Mayor-elect Mike Duggan said Tuesday he is talking to Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr about getting a significant role in turning around the city's services. Although Orr has the power to make most major city decisions, Duggan said he hopes to persuade the state-appointed Orr to give him responsibility for police and other services. Duggan, the keynote speaker at the first in a series of public policy forums sponsored by The Detroit News, said the arrangement between him and Orr is complicated, but stressed talks about his role will continue and he won't be criticizing the emergency manager because it wouldn't be constructive. Their next scheduled meeting is Thursday. The forum, held in the Community Arts auditorium at Wayne State University, included prepared remarks by Duggan, who then answered questions from the audience, and a panel discussion on the Detroit bankruptcy proceedings.

Wayne State University's Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society will present "Bankruptcy: What does it mean for the city? Voices from Other Places," the story of other communities that are in or emerging from significant financial stress up to and including bankruptcy. The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, in the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium at WSU's Law School. "We once were known as the Paris of the Midwest," said Irvin D. Reid, director of FOCIS and inaugural holder of Wayne State's Eugene Applebaum Chair in Community Engagement. "For decades, we were the destination of thousands of immigrants. We earned worldwide fame as the motor city. Now, we're the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history." "It is too late to wonder how that happened," Reid added about Detroit's municipal bankruptcy. "What matters now is what bankruptcy will mean for the city, its citizens and its rebirth. Our panels of experts will explore what we can and should not expect, and what steps we can take to bring our city through this dangerous time in its history."

Producers of Katie Couric's talk show "Katie" visited Wayne State University on Monday, Nov. 11 in the WSU Student Center to try and help Alternatives for Girls, a Detroit-based nonprofit serving homeless and high-risk girls and young women, fill its Christmas list and bring awareness to the organization. The show asked Wayne State students, employees and Detroiter's to adopt one girl's holiday wish list for $30, or to make another donation to the organization. The WSU community came together for a pep rally type gathering to support the effort.

For the second year in a row, 93 percent of Michigan drivers and front-seat passengers are buckling up, according to statewide observation surveys conducted this summer by the Wayne State University Transportation Research Group. According to the findings, there was an overall marginal decrease of .6 percent from 2012 in the statewide seat belt use rate. Other things remained consistent: males, younger occupants and those in pickup trucks continue to exhibit lower belt use rates. Among the findings, SUV occupants had the highest belt use at 94.3 percent, and pickup truck occupants the lowest at 90 percent. Women buckled up 94.8 percent of the time compared to 92.1 percent for men. Seat belt use was highest for those 60 and older at 95.7 percent, and lowest for those 0 to 15 at 91.2 percent.

A study conducted by ACCESS and Wayne State University found an alarming health statistic: The rate of Arab-Americans with diabetes is triple the rate of other groups. As a result, ACCESS and Enroll America are teaming to increase the number of people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare." Gary Dougherty, the state advocacy director for the American Diabetes Association, said more than 1 million Michigan residents have been diagnosed with diabetes and another 2.6 million are prediabetic, meaning their blood sugar is higher than normal. But, only 7 percent of those people are aware they're prediabetic. He also said that in 2012, at least $8 billion was spent on diabetic medical costs in the state.

Wayne State University last week hosted an open house for aspiring morticians that drew hundreds. Once prerequisites are completed, a mortician can complete the Wayne State University course work in three semesters. Students and professors at the school took groups of seven or eight through the classrooms giving them a glimpse of what they can expect. Founded in 1939, the Wayne State University mortuary science program is the only accredited school in Michigan meeting requirements necessary for state licensing.

Oakland Community College(OCC) nursing graduates, who work in the field for six months, will be able to transfer directly into Wayne State University's College of Nursing bachelor of science program at WSU's Farmington Hills campus under a new agreement. The agreement eases the transition into WSU's bachelor of science program by allowing the prescribed list of credits required to earn OCC's associate nursing degree program to transfer to WSU, with minimal duplication of courses. OCC has more than 500 students in its nursing program, one of the largest in Michigan. Nancy T. Artinian, interim dean of the Wayne State's College of Nursing, said the college hopes to start enrolling OCC nursing graduates now to start the program in January. The agreement runs through June 30, 2016. "Wayne State University nursing graduates are prized for their leadership, case management and practitioner skills in all areas of the healthcare system," Artinian said. "We are excited to see what this partnership leads to."

Detroit Mayor-elect Mike Duggan will give the keynote speech at Tuesday's Detroit News forum focusing on how to lead the city back to local control. The forum will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Wayne State University's Community Arts Auditorium. The free, reservation-required event will include a discussion with City Council President Saunteel Jenkins, former Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel, Brand Jessup of Michigan Forward and Daniel Howes, columnist and associate business editor at The News. News Editorial Page Editor Nolan Finley will moderate.

Back in August, The Detroit Business Support Network announced the release of the Detroit Biz Grid, which is a physical infographic that helps Detroit entrepreneurs connect with an array of organizations that provide business assistance within the city. Leslie Smith, president and CEO of Tech Town, visited Craig Fahle to discuss small businesses and the future of the city. The Detroit Business Support Network will host Biz Grid Live! on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Wayne State University's McGregor Memorial Conference Center.

NPR international correspondent Deborah Amos and Fred Pearson, professor of political science and director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, spoke with Craig Fahle about the 2013 Max Mark-Cranbrook Peace Lecture and Peacemaker Awards Ceremony. Amos is the scheduled keynote speaker at the ceremony, and will receive a Global Peacemaker Award.

The addition of two more universities offering courses in Livonia soon will push the number of places area residents can earn a degree in Livonia to eight. The move by Schoolcraft College to partner with Wayne State University and the University of Toledo to offer four-year degrees just enhances the opportunities for students looking to stay close to home. Programs offered through the newly announced "Schoolcraft to U" initiative include business, nursing, engineering and criminal justice. Classes will be offered in a recently acquired building on Schoolcraft's campus at Seven Mile and Haggerty in Livonia.

A report includes highlights from Thursday's Accelerate Michigan Competition. In the student competition, the University of Michigan's three year grip on first place was broken. First place and a $25,000 prize went to Soletics of Grand Valley State University, a developer of gloves and jackets heated by solar energy for outdoor sports wear. Second place and a $15,000 prize went to SIB Medical Technologies LLC of Wayne State University, developers of a sample collection device for home stool samples. Taking third place and a $10,000 prize was AirFuel of Michigan State University, which builds miniature lightweight wind turbines to provide off-grid electricity. Additional WSU finalists are named in the report.

Irvin D. Reid, director of the Forum on Contemporary Issues in Society (FOCIS) and inaugural holder of Wayne State University's Eugene Applebaum Chair in Community Engagement, and James Spiotto, Chapman and Cutler, LLP bankruptcy lawyer, were guests on The Craig Fahle Show talking about FOCIS's Nov. 21 event titled "Bankruptcy: What could it mean for Detroit: Voices from other places." The half-day public conference will feature two panel discussions: One panel features elected officials and an educator whose cities went through bankruptcy. The second panel comprises advocates for the various players in those municipalities. They were the lawyers who represented the pensioners, bondholders, city officials, ordinary citizens and the municipalities themselves in federal court. They are the few experts in this relatively new area of law, for what is known as Chapter 9 clearly is different from other forms of bankruptcy. The event runs from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium at WSU's Law School.

A column highlighting some of the best cold and flu season advice includes suggestions from Tonia Reinhard, senior lecturer in nutrition and food science at Wayne State University. Reinhard says that while vitamin C can't make a cold or flu go away, it can reduce the time you're affected by it. She recommends eating bell peppers and dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, brussel sprouts and broccoli raw or dipped in hummus for some extra protein, to maximize nutritional content.

Wayne State University's Mortuary Science Building is opening its doors to the public. No reservations are required for Thursday's annual open house event, which draws hundreds of visitors, many of whom line up outside the building. The Mortuary Science Open House is free to attend. It began in 1991 as a small gathering of alumni, students and friends of the mortuary science program. The four-story building houses teaching and research resources in embalming, anatomy, restorative arts, clinical laboratory science and pathology assistant laboratories. The Wayne State mortuary science program began in 1939 and was one of the nation's first programs of its kind. The school says it still is the only accredited, undergraduate degree program leading to state licensure in Michigan.

Wayne State University lecturer Saeed Khan, an expert on Near East history, politics, and culture, talked with Craig Fahle about the current nuclear talks between the United States and Iran. The talks between the two nations represent the first effort to negotiate since the 1970's.

The Wayne State University School of Medicine has partnered with the Detroit Lions Living for the City philanthropic initiative that focuses on sustainable community health, wellness and development. In a partnership that's the first of its kind between an NFL franchise and a university medical school, the Detroit Lions and WSU School of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences will work with Detroit residents, especially children, to teach methods to improve health, conduct health fairs and plan other programs, event and activities. "This collaborative effort will provide another structured active learning approach for the students in this area as well as an opportunity for faculty and staff to share their expertise and knowledge on a variety of public health and medical issues with the Detroit Lions and their partners," said Juliann Binienda, Ph.D., assistant professor of family medicine and public health sciences, and principal investigator of the school's Bridges to Equity program.

Wayne State University's Mortuary Science Building will open its doors to the public for its annual open house from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14. This is a 'learn and tour' experience through the four-story building, which houses the most advanced teaching and research resources in embalming, anatomy, restorative arts, clinical laboratory science and pathology assistant laboratories. There is no charge and no reservation required for the WSU Mortuary Science Open House. The WSU mortuary science program began in 1939 and was one of the nation's first programs of its kind. Today, it is still the only accredited, undergraduate degree program leading to state licensure in Michigan.

Having the opportunity to play football at the college level is one not many players get. And aside from just getting the opportunity, Wayne State University kicker Stefan Terleckyj is doing something with it, as he was honored in both September and October by the Fred Mitchell Award organization, which recognizes place-kickers for excellence on and off the football field. Terleckyj was one of 26 kickers to receive the accolade in September, with 35 being recognized in October. According to a release by Wayne State University, the Fred Mitchell Award is given to the nation's top collegiate place-kicker among more than 750 FCS, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA football teams.

Producers from Katie Couric's talk show "Katie" came to Detroit Monday to help make Christmas wishes come true for formerly homeless girls and young women. And they left town with about $3,500 worth of apparel and gifts. The producers arrived at Wayne State University's Student Center Building to try to help Alternatives for Girls, a Detroit-based nonprofit serving homeless and high-risk girls and young women. It's part of Couric's "Challenge for Change." Producers are visiting five cities, including Phoenix, Denver and New York City. Their next step is Washington, D.C. Wayne State students and employees and Detroiters are being asked to adopt one girl's holiday wish list for $30, or to make another donation to the organization. Jeffrey D. Block, assistant vice president for special events and services, coordinated the event. "It was a really short notice because we didn't hear from the producers until Saturday," he said. "We've gotten so much support from our athletes, other students, Barnes & Noble and others on campus."