An article about a new musical on the life of former Dearborn Mayor Orville Hubbard mentions that the lyrist, David L. Good, is the author of a 1989 biography about Hubbard. Titled "Orvie, the Dictator of Dearborn," the book is published by Wayne State University Press.

Columnist Sally Gerak writes about the annual Apple Award event held at the Masonic Temple . Sponsored by Wayne State University and the Nederlander Company, the award recognizes distinguished achievement in the arts. Honored this year was composer/lyricist Steven Schwartz. Several photos from the celebration, including one of Sharon Vasquez, dean of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, accompany the write-up.

The article mentions that two Grosse Pointe area woman who have Wayne State University ties will be special guests at the Sept. 21 Lifefeline Awards event hosted by thte WSU College of Nursing. They are Sue Webb of the nursing faculty and Mado Lie, a member of the college's Board of Visitors. The event raises money for scolarships. "Because our region is in the midst of a nurse shortage, providing funds for student and faculty support is key," said Dean Barbara Redman.

Richard Chasdi, adjunct faculty member affiliated with the WSU Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, appeared on a special evening edition of "Flashpoint" examining the conflict between Israel and the Hesbollah in Lebanon . Chasdi, an expert on terrorism and international conflict, joined fellow panelist Detroit Free Press reporter Niraj Warikoo during the 30-minute segment moderated by WDIV news anchors Devin Scillian and Carmen Harlan. The moderator mentioned that Chasdi is with Wayne State .

Wayne State's Adams Field is undergoing a major renovation that may give a boost to the recruiting of players for the football program. The university is installing FieldTurf, a synthetic playing surface that strongly resembles natural grass. A third of NFL stadiums and more than 30 major college programs now use the surface. Installation is underway and the field will be ready for the Warriors' home opener in early September. "We have looked at various turf options for nearly two years and the obvious choice for us was FieldTurf," said athletic director Rob Fournier. The article notes that Wayne State has experienced a "rebirth" under President Irvin D. Reid, and the Athletic Department is part of that renaissance.

In an editorial announcing its choices for Wayne Country's representatives to the state House and Senate in the upcoming primary election, The News endorses Timothy Bledsoe, Wayne State professor of political science, in House District 1. The district includes Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Township , Farms, Woods, Park, Harper Woods and parts of Detroit . Bledsoe's goals include the targeting of wasteful practices and special interests.

Wayne State law professor Peter Henning is quoted in an article about 32 Silicon Valley companies that are being investigated by the SEC for alleged backdating, whereby a company retroactively changes the dates of stock options with the intention of defrauding investors. He commented on possible conflict of interest by one of the law firms that is representing the defendants before the SEC.

A feature story discusses Wayne State University medical student Uzoma Azuh's fight to beat acute myeloid leukemia, a disease that forced the 22-year-old Detroiter to halt his studies to undergo treatment. Along the way, he has searched tirelessly for a bone marrow donor and educated other medical students about the disease. Azuh also has helped organize bone marrow drives at local colleges, working with the American Red Cross and his classmates and he is hoping to sign up potential marrow donors to a worldwide registry to save his life and others. \"It\'s a really important thing, not just for me, but for other families,\" he said. Azuh is planning to return to his classes in the fall, now with a conviction to become an oncologist. \"I\'m going to come out on top, I\'m going to be victorious in this, that\'s just the hope I have,\" he said. A photo of Azuh is included.

The Wayne State University Office of Marketing and Communications this week named Francine R. Wunder director of corporate and public affairs. Wunder will be responsible for promoting the university\'s 11 schools and colleges and its partnerships with corporate and civic organizations. She has more than 15 years of corporate, agency, association and nonprofit public relations experience in the Detroit and Washington, D.C. areas. Wunder also serves on the boards of the Common Ground Sanctuary, the Jewish Community Council, the American Jewish Committee and New Detroit Inc.

Education: A brief notes that Wayne State's Office of Marketing and Communications has named Francine R. Wunder of West Bloomfield director of corporate and public affairs.

A brief in the "Twist" section notes that a seminar titled "Energy Policy and National Security: What the Automotive Industry Needs to Know" will be held today at Wayne State's Welcome Center from 6-8 p.m. Contact and reservation information is provided.

A brief mentions that Wayne State's Law School named Sarah May associate director in its office of development and alumni affairs.

Following Gov. Jennifer Granholm's announcement of plans to explore the creation of a four-year university in Macomb County, Oakland University will be expanding its bachelor and graduate degree programs currently being offered to Macomb students. Dave Downing, interim vice provost for graduate education and academic administration at Oakland University, said the goal is to encourage more Macomb residents to take that first step toward achieving both 2-year and 4-year degrees. Oakland and Macomb Community College officials also announced the \"Macomb 2 Oakland\" initiative, which expands their existing partnership to make concurrent admission to both schools, coordinated financial aid programs and expanded course advising and selection processes more accessible and convenient.

Democratic leaders unveiled a proposal on Wednesday aimed at reducing college-education costs and increasing the number of college graduates by one million in the next 10 years. The plan, which the Democrats dubbed Saving the American Dream, proposes to give $150-billion over the next decade to states in block grants whose sizes would be determined by the number of students who attend and graduate from their public colleges. Under the proposal, all families that put students through college, graduate school, or training could receive a $3,000 college-tuition tax credit. The credit would cover up to four years of such education; families too poor to owe taxes would receive it in the form of a refund. The tax credit, if adopted, would replace other higher-education tax breaks.

Yousha Mirza, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children's Hospital of Michigan , received the 2006 Young Investigator Award from the Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacology. He was lead investigator in a study conducted by the hospital and Wayne State University that examined MRI brain images of 35 children, uncovering variances between the sizes of children's brains with ADHD alone and those with ADHD plus another disruptive disorder. The findings were compared to data for healthy children.

John Zawiskie, adjunct professor of geology at Wayne State and staff geologist at Cranbrook Institute of Science, is featured in this column by Bill McGraw. Zawiskie, who received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in zoology and paleontology from WSU, had a key role in the recovery of mastodon fossils uncovered recently in Rochester Hills. His research projects have taken him over the years to such places as South America , Australia and Antarctica . A photo of Zawiskie accompanies the story.

In this article about how recent renovations and developments in downtown Detroit have helped to bury the memory of the 1967 riots, J.B. Peabody, who is renovating Mid-Med Lofts, mentions that Wayne State graduates are among young people taking up residence downtown. "Students and residents at The Medical Center want to live close to work," Peabody said. "Also, Wayne State University graduates want to remain in the area. They like it here. They like the bars and restaurants within walking distance."

Wendy Evans, adjunct curator of art history at Wayne State and at the Detroit Institute of Arts, will give a 10 a.m., July 25, presentation titled "Plien Air Precedents: Out of Doors, Into the Light" at the Crooked Tree Arts Center

In an editorial, the newspaper questions announced tuition increases at several of Michigan 's public universities. While acknowledging that universities are facing cost pressures, The News' editors write that "every industry in Michigan is in a similar situation" and that "almost none have the luxury of continually shifting those costs on to their clients without having to pare back other expenses or demand more efficiency from their employees." A list of tuition rate hikes at eight universities accompanies the piece, and Michigan State is criticized for allocating 0.7 percent of its 5.9 percent tuition increase to financial aid. The News contends that MSU is creating "a welfare fund" to help pay for those who can't afford the higher tuition and that "a better way to help would be to lower costs across the board rather than ask everyone to contribute so some can benefit." The opinion piece concludes, "More needs to be done in Michigan to make college affordable and attainable for more students, and that responsibility lies as much with the university administrators as it does the Legislature and governor."

The U.S. Senate is expected to approve a measure to broaden federally funded research on embryonic stem cells. But some government officials and scientists say the strict limits imposed by the Bush administration are only part of what's hindering stem-cell research. Another road-block to the research is that broad patents are held by a University of Wisconsin foundation. The broadly worded patents, which cover nearly any use of human embryonic stem cells, are held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, a non-profit group that handles the school's intellectual-property estate. A California watchdog group, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights of Santa Monica, says it will ask the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to overturn three patents awarded to James A. Thomson, the Wisconsin researcher who first isolated stem cells from human embryos in 1998.