An alternative news, information and discussion source for the Saline, Michigan area.
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We now have a Saline, Michigan area video site! Enter it here.
The Power of a Simple Gift
Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan's Purse is under way. For millions of children, Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes are tangible expressions of God's love and constant presence. Whatever they may be facing - poverty, war or disaster - these boys and girls are reassured that they have a heavenly father that cares. And that's a gift that endures forever! visit their site now
Looking for a job? Try Joobstoday.com. They're local (Ann Arbor) and the site is easy to navigate.
Saline Youth Craft Show
Saturday, November 8, 2008; 8 am to 3:30 pm Saline Middle School, 7190 North Maple Road, Saline, Michigan
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Are you ready for Wal-Mart?
The Saline Reporter is saying in an article on April 16, 2008 that the 32 acre site for the Wal-Mart store just east of Saline is entering the final stages of right-of-way negotiations. The widening of Michigan Avenue is expected to start this summer and will feature lane closures. A typical Wal-Mart super center can generate upwards of 10,000 vehicles per day.
As Wal-Mart focuses on “greening” their supply chain it is important to note the effects of their supercenter development on local traffic.
Wal-Mart prefers to build their stores where they can get the largest lots and the cheapest land. This frequently places their stores on the outskirts of municipal borders. Generally speaking Wal-Mart supercenters can only be effectively reached by automobile because they are sited away from municipal centers. Wal-Mart’s supercenters by their very nature create a heavy amount of traffic, when a heavy amount of traffic is shifted away from a municipal center, this creates transportation patterns that were not originally envisioned when most American towns and cities were first designed.
A recent (Feb.2008) University of Michigan study finds that Wal-Mart has the lowest customer satisfaction ratings of national retailers. Read the Bloomberg story.
While decentralizing commercial business districts, Wal-Mart puts a heavy emphasis on large parking lots and the placement of the stores takes away transportation options. Wal-Mart supercenters are often located in places where it is extremely difficult to walk to.
Because Wal-Mart’s supercenters are so decentralized with regards to municipal planning, and because they do create such a heavy amount of traffic, in some towns Wal-Mart supercenters create traffic problems for the entire town. This increases the vehicle miles traveled and the amount of time spent in a vehicle for residents.
Wal-Mart has a large following on the internet regarding their stores and company policies. Some of them are:
Wayne Bronner, president of Michigan's iconic Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, doesn't feel much Christmas spirit these days for the new Michigan Business Tax.
Compared with what his company paid under Michigan's hated Single Business Tax, Bronner's will pay about 500% more now under the new Michigan Business Tax, a supposed improvement over the SBT that took effect Jan. 1.
The increase includes a surcharge approved late last year so the state wouldn't go broke. The shock to businesses looking at their new tax liability could reopen the political debate over the state's business tax system and, even more broadly, Michigan's budget and fiscal policies as a whole.
Meanwhile, Forbes Magazine has compiled a list of the ten worst cities for jobs in the entire United States. Michigan has five cities listed among those ten worst: Detroit, Flint, Warren, Lansing, and Ann Arbor. In the article, Mark Zandi, chief economist for Economy.com cites improving education, infrastructure, and reducing business costs as keys to turning Michigan around. According to Zandi:
Finally it is important to keep costs down to try and entice new businesses. Michigan in particular has work to do on this front. Business costs in Ann Arbor, Detroit and Warren are all above the national average.
The home of the University of Michigan features a highly educated workforce, with 48% of the adult population possessing a college degree, the third-highest rate in the country.
Forbes also compiled a top-ten list of the BEST cities for jobs. Among the best is Provo, Utah. According to Forbes:
Business costs in Provo are 6% lower than the national average. Good news for employers like Intel and Micron, which created a flash-memory joint venture in the area that started production last year. The venture is expected to eventually create 1,850 jobs with a total investment of $3 billion.
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FCC Approves National Cell Phone Alert System
When disaster strikes, the Federal Communications Commission wants to make sure that as many Americans as possible know about it. The Emergency Alert System just approved by the FCC would send out warnings to cell phones about terrorist threats and imminent natural disasters. Law enforcement agencies could also use the system to held find missing children.
"The country has had for a very long time a very effective emergency broadcast system," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin says. "What this is going to do is put that same kind of emergency alert capability in everyone's pocket."
The wireless industry strongly supports the initiative. Participation would be voluntary, and cell phone users could opt out of the system.
"It's my lifeline. It's how I stay connected to my friends and family," a female cell phone user says.
A male cell phone user adds "I couldn't survive without it. One is a BlackBerry [wireless communication device] and one is a cell phone."
"It is so essential that I always carry it with me," another user said.
Many universities already have emergency message alert systems in the wake of the mass killings at Virginia Tech University. Last April, a lone gunman killed 32 students before killing himself.
Regional warnings would come from federal or state officials, and the president will continue to have sole responsibility for issuing nationwide alerts.
The FCC says the cell phone alert service could be in place by 2010.
SEMCOG Transportation Study
The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments is conducting a survey to gauge the public’s level of satisfaction with the region’s transportation system and their attitudes toward prioritizing transportation improvements.
The survey findings will be considered by SEMCOG and local elected officials as we explore transportation investment choices and establish a regional investment direction. The end result will be a long-range plan serving the needs of the region’s citizens and businesses by promoting a transportation system that is accessible, safe, and reliable.
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