detroit’s universities are helping the region reinvent itself.

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The shooting rampage at U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Jan. 8 community meeting in Tucson, Ariz., which left Giffords and 12 others wounded and six dead, has renewed debate on gun control.

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The University of Detroit Mercy will offer a new graduate engineering program in the fall to educate students in international operations training in Mexico. Students will complete a master's degree in engineering at UDM, followed by a one-year paid internship at Magna Powertrain in Troy, then work as an engineer for two years at Magna's Monterrey or Saltillo, Mexico, operations.

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It was a tale of two Eminems during Sunday's Super Bowl. The Detroit rapper appeared in two ads, each utilizing him in entirely different ways, during the broadcast. In one, he was angry, foul-mouthed and homicidal, all with a wink and a nod, of course; in the other, he was a quiet and restrained symbol of Detroit's gritty renaissance.

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General Motors said yesterday it expects to give unionized US hourly employees profit-sharing checks averaging at least $4,000 as it prepares to negotiate a labor contract this year. The payout is more than double the previous record for bonuses paid to GM’s hourly workers, the Detroit company said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. GM said the previous record for its hourly workers’ checks was an average $1,775 in 1999.

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merous people have complained about strange corrosion on their cars following an Action News report into gritty particles embedded in vehicles. Judy Sobkowiak used to work at a foundry in Washtenaw County and says she and her co-workers had the same problem with their cars.

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Ever wonder what the plural is for Toyota’s Prius? It’s been something of a gray area to our copy editors, and now that there’s a Prius V, a plural word for the vehicle could come in handy.

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Fifty-five distinguished Metro Detroit women were honored Friday by the Michigan Chronicle and Real Times Media at the 2011 Women of Excellence High Tea. Citing their "exceptional courage, unwavering conviction and extraordinary grace," the two companies annually present plaques to well-known, accomplished women who not only maintain successful careers, but give back to the community, as well.

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AAA says gas prices are the highest they’ve ever been at this time of the year. That price increase is getting passed along to you everywhere from the grocery store, to vacations and even pizza delivery. It’s not just the pain at the pump that consumers feel when oil and gas prices go up. Those prices affect everything we do because of the cost of transporting the goods. That means the prices we pay from coffee to corn to all sorts of commodities can rise very quickly.

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Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and Democratic Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, heirs to an often tattered political fence, are becoming kindred spirits as they build a relationship aimed at fostering mutual success and turning around the dismal economic fortunes of Michigan and its single largest city.

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The Detroit Historical Society’s Black Historic Sites Committee presents an Underground Railroad Symposium on February 26 at the Detroit Historical Museum from 1 – 4 p.m. The symposium will feature many prominent historians including descendants of William Webb, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, Caroline Quarlls Watkins, and others.

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Randy Roulier wasted no time getting started as the new trustee on the Livonia school board. Less than a minute after he was sworn in Wednesday night, he took a seat at the board table and voted on a motion to adjourn the meeting at which he had just been appointed to replace Dan Lessard.

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During the 1960s, Gary Barns admired the way the University of Michigan star Cazzie Russell played the game of basketball. Just over a decade later, while visiting former Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote’s practices, Barns couldn’t get enough of Magic Johnson’s skills.

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Mr. Chapie practices in the area of general litigation with a focus on municipal law and business and liability claims. He has successfully represented clients at all levels of the litigation process including through trial and appeals. Kenneth has represented municipalities and school districts through their insurance carriers on a wide range of issues including employment disputes, discrimination claims, civil rights actions, education law matters, police liability claims, and general liability claims. In addition, he has served as Assistant Prosecutor for Redford Township and the Charter Township of Brownstown, representing those Townships through the phases of the criminal process, including through trial and appeals.

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Joseph T. Luke, DDS, MS, a prosthodontist and one of the area's most highly trained and experienced dentists, announces the relocation and expansion of his dental practice in Lusby, Md.

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Mike Markel has been around nurses his whole life. "My sister is a nurse, and my mother was a nurse, too," said Markel, who is now the executive director of operations for Saint Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital in Howell.

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