Leonard N. Fleming / The Detroit News

Detroit — Mayor Dave Bing today announced an unprecedented program to entice police officers to move back into the city by offering ownership of 200 tax-foreclosed homes in two of the city’s most stable neighborhoods.

Flanked by top police brass and administration officials, Bing helped detail the program called “Project 14″ in which foreclosed homes will be available in the East English Village and Boston-Edison neighborhoods. The program name alludes to police code for “back to normal.”

Officers will pay up to $1,000 for the houses and receive up to $150,000 in federal grants to rehab them. City officials said the homes are in good shape for abandoned properties but need some work.

The mayor said that police officers “living in their neighborhoods have the potential to deter crime, increase public safety and improve relations between the community and our sworn officers.”

“Detroiters want to live in safe, stable neighborhoods and they deserve no less,” Bing said. “This is just step one of many things that we think we’re going to have to involve ourselves in as we bring our city back. We hope it’s a model for the nation.”

As more homes have become vacant and crime has been a nagging problem in the city for decades, Bing said this incentive program is critical to bringing people back. The city has lost half its population since it reached a peak of about 1.8 million in 1950. More left after the state Legislature banned municipal residency ordinances in 1999 requiring workers to live in cities that employ them.

The program is centered on the two neighborhoods, but the city also could offer houses in other ones, depending on officers’ needs, city officials said.

The mayor said the program would eventually be opened up to include firefighters and then provide some financial relief to officers who chose to never leave the city once more federal dollars are secured.

The city is partnering with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Michigan State Housing and Urban Development Authority, the Michigan Housing Trust and other private interests.

City officials did not reveal more specifics as to how many officers are interested or what other neighborhoods are being considered as part of the program.

Police Chief Ralph Godbee predicted the program would be a success.

“Our residents have told us loud and clear about the challenges that their neighborhoods face as more homes have become vacant and abandoned, threatening the stability and safety of our community,” Godbee said. “What we’re looking for is moving back to some normalcy in police-community relations.”

At least 53 percent of the city’s 3,000 police officers in Detroit live in the suburbs and the numbers are even higher for firefighters, the mayor said.

One of those is police officer William Booker-Riggs, 37, who lives in Southfield but is now eying a move back to the city as part of the program. He’s a single father of an 11-year-old girl who, in part, left 9 months ago for better opportunities for her.

Councilman Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said he “applauds the mayor’s vision” and believes the incentive program is a “step in the right direction” to turning around Detroit.

“I support anything that can be used as a way to get people to come back to the city,” Cockrel said. “I do think that we can’t lose sight of the fact that the ultimate incentive to get people to come to Detroit and to stay in Detroit is to fix a lot of the issues that are wrong with the city. It’s to improve public safety, it’s to have streetlights which work and are on, it’s to have streets which are clean and safe.”

The city is using $30 million in federal Neighborhood Stabilization Funds to pay for the program. It includes safeguards that would require police to repay money for the house if they sell it to someone other than a police officer.

lfleming@detnews.com

(313) 222-2072

Full article

Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News

Sales of Metro Detroit homes were up 19.71 percent in April over the same month in 2007, a possible sign the region’s moribund housing market is coming back to life.

The figure is part of a report released Tuesday by Realcomp, the region’s largest multiple listing service.

Only Livingston County posted lower sales this April than last, down 2.42 percent to 161 single-family homes and condominiums sold from 165 in April 2007.

Elsewhere, transactions were up:

– In Wayne County, sales gained 25.11 percent to 1,774 units in April from 1,418 the year before. Homes sold in City of Detroit drove much of the growth; sales there rose up 71.32 percent to 932 homes from 544.

– Oakland County: Up 9.87 percent, from 1,003 to 1,102.

– Macomb County: Up 31.58 percent, from 494 to 650.

But the brisker sales haven’t necessarily boosted gains for home sellers.

Foreclosure prices have driven down the Metro Detroit average significantly. The region’s median home price has plunged 27.9 percent in April over the same month a year ago.

In Wayne County — where 857 foreclosure sales were closed in April along with 917 non-foreclosure deals — the average selling price was $28,000 compared to $102,000 in April 2007. That was driven largely by a 68.76 percent slide in Detroit, where the median price fell to $9,200 from $29,450.

Pending home sales are up for the region as well, with Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Livingston counties all showing gains.

You can reach Nathan Hurst at (313) 222-2293 or nhurst@detnews.com.

Detroit’s glitzy Fasion Week Gives the runway to Michigan talent

Wendy Case / Special to The Detroit News

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Every fall, the world watches as fashion designers descend on the catwalks of New York City, London, Paris and Milan to unveil their latest collections. “Fashion Week,” as it is called, is a whirlwind of flash and dash, as famous models and fashion houses mingle with industry lynchpins, press and party people.

For local fashion photographer and entrepreneur Brian Heath, bringing that same sense of excitement and opportunity to Detroit is not just wishful thinking; it’s a committed dream.

Thursday through Saturday, Heath and his volunteer staff will present the fourth annual Detroit Fashion Week at Asian Village on the city’s downtown riverfront. Though smaller in scale and focus than its heady counterparts, the event’s purpose is the same: to bring designers, models, beauty professionals and businesspeople together to create a more cohesive and prosperous atmosphere for Metro Detroit’s fashion industry.

“If you ever wanted to experience Paris or New York, or something on a little grander scale than a small fashion show in a neighborhood club, this is it,” says Heath, who estimates a nightly audience of 300 to 500. “It makes me proud, as a Detroiter, that we can present this kind of event. It’s fun and it’s beautiful.”

While Detroit Fashion Week is accessible to everyone, its goal is to put the spotlight on Michigan talent.

“We are an industry fashion show that is interested in creating business,” says Heath, a 48-year-old Detroit native who launched the event at 4731 Gallery in Detroit in 2005. “The level of talent that we have here in Michigan needs the opportunity to be seen beyond the basements that they design in and the homes that they sell from.

“Marketing is the main goal of fashion weeks across the planet,” Heath says. “With Detroit Fashion Week, we literally have the designers on the runway (in front of) store buyers.”

And like its major league namesakes, Detroit Fashion Week presents its cause with the same sparkle and glitz as those in Paris and Milan. Three days of runway shows featuring local models in couture gowns, cocktail dresses, urban street wear and casual sportswear are accompanied by after parties and VIP receptions — all in an effort to balance the classic traditions of fashion presentation with the fiscal realities of the business.

“It’s been hard for the fashion industry to be taken seriously here in Michigan because it’s just been used for entertainment for so long,” says Heath, who also works to engage area schools, businesses and agencies on the project and has attracted high-profile sponsors such as Dior and advertising agency Gail & Rice. “Through Detroit Fashion Week, we’ve actually formed a nucleus of professionals who are interested in establishing a foundation for the industry here. We want to keep Michigan natives employed in Michigan.”

Axel Harney, 30, waited in line to audition for Detroit Fashion Week as the event was gathering momentum at Asian Village a few weeks ago. As his portfolio reveals, the handsome Whitmore Lake native has modeled all over the world, but he says it’s becoming difficult for models to work in Detroit with the state’s flagging economy.

Harney hopes Detroit Fashion Week will be the shot in the arm that the local industry needs to show what it can do. “The cool thing about Detroit is that people are willing to take a chance,” says Harney, who’s one of 70-some local male and female models who’ll be walking the runways this week. “They do things that are more edgy, quirky and creative. It’s not as conservative and commercial as it is in places like Chicago.”

Fotoula Lambros of Femilia, the Ferndale-based street couture label she owns with partner Emily Thornhill, is a big supporter of Detroit Fashion Week. Femilia showed last year and will be back again this week with 10 other local, regional and national designers.

“When we did the first Fashion Week, it was amazing,” says Lambros, 25. “We revealed a 30-piece collection, and it got a huge response. People actually gave us a standing ovation.

“Brian Heath is doing a great thing by allowing designers like us to show our work,” she says. “It gives us an outlet that we couldn’t have had on our own. It’s done nothing but help us.”

Wendy Case is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.

Fashion Week at your fingertips

What: Fourth annual Detroit Fashion Week
When: Thursday-Saturday
Where: Asian Village, 521 Atwater St., Detroit
Thursday: 6 p.m. Infinity Talent Group VIP Reception followed by a runway show at 8 p.m. of bridal couture from New York City’s St. Pucchi at 8 p.m. Industry afterparty to follow.
Friday: 6:30 p.m. VIP Reception followed at 8 p.m. by a runway show featuring alternative, urban, fur and men’s and women’s sportswear by four designers. Industry afterparty to follow.
Saturday: 2 p.m. Accessory Marketplace; 6:30 p.m. VIP reception; 8 p.m. runway show featuring evening, contemporary vintage, costume, fur and men’s and women’s haute couture by six designers. Industry afterparty to follow.
Tickets: $25-$120. Prices vary depending on the show. Visit www.detroitfashionweek.com for prices and information
Call: (313) 244-3066

Designers

See the work of the following local and national designers:
Beulah Cooley, Detroit: Couture evening wear
Jill Robertson, Ferndale: Couture evening wear
Femilia, Ferndale: Couture cocktail wear
Brandi Wade, Ypsilanti: Urban couture
Kristine Fergusson, Midland: Couture bridal, evening/costume wear
Angela Mcbride, Royal Oak: Alternative California wear
Michael Humphrey, Detroit: Sports, evening wear
Tanya Seals, Atlanta: Fur jackets
Jovani of Viper Apparel, Saginaw: Couture gowns, prom dresses
Sherry Couture of Viper Apparel, Saginaw: Couture gowns, prom dresses
Rani of St. Pucchi, New York City: Couture bridal

*Article referenced to Detroit News

This article was taken from www.detnews.com

Please see the Red Bull Air Race 2008 webpage at www.redbullairrace.com

Acrobatic air race to roar over Detroit River this spring

The Detroit News – March 11, 2008
Christine Ferretti

DETROIT — Motown could get more bragging rights as Sports Town USA this spring, when the world’s top acrobatic airplane pilots bring their death-defying series of slaloms, stunts and slides at speeds exceeding 250 mph to skies over the Detroit River.

The Red Bull Air Race World Series, an international race that features planes zigzagging through 65-foot-high inflatable gates, is coming to Detroit on May 31 and June 1. It’s one of two North American cities selected for this year’s series of races from April to November in 11 nations including Sweden, Australia, Hungary and United Arab Emirates.

Red Bull and Detroit officials expect to announce the event this week, which they said would attract at least 100,000 spectators and pump $64 million into the economy — about as much as last year’s big return of the Belle Isle Grand Prix. Along with the Gold Cup Hydroplane Races, it’s yet another sporting event that would showcase the Detroit River.

“The Motor City loves racing of all kinds,” said Christopher Baum, senior vice president of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have the Grand Prix, hydroplane races on the water and now over the river. Cars, airplanes or boats, you can watch it in Detroit. It’s exciting, and lot of folks who enjoy any type of vehicle race can come and see it up close and personal.”

The announcement follows several other blue-ribbon international sports events in Detroit — from the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and World Series a few years ago to this month’s NCAA Men’s Midwest Regional Basketball Tournament and the upcoming PGA tournament in August.

But the Red Bull air races are a different bird altogether.

‘NASCAR in the air’
Regarded by organizers as “NASCAR in the air,” competitors navigate air gate obstacle courses within 500 feet of crowds that annually exceed 4 million worldwide.

Until now, San Francisco and San Diego were the only U.S. cities to host the daring, high-speed races that feature pilots in high-end aerobatic planes competing individually in timed runs. San Diego is the other North American city to nab a tour stop this year.

The selection of Detroit follows extensive lobbying from Jon Rimanelli, a self-proclaimed “airplane freak” and pilot. He first began campaigning for a Detroit stop in November.

“It occurred to me this would be a perfect town. The Detroit River was a turn-key venue when we compared it to all the venues (around the world) and next thing you know we starting pulling it all together,” said Rimanelli, CEO of Detroit Air Racing Inc., a Detroit-based company of pilots and aviation enthusiasts.

“This is a great vehicle for the city to show all these folks around the world that we’re not a rusty, dusty city, and all the improvements that have taken place. It’s going to be really great for the city long-term.”

Red Bull officials said Detroit became the natural choice because of its international reputation as the automotive city and as an aviation beacon. Besides cars, Detroit is still renowned for producing nearly 5,500 B-24 bombers in World War II at Ford Motor Co.’s Willow Run plant.

Runway to be built
Less than two weeks before the race, Red Bull staffers will build a temporary runway at Coleman Young Municipal Airport for the event, said Al Fields, the deputy chief operating officer of Detroit. The planes will take off from the runway and navigate through 13 gates about 10-30 feet above the river.

The program, which originated back in 2001 and made its debut in the United States in 2005, is broadcast in over 139 countries to about 400 million viewers, Red Bull officials said.

“The economic impact will be substantial,” Baum said, adding Red Bull staffers and production members alone will account for about 5,000 hotel room nights for the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. “Airplanes cover a bit of territory and can be seen from many vantage points. You don’t have to be close to see this. You can watch the entire course from wherever you are.”

To complete the steep turns, pilots must approach speeds of 250 mph and fly about 10 to 30 feet above the water and sometimes maneuver 90 degree turns just to clear the zigzagging routes, said world aerobatics champion and American commercial pilot Kirby Chambliss.

“It’s really exciting. The turns that you can make blow you away. I’ve never seen anyone turn like this,” said Chambliss, 48, the 2006 World Series champion. “It’s all the things I love — speed and airplanes and aerobatics. It’s extremely dangerous and every track is different.”

Fields said the event will be a great way to show off the city. “We’re a cool place and a lot of fun things are happening,” he said. “We like having that (reputation) and want to keep it going.”

You can reach Christine Ferretti at (734) 462-2289 or cferretti@detnews.com.