First a weekly newspaper column, now a podcast. Give hims few years and Ann Arbor native Andrew W.K. may make a bid for Howard Stern's King Of All Media throne. Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/america-w-k

It's been a long torturous route and there's no doubt the logistical and political agony will continue, but progress is being made -albeit slowly- to link Ann Arbor, Detroit and the surrounding suburbs via public transit. Knock on wood, say a little prayer and light a candle for things to develop at reasonable pace. Excerpt: Michael Ford is the CEO of RTA. He says the region is way behind other metro areas in terms of transportation. "Think about this: how many people can get where they need to go right now? There's needs for frequency, late night service, earlier morning service. So people can get to jobs and get home. So people can get to shows and get home, people can get to sporting events and get home. So right now, that’s an issue. “What if we just do nothing? People are going to continue to move out, because they can't get to good jobs, they can't get home. They can't just function normally.” Ford also says the region isn’t keeping up with other areas in terms of investing in public transportation. Read and listen to the rest here.

Elevation Burger is opening its second location in Ann Arbor this week, bringing a slow-food business model to a traditional burger joint. The Virginia-based company specializes in making high-end burgers, using only 100 percent USDA-certified organic, grass-fed, and free-range beef that is freshly ground on the premises of each franchise. The idea it make food that is fresh, local, and delicious. "We do the milkshakes the old-fashioned way of scooping the ice cream and blending it up here," says Michael Tayter, owner of the Michigan franchises of Elevation Burger. Elevation Burger's second Michigan franchise is opening in downtown Ann Arbor at 529 E Liberty. It comes two years after Tayter opened his first franchise in Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan alum choose to keep the first two franchises close to each tother in order to maintain quality. "People expand geographically too quickly and they stretch themselves too thin," Tayter says. "We want to stay close so we can share staff and managers and bring over the culture from the other store." The new 1,850-square-foot space in downtown Ann Arbor will be able to seat 50 people at a time. It will also have a prep space in the basement of the building. The location will employ 12 people. Source: Michael Tayter, owner of the Michigan franchises of Elevation Burger Writer: Jon Zemke

Blaze Medical Device accomplished a big milestone many other bio-tech startups never even get close to. "For the first time we are generating revenues," says David Weaver, CEO of Blaze Medical Devices. The Ann Arbor-based startup made its first sale of its blood analysis services earlier this year. Blaze Medical Devices' platform enables medical researchers and product developers to better understand blood damage from all causes. "They didn't want to wait," Weaver says. "It has a huge upside for us. It shows that the market is real." Blaze Medical Devices is now working on adding more clients by the end of the year. The 9-year-old firm is also in the midst of raising a $2 million angel found. Late last year it landed a $200,000 SBIR grant and has since landed more angel investor capital. So far the company has raised $1.3 million toward its $2 million goal, which it expects to close on by the end of the year. Blaze Medical Devices employs a staff of six employees and is looking to add some summer interns. It has hired one lab technician earlier this year. Weaver expects his staff to continue to grow as it generates more revenues and closes out on its angel round. Source: David Weaver, CEO of Blaze Medical Devices Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

Bees and farmers make a natural combination. A new startup launching out of Ann Arbor aims to make it profitable one for all involved. HiveLend is developing a web-platform that connects local farmers with hobbyists beekeepers with a matching algorithm. The idea is to connect the two groups to help better pollinate crops while putting some extra cash into the pockets of beekeepers. This sort of transaction isn't a new one. There are commercial beekeepers who own hundreds if not thousands of hives. Each growing season they sell the placement of those hives to commercial farmers. Prices for a bee hive range from $60-$80 per hive in Michigan to $150-$200 per hive for almond farms in California. HiveLend's founder, Nicholas Zajciw, is a hobbyist beekeeper who wanted to work a similar deal on a small scale with local farmers. "I realized there was no tool for that online and (making that match between farmer and beekeeper) required a lot of research," Zajciw says. He launched HiveLend shortly after realizing that earlier this year. The three-person HiveLend team is developing the early versions of the platform now with a public launch date set for July. HiveLend recently won Ann Arbor SPARK's Boot Camp, a crash course in business building that helps entrepreneurs quickly and effectively validates and better focus their business idea. HiveLend will initially focus on connecting hobbyist beekeepers and local farmers in Michigan this year. Zajciw expects a growing season of working with small customers will enable them to perfect the platform for use by commercial users later on. It's also the easy path for HiveLend to follow for now. "I have a good network I have built with beekeepers in Michigan," Zajciw says. Source: Nicholas Zajciw, founder of HiveLend Writer: Jon Zemke

The question isn't whether people want a train to Traverse City, it's whether they want it enough… and whether Michigan's pathological inertia with regard to transportation issues will ever allow it to happen. Excerpt: "At statewide community forums in 2010 while the Michigan Department of Transportationwas developing a state rail plan, a consistent and top theme that emerged was that Michigan's passenger rail system should include a Traverse City-to-southern Michigan connection, said Liz Treutel, a policy associate at the Michigan Environmental Council — which, with the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers, convened the meetings. Feedback ran both ways, Treutel said. People in northern Michigan wanted easier access to downstate, and tourists were interested in rail service heading north." Read the rest here.

Wired takes the all-cards-in-one Stratos credit card out for a spin… and is impressed with what it can do.  Excerpt: "There are a thousand upsides to a card like Stratos, even beyond finally ditching your gigantic George Costanza wallet. It can make sure you actually use your gift cards, or make getting a loyalty card totally automatic. It’s much more secure than a standard credit card, for a variety of reasons. If you lose it, just shut it off—you don’t need to cancel the individual cards themselves. It even uses Bluetooth to warn you if you left it in the check-holder, and will shut off if you get too far away." Read the rest here.