KALAMAZOO -- Local homebuilders, real estate agents and mortgage lenders want the buying public to know that while the housing market may be soft, there are values to be had and plenty of money to borrow to get those deals.

That was the message presented Wednesday by a panel of Kalamazoo-area housing professionals at the headquarters of the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors, in Oshtemo Township.

"A lot of people in this market believe there isn't money to borrow," said Dale Shugars, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo.

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, advocated for financial assistance for Detroit automakers in an appearance today before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.

Upton, who is co-chairman of the Congressional Auto Caucus, urged Congress to provide immediate assistance to the automakers, saying it is necessary to stabilize the nation's economy and save several million jobs.

WASHINGTON -- Hayden Elder's beaver pelt cowboy hat delivered his message to lawmakers as starkly as anything else did: The proposed $25 billion federal loan to keep the U.S. auto industry breathing is a local issue.

Elder, who sells Chryslers, Dodges and Jeeps in Athens, Texas, is part of a posse of several dozen dealers from across the country blanketing congressional offices this week. They want legislators to view the plan not as a bailout of Detroit's Big Three automakers -- not a popular sell with the whole country hurting -- but a way to prevent pillars of thousands of local communities from crumbling.

Jerry Campbell | Gazette File PhotoThis aerial photograph taken in 2006 shows the shuttered Crown Vantage Paper Co. in Parchment. The former mill will be demolished to make way for the development of homes, offices and retail businesses.

PARCHMENT -- The Parchment City Commission on Monday sold 80-plus acres of former paper-mill land and buildings to a Kansas developer for $1, clearing the way for a $100 million redevelopment of the property that is to include 350 single-family homes along with office and retail space.

"One year from now, if all goes (according) to plan, we will start knocking buildings down," City Manager Dennis Durham said.

KALAMAZOO -- Call it a calm before the storm.

Kalamazoo's Downtown Development Authority -- which levies a 2-mill property tax in the city's central business district -- approved a 2009 budget Monday that holds services to previous levels but squirrels away as much money as possible for anticipated rainy days.

ALVISO, Calif. -- TiVo Inc. says it is teaming up with Domino's Pizza Inc. to allow subscribers to order pizza for delivery or pickup from their TV sets.

Rob Weisberg, a vice president at Ann Arbor-based Domino's, says TV watchers will see an ad for Domino's and will be able to click "I want it" from their TV remote. In about 30 minutes, the pizza will be at the door.

ATLANTA -- Weak October retail sales and the uncertainty of the upcoming holiday season amid the worst financial crisis to hit the United States in decades has prompted shipping giant UPS Inc. to decide not to release a projection for the amount of packages it expects to deliver on its busiest day of the year.

WASHINGTON -- National City Bank's application for federal bailout funds never got serious consideration because the bank was too weak to survive anyway, a Treasury Department official testified Friday.

Regulators who screen bailout applications decided not to send National City's application to the office that dispenses money, Interim Assistant Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari told a House subcommittee chaired by Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

MENDON TOWNSHIP, MI -- Already angered by a taxpayer-funded $700 billion bailout of the nation's financial industry, some homeowners' frustration with banks has sharpened recently as they've seen their home equity lines of credit reduced or canceled.

One of those people is Greg Dedes, a 37-year-old construction manager who lives near Portage Lake in Mendon Township.

Mark Bugnaski | Kalamazoo GazetteBronson Methodist Hospital family practitioner Dr. Anthony Vanes checks on 3-month-old Bradley Tucker as his mother Carla Smalley holds him in the pediatrics unit at Bronson. Bradley's care is covered under the Medicaid program.

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Economic troubles, cutbacks in federal funding and a reduction in employer-based health benefits have caused an explosion in losses for the state's not-for-profit hospitals.

While hospital officials point to these unreimbursed expenses as benefits to their communities, they're also warning that a change is needed in the way health care is funded. Otherwise, they say, services may be cut or eliminated.

"There's more pressure on us than ever before," said Rich Felbinger, chief financial officer of Borgess Health, the parent company of Borgess Medical Center. "The economy is making it harder to make ends meet. ... We have a saying: 'No money, no mission.'"

BENTON HARBOR -- Whirlpool Corp. is laying off 300 salaried employees here in its home territory as part of its cutbacks of 5,000 jobs worldwide.

ZEELAND -- Herman Miller Inc. on Tuesday announced plans to slash hundreds of area jobs while rival Steelcase Inc. warned it may shed 300 workers as both brace for effects of the global economic downturn.

Andrew Winston

KALAMAZOO -- As counterintuitive as it may seem, the current economic slowdown presents a powerful opportunity for businesses to position themselves to take advantage of a marketplace that is increasingly demanding "green" and sustainable products and services.

KALAMAZOO -- Area home builders and home sellers are getting together next week to talk about opportunities they say are being missed by those who want to buy or build in the area.

BENTON HARBOR -- Whirlpool Corp. is laying off 300 salaried employees here in its home territory as part of its cutbacks of 5,000 jobs worldwide.