Community
Foundation raises $3 million online in 5 1/2 hours
Officials at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan didn't
know how well their online donation matching campaign would work when
it opened Tuesday morning. Turns out it worked almost too well. So many
people wanted to donate to a list of 75 Detroit-area arts and cultural
organizations that they crashed the Community Foundation's Web site.
The foundation put up a backup site at http://cfsem.guidestar.org
in addition to its main site at www.cfsem.org.
Despite all the troubles, the foundation ran through its $1 million
in matching funds for the donations by 3:21 p.m. Tuesday. The foundation
matched each gift of $25 to $10,000 at 50 cents on the dollar, meaning
a total of $3 million was raised. And the foundation decided to add
another $250,000 in matching funds and resumed the campaign at 6 p.m.
Tuesday. More.
Detroit
Edison seeks renewable energy proposals Detroit Edison has issued two Requests for Proposal that will
add 181 megawatts of Michigan-based renewable power to the company’s
energy portfolio over the next two years. The two RFPs will help Detroit
Edison meet renewable energy provisions contained in the “Clean,
Renewable and Efficient Energy Act,” a comprehensive energy reform
package approved last year that requires Michigan’s electric utilities
to serve 10 percent of their retail sales from renewable energy resources
by 2015. More.
MSU
researchers studying rutabagas for biofuel Researchers at Michigan State University are working to turn
the rutabaga into an oil-producing powerhouse that could make the turnip-like
vegetable a better source of biofuel than other food crops. The idea
is that the rutabaga, which stores oil in its seeds like some other
biofuel crops, could be genetically modified to churn out more oil and
store it throughout the plant. "If we could make it in the green
tissues, like the leaves, stems or even underground tissues like storage
roots, then we think we can make a lot more," professor Christoph
Benning said. The rutabaga hasn't had much presence on U.S. dinner tables,
an advantage in using it for biofuel. The use of corn, soybeans and
other food crops for fuel instead of food has raised the specter of
shortages, and some blame the biofuel boom for pushing up food prices.
Benning's research is one of many efforts nationally to get biofuel
from sources other than major food crops. More.
Perrigo
reports record sales, earnings Allegan-based healthcare products and generic drug maker Perrigo
Co. reported fiscal fourth quarter net income of $46.9 million or 35
cents a share, up from $42.2 million or 34 cents a share. Revenue for
the quarter, ended June 27 this year and June 28 last year, was $508.2
million, up from $474.3 million. For the full fiscal year, net income
was $141.1 million or $1.51 a share, up from $140.2 million or $1.47
a share a year earlier. Revenue was $2.01 billion, up from $1.73 billion.
More.
UM
experiment improved health care, saved money
Medicare patients
with heart conditions and diabetes, or who require cancer screenings,
are getting better treatment than ever at the University of Michigan
Health System -- and that care is costing less, according to a new report.
These results come from the third year of a five-year national experiment
undertaken by 10 large physician groups, including the UM Faculty Group
Practice, in what's called "closely coordinated" care. More.
Wayne State University sets fifth E2 Detroit Conference
Wayne State University and TechTown, WSU’s business incubator,
will host the fifth annual E2 Detroit conference Thursday, Oct. 15.
This event, co-sponsored
by WSU, TechTown and WWJ Newsradio 950, and emceed by WWJ’s technology
editor, Matt Roush, brings entrepreneurs together with business leaders,
authors, investors and others for a program that both educates and inspires.
Built upon the foundation
of entrepreneurship and excellence, E2 Detroit provides attendees with
the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs. Business experts
and CEOs of local start-ups will share their successes and challenges
to provide “real world” insight to entrepreneurs seeking
practical knowledge.
E2 Detroit is focused
on establishing Michigan as an enterprise hub and Wayne State University
as a premier training ground for entrepreneurship. Attendees will gain
knowledge to create start-up companies and generate new jobs. From topics
like, "Building a Culture of Entrepreneurship" to "Selecting
the Right Business Model," attendees will learn important information
on timely issues led by nationally and locally recognized leaders in
the business development community.
“Through E2
Detroit, Wayne State and TechTown, in partnership with WWJ, are giving
new life to the Michigan economy by inspiring idea generators to explore
entrepreneurial opportunities,” said Judy Johncox, director of
business services in WSU’s Office of the Vice President for Research
and TechTown. “This growing entrepreneurial spirit on WSU’s
campus is advancing innovation and creativity, which are so essential
to Michigan’s future.”
Note: For information on how you
can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319
or
jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com
Northern
Ohio solar farm seeks contractors Juwi Solar Inc. will host a meeting for contractors interested
in building its planned solar energy farm at 1 p.m. Wednesday in the
Masters Building at the Wyandot County Fairgrounds. The meeting precedes
construction of the largest solar energy farm east of the Mississippi
River. It will be built on 80 acres of county-owned property northwest
of Upper Sandusky. The 10.08 megawatt solar energy project will be near
the Wyandot County airport, off Wyandot County 44 and Ohio 199 in Salem
Township. Wyandot Solar, a subsidiary of Juwi Solar, a German company,
will fund construction of the $30 million project, which will include
more than 160,000 solar panels. More.
Michigan
Tech hires 7 new faculty in computational research
Michigan Technological University has hired seven new faculty
members to conduct research in computational discovery and innovation.
They come from some of the best research universities across the country
and around the world. The hires are part of a Strategic Faculty Hiring
Initiative begun last year. Unlike traditional departmental hiring,
the SFHI hires across disciplines on a research theme. The new faculty
members will join six different departments at Michigan Tech. In its
first SFHI -- on the theme of sustainability -- Michigan Tech hired
six new faculty members and named three professors to endowed chairs
in 2008. More.
Fry
Inc. hits e-commerce milestone Ann Arbor-based e-commerce developer Fry Inc. announced the
launch of a new Web site for Hastings Entertainment Inc., a multimedia
entertainment retailer of new and used books, videos, music and games.
Hastings Entertainment's new online storefront, www.gohastings.com,
is the 100th site Fry has built on its Open Commerce Platform, an e-commerce
solution that provides retailers with the tools to expand their e-commerce
business. More.
THE WORLD IN TECH
Sony cuts
PS3 price by $100; slimmer model coming too After months of rumors and anticipation, Sony Corp. is slashing
the price of the PlayStation 3 by $100 in hopes of boosting sales of
the console ahead of the important holiday season. Sony Corp. said Tuesday
it will cut the price of the currently available 80 gigabyte PlayStation
3 effective immediately, to $299. It is also launching a slimmer, lighter
model with a 120 GB hard drive in early September; that version will
also cost $299. Sony also cut the price of its existing 160 GB PlayStation
3 by $100, to $399. All price cuts apply worldwide. More.
Here's the move at
a glance, and praise
from a video game maker.
Ford
plans smart vehicles that interact with power grids Ford
Motor Co. said Tuesday its future electric cars will "talk"
to power grids across the country, part of an effort to drive interest
in alternative energy vehicles. The nation's second-largest automaker
released details of a two-year collaboration with 10 utility companies
as well as the Department of Energy on the design of a system that allows
car owners to control when they charge vehicles and for how long. Ford's
first battery electric vehicle, the Transit Connect commercial van,
will be available next year. A battery electric Ford Focus compact car
will go on sale in 2011. Utility companies say
their grids already are ready to handle electric cars, although some
drivers are likely to need additional equipment installed in their garages,
depending on the vehicle's voltage requirement. More.
Blockbuster
to offer movies -- and maybe TV -- on Motorola phones Blockbuster
Inc. plans to offer movies that can be watched on Motorola Inc. cell
phones. It marks the struggling rental company's first step into mobile
video and is its latest effort at chasing down the customers who have
abandoned its traditional video stores. Blockbuster offered few details
Tuesday on the plan, which expands on the company's OnDemand movie downloading
service offered through set-top boxes for TVs. Kevin Lewis, Blockbuster's
senior vice president for digital entertainment, said the company is
still working on specifics, including when the service will be available
and how much it will cost. Consumers will be able to pay for separate
titles. Television series may be available along with new releases,
Lewis said. More.
Indictment
of uber-hacker unlikely to end card number thefts Last
week's indictment of a hacker believed responsible for the biggest retail-store
data breaches in United States history doesn't necessarily make shoppers
safer from having their credit card numbers plundered. Accomplices to
the crimes are believed to be on the loose in Russia or other countries
where U.S. authorities are less likely to get them. And the underlying
security holes mined by the hackers still exist in many payment networks.
More.
Stocks:
Earnings data help shares regain ground after Monday's drop Now investors seem to be saying, maybe things aren't so bad
after all. Some better-than-expected retail earnings reports and the
latest reading on housing drew investors back into the stock market
Tuesday after the previous day's big selloff. The major indexes rose
about 1 percent, led by a surge in financial and technology companies.
Investors were still wary about consumer spending and its impact on
the economy but heard enough good news to fuel the comeback from Monday's
186-point slide in the Dow Jones industrials. The U.S. market was also
taking some cues from overseas exchanges, which got a boost from encouraging
news about the German economy. And bond prices retreated as investors'
anxiety eased. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP)
rose 25.08 points or 1.3 percent to 1,955.92. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average ($INDU)
rose 82.6 points or 0.9 percent, to 9,217.94. The Philadelphia Semiconductor
Index ($SOX)
rose 5.75 points or 2 percent to 291.67. The Morgan Stanley High Tech
35 Index (MSH)
rose 8.18 points or 1.7 percent to 490.44. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical
Index (DRG)
rose 0.76 points or 0.3 percent to 276.49. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index
(BTK)
rose 6.69 points or 0.8 percent to 841.49. Finally, the Standard & Poor's
500 (SPX)
rose 9.94 points or 1 percent to 989.67.
All contents copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited
by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR may contain material from the Associated Press, CNET, News.com, MarketWatch.com or Reuters, used by permission. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at
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