These two business partners are doin' what they love - sellin' weird stuff. But not just any kind of weird stuff. Weird stuff plucked right from the 1970s. Royal Oak's newest store, Bohemian Rhapsody, sit down with Hometown life and talk about opening up a niche retail store in challenging economic times.

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The 1970s had its virtues, most of which are on display in vivid color at the new Royal Oak store, Bohemian Rhapsody.

Co-owners Pam McLenon of Farmington Hills and Marianne Petrus of Royal Oak opened the unique boutique Nov. 8 with the goal of offering accessories, home decor, personal care products and art that's heavy on kitschy fun and low on price. Pick up a funky pillow and some handmade soap or some jewelry, a Superball and a Russian nesting doll. Like the 1970s itself, it's a potpourri of colors, tastes and moods.

The women own their own side businesses as well: Petrus started Girls in the Studio with Angie Yaldoo; McLenon owns the Forever Mick and Keith line of greeting cards and art. Many of those items are for sale in the store.

Read the entire article here.

If you plan on buying a Ford, GM, or Chrysler head on down to AJ's Cafe in Ferndale and grab a free cup of joe. Owner AJ O'Neil says if you plan on supporting the ailing domestic auto industry then he doesn't mind supporting your caffeine habit.

So, get on down there, and don't lie.

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You can taste the support for the Big Three at AJ's Café in Ferndale, Mich.

Manager AJ O'Neil is offering customers a free cup of joe if they promise their next car will be from one of the struggling domestic automakers, reported WDIV-TV in Detroit.

O'Neil said the deal is all about trust and promises.

Read the entire article here.

The Web site "Keep Michigan Working" that was launched last fall just got a little bit heavier - in terms of resources, that is. Not only does it list 30,000 jobs but it also now features programs to help train the unemployed for re-employment.

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The site, "Keep Michigan Working" (www.michigan.gov/jobs), unveiled this fall, now features programs to help dislocated workers get training for re-employment as well as links to public assistance to ride out the period of job loss.

The site also lists more than 30,000 jobs.

"We want people to have one place to go," Granholm said, encouraging employers throughout the state to post job openings on the site.

The resources are meant to give people "the dignity and opportunity of a second chance," she said.

Read the entire article here.

So, what do you do when you have two bars on the two corners of one street? Well, if you're Chris Johnson, you open up a modern, sleek new pool hall, right next door. Loving Touch, the name of the pool hall, isn't your average billiards room, though. It's new, it's modern, it's hip, it's young, and people, so far, seem to love it.

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And despite not yet having a sign and being open just three weeks, the place has been filling up without much trouble. Perhaps it's the unique details -- a sky-lit atrium with vines growing up the walls, hand-carved seating made from Ferndale trees, a jigsaw puzzle pattern on the bar, the separate booth for each pool table nook -- that brings in the WAB/Emory faithful.

"It's the subtle things that tie everything together," says Jenni Dietz of Ferndale. "There's a lot of heart that went into it."

And while there are six pool tables, "it's not your typical pool hall," says Theresa Carano of Dearborn. "It's streamlined. And I like the wood. It's a modern pool hall."

Read the entire article here.

Welcome to Royal Oak! Welcome to wine country! Ok, so not exactly. But that's what two Royal Oak residents are doing here - making wine, locally produced Royal Oakian wine.

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Promoting local businesses and products is important to Lisa Berry and Sheryl Racey. And that’s why the two Royal Oak residents are proud that the product they sell is home grown.

“We produce everything here,” said Berry, as she sat inside the 2,200-square-foot Vintner’s Cellar wine shop in Royal Oak. “Everything that is on our racks, we made.”

Berry and Racey opened the store, 325 E. Fourth St., in mid-November and feature 20 varieties of wine along with the ability to alter any recipe for a custom batch. The store has varieties of white and red wines, along with four different types of fruit wine and two types of dessert wines.

Read the entire article here.

It's time to change it up a bit. The old ways aren't working as well as they used to. Time to push for more clean energy technologies, more alternative energies, and longer lasting, energy-efficient light bulbs. And this is what Clean Energy Coalition, an Yspi non-profit, plans to do with their new project "Rebuild Ypsi."

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The project is intended to reduce energy costs by assisting in energy efficiency improvements for commercial buildings such as offices, retail, restaurants and multifamily residential.

“We're extremely excited to work right here in the community towards energy efficiency practices that will benefit building owners and renters financially because of the continuous increase in energy prices," said CEC Executive Director Sean Reed.

Rebuild Ypsilanti is part of a larger effort in the State of Michigan, not surprisingly called, Rebuild Michigan. The Michigan Energy Office, headed under the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth, provided $102,213 to Ypsilanti’s CEC and four other communities as part of a start up assistance grant.

Read the entire article here.

For some kids it's art, for some it's music, and for others it's sports. For 16-year-old Michelle McCarthy it's math, science, and technology. And she's created a website to get girls like her involved in technology. The website, mind you, won first place in a statewide contest sponsored by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation.

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For 16-year-old Michelle McCarthy, math and science are her favorite subjects at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills. But she knows the two subjects are not as easy or pleasurable for some other girls, so she created a Web site in September to help draw more females into technology.

The GT, or Girls into Technology, Web site, www.lestara.com/004chris35/index.htm, won Michelle first place Nov. 22 in a state contest sponsored by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation.

"I really am a tech girl at heart," said Michelle, a junior at the all-girls school who lives in Commerce Township. "It's a way of expressing myself."

Read the entire article here.

A survey of metro Detroit CIOs produced some positive results in the IT field and it seems as if there should be some hiring in the future.

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"Businesses remain cautious in their hiring outlook, recruiting IT staff who can help them maximize the use of technology to improve efficiency, achieve cost savings and gain a competitive edge," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "Investments in Web 2.0 initiatives continue to generate demand in areas such as web development and help desk."

Lee added that a growing number of companies need IT personnel to support systems upgrades. Seventeen percent of CIOs polled cited this as the primary factor behind their technology hiring plans for the first quarter, up from 7 percent projected for the fourth quarter of 2008. Information systems security also is driving more IT hiring quarter over quarter: 12 percent of CIOs seek more IT personnel to support this area, compared to 7 percent last quarter. The need for professionals who can install or develop new enterprise-wide applications has decreased, cited by 11 percent of CIOs for the first quarter of 2009, compared to 21 percent projected last quarter.

Read the entire article here.

It's always nice to be recognized, that's for sure. Especially if you fall into the top ten of something - as long as it's positive, of course. So, Bloomfield Hills' International Academy should be proud of themselves for they have been ranked as the 6th best public school in the nation.

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The International Academy in Bloomfield Hills, routinely recognized for being among the top high schools in the nation, ranked 6th in the U.S. News Media Group list of the 100 best public high schools. The list was announced today and will be highlighted in the America’s Best High Schools issue of U.S. News and World Reports, on sale next week.

More than 21,000 high schools were evaluated based primarily on college readiness and academic achievement.

Read the entire article here.

Going green is all the rage these days. With global warming, a push for energy independence, and trying to leave a smaller carbon footprint, going green should be all the rage... for the rest of your days.

So, Ferndale is looking to take charge through the "Adopt-a-Watt" program that would provide sponsorship for solar energy lighting and other energy-efficient systems for the city.

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"This council is always looking at ways to be greener," said Mayor Craig Covey, after Royal Oak resident Tom Wither presented his Adopt-a-Watt initiative to council members at the regular meeting.

The council agreed to consider a resolution at a future meeting supporting the program, which would provide private sponsorship of solar-lighting devices that would be used by municipalities and other public entities. In exchange, a sponsor gets naming rights and/or public acknowledgment.

The point is to encourage private sponsorship through public cooperation, said Wither. "We're going to take a business-based approach to this."

Read the entire article here.

It's not exactly mass transit but it's a start. On Saturday night southern Oakland County will be providing 40-seat trolley cars for people lookin' to hit the town - without the burden of driving.

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The trolleys are to make 10 repeated stops, from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, in Berkley, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge and Royal Oak. Stops include two city community centers, restaurants and a nightclub.

"We're hoping this will be as big a hit as it was when we did it in October" -- when Pleasant Ridge rented a trolley for a night just to run to Ferndale and Royal Oak, said Pleasant Ridge City Manager Sherry Ball.

"This time, we scheduled it to see Ferndale's ice sculptures," which will be on display after Saturday's daylong Ferndale Holiday Ice Festival.

Read the entire article here.

TV at the gas pump, and a lot of them. Gas Station TV is a real thing, as crazy as it sounds. It's so real, in fact, that the company has just expanded and now has a network of 1,000 stations.

Do they get HBO?

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Oak Park-based Gas Station TV, a company that puts flat-panel TVs atop gasoline pumps, Monday announced that it has grown its network to 1,000 stations and quadrupled its DMA presence to more than 100, with a presence in 22 of the top 25 DMAs and more than 60 of the top 100 DMAs.

This expansion further cements the company as the largest at-the-pump network. And it says its network now rivals films in reach and penetration, with close to 30 million viewers per month.

Read the entire article here.

The holidays are a time of giving, not usually saving. However, for some cities across SE Michigan they are doing just that, and in a festive way. These cities are turning toward cost-saving, energy-efficient LED lights for their holiday displays.

Now, residents not only can enjoy the Christmas lights but they can do it with a clear conscience.

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In Southfield, city workers typically spend a week of "frustration" going through light strings determining which ones work and replacing bulbs, said Bob Murray, parks and operations supervisor. The five-man crew spent only a day decorating this year because of the new LED lights.

The new lights at the civic center are expected to last up to 100,000 hours, which should span at least a 20-year period, he said. Instead of abrupt burnouts, the lights dim gradually over time and use less energy.

"We are looking at a savings of about 98 percent than with normal lights, which will be huge for the city," Murray said. "And we don't have to worry about blowing fuses anymore and spending money every year to replace defective bulbs."

Read the entire article here.

Well, it's not exactly what you think, but kinda. A Hazel Park-based adult novelty company, PriveCo Inc., purchased the telling domain name - www.vibrators.com - for $1 million from an Arkansas-based business that sold industrial vibrating machines.

The only difference now is that www.vibrators.com isn't selling industrial vibrating machines but, one could say, domestic vibrating machines.

Excerpt:

Hazel Park-based PriveCo Inc. has paid $1 million to purchase a popular domain name - www.vibrators.com.

PriveCo has operated the site since 2002, said Tom Nardone, who founded that company years ago with flagship domain www.shopinprivate.com.

Vibrators.com, Nardone said, took in $30,000 in sales last month. Vibrators.com and bachelorette. com, PriveCo's other adult novelty site, have grown more than 40 percent, twice the companywide growth rate of 20 percent. PriveCo, he said, should finish the year with between $3.8 million and $4 million in sales.

Read the entire article here.

There seems to be a link between loyalty and passion for a community and its economic growth. Whodathunkit? No, really, with all kidding aside, if you love an area, care about an area, stay in an area, live to serve that area, and there are more than one of you then economic growth in some capacity probably isn't far behind.

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A new Gallup study of six Southeast Michigan counties and 25 other U.S. communities shows a possible link between economic growth and residents’ loyalty and passion for the area they live in.

The Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundation funded the "Soul of the Community" study as part of a multiyear effort in the 26 areas its founders owned newspapers.

The study included telephone surveys of nearly 14,000 adults between February and the end of April.

Read the entire article here.

A Pontiac resident just moved into the metro areas first "green" house. No, not where you grow tomatoes and tulips, that would be just too cold during the winter. Camisha Byrd now lives in a "green" built, eco-friendly, energy-efficient 1,200 sq.-ft. home.

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Earlier this year, Byrd and more than 200 volunteers built the single-story house, the first environmentally friendly home Habitat for Humanity has erected in southeastern Michigan.

With all the low-energy features, Byrd will cut her use of utilities 30 percent to 50 percent, saving her up to $1,000 a year.

"We are embracing greenness to the fullest of our capacity," said Sally LePla, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County. "We're demonstrating you can build attractive, affordable green homes."

With the help of the Clawson-based building and design firm Gontina, the 1,200-square-foot dwelling was constructed according to the strictest standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The building is awaiting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the federal agency.

Read the entire article here.

When it comes to online learning, there aren't many states ahead of Michigan. In fact, there is just one. Out of all the states that encourage and are proficient in online learning practices Michigan ranks in at No. 2.

You can't get much better than that. Well, you can. You can get one more better, but still No. 2 isn't bad.

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Michigan ranks second among all states for policies and practices to encourage online learning and proficiency among students prior to graduation, according to a report by the Center for Digital Education.

The Folsom, Calif.-based research and advisory institute on K-12 and higher education ranked only Florida above Michigan among the 50 states, in its 2008 Online Policy and Practice Survey of the States.

"Michigan has provided significant leadership for the rest of the nation in online learning and is routinely looked to as a pioneer," said Marina Leight, director of the center, in a statement this week about the survey.

Read the entire article here.

Go, spread the word of Michigan's biotechnology industry throughout the land. Travel far and wide and preach the word of biotech. That's what MichBio, with the help of the MEDC, is planning to do. They are going to hit the road on a national campaign to promote Michigan's biotech services to all the land.

Excerpt:

"When we go out on business development trips, we can spread the word and it will start to build on itself," said Stephen Rapundalo, MichBio's president and CEO at an afternoon panel discussion Tuesday at the fourth annual MichBio Expo at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.

He said the message will be spread at national conferences and trade shows around the U.S. next year.

"We haven't done this well in the past. Michigan needs to build a brand for itself. The service model is taking root. We need to sell that brand, that we can do everything from start to finish," said Rapundalo, who was part of a 16-member panel called the Biosciences Policy Summit.

Read the entire article here.

Some high-profile names got together to figure out Michigan's next step in investment. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Roger Penske, and a handful of others, met to announce InvestMichigan's first two investments as well as the direction to take for the state's investment future.

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"Michigan is at a tipping point, economically," Granholm told me as the meeting broke up. "We need to move in a direction, growing these green, cutting-edge technology companies right here, where we're leading the nation."

Charles Rothstein of Beringea, a Farmington Hills venture capital firm and one of three program managers for InvestMichigan, said the Penske-led council is impressive.

"We're not just giving firms a pile of money. We're giving them smart money and connected money," he said, referring to people like Penske, Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris and Charter One regional bank president Sandra Pierce, who are available to offer advice in many industries and provide connections to tap key talent.

Read the entire article here.

The future, here it comes. Michigan-based Dominos pizza and TiVo have hooked up to offer a unique option. You can now, if you have a TiVo, order a pizza right from the darn thing. You can pick it up or have it delivered and, if delivered, track it like a UPS package.

Man, what's next? Flying cars?

Excerpt:

TiVo subscribers can order pizza through several advertising entry points on the TiVo user interface including Gold Star Sponsorship, Program Placement, Interactive Tags in live TV spots, and through Music, Photos, Products, & More by clicking on "Order Your Dominos Pizza Now."

TiVo subscribers can set-up a user name and password on Dominos.com so that each time they use their TiVo remote to place an order, they can log-in with a simple account number. Alternatively, TiVo subscribers can enter their delivery address, build their pizza order right from the television set by selecting type of crust, toppings, and sauces, and get the pizza delivered by their local Domino's Pizza.

Read the entire article here.