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Midwest Memo: Groupon’s Growth, Toledo’s (Unfinished) Transformation And The Big Easy Takes One Away

Groupon grows Chicago-based Groupon has acquired a new York company that specializes in gathering data about local consumers. The Chicago Tribune says it could be the “deal of the year.”

Long way to go in Toledo The Toledo area has seen 7,200 new jobs in manufacturing since June of 2009. That’s the second best improvement in the country (Lansing, Mich. is number one). But the Toledo Blade says there are still 36 percent fewer manufacturing jobs than there were in 1998.

Background check The Blade also has a Special Report out this morning. The newspaper hired investigators in China to look into two Chinese investors who’ve invested millions in Toledo. The paper finds that the two investors amassed their fortunes thanks to connections to the ruling Communist Party in China, and after years of service as government bureaucrats. (Our own Dan Bobkoff reported on Toledo’s China connection last summer).

Losing to the Big Easy Indianapolis was in the running for a GE corporate office with 300 high-paying jobs. But the company picked New Orleans instead.

Next in line The New York Times profiles the heir apparent to the CEO office at Ford.

Unpaid fees Detroit decides it’s time to collect.

Media moratorium The Chicago News Cooperative, a non-profit news agency that had been providing content to The New York Times, will suspend its operations on February 26th.

Trombone Shorty Gets The Ultimate New Orleans Honor

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is special to us at Changing Gears. He gave us his song “Right to Complain,” for the Changing Gears theme song. He’s doing his part to help kids in New Orleans, in the same way that people are trying to help out in the Midwest.

Trombone Shorty

Now, Andrews has gotten the ultimate New Orleans honor. He’s the subject of this year’s Jazz and Heritage Festival poster. It’s called Porch Song, and shows Andrews on the porch of his home in Treme. The artist is Terrance Osborne.

Andrews, 25, is joining a heralded group of musicians who’ve appeared on the poster, including Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Louis Prima, Jimmy Buffett, and Fats Domino.

We talked to him not long after Changing Gears went on the air in 2010. Hear his interview a few months ago with our friends Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis on Sound Opinions, from our partner station WBEZ.

Trombone Shorty and Changing Gears

Trombone Shorty, real name Troy Michael Andrews, has deep roots in New Orleans, his home town, but he’s also breaking new ground as a musician, singer, and song writer in contemporary jazz.

Cleveland 015

In December, he earned his first Grammy nomination for his album Backatown. That’s where you’ll find Right to Complain, the theme song for Changing Gears. Andrews took time out from a recent appearance in Cleveland to talk with me for the Changing Gears podcast. Continue reading

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