The Washtenaw Health Plan has announced open enrollment in April for no- or low-income adults ages 19 through 64. The program is offered by the Michigan Dept. of Human Services and managed locally under the Washtenaw Health Plan as “Plan A.” [Source]
The University of Michigan reports that five unions representing about 11,000 workers have ratified contracts, the longest ones running through June 30, 2018. The unions with new contracts are AFSCME, the Michigan Nurses Association, Graduate Employees’ Organization, Lecturers’ Employee Organization, and House Officers Association. The ratification has occurred prior to March 28, when the state’s right-to-work legislation takes effect. [Source]
Darcy’s Cart is featured on the Ann Arbor farmers market blog, which highlights local vendors. It includes chef Paul Kessenich’s recipe for potato & kale hash. [Source]
Selma Cafe has posted information about parking for the weekly breakfast gathering, urging people to consider walking, biking, or taking the bus as a way to help manage traffic and parking. The post includes a map showing a “red zone” on certain streets in the neighborhood near Eberwhite Elementary, where parking for the cafe is prohibited. [Source]
One year after a devastating tornado hit the Dexter area, Sharon Silke Carty writes a column – published by the Dexter Patch – about how things have changed for residents: “There are moments in everyone’s life when you can say things changed inside you forever. The first big moment for me like that was when my father died. My memories are categorized as before, and after. I suspect the tornado did that for many people in Dexter, even if we’re grateful for new friends, new support networks, and new perspective. But that dinnertime storm on March 15, 2012 will always be a before and after moment.” [Source]
A 20-question survey by the Washtenaw County office of community and economic development (OCED) is part of an effort to help identify ”creative opportunities for growing our local economy and utilizing community capital.” Questions include “Have you ever contributed to a crowdfunding campaign?” and “What would you need to know or have in order to be comfortable investing locally?” [Source]
A2Ethics.org has posted a 16-minute video of highlights from the nonprofit’s A2Ethics Big Ethical Question Slam, held on Feb. 7. As described on the A2Ethics website, the annual event is a “one-of-a-kind ethical dilemma competition [that] challenges teams of community organizations to respond to major ethical questions and have their answers evaluated by a panel of invited judges and the audience.” [Source]
A post on Ann Arbor Schools Musings highlights a March 11 panel of the state Board of Education, focusing on funding reforms for K-12 education. The post includes a note from Jack Panitch, former Angell PTO president, urging people to attend: “This is an opportunity to show Lansing that large numbers of informed voters are watching their actions and that we care about our kids’ futures. It is also an opportunity to fall flat on our face if attendance is thin.” The event, which is open to the public, runs from 6-8 p.m at Pioneer High’s Little Theater, 601 W. Stadium Blvd. [Source]
An article on RH Reality Check explores the efforts by Ann Arbor-based Zingerman’s to develop a “thriveable wage” for its employees. Excerpts from a vision statement: “Higher wages lead to higher morale and is the engine that keeps everything spiraling upward. In many cases, productivity increases due to lowered stress levels in the lives of the people in our organization because of assurance that their financial needs are covered.” [Source]
A post on Hyperallergic describes the background for “State of Exception,” an art exhibit at the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities Gallery. The work, on display through March 12, includes artifacts collected as part of the Undocumented Migration Project, and explores issues related to illegal immigration. [Source]
The city of Ann Arbor has mailed out its 2013 property assessment and taxable value notification letters, and has posted a fact sheet explaining how those calculations are made. The website includes two examples, and an explanation of the appeals process. [Source]
Realtor Rob Ewing has posted a 10-minute promotional video – “Discover Ann Arbor” – featuring scenes of local parks, the University of Michigan campus, downtown restaurants, and arts & cultural venues, as the backdrop to interviews about Ann Arbor with local community leaders, including David Canter, Ken Fischer, Susan Pollay, and several others. [Source]
On his blog “Musings of a Curious Mind,” Dane Jackson posts a five-question Q&A with owners of the soon-to-open Literati bookstore at Fourth and Washington. “This isn’t just a bookstore for us. Like any small business owner, this is now our livelihood and lifestyle.” [Source]
A2Awesome has announced its latest round of $1,000 grants: To support the Small & Mighty entrepreneur network, and to help Citizens for Prison Reform distribute a prison resource guide in Washtenaw County. [Source]
The University of Michigan Erb Institute 2013 Follies music video “Kerrytown Parking Lot” mixes it up to promote the Ann Arbor farmers market. A sampling of lyrics: “It’s gettin’ real in the Kerrytown parking lot. You know the deal with the grass-fed beef we got. Check out what I say. It happens every day. It’s how we move in the west side of AA.” [Source]
Writing on his blog Vacuum, Ed Vielmetti posts news that Eastern Accents, a downtown Ann Arbor restaurant at 214 Fourth Fourth Ave., will be closing its business on Saturday, March 16, at 7 p.m. A press release from the owners states: “A long-simmering dispute with our landlord has finally come to a head, and we’ve decided that it is time for change. … A wise person once said that life is a tapestry – that every person we meet, every event that we experience, and every interaction makes the tapestry more colorful, more vivid, and gives it greater depth. With that in mind, our family thanks everyone for making our tapestry more beautiful, and hope that in some … [Full Story]
In a video posted on YouTube, Wendy Woods – an Ann Arbor planning commissioner who’s also associate director of the Michigan Community Scholars Program at the University of Michigan – leads the MCSP in a Harlem Shake. [Source]
Lisa Allmendinger, publisher of Chelsea Update, is starting another online publication for the Dexter area. A note from Allmendinger on the new Dexter Update website states: ”This site has a planned launch date of President’s Day, Monday, Feb. 18.” [Source]
Writing on her blog, photographer Alli McWhinney profiles Sweet Heather Anne, an Ann Arbor cake maker with a shop on Main Street. Photos include shots of Heather Anne Leavitt working in the kitchen. In a Q&A, Leavitt talks about her own favorites: “My favorite cake is our almond olive oil cake with blood orange curd and citrus praline buttercream. It was inspired the blood oranges that I fell in love with in Italy. The curd is the perfect combination of sweet and tart, and I love the delicate texture of the cake. I’m also incredibly partial to our mexican shortbread cookies. I sneak more of those than anything else ;).” [Source]
AndrewH324 has posted on Flickr a stunning photo of the “canopy” formed by the crows roosting in the tree tops on the University of Michigan campus. [Source]
Writing on Eclectablog, Chris Savage summarizes the Feb. 9, 2013 meeting of the Ann Arbor Democratic Party, which included appearances by Michigan Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer as well as his opponent in the upcoming election for chair of the party, Lon Johnson. “The event was extremely well-run by Ann Arbor Dems chair Mike Henry and in the overflow crowd of around 250 people was nearly every elected official from the Ann Arbor area. It was, without question, the biggest political event in Washtenaw County since the election last November.” [Source]
The University of Michigan Alumni Association posts a short YouTube video of snow scenes around the Ann Arbor campus, including a closeup of a snow-covered but undaunted squirrel. [Source]
Ann Arbor city councilmembers Sally Petersen and Jane Lumm – who both represent Ward 2 – have launched a website for their constituents: A2Ward2.com. The site includes a link to a “resident satisfaction survey” powered by the Ann Arbor firm ForeSee Results. The 40-item survey covers a wide range of topics, asking for feedback on parks, garbage collection, recycling, infrastructure, taxes, the bus system, police, and several other issues. Three open-ended questions include this one: “If you could make one suggestion for your elected official to focus on during the next six months what would it be?” [Source] Not sure if you live in Ward 2? Here’s a link to … [Full Story]
The Shape Ypsilanti website is soliciting input on community values to help guide development of the city’s master plan. From one of the responses: “City SUSTAINABILITY* is the priority in economic, energy, transportation and other matters. … Sustainability is NOT the ability to carry out endless growth & development.” [Source]
The University of Michigan has released its 2012 Sustainability Progress Report in an interactive online format, with information related to academics, research and operations on sustainability. The report includes video interviews, a photo gallery and a wide range of data on UM’s efforts. [Source]
A2GastroBoy has presented his annual restaurant survey results. In addition to presenting the results of the basic rankings, this year he’s created an index that bakes in not just the ranking, but also how often survey respondents had eaten at a restaurant. Just four of the top ranked restaurants remained in the top ten, once the frequency of visits was factored in. In addition to the rankings A2GastroBoy offers other results from the survey: “It warms my heart to know that a full quarter of A2GastroBoy readers would like to see more Banana Stands in Ann Arbor.” [Source]
Writing on her blog, Ann Arbor city councilmember Sabra Briere adds to the conversation about the future of five downtown city-owned parcels – the focus of the Connecting William Street project. She frames the question not in terms conference centers versus parks, but rather in terms of civic uses more generally: “I’d like a real discussion about civic uses downtown – and I’d like us to talk about the best ways we can pay for those uses.” [Source]
Peace Neighborhood Center of Ann Arbor informs the community about the death of Rose Martin, the nonprofit’s founder and first executive director, who died on Jan. 22: “She was not afraid of life’s challenges in her pursuit of what was right. One could not accuse her of being a wilting flower. She was one Rose Blooming, a voice of compassion and a hero to a great many individuals throughout Washtenaw County and abroad. She was an inspiration and it is our distinct pleasure to be a part of her legacy, the Peace Neighborhood Center Family. She will be missed.” [Source]
A short post on Pitchfork highlights a four-song self-titled 7″ EP by Chit Chat, an Ann Arbor garage punk band: “With their 30-second shredder, they invoke the guitar heroics of another rock’n'roll band from Ann Arbor: the Stooges.” The post includes a clip of the song “Attitude.” [Source]
The Pure Michigan website highlights the upcoming Jan. 20-25 Ann Arbor Restaurant Week, noting that the event is the largest one in Michigan. “To prepare, we decided to talk to some of the rock stars of restaurant week in Ann Arbor.” The featured chefs are Duc Tang of Pacific Rim by Kana, Brandon Johns of The Grange Kitchen & Bar; Brendan McCall of Isalita and Mani Osteria & Bar; Eve Aronoff of Frita Batidos; and John Fischer of Gratzi. [Source]
