In the news

Some ask who belongs in ''ownership society"

In President Bush\'s vision of an \"ownership society,\" people would have more choices and assume more risk in their lives. They would save more, own more and rely less on the government - even if they\'re elderly, poor or both. A WSU study of Michigan residents found that Republicans like this idea, and high-income people were most likely to approve of privatization of retirement accounts. \"If it doesn\'t work, they\'ll still be able to eat,\" said political scientist Lyke Thompson, director of the Center for Urban Studies at Wayne.

TechTown signs three new tenants

Three new businesses have established offices in TechTown, an economic-development hub for research and technology startups in Detroit. The businesses are Bioko, an engineering research company, formed by College of Engineering professor Greg Auner; IC Datacom, a network-services provider founded by native Detroiters Dwayne Carson and Terence Willis; and USA Skills, an online recruitment company for the information-technology and health care industries.

Former Detroiter Kurt Novak captures the spirit of artists who inspired him

New Yorker Kurt Novak says his \"Detroit Portraits,\" at Revolution Gallery in Ferndale, celebrates the creative spirit in his old hometown. The exhibit also celebrates the artist\'s skill at turning a challenging way of making art into expressive medium all his own. Novak was an art student at Wayne State University during the late 1970s. The artist scanned painter Robert Wilbert, WSU professor emeritus, with still-life objects that appear in his canvases.

ACLU sues for same-sex benefit

The ACLU of Michigan field suit this week to challenge the state attorney general's opinion that Proposal 2 bans public employers from offering health insurance and other benefits to same-sex couples. Several persons are named as plaintiffs, including a Pittsfield Township resident who receives benefits from Wayne State University. The ACLU said all 21 of the couples represented in the suit rely on domestic partner benefits for health care coverage.

Events

Michele Ronnick, an associate professor of Greek and Latin at Wayne State University, will talk about the \"Autobiography of William Sanders Scarborough\" at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Shaman Drum bookstore in Ann Arbor. This autobiography traces Scarborough\'s path out of slavery in Macon, Ga., to a scholarly career that culminated with his presidency of Wilberforce University. Scarborough was the first African-American member of the Modern Language Association and a champion of higher education.

TechTown adds three tenants:

TechTown in Detroit has boosted the number of companies operating in its first incubator, by 50 percent in March. TechOne is to welcome three tenants, the advanced engineering firm Bioko, the IT company IC Datacom and the life sciences venture USA Skills. The moves put TechOne\'s occupancy timetable ahead of schedule. \"This surge of tenants has created a good problem in that we\'re now pressed to find other locations within our building to house our next candidates for space,\" said TechTown executive director Howard Bell.

ACLU sues for same-sex benefits

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed suit Monday to challenge the state attorney general\'s opinion that Proposal 2 bans public employers from offering health insurance and other benefits to same-sex couples and their children. Among those bringing the suit are Pittsfield Township resident Peter Hammer, who receives benefits from Wayne State University. The University of Michigan, Wayne State University and the City of Ann Arbor - all of which offer same-sex benefits - have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the Ann Arbor school district.