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Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources is equipping its officers to assist other law enforcement departments through a special training project. The program focuses on issues such as finding individuals in rough terrain and in severe weather conditions.  D-N-R chief of law enforcement Gary Hagler says the purpose of this venture is to better equip officers to serve all of Michigan. “This ... Full Story »

     Southeast Michigan will be represented when President Obama convenes his jobs summit tomorrow.      Automation Alley Executive Director Ken Rogers will be on the list of people attending the event in Washington. He says the job summit will give him a chance to highlight the need to free up more money through federal small business and manufacturing loan programs.       Right now, Rogers ... Full Story »

Governor Granholm says there should be a permanent barrier between the Mississippi River system and Lake Michigan to prevent the Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes. That would mean closing the canal in Chicago that connects the water systems.  - Rick Pluta, MPRN Full Story »

Detroit automakers slowed year-over-year sales declines last month. Jerome Vaughn of member station WDET has more. SOQ Industry analysts say U-S automakers saw the effects of a stabilizing national economy in November, although consumers remained cautious about how they spent their money. General Motors sold more than 151,000 cars and trucks last month. Thats a drop of just over two ... Full Story »

General Motors President and CEO Fritz Henderson has resigned.  WDET’s Jerome Vaughn has more. SOQ  GM’s Board of Directors accepted Henderson’s resignation at the automaker’s board meeting Tuesday.  During a late afternoon news conference, Board Chairman Edward Whitacre thanked Henderson for his service leading the company through a time of intense change.  Whitacre then said he would take over ... Full Story »

     A program offering health care payment assistance to the unemployed is coming to an end.      Under the recovery bills passed earlier this year, there was a subsidy put in place to help pay 65% of the COBRA insurance costs for the unemployed for nine-months.       Ron Pollack is Executive Director of Families USA. He says for the unemployed to take advantage of the program they need to sign ... Full Story »

The Department of Natural Resources is sending half a dozen technicians and the state's entire supply of the fish-killing poison rotenone (ROH'-teh-nohn)  to Illinois to aid in the effort to keep the Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan. There is D-N-A evidence Asian that carp have jumped an electric barrier designed to keep them from reaching the Great Lakes. The Illinois environmental agency ... Full Story »

     This week health care reform starts to be debated in the US Senate. While most observers say the bill has an uncertain future… members of America’s First Nations say they want to be included in the debate. WDET’s Rob St. Mary reports. (click the audio link above to hear the story)      It’s the Tuesday afternoon before Thanksgiving at American Indian Health and Family Services on Detroit’s ... Full Story »

     State of Michigan health officials say they hope to open the H1N1 flu vaccine to all very soon.      The Michigan Department of Community Health’s weekly conference call highlighted how the state is the doing against the H1N1 flu. Since September first there have been 49 flu deaths reported. Currently, the state is targeting the vaccination effort at those most likely to be affected by the ... Full Story »

A day before President Obama is to address the nation about the war in Afghanistan, Congressman Pete Hoekstra addressed faculty and students Monday involved in Ferris State University’s Intelligence program. In his speech at West Point Tuesday night, the president is expected to announce an increase of up to 35-thousand more U.S. troops in order to train Afghan security forces to take over.  But ... Full Story »

     The Macomb County Commission is within striking distance of a final budget for 2010.      The Board of Commissioners wrapped up all but $2.4 million worth of spending cuts to close a total $15.7 million budget gap. On Tuesday, commissioners cut about $735,000 from the Prosecutor’s office and about $4 million from the Sheriff’s department. Additional cuts are slated for the Sheriff’s ... Full Story »

Borders is reporting a smaller loss for the third quarter of this year.  WDET’s Jerome Vaughn has more. SOQ Borders lost nearly 39 million dollars between the beginning of August and the end of October.  That’s compared to a loss of more than 172 million dollars for the same period last year. Officials say the Ann Arbor based bookseller spent much of the third quarter preparing for the Christmas ... Full Story »

Home prices in Metro Detroit are ticking upwards slightly…but still increasing more than the rest of the nation.    The Standard and Poors/Case-Shiller home price index finds the price of homes in the Metro region rose almost two percent from August to September.    Metro Detroit broker Gary Reggish attributes the rise to a first time home buyers tax credit that has been extended to include ALL ... Full Story »

Obama Administration officials say cities like Detroit will face an overwhelming cost burden…unless Congress passes health care reform.    WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter has more…     The U-S Senate is preparing to debate it’s version of health care reform.    And members of the Obama Administration are on the stump…promoting what they say will be the benefits if either the House or Senate versions of ... Full Story »

Our weekly look at concerts, exhibits, and other events happening in Metro Detroit. Produced by Amanda Le Claire and mixed by Brad Potts.     Full Story »

Detroit Democratic Congressman John Conyers is calling on President Obama to take a tougher stance with lawmakers who are uncertain about voting for health care reform.    WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter has more…     Conyers has long championed both health care reform AND President Obama.    But noting the thin margin of victory in getting health care reform through the House…Conyers said on the ... Full Story »

     If Detroit’s strip club ordnance is going to change it won’t happen until next year at the earliest. That’s because a change in the ordinance failed to garner enough votes at the final scheduled council meeting of year. The issue is dead for now… but could be resurrected by the next council when it is seated in January.      Supporters and opponents came to the last meeting to voice their ... Full Story »

     Detroit City Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel defended her decision to walk out of last week’s special council meeting.      At today’s session, Cockrel explained that she wasn’t given information on the controversial strip club ordinance until she sat down at the table and was then asked to vote on it.      After looking at the ordinance change, Cockrel says it would be damaging to the City of ... Full Story »

The Detroit police have seized over 30 pounds of cocaine… and more than 200-thousand dollars in cash. Officials say this case may be connected to another cocaine bust… that took place last week. Detroit Police Chief Warren Evans says dogs from the narcotics unit helped find other vehicles associated with the initial drug deal. “We developed enough to impound the vehicles because nobody came to ... Full Story »

U-S Attorney General Eric Holder told a crowd at Detroit’s Renaissance Center last night…that recent events show there remains a great need for cooperation between the federal government and Arab Americans.    WDET’s Quinn Klinefelter has more…     Holder was the keynote speaker at the first awards banquet ever held by the group Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust.    The group ... Full Story »

     Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will be back in court next month as his restitution hearing continues.      At Wednesday’s hearing, an attorney for Compuware, the former Mayor and an FBI agent all took the stand to talk about aspects of Kilpatrick’s finances. Right now, Kilpatrick wants his monthly restitution payments reduced because he says he cannot afford them. In an earlier ... Full Story »

General Motors is reporting a loss of $1.2 billion for the summer months.  WDET’s Jerome Vaughn has more. SOQ The loss occurred between the time the “new GM” was created in early July – and the normal end of the quarter on September 30th.  The old GM lost $2.5 billion in the third quarter of 2008. CEO Fritz Henderson says the results do indicate some progress. “Not satisfactory.  I mean ... Full Story »

Our weekly look at concerts, exhibits, and other events happening in Metro Detroit. Produced by Amanda Le Claire and mixed by Brad Potts.   Friday November 13th City Bird Opening Party    Saturday November 14th Benefit for Chrohns and Colitus Foundation at Small's Bar   Friday - Sunday November 13th- 15th.  Windsor International Film Festival   Friday November 13th  Madison Heights Taste ... Full Story »

     The Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan released a statement today condemning the mass shooting in Texas, last week.      Dawud Walid is Executive Director of the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He says while hate mail and some death threats have come into the community nationally but locally support has been positive.      “We have received calls of ... Full Story »

     About 50 people gathered in Hart Plaza today to hear speeches and to march on the Detroit offices of Michigan’s U.S. Senators.      The rally organizers say their event takes place as Congress debates climate change. It’s also about a month before world leaders will gather in Copenhagen, Denmark to discuss the issue.      Among the presenters at the event was environmental author Bill ... Full Story »