Breaking News

Granholm, Legislative Leaders Work To Develop 2009-1010 Budget LANSING - While legislative leaders and the administration of Governor Jennifer Granholm are working through the two-week break to develop agreements on the 2009-10 budget, their colleagues across the nation are struggling to bring their various budget issues to heel.

Granholm Signs Law To Keep Auto Show In Michigan LANSING -Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation aimed at keeping the North American International Auto Show in Michigan beyond 2010, preferably at its current home in Detroit’s Cobo Center.

GM Deal To Sell Part Of Opel To Magna Hits A Snag, Ford To Up Production DETROIT - The Financial Times reports GM's talks to sell part of Opel to Magna have hit a snag. The FT says Magna's Russian partners want access to GM's global technology so they can build Opel's in Russia, which GM isn't too keen to see happen. Also, GM wants a clause to be able to buy back some or all of Opel.

TGap Ventures Closes $26 Million Venture Capital II Fund KALAMAZOO - TGap Ventures, a Kalamazoo-based venture capital company, has closed its second fund, the now $26 million TGap Venture Capital II. TGap invests in Midwestern technology, information technology, medical device and and medical services companies.

Forrester: Tech Recovery To Start In Fourth Quarter BOSTON - The bad news: first-quarter spending on computing technology was worse than forecast. The good news: growth could resume earlier, according to a report Forrester Research released Tuesday.

Public Service Commission Urges Contractors To Join Efficiency Program LANSING - With most of the state's electric and natural gas utilities launching their energy efficiency programs over the coming month, the Public Service Commission on Monday invited those utilities and related contractors to join in an effort to improve those programs.

Podcast

Brinks Copyright Law Update ANN ARBOR - Bradley Smith, an intellectual property attorney with the Ann Arbor office of Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione, provides an update on copyright law. He'll answer questions such as - What can someone copyright? What does a person need to do to get copyright protection? Who owns the copyright, the author or the author's employer? How does a person enforce a copyright?

Brinks Patent Law Update ANN ARBOR - John Lingl, an Intellectual Property law attorney with Brinks, Hofer, Gilson and Lione, discusses in this Brinks channel legal update what is patentable, how is that determination made, and what you need to write in your patent application.

Automation Alley

Introduction to LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook & Twitter for Business TROY - The buzz is everywhere. Business Week, Wall Street Journal and CNN are reporting about it. Oprah, Larry King and Aston Kutcher are chatting about it. Your competitors are doing it.

Automation Alley Presents Roadmap To Healthcare IT TROY - The Automation Alley Technology Committee is hosting a panel discussion on July 14 that will take a look at how the United States can use technology to stem the rising cost of healthcare.

Entrepreneur's Corner

GLEQ Emerging Biz Runner Up - Lambert Technologies EAST LANSING - Lambert Technologies, which has developed a coating that lets engineers and designers see where the weak points are in parts under stress, was the runner up in the Emerging Business category for the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest business-plan writing contest.

GLEQ New Business Idea Runner Up - Rate My Student Rental EAST LANSING - RateMyStudentRental.Com, a web site for students to critique their rentals and landlords, was the runner up in the New Business Idea category of the 2009 Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest contest.

Security

Cyber Criminals Buy And Sell Botnets At Trading Platform TORONTO - Cyber-criminals continue to show just how enterprising they can be. Finjan's Malicious Code Research Center has discovered a trading platform that enables cyber-criminals to buy and sell botnets - essentially a one-stop shop for such activity.

ERT Systems Updates Emergency Resource Tracking Software ANN ARBOR - ERT Systems, which makes automated tracking systems for first responders, has released P.A.R. Version 4, an enhanced version of its emergency resource tracking and scene management software.

ConnecTech

Roger Rehm - ConnecTech Mentor Of The Month TROY - Roger Rehm, Chief Information Officer at Central Michigan University, is the ConnecTech Mentor of the Month. To learn more about this innovative program, which pairs aspiring CIOs with experienced ones, listen to this ConnecTech edition of Newsmaker interview.

Jeff Stanislow - ConnecTech Member Of The Month TROY - Jeff Stanislow, founder of Motor City Interactive, is the ConnecTech Member of the Month. Stanislow is a member of the Livingston ConnecTech Chapter.

GreenTech

Azure Is The Color Of Green For Buses, Vans ONEKAMA - Azure Dynamics has developed a series of hybrid powered electric buses, vans and other work vehicles that reduce greenhouse gases and improve fuel mileage. Azure, based in Southeast Michigan, displayed its vehicles at the Michigan Energy Fair.

Michigan Energy Fair Recap ONEKAMA - Jennifer Alverado, executive director of the Michigan Energy Fair, recaps the fourth annual Michigan Energy Fair held June 25-28 at the Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekama, a tiny town on the Lake Michigan coast south of Traverse City.

Politics

Hire Michigan First Package Could Move In Legislature This Week LANSING - A House committee could bring up the 'Hire Michigan First package this week, although a compromise on the legislation is still being sought.

Renaissance Center To Get Tax-Free Renaissance Zone Designation MACKINAC ISLAND - The Renaissance Center that is home to General Motors would be completely covered with a tax-exempt rich renaissance zone designation under a plan aired Friday to keep the automaker in downtown Detroit. The total tax exemption status would counter an offer from Warren for a 30-year property tax abatement if GM, which filed bankruptcy on Monday, consolidates at its technical center.

Biotechnology

New Legislation Pending For Embryonic Stem Cell Research LANSING - Legislation to fill in the gaps left with the passage of a constitutional proposal to permit embryonic stem cell research, which would include regulations and penalties for violations of confidentiality and other issues, Sen. Tom George (R-Kalamazoo) announced Thursday.

MEDC's Mason Named First Exec Director Of University Research Corridor LANSING - While many have said they expect the University Research Corridor to soar to new heights with Jeff Mason at the helm as its first executive director, that talk, and even a challenging economy, hasn't rattled him, he said in an interview on Friday.

Guest Columns

Record Crowd Attends 2009 Merit Member Conference ANN ARBOR - A record crowd of over 200 information technology professionals from organizations across Michigan came to Ann Arbor on June 11-12 to attend the 2009 Merit Member Conference, Merit Network's annual two-day networking and technology conference.

Michigan Enhanced Driver's License - New State Revenue Source, or Extortion Scheme? DETROIT - Renewing a drivers license has just gone from a tedious, but necessary process to an extortion game, as revenue starved states are cooperating with each other to collect every penny of traffic violation revenue possible from out of state shirkers.

New Products/Contracts

Guidepoint Launches New Services for Dealerships PONTIAC - GuidePoint Systems on Monday launched two new GPS-based products aimed at helping car dealerships protect their loaner cars and unsold vehicle inventory – but also increase their profitability.

AT&T Offers Small Busienss Laptops With 3G Wireless Technology DALLAS - AT&T on Wednesday announced small business customers nationwide can now purchase Acer, HP and Panasonic netbooks and laptops, featuring AT&T's embedded wireless technology, through the company’s relationship with CDW, a provider of technology solutions.