In response to complaints about handbill distributors littering neighborhoods, peering into windows and being linked to crimes, Harper Woods officials are considering banning the distribution of commercial handbills on public and private property. Wayne State University law professor Lawrence Dubin said upon his review of the Harper Woods proposed ordinance that "Commercial free speech is protected by the First Amendment. Government can place reasonable restrictions on the time, place and manner of protected speech. A total ban on this type of speech may not pass constitutional muster in that it goes beyond serving specific legitimate government interests that represent dangers that need to be prevented.\"

An article notes that Wayne State University will host two events next week for those seeking employment and career opportunities. On April 11, the event is for those seeking new careers for TechTown's Shifting Gears training program and on April 12, is a Criminal Justice Job and Career Fair. A promo video of TechTown is posted as a sidebar.

The University of Michigan's SMART research project is teaming with the University Research Corridor to take a deep dive into some of the world's most vexing transportation challenges during a conference this week in Detroit. \"Transforming Transportation: Economies and Communities\" will bring together a diverse array of transportation experts to hatch innovative ideas around issues like logistics, the future of transportation and alternative transportation strategies for Southeast Michigan. The summit runs today through Saturday at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit. Organized for the past two years by SMART, the cross-disciplinary project is collaborating for the first time with URC partners Michigan State University and Wayne State University to organize the summit.

Because of a pending state Supreme Court ruling in a similar case, criminal assault charges are on hold against Maryanne Godboldo for an armed standoff with police and child welfare workers who removed her teenage daughter from her home. Godboldo was due in the city\'s 36th District Court today for a preliminary examination on charges of assault, resisting and opposing police and use of a firearm in the commission of felony crimes. Peter Henning, professor of law at Wayne State University, said putting off criminal proceedings is unusual, but also a rare opportunity.

An article examines the increase in lawyers using a master of laws (LL.M) degree to set themselves apart educationally for future job opportunities and promotions. Wayne State University Law School offers LL.M. programs in tax, corporate finance and labor and employment law, said Professor Paul Dubinsky, director of Graduate Studies. The number of students in these programs has remained relatively constant in recent years and the challenging nature of the curriculum is one reason why. "In part this is because the standards for graduation from these programs are high - significantly higher than the J.D. program," Dubinsky said. A photo of Dubinsky is included.

The purpose of the Michigan Allies Project is to collect data and report on "hate" incidents and crimes throughout the state of Michigan. A project of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and Wayne State University Law School, the project has moved forward under the leadership of Wayne State Law Professor Jocelyn Benson, who is also the associate director of the Keith Center. The project's focus will be on hate incidents that target individuals based on their race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation.

Numerous stories nationwide highlighted Wayne State University's Perinatology Research Branch (PRB), which yesterday announced results from a study on premature births. The research, being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in prematurity in three decades, revealed that pre-term births can be avoided by routine screening and treating women at risk with a low-cost gel. Discovered by federal and Wayne State University researchers, results of the ground-breaking study are expected to change the practice of obstetrics, lower disparities among African-American women and reduce the world\'s 12 million premature births annually. \"This is a major step forward for obstetrics and for the healthcare of women and babies,\" said Dr. Roberto Romero, the study\'s principal investigator and chief of the PRB. http://www.detnews.com/article/20110407/LIFESTYLE03/104070410/1040/Study-out-of-WSU-could-be-breakthrough-in-cutting-premature-births http://mms.tveyes.com/Transcript.asp?StationID=1004&DateTime=4%2F6%2F2011+11%3A20%3A32+AM&LineNumber=&MediaStationID=1004&playclip=True&RefPage= http://www.centredaily.com/2011/04/06/2630927/federal-research-team-at-dmcwsu.html# http://esciencenews.com/articles/2011/04/06/major.breakthrough.preventing.premature.birth.announced.nihwsu http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/soybeans-fight-cancer http://www.freep.com/article/20110407/NEWS06/104070463/Hormone-gel-cuts-risk-preterm-births-Detroit-study-finds http://www.detnews.com/article/20110407/LIFESTYLE03/104070392/1040/WSU-hopes-grant-can-extend-research-of-premature-births http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2011/04/06/dmc-wayne-state-report-breakthrough-in-preventing-premature-birth/

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is set to discuss the future of labor unions during a forum at Wayne State University. Thursday\'s program addresses what unions can do to increase their appeal to employees and expand their memberships. Trumka and other union leaders are to participate in a round table discussion at Wayne State\'s McGregor Memorial Conference Center on the challenges facing unions in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and other states. Trumka was elected in 2009 as president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

Stephen Spurr, Wayne State University economics professor, commented during a morning news segment about the effects of a federal government shutdown. Spurr warned about a long term risk regarding the credibility of the U.S. dollar.

The Federal Trade Commission will host a roundtable discussion at Wayne State University on Tuesday, the first of a series of national panel discussions to identify problems consumers experience when they buy or lease motor vehicles. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Wayne State University Law School. Panelists will include industry and consumer representatives who will discuss a variety of topics.

Business columnist Daniel Howes includes a quote from Sheila Cockrel, former City Council member who now teaches at Wayne State University, in his story about Detroit current status. Asked if Detroit's requiem has arrived, Cockrel said, "I don\'t think so. The window hasn\'t been shut, but it\'s closing rapidly. We\'re running out of time for radical change. \"It has to be done or we\'re going to be the first above-ground Pompeii.\"

This story recaps the 14th annual Treasure of Detroit Gala held March 26 at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Since its inception in 1998, the Treasure of Detroit Gala has been Wayne Law's premiere event for honoring those who have made a lasting contribution to the practice of law, as well as to the growth and success of the school.

For nearly two decades following the 1991 Gulf War, doctors noticed a trend in many of veterans of that conflict: an unexplainable cluster of symptoms including but not limited to chronic fatigue, memory loss, and depression. In 2008, a scientific panel from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs concluded that a third of American troops who served in the Gulf War were suffering from combinations of these symptoms, now recognized collectively as Gulf War Illness (GWI). Henry Heng, associate professor in Wayne State University's Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics and the Department of Pathology and Karmanos Cancer Institute in the School of Medicine, intends to discover GWI's mysterious biological cause. The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Heng a $900,000 grant to study whether GWI stems from genomic instability, which he believes is the common link among GWI patients. "To our surprise, we found that all of the GWI patients tested showed extremely high levels of chromosomal abnormality that were as high or higher than some cancer patients," said Heng.

A brief notes that TechTown, the Wayne State University research park and business incubator, is hosting a Shifting Gears training program that begins April 15. TechTown will offer a free information session for anyone interested in learning more about this opportunity on Monday, April 11. (print edition only)

The historic Bonstelle Theatre of Wayne State University will conclude its 60th season with the musical comedy "The Full Monty," by Terrence McNally and David Yazbek, April 15-23. Director Michael Barnes said his production references today's headlines and highlights the city of Detroit. (print edition only)

Various outlets highlight AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka's participation in the Labor Leaders on Labor Forum held Thursday at Wayne State University. Trumka and a panel of labor leaders discussed the future of unions and the challenges facing those in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and other states.

An article highlights the work of Wayne State medical students making a difference in India. Several students and faculty mentors are mentioned.

Beginning with the 2013 fiscal year, the governor hopes to allocate university funding based on a formula that \"will encourage universities to graduate a highly educated workforce in a timely manner and conduct research that contributes to the overall economic strategy for Michigan.\" One such formula suggested is linking funding to graduation rates. There are problems with the way the federal government calculates graduation rates. Transfer and part-time students do not count. Another budget formula consideration is the mission of the institution - such as research. For instance, Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan spent a combined total of $1.2 billion on research in 2009, according to federal data.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy was not trying to root out liberal bias when it lodged a Freedom of Information request on labor professors at three Michigan universities, according to the center\'s website. The free-market think tank asked to see all e-mails sent by labor professors at Wayne State University, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University that mention the words \"Scott Walker,\" \"Wisconsin,\" \"Madison\" and \"Maddow.\" Ken Braun, the managing editor of Michigan Capitol Confidential, the Mackinac Center\'s online news page, posted a statement on the center\'s website late Monday, saying the FOIA requests were primarily directed against Wayne State University\'s Labor Studies Center, which he claims used its website to promote left-wing causes including a ballot proposal to hike the state minimum wage.

The two-day \"Rust Belt to Artist Belt III Conference\" opens Wednesday at the College for Creative Studies\' A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. Attendees are expected to include artists, creative business owners, educators and designers. They will look at issues such as community development, entrepreneurialism and land use. The theme is \"Cultivating Talent and Innovation to Transform Post Industrial Cities.\" The conference is hosted by the Detroit Creative Corridor Center in partnership with ArtServe Michigan and Wayne State University\'s TechTown business incubator.