AAA provides unique exposure for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Stranded motorists shouldn’t be surprised if they see a pink tow truck coming to their aid. For the first time in AAA Michigan’s nearly 100-year history, it is painting its classic red, white and blue tow trucks the color pink in order to raise awareness of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in collaboration with the American Cancer Society.

AAA’s new pink tow trucks are servicing the downtown Detroit area throughout the month of October. The two pink-outfitted trucks assist those who live and work in the area, including downtown Detroit’s busy financial, entertainment, sports and cultural districts.

“Our hope is that these pink tow trucks will garner attention and spread awareness to help in the fight against breast cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer death in women,” said Gerry Gutowski, senior vice president, AAA Automotive Services, AAA Michigan.

In addition to the pink trucks, AAA also played an integral role in helping to host the more than 15,000 walkers that were expected on Oct. 13 for the Makes Strides to End Breast Cancer Walk, starting and ending at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. AAA was a sponsor of the event; it hosted its own team of walkers to raise money for the American Cancer Society and also provided free roadside assistance to any walkers who may have had car troubles with lockouts, flat tires or dead batteries. Both pink tow trucks were on display at the event and were available to assist anyone, both members and non-members, in need.

“I am a cancer survivor and I know how much cancer affects everyone, from yourself to your family members and friends,” said Brent Stahlheber, senior vice president and chief brand officer for AAA Michigan. He led the AAA Michigan team at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

AAA will also paint tow trucks pink in both Chicago and Orlando to help support the American Cancer Society’s walks in those markets. This tri-city initiative, and related courtesy services to the three Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks, is part of AAA’s long-standing commitment to community service and its new partnership with the American Cancer Society.

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit firefighters are getting some new protective gear, as well as 100 automatic defibrillators, thanks in part to a $1.75 million Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) grant.

Detroit Fire Commissioner Don Austin says 645 sets of fire-resistant coats and pants are ready to be handed out. Another 332 sets of gear are expected in about six weeks. All together, it’s enough gear to outfit 70 percent of the city’s firefighters.

The 977 sets of gear were paid for by a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant, combined with nearly $1 million identified by Mayor Dave Bing in the Detroit budget to meet a municipal contribution requirement under the grant program.

The money also paid for 100 automatic defibrillators that will be used to respond to heart attacks and other heart-related emergencies, along with seven air-filling stations used to refresh the compressed air tanks that firefighters wear in order to breathe when surrounded by heavy smoke.

“I am extremely pleased that nearly every Detroit firefighter will soon have brand new protective gear and emergency equipment, thanks to our partnership with FEMA,” Bing said in a release. “Our men and women in the Detroit Fire Department risk their lives to save others and it is imperative that they are well-equipped to do their job,” the mayor said.

Detroit has been awarded two Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants from FEMA this year, totaling $28.3 million. The money prevented 108 firefighters from being laid off, allowed the city to rehire 26 laid-off firefighters, and paid for two years of salaries and benefits for both groups of firefighters.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/18/detroit-firefighters-receive-new-gear-lifesaving-equipment/

Writing at the Huffington Post, Brandon Greene says we have been eager to launch policy at educators, but we have not been eager to collaborate with or support them.

If teachers are our number one resource, why do we treat them so poorly?
It goes without saying that teachers are under a tremendous amount of stress in today's educational landscape. The rhetoric of the day paints teachers as privileged, whiny, and entitled. Reports are put forth that place not only the future of our country's economy on the shoulders of educators but also our national security. We hear a lot of talk about how teachers' unions and tenure are to blame for the country's educational woes. We hear that, if teachers want to be treated like professionals, they need to act like and be held accountable like professionals. What we don't often hear, however, is how we need to support teachers. The question is, why?

We know that there is currently a deficit, not a surplus, of teachers. Districts across the country are continuously facing staffing shortages, even with the influx of teachers acquired through alternative licensure programs like Teach for America, The New Teacher Project and others. While there are some who believe that the continued infusion of "new blood" into the teaching profession is good, the rate of turnover in our schools is neither sustainable nor conducive for the learning environments our students need. Of course, there is no doubt that there are some teachers who are ineffective and perhaps should look for careers in fields that may better fit their talents. However, there is also no doubt that, due to the stress, strain, vitriol and "success-or-apocalypse" pressure placed on educators, many of them are leaving the profession within the five years it takes to fully hit their stride.

Even those teachers who would have been the most effective and those teachers who dreamed of being teachers are leaving the profession. Why aren't we capturing this lost potential?

http://www.theroot.com/buzz/why-do-we-refuse-treat-teachers-theyre-important

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) – Drivers, get ready for safe and smooth winter driving. That’s the plan, at least, in Oakland County.

The Road Commission for Oakland County is already getting started on their preparations ahead of this winter, which means replacing two salt domes.

Drivers on Lapeer Road in Lake Orion and through Southfield along the Lodge near American Drive may have noticed the old domes are gone.

“Well we’re replacing one here in Southfield and one in Lake Orion,” Matt Mountain, ROCC superintendent of the Southfield garage, told WWJ Newsradio 950′s Mike Campbell. “The salt domes are getting old and deteriorating. So it’s time for new ones.”

Mountain said the diameter of the dome at the garage in Southfield is actually about the same size as the old one, but the new one will be taller and that means they’ll be able to store more salt.

“Actually, this one here, they put the foundation in. They’ll take it and it’ll be kind of like Silverdome was. They’ll blow that thing up and then they do all the work from the inside and the canvas that is blown up is actually the outside of the salt dome when it’s completed,” he said.

What did they do other than keep rain off the salt?

“Well that’s what we needed to do. Keep the rain off the salt because otherwise it has a tendency to clump up,” Mountain said. “When it clumps up, it doesn’t come out of our augers or our spinners on the trucks during winter.”

Mountain said he doesn’t think salt will be an issue. They are down about 50 drivers but the big concern for him is the aging vehicles. He said they haven’t been able to afford to replace a truck since 2007.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/17/road-commission-preps-ahead-of-winter-salting-season/