New Media Watch Section

Mark Hodesh, owner of Ann Arbor’s Downtown Home & Garden, has launched a website for his newest venture, Mark’s Carts. The “food cart pod” will be located in a plaza next to DHG on Washington Street, between First and Ashley. Multiple food carts will be operting there daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., starting in April and running through November. Hodesh is looking for addition vendors, particularly selling Indian cuisine, Jamaican cuisine, or wood-fired pizza. An application form can be downloaded from the website. [Source]

Detailed Census 2010 data was released for Michigan on Tuesday. In Washtenaw County, the population grew from 322,895 people in 2000 to 344,791 people in 2010. The population of Ann Arbor dropped 0.6% to 113,934. Census data will be the basis for redistricting the Washtenaw County board of commissioners – the committee charged with that task will meet for the first time on March 31 at 5:30 p.m. in the lower conference room of 200 N. Main St., Ann Arbor. For more details on that process, see Chronicle coverage: “County Clerk Outlines Redistricting Process.” [Source] [Excel spreadsheet with population data for Michigan municipalities, including those in Washtenaw County]

A new music video for “It Could Be” by Ella Riot – the local band formerly called My Dear Disco – features a scene in front of the Kiwanis building at First and Washington. (The video shoot was observed as a Chronicle Stopped.Watched item earlier this month.) [Source]

Plans are underway for a May 1 Water Hill Music Fest, described on its website as a “one-of-a-kind music festival featuring residents of the Water Hill neighborhood of Ann Arbor, Michigan, performing on their front porches for other neighbors and visitors who stroll from house to house.” The event will run from 2-6 p.m. in the neighborhood that includes Spring, Fountain and Brooks streets, northwest of downtown Ann Arbor. [Source]

A one-minute video on YouTube compresses six hours of work moving the Zingerman’s Deli Annex building off its foundation earlier this month, as part of the Ann Arbor company’s expansion. The building, which was rolled to another part of the site, will be renovated as part of the project. [Source]

Another sign of spring – the city of Ann Arbor is opening the front 7 holes of Huron Hills golf course on Thursday, March 17 at 1 p.m. An email alert sent out on Thursday announced a variety of promotions, including setting fees for this first week at $7 for 7 holes. [.pdf file of Huron Hills flyer]

The Bleacher Report riffs on the University of Michigan’s decision to raise football season ticket prices by 12%: “With the new Glick Field House, the new scoreboards, the new basketball practice facility, the Crisler Arena renovation, the new field turf, the new luxury seating, RR’s contract buyout and the nicer bathrooms at the Big House, you knew the Michigan football program would come for your money sooner rather than later.” [Source]

After lying dormant since the site’s stewards made the collective decision to shut down ArborUpdate in February 2010, former contributor Josh Steichman has temporarily revived the once-popular local news and discussion blog. Steichman cautions “Don’t interpret this as a return for ArborUpdate,” but has posted a new item and opened a comment thread to call attention to planned protests of emergency manager legislation in Michigan, which would provide local emergency financial managers with certain powers, including the ability to nullify collective bargaining agreements. In concert with proposed cuts of state money to local units of government, which would increase the likelihood that emergency financial managers would be appointed, the move is seen by some as an attempt by Gov. … [Full Story]

After it was reported on March 14, 2011 by the Michigan Daily that Gov. Rick Snyder had been selected as the commencement speaker for the spring University of Michigan graduation, UM student Richard Durance created an online petition asking that the university reconsider its decision to invite Snyder and to adopt a general policy of not inviting elected officials as speakers. By the end of the day on March 14, the petition had achieved more than 2,700 signatures. Had the proposed policy been in place last year, it would have precluded the selection of last year’s speaker, President Barack Obama. [Source]

University of Michigan urban planning students have produced a short film advocating for center-running light rail for Detroit’s Woodward Avenue. An alternative to center-running transit is to run tracks along the side of the street, next to the curb. The video points to a number of advantages to center-running rail, including reduced travel times, safer pedestrian crossings, and a safer bicycling environment.

The film, which takes the form of a rap music video, makes extensive use of stop-action animation with LEGO figures. No seriously, LEGO figures: [Source]

Writing on the Center for Michigan website, Phil Power argues that the controversial budget proposals of Republican Gov. Rick Snyder are necessary. Power, a Democrat, writes: “Personally, I admire what the governor is trying to do. Sure, his ideas may need some tinkering. But overall, they represent an enormous step forward for a state in deep trouble. More and more, I believe the conventional model of a democracy driven entirely by parochial special interests is the worst way for us to deal with our state’s present crisis. Democracy may well be the worst possible system, except for all the others, in large part because when the chips are down, officeholders can rise to the occasion and do the right thing.” … [Full Story]

Washtenaw Community College has scheduled forums for the public to meet three finalists for the job of president, to replace outgoing WCC president Larry Whitworth: 1) Thursday, March 10, 3 p.m. with Irene Kovala, vice president for academic and student affairs at Minneapolis Technical and Community College in Minneapolis, Minn.; 2) Friday, March 11, 3 p.m. with Vicki Martin, executive vice president and provost of Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee, Wis.; and 3) Monday, March 14, 2 p.m. with Donald Doucette, senior vice president and provost of Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Ind. All forums will be held at WCC’s Towsley Auditorium. [Source]

Dave Rice, a Zingerman’s Deli manager, shot a short video of the deli Annex building being raised off its foundation, as workers prepare to move the structure early next week. A new foundation will be built for the Annex as part of the Ann Arbor deli’s large-scale renovation and expansion project. [Source]

In a column about the state Senate’s move to revoke partner benefits for unmarried state workers, the Michigan Messenger notes that Democrat Rebekah Warren of Ann Arbor was one of two state senators who opposed the resolution, which was approved on a 4-2 vote in the Senate Committee on Reforms, Restructuring and Reinventing. From the column: “Warren raised valid concerns with today’s challenge to the Michigan Civil Service Commission decision. As she stated, Snyder’s foundation for his proposal to turn Michigan around is rooted in his claim that we need to run Michigan like a business. The fact is that more than half of Fortune 500 companies consider it a priority to offer Other Eligible Individual benefit programs to their … [Full Story]

Movie City News features a report on the upcoming Ann Arbor Film Festival, which runs from March 22-27: “Ann Arbor is one of those well-entrenched little regional fests that does a superb job of both knowing the community it’s serving, and finding a niche and excelling in it. Personally, if I were an experimental filmmaker I’d far rather submit my film to AAFF, where it would be lovingly showcased and appreciated and discussed passionately than at, say, Sundance, where it would likely get lost in the shuffle. No one’s making experimental films to explore getting rich, they’re doing it for the art, and there’s no better fest than AAFF … for truly experimental and avant garde work to be … [Full Story]

Fogged Clarity’s Ben Evans interviewed Jeff Daniels about his work as an actor, playwright and musician: “I love the music. I enjoy the music. The music I do, whether I’m gigging or whether I’m recording, I do that year round. And I can take that with me when I go do an acting job. The acting jobs – you don’t control that. You’re not in charge of that. The phone rings and then someone wants you. They want me this spring. So, ‘Oh, good. Okay.’” (A podcast and transcript of the interview are online.) [Source]

The University of Michigan Museum of Art is looking for volunteers to serve as docents, a three-year commitment: “We are looking for individuals who have an interest in art and an ability to work with and interact with people of all ages and backgrounds. Key to a positive experience is an interest in working with young children.” Applications are being accepted through March 25. [Source]

The Ann Arbor Film Festival has posted a promotional trailer for the 2011 event, which runs from March 22-27. [Source]

The Center for Michigan, an Ann Arbor-based political think tank, has posted an online budget-balancing game that asks players to make a series of real-world decisions in order to tackle a $1.4 billion budget deficit. The first question: “Do you endorse the governor’s plan to cut business taxes by $1.2 billion? It’s meant to spur the economy but also increases your budget deficit.” [Source]

Salon publishes a column by Edward McClelland, reflecting on how the growth of Borders from a small independent bookstore into a megastore chain contributed to its current struggles: “As a freshman at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I was awed by the sight of the original Borders, on State Street. Never in my 18 years had I seen two stories of books. I spent nearly as much time reading at Borders as I spent reading in class while my professors lectured. There was nothing to do at Borders but read. In the mid-1980s, a coffee shop was still a diner that served pancakes until 11 a.m.” [Source]

The Green Living Project posts a video of the Selma Cafe, a weekly breakfast salon on Ann Arbor’s west side that celebrated its second anniversary on Feb. 18. The cafe at the home of Jeff McCabe and Lisa Gottlieb raises money for local farming efforts, including hoop house construction. [Source]

On the Friday Fish Report post, Mike Monahan of Monahan’s Seafood Market announces a photo contest of dishes prepared with seafood from his shop: “Lately we’ve been getting some emails with photos from customers who send in great shots of some of the amazing dishes that they’ve prepared at home with our fish or shellfish. I got to thinking that we maybe we should have a little photo contest. I know that it might be a little difficult to judge because not everybody has the same equipment to work with but I think it will be fun.” First prize will be a dinner for four, cooked by Monahan at the winner’s home. [Source]

The Flint Handmade blog features Ann Arbor artisan Kate Kehoe, who sells her wares through her company, Chicaloo. In response to a question about how she came up with the name, Kehoe says: “This was a harder decision than one would think. I discarded a lot of names before deciding on Chicaloo. It is a term of endearment that I call some of my friends. I thought it was appropriate since they are the ones who supported me at the beginning of my crafty career.” [Source]

“Liberty Awakes” – an exhibit about the local suffrage movement – is running through Feb. 27, 2011 at The Museum on Main Street, 500 N. Main, Ann Arbor. The exhibit includes original and replica artifacts and memorabilia documenting efforts of local women to secure the vote, and describes how they were involved in the broader state and national suffrage movement. The exhibit was organized by the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area, and co-curated by Zoe Behnke and Jeanine DeLay. [Source]

The local retailer 16 Hands has emailed its customers to announce that the downtown Ann Arbor store, at 216 S. Main, will be moving later this year: “Some huge changes are in the works at 16 Hands, and we wanted our customers to be the first to know. Our lease is up at the end of July, and we’ve decided not to renew it. But fear not, loyal 16 Hands friends, we’ll still be in Ann Arbor and online. We’ll be moving and shifting our focus a bit, but for now we have to keep you in suspense on the details. What we CAN tell you is that in our new location, we’ll be carrying even more cool jewelry … [Full Story]

The Ann Arbor Newshawks are back with a January 2011 report. Among other things, the video features a preview of two events at Michigan Stadium: “The Big Drip” outdoor swim meet, and “The Big Deficit,” an outdoor city council meeting that’s mandatory for all residents to attend – admission is $50 per ticket, but the first 75 people to bring their Christmas tree will get it disposed of for free. [Source]

A new blog – YTownCan – is keeping tabs on the local government in Ypsilanti Township. One post (titled “Underwater – A Beginning”) describes the disconnect between the elected officials’ stated commitment to being fiscally conservative, and the amount of money the township has spent on lawsuits: “Though perhaps well intended (to save citizens money) it (lawsuits) appears to have cost us money, reputation and resources and is anything, but restrained, cautious…conservative. To me it would be like dancing wildly in really tight jeans – uncomfortable and well, just reckless. What if they rip? Or split? What if they are unwearable?” [Source]

The author of the Michigan Exposures blog posted several photos taken at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport. He writes: “It’s not a particular special airport, as it’s not one of the oldest in the state or largest but it has a charm all of its own. It’s not particularly large and it serves mostly general aviation. Its beginning traces back to just World War I as barnstormers used the level field for their landings and what not.” [Source]

Former Washtenaw County deputy administrator David Behen has been named Michigan chief information officer (CIO). The position is part of the state’s Dept. of Technology, Management and Budget. Since leaving the county in 2009, Behen has led the government solutions practice for Ann Arbor-based GDI Infotech. He starts his new job on Feb. 14. [Source]

Due to the blizzard that’s forecast to hit the area, the Feb. 2 meeting of the Washtenaw County board of commissioners has been canceled. All items on the Feb. 2 agenda for both the board’s ways & means committee and regular board meeting will be on the agenda for the Feb. 16 meeting. All county non-essential operations will be closed on Feb. 2, but are expected to reopen on Feb. 3.