On Saturday, October 22, at 12:00 p.m., the Ingham County Treasurer is sponsoring a 2-hour bus tour of six renovated Land Bank properties. The pick-up and drop-off location is 230 North Washington in downtown Lansing.

The Land Bank was created to return tax reverted, purchased, and unclaimed Ingham County properties to productive use as quickly as possible. The Land Bank renovates and resells these properties to protect property values and improve the quality of area neighborhoods. The Ingham County Land Bank has sold 27 homes in 2011 alone, with 4 more closings scheduled for this week. More information about the Ingham County Land Bank, including current properties available for sale, is located at http://www.inghamlandbank.org/index.php.

The bus tour is open to the public, but space is limited to 29 people. To reserve your spot, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Court of Appeals ruling that forced the closure of medical marihuana dispensaries across the State is being challenged by the owner of the dispensary. In the underlying case of State v McQueen, the Court of Appeals decided that patient-to-patient sales of medical marihuana were illegal, and that a dispensary run by CA, LLC, in Mt. Pleasant constituted a public nuisance.

On Thursday, CA, LLC, filed papers with the Supreme Court seeking leave to appeal the Court of Appeals decision. The Supreme Court will now decide whether to accept the appeal.

The Court of Appeals decision can be found at: http://coa.courts.mi.gov/documents/OPINIONS/FINAL/COA/20110823_C301951_67_301951.OPN.PDF.

On Tuesday, October 4, 2011, State officials announced a tentative agreement with Norfolk Southern for the purchase of 135 miles of railroad track between Kalamazoo and Dearborn. This acquisition is a pivotal part of the plan to eventually have passenger trains running at maximum speeds of 110 mph between Dearborn and Chicago. The Michigan Lieutenant Governor has signed a bill appropriating $150 million in federal money and matching funds of $18.8 million each from the State and Norfolk Southern. The next step in the process - overhaul and upgrade of the track - is a project to be funded by a $196 million federal grant.

For more details regarding legal issues surrounding public transit authorities and systems, please contact Mark Koerner at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The seventh annual MiCorps conference is scheduled to be held on October 24-25, 2011, at the Ralph A. MacMullen Conference Center, on the north shore of Higgins Lake in Roscommon, Michigan.

MiCorps is a network of volunteer monitors who assist the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality with collecting water quality data from lakes and streams around the State. This year's MiCorps conference theme is "Michigan's Clean Water Challenges." Presenters will focus on the following topics:

• Native and invasive species monitoring
• Leading, managing and inspiring volunteerism
• Training regarding monitoring techniques

The charge for the conference is $40, with overnight lodging at the Center available for an additional charge. You must register by October 14. The conference program and registration forms are available at www.micorps.net/conference2011.