Michigan Community IT News Briefing

Monday, January 19, 2004 (Coverage: January 6, 2004 - January 19, 2004)

* Metro Detroit: Wi-Fi access a perk for some metro-area renters

JAN 18 2004

* Oakland County: County leader in fight against computer crimes

JAN 16 2004

* Calhoun County: Advertising campaign integrated into Calhoun tourism Web site

* Genesee County: Genesee County Web page for tourism draws attention

JAN 15 2004

* Ovid: Sixth-graders go on virtual field trip

* Leland: What's up in Leland? Thousands visit Web site to find out

* Traverse City: Northern Michigan College online nursing classes a hit

JAN 14 2004

* Battle Creek: Internet options to help market fiber-optic ring

* Ottawa County: Sheriff's new system cuts down on paper

JAN 13 2004

* Albion: Library gets tech award for E-News

* Muskegon County: Fiber-optic system taking more time than expected

* West Bloomfield: Local cable channel surfs technology wave

* Battle Creek: Schools think small - Students grab on to new tool for learning

* Flat Rock: Police cars to receive laptops, cameras

* Tekonsha, Burlington, Fredonia: Tekonsha has high-speed choice

JAN 09 2004

* Trenton: City gets FirstCall 

* Jackson County: Program gives parents access to kids' grades

* Holland: Middle school lets parents monitor child's progress through Internet

JAN 08 2004

* Garden City: City develops interactive Web site

* Grandville: District prepares plan for technology update

* Monroe County: County gets $100,000 to study access to Internet

JAN 07 2004

* Cheboygan-Otsego-Presque Isle Educational Service District: Compute this donation

* Sault Ste. Marie: City inks deal for broadband Internet

JAN 06 2004

* Grand Ledge: Grand Ledge updates billing system

Six workshops will be offered in the Upper Peninsula Region in March 2004. Each workshop will have a variety of experts, who will bring their expertise on topics in the area of local e-government and community-building initiatives. Upper Great Lakes Educational Technologies, Incorporated (UGLETI) is pleased to offer these workshops in cooperation with cyber-state.org for the purposes of advancing our citizen's and local government's use of information & communication technology (ICT). For more information, please call 734-302-4734.

Wi-Fi has moved into the metro area far beyond the home network or the occasional hot spot at a restaurant or coffee shop. From the new Wi-Fi service that went online last month in the midfield terminal at Metro Airport to the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center hotel to boaters at the Detroit Yacht Club, wireless broadband Internet systems are sprouting up faster than winter potholes on the Lodge Freeway.

Source: Detroit Free Press

URL: http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend19_20040119.htm

JAN 18 2004

* Oakland County: County leader in fight against computer crimes

Sheriff Michael Bouchard started a Computer Crimes Unit that stays busy helping other departments throughout the county conduct cyberinvestigations. It's important, too, because the shrinking budgets of most municipalities have prevented local police departments from expanding their investigative tools.

Source: Oakland Press

URL: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10829098&BRD=982&PAG=461&dept_id=467992&rfi=8

JAN 16 2004

The advertising campaign launched by the Greater Battle Creek/Calhoun County Visitor and Convention Bureau, and seen on a number of billboards along major Michigan highways, has been incorporated into its Web site, www.thatclose.org, said Jill Vanden Heuvel, executive director for the organization. 

Source: Battle Creek Enquirer

URL: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20040116/localnews/234861.html

* Genesee County: Genesee County Web page for tourism draws attention

Through a feature implemented in 2003, Michigan.org. - the state tourism Web site - recorded 16,508 click-throughs to the Flint Area Convention & Visitors Bureau's Web site.

Source: Flint Journal

URL: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/business-1/1074261067314910.xml?fljournal?BUGE

JAN 15 2004

Sixth-grade students at Ovid-Elsie's Leonard Elementary School conducted experiments Wednesday under the guidance of Andy Campbell, distance learning coordinator for COSI Toledo, a hands-on science, learning and fun center.Campbell, however, was in Toledo while the students were in their classroom in Ovid. They were connected through an audio/visual link that allowed Campbell and the students to see and talk with each other.

Source: Lansing State Journal

URL: http://www.lsj.com/news/schools/040115_virtual_4b.html

* Leland: What's up in Leland? Thousands visit Web site to find out

Folks from every state but Delaware and from 21 foreign countries have logged on to Keith Burnham's Leland Report (www.lelandreport.com) to find out what the weather's like and what people are saying in this picturesque little town. Many visitors left messages on the electronic bulletin board, either as a current resident, a homesick college student, an expatriate, a snowbird or a lifetime summer resident. Burnham, 70, updates the site 365 days a year with a new picture.

Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle

URL: http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/jan/15leland.htm

* Traverse City: Northern Michigan College online nursing classes a hit

Northwestern Michigan College is now training nurses online. The online option for the associates degree nursing program will enter its second semester when the spring term begins Friday. It began in the fall and is partly responsible for nursing enrollment growing from 94 students in fall 2002 to 145 students in fall 2003, said Debby Disch, NMC spokeswoman.

Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle

URL: http://www.record-eagle.com/2004/jan/15nurs.htm

JAN 14 2004

Battle Creek's fiber-optic conduit puts the city in a position to be at the forefront of Internet-based telecommunications, according to city and business leaders. The city's ability to provide numerous options for high-speed Internet access will play a large role in Battle Creek Unlimited's plan to market the citywide fiber-optic ring, said Jim Hettinger, president and chief executive officer for BCU, the city's economic development arm. The fiber-optic ring also will be important to the city's e-learning plans, Hettinger said.

Source: Battle Creek Enquirer

URL: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20040114/localnews/220911.html

* Ottawa County: Sheriff's new system cuts down on paper

Computers will be mightier than the pen for the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department in the near future. On Tuesday, the county Board of Commissioners approved buying an imaging system that Sheriff's Department officials say will drastically reduce hours spent handling police reports.

Source: Grand Rapids Press

URL: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1074095673317890.xml?grpress?NELK

JAN 13 2004

WebJunction, a national online community of libraries and other agencies, has awarded Albion Public Library for "Innovative Content and Uses of Technology" for 2003. Albion was the winner for libraries that serve between 10,000 and 24,999 people. The award specifically was for the e-mail newsletter, Albion E-News, which has helped supplement the community with information after the loss of the city's daily newspaper a few years ago.

Source: Battle Creek Enquirer

URL: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20040113/localnews/214632.html

* Muskegon County: Fiber-optic system taking more time than expected

The project to bring fiber optics to Muskegon County's 12 public school districts won't be completed by the end of the school year, but the wait will be "worth it," according to one school official. In addition to the schools, the fiber will serve Muskegon Community College, Baker College, Muskegon County government offices and 911 Central Dispatch. It is now estimated that the project will be finished sometime this fall, after the start of the 2004-05 school year.

Source: Muskegon Chronicle

URL: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1074010537178720.xml?muchronicle?NEM

JAN 11 2004

The township is currently upgrading its cable television network to better serve its residents who are cable subscribers. In addition to an events and information bulletin board, Channel 15 broadcasts live municipal board and council meetings, along with pre-recorded features with the police department, chamber of commerce, parks and recreation and community events.

Source: West Bloomfield Eccentric

URL: http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=12214

* Battle Creek: Schools think small: Students grab on to new tool for learning

For the first time this year, students at Pennfield and Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools are completing classroom assignments with handheld computers. Several other districts are in the visionary or planning process, hoping to keep up with the push to make technology more accessible for elementary through high school students.

Source: Battle Creek Enquirer

URL: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20040111/localnews/204614.html

* Flat Rock: Police cars to receive laptops, cameras

Digital cameras and laptop computers soon will be in use in the city's police cars. Officials voted 6-1 at a recent City Council meeting to purchase seven digital video cameras and unanimously approved the purchase of six laptop computers to be used in patrol cars.

Source: The News-Herald

URL: http://www.thenewsherald.com/stories/011104/loc_20040111014.shtml

* Tekonsha, Burlington, Fredonia: Tekonsha has high-speed choice

Villages and townships in southern Calhoun County now have opportunities to access high-speed Internet service. There is a great deal of excitement over this long-awaited technology. Howard Rigg, Tekonsha Village Clerk, says bringing this type of technology to the village is a great economic draw.

Source: Battle Creek Enquirer

URL: http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/news/stories/20040111/localnews/204628.html, Related: http://www.thedailyreporter.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2004/January/05-534-news3.txt

JAN 09 2004

The FirstCall system, now in place in Trenton, will save police some legwork and let residents know what to do sooner. The system can make dozens of phone calls a minute. Messages can be either prerecorded or customized at the time of notification, Civil Defense Officer Paul Haley said. In most scenarios, the first message would give general information and ask listeners to turn on the radio or television. A second message would give detailed instructions, if needed.

Source: The Ile Camera

URL: http://www.ilecamera.com/stories/010904/loc_20040109007.shtml

* Jackson County: Program gives parents access to kids' grades

The technology to give parents and students access to go online and check daily grades and assignments is starting to gain ground in Jackson County and beyond. Officials from most area school districts say they have talked about the technology and hope to use a similar program in the future. With an activation code, Michigan Center Junior High School parents can visit a web site to check behavior, future tests, game schedules as well as daily grades.

Source: Jackson Patriot

URL: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1073667978192700.xml?jacitpat?NEJ

* Holland: Middle school lets parents monitor child's progress through Internet

Begun as a pilot program at the Holland Christian school during the last quarter of the 2002-03 school year, a new system allows parents to access their child's grades, attendance and future homework assignments from any computer connected to the Internet. Holland Christian is one of a handful of West Michigan school districts, including Hudsonville and Jenison, to experiment with the new system. South Shore Christian Middle School is halfway through its first full year with the new program and already 82 percent of the school's parents have used the system at least once, according to school records.

Source: Holland Sentinel

URL: http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/010904/loc_010904002.shtml

JAN 08 2004

City employees often spend a lot of time answering questions and filling requests for forms or applications. But due to ongoing budget cuts, the city has fewer employees and like many other businesses is looking for ways to operate more efficiently. That's why the city is moving ahead with plans to establish an interactive city Web site.

Source: Garden City Observer

URL: http://www.hometownlife.net/berkley/NewsSearch.asp?pageType=Story&StoryID=11575

* Grandville: District prepares plan for technology update

Grandville school district officials say they plan to produce a specific proposal in the next couple of weeks to begin updating classroom technology over the next few years. Plans call for spending almost $300,000 this school year, $230,000 next year and $200,000 in the third year on computers and software for staff and students at Grandville High School, Grandville Middle School and six of the district's seven elementary schools.

Source: Grand Rapids Press

URL: http://www.mlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1073577195301800.xml?grpress?NEG

* Monroe County: County gets $100,000 to study access to Internet

The State of Michigan is kicking in $100,000 to help the county determine how accessible the Internet is to Monroe County residents. The county has received a Community Development Block Grant to fund the telecommunications study. The purpose is to identify infrastructure in the region, anticipated demand for services and user needs, options for meeting the need and a plan to meet the need, including funding sources.

Source: Monroe Evening News

URL: http://www.monroenews.com/articles/2004/01/08/news/news03.txt

JAN 07 2004

More than $53,000 in laptops and computer equipment were carried off the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw on Tuesday, to be relocated to area classrooms. The donation, which included 14 laptops and four desktop computers, was made to the Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle Educational Service District, according to U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Nikki Wood.

Source: Cheboygan Tribune

URL: http://www.cheboygannews.com/articles/2004/01/07/news/news6.txt

* Sault Ste. Marie: City inks deal for broadband Internet

Local residents appear to be even closer to broadband Internet following Monday's meeting of the Sault Ste. Marie City Commission. Lighthouse.net of Sault Ste. Marie will provide broadband Internet and e-mail services to all of the city offices and departments under the terms of the agreement the city commission unanimously approved Monday evening. The same system that serves the city will also be available for at least some of the commercial and residential customers.

Source: Sault Ste. Marie Evening News

URL: http://www.sooeveningnews.com/articles/2004/01/07/news/export5302.txt

JAN 06 2004

The city is replacing outdated water and sewer billing computer software that should help prevent the glitches that allowed a former clerk to embezzle $11,000 in 2002. Fully computerized billing - at a cost of $32,000 - and tougher ordinances also should prevent customers from stealing water or soaking landlords for the bills, city officials say.

Source: Lansing State Journal

URL: http://www.lsj.com/news/local/040106_billing_3b.html

* Detroit Free Press / tech, http://www.freep.com/index/tech.htm

* Detroit Tech News, http://detnews.com/technews/index.htm

* Michigan CrainTech, http://michigan.craintech.com/home.mv

* Michigan Technology News, http://www.mitechnews.com/

* Federal Computer Week, http://www.fcw.com/

* Government Computer News, http://www.gcn.com/sandl/

* Government Technology, http://www.govtech.net/

* New York Times: Technology, http://www.nytimes.com/pages/technology/

* Washtech.com (Washington Post), http://www.washtech.com/

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Cyber-state.org, a member of the Altarum family, is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that is committed to ensuring that all Michigan residents are able to benefit from information technology (IT). One of our priorities is to assist state and local policymakers as a resource for their creation and deliberation of IT policy. With these email news briefings, we hope to increase the awareness of the importance of information technology for Michigan's economy and educational system. If you do not find these email briefings to be useful or you would like to change the email address of the recipient in your office, please reply with an email to webmaster@cyber-state.org. Please do not reply to the group.