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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link="#0E618C" vlink="#516E7D"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Hurray to Spies and Cheryl Hoffman! Also, congratulations to the other libraries that have gone before you in this effort. Yay, Michigan’s public libraries, yay collaboration!!!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> mjts-bounces@merit.edu [mailto:mjts-bounces@merit.edu] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Greg Monroe<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 15, 2013 10:11 AM<br><b>To:</b> mjts@merit.edu<br><b>Subject:</b> Merit Network, Inc. announces Fiber-optic Infrastructure Dedication for REACH-3MC Broadband Project in Menominee County<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=640 style='width:480.0pt'><tr style='height:58.5pt'><td width=450 valign=top style='width:337.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in;height:58.5pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:10.5pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'><img width=450 height=78 id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://www.merit.edu/goto/images/Merit_REACH3MC_pressrelease.jpg" alt="Merit Network Logo"><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";display:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt'><div id=mainblogtext><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:12.0pt'><i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>MEDIA ADVISORY</span></i><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-line-height-alt:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:14.5pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#125788'>Merit Network, Inc. announces Fiber-optic Infrastructure Dedication for REACH-3MC Broadband Project in Menominee County<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#047970'>Who:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>Cheryl Hoffman, <i>Director, Spies Public Library</i> <br><br>Elwood Downing, <i>Vice President, Member Relations, Communications, Services and Product Development, Merit Network</i> <br><br>Kenny Marks, <i>Menominee County Sheriff</i> <br><br>Michael Cattani, <i>Superintendent, Menominee Area Public Schools</i> <br><br>The Honorable Ed McBroom, <i>State Representative, Michigan's 108th District</i> <br><br>Jeremy Hosking, <i>U. P. Regional Manager, Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow</i> <br><br>Amy Berglund, <i>U. P. Regional Representative, Office of U.S. Senator Carl Levin</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#047970'>What:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>Fiber-optic Infrastructure Dedication for the Menominee Community to commemorate the completion of significant segments of Merit's REACH-3MC Broadband Stimulus Project. Spies Public Library will host key stakeholders who will reflect on this momentous occasion. Merit Network will announce a significant milestone for the project and answer questions on how the community can take advantage of this high-speed network. <br><br>In 2010, Merit Network, Inc. received two federal stimulus awards for REACH-3MC. The Rural, Education, Anchor, Community and Health care - Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative (REACH-3MC) will create 2,287 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure in rural and underserved areas throughout Michigan and provide backhaul to key interconnection points in Wisconsin and Minnesota. <br><br>Through REACH-3MC, Merit enables state and local government, colleges, schools, libraries, health care facilities and other community anchor institutions to connect to Merit's private, high-performance network, enabling them to lower costs, consolidate services and provide more to Michigan's citizens. Merit engages project participants from the private sector to improve service to homes and businesses along the REACH-3MC route. Merit's existing fiber infrastructure combined with the new REACH-3MC network infrastructure creates a robust footprint in the state, providing Michigan with a strategic asset to leverage in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#047970'>Where:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>Spies Public Library<br>940 First Street<br>Menominee, MI 49858 <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#047970'>When:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 11:30 AM Central Time <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;line-height:12.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#047970'>How:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>The event is open to the public. Anyone may attend in person. Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. <o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#444444'>For more information: <a href="http://www.merit.edu"><b><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#3B8CA0'>www.merit.edu</span></b></a> <br><br><i>For press/media contact:</i><br><br>Patty Giorgio<br>Merit Network, Inc.<br><b>Phone:</b> (734)527-5734<br><b>Cell:</b> (734)276-6360<br><b>Email:</b> <a href="mailto:pgiorgio@merit.edu"><b><span style='font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";color:#3B8CA0'>pgiorgio@merit.edu</span></b></a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";display:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=450 style='width:337.5pt'><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center;line-height:10.5pt'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'><br><br><br>Merit Network, Inc.<br>1000 Oakbrook Drive, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104-6794<br>Phone: (734)527-5700 Fax: (734)527-5790 E-mail: <a href="mailto:www@merit.edu">www@merit.edu</a> <br><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p></td></tr></table></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:windowtext'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>