Search Results

County Budget Moves Toward Final Vote

November 22, 2009

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners meeting (Nov. 18, 2009): The county’s administration and elected officials have been grappling with the 2010-2011 budget for nearly a year, and passed a milestone at Wednesday’s meeting with approval of the budget during the board’s Ways & Means Committee meeting. They’re expected to take a final vote at the Dec. 2 regular board meeting. Staff members who attended the meeting seemed visibly relieved.

The board also got an update on the 2009 budget, made appointments to more than a dozen commissions and committees, and approved emergency funding to help provide shelter for the homeless during the winter months. Details on these and other agenda items after the break. Full Story

Column: Weeding Out The Truth

By Mary Morgan

February 15, 2009

The front lawn of Stanislav Voskov's Pittsfield Township home with dandelions gone to seed. Is it natural landscaping, or just unkempt? This photo was taken in May of 2007 by a Pittsfield Township official. No citation was issued at that time., but one was issued to Voskov in June 2008 for violating a township property maintenance ordinance.

If I had to pick sides, I guess I’m anti-lawn. Come summer the small patch of land in front of our Ann Arbor home turns into a micro-garden of pole beans, potatoes and tomatoes, with orange cosmos towering in the narrow strip between the sidewalk and street. Much of our back yard is filled with an herb garden, flowers and, of course, a teeter totter.

So when Doug Cowherd of the local Sierra Club chapter contacted The Chronicle about a dispute between Pittsfield Township and a homeowner who’d been issued a citation over the condition of his yard, I was prepared to sympathize with anyone who challenges the suburbian status quo.

And then, on Feb. 5, I sat on a hard bench through 7.5 hours of testimony in Judge Cedric Simpson’s court. I heard an awful lot about cultivation, weeds, native gardens, organic gardeners, neighbors, township ordinances and the definition of hearsay. I watched a drama unfold that revealed how, in the search for a righteous cause, truth can be inconveniently difficult to discern. Full Story

More Local Coverage:

Search

Stopped. Watched.

Farmers Market
The globe of a streetlight is resting on the sidewalk along Fourth Avenue, next to its decapitated pole. Hit by the storm?
Ann & Zina Pitcher
Main & Liberty
Packard & Hill
UM Business School
Pontiac Trail
Washington & Main

Civic News Ticker

Council Allocates Human Services Funding
At its July 19, 2010 meeting, the Ann Arbor city council allocated $1,268,092 in city general funds to more than 30 different nonprofit agencies for human services programs. The funding had already been approved as part of the city’s FY 2011 budget, which was adopted at its May 17, 2010 meeting.

This brief, filed live from city hall, will be followed by a detailed report of the July 19 meeting: [link]
Energy Program Coordinator to be Hired
Council Supports Zingerman’s Three Ways
Liquor Recommended for @Burger, Revive
Pedestrian Ordinance Revised
UM Regents Approve Purchase of MITC Assets
UM Regents Alter Endowment Policy

Old Media Watch

UM: Stem Cells
The Detroit News reports on the potential impact a new governor might have on stem cell research. In 2008, a constitutional amendment was approved by voters to allow stem cell research. Recently, however, the Senate has passed various limitations and regulations on the amendment. Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Stem Cell Biology, expressed concern about such opposition from political leaders: “People voted to constitutionally protect this type of research. It would be an open question if we get a governor who is opposed to this, whether the governor and the Legislature could find a way to impede this research.” [Source]
UM: Obesity
Ypsi: Schools
UM: Game Camp
A2: Governor’s Race
UM: Ivory Tower
A2: Governor’s Race

New Media Watch

Washtenaw: Primary Elections
The Ann Arbor-based Center for Michigan has posted its voter guide, a searchable database of information about state candidates in the Aug. 3 primary elections. The site also includes video interviews with candidates. Here’s a link to the page for Ann Arbor’s District 53 in the state House of Representatives, a race between Democrats Jeff Irwin and Ned Staebler. [Source]
A2: Japan
A2: Activism
A2: Butterflies
A2: Gone One Year
A2: Libraries
A2: Newspaper

Missed Ticks

Employee, Not Volunteer
In a report on the July 27, 2010 information session for potential library board candidates, we incorrectly stated that Lyn Davidge was a former volunteer at the Ann Arbor District Library. In fact, she was employeed by AADL as a substitute librarian for more than 10 years. We note the error here, and have corrected the original article.
Site Plans vs. Purchase Options
Four Teams, Not Two
Date Incorrect
Community, Not Pioneer
Dale Nominated Then Confirmed for AATA
Percentage Incorrect

» Text size: