Archive for August, 2011

Editor’s Note: The Washtenaw County’s public health department web page, updated on Aug. 12, 2011, shows three cases of rabies found in Washtenaw County bats so far this year. Since 2004, most years show 2-3 cases of rabies in bats. In 2009 there were none; but in 2007, 11 cases of bat rabies were recorded. Since 2004, no cases of rabies in dogs have been recorded in Washtenaw County. This week local history writer Laura Bien takes a look back to the early 1900s, when rabies was more prevalent.

A 1935 Ypsilanti Daily Press article reflects concerns over rabid dogs.

The severed head of a small white poodle was sent from Ypsilanti to Ann Arbor in the summer of 1935.

It wasn’t a grisly threat or an act of revenge. The head’s recipients were neither surprised nor disgusted. Severed dog heads were their stock in trade.

The poodle had belonged to Herbert Wilson of Ypsilanti’s northside Ann Street. The dog was “so vicious,” according to the Aug. 6, 1935 Ypsilanti Daily Press, “that even after being wounded by the officers’ rifle fire, [Officer] Klavitter had to strike him with the gun to protect himself. The blow bent the rifle barrel and the officer had to use a nearby tree limb to finish killing the dog.”

The dog had bitten 5-year-old William Himes on his right arm and leg, in an era when a dog bite could lead to an agonizing death.

Dogs in Ypsilanti that August were under quarantine, meaning that they had to be contained within the owner’s home or property. Dogs that broke loose or wandered into the street could be shot on sight by police. In earlier years, anyone was welcome to take their rifle or shotgun into the street and play Atticus Finch with mad dogs. [Full Story]

In February of 2011, Craig Hupy, head of systems planning for the city of Ann Arbor, delivered some grim news to the city’s park advisory commission. Newly installed underground swirl concentrators in the park – four each near the north and south entrances of the park off Seventh Street – were in some state of failure or were suspected to be on the verge of failing.

Russ Schwartz in the role of Iago in the Penny Seats Theatre Company's current comedic production in West Park of "Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet)." Not a line from the play: "Tis I who'll mop the water up, before it flows to Allen Creek." (Photos by the writer.)

The swirl concentrators, which help remove suspended solids from water entering the city’s stormwater system, were a part of major renovations to the park’s landscaping and draining systems. Federal stimulus funds helped pay for much of the work.

A recent city staff memo indicates that the city expects to recover any additional costs due to the failures – either from the manufacturer or the design firm. Replacement of the swirl concentrator units is not expected to be complete until early in the 2012 construction season, with the park restored to full public use at that time.

Meanwhile, the park enjoyed a grand re-opening earlier this summer, and is accessible for all functional purposes, including performances in the bandshell.

Two theater groups are sharing the stage this summer: Blackbird Theatre and the Penny Seats Theatre Company.

This weekend wraps up the Penny Seats production of “Goodnight, Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet).” Performances still remain on Saturday and Sunday (Aug. 13-14). The Chronicle shares a few images from the comedy after the jump. [Full Story]

It’s tough for any sports writer to get a book published – but it was a lot easier with a friendly bookstore on your side, from start to finish.

John U. Bacon

It wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted to buy a book, there was no Kindle or Nook or Amazon.com – or the Internet. There weren’t even big-chain bookstores. You had to go to one of those narrow stores in mini-malls that sold paperback best-sellers and thrillers and romance novels.

But then the Borders brothers changed all that. They decided to go big, opening a two-story shop on State Street in Ann Arbor. They stocked almost everything, they gave customers room to relax and read, and they hired people who weren’t just clerks, but readers.

When I applied for a job there in college, they didn’t just hand me an application, but a test on literature – which I failed.

But if they wouldn’t let me sell books there, they still let me buy them, so perhaps it was just as well. I bought everything from Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad” to Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five.” Typically, I’d walk in for one book, and walk out with four – an hour later. I spent over a thousand dollars a year there, then a few hundred more on book shelves.

When Borders became a national chain, we Ann Arborites took an unearned pride in seeing the rest of the country love it as much as we did. [Full Story]

In an email sent to several people on Aug. 10, local developer Ed Shaffran has encouraged support of Jane Lumm’s candidacy for the Ward 2 Ann Arbor city council seat in the Nov. 8 general election.

The email was sent not long after news broke that Lumm had filed the necessary petitions to qualify as an independent candidate for the Ward 2 race. That race will now be contested between Lumm and Stephen Rapundalo, who won the Aug. 2 Democratic primary against Tim Hull. No Republican filed petitions to appear on the Ward 2 ballot. Both Lumm and Rapundalo have previously run for office as Republicans.

Shaffran’s support for Lumm is somewhat significant, because he previously had urged support … [Full Story]

This video shot by Trevor Staples, who started a Facebook page for Ann Arbor townies, features David Julius Caesar Salad reciting a poem (commissioned by Staples) on what it means to be a townie. [Source]

Ann Arbor planning commission meeting (Aug. 3, 2011): On the day after city council primary elections, the planning commission had a light agenda, which featured only two action items.

View from the planned location of the "cell on wheels" – the northeast corner of the Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club parking lot – looking north toward the football stadium. (Photos by the writer.)

First, the commission approved a site plan by Verizon for a temporary cellular tower to be set up on the property of the Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club, near Main and Stadium. The cell on wheels (COW) will boost service during the University of Michigan home football games.

Second, the commission approved a minor revision to its bylaws. Instead of reviewing its work plan in December, the work plan review will come in May each year.

The commission also got an update from its city council representative, and a heads-up on future issues through an announcement of public hearings.

The hearings include one on zoning and annexation into the city of property on South State Street where Biercamp Artisan Sausage and Jerky has opened for business. [Full Story]

The city of Ann Arbor has released the contract of its new city administrator, Steve Powers, who is scheduled to start work on Sept. 15, 2011. The text of the contract is posted on the city’s website. [.pdf of Powers contract]

The contract stipulates that the city council’s administration and labor committee will perform Powers’ performance evaluation by Aug. 1 of each year, starting in 2012. But that committee also intends to complete a six-month review no later than Feb. 15, 2012. Together with Powers, the committee will develop the job performance evaluation process and criteria it will use each year. However, the city council will ultimately make any final decision as to what process and criteria it will use.

Other … [Full Story]

On Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011 before the 5 p.m. deadline, Jane Lumm submitted nominating petitions to the Ann Arbor city clerk to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot as a candidate in the Ward 2 city council race. Lumm will apear on the ballot not affiliated with any party – as an independent. She turned in about 200 signatures at 2:30 p.m. As of 3:30 p.m., the clerk’s office had not yet verified the signatures, but only 100 are required.

Already appearing on the ballot as the Democratic Party’s nominee  for Ward 2 is incumbent Stephen Rapundalo, having won his Democratic primary on Aug. 2 against challenger Tim Hull. Hull had the strongest showing of any challenger in the three wards that … [Full Story]

The Detroit Free Press reports that although more than 500 tips have been received regarding the six attacks on women in downtown Ann Arbor last month, police say information about possible leads has slowed down. They urge anyone with tips to call the Ann Arbor police at 734-794-6939 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP. A $1,000 reward is offered for information that leads to an arrest. [Source]

Quinn Alexandria Kerry-Rockov from Ann Arbor, Mich. is featured in a transcribed interview and in two video pieces published July 30, 2011 on 321 Polo! – a website dedicated to bicycle polo.

One video features footage shot from a helmet cam Kerry-Rockov wore during a recent tournment in Austin, Texas.  In the other video, she’s clear about expected demeanor during a bicycle polo match: “There’s no cryin’ in polo.” The interview is introduced with: “She is quite simply a badass.”

The piece on 321 Polo! includes still photos from play at Palmer Field on the University of Michigan campus where the Ann Arbor locals gather to play bicycle polo on Wednesdays (7 p.m. – dark) and Sundays (4 p.m. – exhaustion)  [Source]

Paste magazine reviews Ann Arbor musician Chris Bathgate’s album “Salt Year.” From the review: “He won’t go into much detail, referring to personal demons, depression, failed relationships and musical expectations. But his latest full-length effort ‘Salt Year’ cathartically expresses it all, similar to the way Bon Iver’s mythical debut ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ cried out in all its heartache and pain.” [Source]

A post in the Route 12 to Main Street blog, sponsored by Saline Historic Downtown Alliance, describes downtown Saline’s efforts to be selected as a Michigan Main Street Center in 2012: ”The many volunteers are working hard to prepare for the application to become a ‘Select Level’ Michigan Main Street community. It is a very competitive process that needs to involve the whole community. At the very minimum, we need to prove that the community wants and needs this program and that we can fund the program for the 5 year training period.” [Source]

The Lansing State Journal reports on a rally in Lansing that’s part of the weeklong Moveable Peace Walk: ”During the Capitol rally, organizers presented a petition to State Rep. Jeff Irwin, an Ann Arbor Democrat, to call on Gov. Rick Snyder and the Legislature to create a Michigan Commission for Peace and Justice. The new commission would be aimed at examining alternatives to reduce crime and bolster social justice in the state. Irwin will present the petition, which has 1,350 signatures, to his colleagues in coming days.” [Source]

The way we see the world depends a lot on what we’re watching – either intentionally or what’s jammed in front of our faces. I spent the early part of my journalism career as a business reporter and editor, watching intentionally the issues specific to the business community. I didn’t pay much attention to local government issues, unless their intersection with business put them right under my nose.

A sign at Scarlett Middle School polling station for the Aug. 2, 2011 Ann Arbor city council primary election. (Photos by the writer.)

Over the years, my worldview changed. We founded The Chronicle in part because we felt that our local government deserves more media coverage on an intentional, routine basis, not just when a perceived “scandal” surfaces.

So Chronicle coverage routinely includes details of how local government bureaucracy works, what decisions are being made, who’s making them and why, and how taxpayer money is being spent.

Unlike decisions made at the national level, it’s conceivable in a community the size of Ann Arbor – or even the whole of Washtenaw County – for individuals to understand and influence what happens here, especially if they’re armed with information.

In November 2008, after its launch a couple of months earlier, The Chronicle covered its first election. The presidential race between Obama and McCain sparked passion and drew crowds to the polls in Ann Arbor, most of them voting for Barack Obama.

I was reminded of that exhilarating night this last Tuesday, when I spent much of the day dropping in on polling sites in Ann Arbor’s primary elections for city council in Wards 2, 3 and 5.

Last Tuesday, I didn’t see much passion and there were no crowds. No lines at the polls, no dancing in the streets. It didn’t feel like many people were paying attention. [Full Story]