Busy show for you podcast listeners today. Ford is laying off 1,000 employees at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant, but offering them positions in other Ford plants, with about half expected to take jobs at the Livonia Transmission plant. Meanwhile, GM is adding 1,000 jobs at Flint Assembly to make heavy-duty Chevy and GMC trucks. Those jobs will be offered first to workers affected by the looming closure of four plants in the U.S., including two here in the Detroit area.
Elsewhere, Ferndale is doubling rates for all downtown metered parking starting April 1. That’s to help pay for the dot, the new $28 million mixed-use parking deck that just broke ground. We talked about that project recently with Ferndale’s assistant city manager, Joe Gacioch.
The Ambassador Bridge will slash toll fares by $2, from $4.60 to $2.60, in both directions starting Feb. 18
Turning to buses, the suburban SMART bus system is proposing a new fare system that would eliminate transfers and bring fares in line with the Detroit Department of Transportation. You can email your feedback to publichearing@smartbus.org, or attend one of the following meetings:
Wednesday, February 6
Dearborn Transit Center, 21201 Michigan Ave., 5:30 p.m.
SMART downtown offices, 535 Griswold Street, Suite 600, Detroit, 12 p.m.
Thursday, February 7
Royal Oak Transit Center, 202 Sherman Drive, 5:30 p.m.
Lots more in the show, including how to join a bird count on Belle Isle, Good Cakes and Bakes is getting a second location, and how you can have the Detroitiest of Valentine’s days.
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