A man reported his handgun was stolen from his car while he was playing basketball Thursday evening in Ypsilanti’s Prospect Park, according to police.

Ypsilanti police reported responding at 7:13 p.m. Thursday to the 500 block of Oak Street for a report of a larceny from an automobile. The man told police he was playing basketball in the park and when he returned to his vehicle the handgun was gone.

There was no suspect description released by police Friday morning. The type of handgun was not released by police. It was not clear whether the vehicle was locked. Further information was not immediately available.

Anyoen with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Ypsilanti police at 734-483-9510.

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Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Michigan fans wave a flag during a home game against Iowa last year.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Michigan will move to dynamic pricing for its single-game football tickets sales this fall, a move that could result in elevated costs for attending marquee home games.

According to the school, a computer program will be implemented to determine prices based on their current market value. Team performance, visiting team performance, weather, inventory and more will be taken into account.

Ticket prices will change over time, but will not move below their original $65 face value. Season ticket prices will not be subject to the system.

Dynamic pricing for sports tickets is used by more than half of Major League Baseball teams, as well as NBA and NHL teams, according to the athletic department. Michigan is one of the first college sports programs to adopt the model.

According to a post on MGoBlue, the move is in part due to increased use of secondary ticket markets. Michigan has an exclusive agreement with Stubhub that will remain unchanged.

"Dynamic pricing is a practice that has become standard across the sports and entertainment industry after gaining acceptance through airlines and hotels," Michigan chief marketing officer Hunter Lochmann said in a statement. "Pricing dynamically will allow us to adjust single-game ticket prices upward or downward based on real-time market conditions with the biggest factor being fan demand."

The move comes two months after the athletic department announced a 23 percent hike for student tickets, to $40 per game.

Single game tickets for the 2013 season will go on sale July 30 to season ticket holders, to donors July 31 and to the general public Aug. 1. Michigan has seven home dates this fall: Aug. 31 vs. Central Michigan, Sept. 7 vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 14 vs. Akron, Oct. 5 vs. Minnesota, Oct. 19 vs. Indiana, Nov. 9 vs. Nebraska, and Nov. 30 vs. Ohio State.

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.

Get an early start to your Fourth of July festivities with a free, Independence Day-themed concert Wednesday evening in West Park courtesy the Ann Arbor Civic Band.

Anyone who’s ever been to one of these shows knows it’s a family affair. There will be parents and children, folks of all ages. Some bring a picnic supper, others pass through jogging or on bicycles and stop to listen a bit. The park is big, so there’s plenty of room to spread out. The program includes recognition of each branch of the military.

Bill Gourley conducts the 65-75 member non-profit ensemble, founded in 1935 as an extension of the University of Michigan's School of Music.

Free. 8 p.m. July 3 at the West Park Band Shell, 215 Chapin St. Anyone needing assistance to get to the band shell should park on Seventh Street (between Huron and Miller), and a cart will ferry you from the park entrance. Details: 734-994-2780.

Previous coverage:

• DOMA aftermath: Partner benefits to be restored for Ann Arbor schools employees through July
• Ann Arbor schools employees to lose domestic partner benefits June 30
• Federal judge hears arguments against state law banning domestic partner health benefits

Public employees in the state of Michigan can no longer be denied health insurance coverage for their same-sex domestic partners.

A federal judge issued a ruling Friday that blocks a law signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in December 2011.

Peter Ways and Joe Breakey of Ann Arbor with their daughter, Aliza Breakey-Ways.

Courtesy photo

Proponents of the law, including the governor, argued extending health care benefits to non-married, live-in partners costs the state too much money.

The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the law on behalf of five gay and lesbian public employees in the state in January of 2012. Two of the couples named as plaintiffs in the suit are Ann Arbor Public Schools employees, Ann Arbor Open teacher Peter Ways and his partner Joe Breakey, as well as Slauson Middle School teacher Theresa Bassett and her partner Carol Kennedy.

U.S. District Court Judge David Lawson found that the law "discriminated by forcing cities, counties, school districts and community colleges to cancel family benefits for gay and lesbian employees in committed relationships while heterosexual employees had the ability to marry their partners to maintain health insurance," a press release issued by the ACLU stated.

Lawson issued a preliminary injunction in the case Bassett vs. Snyder, not a final decision. He said the plaintiffs' claims that the Michigan law is unconstitutional are "plausible." Lawson's ruling does not end the lawsuit but it prevents the law from being enforced in the meantime, reports say.

"We're breathing a sigh of relief right now," Ways said in the release. "This law was clearly meant to target families like ours and to make us feel as though we didn't count."

Same-sex couples cannot marry in Michigan, although it is unclear how the state's constitutional amendment, passed in 2004, prohibiting gays and lesbians from marrying will hold up, given the U.S. Supreme Court ruling earlier this week on the Defense of Marriage Act. According to the Associated Press, another judge is considering whether to strike down Michigan's nearly 9-year-old ban on same-sex marriage. It is not known when U.S. District Court Judge Bernard Friedman will make a decision, the AP reported.

Ways, Bassett and other Ann Arbor schools teachers were expected to lose their partner benefits at the end of the month. The Supreme Court ruling bought some more time and the district was able to arrange for the partner benefits to be reinstated through July 31. However, with the domestic partner benefit ban being blocked, the district hopes to offer these benefits to employees again permanently.

District spokeswoman Liz Margolis said the district's legal counsel was sent the judge's ruling and is reviewing it.

"We are pleased (with the ruling) and the fact that at least for the next month we'll be able to offer these benefits for our employees," she said, adding the unconstitutional ruling bodes well for the district being able to permanently restore the domestic partner benefits. "We'll also be waiting to see if the governor does anything with the ruling."

The ACLU argued the Michigan Public Employee Domestic Partner Benefit Restriction Act was "particularly irrational" because it allowed municipalities to provide health insurance coverage for other family members, such as cousins, aunts and nephews, but excluded same-sex domestic partners.

"This law served no purpose to the state of Michigan other than to needlessly discriminate against hard-working families," ACLU Executive Director Kary Moss, who is a graduate of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, said in a statement. "It's hard to encourage talented people and their families to work for public employers in Michigan when they're denied the ability to take care of each other."

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

• Related: Washtenaw County dries out after flooding Thursday
• Related: Ann Arbor's flood-causing storms summarized in 10 short videos
• Related: Ann Arbor residents capture images and video of flooding

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Washtenaw County and southern Livingston County until 1 p.m. Friday.

The storm could bring quarter-sized hail and wind gusts of 60 mph, forecasters said.

A severe thunderstorm was spotted near Gregory at 12:03 p.m. and moving southeast at 15 mph. It was expected to be near Hudson Mills Metropark around 12:35 p.m., Dexter around 12:40 p.m., Delhi Mills around 12:50 p.m. and Barton Hills around 12:55 p.m.

Forecasters said hail damage to vehicles was possible as well as wind damage to roofs, siding and trees. Residents were advised to move to the lowest floor of an interior building.

Friday's storms come on the heels of severe storms Thursday that caused widespread flooding in the Ann Arbor area.

Updated at 1 p.m.: A sever thunderstorm warning remains in effect for Southern Washtenaw County until 1:30 p.m.

For weather updates and conditions anytime, check AnnArbor.com's weather page.

Renovation of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse will take longer to complete and require more funding than originally thought, according to the Ypsilanti Courier.

The reopening of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse in Depot Town will take longer than originally thought.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

In November, Friends of the Ypsilanti Freighthouse (FOYF) said the building would reopen in May and would only require an additional $75,000 to complete the project.

Now, it is unclear when renovation will be complete and changes to the original plan will require between $250,000 and $300,000 in additional funds, according to the Courier.

AnnArbor.com previously reported that the Freighthouse, built in 1979, was closed to the public in 2004 because of structural and budget issues. In 2008 FOYF signed a contract to oversee the renovation and reopening of the Freighthouse. According to the Courier, roughly $1 million has been spent on renovation over the past few years.

The biggest change to the original plan is the addition of a fire suppression system to the entire building, the Ypsilanti Courier reported.

The renovation previously received funding from grants and donations, according to an AnnArbor.com report.

• Read the full story in the Ypsilanti Courier.

Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.

More than 4,000 people were without power in the Ypsilanti and Superior Township area Friday afternoon, according to DTE Energy.

Courtesy of DTE Energy

DTE spokeswoman Erica Donerson said 4,147 DTE customers east of Ann Arbor lost power at 12:30 p.m. Friday. The DTE Outage map showed the affected area went as far west as the Radrick Farms Golf Course, north to Cherry Hill Road, east to Ridge Road and south to Holmes Road.

Storms began rolling through Washtenaw County again Friday afternoon, a day after 2.5 inches of rain caused flooding in Ann Arbor. About 3,700 people lost power in that storm, with about 100 customers still without power as of 8:45 a.m. Friday, according to DTE.

Donerson said it’s still too early to tell how long the affected area will be without power.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Firefighters attended to the roof of an Ypsilanti Township apartment complex that started on fire after being struck by lightning.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

A bolt of lightning started a fire at an Ypsilanti Township apartment complex Friday around 1:30 p.m. as severe thunderstorms rolled through Washtenaw County.

Fire crews were called to the Midtown apartment complex at 1148 West Michigan Avenue after receiving reports of a lightning strike, said Ypsilanti Township Fire Chief Eric Copeland.

There was smoke billowing up from a chimney that had an old antenna attached to it, witnesses said.

Copeland said a blaze spread through an attic, but that firefighters had it quickly under control.

"We were able to get inside and basically knock it all down," he said.

Resident Jerry Ginyard was sitting outside when he heard the thunder and saw the lightning.

"A big old lightning bolt came down," said Ginyard. "It was real bright and hit the chimney. I started seeing smoke so I dialed 911."

Residents Lee Logan and Darryl Barnes, Jr. were also sitting outside at the time of the lightning struck.

"All we saw was a big flash," Logan said.

Witnesses reported being so afraid of the lightning flash that they ran when they saw it.

There were no injuries. The fire did not spread to any of the apartments, but there was water damage. Estimates of damage were not yet available.

The thunderstorm was the second in two days to sweep through the area. Around 2.5 inches of rain fell in Ann Arbor Thursday, creating flooding and traffic problems throughout the city, according to officials.

As of Friday afternoon, more than 4,000 people were still without power in the Ypsilanti and Superior Township area, according to DTE Energy.

Copeland said he hasn't witnessed many fires started by lightning like the one Friday.

"I've never seen anything like this," he said.

John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

• Related: National HIV Testing Day encourages at-risk youths to get tested.

The HIV/AIDS Resource Center, or HARC, provided rapid HIV testing for 14 people and interacted with an estimated 300 on National HIV Testing Day, Thursday.

HARC put on an HIV testing tour in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area to spread awareness and provide free, rapid testing.

The resource center’s mobile outreach vehicle made stops at the Maple Village Pharmacy at 325 N. Maple Road, Walgreens at 2170 Washtenaw Ave., and Harmony House Motel, 615 E. Michigan Ave.

Leo Golson, director of the prevention program at HARC, said a lot of people showed interest in the cause even if they weren’t at the site to get tested.

“It’s import to plant that seed of awareness,” Golson said. “Just talking with people and getting the word out can get individuals to consider it and think about it, which is an important part of prevention.”

Jimena Loveluck, President and CEO of HARC, said the tour was a good way to make sure people are aware the agency exists not only for education, but for free HIV testing as well.

“Even if people didn’t make the decision to get tested then and there, they now know the resources to get tested are available to them,” Loveluck said. None of the 14 people tested by the mobile outreach vehicle Thursday tested positive, Loveluck said.

“We tested quite a few relatively high-risk people,” Loveluck said. “But luckily they all tested negative and we’re glad they came in to get checked.”

For people who do test positive, HARC links them with the information and medical care they need, Loveluck said.

“We provide support for those who test positive,” Loveluck said. “All the more reason to get tested and have that help made available to you if you need it.”

HARC provides free anonymous HIV testing, counseling and referral services on a regular basis. For more information visit HARC’s website.

Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.

• Update: Read bios of Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent candidates (with pdfs)

The names of six semifinalists in the search for Ann Arbor Public Schools' next superintendent have been released, and among the top contenders is one familiar name.

Ben Edmondson, principal of the Roberto Clemente Student Development Center, one of the district's alternative high school programs, was identified among the frontrunners.

Two of the other semifinalists are from Michigan as well, and two are from the East Coast.

The other five candidates are:

• Richard Faidley — current superintendent of Derry Township School District in Hershey, Pa.
• Sandra Harris — retired superintendent of Oak Park School District in Oak Park, Mich., and former AAPS and Lincoln schools employee
• Henry Hastings — current full-time instructor at Eastern Michigan University
• Brian Osborne — current superintendent for the South Orange-Maplewood School District in New Jersey
• Jeanice Kerr Swift — current assistant superintendent of instruction, curriculum and student services for the Colorado Springs School District in Colorado Springs

Edmondson's name emerged in the community as being a great choice for the district's next leader months ago. A group of local residents started a Change.org petition in support of the board considering him as a candidate back in late April, before the job posting for the superintendent position was advertised by Ray & Associates, the consulting firm hired to assist in the search.

• Read the story: Community pushes Ann Arbor school board to 'go local' for next superintendent

The Ann Arbor Public Schools received 61 applications for the open superintendent position. The Board of Education deliberated in closed executive session for nearly seven hours Wednesday to narrow down its applicant pool to seven candidates. Board President Deb Mexicotte said Friday that one of the applicants the board had selected to move on in the search withdrew his application.

Current Ann Arbor leader Patricia Green is retiring effective July 9 after just two years with the district. She was hired in July 2011 on a five-year contract.

The Board of Education also announced new meetings related to the superintendent selection process.

A board study session was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on July 2 in the Balas Administration Building main conference room. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss interview questions as well as the plan for the week of July 7, during which the six superintendent candidates will visit the district, receive a tour and meet with key school officials and community and building leaders. Interviews of the candidates will be open to the public.

The semifinalist interviews will be conducted at the Courtyard Marriott, at 3205 Boardwalk in Ann Arbor, on Monday, July 8 and Tuesday, July 9. They tentatively have been planned for Monday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The board may hold a regular meeting at a to-be-decided time following the Tuesday interviews to select the finalists. Otherwise, the regular meeting will be planned for the next day, according to a news release announcing the candidates.

Interviews with the finalists are planned for Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16. Locations and times will be announced.

Mexicotte said in the release that the school board is very pleased with the list of semifinalists and welcomes the community to attend the interviews.

A regular Board of Education meeting will take place at 7 p.m. July 17 at the Courtyard Marriott for the purpose of selecting the next superintendent of the district.

It is the Board of Education's goal to have a new superintendent in place before the start of the 2013-14 academic year. A start date will be formally determined during contract negotiations and be dependent upon the candidate's availability.

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

• Previous: 5 principals from Ypsilanti, 1 from Willow Run offered jobs in new district

Ypsilanti native Aaron Rose has been named principal of Erickson Elementary School.

Aaron Rose

Erickson will remain a grades 2-6 elementary for the inaugural year of the district, which officially launches on Monday.

Rose bleeds Ypsilanti pride, according to a press release Thursday evening announcing his hiring.

He is a product of both the Ypsilanti Public Schools and Willow Run Community Schools. He spent grades K-7 in Willow Run and grades 8-12 in Ypsilanti. He obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Eastern Michigan University and has spent his entire professional career at Ypsilanti schools.

"I'm very familiar with both educational systems and I'm looking forward to being part of shaping the new, unified district," Rose said in the release. "I've always wanted to be principal of an elementary school, and Erickson has an amazing history. This is an outstanding opportunity."

Rose spent nine years as an elementary teacher at the start of his career, before becoming a middle school algebra teacher. Most recently, Rose served as assistant principal of Ypsilanti High School.

Washtenaw Intermediate School District Superintendent and soon-to-be YCS Superintendent Scott Menzel said Rose will provide stability for students and staff in his new position at Erickson.

"Aaron was already a part of our leadership team, and we are looking forward to having him at the helm of Erickson," Menzel said in Thursday's news release. "Aaron is well known and respected in the community and will be an asset in his new role."

As a result of the merger, all staff in both Ypsilanti and Willow Run had to reapply for their jobs in the new consolidated district. Staff also could apply for multiple jobs.

Many Ypsilanti community members were upset when Rose was not initially retained by the new district.

The initial round of principal interviews took place in early April. There were five principals from Ypsilanti and one principal from Willow Run offered one of the building leadership roles in the new district, however, Rose was not one of them. The Erickson principal position was one of three building principal positions posted externally after the initial round of internal selections. Current employees of both Ypsilanti and Willow Run were encouraged to reapply if they did not receive a job offer in the first screening.

Rose also applied for the high school athletic director/assistant principal position at the new high school. The district later hired ex-NFL player and Willow Run High School graduate Lamanzer Williams to serve as AD.

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

Jackie Simpson with her proposal to her partner, Jeanine Bessette, this week following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act.

Courtesy of Jackie Simpson

Jackie Simpson, the director of the University of Michigan's Spectrum Center, proposed to her girlfriend, Jeanine Bessette, this week with a public message written in rose petals.

The couple plans to go to a state that allows same-sex marriage in order to tie the knot next year, Simpson told the Ann Arbor Journal.

• Read the full report in the Ann Arbor Journal

Simpson told AnnArbor.com this week that she felt the high court's Wednesday rulings were a huge step forward for same-sex marriage.

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.

Toyota’s North American CEO will be based in Michigan for the first time, according to a report in the Detroit News.

Osamu “Simon” Nagata became CEO of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America Inc. in March.

Toyota has been increasing activity at its Michigan centers, including the York Township technical center and a facility in Ann Arbor Township. The 2013 Toyota Avalon was entirely designed and engineered in North America with the bulk of the activity happening in Southeast Michigan.

Additionally, the transmission engineering for the company’s all-electric Rav-4 model was done in Michigan. Over the past two years, Toyota has pledged to invest more than $2 billion in its North American Facilities, according to the News’ story.

The Detroit News reported that previous CEOs of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America Inc. have been based at the company’s headquarters near Los Angeles.

• Read the full story from the Detroit News.

Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2

A combination of crashes and power outages was wreaking havoc on motorists' evening commute Friday in the Ann Arbor area. Several traffic lights were out around town, including at Eisenhower Boulevard and Stone School Road, a dispatcher with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said shortly after 5 p.m.

Storms that moved through the area in the early afternoon left several thousand customers in Washtenaw County without electricity. A specific estimate was not immediately available, a DTE Energy spokeswoman said.

A couple of crashes also were causing lengthy backups on freeways, including on northbound U.S. 23 at Eight Mile Road and eastbound Interstate 94 and Ann Arbor Saline Road. No further information was immediately available on those crashes.

The DTE power outage map showed several pockets of outages in Ann Arbor and in eastern Washtenaw County. The utility, which was dealing with several outages in its southeast Michigan service area, hoped to have service restored Friday night, though a specific estimate was not available.

The area could be in for continued storms this evening. The forecast called for overcast skies with thunderstorms.

Outage areas are shown in red, orange, yellow, green and purple on the map.

The University of Michigan saw improvements in three of the four categories of the 2013 College Affordability and Transparency Lists.

According to the new federal college affordability ranking released by the United States Department of Education Thursday, the University of Michigan has one of the nation’s slowest rates of growth in net costs among four-year public universities.

The university dropped lower in three of the four categories of the 2013 College Affordability and Transparency Lists, which is good news — lower on the list means more affordable for students.

This year, the University of Michigan was ranked 600th out of 640 public four-year universities for percentage increase in net price. This is an improvement from last year’s ranking of 568th.

Net price reflects cost minus financial aid, Associate Director at U-M's Office of Public Affairs and Internal Communications Rick Fitzgerald said.

“The most significant ranking for us is the percentage increase in net price,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re among the lowest, which is really important because it reflects the university’s strategic increase in the amount of financial aid it offers.”

Ranked as 52nd for overall tuition and fees, the university saw an improvement from last year’s ranking of 49th.

Improvement also was seen in the university’s net-price ranking, falling to number 114 this year from number 77 last year.

Percentage increase in tuition and fees was the only category where the university did not see an improvement. Last year the ranking was 520th, but this year the university moved up in the rankings to 481st.

For the 3rd year in a row, U-M is among the lowest in the four-year public university transparency and affordability rankings.

“We think the affordability rankings underscore the point that the university has been very aggressively boosting financial aid, which drives down the net costs,” Fitzgerald said. “The results show that our effort to make college more affordable for more of our students is working. Seventy percent of in-state undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, so this is something that affects a large portion of our students.”

Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival has announced today's storms have forced the cancellation of the earlier acts scheduled for Top of the Park Friday.

The live music scheduled on the Grove Stage at 5 and 6 p.m. has been canceled, as has the 7 p.m. show on the main Rackham Stage with Gwenyth Hayes. Plans for the rest of the night are yet to be determined, pending the developing weather.

Scheduled activities for the rest of the evening include live soul music and the special "Superhero" attraction.

This is the fourth day in a row weather has forced the cancellation of part of Top of the Park, although all three previous days included some of the schedule still taking place.

• Related: Six Ann Arbor superintendent candidates announced, including Roberto Clemente principal

Six Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent candidates were publicly announced Friday. Biographies were collected from each individual and released by the school board.

The district is in the midst of its fourth superintendent search in the past decade and officials hope to soon select its sixth superintendent since 2002.

Current Superintendent Patricia Green resigned April 11, toward the end of a regular school board meeting. It was an unexpected announcement of her retirement, one that shocked both the school board and the community.

Read about the background of each superintendent contender below or download a complete biography.

Ben Edmondson

• Download Edmonson's complete biography.

Richard Faidley

• Download Faidley's complete biography.

Sandra Harris

• Download Harris's complete biography.

Henry Hastings

• Download Hastings' complete biography.

Brian Osborne

• Download Osborne's complete biography.

Jeanice Kerr Swift

• Download Swift's complete biography.

The candidates will be interviewed July 8 and 9 at the Courtyard Marriott in Ann Arbor. The interviews are open to the public and have been tentatively planned for Monday from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Board of Education intends to select a new superintendent at a regular meeting at 7 p.m. on July 17.

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

Authorities rescued a mail carrier -- and all her undelivered mail -- when her vehicle got stuck on a flooded Augusta Township road Friday.

Courtesy of the Augusta Township Fire Department

A mail carrier on a rural route in Augusta Township got in some deep trouble Friday afternoon.

The vehicle she was driving to deliver the mail got stuck in waist-deep water on Rosbolt Road between Whittaker and Tuttle Hill around noon, Assistant Augusta Township Fire Chief Dave Music said.

“She tried to make through a road that was flooded ditch to ditch,” he added. “You couldn’t see the road. It looked like a river."

The road was flooded from a nearby creek due to storms that swept their way through Washtenaw County Thursday and Friday. The woman though the water was shallow enough to drive through, but there was an unexpected dip in the road, Music said.

At the time, fire crews were on a call nearby for downed wires, but immediately responded when the woman called 911 and said she was stuck.

“She couldn’t get out," Music said. "We didn’t know if she was pinned in or what.”

When authorities arrived, the woman didn't want to open the doors because she didn't want the undelivered mail to get wet.

“We had the next thunderstorm coming in," Music said. "We wanted to get her out of there.”

Officials from the Augusta Township Fire Department and the Department of Natural Resources called in a boat, but while it was en route, commandeered a canoe from a local residence, Music said.

They retrieved first the woman in the canoe and then the bundle of mail, which was left with her supervisor and delivered later that day.

“Her biggest concern was the mail,” Music said.

View Larger Map

John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Technology companies are continuing to play a game of musical chairs with their office spaces in downtown Ann Arbor.

As growing companies move into larger offices, other businesses are waiting to snap up the smaller spaces they leave behind.

The Inovo Group co-founders Larry Schmitt and Steve Schwartz

Inovo has been itching to get back into downtown Ann Arbor since it moved out to its current 2,500 square foot office in Research Park Technology Center off of North Main Street.

“We’ve been looking for about two years now,” president Brian Christian said.

“We were downtown before at Fourth Avenue and Washington Street and we were trying to move into a bigger space. Some things fell through and we ended up moving out of the downtown area.”

Downtown Ann Arbor has become a hot place to be, especially for technology companies and startups, which often like to cluster and create entrepreneurial communities.

“There are a number of reasons to want to be downtown,” Christian said.

“The first thing is that our employees want to be there, then when our clients come into town they like being downtown, and then the third thing is that it’s just more fun.”

The Inovo Group, founded 12 years ago in Ann Arbor, works mostly with Fortune 1000 companies on what Christian called “strategic innovation.”

“We are helping major companies develop the next big thing,” he said.

Christian said as innovation consultants with backgrounds in science and engineering, Inovo primarily works with the research and development departments of major corporations. He said large companies want to try out new and innovative ideas but also come in with a certain amount of bureaucracy to deal with.

“So because of those concerns, we need to have a professional appearance. But we also actively work in innovation so it’s important to be fun and exciting as well,” he said.

“The ability to bring new ideas into conservative and traditional corporate organizations is walking a fine line. Being downtown and especially in the area just off Main Street gives that nice balance of nice and professional but also has kind of a cool and innovative vibe.”

Inovo’s client list includes pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Dow Chemical, automotive manufacturers Ford Motor Company and Johnson Controls and major retailer Sears.

Brendan Cavender and Jim Chaconas of Colliers International Ann Arbor represented Inovo in the deal. The company’s 13 employees are all based in Ann Arbor and will move into the new office sometime in the fall. Christian said the company plans to add one employee before the end of 2013 and grow by one or two people per year throughout next few years.

“Our growth is organic, because we did not want to take outside funding that would make us give up control over the company,” he said.

“It can make it more challenging but we’ve been able to stick with that model and we’re very proud of that.”

The office transition marks the first time that the building, located at 213 E. Ashley St., has joined in the rotation of downtown businesses.

“This is the first turnover we’ve had since we redeveloped the building close to 10 years ago,” said Bill Kinley, who represents the management team that operates the building.

“We are at 100 percent occupancy and all of our other tenants are the original tenants who were in the building when we started managing it.” Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2

A home at 1133 Davis St. is one of 10 properties Ypsilanti Township purchased and will sell to Habitat For Humanity.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Editor's note: Rob Nissly's first name has been corrected in this article.

Ten more Ypsilanti Township properties will soon be developed or renovated by Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley.

As part of a new program, Ypsilanti Township will purchase the 10 properties for $64,000, then sell them to Habitat.

The homes and vacant lots were foreclosed on and the township is purchasing them from the Washtenaw County Treasurer’s Office.

The homes and prices include include:

• 570 Greenlawn Ave. for $7,704.
• 1370 Parkwood Ave. for $8,867.
• 910 Auburndale Ave. for 9,210.
• 1231 Rambling Road for $4,615.
• 1133 Davis Street for $10,642.
• 550 Glenwood Ave. for $8,285.
• 966 N. Prospect Road for $7,161.

The township also purchased vacant lots on Share Avenue, Norhtlawn Avenue and South Wallace Boulevard.

Under Michigan law, municipalities have the first chance to buy foreclosed properties that are headed to the tax foreclosure auction. The maneuver is designed to help Habitat renovate more properties, and the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved the purchase at its June 24 meeting.

“Of all the things we’ve done together as a board, this is probably the most valuable,” Clerk Karen Lovejoy Roe said.

The township has a contract with Habitat that says the nonprofit will buy the properties for the same price the township purchased them for, plus a $750 administrative fee for each property.

The purchase price includes all back taxes and any liens.

Habitat has purchased 65 properties in Ypsilanti Township over the past five years and built on or renovated many of those properties. Habitat homeowners contribute more than $100,000 in property taxes annually and the agency has invested $5 million in the community over five years.

“They are going to take these properties and they are going to invest substantial funds, bring the homes up to and beyond code and sell them to people who can own them,” Township Attorney Doug Winters said. “It has already worked effectively and we have seen an astounding turnaround in the Gault Village neighborhood.”

Habitat has renovated more than 20 homes in Gault Village, completed 20 weatherization projects and provided nine “critical repairs” for veterans there.

“That neighborhood has been a tremendous success for us,” said Rob Nissly, Habitat’s housing director.

“These houses are great homes and Habitat For Humanity has done a remarkable job of reinvesting in this township and elevating property values,” said Supervisor Brenda Stumbo. “This is a great program and one the township should be very proud of.”

Winters said the township is doing an outstanding job using what tools it has to help turnaround destabilized neighborhoods that suffered what were among the highest foreclosure rates in the county during the recession.

“We’re utilizing what’s available and in a slow, steady line, we’ve stabilized the neighborhoods and streets that were on the tipping point to becoming very difficult to stabilize,” he said. “This guarantees home ownership, it’s less strain on our resources and it becomes a win-win-win situation.”

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter. Contact the AnnArbor.com news desk at news@annarbor.com.