REAL ESTATE

Proposed buyout plan for General Growth tags four state malls as ‘underperforming'

12:27 p.m., Wed - In the complex negotiations for a buyout of bankrupt mall-owner General Growth Properties, Michigan shopping malls are being cast in a poor light, tagging malls in Traverse City, Battle Creek, Bay City and Taylor as “underperforming.”

ECONOMY

IT center tops list of MEGA grants: Southfield expansion promises to create up to 700 jobs

11:56 a.m., Wed - The state last week granted some $25.5 million in tax credits or other assistance to companies planning nearly $134 million in investment in Southeast Michigan.

TOURISM

Board votes to explore turning state fairgrounds site into metropark

11:55 a.m., Wed - Members of the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority board of commissioners voted today to gather information about the possible development of a metro park at the Michigan State Fairgrounds, said Denise Semion, director of communications for the authority.

• GOVERNMENT
  State budget seeks federal help: Concern is finding a long-term solution
  There are lots of Michigan eyes on Washington right now, on the lookout for a key chunk of the state's proposed budget.


• TECHNOLOGY
  Ann Arbor residents, students urged to support Google high-speed network; 14,500 Facebook users fan 'Google Fiber for Grand Rapids'
  Ann Arbor and University of Michigan officials are calling on city residents and students to help make the case for why Google Inc. should install ultra high-speed broadband infrastructure in the city.


• BANKING
  Manufacturers try ‘speed banking' for loan information
  LANSING –It's a bit like speed dating, but with money and business plans on the table.


• EDUCATION
  Plans for college prep high schools get $13M kickoff
  Four Michigan foundations have committed $13 million to open the first of 35 new college preparatory high schools planned for metro Detroit over the next eight years.


• HEALTH
  WSU hopes to win renewal of 10-year federal contract for perinatal research center
  Wayne State University officials are making preparations to ensure that its Perinatal Research Branch will be able to continue its more than 20-year mission at the Detroit Medical Center to reduce infant mortality and pre-term delivery rates.


• EDUCATION
  West Michigan school district turns on Wi-Fi, encourages students to use iPhones, BlackBerrys, other Internet gadgets in class
  From The Grand Rapids Press - Jody Jensen hasn't shuffled a paper in her AP English class in a month, but has corrected, graded and returned lots of work from her students. Every high school student in the Godfrey Lee district has been given a district-provided e-mail account, so students send all assignments electronically.


• ECONOMY
  Proposed program would keep graduates in Michigan — but they need jobs, too
  From the Business Review West Michigan - The Michigan House Republican Task Force on Jobs investigated how Michigan can transform its economic environment, attracting both businesses and job seekers. “The key for me is that government is not going to transform Michigan,” said task force member State Rep.


• TOURISM
  Detroit Zoo is top zoo, theme park destination for Google Maps' trike
  Potential visitors from all over the country and world will soon be able to take a virtual tour of the Detroit Zoo through Google Maps' Street View.


• GOVERNMENT
  CAPITOL BRIEFINGS: Democrats seek increase in renewable energy standard
  House Democrats are moving forward plans to increase the amount of electricity that Michigan utilities must get from renewable sources.


• REAL ESTATE
  Foreclosures still creating market opportunity for Realtors who specialize
  From AnnArbor.com - In many cases in Washtenaw County are Realtors who saw the opportunity to invest their time to become foreclosure market experts before the market exploded. Two examples: Susan Fecteau of Treehouse Realty Group in Ann Arbor and Clark Brown of Ehman & Greenstreet University GMAC in Ypsilanti.


• TECHNOLOGY
  New MSU project expects to create 24 high-tech jobs
  From the Lansing State Journal - Over the past several years, Michigan State University has built one of the nation's strongest research programs in an area that's only been around for the past several years: social media. Now, it has a partner from the private sector.


• HEALTH
  Report: Michigan health care jobs grew to more than 900,000 from 2006 to 2008
  From the Business Review West Michigan - Health care employed more than 900,000 people in Michigan as of 2008, generating more than 120,000 jobs in two years and becoming an even larger economic force, according to a new report issued Monday. Nearly 10,000 of the jobs added from 2006 to 2008 came in Kent County.


• ECONOMY
  MSU leads effort to help rural students learn about career opportunities in their towns
  From MLive.com - Much of the debate about Michigan's "brain drain" centers on young college graduates who are fleeing the state for cities such as Chicago, Denver and New York. But there are many smart young adults in Michigan who aren't attracted to the bright lights of the big cities.


• GOVERNMENT
  As Michigan highways deteriorate, should we consider toll roads?
  From The Grand Rapids Press - Call it a toll, a tax or a road-use fee. Once taboo, the idea is gaining traction among likely, and unlikely, sources at a time when many agree Michigan must be bold and take chances to reverse the state's economic fortunes.


• EDUCATION
  United Way plans program to help schools feed more kids
  The United Way for Southeastern Michigan plans to launch a pilot program in March to embed “food navigators” in school districts in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to make free and reduced-cost meals more accessible to needy students.


• TECHNOLOGY
  Midland battery tech company gets funding jump start
  From The Saginaw News - With some promising new technology, Midland-based Advanced Battery Concepts is finding more than just a home in the Great Lakes Bay Region. On Feb.


• ECONOMY
  RICK HAGLUND: MSU program aims to boost small towns
  From MichEconomy.com - Lots of my small-town friends and family wouldn't live in a big city if you gave them a downtown luxury condo and a million bucks. (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get the point.) They like hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and wide open spaces.


• ECONOMY
  Ordinance would smooth movie production: City commission expected to enact measure March 15
  From the Traverse City Record-Eagle - Bring it on, Hollywood. Traverse City commissioners on Monday introduced an ordinance designed make the city more friendly to film production companies. It's expected to be enacted at the commission's March 15 meeting.


• ECONOMY
  Proposal would allow casinos in Flint
  From The Flint Journal - Another initiative to land casinos in Flint and six other spots throughout the state has sprung new hope into an idea that never quite got off the ground.


• ECONOMY
  When will Dow Kokam and Dow Solar Solutions start hiring?
  From the Midland Daily News - People hear the job numbers -- 800 at Dow Kokam and 1,200 at Dow Solar Solutions -- but when will the companies start hiring? Dow Kokam expects its major hiring process to begin next year, while Dow Solar Solutions does not have a timeframe set.