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

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

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 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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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