Vanir executives say groundbreaking for the studio, to be built on 26 acres in northern Clinton Township, will take place this spring.

The project's architect is Abraham Kadushin of Kadushin Associates Architects Planners, Ann Arbor.

A statement announcing the project says the complex will be built in stages and, when finished, will feature several buildings, including docking stations for mobile production units, overnight housing for visiting professionals, office and classroom space for degreed programs through Baker College, and three production studios including a Vanir Dome, a 20,000 square-foot domed green screen.

Read the whole story, sounds like it will be a state-of-the-art facility. And it will be "green" as well.

Greene said the complex will be built on a geothermal energy grid to both lessen the carbon footprint and lower studio energy costs. Selling excess energy on the state's energy grid will be a fifth although lesser revenue stream for the studio complex, said Greene.

MEDC, Baker College, the Macomb County Film Office, and private funding all have a hand in the venture.

Nancy Sutley, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and Obama administration officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Coast Guard will meet at the White House at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) Monday, February 8, with Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, and Illinois Governor Pat Quinn regarding Asian carp and the Great Lakes.

Good luck everyone -

Ford Motor Co. says it made $2.7 billion in 2009, its first annual profit in four years.

Ford says it benefited from cost-cutting, debt reduction and popular cars and trucks like the Ford Fusion sedan and Escape SUV. It's enjoying customer goodwill for avoiding bankruptcy and refusing federal aid.

Ford's net income of 86 cents per share rose from the year before, when it lost a record $14.6 billion.

Ford still carries a pretty big debt load, but gains in market share and the upturn in the economy have them expecting a profit for this year as well.

If this year's candidates are in agreement, why not have an "endorsement" convention in the spring?

The Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer has a novel idea to give a head start to the party's candidates for attorney general and secretary of state: Endorse them at a special convention in April or May instead of waiting to nominate them at the party's August state convention.

Brewer told the Free Press he will ask hundreds of top party officials today to call for an "endorsement convention" as a way to give those candidates more months to raise money for their campaigns, and to promote the party's ticket - whatever that will be.

Would not apply to candidates in primaries, of course.

If they can't pull it off this year, it's definitely something to think about for the future. Getting these positions set early will free up resources to concentrate on other races.

Today was the kickoff of a massive effort to sign up volunteers to help tutor students in reading. The volunteers, part of a Reading Corps, were solicited after scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in December showed Detroit fourth- and eighth-graders had the worst scores among students in urban districts in the country.

In just a few weeks, the district was able to attract 3,639 volunteers, who have committed to spend 430,000 hours tutoring. Bobb said Saturday that the volunteers represent more than 130 communities in metro Detroit.

Hats off to those volunteers. It is a noble thing you do.  

The inscriptions came to light this week, and U.S. Army officials said they would investigate whether the gun sights -- used by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq -- violate U.S. procurement laws. The company, which employs about 200, has hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with the U.S. military alone. It sells its sights around the world, including in Muslim countries.

Trijicon said it has had such inscriptions on its products for three decades and has never received complaints about them before. The inscriptions, which don't include text from the Bible, refer numerically to passages from the book.

The wingnuts won't be happy about this, but the safety of the troops should take priority here.

The credit will support United Solar's plan to invest $42 million in an Auburn Hills facility to upgrade equipment used to make flexible solar roofing materials.

It is estimated that the project will create about 600 jobs in the state and will lower the company's cost of producing the materials and increase output.

This credit is coming from the stimulus, nice to hear that a bunch of jobs are being created from it. More of this, please!  

A new report from the Michigan Public Service Commission shows that the number of net metering customers in the state more than doubled in the fiscal year running from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009. Those customers have small wind- or solar-powered generators connected to the electrical grid, and they receive credit for the energy their systems generate but isn't used.

The PSC says the number of net metering customers statewide increased from 53 in the 2007-2008 fiscal year to 137 in 2008-2009. Wind installations increased from 29 to 96 and solar installations increased from 23 to 39.

Are these huge numbers? No. But it shows the trend of the future. Existing construction will retrofit, and new construction will include these systems from the start. "Green" is here to stay - and it's very exciting to witness the start of the energy revolution.

Maybe we can save this planet yet.

A Massachusetts battery manufacturer will begin hiring hundreds of skilled Michigan workers this year for jobs at massive plants under construction in Livonia and Romulus.

Watertown, Mass.-based A123 Systems expects to hire 540 workers in construction, engineering, sales and marketing, administration and research and development at 300,000-square-foot plants in Romulus and Livonia.

The company develops and manufactures advanced Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries and battery systems for various clients, including Chrysler Group LLC and Delphi Holdings LLP. A123 recently received a $249 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and funds from its recent initial public offering to produce batteries for hundreds of thousands of hybrid vehicles.

The expansion is also enabled by a multi-year battery supply agreement with Fisker Automotive, a California-based green vehicle manufacturer. The battery systems will supply the Fisker Karma Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, set to launch late this year.

A123 already has a facility in Novi that employs 120 people. Livonia will open mid-2010 with Romulus to follow.  

• Southwest Housing Solutions Corp. will get $4 million to work with unemployed residents, high school dropouts, veterans and individuals with criminal records in Southwest Detroit.

• Mott Community College will get $3.6 million to train low-income residents in Flint and suburbs.

• Grand Rapids Community College will get $4 million to train unemployed workers, high school dropouts and job seekers with a criminal record.

Funding comes through the Recovery Act, read more here.  

The private forecasting service said the composite Michigan index of state leading indicators, which is produced jointly with Crain's Detroit Business, went up 1 percent in November after going up 1 percent in October. This is the fifth consecutive month for an increase in the growth rate, a good sign that the economy will soon shift and return to expansion.

For you numbers geeks, check out the charts and stats here.

One hour a week can make a big difference in a young person's future. Mentor Michigan supports more than 200 organizations around the state that are changing lives by matching mentors with young people. Mentor Michigan provides those organizations with training and research. It fosters partnerships with businesses, faith-based and nonprofit organizations, schools, colleges and universities, and state and local government to support mentoring. Mentor Michigan also builds public awareness about the importance of and the need for mentors by urging caring adults to "Pass It On," because sharing a little of yourself with a young person can reward both of you with lifelong benefits.

Learn more by visiting www.michigan.gov/mentormichigan.

Both of Michigan's senators and six of its representatives were named Environmental Champions based on their 2009 Congressional Scorecard.

They received 100 percent scores on pro-environment votes, seven in the Senate and 15 in the House. Nationally, 40 senators and 144 reps received top scores.

How they scored:

• Sen. Carl Levin , 100 percent
• Sen. Debbie Stabenow , 100 percent
• Rep. John Dingell , 100 percent
• Rep. Dale Kildee , 100 percent
• Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick , 100 percent
• Rep. Sander Levin , 100 percent
• Rep. Gary Peters , 100 percent
• Rep. Mark Schauer , 100 percent
• Rep. John Conyers , 93 percent.
• Rep. Bart Stupak , 87 percent
• Rep. Vernon Ehlers , 73 percent
• Rep. Candice Miller , 60 percent
• Rep. Fred Upton , 47 percent
• Rep. Thaddeus McCotter , 33 percent
• Rep. Mike Rogers , 20 percent
• Rep. Dave Camp , 13 percent
• Rep. Pete Hoekstra , 13 percent

For the full report visit environmentamerica.org  

Former Gov. John Engler and his wife have been house-hunting in the mid-Michigan area, multiple sources have told MIRS, raising the speculation that Gov. Jennifer Granholm's predecessor could be trying to establish residency in the Mitten State for a run at U.S. Senate seat in 2012.

Engler lives in Washington, where he makes a reported seven-figure salary with the National Association of Manufacturers. Engler's triplets are freshmen in high school - all three of them attending different schools.

Engler could always run for the Senate without yanking his girls from schools, but there's question as to whether Michelle Engler, or John for that matter, wants to get back into the political fray.

Why would he come back otherwise?  

"We want to prove it works in winter," Padnos said. As the first big commercial installation under Michigan's new alternative energy stimulus programs, output from the Padnos project will be tracked into February, when the company plans a big dedication party.

"I think this is the beginning of a pretty robust market for solar," Ford said.

"You have to be somewhat of a patient investor, putting this product in. You're still going to use energy. Why not buy it from yourself?"

Those years to reach payback will pass quickly, said Keller, 65.

The panels came from Japan and were assembled in Tennessee, but the installers are local workers. With the growth in solar manufacturing in the Bay area, pretty soon we will be making the panels, too. Watch for things to pick up in 2010 as the market heats up. So to speak.  

A person briefed on Chrysler Group LLC's plans says the automaker will announce plans on Thursday to invest millions in a Michigan factory to build fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines from Fiat.

Chrysler and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm have scheduled a news conference to announce the investment in the Dundee, Mich., plant south of Detroit. The person did not want to be identified because the official announcement had not been made.

Chrysler will create 155 jobs building a 1.4-liter engine that will power the Fiat 500 subcompact and other Chrysler vehicles.

Michigan's unemployment rate has improved for the second straight month.

State officials said Wednesday that the November jobless rate dropped to 14.7 percent, down from a national high of 15.1 percent in October. It was the state's lowest rate in six months.

The state's jobless rate reached 15.3 percent in September.

But the news isn't all good. The state lost about 14,000 nonfarm payroll jobs last month, according to a seasonally adjusted survey of employers.

We had gained 38,000 jobs in October, so the loss last month is disappointing - BUT - the losses have most definitely slowed down.

That's a good thing. A real good thing.  

Scandia Wind Offshore says the area south of Ludington and four miles offshore is the perfect location to build a 1000-megawatt windfarm. Plans call for more than 100 large wind turbines that could turn Michigan wind into electricity for the Midwest. Residents seem to be hungry for more information.

"I think it is important to look into other forms of energy," said Bill McBeth. "And in Michigan, wind is something to look into."

"We have lots right here on the coast, so why not use it," said Mike McDonald. "So far I can not see anything wrong with it."

The company believes when it comes to building an offshore wind energy farm, Michigan has the best conditions in the country.

$3 billion in investment for the area. A meeting with residents is scheduled tonight to address any concerns they might have.

Stay tuned...

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is helping 10 companies grow in Michigan and is backing eight brownfield redevelopment projects. Combined, the 18 projects are expected to create 6,804 new jobs (2,236 direct and 4,418 indirect), retain 2,263 jobs, and generate over $672 million in new investment in the state.

For full details, check the release here.

The five bills Granholm signed Monday protect eligible low-income customers and seniors from municipal utility shutoffs, govern shut-off notices and procedures and permit the state attorney general or a customer to bring a civil action against a municipal utility in shut-off cases involving serious injury or death.

The bills also require municipal utilities to make efforts to identify customers who are 65 or older and requires the state to give utilities information about people who have applied for or are receiving public assistance so they can be helped to reduce energy costs and prevent shutoffs.

Michigan's big, state-regulated utilities such as DTE Energy and Consumers Energy Co., along with cooperatives, are not allowed to shut off power to senior citizens in the winter and must offer payment plans to the poor. State regulators also discourage the use of limiters.

But Michigan's 41 smaller municipal utilities - Bay City's included - are not overseen by the state, so new laws had to be passed to make customer shut-off protections uniform statewide.

If you need assistance with utility bills this winter, check out the state's Helping Hand website, or call 2-1-1 to be connected with local resources. Make sure and check on your elderly neighbors too - no one should freeze to death when there is help available and laws in place to prevent it from happening.