The city of Ann Arbor issued a missing person alert on Monday afternoon, Aug. 22: ”Please be on the lookout for an 81-year-old, white male with Alzheimers. He is wearing a tan jacket and was last seen at 11:15 a.m. today walking a small black and white dog on Heather Way, between Devonshire and Geddes. If you see him call 911 or 734-994-2911 immediately.” Update: By 4:30 p.m. the man has been found and is safe.
A post on the Daily Kos suggests that the Ann Arbor-based Borders bookstore chain, which went out of business earlier this summer, deserved a federal bailout. “Companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ran this country into the ground; yet our government jumped in to save them. Giving taxpayer dollars to negligent for-profit corporations became national policy. Borders Bookstore is no Angelic organization operating exclusively for the public good. But the American public certainly have an interest in the distribution of books and other media. Public Libraries are increasingly cash strapped and many local libraries cannot afford to purchase new books and technology. Less access to books is bound to negatively impact society.” [Source]
The University of Michigan has issued a crime alert – a female student reported being grabbed while walking down Thompson Street at Kennedy Drive at about 1:50 a.m. on Aug. 18. She broke free and was not injured. The suspect is described as a black male in his late 50s, 5’7″-5’8″, thin build, clean shaven, bald or with very short hair, wearing a green shirt, dark-colored pants, and a white or light-colored baseball cap. Anyone with information should call the UM Dept. of Public Safety at 734-763-1131. [Source]
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]
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]
Happy Place posts a series of photos showing “brilliantly smart-ass responses to completely well-meaning signs.” The first photo is taken of a stop sign along Washtenaw Avenue. [Source]
Paul Hickman, owner of Ann Arbor-based Urban Ashes, is interviewed on StreetFight about why he advertises with local news sites like The Ann Arbor Chronicle: ”There’s a place for the New York Times and USA Today, but I do appreciate the level of the awareness that is changing back to local resources and local communities that have been washed away by globalization. [That is] a lot of what it comes down to [when] I choose to advertise in the Chronicle over USA Today.” [Source]
Included as a part of the city council’s Aug. 4 agenda information packet is a summary of responses to the city’s online survey on the topic of slightly increasing the street repair millage, up for renewal in November 2011, to include sidewalk repairs. Sidewalk repairs have up to now been the responsibility of property owners. The survey reflects overwhelming sentiment that it should be the city’s responsibility to repair the sidewalks.
But the survey reflects some resistance to the idea that an increase in taxes is warranted. From the free-responses: “Stop wasting taxpayer money on parking structures, new city buildings, and public art. You are spending money like drunken sailors while we’re in the worst recession since the Great Depression.” Balanced … [Full Story]
Dine Michigan features a review of Arbor Brewing Co.: ”This pub has it all. Chef Nichole is outstanding with her desire to buy fresh, locally grown products and changing the menu often to keep up with Michigan’s seasons. The founders Matt and Rene [Greff], to you we tip our hats. They are keeping up with the food movement by serving the food fresh and chemical-free and the brews are tasty and refreshing!” [Source]
Two local nonprofit groups – the Arts Alliance and the Friends of the Ann Arbor Skatepark – asked candidates in the Aug. 2 Ann Arbor city council primary to respond to questions related to their respective special interests. The Arts Alliance received responses only from Ingrid Ault (Ward 3) and Mike Anglin (Ward 5). [Source] FAAS received responses from all Democratic candidates in Wards 2 and 3, and from Democratic candidate Neal Elyakin in Ward 5. [Source]
Ward 3 Democratic city council candidate Ingrid Ault has deployed a Google advertising campaign. Searches on key words like her own name or “Ann Arbor city council” cause an ad for her campaign to appear on the right sidebar or, in some cases above the search results. Key words triggering Ault’s ads include the names of her two opponents in the race – incumbent Stephen Kunselman and Marwan Issa. [Screenshot1] [Screenshot2] [Screenshot3] [Screenshot4] [Screenshot5]
The city of Ann Arbor’s police department has begun reporting its crime data so that it is available via a mapping interface at Crimemapping.com. The interface provides for searches during specific date intervals and types of crimes. [Source]
The summer 2011 video report of the Ann Arbor Newshawks includes updates on local coffee shops, non-motorized path construction, street repair and more. As always, the Newshawks break news – this time by reporting on the city’s adopt-a-pothole program. [Source]
The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a motion on July 28 with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission to prevent University of Michigan graduate student research assistants from being unionized as public employees. The motion – filed on behalf of Melinda Day, a GSRA with UM’s Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Department – is in response to a resolution passed by UM regents in May that supported the right of GRAs to unionize, if they choose. UM president Mary Sue Coleman spoke against the resolution, and the board’s two Republican regents voted against it. [.pdf file of motion filed with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission]
DTE Energy’s interactive map of power outages shows that more than 1,000 customers are without power in the Ann Arbor area following Wednesday night’s storms. Type in a zipcode to see the location of outages in that area. For example, as of 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, the map shows that 954 customers were without power in the 48014 zipcode. The map is updated every 15 minutes. [Source]
A four-minute video posted on YouTube by Michigan Today describes the removal of one of the oldest trees on the University of Michigan Diag, which had died of Dutch Elm disease and was estimated to be about 165 years old. It’s a jumping off point to discuss how trees have been planted over the years around the Diag. A sugar maple was planted near the spot where the elm was removed. [Source]
A woman was sexually assaulted on Tuesday, July 26 at 11:30 p.m. at 720 S. State St., in a parking lot near Monroe Street. She was able to break away, according to police. Officials indicate that it’s not yet clear if this assault is connected to five previously reported recent incidents in downtown Ann Arbor. The suspect in Tuesday’s assault is described as a male with a tan complexion, 5’10″-6′, in his early 20s with no facial hair, wearing a black hoodie pulled over his hair, blue jeans and black sunglasses. Anyone with information should contact the Ann Arbor Police tip line at 734-794-6939 or tips@a2gov.org. [.pdf of crime alert] [photo of suspect composite from previous assaults]
Street Fight, an online site that “covers the business of hyperlocal news, information and advertising,” publishes a Q&A with Mallary Jean Tenore and Rick Edmonds, staff of the Poynter Institute, a nationally known journalism training and resource center. In response to a question about innovators in hyperlocal media, Edmonds says: “I admire some of the usual suspects – West Seattle Blog, Dallas South, the Ann Arbor Chronicle and The Batavian. But I worry that if it takes particularly talented and committed people to scratch out an income for one family, such successes may not be scalable.” [Source]
The Humane Society of Huron Valley posted a video on YouTube promoting its KittyPalooza – on Sunday, July 24 from noon to 6 p.m., you can adopt two kittens for the price of one. All kittens are spayed/neutered, up to date on their vaccines, and have a microchip ID. The video notes that free “kitty gift bags” will be given for each adoption. HSHV is located at 3100 Cherry Hill Road. [Source]
The University of Michigan Alumni Association, located at Washington and Fletcher, has set up a webcam that’s streaming live video of the Street Art Fair. A log-in is required, but it’s possible to log in as a guest, without registering a password. [Source] Another live webcam – which refreshes every 5 seconds – overlooks the art fairs at the intersection of South State and North University. It’s positioned from the second-floor office of the Organizational Engineering Institute in Nickels Arcade. [Source]
Local musician Chris Bathgate has launched a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to build a sustainable “touring vehicle.” From his Kickstarter page: “Touring bands burn a lot of gas. Chris alone this year has needed over 700 gallons this year for touring. Waste vegetable oil powered vehicles still require a small amount of diesel to operate, but significantly less. Gas is Chris’ biggest expense on the road. So decreasing the overhead for touring means a more reasonable wage for him and his band, a more sustainable career, and the ability to fund other projects like recording, creative packaging, and an overall higher quality of life on the road.” [Source]
Mark Maynard posts a video showing the set-up for Saturday’s Shadow Art Fair at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. The event, featuring local arts and crafts, runs from noon until midnight. [Source]
A post on the University of Michigan’s solar car blog describes what it’s like to set up camp during the World Solar Challenge (WSC) in Australia, which will be held in October. “During WSC, we are entirely dependent on what we bring to the outback, completely away from civilization. Conditions can be hostile in the Australian outback, so it is important that the team has a few basic items that are necessary to survival. For example, wind speeds reach up to 60 mph, there could be torrential rain, deadly animals or insects, or extreme heat or cold temperatures. A few of the most important items that we keep on hand are reliable pocket knifes and flashlights.” [Source]
Writing in City Pulse, Bill Castanier reviews “Very Bad Men,” a mystery novel by author Harry Dolan: “Dolan, who moved to Ann Arbor about a dozen years ago from Chapel Hill, N.C., writes animatedly about Ann Arbor restaurants and the city’s other highlights: A key scene in the book takes place at the annual Ann Arbor Art Festival, which fills the streets of the downtown.” [Source]
Ann Arbor pianist Mark Braun – known as Mr. B – writes a guest post for the Metro Times blog about his experiences carting his piano and the equipment of his band, the Joybox Express, from Holland to Detroit by bicycle. The trip began on July 2 and will finish on July 15. Braun writes: “After East Lansing, we pedaled an hour at dusk to Williamston. We left the bikes at the police station, retrieving them the next morning for another group ride and gig at McCormick Park. We felt bad asking everyone to bake in the sun while we played for them, so in typical JBE fashion we turned convention on its head and invited our audience to sit … [Full Story]
A recent podcast on A2Ethics.org features an interview with Jason Frenzel of the Huron River Watershed Council. An intro to the interview notes that “what we remember and admire most about Jason is his belief that his best ethical work is when he can build shared interests between groups using the river and other natural resources who have already decided they have nothing in common. In creating these new natural bridges, we believe he encourages everyone to become stewards for common ends.” [Source]
Here’s a chance to grab some face time with people you might know only online – the bloggers of Motown to Tree Town, Damn Arbor and Transport Michigan are co-hosting a local blogger meet-up on Friday, July 15 at 6 p.m. in the basement of the Heidelberg, 215 N. Main in Ann Arbor. From a post on Motown to Tree Town: “If the thought of meeting Ann Arbor’s (and, by extension, Michigan’s) finest bloggers doesn’t sufficiently excite you, you have the choice of approximately a gazillion German beers which can be consumed – I shit you not– in a boot, if you so desire. Yes, an actual boot.” [Source]
Damn Arbor posts a music video by local rapper Cromatic, filmed in Ann Arbor: ”Cromatic is representing the west side, the Old West Side according to the chorus. If you see that Taurus wagon rolling down the street in Burns Park, you might want to get behind cover, because it’s probably a drive-by.” [Source]
