The vision of Advantage Livingston is for the increased and sustainable prosperity of the Livingston County, Mich., area.

To achieve that:

• We will have a collaborative environment across governmental, education, nonprofit and business lines focusing on facilitation and cooperation.

• We will promote, sustain and value our rural and urban settings.

• We will provide a high quality of life for people of all ages and diverse backgrounds.

• We will excel in educational opportunities and performance.

• We will provide an environment that encourages innovation and creation of economic opportunities.

• We will support and invest in all types of mobility, including walking, bicycling, automobile and mass transit.

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NPS PUBLISHED ON JULY 27, 2011 BY RICKY IN BLOG

The press release came in today announcing the commencement of shooting on Sam Raimi‘s Oz the Great and Powerful, which stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. Cinematographer Peter Deming (Evil Dead II, Drag Me to Hell) is back on Raimi’s crew and along with him is an all star lineup of technical wizards including two-time Academy Award–winning production designer Robert Stromberg (Alice in Wonderland, Avatar), Oscar-winning film editor Bob Murawski (The Hurt Locker, the Spider-Man trilogy), veteran Oscar-nominated costume designer Gary Jones (Spider-Man 2), visual effects Oscar winner Scott Stokdyk (Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man) and Academy Award–winning special makeup artist Howard Berger (The Chronicles of Narnia series). Keep your eyes peeled for this bad boy because you know it will be nothing short of great. Below is the official press release. Enjoy!

Pontiac, MI., July 26, 2011—Walt Disney Pictures’ fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,”  directed by Sam Raimi, went in front of the cameras at the brand-new Raleigh Studios in Pontiac, Michigan, on Monday, July 25, 2011, boasting a stellar cast that includes Academy Award® nominee James Franco (“127 Hours”) as the young wizard, Golden Globe® nominee Mila Kunis (“Black Swan”) as the witch Theodora, Academy Award® winner Rachel Weisz (“The Constant Gardener”) as Kunis’ sister Evanora and two-time Oscar®-nominated actress Michelle Williams (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Blue Valentine”) as Glinda, the Good Witch.

The cast also includes Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Zach Braff (“Scrubs,” “Garden State”), who will play Franco’s circus assistant as well as lend his vocal talents to one of the CGI creatures in the story — Finley, the winged monkey who accompanies the magician on his journey to Oz; and 12-year-old actress Joey King (“Ramona and Beezus”), who will voice another CGI character in the story, China Girl, who also joins the future Wizard on his excursion through Oz.

“Oz The Great and Powerful” imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved character, the Wizard of Oz. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

The film will be produced by industry veteran Joe Roth, along with executive producers Grant Curtis (the “Spider-Man” trilogy, “Drag Me to Hell”), Philip Steuer (“The Chronicles of Narnia” series) and Palak Patel. The screenplay was written by Mitchell Kapner, (“The Whole Nine Yards”) and David Lindsay-Abaire (“Rabbit Hole,” “Robots”).

Raimi has assembled his own band of technical wizards and movie magicians on the project, which includes cinematographer Peter Deming (“Mulholland Dr.,” “Drag Me to Hell”), two-time Academy Award®–winning production designer Robert Stromberg (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Avatar”), Oscar®-winning film editor Bob Murawski (“The Hurt Locker,” the “Spider-Man” trilogy), veteran Oscar®-nominated costume designer Gary Jones (“Spider-Man 2,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”), visual effects Oscar® winner Scott Stokdyk (“Spider-Man 2,” “Spider-Man”) and Academy Award®–winning special makeup artist Howard Berger (“The Chronicles of Narnia” series), who will create the looks of several of the unique denizens of Oz, including creatures such as the Whimsies, the Tinkers and the Winkies, as well as the ghastly look of the Wicked Witch of the West

Production on “Oz The Great and Powerful” will take place entirely on site at the new Raleigh Michigan Studios, the 200,000 square foot sound stage facility in Pontiac, Michigan, once the location of General Motors’ Centerpoint business campus and truck manufacturing plant.

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NPS Apritl 17, 2012NB JAM3d

Shuttle Discovery:

Discovery was lifted and placed atop a NASA Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) today in preparation for its departure to Dulles International Airport in Sterling, Va., on Tuesday, April 17. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, designated NASA 905, is set to back out of the Mate/Demate device at the Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility tomorrow morning around 7:30 a.m. Discovery is set to just after sunrise and arrive in the Dulles/Washington, D.C. area around 10 a.m. Discovery will be moved to the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles for permanent public display on April 19.

NASA’s space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As humanity’s first reusable spacecraft, the space shuttle pushed the bounds of discovery ever farther, requiring not only advanced technologies but the tremendous effort of a vast workforce. Thousands of civil servants and contractors throughout NASA’s field centers and across the nation have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to mission success and the greater goal of space exploration.

Photos by Christopher Comerford

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“I am anxious use my extensive experience to serve the people of Livingston County and to ensure that our families and homes remain safe” Evans said. “As a defense attorney I had to be able to put myself in the shoes of the prosecutor in order to effectively represent my clients.

This experience will be invaluable as County Prosecutor. “An important aspect of being the Prosecutor is managing an office. Before beginning my law practice I was a Vice President and Controller of Michigan National Bank’s mortgage subsidiary. I have 15 years of experience managing staffs and making budgets.” As a defense attorney, Evans has completed more than 25 homicide trials and more than 100 other felony and misdemeanor trials for cases involving armed robbery, drugs, embezzlement, and kidnapping.

“Fortunately, Livingston County does not experience the same levels of crime that I have dealt with in the Detroit Metropolitan area. I pledge to be a tough but fair prosecutor who will keep it that way,” Evans said. While Evans said his courtroom experience would make him a tough prosecutor, he stressed that a prosecutor must show compassion for those who have been victims of crime.

Evans’ own compassion is demonstrated by his experience as a board member for the charity Help for Our Disabled Troops, an organization that helps wounded veterans who have lost limbs to modify their homes to make it more accessible and even to construct homes made especially for them.

He is very active in other community organizations as well. He is past president of Lutherans for Life, served as chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party and has coached Little League. He attends St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, where he is a deacon. An attorney for 16 years, Evans received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Michigan University in 1980 and earned his law degree from Michigan State University in January 1996.

Evans has an extensive record of participation in affairs of the legal profession. In 2009, he served on the State Bar of Michigan District Character and Fitness Committee after being recruited to participate in the review process for applicants seeking admission to the bar. From 2003 to the present, he has served as a member of the board of directors of the Criminal Advocacy Program for the Third Circuit Court, responsible for the training and certification of attorneys seeking assignments to represent indigent defendants. He planned, organized and presented numerous seminars on a variety of legal topics for the training program.

In 2005, the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan honored Evans with the “Right to Counsel” Award, given in recognition of his efforts to improve the atmosphere for attorneys who represent the poor by implementing standards of practice for attorneys for the indigent.

He served as president of the Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar Association from 2001 to 2004, with a membership of over 300 attorneys. When a court budget crisis caused the closing of the court library, Evans attained grant funding and opened a legal research center at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice staffed part time by a research attorney who assists attorneys representing indigent defendants. He also established a mentoring program for new attorneys.

From 2003 to 2004, Evans served on the State Bar of Michigan Task Force for Indigent Defense and was the key drafter of final language approved by the General Assembly on practice standards and funding of attorneys representing indigent defendants. In 2003, he was the keynote speaker on indigent criminal defense systems and standards of practice at the State Bar of Michigan’s Criminal Law Section annual conference.

He and his wife Kelly have lived in Green Oak Township for 9 years and a son, who attends Huron Valley Lutheran High School.

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G1NBC TV National Desk caught with Kerry Bentivolio on his campaign trial for Congress

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Are You Ready to Take Your Business to the Next Level?

The mission of You See Success is to provide businesses with the tools necessary to achieve growth and success.

You See Success offers business and personal growth opportunities. We design specific events to help our clients obtain growth through fundraisers, vendor shows, seminars, workshops, and networking groups. You can attend as guest or we can develop an event to fit your needs. Our clients include small businesses and individual entrepreneurs that want their businesses to be more successful.

Visit You See Success website

 

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NPS Interview with Kerry Bentivolio Candidate for US Congress 2012NB G1NBC TV

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