Common Cycle, which is a “community-based organization empowering Ann Arbor to ride bicycles,” recently lauched its website and has posted video of its first mobile bicycle repair station. Next repair station: April 25, 2010 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Kerrytown Artisan Market. [Source]
The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department has released a wanted poster for Leontay Clay Williams, a suspect in the April 15 shooting at Pappio’s in Ypsilanti Township: “He is known to frequent the south side of Ypsilanti but his current address is unknown. He is known to drive an early 2000 black Buick Regal with tinted windows (license plate #7JYJ85).” Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Craig Raisanen at 734-260-1466. [Source – .pdf file]
Ann Arbor City Council Sunday night caucus (April 18, 2010): Access to city hall for the caucus on Sunday evening required a manual unlocking of doors with assistance from the Ann Arbor police department. But after gaining lawful entry, about a half-dozen residents discussed a range of topics with the three councilmembers who attended – mayor John Hieftje, Sabra Briere (Ward 1) and Stephen Kunselman (Ward 3).
Bob Snyder reads aloud from the preliminary report of the Ann Arbor fire department, which summarizes the events of a recent nighttime house fire that killed one resident.
A recent fire on South State Street, which killed a resident of the house that burned, prompted a call to revisit a 2004 proposal to ban from porches the use of indoor furniture, like couches. That measure was ultimately tabled by the council six years ago, left to demise without any action.
A couple of residents expressed some disappointment that the councilmembers would not be discussing the budget that evening, but budgetary topics did make their way into the conversation. Chief among them were the relationship of the new parking fine schedule – which is expected to generate an extra $635,000 for the FY 2011 budget – to the parking plan that’s scheduled to be presented on Monday night to the council by the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority.
Questions about the planned Fuller Road Station were also raised, including the plan for financing the project. That project is not on Monday night’s agenda. But a different major capital project does have an associated Monday agenda item: the East Stadium bridge replacement. The item involves authorization for the city to apply for funds from the state’s local bridge fund – the city’s most recent application was denied. Caucus attendees heard Hieftje explain that the city would delay the start of replacement construction from fall 2010 to spring 2011, to allow for another round of funding applications.
The council also got an update on one resident’s ongoing efforts to move a mid-block crosswalk in front of King Elementary School to an intersection where cars already stop. [Full Story]
The Farmer’s Marketer has put together a downloadable guide to local community supported agriculture (CSA), as well as a “matchmaking” service between consumers and CSAs: “This is $25 for a one-hour consultation to help you figure out which CSA farm share could best meet your needs. We can also talk about any aspect of finding and eating locally grown, sustainably produced food – meat, dairy, grains, breads, pastries, fruits, pickles, condiments, whatever you want!” [Source]
In an article on the regulatory reform of financial institutions, The New York Times reports on the role Ann Arborite Michael S. Barr is playing. He is assistant Treasury secretary for financial institutions, and sees his Ann Arbor family on weekends. On the criticism that he is grating, The Times quotes Barr: “‘I enjoy the rough-and-tumble of it,’ he says. ‘It would be a disadvantage if I were stiff-necked and not willing to learn from other people. I certainly have seen that trait in some people, and I don’t admire it.’” [Source]
7:14 p.m. Construction barrels blocking a lane of Washtenaw EB at US-23.
A post on the Mother’s Kitchen blog tells us how to make May Wine Jelly, using dried sweet woodruff. She calls May Wine “a spring tonic of sorts”: “I have made and drunk May Wine – it tastes just like spring smells … grassy and new. Now, how to make that into a jelly? I could envision eating some toast and butter with some May Wine jelly in the morning for breakast, sitting out on the back deck with a pot of Roos Roast, the best coffee in the world. I can already smell the lilacs and honeysuckly in bloom around me – the birds are singing, etc.” [Source]
Last Monday night, the Ann Arbor city council held its fifth and possibly final meeting devoted exclusively to the city’s financial planning, before it adopts the city’s FY 2011 budget on May 17, 2010. The budget will be formally presented to the city council by city administrator Roger Fraser at its Monday, April 19 meeting.
Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) sets up his presentation on the Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) before the start of the April 12 council budget meeting. Rapundalo sits on the LDFA board as the Ann Arbor city council’s representative, and currently chairs the board.
At the April 12 budget meeting, the council heard presentations on two related entities: the Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) and Ann Arbor SPARK. The LDFA contracts with Ann Arbor SPARK for various business development services.
The two key themes that emerged from the LDFA presentation were consistent with the overall topic of the city’s budget: (i) Where does the LDFA get its money? and (ii) What does the LDFA spend its money on?
Part of the LDFA’s revenue goes towards economic development activities – a business accelerator – for which it contracts with Ann Arbor SPARK. The presentation to the council from SPARK’s CEO, Michael Finney, was followed by testimonials of companies who said they had benefited from SPARK’s efforts.
Development activities are just one kind of investment that the LDFA could make under its TIF (tax-increment financing) plan. It could also make investments in physical infrastructure. During question time, Sandi Smith (Ward 1) drew out from Stephen Rapundalo (Ward 2) the possibility that the LDFA could contemplate an investment in a fiber-optic network. Rapundalo, who serves on the LDFA board, indicated that such an LDFA investment might be possible, even if Google does not select Ann Arbor as a test community for its current fiber-optic initiative.
The council also heard from the economic development community about how the name “Ann Arbor” is perceived in the rest of the world.
The part of the council’s meeting dedicated to deliberations on its own budget was comparatively brief. Councilmembers were keen to portray in a positive light a couple of different issues, among them a potential increase in the city’s debt load resulting from a failure to complete a $3 million sale of property at First & Washington, as well as proposed increases in water rates. [Full Story]
Ann Arbor Public Art Commission meeting (April 13, 2010): After several months of discussion, the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission has set June 23 as the date for a public forum, though the format for the event hasn’t yet been determined.
At their monthly meeting on Tuesday, commissioners also discussed the need to publicize two projects: 1) an online survey seeking citizen input about public art, and 2) nominations for the annual Golden Paintbrush awards, which honor contributions to public art. A nomination form can be downloaded from AAPAC’s website.
Commissioners got updates on several public art projects in the works, discussed an upcoming retreat planned for May 12, and approved an annual planning process. They continue to await a response from German artist Herbert Dreiseitl, who was scheduled to come to Ann Arbor last week to work on his water sculpture for the municipal center, but was not planning to meet with AAPAC while he was here. [Full Story]
The Detroit Free Press reports on the induction of Ann Arborite Richard Bodycombe into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame last Saturday. The Freep quotes Bodycombe, who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart: “I flew almost 22,000 hours; that’s almost two years of my life.” [Source]
In an interview with the Detroit Free Press, actor Tom Hulce describes his formative years in Ann Arbor’s theater community in the mid-1960s: “It was a strange, wonderful time in this country, especially in Ann Arbor. Just walking down the street would be an adventure. The coolest thing to do was the most rebellious and unacceptable, the least mainstream kind of thing.” Hulce is a co-producer of the musical “Spring Awakening,” now playing in Detroit. [Source]
University of Michigan Board of Regents meeting (April 15, 2010): Under the high ceilings and crystal chandelier of an historic hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, university regents and administrators gathered Thursday for their monthly meeting in a venue designed to recognize UM’s ties with the western part of the state.
Dave Brandon addressed the UM Board of Regents for the first time publicly as athletic director, speaking at their April 15 meeting at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. (Photos by the writer.)
Though most of the meeting entailed presentations and reports – focused on UM programs with links to the Grand Rapids area and western Michigan – the regents also unanimously approved several action items, with little discussion.
Increases for parking permit fees – 3% in each of the next three fiscal years – were set, as was the transfer of the Henry Ford Estate to the nonprofit Ford House foundation. The estate had been given to UM in the 1950s along with land that became the university’s Dearborn campus. Regents also approved a major expansion of the Institute for Social Research building on Thompson Street.
During public commentary, two leaders of the lecturers’ union spoke to regents, charging that UM lecturers are being asked to shoulder an unfair burden as the university tries to cut costs. The union is negotiating with the administration for a new contract – its current contract expires May 15.
After the meeting – held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel – regents, executives and staff headed over to the nearby J.W. Marriott hotel for a reception hosted by the UM Alumni Association. [Full Story]
Uptown Coney on Jackson Road now serves beer and wine, though not with breakfast, even if you beg and then yell.
UM football spring game brings out “Your car is dirty!” signs from Pioneer softball team. They’re fundraising with a car wash. Offered me a bicycle wash. Washing anything outside sounds really cold on a 41-degree, windy day.
Saturday is Record Store Day, and Paste Magazine publishes a piece highlighting events nationwide. It includes this quote from Andrew WK: “One of the most amazing places in the world is a record store called either Liberty Street Recordings or Encore Records. It’s located in the great town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. … One time I went in, and this woman who I think owned the place was listening to Black Sabbath’s, ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ very loudly. She was probably the same age as my Mom and looked like a librarian, and after the album side finished she said, ‘God, I just love what that man’s voice does to me.’” [Source]
Several media outlets are reporting the death of management guru and UM business school professor C.K. Prahalad. Writing in Forbes India, columnist Neelima Mahajan-Bansal recalls past interviews with Prahalad. “As the news of his death broke on Twitter, I felt a little strange. It couldn’t be true. I just had to confirm this somehow. After thinking about it for a while, I finally called – for one last time – on his now-familiar cell phone number. His wife took the call and confirmed that he really is no more. It feels a little strange to think that he is gone. … I feel a little sad as I look at a copy of his last book – with a note … [Full Story]
Bloomberg News reports that Goldman Sachs had been warned it might be the target of an SEC lawsuit, but didn’t disclose that information to shareholders, saying only that it was cooperating with regulators’ “requests for information.” The article quotes UM law professor Adam Pritchard, a former SEC attorney: “The question is whether a general disclaimer like that is rendered misleading because you left out the specifics. The prudent, conservative choice is to disclose more.” [Source]
Anna and Lynn on the move down the sidewalk with a cardboard cutout of their friend Lauren, whose birthday they’re celebrating, but who can’t join them because she’s in California. [photo]
Woman walking down the street, spinning thread from a skein on some kind of a wooden top-like device.
The Ann Arbor Summer Festival has announced its 2010 lineup for the Top of the Park event, which runs Tuesdays through Sundays from June 18 to July 11 at Ingalls Mall on UM’s central campus. Musical acts include Lady Sunshine and the X-Band, NOMO, Misty Lyn & The Big Beautiful, The MacPodz, and Orpheum Bell, among others. Films will start at 10 p.m. and include Avatar, The Princess Bride, Star Trek and Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space. [Source]
North Quad construction: The barriers on the side next to Huron are coming down. The plaza on the corner of State & Huron is nearly complete and prep work has begun for laying sidewalk. Still no sign of the northbound lanes on State freeing up, though.
It’s late March and I’m lingering around the end of the boathouse used by the Pioneer High School rowing team, waiting for the boats to head down to the water for practice. Coach Rich Griffith has agreed to let me ride along in the motorized launch as he monitors the rowers’ workout. The following week I’ll take a ride with Huron High’s coach, Tom Kraft.
Alec Washabaugh helps carry the boat as Meaghan Kennedy directs traffic. Both are students at Pioneer High School. Next fall, Kennedy will be heading to Indiana University in Bloomington, where she’ll attend school on a crew scholarship. (Photos by the writer.)
From behind me comes the warning from one of the coxswains: “Heads up!” Coxswains steer the boats on the water – and on land as well, because lifting and turning the long craft requires coordination.
A peek over my shoulder confirms that the command is directed at me – I’m standing near the middle of an upside-down 8-person rowing shell held aloft by eight women. My noggin is safe for a few seconds as they pause. To clear the boat completely, I’d need to hustle a good 25 feet in one direction or the other. But that seems like an overly dramatic and panicky move. Surely that’s not what boathouse culture demands? Instead, I simply kneel. The boat makes its way over me and down to the dock.
The learning curve is steep. A few minutes later: “Heads up!” The scene repeats itself.
I confirm with Pioneer senior Meaghan Kennedy, who’s standing nearby, that yes, maybe I should find another vantage point. Kennedy is coxswain for the men’s varsity eight-man boat and one of the team’s captains, along with twins Zach and Mackenzie Miller. Kennedy is waiting to guide her own boat down to the dock. [Full Story]
Detroit News columnist Khristi Zimmeth writes about Treasure Mart, which is celebrating its 50th year in business on Saturday – with cake! Owner Elaine Johns recalls that when her mother opened the Ann Arbor resale shop in 1960, people thought it wouldn’t last. Says Johns: “The whole Kerrytown area had been slated for urban renewal then. This was long before Zingerman’s or the farmer’s market.” [Source]
On Eclectablog, Chris and Anne Savage document Thursday’s Tea Party protest on the UM Diag, which also drew people who supported Obama. Chris Savage writes: “So, all in all, pretty boring. Mostly funny because the liberal students (and even non-students) chose to use the event to have some fun and not take themselves too seriously. One group held a Mad Hatter Tea Party right smack in the middle of everything and carried around a huge sign saying, ‘Where’s my bloody crumpet?’” [Source]
John U. Bacon
The first quarter of this year has been filled with endless sports stories about salaries and steroids and sex – and pretty much everything but sports. So I welcome a look back at a time the stakes were real, and the men were equal to the moment.
Well, we’re in luck, because this week marks the anniversary of the most important day in sports: April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson made his major league debut.
Even people who don’t know about sports know about Jackie Robinson – and they should. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Jackie Robinson made it possible for me in the first place. Without him, I would never have been able to do what I did.”
But, without a much less famous man named Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers’ president and a University of Michigan law school graduate, Robinson might never have gotten his chance. [Full Story]
Writing on The Huffington Post, Peter Ubel – director of UM’s Center for Behavioral and Decision Sciences and Medicine – describes the implications of political compromise in the health care debate: “Politicians are understandably worried that if they collaborate across the aisle, their political careers will soon end. They fear losing their next election. But their fears are misplaced, at least from my perspective as a researcher who has studied the kinds of ways people mis-predict what will make themselves happy or miserable.” [Source]
10:30 p.m. Over one hundred people in line to manually time stamp tax mail. Post office is unmanned and many patrons confused. Some decide to drop mail into the blue box, which will result in an April 16 date stamp.
David Menefee on guitar and Jen Johnson on cello. Yee haw, it’s a beautiful day on Ann Street! [photo]
Ann Arbor’s City Hall will be closed on Thursday, April 15 due to high levels of carbon monoxide likely caused by construction, according to a city press release. “Preliminary investigation indicates the carbon monoxide was generated by an excavator working in a depression on the southwest side of Larcom between City Hall and the new 15th District Court and Police building. Given strong winds from the south and uncapped wiring access tubes installed low in the basement wall, it appears that exhaust from the machine was sucked into the building and then sucked through the stairwells and elevator shafts to other parts of City Hall.” Offices are expected to reopen on Friday. [Source]
The Detroit News reports on the impact of stricter visa rules for students, workers and travelers following the attempted terrorist attack on Flight 253. Since 9/11, UM’s international students have already been subject to intense scrutiny to get visas – the article quotes John E. Greisberger, director of UM’s International Center: “We have seen delays over the past few years, but not as bad as right after 9/11. The slowdown is caused by background checks that are done by State Department staff in Washington.” [Source]
