Nation-Leading Wireless EV Charging Infrastructure

Nation-Leading Wireless EV Charging Infrastructure

by | Sep 21, 2021 | Regional News

Header 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

September 21, 2021

Contact: [email protected]

 

Governor Whitmer Announces Initiative for Nation-Leading Wireless EV Charging Infrastructure in Michigan

Wireless charging advances Governor Whitmer’s goals for EV adoption and environmental sustainability in Michigan

 

PONTIAC, Mich. – While participating in the opening ceremony at Motor Bella today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new initiative to develop the nation’s first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road in the U.S. right here in Michigan. The development of a wireless dynamic charging roadway in Michigan is a step forward in addressing range anxiety and will accelerate the transition to all-electric transit fleets in Michigan, and beyond.

 

“Michigan was home to the first mile of paved road, and now we’re paving the way for the roads of tomorrow with innovative infrastructure the will support the economy and the environment, helping us achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “This project reinforces my commitment to accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure in Michigan and will create new opportunities for businesses and high-tech jobs amidst the transition to electric vehicles.”

 

The Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot is a partnership between the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification that will deploy an electrified roadway system that allows electric buses, shuttles and vehicles to charge while driving, enabling electric vehicles to operate continuously without stopping to charge. Electrified roadways have the potential to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles by consumers and fleet operations alike by enabling continuous vehicle operations and turning public streets into safe and sustainable shared energy platforms. As the first in the nation to deploy this forward-looking infrastructure, Michigan continues to secure its reputation as a leader in future transportation solutions and accelerate progress toward our carbon neutrality goals.

 

MDOT will release a Request for Proposal on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 to design, fund, evaluate, iterate, test and implement the Inductive Vehicle Charging Pilot along a one-mile stretch of state-operated roadway in Wayne, Oakland or Macomb counties.  This partner will work closely with MODT, the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy on this project. The RFP (Requisition 3524) will be posted to eProposal; which can be accessed through MILogin at MILogin for Third Party or at the following link starting on September 28.

 

“At MDOT, we know the future of mobility involves connectivity, and this initiative dovetails nicely with our other successes linking vehicles and infrastructure through technology,” said MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba. “This is a model we will build on across the state to further promote the governor’s broad and ambitious vision.”

 

To date, MDOT has activated the largest vehicle-to-infrastructure technology deployment – nearly 600 miles – in the United States, including a first-of-its-kind connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) corridor. Michigan is also home to the most diverse collection of automated vehicle and drone testing environments in the world, more mobility-related patents than any other state, and more engineers per capita than anywhere else in the world.

 

Today’s news builds on announcements by the administration in the past month, including the first round of Michigan Mobility Funding Platform funding grants to accelerate mobility and EV investments in the state, a robot delivery program to address last-mile delivery challenges in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood;  Detroit Smart Parking Lab, a new public/private sector collaboration launching the nation’s first-of-its-kind, real-world test site for parking solutions, also in Corktown; and a MOU between Michigan and Ontario on cross-border activities to spur technology innovations and transportation solutions that enhance crossings by land, air, and water.

 

“We’re in the midst of the most significant shift in the automotive industry since the Model T rolled off the assembly line more than a century ago, and Michigan is once setting the course manufacturing the vehicles of the future and deploying charging solutions that make EV adoption more widely available” said Trevor Pawl, Chief Mobility Officer with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification. “This electrified roadway has the potential to accelerate autonomous vehicles at scale and turn our streets into safe, sustainable, accessible and shared transportation platforms.”

 

Learn more about how Michigan is leading in transportation mobility and electrification visit www.michiganbusiness.org/mobility.

 

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Gov. Whitmer Secures Grants to Empower Women  

Gov. Whitmer Secures Grants to Empower Women  

by | Sep 21, 2021 | Regional News

Header 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

September 20, 2021

Contact: [email protected]

 

Gov. Whitmer Secures Grants to Empower Women 

Fostering Access Rights and Equity Grant will help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace

 

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Whitmer today announced that the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau awarded the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) $350,000 in a Fostering Access Rights and Equity (FARE) grant to help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace.

 

“Women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is crucial that we step up to empower women at the workplace,” said Governor Whitmer. “I am grateful to Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh and the Biden Administration for their work in supporting women’s economic recovery by increasing access to resources. This FARE grant will help our community organizations connect women to affordable childcare and provide them with the tools that the they need to succeed.”

 

The Michigan Women’s Commission, housed within LEO, will administer the grant and work with community-based organizations in southeast Michigan to connect women to eligible benefits under the American Rescue Plan, prioritizing available child care subsidies and eligibility for additional benefits.

 

“With continued investments in programs and services that remove barriers that prevent women from full and continuous participation in the workforce, we will ensure Michigan women are fully accessing these opportunities,” said Susan Corbin, LEO director.  “The Michigan Women’s Commission is uniquely positioned to help connect women to these resources, paving a path for more Michigan women, children and families to succeed.

 

The Michigan Women’s Commission will receive funding in the form of a grant to help women workers understand and exercise their rights and benefits in the workplace by doing the following:

 

  • Providing outreach to low-income and marginalized women workers;
  • Disseminating educational materials through varied platforms, including social media, in-person or virtual events, brochures and leaflets, one-on-one consultations, and other outreach;
  • Assisting women workers with navigating and calculating benefits;
  • Connecting and referring women workers to additional services, benefits, and/or legal assistance as needed, reasonable, and/or available; and
  • Helping women to become focal points for rights, benefits, and assistance in their own communities (i.e., a train-the-trainer model for navigation).

 

“As our nation continues its recovery, we must include targeted programming for women workers who are affected by the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie A. Su. “Fostering Access, Rights and Equity grants fund vital partnerships to help inform women about their rights and benefits and ensure that women workers share in the prosperity of the nation’s economic recovery.”

 

“The Women’s Bureau is determined to overcome the systemic discrimination, racism and gender inequality that women have historically faced,” said Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon. “The grants we’ve awarded today support organizations working on behalf of underserved and marginalized low-income women to ensure their rights to employment are protected and that they have access to all of the benefits available to them.”

 
OC Receives Awards for Digital Response To Pandemic

OC Receives Awards for Digital Response To Pandemic

by | Sep 21, 2021 | Regional News

Two National Digital Government Organizations Award Oakland County’s Digital Response To Pandemic

​Pontiac, Michigan – Two national awards are shining a spotlight on Oakland County’s digital response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The county received the Granicus Digital Government Award for its overall Digital Coronavirus Response and a Project Experience Award from the Center for Digital Government for its #OaklandTogether COVID-19 Tribute.

“These awards highlight the talent and dedication of the county’s communications, information technology, and public health teams throughout the pandemic,” County Executive Dave Coulter said. “When we learned about our first COVID-19 case, my administration made a commitment to be transparent and keep the public informed. Digital communications played a key role in that effort.”

Oakland County’s Digital Coronavirus Response for which it won the Granicus Digital Government Award included:

  • A COVID-19 website and dashboards
  • Press conferences and Board of Commissioners meetings by virtually accessible videos with online citizen feedback
  • Streamlined CARES Act grant process, increasing transparency through GIS-powered dashboards
  • Redesigning Workforce Development website to help connect job seekers and businesses with vital information while reducing number of service calls
  • Launching a separate Vaccine hub with dashboard, FAQs, newsletters, and the ‘Save Your Spot’ online form. The hub has had more than 2.2 million pageviews, with 767,000 users since it launched in January 2021.
  • The ‘Save Your Spot’ online form for vaccine appointment registrations which at its height had 600,000 names on the list
  • A COVID-19 vaccination weekly newsletter, including a video message, to nearly 115,000 email and text subscribers
  • The utilization of crowdsourcing for a COVID-19 safety video, art public service announcements competition, and the Oakland Together COVID-19 Tribute Gratitude and Remembrance Story maps
  • The COVID-19 Tribute Month initiatives to honor and remember everything we’ve experienced together this past year implemented through a website, crowdsourced Remembrance and Gratitude Maps, a Tribute Walk, community discussion, and videos.

“Oakland County responded to COVID-19 with a host of digital services and tools,” Granicus said. “In addition to organizing virtual press conferences and board meetings, it developed a dedicated COVID-19 website, redesigned its workforce development website to connect job seekers to employers, and created a digital vaccine hub with a ‘save your spot’ online form that has generated over 2 million page views since its launch.”

The Center for Digital Government’s Project Experience Award highlights Oakland County’s collaborative effort to produce the #OaklandTogether COVID-19 Tribute. Oakland County lead the project and coordinated across county departments, including the County Executive Office, Health Division, Information Technology, and Oakland County Parks and Recreation, as well as a vendor, Bluewater Technologies. Tribute events included:

  • A virtual discussion and COVID-19 update by County Executive Coulter and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist on the inequities people of color faced when confronting the virus. This video had more than 1,700 views.
  • A video of county officials remembering one year of living with COVID-19 while reflecting on the pandemic and the tragedies, suffering, and heroism many experienced since March 10, 2020. The video received more than 2,700 views.
  • Remembrance and Gratitude Story Maps which were crowdsourced story maps for stories and photos of those we have lost to COVID-19 on the Remembrance Map as well as appreciation for acts of kindness for frontline workers and support for local businesses on the Gratitude Map.
  • The #OaklandTogether COVID-19 Tribute Walk, a half-mile immersive light display that honored the memories of those lost to COVID-19 and gave thanks to those who risk their health and safety the past year. More than 3,000 people attended in person, and another 5,243 viewed the livestream. After expenses were covered, $3,500 was donated to CARE House, a Pontiac-based agency that provides services for children who are the victims of child abuse and neglect.

To learn more about Oakland County’s digital resources for COVID-19, go to oakgov.com/COVID  or OaklandCountyVaccine.com.

COVID Digital Response Awards 092021.pdf

Michigan projects receive $65,000 for Civil Rights sites in Detroit  

Michigan projects receive $65,000 for Civil Rights sites in Detroit  

by | Sep 20, 2021 | Regional News

Header 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

September 20, 2021

Contact: Kathleen Achtenberg, achtenbergk@michigan.org

 

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Announces Michigan projects receive $65,000 to document two significant Civil Rights sites in Detroit 

  • Michigan State Historic Preservation Office awarded $15,000 grant to document Civil Rights bookstore in Detroit
  • City of Detroit awarded $50,000 to conduct historic study of Latinx communities in Detroit

 

LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation today announced two projects in Michigan focused on Civil Rights history have been awarded $65,000 in federal Underrepresented Community Grant Program funding from the National Park Service. The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the Michigan Strategic Fund was awarded $15,000 to nominate Vaughn’s Bookstore in Detroit to the National Register of Historic Places, and the City of Detroit was awarded $50,000 to conduct a historic study of Latinx communities in Detroit.

 

“These grants will shine a light on places and experiences vital to the Civil Rights movement and help us further expand our understanding of the Civil Rights movement in Michigan,” said Gov. Whitmer. “The nomination of Vaughn’s Bookstore to the National Register will recognize a significant location that served as a center for Black culture and played a meaningful role in the Civil Rights movement in the city of Detroit.”

 

The SHPO grant was one of two projects in Michigan to receive funding from the National Park Service’s Underrepresented Community Grant Program. A separate $50,000 grant was also awarded to the city of Detroit to develop a historic context for the city’s Latinx community. This historic context document will provide a broad historical overview on the settlement and development patterns of Latinx communities in Detroit between 1880 and 1980.

 

The SHPO will utilize its grant to document and nominate Vaughn’s Bookstore in Detroit to the National Register of Historic Places. Established on Dexter Avenue in the early 1960s by Edward Vaughn, Vaughn’s Bookstore was Detroit’s first Black-owned bookstore. Born in Alabama in 1934, Edward Vaughn graduated from Fisk University in 1955 and served in the U.S. Army before settling in Detroit.

 

As a Black-owned enterprise, Vaughn’s Bookstore specialized in African American history, literature, and other materials, which were virtually impossible to find in traditional White bookstores. It became a center of black intellectual life in the city, not just for the content it offered for sale, but as a venue for people to gather and learn. During the 1960s, when the struggle for African Americans equality became more visible and mainstream, the bookstore became a nexus at the height of the black liberation and nationalism movement.

 

“As the first Black-owned bookstore in Detroit and a hub of African American journalism and conversation, Vaughn’s Bookstore played a key role in the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s,” said Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Officer Mark A. Rodman. “An important priority of the National Register program is to document those sites associated with significant events that have contributed to broad patterns of our history. We look forward to nominating the property to the National Register as the first step toward its reuse.”

 

The building was damaged after the Detroit Rebellion of 1967, and later saw other uses before it was abandoned. Vaughn remained active in the Civil Rights Movement, serving as chair of the Housing and Redevelopment Committee of the Citywide Citizens Action Committee and as the head of the Black Star Co-op. He later served several terms in the Michigan State House of Representatives.

 

The building’s known Civil Rights significance has already saved it from destruction. When the bookstore was identified several years ago for its cultural role in the neighborhood, representatives from the Detroit Land Bank Authority recognized it as a site on their list of properties to be demolished. They immediately removed it from the demolition list. Knowing its significance, the city of Detroit has been trying to save it and incorporate its reuse in its neighborhood planning efforts. National Register documentation will become the first step in that process.

 

The National Register is the official federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. National Register properties have significance in the history of their community, state, or the nation. Once listed, any federal project must take into account the potential for impacts on sites listed in the National Register, just as they must consider impacts to the natural environment.

 

The listing is honorary and is used to recognize and celebrate how the past plays a role in the future. Once listed, the bookstore will join nearly 2,000 other National Register-designated places in Michigan, including several other sites relating to Civil Rights history in Detroit.

 

“Through these grants to our state, Tribal, and certified local government partners, the National Register will continue to expand to help tell our nation’s diverse history,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge.  The Underrepresented Community Grant Program of the National Park Service focuses specifically on work toward diversifying the nominations submitted to the National Register of Historic Places.

 

This funding is the latest in a series of competitive National Park Service grants awarded to the Michigan SHPO and partners to better document and tell Civil Rights stories across the state. The award directly builds on a 2016 grant which documented thirty 20th Century civil rights sites in Detroit, developed National Register of Historic Places nominations for five initial sites, and created a bike tour encompassing 15 of the sites, including the Vaughn’s Bookstore, which launched in late 2020 and can be found online at www.miplace.org/biketour. This 2021 award builds on these prior efforts and the momentum to properly document Michigan’s complete range of Civil Rights sites and consider their significance.

 

Focused on the historic preservation of culturally or archaeologically significant sites throughout the state, Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Office’s main function is to provide technical assistance to local communities and property owners in their efforts to identify, evaluate, designate, interpret and protect Michigan’s historic above- and below-ground resources. SHPO also administers an incentives program that includes federal tax credits and pass-through grants available to certified local governments.

 

To learn more about the State Historic Preservation Office, visit https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/.

 

About Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and our initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org. For Pure Michigan® tourism information, your trip begins at www.michigan.org. Join the conversation on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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The National Register Nomination for Vaughn’s Bookstore is supported through the Underrepresented Communities grant program as administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.

 

This material was produced with assistance from the Underrepresented Communities, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.

 

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

 

This program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties.  Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in its federally assisted programs.  Michigan law prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, race, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, or disability.  If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:

Chief, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs

United States Department of the Interior

National Park Service

1849 C Street, NW, MS-2740

Washington, DC 20240

 
Where is THE REAL Lake Orion Football???

Where is THE REAL Lake Orion Football???

by | Sep 20, 2021 | Feature Writers, High School Sports

By Sammy Taormina

 

 

Friday night was a reflection point that I thought I would never go back too.

As watching the Oxford student section, players, and administration celebrate with the Double O Trophy I watched in pure disgust, the embarrassed, and humiliated.

A lot of Dragons are basically feeling the same way as I am.

The Lake Orion Dragons football program has clearly hit rock bottom.

What has happened, what’s changed with this program??? This program has only beaten Clarkston once since 2010 and hasn’t beaten West Bloomfield since 2014 and has three losses to Oxford since the rivalry came back in 2010.

This didn’t happen overnight.

From 2000-2013 this program was 113-35 with each team from that era making the playoffs along with a State Championship, two State Final appearances, and three State semifinal appearances.

Since the 2014 season they are 34-34 with four playoff appearances but haven’t made it past the district final.

What changed???

 

There was a culture change which featured compliancy and entitlement.

The Dragon teams I was on (2004-2005) and a part of especially from 2000-2013 was clearly “Orion Tough.” They had the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. They took names and blew people out. They knew losing was not tolerable or even acceptable.

The 2003 team was very talented and had to overcome adversity and they did that.

My senior year in 2005 when we had our fair share of adversity but we got through it. We can say that we were the first and sadly the only class to beat Clarkston twice in one season.

There was the five weeks from hell in 2008 where basically those five weeks where tense dramas from Rochester Adams, Clarkston, Utica Eisenhower, Romeo, and Sterling Heights Stevenson. That team had a freshman quarterback and a young offense that grew along with a pretty stout defense.

The 2010 team overcame a postseason injury and had tense dramas with Utica Eisenhower and Detroit Cass Tech before earning the Division One State title.

The 2012 team featured a very good game manager at quarterback, a few great running backs, a tall wide receiver, a stout offensive line, and a defense. They overcame adversity after losing to Clarkston. They went through Macomb County to get to the State semifinals.

All of those teams from 2000-2013 had team chemistry. Everyone was on the same page. No one was truly a star. It was clearly “The Team, The Team, The Team.”

There were a few years from 2017-2019 that it felt like the “Orion Tough” mantra was coming back with John Blackstock taking over the program for Chris Bell whom focused on being the Athletic Director. The 2017 team truly deserved better than their 3-6 record including winning two of the last three games and was a play away from knocking off the state champs. The 2018 team to overcome a lot with tough early season losses to Lapeer and Oxford but they had some monster road wins at Adams, Southfield Arts and Tech, and Monroe to turn their season around get back to the postseason. The 2019 team truly felt “Orion Tough.” They had big wins over Lapeer, Adams, Oxford, Southfield Arts and Tech, and beating Clarkston for the first time since 2010. That team had a stout quarterback, running back, strong offensive line, good wide receivers, and a defense.

The 2020 team took a bit of a step back given it was a COVID year. The offense had a ton of struggles and issues which put the defense in really bad situations. Again, the Dragons struggled against the Wolves and Lakers but made the playoffs and fell to a surging Grand Blanc Bobcats team who would also eliminate Clarkston that year as well.

The 2021 team had a lot of questions especially in the secondary. When I mentioned in the OAA Now football preview show I saw some signs of concern. I noticed not every player was attending the team camps, there were struggles to get everyone into the weight room. Players were going to college camps to get looks and exposure, I started to question what was going on with this group, why this group was not meshing the way past teams had done. It did not feel like the same fire and motivation was there. With some players, it was there but it has to be everyone, not just groups of players.

This summer was when I knew there could be trouble on the horizon.

The last three weeks have been very sickening and disturbing to watch. The defense has allowed 135 points in three weeks. As someone who takes great pride in being a defensive guy both as a player and an alum, this has been extremely hard to watch. It felt like every quarterback, we went against had a field day, throwing it at will, not seeing any pressure from our defense, it has been truly sickening and disturbing to watch. I know that they changed offenses, the offense can only do so much but even at times, that has been challenged.

As I watched helplessly on the sideline during the Oxford game. I looked in the stands to my future throwers who are going to be future football players, hoping this would never happen to them. Then I looked at the student section, drumline, dance team, cheerleaders, and band, please don’t get me started on them that’s for another day.

The freshman and JV teams have that “Orion Tough” mantra. They have the talent and mental toughness. Something special is brewing between the freshman and sophomore classes for the next few years.

As an alum, to see the players and coaches dejected after the Oxford game. I can only go back and think about what happened in the summer but it’s not just what happened in the summer. I always wondered what happened to the program, there was a gradual drop off in talent after 2012 but it was not as noticeable until 2014 when other schools especially West Bloomfield and Clarkston improved while Lake Orion stayed for the most part stagnant, just happy to be in the Red, simply happy to be there. What happened to having that chip on the shoulder??? “Orion Tough” has always been about playing with that chip, playing tough, physical, relentless, smart football. It’s been a while that “Orion Tough” has been consistent, that is very concerning. When should “Orion Tough” be taught??? Shouldn’t it be taught at the Youth levels and continue to expand into the Middle and High School levels??? Just seems like there are some years where “Orion Tough” is simply not there,

Isn’t Lake Orion’s rival supposed to be Clarkston??? Sure doesn’t seem like it, Orion has only beaten Clarkston once since 2010. It seems like that rival has been Oxford and that’s nothing against them, isn’t Lake Orion supposed to beat Oxford year in and out??? The Bronze Cup or the Double O Trophy should be staying in Lake Orion every year???

When did losing become acceptable???

Everyone within the program needs to be held accountable and should be held accountable, everyone, that includes even myself.

Something has to change.

Is this season salvageable??? Sure it is but they have a tough path ahead of them with West Bloomfield, Clarkston, Stoney Creek, Seaholm, and Saline looming. Saline and Clarkston at present are undefeated, West Bloomfield is extremely talented and has only one loss while Stoney Creek and Seaholm are proud strong tough programs.

Everyone needs to hit a complete reset and do some soul searching.

This program has clearly hit rock bottom but it can and will come back, the question is when and when it does, it’s going to take a lot of people and a lot of buy in for this program to clearly come back. Obviously this summer is going to be key but it really should start today, after the embarrassment and losing the Bronze Cup (Double O Trophy) to Oxford, hopefully that “Chip on the Shoulder” mindset should slowly start returning. Actions speak louder than words.

Blackstock talks about the ERO (Event Response Outcome), what is going to be, it will be up to everyone to decide what happens next for Lake Orion Football.