Four communities get federal help
TRAVERSE CITY -- Federal grant funds totaling more than $1 million are heading to four northern Michigan communities for infrastructure projects.
The Village of Kingsley will receive $213,355 for road and water system improvements, while Manton in Wexford County is getting $75,000 to build a walking trail connector.
Grayling in Crawford County is in line for $388,284 for street improvements, and Gaylord in Otsego County will get $377,096 for water and sewer system improvements.
The money is part of more than $14 million in federal block grants awarded to 46 communities around the state through the Infrastructure Capacity Enhancement program.
The grants were announced Thursday and are administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Toyota president to speak at seminar
ACME -- The head of Toyota Motor Corp. and two automotive officials from the Obama administration will headline the Center For Automotive Research's annual Management Briefing Seminar.
The conference runs from Tuesday through Friday at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme. Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., is scheduled to present Wednesday's keynote address, and Jim Lentz, president of Toyota's U.S. operations, will also attend.
Other scheduled presenters include Edward Montgomery, executive director of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers, and Ron A. Bloom, head of President Obama's Automotive Task Force, who will discuss the role of government in the global automotive industry.
Other sessions will be held on manufacturing issues, sustainability, innovation and financing.
The ninth Advanced Powertrain Forum addressing policy and technology issues in powertrain development is set for Friday, sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
A full list of speakers and topics is available on CAR's Web site at mbs.cargroup.org
Monitoring buoy put in Little Traverse Bay
PETOSKEY -- The University of Michigan is launching a new business partnership with the deployment of an environmental monitoring buoy in northern Lake Michigan.
The buoy hit the water Thursday in Little Traverse Bay, off Petoskey. It's the third buoy in the Ann Arbor school's Upper Great Lakes Observing System, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's water observation network.
The latest buoy is the first fruit of a deal with Holland-based S2 Yachts, which is licensing the university's technology and says it plans to market the buoys worldwide.
Michigan is adding a fourth buoy in Lake Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay later this summer and plans to further expand the network after that.
Scientists seek dry-growing poplars
HOUGHTON -- Scientists have decoded the DNA of poplar trees, and researchers at Michigan Technological University are using that information to develop a strain that grows better in dry soil for use as a biofuel.
The work is financed by a three-year, $900,000 grant from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Energy.
