NOTE!
Five Things You Need to Know will be skiing at Searchmont in Ontario and be back (much refreshed) on Monday, March 28th!

The Jetsons Go to the Hospital
The Detroit Free Press reports that today the Detroit Medical Center will become the world's first hospital system to deploy an entire fleet of real robots that can see, hear, talk, scoot around and allow doctors to be in two places at once. The RP-6 robot stands 5' 7" and has a two-way video screen for a head and will allow immediate consultation with specialist doctors in critical situations.

Smart Growth in Grand Rapids
The Michigan Land Use Institute reports that ten years of Smart Growth policy has generated an urban comeback in Grand Rapids. has generated there. Like so many other downtowns in our state, Grand Rapids was facing abandonment, decay, and despair. Unlike many others cities in Michigan, their downtown is gaining population and prosperity.

Plan to Eliminate School Bus Inspections Worrisome to Many
The Detroit News reports that Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to eliminate annual state school bus inspections to save $1.3 million. Inspections last year sidelined almost 2,200 of the 17,800 buses because of serious safety violations. This has parents and school administrators worrying about the safety of the state's school bus fleet (and their passengers).

Audrey Hepburn replaces Britney Spears
Risque is out, sophisticated is in for 2005 prom dresses according to the Detroit News. It may seem frivolous, but any parent of a prom-going girl knows that it's serious business!

Homer Says ... It's Tulip Time!
In keeping with the lighthearted, cartoon vibe, Holland and Tulip Time (their annual May Festival) received endorsement from an unlikely source -- Simpsons cartoon character Homer Simpson who remarked that he wouldn't mind taking an RV to the tulip festival. The episode's writer said: "People need to know there is more to Michigan than Detroit -- There is Detroit and the tulip festival."

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