John Mogk, a longtime law professor at Wayne State University specializing in government and urban development issues, said he foresees four major obstacles that continue to hinder Detroit Works, an effort launched in 2019 to more broadly engage city residents and develop a long-range plan for city development. Those include political resistance among residents of distressed neighborhoods who don\'t like the idea of being downsized; the fiscal challenge of paying to implement any plan; the city\'s diminished administrative capacity to handle complex details of any major plan, and legal challenges that may be filed against whatever plan emerges next year.

Sheila Cockrel, who teaches at Wayne State University and is a former city council member for 16 years, commented about the challenges facing an emergency financial manager should Gov. Rick Snyder appoint someone to fill the slot. She said long-term relief is unlikely until the city changes the pension system to a 401(k)-style defined-contribution plan and puts more health insurance costs on employees and retirees. \"The entire structure of the city reflects a 1950s model in which the United States was the dominant economy of the world and automobile manufacturing was the core driver,\" said Cockrel. \"None of that is true anymore.\"

According to a study in The Journal of Pain, chronic pain suffered by one spouse can affect marital communication and influence the partner\'s ability to cope with a chronic pain condition. Researchers from Wayne State University and the Norwegian Center for Addiction Research tested how the sequences and base rates of couples\' affective interactions related to pain and emotional adjustment in both partners. According to their theory, invalidating behavior followed by undermining behavior by either partner would be linked to more severe pain, less marital satisfaction and depression.

Fox 2 sports reporter Woody Woodriffe and his panel on "Sports Works" talked about the Wayne State's Warriors and their quest toward a national championship.

The cinderella story of the 2011 Wayne State University football team continued on Saturday as the Warriors (11-3 overall) claimed a 31-25 triumph at Minnesota Duluth (11-3 overall), the defending national champions. WSU, seeded sixth in Super Region 3, recorded three consecutive road wins (48-38 at #14-St. Cloud State, 38-26 at #4 Nebraska Kearney, and 31-25 at #9 Minnesota Duluth) to advance to next weekend\'s national semifinal contest at Winston-Salem. Matt Cunningham, director of athletic development, commented in the WWJ report. WDIV-TV viewers are informed about the game viewing at Starters Bar and Grill.

Quicken Loans Inc. founder Dan Gilbert\'s accumulation of downtown properties might soon restore life in several big, empty buildings in Detroit. But vacant, blighted structures will dot the central business district for years to come, real estate analysts say. \"While there obviously has been an impact, and each acquisition (by Gilbert) gains a headline, the volume of vacant parcels is still significant,\" said Robin Boyle, chair of Wayne State University\'s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Downtown has many obsolete buildings, Boyle said. The global financial crunch makes it difficult to put together financing to buy structures or fix them.

WDET's Craig Fahle talked to Wayne State University Warriors Coach Paul Winters about the team\'s impressive record this fall, as well as his expectations for the rest of the football season. Winters also was a guest on WJR's Frank Beckmann show. (WJR audio not available)

The Wayne State University football season is chronicled in this story highlighting redshirt seniors Troy Burrell and Cory Zauner, both from Port Huron. The Warriors are three wins away from a national championship and will look to continue their success Saturday on the road against defending national champion Minnesota Duluth. A photo of Burrell and Zauner is included.

Educators and university researchers from across the country will gather on Jan. 23 in Washington, D.C. for \"Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit.\" Controversy continues to grow over the role of handwriting instruction, especially cursive instruction-in elementary school. Among the university professors participating in the summit is Gerry Conti, director of the Human Movement Laboratory at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

A Wayne State University School of Medicine student has launched a campaign to renew awareness of HIV and AIDS during the 30th anniversary of the diseases\' identification. Phillip Kucab, a second-year medical student, created World AIDS Day Detroit to call greater attention to the disease. Wayne State University President Allan Gilmour and WSU School of Medicine Dean Valerie M. Parisi serve on the World AIDS Day Detroit Honorary Host Committee. Kucab also appeared on WDET's Craig Fahle Show to talk about launching the event.

Jina Yoon, an associate professor of educational psychology at Wayne State University, is quoted in part one of a three part National Science Foundation series: Bullying in the Age of Social Media. Researchers, educators and social psychologists are trying to define cyberbullying. Yoon says studies of cyberbullying use different definitions-a situation that can lead to challenges when developing plans or policies that seek to prevent it.

The Wayne State University Law School announced today that Stephen Calkins has been appointed to a top position in Ireland\'s trade regulation agency. Calkins, a law professor and Wayne State associate vice president, has taken a leave of absence as of Monday to accept the new position as member of the Competition Authority of Ireland and head of its mergers division. He expects to return to Wayne State after the position with the authority ends.

Wayne State coach Paul Winters is focused on next game, not Akron job Paul Winters, in his eighth season at Wayne State, has turned the Warriors into a Division II national power. They are 33-13 the last four years. They set a school record with nine wins and were ranked No. 12 last season. They earned a D-II playoff spot for the first time in school history this season, and earned wins at St. Cloud State and Nebraska-Kearney to improve to 10-3. Now, they will play in a national quarterfinal game Saturday at defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth. Winters' name was mentioned in the Cleveland Plain Dealer for the Akron head coaching job, which opened up after Rob Ianello was fired. When asked if he had interest in the Akron job, Winters said: \"The only interest I have is in winning the national championship. We\'re playing the defending national champions. I think for our young men, it\'s a great opportunity to go up against the very best and I know to a man they are looking forward to it.\"

Wayne State University is among six institutions being honored by University Business magazine and Higher One in the fall 2011 round of the \"Models of Efficiency\" program. Each honoree developed new approaches that streamline operations to deliver superior services to students and other constituents in less time and at lower cost. \"Models of Efficiency\" is a national recognition program implemented by the magazine, in partnership with Higher One, to honor institutions of higher learning that meet the education business and technology challenges of today\'s campuses.

Warriors head coach Paul Winters was interviewed during a segment hosted by sports columnist Mike O\'Hara and WJR Mitch Albom show co-host Ken Brown. Winters talked about the team's successful season and the upcoming national quarterfinal game Saturday against Minnesota-Duluth.

Dr. Anthony Cacace, a tinnitus specialist at Wayne State University whose research team received a $1.5 million grant from the Pentagon to study blast-induced tinnitus, is quoted in a story examining the effects of the condition which affects an estimated 50 million Americans. \"If we look at payments for disability compensation for tinnitus ... the Veterans Administration will be paying out over $1 billion by the end of this year alone, a figure which is expected to double in the next few years,\" he said.

New Nixon tapes reveal details of meeting with anti-war activists Melvin Small, distinguished professor of history emeritus at Wayne State University, joined a discussion about the release of the new tapes from the Richard Nixon presidency. Small is the author of the books \"The Presidency of Richard Nixon\" and \"Covering Dissent: The Media and Anti-Vietnam War Movement.\"

Free Press sports columnist Terry Foster wrote a feature story about the success of Wayne State's football team, and the road leading to this year's playoff berth. WSU athletic director Rob Fournier and Warrior head coach Paul Winters comment in the piece. Tackle Joe Long also is quoted.

A feature lauds Wayne State University's Tech Town for showcasing the power of creative thinking and cooperation between public and private entities. The article highlights the history of TechTown, its leadership and recent innovations. President and CEO Leslie Smith said the organization is working to go back to its roots. "Tech Town started with just high tech concerns. But as the economy declined, we developed partnerships with more lifestyle businesses," she said. "Now we're trying to reverse that trend by promoting our high-tech tenants more aggressively."

Free Press sports writer George Sipple offered a pre-game feature story about Wayne State's Warrior's football team as they headed into Saturday's game against Nebraska-Kearney. Senior running back Josh Renel comments in the piece. A photo is included.