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27 Jul 10
Gratiot County Communities Work Together to Form County-Wide Master Plan
Review
magazine July / August 2010 So how can you cooperate without losing your community's
identity? It can be done - just ask a group of Gratiot County leaders. Symbolic of their collaborative spirit, the Gratiot
officials sat down recently to share their story about how Gratiot County communities worked together for all (and all for
one). READ MORE
6:17 pm edt
New Fleet in Ferndale Michigan is Cost-Efficient and More Environmentally Friendly
Review
magazine July / August 2010 Ferndale has already begun rolling out new municipal vehicles after city officials consulted with
Enterprise Fleet Management on a cost-savings strategy. A new municipal lease agreement and the decision to maintain fewer,
more fuel-efficient vehicles has freed up cash-flow and the changes will save Ferndale around $74,000 as the plan is implemented
for the next ten years. A smaller fleet of police cars, dump trucks, vans, and other municipal service vehicles will be more
efficiently maintained and replaced a lot sooner than under the old model. READ MORE
6:09 pm edt
New Articles
Painter Judith
Bemis' art speaks for war refugees in Ghana annarbor.com July 27, 2010 After
visiting the Krisan Sanzule Refugee Camp near Takarati, Ghana, in 2002, painter and retired social worker Judith Bemis returned
home feeling deeply moved and deeply disturbed at the same time. The experience inspired her to tell the refugees' stories
through her paintings and join other members of Dexter's Webster United Church of Christ in a nearly decade-long commitment
to aiding them. READ
MORE 21c3
Blog: Get to Know Your Food Desert Center
for 21st Century Communities (21c3) July 26, 2010 Finding ways to bring greater access to food and more food buying choices to Michigan residents living in "Food
Deserts" is a challenges that enters into all sorts of conversations at both the government and community engagement
levels - from discussions about city planning strategies, to business development efforts, to urban agriculture initiatives,
to a variety of non-profit and community-based outreach projects happening right now. It's a good time to familiarize yourself
with the term. READ
MORE 21c3
Blog: Artists Aren't the Only Ones Who Make Money at the Ann Arbor Art Fairs Center for 21st Century Communities (21c3) July 20, 2010 Many participating artists and craftspeople report making good money at
the annual Ann Arbor Art Fairs, which start tomorrow July 21 and run until July 24. As an Ann Arbor native, an art fair fan,
and a locally-based journalist, I've gotten plenty of chances to ask art fair artists; "So, how are sales going?"
Although some artists do better than others (and sales tend to ebb and flow with the health of the economy,) I've heard it
time and time again that some artists make more money at Ann Arbor's fairs than they do anywhere else. They aren't the only
ones. READ MORE Ann
Arbor area artists anticipate upcoming Art Fairs annarbor.com July 19, 2010 As
Ann Arbor braces for the Ann Arbor Art Fair, taking place July 21-24, local participants are looking forward to the return
of the event. The four Ann Arbor Art Fairs feature vendors from all over the country, but they also include a number of local
artists working in a variety of media. READ MORE New
Street Art Fair director Maureen Riley jumps right in annarbor.com July 17, 2010 The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair's new executive director, Maureen Riley, didn't
have much time to get accustomed to the position, which she started this January. Life has been busy for her in 2010, but
as the Ann Arbor Art Fairs quickly near - the four fairs run July 21-24 - she seems pretty confident and excited about her
new gig. READ MORE 21c3 Blog: A Win for the Cottage
Food Industry in Michigan Center
for 21st Century Communities (21c3) July 15, 2010 Governor Granholm signed two new bills meant to "free Michigan's cottage food industry from unnecessary regulation,"
according to an AnnArbor.com report. You used to be required to have a Michigan Department of Agriculture-certified kitchen
to sell or distribute homemade food. The legislation allows cottage industries that gross less than $15,000 a year to cook,
package, and sell "non-potentially hazardous foods" made at home - including things like breads, pies, jams, herbs,
and coffee. The MI Senate is still deciding on the fate of syrup. READ MORE.
5:45 pm edt
13 Jul 10
Nominate Your Favorite "Distinctive Destination" in Michigan
Center
for 21st Century Communities (21c3) July 11, 2010 Michigan is home to many unique, diverse, and attractive cities
and towns. From our picturesque lakeside communities to our urban downtowns. From our heritage sites to our natural wonders
- our state is full of distinctive travel destinations. The Center for 21st Century Communities (21c3) likes to see
it when Michigan communities are honored for their uniqueness, and acknowledges that promoting a "sense of place"
attracts tourists and makes communities vibrant places where people want to live and work. READ
MORE
12:37 pm edt
5 Jul 10
Berlin band Die Roten Punkte bringing music, laughs to Summer Festival
annarbor.com July 5, 2010 There are plenty of stories out there about the true identities of Astrid and Otto
Rot of humorous Berlin-based rock band Die Roten Punkte (The Red Dots), who play the University of Michigan Museum of Art
on Saturday as a part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's "Fringe" series. Even though a look at their biographies
requires sorting fact from fiction, these characters told me they are truly serious about putting on a quality rock show -
that's making audiences laugh and rock out at the same time on their international Robot/Lion tour. Sometimes it is just fun
to play along. READ
MORE.
6:11 pm edt
Summer Shadow Art Fair connects to more of Ypsi
annarbor.com
July 3, 2010 Ypsilanti's Shadow Art Fair organizers, the Michigan Design Militia, figured out a way to showcase more
art and music than ever before, without actually growing the size of this summer's biannual event, taking place July 10 from
noon to midnight. That might seem like a contradiction in terms - to grow while staying the same size. They are pulling it
off with a little help from their friends and couple of vegetable oil-powered buses. READ
MORE.
6:01 pm edt
2 Jul 10
21c3 Blog: The Entrepreneurial Revolution
Center
for 21st Century Communities July 1, 2010 The Center for
21st Century Communities (21c3) values the impact of entrepreneurs on our transition
to a new economy. We have many talented, creative entrepreneurs and business leaders here in Michigan already, and there
is surely room for more individuals, start-ups and new economy businesses to join the “entrepreneurial revolution.” READ
MORE
12:00 pm edt
29 Jun 10
21c3 Blog: 21c3's "Eight Assets" Are Included in Saline, Michigan's Strategic Plan!
Center for 21st Century Communities June 29, 2010 The Center for 21st Century Communities’
(21c3) “eight assets” that make cities and towns attractive places to live and work have been included among
the “core values” of the City of Saline, Michigan’s 2010-2011 Strategic Plan for city governance! This
means that the ideas, goals, and solutions presented on this website are really starting to have a tangible impact on communities
that are looking for ways to become more vibrant places in the 21st Century. READ
MORE.
10:39 pm edt
28 Jun 10
21c3 Blog: New Factory in Holland, MI Will Power Electric Cars
Center for 21st Century Communities June 27, 2010 Holland, Michigan is finding
itself at the forefront of the trend towards powering automobiles with renewable energy. The state has approved a 15-year
Renewable Energy Renaissance Zone in Holland, which is credited with helping to seal
the deal for LG Chem-Compact Power Inc. to open a new lithium-ion battery cell factory in
town. READ
MORE
11:22 am edt
25 Jun 10
Jen's Picks: The Ghost Army
Before it gets buried in the archives of the interwebs, I want to re-present an article from March that I wrote about America's
WWII "Ghost Army" for annarbor.com not too many moons ago. I was fascinated learning about this piece of U.S. history,
which few people seem to know about (some of their families and friends didn't know for decades). READ MORE
12:52 am edt
24 Jun 10
21c3 Blog: Ann Arbor Celebrates Its Culinary Culture
Center For 21st Century Communities June 22, 2010 ...Ann Arbor's Restaurant Week is about more than
just giving people a reason to dine out on the town. It aims to support downtown's local economy, by encouraging people to
frequent downtown dining establishments, shop at nearby businesses, and find new favorite places. READ MORE.
9:25 pm edt
22 Jun 10
Free outdoor movies a favorite aspect of Top of the Park
annarbor.com
June 22, 2010 As the sun set on Father's Day, a large crowd of people spread themselves around Ingalls Mall to watch "Star
Trek," the first of 13 late night outdoor movies playing at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's free Top of the Park music
and movies series. READ MORE.
4:22 pm edt
17 Jun 10
21c3 Blog: Michigan's Future Hinges on Valuing Education and Attracting a Knowledge-Based Economy, Study Finds
Center
for 21st Century Communities June 17, 2010 "It's even more apparent now than before, what made
Michigan prosperous in the past is no longer our path to prosperity," according to Michigan Future Inc. president
Lou Glazer, as reported by the Detroit News. The Ann Arbor-based think tank recently released its third annual process
report on Michigan’s transition to a knowledge-based economy. READ MORE.
3:21 pm edt
16 Jun 10
21c3 Blog: Thoughts on Sharing Your Bike With Others
Center
for 21st Century Communities (21c3) June 15, 2010 ...it wasn’t
uncommon to wake up in the morning and find that your bike had mysteriously disappeared overnight. It was disconcerting, but
chances were that it was not lost and gone forever. It was probably just left somewhere on the other end of Middle Path by
a sleepy student who didn’t feel like walking the mile home after studying (or partying) until 3 o’clock in the
morning. READ MORE
1:29 pm edt
15 Jun 10
SculptureWalk Chelsea switches to second round of public artworks
annarbor.com
June 12, 2010 The first edition of SculptureWalk Chelsea has concluded, and
the effort has swapped out its initial round of 10 large public sculptures to make room for 10 new ones. The new temporary
landmarks will be on display at locations throughout downtown Chelsea for a year. READ MORE
8:33 pm edt
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 Professional
journalist and writer Jen Eberbach spends her days writing articles for a number of news publications and assisting
businesses, non-profits, and individuals with their websites and other types of communications. Turn the page to view Jen's PORTFOLIO. Email: jen at jenthewriter dot
info To subscribe to jenthewriter.info copy the "XML" link at the bottom
of this page and add it to your favorite blog reader.

June 15th, 2010
jenthewriter.info gets a facelift  If you've been here
before, then you should take a moment to admire jenthewriter.info's fresh coat of paint. The News & Updates section will
keep you posted on what I'm working on and other things that interest me. The feed on the left now features abstracts from
my published articles and blogs. Please leave comments and start discussions, whether my articles inspire you or tick you
off. Feedback is super important to me as a journalist - even when it doesn't end up changing my mind! Thanks for visiting. May 1st, 2010 New 21c3 blogs by Jen each week  Wanna know what
I think about walkability, going green, art and culture, entrepreneurship, multiculturalism, Web 2.0, the future of transit,
and education in Michigan? I'm blogging about the Center for 21st Century Communities' (21c3) "eight assets" that make cities and towns attractive,
vibrant places to live and work. My goal is to provide resources, useful links, and things to think about to the government
officials, educators, community leaders, and passionate Michigan residents who browse the site. 21c3 is the Michigan Municipal
League's initiative to grow these "eight assets" in Michigan municipalities, by supporting officials' efforts to
"place-make" in their communities. April
9th, 2010 My new profile on www.a3arts.org  I'm in the midst of setting up a profile for myself on the Art Alliance's brand new website, www.a3arts.org. I encourage any of you fine artists, graphic designers, writers, entertainment venues, and other creative types living in
Washtenaw County to join me on the site. The site promotes creative professionals. It has a social networking component, a
classifieds/ads section, and you can post and share your photos, videos, and lots more. Check out my profile here. I'll add more stuff to it soon. February 5, 2010 Ashley the Filmmaker ...has been talking about “History of Made Up Things” for a long time, but the brat never told me anything about what her pet project short film was going to be about until
the screenplay was finished. Now that the film is shot, cut and ready to hit the festival circuit, I’m glad that I got
to see my sister’s film before the masses. (UPDATED June 15, 2010) The film recently created major buzz at the Little Rock Film Festival. What has cautious, fading supermodel Alex
Montgomery (Eli Jane) gotten herself into when she meets a mysterious appointment? Ashley Eberbach’s “History of Made Up
Things” traces two characters’ intentions and the tension between them. Initial conflicts lead up to a single
moment - as a con-man (Kent Karson) searches
for that one iconic photograph that might just go down in history. December 17, 2009 Making Michigan  www.letssavemichigan.com is challenging Michigan to take an active role in pulling ourselves out of the muck that many of us find ourselves in,
by encouraging you to listen, participate and do. LSM has lots of things for you to sign, read, learn, and make happen. I've contributed a few blog articles to the site
that explore land banks, complete streets, and businesses that give my town her character. I'd like to highlight "Shrinking in the Name of Renewal: An Interview with Dan Kildee", which was published on
October 30th, 2009.
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