DETROIT — The City Council today approved tax breaks for 24 neighborhoods as part of the Neighborhood Enterprise Zones tax cut.

The discount means anywhere from 18 to 35 percent of homeowners’ city and county property taxes. The discount would take effect for the summer 2008 tax bills, city officials said.
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Kilpatrick unveiled the first phase of 25 new zones last summer. It included some of the most well-known neighborhoods, such as Boston-Edison, Indian Village, Palmer Woods and Sherwood Forest.
The proposed zones are:
*Eight Mile and Five Points, generally bordered by Eight Mile, Telegraph, Pembroke and Five Points
*Eight Mile and Evergreen, generally bordered by Eight Mile, Shiawassee, Berg, Seven Mile and Evergreen
*Berg and Grand River, generally bordered by Grand River, Lasher, Berg and West Seven Mile
*Kentfield and Lyndon, generally bordered by Kentfield, Fenkell, Auburn, Westwood and Lyndon
*Curtis and Evergreen, generally bordered by Evergreen, Curtis, McNichols and Southfield
*Eight Mile and Meyers, generally bordered by Eight Mile, Meyers, McNichols, Southfield Freeway, Greenfield, Pembroke and Aspen
*Greenfield and Puritan, generally bordered by Puritan, Greenfield, Fenkell and the Southfield Freeway
*McNichols and Livernois, generally bordered by McNichols, Livernois, Santa Clara and Belden
*Meyers and West Outer Drive, generally bordered by Curtis, Meyers, Pembroke, Wyoming, West Outer Drive, Livernois and Seven Mile
*Puritan and Meyers, generally bordered by Puritan, Meyers, West McNichols, Marygrove and Greenlawn
*Midtown and Brush Park areas, generally bordered by the Lodge Freeway, Edsel Ford Express Way, I-75, Fisher Freeway
*Woodward and West Grand, generally bordered by Woodward, West Grand, the Lodge Freeway and Virginia Park
*Warren and Rouge Park, generally bordered by Warren, the west side of West Parkway, Outer Drive and West Parkway
*Fielding and West Chicago, generally bordered by Fielding, West Chicago and Vaughen
*Woodbridge, generally bordered by Grand River, I-94, Rosa Parks Boulevard and the Lodge Freeway
*Woodward and Greendale, generally bordered by Woodward, Greendale, John R and Goldengate
*West Village, generally bordered by Kercheval, the eastside Parker, westside of Seyburn and Jefferson
*Morningside, generally bordered by Harper, Three Mile, East Outer Drive, Audubon, Nottingham and Barham
*Cadieux and Mack, generally bordered by Cadieux, I-94, Kingsville and Mack
*Jefferson and Alter, generally bordered by East Jefferson, Alter, Lenox and the Detroit River
*Gratiot and East Eight Mile, generally bordered by Gratiot, East Eight Mile, Kelly and State Fair
*Outer Drive and Gratiot, generally bordered by Gratiot, Rosemary, Wayburn and Evanston
*Riverside, generally bordered by the Chrysler Freeway, Gratiot, Vernor Highway, Mount Elliot and Parkway
*Joy and Southfield, generally bordered by Joy, Southfield, Faust, Evergreen, Warren, Pierson and Trinity
In addition to the 24 new neighborhoods, two areas from the first phase of neighborhoods were expanded to include an additional street in each.
The Golf Club zone would also include the area bordered by Pontchartrain, McNichols, the east side of Pontchartrain and Palmer Park. The South English Village zone will include the area bordered by Warren, the west side of Cadieux and Mack.

The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau unveiled today a new “3 Days in the D” advertising campaign to promote three major events taking place in the area during Labor Day weekend.

The bureau hopes to lure residents in Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Cleveland and Columbus to attend the Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix and the Chrysler Arts, Beats & Eats festival in downtown Pontiac.

Remember Topinka’s or Grecian Gardens? How about Detroit’s grand old hotels and their dining rooms? “Detroit’s Historic Hotels and Restaurants” by Patricia Ibbotson is a fine page flipper with pictures from old Detroit hotels and restaurants, many no longer standing. Also included are restaurants and hotels in Dearborn and Mt. Clemens. The book is $19.99 at bookstores and at www.arcadiapublishing.com.

“People in Detroit spend millions of dollars on fashion, but they don’t realize that we have local designers too. They don’t know we’re here,” she says.

MCFW will kick off its Seven Days of Fabulous at 7 p.m. Monday, July 30, at the Model T-Plex, in Detroit.

Boogie Fever in Ferndale is my introduction to an unfamiliar phenomenon of nightclubs for adults, or, rather, club nights for the life-begins-at-40 set. Here, myriad middle-agers dance self-assuredly to the music of their generation, most with no concern for “club attire,” up-to-the-moment fashion or visible cellulite. It’s a welcome break from the coked up, Top-40′d, self-conscious runway vibe that pollutes many popular dance clubs.
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Inside, behind platform altars for go-go girls, sits an all-white bar that boasts simulated rain and a fake tree, from which one red apple hangs. Nice. White walls are cloaked in vines of ivy, and glass chandeliers dangle next to disco balls. Along one wall, semi-private beds entice big spenders with bottle service and the option of closing the sheer white curtains.

The Regional Transit Coordinating Council plans to display objectives for the Detroit Regional Mass Transit Initiative at an open house Friday.

The public is invited to view the materials and comment.

The event will be held 9 a.m. to noon at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments’ offices in the Buhl Building, 535 Griswold St., Suite 300, Detroit.

Elvis may not be hanging out in Kalamazoo these days, after all. Unsuspecting passengers on the Detroit People Mover this Friday, July 27th between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM may catch “The King” himself riding along side them. Or, perhaps the likes of Groucho Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Kid Rock, Charlie Chaplin or Hawkeye from M.A.S.H. may be their traveling companions.

It’s all part of the fun during the Detroit People Mover’s 20th Anniversary festivities that start on Monday, July 23rd and continue through Tuesday, July 31st. The celebrity look-alikes will be riding the trains, spending time at the stations, roaming Campus Martius, and hopefully inspiring lots of “double” takes along the way. They will also be passing out free souvenirs like amazing 3-D commemorative cards, People Mover paraphernalia and even free People Mover Fast Passes, good for unlimited rides.
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Other special events scheduled for the celebration week include: — Live music at the Cadillac and Renaissance Center stations in cooperation with the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau’s 4th Fridays series on July 27th — A pub crawl to Downtown Detroit’s hottest bars and clubs in partnership with After5Detroit.com July 27th.
…and more…