Archive for February, 2010

The Detroit News reports that weather conditions might shorten jury deliberations in the trial of Sam Riddle, the Detroit political consultant who faces charges of conspiracy, extortion, and lying to the FBI. The article reports that Riddle has been making Facebook posts complaining about his legal representation. One of his attorneys, John Minock of Ann Arbor, is quoted in the report: “I really don’t have anything to say – not even a ‘no comment.’” [Source]

Watch the snow fall from the “I OPT” cam, looking down at South State from the second floor of Nickels Arcade. The image refreshes every five seconds. [Source]

All after-school activities for the Ann Arbor Public Schools – including athletics, parent meetings, and Rec & Ed activities – have been canceled for Tuesday afternoon and evening due to weather conditions. As of Tuesday morning, no decision had been made about closing schools on Wednesday, according to AAPS spokeswoman Liz Margolis. Update Tuesday evening: Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Saline schools will be closed on Wednesday, Feb. 10. [Source]

The New York Times reports the story of Shon R. Hopwood, a former bank robber who studied law while in prison and now makes a living writing briefs for Supreme Court cases. The article quotes Richard Friedman, a UM law professor who worked with Hopwood on a recent Supreme Court case. Friedman, who has talked to UM admissions about Hopwood’s application for law school, says: “His gratitude for the quality of his life is that of someone who has come back from a near-death experience.” [Source]

Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education meeting (Feb. 3, 2010): Trustee Adam Hollier announced his resignation near the end of Wednesday’s school board meeting, setting in motion a plan to fill his seat when he leaves on Feb. 12. This is the second time within three months that a trustee has resigned – Helen Gates-Bryant stepped down in mid-November.

Todd Roberts, left, superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools, talks Adam Hollier, who resigned as an AAPS board of education trustee on Wednesday night. (Photos by the writer.)

Leading up to his announcement, Hollier used his parting comments as an AAPS trustee to offer support to the workers facing possible privatization, as well as to make a strong pitch for private giving to support the schools in light of a looming budget shortfall.

Also during the meeting, 13 speakers filled the maximum allotted public commentary time of 45 minutes, most of them focusing on the perils of privatization. A few speakers were there to express frustration with the district’s handling of a recent incident at Logan Elementary School.

Other actions at Wednesday’s meeting included a report on a new communication system that would allow the district to quickly send mass voicemails, texts or emails, and the presentation of several awards. And in the board’s informational packet – but not discussed at the meeting – was news of a possible state retirement mandate that could negatively impact the district’s budget. [Full Story]

The Catholic News Agency reports that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor will be featured on the Feb. 9 Oprah Winfrey Show. Says Sister Joseph Andrew Bogdanowicz: “We agreed (to be on the show) because it will further understanding of religious life. The Catholic Church is alive, well, and thriving as is authentic religious life.” [Source]

Writing on the Basil and Spice blog, David M. Kinchen reviews “The Selling of the American Economy: How Foreign Companies Are Remaking the American Dream,” a book by Ann Arbor resident and New York Times senior business correspondent Micheline Maynard: “Maynard’s book came out late in October, well before the latest revelations of problems with many models of Toyotas, and – to be fair to her, much of the book deals with three other foreign companies in the U.S. … Also to be fair to her, she discusses the quality control problems of Toyota that antedated the latest ones. Still, Maynard, who calls her book the continuation of a previous book on the American auto industry, “The End of Detroit,” … [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board meeting (Feb. 3, 2010): The DDA board passed two resolutions at its Wednesday meeting. The first authorized a $45,000 discretionary part of the management fee in Republic Parking’s contract.

The view from Division Street to the Library Lot work site, where the Christman Company is managing the construction of the underground parking garage. The drilling is part of the earth retention work. (Photos by the writer.)

The second resolution amended the DDA bylaws. The change eliminates the ability of the executive committee to act on behalf of the board between regular board meetings, and clarifies the role of the executive director in relationship with the board. Efforts to change the bylaws have accumulated over two years worth of history, and still need the approval of the Ann Arbor city council to take effect.

Another main theme of Wednesday’s meeting was finances – from parking revenues to tax increment finance (TIF) capture, to the housing fund.

And in a nod to the Bill Murray film “Groundhog Day,” we note that The Chronicle’s report of the DDA board’s February meeting from last year also featured a big drill as lead art. Both drills are related to the construction of the underground parking garage along Fifth Avenue. The board received updates on that and other construction projects, as well as on planning and development downtown. [Full Story]

Writing on Politico, Ben Smith reviews Rick Snyder’s “One Tough Nerd” Super Bowl ad. The Ann Arbor businessman is running for the GOP nomination for governor: “The ad seeks to add a narrative to Snyder’s wonky profile, noting that he started reading Fortune at the age of eight, and that ‘his ten-point plan to reinvent Michigan is so detailed that, well, it’s likely no politician could even understand it.’ The ad by the well-financed Snyder should get some attention for a lesser-known outsider looking to beat well-established local political figures including Attorney General Mike Cox.” A video of the ad is included in the post. [Source]

… Continued From Last Month

[Full Story]

The Miz Katie blog has a Q&A with Saline photographer Elle Moss. Among the things we learn: 1) Moss sells her wares on Etsy, 2) she started the Female Photographers of Etsy (fPOE) blog, and 3) the last book she’s read is “The Glass Castle,” by Jeanette Walls. [Source]

The Detroit Free Press publishes a report on food banks and other types of emergency relief for students at public universities in Michigan. The article quotes UM spokeswoman Kelly Cunningham: “If the student comes forward, we can help them. We always reserve funds for emergencies, and we can disburse emergency funds as quickly as the same day the student asks for help. Students can apply online and receive up to $500 the next morning.” [Source]

The New York Times reports on the various design of electric motors for vehicles, and quotes Heath Hofmann, a UM associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science: “The auto companies are focusing on machines capable of operating over a much wider speed range than typical fixed-speed industrial motors.” [Source]

Joel Goldberg

“Wines change over time, just as we do,” Master Sommelier Claudia Tyagi tells the packed room. “So tasting wine is like taking a snapshot in time.”

It’s 8:30 a.m. on Groundhog Day. But instead of awaiting Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostication, more than 70 of us have fishtailed through the snow to MSU’s Extension Center near Benton Harbor for a master class in wine evaluation.

Now we’re face-to-face with banks of elegant glassware at a most atypical hour. Nearly all of southwest Michigan’s winery owners and winemakers sit at the long tables, joined a gaggle of grape growers, wine retailers and restaurateurs. Two wine geeks from Mattawan celebrate their 30th anniversary with a day off to taste wine. Along with one sleep-deprived, road-weary wine writer.

Joining Tyagi at the head table are Ann Arborite Chris Cook, Superintendent of the Michigan Wine Competition, and ex-pat sommelier Rick Ruebel, lately decamped from Detroit for the warmer clime of Charleston, South Carolina.

Over the next eight hours, we’ll glean tips on how to taste and evaluate wines. So peer over our shoulders as we prepare to take 75 snapshots of the Lake Michigan Shore wine region. [Full Story]

Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners meeting (Feb. 3, 2010): The evening ended for some at the Heidelberg to celebrate the appointment of Verna McDaniel as county administrator – a hiring that drew a round of applause from commissioners, staff and members of the public who attended Wednesday’s county board meeting.

After Wednesday's county board meeting, several commissioners and staff went across Main Street to the Heidelberg to celebrate the vote to hire Verna McDaniel as the next county administrator. (Photo by the writer.)

But much of the meeting had a more somber undertone, with concerns that the worst of the county’s budget challenges are still to come.

Those concerns were manifested in different ways. Some commissioners cited the need to take action in planning the transition for the next administration, and in setting priorities to guide their decisions. Others cautioned that the county should be wary of making short-term fixes, like selling property or cutting programs that might help avert bigger problems down the road.

And most alluded to the fact that even though they addressed a projected $30 million deficit for the next two years, it’s likely that the economy will continue to plague county finances. Ronnie Peterson put it this way: “No one has a clue about how bad next year will be.” [Full Story]

Ann Arbor Public Market Advisory Commission (Feb. 2, 2010): Much of the discussion on Tuesday evening focused on an upcoming meeting with market vendors. Finances were on the agenda, too, with a quarterly report from the market manager and some comments from the public about expense and revenue trends, and the impact of new, higher stall fees.

Diane Black, a member of the Public Market Advisory Commission, also teaches kindergarten at Rudolf Steiner School. She points out a painting by one of her students, Fionnuala, whose father is Rob MacKercher, a vendor at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. Art by Rudolf Steiner students is on display at the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown building. (Photos by the writer.)

The meeting with vendors, set for March 8, is part of an effort to engage farmers and others who sell products and produce at the public market. Commissioners hope to get feedback on a range of topics, from drafts of new vendor application and inspection forms to ideas for promoting the market.

Some of Tuesday’s meeting was spent reviewing drafts of the vendor application and inspection forms, which include revisions aimed at getting more detailed information about what the vendors are selling, and how the products are made. [Full Story]

John U. Bacon

It’s hard to think of too many endeavors that receive more overblown attention than do sports. And within sports, nothing’s more overblown than the Super Bowl.

This time around, we’re getting endless stories about President Obama picking the New Orleans Saints – because … that matters? – a preview of the ads scheduled to run during the game, and several hundred articles analyzing the recuperation of Dwight Freeney’s sprained right ankle, and how that might affect national security. Or some such.

But in the midst of this morass are two stories worth telling. [Full Story]

Ignite Ann Arbor is still looking for speakers for its March 4 event at UM’s Blau Auditorium – “business geeks, music geeks, art geeks, history geeks, etc. to come and share their stories.” The deadline to apply is Feb. 10 at 11:59 p.m. [Source]

ABC News reports on a study that shows how a small change in diet following exercise can impact how the body metabolizes food, specifically looking at insulin sensitivity. The report quotes Jeffrey Horowitz, the study’s senior author and a UM associate professor of kinesiology: “If you see a little bit of an increase (in insulin sensitivity) in a healthy person, you are going to see a profound result in an obese person.” [Source]

In a recent city council meeting report, we misidentified Sol Castell. He is a member of the citizens advisory committee to the environmental assessment currently being conducted regarding the possible runway extension at Ann Arbor’s municipal airport. We note the error here and have corrected it in the original story.

The New York Times reports on a U.S. regulatory probe of brake problems with Toyota’s popular Prius hybrid, and quotes Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting in Ann Arbor, who calls the situation “shocking.” The fact that Toyota knew about the problem and didn’t inform consumers “could be a kiss of death,” Virag said. [Source]

Ann Arbor City Council meeting (Feb. 1, 2010) Part II: In the first part of our report from Monday’s meeting, we covered the transportation and budget topics. This second part reports on land issues and other miscellaneous topics addressed at the meeting.

The vacant building on city-owned property at 415 W. Washington. This view is looking west – an entrance to a surface parking lot is in the foreground. (Photo by the writer.)

In its main land use business, the council approved a resolution to start a process for redeveloping the city-owned 415 W. Washington parcel. The resolution calls for the arts and greenway communities to lead fundraising and development of a vision for the parcel’s use. The site, across from the YMCA, is currently providing revenue to the city as a surface parking lot. It was previously the city’s maintenance yard.

Sandi Smith (Ward 1) convinced her colleagues to add language that would make any future use of the parcel cost-neutral with respect to the general fund. But a bid by Mike Anglin (Ward 5) to add a “citizens committee” to the mix was rejected.

And while council approved several deals under the city’s greenbelt program, it postponed consideration of another – in the area of the Bluffs park and the Black Elks lodge on Sunset. The postponement was prompted by concern from Marcia Higgins (Ward 4) that the property’s appraised value seemed too high.

The council also extended an emergency moratorium on demolition and other work in a historic district study area south of William along Fourth and Fifth avenues, and adjusted permissible on-street parking locations along Baldwin Avenue in the Burns Park neighborhood.

And the council took time to thank some volunteers for its Adopt-a-Park program. The volunteers who were recognized at the meeting helped out at Ann Arbor’s parks through CHS Group Inc. [Full Story]