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Welcome back, and Happy 2009! There’s a lot going on here at DT this week, so be sure to stay tuned.

Perhaps the biggest surprise last week was the Treasury’s sudden decision to give GM financing arm GMAC a $6 billion dollar aid package- that’s in addition to the $17.5 billion awarded to GM and Chrysler late last year. We’ll talk with Paul Eisenstein of the Detroit Bureau and take your calls.

Craig Ruff is a columnist for Dome Magazine and Michigan’s amateur Nostradamus. We’ll catch up with his predictions on what to expect in the state during 2009 and take your calls- who will be this year’s big winners and losers? Will this be the year that Metro Detroit gets its long-delayed transit system? Will the Big 3 suddenly make millions? 313-577-1019.

After the Lions’ ‘record-breaking’ 0-16 season, there are big changes in store for the team- both on the field and in the back office. We’ll talk with Bill Shea of Crain’s Detroit Business about the team’s plans for changes in business and marketing.

One aspect that’s been overlooked in the focus on the Big 3 during the last several months is their role as America’s ‘Arsenal of Innovation’- thanks to automotive- related research, Michigan ranks highly in the number of patents filed. We’ll talk with Steve Oberholtzer, intellectual property attorney at Ann Arbor’s Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lion.

In the world of multiplex theaters, a group of eastside Detroiters is working to restore a neighborhood movie theater that's lain dorment for over 20 years. WDET's Rob St. Mary has the story. 

 So GM and Chrysler got some money from the Fed. What now? We’ll talk with Sebastian Thrun, professor of computer science at Stanford, and Anthony Levandowski, product manager at Google about a few ways the Big 3 might save themselves- from solar powered cars to Wi-fi enhanced smart cars.

All that, and a look at the winter sports season with Woody Woodruff.

That's right. We'll take your calls on this day before Christmas; possibly about the state of the economy or maybe a lighter topic such as your holiday stories and memories. Call us at 313.577.1019 or leave comments here on the blog.

 Also,  Megan O'Neil joins us from the Metro Times. They've put together a thorough New Years Eve party guide for this year's celebration. If you can't figure out where to go, they'll help you sort out all the happenings!

 And a special from our dear friend Zak Rosen enttitled "State of the Reunion", not to be missed folks!

The state legislature wrapped up last week, and one of the new bills sitting on Governor Granholm’s desk is Senate Bill 973 , which provides tax credits to rehab old buildings. Preservation advocates hope this will bring a boon to historic preservation across the state. What should be at the to of the preservation list? We’ll talk with State Representative Steve Tobocman, who sponsored the legislation, and Karen Nagher of Preservation Wayne.

With harsh winter weather setting in quicker than anticipated this season and a depressed local economy, the health and safety of Michigan’s homeless is a growing concern. We’ll talk to Ryan Hertz, Execitive Director of the HOPE Hospitality and Warming Center. HOPE opens on Christmas Day to provide emergency shelter and food for residents in Pontiac and northern Oakland County.

It’s time for a little holiday trivia: When was Christmas banned in America? Why isn’t Hanukkah in the Bible? What do Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah have in common? We’ll ask these questions and more to Ken Davis, author of You Don't Know Much About History

Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue is the last synagogue in Detroit, and it’s having financial difficulties. But a group of young Detroiters- mostly students and new city residents- are trying to bring the Synagogue back to vibrancy. The Detroit Action Synagogue Committee’s strategy involves both traditional services and dinners, as well as live music and dancing to lure in Detroit’s young urban population. We’ll talk with Oren Goldenburg and Courtney Smith of the Detroit Action Synagogue Committee.

In an ongoing series of year-end wrap-ups, we’ll take a look back at the music that turned heads in 2008, nationally and here in Detroit. Joining us for the roundtable are:

Eve Doster Knepp, Organizer of the Metro Times Blowout and Norweigan Blue PR

Chris Koltay, Owner of High Bias Recordings

Travis Wright, Managing Editor of Real Detroit

Ryan Allen, Managing Editor at Detour

Call in at 313-577-1019 or leave your picks on the blog

Then- from Boblo Island to the Model T, there’s been no shortage of books taking a look at our home state in 2008. The best locally-focused literature can be found on the Library of Michigan’s 2009 Notable Books list. Barbara Martin of the Detroit Public Library and Michigan Notable Book Program Co-Coordinator Randy Riley will join us to point out a few of their favorites.

A statewide indoor smoking ban failed once again in the State Legislature late last week (here’s a wrap-up of the inside politics that made this possible). Hard breathers everywhere can breath a sigh of relief, but the lingering health concerns about second-hand smoke are higher than ever. We’ll talk with Judy Stewart of the American Cancer Society and we’ll take your calls- is this a triumph for civil liberties, or a tragedy for public health? Let us know, 313-577-1019.

We’ll talk with meteorologist Steve Freitarg of the National Weather Service about the cold, the snow, and what we can expect throughout the upcoming holiday weekend (a hint: it will be snowy).

We’ll wrap up the week in sports with Woody Woodruff.

Even with the Federal auto loans approved at long last, consumer confidence is near record lows and dealerships continue to struggle. The solution? For some, it’s to start banking on used cars. We’ll talk with Dan Duggan of Crain’s Detroit Business.

In the second hour, we’ll take a look at 2008’s biggest stories with a year-end journalists’ roundtable, featuring Stephen Henderson of the Free Press, Nolan Finley of the Detroit News, Mary Kramer of Crain’s Detroit Business and WDET’s own Noah Ovshinsky. Does the Kwame Kilpatrick scandal dwarf all the other news stories of the year? What about Wayne State’s new President, the controversy over Detroit’s trash incinerator or Synegro? We’ll discuss these topics and more & take your calls.