July 24 , 2008

The Latest Business Headlines from WWJ Newsradio 950

Ford Reports Loss, New Plans | Ford Motor Co. says it lost $8.7 billion in the second quarter largely because of a reduction in the value of assets. Ford also announced an acceleration of its transformation plan. | Story

Toyota Outsells GM | Toyota sold 4.8 million vehicles between the months of January and June, beating General Motors in worldwide sales for the first half of the year. | Story

Chrysler Cuts Coming | One week after General Motors Corp. announced a restructuring, Chrysler said it will cut 1,000 salaried jobs by the end of September. | Story

Small Truck Safety | The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested a series of small pickup trucks, and most of them did not score well in side impact tests. | Story

Area Pump Prices Down | For the first time in two months, the average price for a gallon of gasoline in Metro Detroit fell below the $4 mark, The Detroit News reports. | Story

Cheaper Oil Boosts Market | Stocks ended modestly higher, as oil fell and lawmakers drew closer to approving a plan to help Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. | Story

UM TEAM DEFENDS ITS TITLE AS CHAMPS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SOLAR CHALLENGE

Hail to the victors. A University of Michigan team has once again claimed the title of champions of North American solar car racing.

UM’s Solar Car Team and its car, Continuum, won the North American Solar Challenge. It crossed the finish line in Alberta, Canada, Tuesday to defend UM's title from 2005, the last year the race was held. It was the fifth time UM finished first in the competition.

Solar car racing does not have the same intensity as, say, an Indy Car race. But what the Solar Challenge contestants lack in raw speed and horsepower, they make up for in endurance and ingenuity. The course covers 2,400 miles from Plano, Texas. to Calgary. The UM team won after more than 50 hours of racing over nine days. More...

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HOSPITAL TECH ADVANCING FAST IN MICH.: Health care providers in Michigan are working hard to make data easier to share – both internally and externally. WWJ Newsradio 950 Technology Editor Matt Roush talks with Jim Lee, vice president of data policy and development for the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, about new technology in hospitals. Click here.

WIRELESS MAKES LIFE EASIER FOR DOCTORS: In an "Our Michigan, Our Future" report, WWJ Newsradio 950's Ron Dewey talks with Dr. Thomas Malone of the Detroit Medical Center about the benefits of having wireless technology within the hospital system. Click here.

'NEXTCRUISE' TO ADD GREEN TO WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE: Nine automakers and the city of Pleasant Ridge will sponsor an inaugural NextCruise during the Woodward Dream Cruise Aug. 15 and 16. The event will feature environmentally friendly transportation that is fun to drive. Included will be hybrids, clean diesels and other high-mileage and low-emission designs. More...

GROUP RELEASES UPDATED STATE TAX SUMMARY: The Lansing-based Citizens Research Council of Michigan Wednesday released a revised edition of its "Outline of the Michigan Tax System." The publication includes summaries of all taxes levied by state and local government in Michigan. It contains information about tax bases and rates, credits and exemptions, tax administration and reporting. It also provides a statistical and legal history for each major tax, provides links to state agencies, and contains summaries of recent tax legislation. More...

NEW ONLINE CHARITY LETS YOU SPREAD BIRTHDAY CHEER TO KIDS: A new Auburn Hills-based charity allows you to turn a birthday into an opportunity to help children. The charity is called On Your Birthday, and it's the product of a birthday question from founder and president Tammy Alberts' then-five-year-old daughter Annie."Annie was looking on the Internet for a new bicycle with her dad and she asked if all kids got birthday presents," Alberts said. "We told her no, that we were blessed to be able to celebrate her birthday as we did, but not all kids were – some of them have parents who can't give them a party or presents or they're really sick and in the hospital." More...

3 DAYS IN THE 'D' RETURNS: Area political and business leaders gathered on stage at Campus Martius Park on Tuesday to herald the approach of three very exciting days in the "D." The 3 Days in the D celebration includes the Detroit Grand Prix, the Chrysler Arts Beats & Eats festival and the Detroit International Jazz Festival. The festivities start Aug. 29. More...

WORLDWIDE AUTOMOTIVE REPORT PODCAST: WWJ Newsradio 950's Jeff Gilbert talks Thursday morning with For CEO Alan Mulally.

HEAR 'EDUCATION MINUTE' ON WWJ AND ONLINE: WWJ Newsradio 950's Pat Vitale gives education tips in an on-air series that is a joint production of Eastern Michigan University-Education First! and WWJ. "Education Minute" airs daily on WWJ at 9:22 a.m., 12:23 p.m., 5:40 p.m., and 9:53 p.m. For podcasts of Vitale's reports, as well as other resources for helping our kids learn, click here.

WWJ ADDS POLITICS FEATURE, NEW WAY TO LISTEN: There's a new news feature on wwj.com, as well as a new way to listen to WWJ Newsradio 950 – directly on your iPhone. Apple and AOL have teamed up on a free widget that you download onto your phone. It allows you to listen to any CBS Radio station directly on your iPhone. Also, WWJ Newsradio 950 has introduced a new streaming special broadcast, "Eye on Michigan Politics." More...

BE OUR FRIEND ON FACEBOOK: The Daily Dash now has a profile page and a group on Facebook. If you have a Facebook account (or have been looking for a reason to set one up), we'd like to hear from you. To visit the Daily Dash profile, click here. To join the group, click here.