This year’s Wayne County Services Expo at Belle Isle was a big success, with many Detroiters coming out to enjoy a day of activities and helpful information regarding community services in Wayne County. There were free health and dental screenings, job training programs, voter registration and many more valuable services as well as a wide variety of fun and games for the Detroit youth. Notable guests included Detroit’s own TV judge, Greg Mathis, Sheriff Benny Napoleon, and Wayne County Executive Robert A, Ficano.
 

Check out the pictures from the 2010 Wayne County Services Expo

Two men are recovering from minor injuries after the car they were riding in flipped off a bridge on Belle Isle and ended up on its roof in a pond.

The accident happened at the corner of Casino Way and Central at around 9:30 p.m.  

The owner of the 1995 Grand Marquis says he was driving when the power steering, which had recently been repaired, went out. He says that forced the car to spin sideways and hit the bridge and some rocks, at which point it flipped.

The man and his cousin were in the car at the time of the accident. They were able to swim to safety.

The driver suffered cuts and bruises. It’s not clear what type of injuries his cousin suffered. The car was totaled.

Source:WXYZ.com

Temperatures reached nearly 50 degrees in some parts of Metro Detroit for a second day, and winter-weary residents flocked outdoors to bask in the welcome thaw.

On Detroit’s Belle Isle, families walked along the waters of the Detroit River and children climbed colorful playscapes. Countless cyclists could be seen circling the island perimeter.

At Campus Martius, visitors took advantage of the final day of the ice rink, which will close after Sunday until next winter season in November.

Edward Jung, 55, circled the rink on hockey skates with his 23-year-old daughter, Kelly Jung. The father said this is the first time this season he’s been able to doff his winter coat at the rink.

“Now that it’s warmer, I wish it would stay open,” Jung, of Southgate, said.

Warmer weather is also expected to stay in the southeastern Michigan region this week, with high temperatures reaching 51 degrees on Monday, 51 on Tuesday, 46 on Wednesday and 49 on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Though spring officially arrives March 20, meteorologists warn that past years suggest it may be too early to rule out another snowfall.

Terry Parris Jr. Monday, February 01, 2010 – Model D

The French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, with a small group of settlers and soldiers, looked out onto the Detroit River more than 300 years ago and saw opportunity. From the position of the river to the fertile land, they imagined that a settlement could grow from this location.

“The land is very beautiful and appropriate to build a city later on,” wrote Cadillac in a letter to the French minister responsible for the Detroit colonies. “The various things one finds in this Land make it very pleasant.”

Three centuries later, Detroit has another Frenchman looking out at that same river, with that same vision. From the 17th floor of Spinnaker Tower, just off East Jefferson, Laurent Diemunsch is standing in the living room of his newly purchased two-bedroom high-rise apartment. The Detroit River and Belle Isle are beaming through a foggy sliding glass door to the balcony.

“I see that the future can be better here,” he says, slowly, looking for the words.

The apartment isn’t for him to live in, though. He bought it to rent out; he bought it as an investment. Diemunsch isn’t an investor in the sense that you might think. He’s not buying 100 foreclosures and selling them on Craigslist. He’s a flight attendant, who happens to own an apartment in the Spinnaker and another in New Center, on Pallister. And he already has a tenant.

Diemunsch may be less tuned in with honest to goodness investors and more in step with his compatriot Mr. Cadillac. The two Frenchman both saw not only opportunity but also potential and a future in the wilderness off the banks of a river.

“I can see what this city can become,” Diemunsch says, unknowingly paraphrasing from Cadillac’s letters.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY

POSTED: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
UPDATED: 7:40 am EDT October 30, 2009

AP
DETROIT — The Belle Isle Nature Zoo opens their doors to costume-clad children this Halloween weekend.

The Boo at the Nature Zoo will run this Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Belle Isle.

The two-day event will feature indoor treat stations, craft activities and pumpkin paths plus deer encounter feedings each day at 11 a.m. , 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

“This is an opportunity for families to spend time together and learn together. We want kids to have a great time, learn about nature, and get a treat while doing so,” said Belle Isle Nature Zoo Manager Mike Reed.

For more information please call or visit the Web site at www.detroitzoo.org.