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]
Crain’s Detroit Business reporter Bill Shea writes that officials with the University of Michigan athletics department are saying they did not “catfish” their athletes, contrary to recent media reports. The column quotes UM associate athletic director David Ablauf: “It was the media jumping to the use of the word cat fishing … not Dave [Brandon] or Brady [Hoke]. They did not use the term and that is not what we were doing with our teaching session for student-athletes.” [Source]
The Detroit Free Press reports that former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway pleaded guilty to felony bank fraud during a Jan. 29 hearing at the U.S District Court in downtown Ann Arbor. Eastern District Court Judge John Corbett O’Meara is handling the case. From the report: “Hathaway was charged Jan. 18 with one count of bank fraud after investigators said she moved ownership of property in Florida to relatives so she could qualify for the short sale. Hathaway allegedly told financial institution ING Direct she could no longer afford the house payments on the Michigan home.” [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]
Writing for Fortune magazine, Vickie Elmer describes the genesis of Entre-SLAM, a monthly Ann Arbor-based storytelling competition for entrepreneurs that was founded last year by Jeannie Ballew and Christa Chambers-Price. Ballew is quoted on plans for expanding the concept: ”The stories that evolve from these gatherings are meant to be told again and again. We envision building a thriving, online community of entrepreneurs but also we plan on releasing a series of books….I keep visualizing Entre-Slam in Japan. We have every reason to believe it can be international.” [Source]
The Wall Street Journal is among several national news organizations that reported on Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke’s lecture and Q&A on Jan. 14 at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. From the report: “The Fed chairman cited bright spots for the economy, including the energy boom that is lifting output in some states, an improving housing market and resilient consumer confidence. He defended the effect of Fed policies on the economy. The programs helped drive down long-term interest rates to support growth, he said, as evident from ‘incredibly low’ mortgage rates. That, he added, was a factor making housing more affordable and helping the sector recover.” [Source]
The theme for this year’s TEDxUofM will be “Untapped_” according to a recent post on the event’s website. From the post: ”With our theme Untapped_ we are looking for individuals to share untold stories of undiscovered potential. This theme was chosen based on the desire to demonstrate the unknown capacity of our vast and diverse campus, while highlighting the importance of every individual and their unique, important ideas.” The day-long event is scheduled for April 5. [Source]
In a column posted on the Forbes magazine website, Kai Petainen highlights ongoing problems related to the 1-4 dioxane plume in the Ann Arbor area underground aquifers, caused by contamination at the former Gelman Sciences facility in Scio Township that’s now owned by Pall Corp. Because Pall is a publicly traded company, Petainen looks at the issue in part from the perspective of socially responsible investing: “But perhaps one of the most insulting ways that Pall could insult those who are concerned about the dioxane problem in Ann Arbor, is best illustrated by what it doesn’t say in the annual 10-K report. What word does the annual report neglect to mention? What word is missing from the section that talks … [Full Story]
Publishers Weekly reports on plans to open a new independent bookstore in downtown Ann Arbor – Literati Bookstore – in the spring. One of the owners, Hilary Lowe, told PW: “There are a number of great niche bookstores in downtown Ann Arbor. The only thing they’re missing is a general bookstore. We’ll try to fill the void left downtown by Shaman Drum [which closed in 2009] and Borders’ flagship store closing [in 2011]. Trade bookstores are thriving here. Shaman Drum and Borders’ flagship store closed for reasons other than the trade book market here.” [Source]
The owners of the Literati Bookstore have announced that they’ve signed a lease and the business will open at 124 E. Washington Street in downtown Ann Arbor, on the corner of Washington and Fourth. ”Our space is directly next door to Amadeus Restaurant and two doors down from our favorite happy hour spot Arbor Brewing Company. We couldn’t be more thrilled about the location! Washington Street is quickly becoming a hotspot for restaurants and businesses and we’re happy to be adding to the vitality of the area.” [Source]
On her blog Relish, local photographer Myra Klarman posts two dozen images from last year’s Pioneer Theatre Guild production of “Ragtime.” She also uses the post to highlight Pioneer High School’s upcoming FutureStars 2013 – tickets for the popular show go on sale Monday, Jan. 7 at noon. The preliminary competitions are on Jan. 11-12, with the finals on Jan. 19. [Source]
The Detroit Free Press runs a Q&A with Lou Glazer, president of the Ann Arbor think tank Michigan Future Inc., who argues that Gov. Rick Snyder is focusing on the wrong ranking to judge Michigan’s economic health – looking at the cost of doing business, rather than the financial welfare of the state’s citizens. From the interview: “Economic developers who court businesses tell me the first question companies ask is always about the availability of skilled workers. So when they’re doing business location decisions, they start with talent. But when they lobby, they lobby for low business costs.” [Source]
A sketch of Blimpy Burger makes it into Jason Polan’s most recent Op-Art for the New York Times. [Source]
Crain’s Detroit Business features a Q&A with Michael Tidwell, dean of the Eastern Michigan University College of Business, who joined EMU last year and talks about his efforts to involve alumni: ”As we know, the state has had significant financial trouble over the last decade or so. We’ve seen budgetary cuts like many public institutions have seen, … so alumni, both financial support and also moral support, are really critical to the growth and development and viability of an institution.” [Source]
The Huron River Watershed Council gives a “sneak preview” of a new river guide: the Huron River Water Trail Paddler’s Companion. The waterproof book, with 28 maps covering 104 miles of the Huron River, will be available in March. [Source]
The Detroit Free Press reports that U.S. District Judge Lawrence Zatkoff has issued a temporary restraining order allowing Domino’s Farms property management company – owned by Tom Monaghan – to avoid the Affordable Care Act mandate to provide employees with contraceptive coverage. The opinion stated that Monaghan, a devout Catholic, showed that “abiding by the mandate will substantially burden his exercise of religion.” Domino’s Farms, based in Ann Arbor Township, is the location of the headquarters for Domino’s Pizza, but the companies are not affiliated – Monaghan sold Domino’s Pizza in the late 1990s. [Source]
Bloomberg News profiles the family of a Chinese general who fought with Mao Zedong – including one of his daughters, Song Zhaozhao, who lives in Ann Arbor. From the report: “Song Zhaozhao has a practical haircut and a quiet demeanor. A nurse at the University of Michigan’s hospital, she earns about $82,000 a year. She shares the house with her American husband, Alan, who used to work for Ford Motor Co. Despite the trappings of middle-class America, she is anything but ordinary: She and her siblings are the closest thing China has to aristocracy.” [Source]
The Mother’s Kitchen blog shares a holiday tradition, along with a recipe for mustard roasted potatoes: “One of our favorite holiday traditions is to sneak out for a holiday cocktail together. I can remember when we first moved to Ann Arbor, we sat together in the famous hippy bar Del Rio (long closed) and enjoyed our Christmas cocktail while the snow fell in the twilight. We had to run into Dexter to pick up a last minute gift, and the town was pretty much empty, so we stopped at the pub for our cocktail this year.” [Source]
The city of Ann Arbor is conducting a survey about the effectiveness of the city’s citizen participation ordinance. The ordinance is intended to make sure that residents are aware of plans by developers that seek approval for certain types of construction or rezoning projects. Questions include “What is the best way for you to get information about a proposed development located within the City of Ann Arbor?” and “What suggestions do you have for improving citizen opportunities to learn about, understand and comment on development proposals?” [Source]
