The saga of Tricentennial State Park on the Detroit waterfront has ended.  The Detroit City Council has approved a free lease to the state so that improvements can begin, according to the Detroit News:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/METRO/710310367/1409/METRO

Ann Arbor is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy to model the use of solar energy.  Check out this Ann Arbor News article:

http://tinyurl.com/2lhn82

The Toledo Blade has an article about a new coking plant that is in the planning stages along Maumee Bay.  The plant will be allowed to emit 51 pounds of mercury into the environment each year.

The article also had interesting factoids about the Monroe DTE plant and another area coal plant:

Comparatively, FirstEnergy Corp.’s coal-fired Bay Shore power plant in Oregon is allowed to release 198 pounds of mercury a year.

DTE Energy’s coal-fired power plant in Monroe, one of the nation’s largest, is allowed to release 780 pounds of mercury a year, according to an Ohio EPA fact sheet.

If you do the math, the brown streak in the Monroe sky can contain two pounds of mercury PER DAY.  As a teacher, I know that if we drop an old mercury thermometer, we have to evacuate the school.  So, we’ve gotten rid of them all.  I find it kind of ironic that we would evacuate so that the kids can breathe the mercury emitted from these power plants.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/NEWS17/710310412/-1/RSS08

The Marquette Mining Journal has a report about a Wisconsin discussion of the proposed Great Lakes water compact:

http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/500842.html

The two major car-sharing companies in the United States have merged, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer.  The closest area serviced by either company is Ann Arbor:

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/NEWS01/310310025/1002/rss

The Toledo Blade also has an editorial supporting a bond proposal that funds the Toledo Metroparks.  Here are some facts from the editorial:

After work and school, residents can enjoy any of the 12 Toledo Area Metroparks. That’s what many do, considering that 41 percent of county residents visit a metropark at least monthly.

For a little less than $16 more a year, the average homeowner gets free entry to the Metroparks to walk or jog, enjoy fresh air, and commune with plant and animal life along the well-maintained pedestrian and bike trails or in the meadows.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071031/OPINION02/710310311/-1/OPINION

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