The Michigan women's basketball team snapped a 12-game losing streak against Michigan State on Saturday with a 70-69 win at the Crisler Center. The losing streak dated back to 2008.

Courtney Sacco is a photographer for AnnArbor.com.

Imagine walking down Michigan Avenue or through Depot Town and glancing up to see solar panels harnessing the power of the sun from the rooftops, awnings and backyards of offices, warehouses, stores, schools, and city buildings. The reality is that we have a vast untapped solar resource, but Michigan continues to depend on outdated energy sources like coal, gas and oil that both pollute our environment and drain our resources.

Depot Town in Ypsilanti.

Steve Pepple | AnnArbor.com

Michigan spends billions of dollars every year importing dirty energy from other states and countries. Coal alone is one of the largest sources of soot, smog and other particulate pollution, which contributes to poor air quality and causes asthma attacks and other serious health problems for Michiganders. Solar is a homegrown solution to these major problems. Installing solar panels around Ypsilanti will inject hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy rather than spending money out-of-state on coal, gas and oilfossil fuels.

The case for solar power in Ypsilanti has never been stronger. Solar continues to get cheaper, with the cost of solar panels dropping by 75 percent since 2008 and with the federal tax credit knocking down the total project price by 30 percent. On top of that, DTE has restarted the SolarCurrent program, which awards a rebate of $0.20 per installed watt of solar and an ongoing incentive of $0.03 per kilowatt hour generated for about 15 years. Combined, this makes the return on investment about 8 to 10 years for a solar installation that will last at least 30 years.

Solar is growing by leaps and bounds, and it’s only going to keep rising. While workers continue to be laid off as we recover from recession, solar employment is expected to grow by 17.2 percent through 2013 and to add nearly 20,000 new solar workers nationwide. Right here in Michigan, solar installations have increased more than threefold from 2010 to 2011. Ypsilanti is well-positioned to benefit from this solar growth. And the city already has demonstrated its ability to embrace the benefits of solar by bringing the National Solar Tour to town, as well as a proposed $4 million solar project by DTE.

Much of the growth in local solar can be attributed to SolarYpsi. SolarYpsi has helped local businesses, government and schools win more than $100,000 in grants and donations to put solar panels on the Ypsilanti Food Co-Op, City Hall, and Adams School, and has helped many others with their solar projects. Currently, there are 13 major solar installations in Ypsilanti.

Ypsilanti could be a national leader in solar power. Already, the city’s leadership on solar is attracting attention from across the country. SolarYpsi has reached more than 3,000 people in face-to-face presentations about solar power, and well over a a quarter of a million viewers from around the world with the video Google made about SolarYpsi. The SolarYpsi website even had 1,000 online visitors in one day after the video was launched.

Let’s build off of the success of SolarYpsi and set an ambitious solar goal for our city, establish programs that will put solar on more homes and businesses, and install solar panels on more public buildings and schools. We ask City Council to make Ypsilanti a “solar destination” and set a bold goal of 1,000 solar roofs by 2020. Together, we can make Ypsilanti a solar city.

Dave Strenski is the founder of SolarYpsi, and Virginia Shannon is a state associate with Environment Michigan. They are both based in Ypsilanti.

Snow, ice, and wind don't stop the vendors or the customers from showing up every Saturday at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, no matter what time of year. In fact, more vendors bring more shoppers, and more shoppers bring more vendors.

"The number of vendors for this time of year has gone up significantly," said Sarah DeWitt, manager of the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. "It used to be five to seven, and now we have 20 vendors, and diverse products are being sold. Foot traffic is relative to the number of vendors."

There are artisans, farmers and bakers among the vendors. Among the fresh produce that could be found at the market today was a variety of greens including pea shoots, collards and kale; daikon radishes; turnips; carrots; potatoes and more.

Coffee is a robust seller year-round, according to Mike Broman and Brian Barch, who run the RoosRoast Coffee stand.

"When it's bitterly cold or there's a big snow storm, business isn't as good, but we have a lot of reliable regulars who are here every week," said Barch.

Paul Turke is one of those people. He comes from Whitmore Lake every Saturday to enjoy a cup of his favorite coffee.

"Every week, Roos offers a high quality different single roast," said Turke. "They give me good advice on what coffees are coming, and they're very friendly. I wouldn't come to the market in winter if not for their coffee."

The big draw for Tom Chase on this chilly day was a package of Grandma's chocolate chip cookies.

"These are homemade, chewy cookies that remind me of when I was a kid," said Chase.

Grandma is Donna Puehler from Delta, Ohio, who sells cakes, pies, cookies, breads and eggs at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market year-round.

"People don't mind the cold, but they don't come out in the rain," said Puehler. "Today I sold 80 dozen eggs before 10 a.m., and I always sell out of my molasses cookies."

Once a month through the winter months, the community-supported agriculture organization Locavorious hands out shares to members, 270 of them. There are 18 different kinds of frozen fruits and vegetables distributed to members from December through March. Locavorious also sells individual items to market customers.

"I buy a lot of produce at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market during the summer months, which I package and flash freeze," said Locavoirous' owner, Rena Basch. "I want to eat locally year-round, and I want to offer that to other people."

She says that berries and peaches are among customers' favorite items.

"I love the sweet corn," said Locavorious member Kendra Pyle. "It's great to have access to local Michigan produce in the winter."

Fans of the now-closed Cafe Japon restaurant and bakery also patronize the farmers market during the winter months.

"I come here to get the most wonderful square loaves of bread that I can't get anywhere else," said Betsy Stover of Ann Arbor, whose other winter market favorites are pea shoots, baby kale, eggs, and RoosRoast Coffee.

"There are a lot of regular customers who count on my breads being here every week and my croissants," said Miyoko Honma, former owner of Cafe Japon.

For the Goetz family, selling through the winter is a profitable business move.

"We do almost as well at this market in the winter as we do at other markets in the summer," said Stephen Goetz, whose parents, Jonathan and Karlene Goetz own the business.

"We've been at this market year round for 10 years and we have many loyal, steady customers," said Jonathan Goetz, who said that salad greens are a big seller this time of year.

"I like the fresh produce," said Paul Gumton from Saline, one of Goetz's regular customers. "I like coming to the market this time of year because it's fun to get out, and I like the variety here."

DeWitt says that many people enjoy the opportunity to get outside during the long months of being cooped up indoors.

"This is a great community space for people to get out of their houses in the middle of winter, and it reflects the fact that we can get food growing or stored year round in Michigan."

Aside from appealing to her numerous customers, Puehler, a.k.a. "Grandma," has another motive for keeping her stand open every Saturday during winter.

"I have 22 grandkids that I'm helping to put through college," she said.

The Ann Arbor Farmers Market, on Detroit Street in the Kerrytown district, is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. every Saturday during the winter months. Starting in May, the market is open 7 a.m.-3 p.m. both Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the suspect's age. He is 27, not 17.

A 27-year-old male is in the Washtenaw County Jail awaiting arraignment after his arrest earlier today following a purse snatching in downtown Ann Arbor.

Sgt. Matt Lige with the Ann Arbor Police Department says that the call came in at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. A 41-year-old woman, a resident of Ann Arbor, was at an ATM in the 100 block of South Main Street making a withdrawal when a male approached her and grabbed her purse.

He ran southbound on Main Street, but a suspect was detained by two uninvolved bystanders. Police received the call, and when they got to the scene, they pursued the man, who discarded the purse and ran south on Main Street. Police caught up with him and arrested him.

Charges are pending.

Chelsea's Steven Bleise and Michael Hovater continued their undefeated seasons on Thursday, winning their respective weight classes at the Division 2 individual regional tournament at Eaton Rapids High School.

Bleise improved his record to 42-0 at 135 and Hovater to 39-0 at 189.

Bleise and Hovater were among 18 Washtenaw County wrestlers to qualify for the MHSAA individual state wrestling finals on Saturday, including brothers Kyle and Zaid Abdellatif from Ypsilanti who qualified in Division 2 at 125 and heavyweight.

Here are the rest of the qualifiers:

Division 1 at Canton HIgh School

Second

Pioneer senior Billy Cobb-Gulley, above, qualified for the Division 1 individual state wrestling tournament with a second place regional finish.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com file photo

Third
Taylor Ticknor, Saline (112)
Jordan Markey, Lincoln (130)
Nate O'Sullivan, Saline (135)
Alex Cornelius, Saline (152)

Division 2 at Eaton Rapids

Champion
Steven Bleis, Chelsea (135)
Michael Hovater, Chelsea (189)

Second
Kyle Abdellatif, Ypsilanti (125)

Fourth
Avery Osentoski, Chelsea (145)
Zaid Abdellatif, Ypsilanti (285)

Division 2 at Tecumseh High School

Third
Ben Fick, Milan (171)

Division 3 at Manchester

Manchester senior Brian Robert, right, and Michigan Center junior Presley Kellogg battle for control during their third place match at the MHSAA Division 3 individual wrestling regionals at Manchester High School on Saturday, Feb. 16.

Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

Second
Eric Coval, Manchester (145)

Fourth
Brendan Abrigo, Manchester (103)
Charlie Steffens, Manchester (119)
Ben Heuser, Manchester (135)
Michael Golding, Manchester (160)
Brian Robert, Manchester (285)

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com. Follow him at @petcunningham.

U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, and University Bank president and CEO Stephen Ranzini will participate in a question-and-answer session after a special showing of “Inside Job” at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Michigan Theater.

The film, narrated by Matt Damon, documents the events leading up to the global financial crisis in 2008 and subsequent actions by politicians, regulators and investment bankers.

“For 21 years I was proud to say that I was a bank president,” he said.

“As a result of these investment banks suddenly appropriating our brand names by becoming ‘banks’ I had to change what I described my profession as so now I only say I’m a community bank president… The brand of ‘bank’ has been destroyed as far as I can determine because of the actions of the people show in the film.”

It was Ranzini’s idea to host a screening of the film, and he hopes that people who missed seeing the 2010 Academy Award winner for best documentary will come out to watch and discuss.

“The theater seats about 900, I think, so the more the merrier,” he said.

“The Ann Arbor Democratic Party is helping promote it, but it’s not a political event per se. We’re trying to get a good group of people from town to show up and to have an interesting discussion about a very interesting film.”

The showing is free to the public with pre-registration. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $8 for students. To register, email your name and address to ranzini@university-bank.com.

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

How much will Ann Arbor value its neighborhood schools when the community starts its 2013 version of “what do we cut from next year’s budget?”

That’s a question that’s been on my mind frequently over the last few weeks.

The reason is a “perfect storm” of school information and musings that touch a deeply personal aspect of what the Ann Arbor Public Schools mean to me: They’ve been a core of my family life for 9 years now.

I’m feeling the neighborhood school question as I recall Superintendent Patricia Green telling the school board in December that rerouting transportation brings up the obvious corollary: how buildings play into that.

That’s accented by a recent conversation with school board leadership, when Deb Mexicotte and Christine Stead presented me with historical data on where AAPS fares in school funding. The bottom line: In real dollars, the district received $9,020 in state funding per student in 2012, or about the same as in 2001. It's more than some districts, but not aligned with what voters were told when we passed Proposal A in 1994.

And I’m feeling it as we get ready for a freshman year of high school at Huron, making the choice that it’s an excellent fit for our family even as other options in the AAPS and across Washtenaw County beg for our attention. Today the district faces making an estimated $10-to $12 million in cuts for fall, following a year when the district trimmed $3.84 million and used $6 million in savings to fund a shortfall.

This community is getting hints that the district is ready to look at how it uses buildings. It compiled data on capacity, including trends over recent years. And the superintendent, in drawing the connections from building usage to transportation changes, is preparing all of us for the next step.

As I look at the district’s capacity numbers, it’s easy to conclude that it’s worth looking at potential changes. There are 975 elementary seats going unfilled among the 21 buildings, the equivalent of three smaller buildings. AAPS has room for about 1,100 additional middle schoolers. Some schools - like Ann Arbor Open - operate at program capacity in a building that on paper doesn’t need to be as large. Other schools exceed official capacity, like Eberwhite.

Yet changes in Ann Arbor schools don’t come easily.

This is a community that demands accountability and excellence. We display passionate loyalty. We’re willing to challenge systems.

I share that passion for the school buildings that have influenced my family. I respect other programs: Community High, Ann Arbor Open and Roberto Clemente come to mind.

But I suspect that AAPS is getting ready to ask me and the rest of the district to make hard choices about district-wide facilities, and I know: I’m not ready to debate the value of other school buildings, and I doubt that people in those buildings are prepared to effectively weigh the value of mine.

We saw last year, that simply moving a program of 100 students raised community ire. Imagine redrawing district boundaries, or closing buildings. Or both.

I don’t want program cuts. I don’t want larger classes. I don’t want transportation or widespread sports cuts. I want music, arts and language classes. I want that for other districts, too, which is an even-broader discussion.

And I want to hold onto the buildings - and the communities - that my family values in Ann Arbor.

I’m trying to move myself from feeling vulnerable about potential change, which seems inevitable in this funding climate. I want to approach the looming AAPS decisions analytically, knowing that some will feel sacrifice but all will benefit, if we do it right.

Paula Gardner is Community News Director of AnnArbor.com. She can be reached by email or follow her on Twitter.

If you got a parking ticket in Chelsea or a speeding ticket in Ypsilanti Township sometime in 2011 and you’re pretty sure there’s a warrant for your arrest because you never paid up, don’t worry.

No, seriously, don’t worry. The 14A and 14B District Courts have your back.

The courts will run an amnesty program through March and April, forgiving late fees and penalties on traffic and parking tickets before Dec. 31, 2011.

AnnArbor.com file photo

The courts will run an amnesty program through March and April, forgiving late fees and penalties on traffic and parking tickets before Dec. 31, 2011.

14A District Court Administrator Bob Ciolek said it’s the first time the courts have run such a program. The program will run from March 1 to April 30. All penalties and late fees for unpaid traffic civil infractions and parking violations will be forgiven, aside from the $45 clearance fee for people whose driver’s licenses have been suspended.

“We’re trying to give them an opportunity to take care of any outstanding matters they may have and give the public a break in the tough economic times we’re experiencing,” Ciolek said.

The ticket must have been issued by an agency under the jurisdiction of the 14A District Courts or the 14B District Court in Ypsilanti Township. The amnesty program does not apply to any tickets issued in 2012 or 2013.

Ciolek said he pitched the idea to 14A District Court Chief Judge Kirk Tabbey and get it cleared by him and District Court Judge Richard Conlin. Both judges thought it to be a good idea, but Ciolek said it might be a special occurrence.

“It’s not something, as a court, you want to run every year, every two years, every three years,” he said. “If you’re gonna do it on multiple occasions, they’re going to be spaced out far, far apart.”

The principle penalty on the tickets will still need to be paid, so no one will be getting away scot free on their traffic infractions. However, every financial penalty subsequent to the initial fines and costs will be waived, Ciolek said.

Ciolek brought the idea to the 14A District Court from his former job as a court administrator in Taylor. He said his court there ran an amnesty program and it generated revenue for the court.

“We ran one out there and it was very successful, giving people a break on tickets and generating revenue, that sort of thing,” he said. “I liked the concept of the whole thing. I brought the idea here about a year or so ago.”

It’s a sort of win-win situation for everybody, Ciolek said. Not only will the public have fines and penalties waived if they pay their tickets, the courts will be able to clear many cases as they convert to a new filing system.

For more information on the program, call the 14A-1 District Court in Pittsfield Township at 734-973-4545, the 14A-2 District Court in Ypsilanti at 734-484-6690, the 14A-3 District Court in Chelsea at 734-475-8606, the 14A-4 District Court in Saline at 734-429-2504 or the 14B district Court in Ypsilanti Township at 734-483-1333.

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

Arbor Hospice at 2366 Oak Valley Drive in Ann Arbor.

Joseph Tobianski I AnnArbor.com

That is a question faced daily by hospitals and one that posed a challenge to Arbor Hospice, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit that operates a 26-bed hospice residence and provides community-based end-of-life care to 300 patients daily.

"We serve 1,600 to 2,000 patients a year, and about 200 patients get discharged and get better. They don't need home skilled care; they need palliative care. There was nowhere for us to send them," said Gloria Brooks, CEO and president of Arbor Hospice. "In the reverse, we had folks who were a year or two from needing hospice who needed palliative care expertise, but we couldn't serve them."

Seeking to close this gap, Arbor Hospice has launched a palliative care "consultative" service aimed at boosting the quality of life for seriously ill people, outside of a healthcare facility.

Since July, Arbor Palliative Care has served some 45 people in the seven-county region of southeast Michigan, all over the age of 65 and living with diseases ranging from dementia to brain cancer. Most live at home, although APC is making inroads in nursing care and assisted living facilities.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization define palliative care as patient-centered care that enhances a person's comfort and improves the quality of life. It can mean anything from giving anti-nausea medication to a cancer patient undergoing chemo to providing painkillers to a person in his last years of life. An integrative model of palliative care might include a team of doctors, nurses, physical therapists and social workers that addresses the physical and emotional needs of an ill person.

APC is starting with nurse practitioners, board certified in hospice and palliative care, who work with a patient's primary care doctor to develop a medication regimen. The NP makes sure the person understands the care plan and makes adjustments as needed. Referrals come from hospitals and other healthcare centers, among them St. Joseph Mercy and University of Michigan Health System.

"They are the primary care physician's eyes and ears in the home," says Brooks. "Physicians would love to go in the home, but that's not always practical. Our nurse practitioners can do that, report back, and strategize in terms of medication.''

APC also is hiring a medical director to oversee the program.

Brooks said complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage are not part of APC's wheelhouse.

Medicare Part A covers a maximum 6 months of hospice care, while Medicare Part B will cover most of the costs of APC's services, as will some private insurers, says Brooks. The service generally comes with a copay.

While hospital-based palliative care programs increased by almost 150% from 2000 to 2010, according to the Center to Advance Palliative Care, community-based palliative care is still in its infancy. Numbers are hard to come by, but APC appears to be in the vanguard of a trend that is not only cost-effective but more satisfying to patients who would prefer to die at home.

Research into the outcome of palliative care intervention at home is somewhat lacking, but results generally show a boost in the patient's mood and quality of life and fewer hospitalizations. A Kaiser Permanente study of 300 patients in the last stages of life who received integrated palliative care were happier with their care and less likely to go to the hospital.

Brooks says feedback from families served by APC has been positive.

APC's program manager has reported that families say it's helpful to have someone "connect the dots" from their primary care doctors and get help with their pain and other symptoms.

"They didn't know anybody could do that," she says. "Ultimately, it's reducing costs for Medicare and the stress of the patient and on his family. The point of managing the issues at home is that the care is better. The bottom line is, we want folks to have a better quality of life."

Julie Edgar is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com.

Co-owners of Ann Arbor's Carpenter Brothers and Ita Yoga, Armando and Ita Reyes, stand inside the hardware store with their dog, Maya.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

Through his years at Huron High School, Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, Reyes continued working at the store at 2753 Plymouth Road in the Plymouth Road Mall, eventually earning a manager title.

As Carpenter Brother’s former owner, Sam Hamilton, was preparing for retirement in 2008, Reyes and his wife, Ita, purchased the hardware store.

“We had the opportunity and we took it,” Armando said.

“He’s been the neighborhood kid,” Ita added. “He previously lived over here, too.”

Ita Reyes opened a yoga studio in the Plymouth Road Mall in 2010.

AnnArbor.com file photo

The couple agrees that it was a risk; economic conditions were worsening, Pfizer had shuttered its 177-acre Plymouth Road research facility, and the hardware business was changing amid competition from big-boxes and online ordering.

“We lost, I would say, between 9 and 10 percent of our business when Pfizer closed,” Reyes said. Not to mention, the (Ann Arbor Public Library’s Traverwood branch) left this building, and Bello Vino closed because traffic in this mall went south.”

“We had to adjust and change and we’ve been able to do it,” he continued.

Despite the challenges, in 2010 Ita took on her own business endeavor and opened a yoga studio, Ita Yoga, around the corner from Carpenter Bros. in the same shopping center.

“We had a four-month-old, I had left veterinary medicine and was working at the hardware store, and I was getting in my car and teaching yoga around town.

This space opened up and (Armando) said, ‘why drive around when you can do your own thing?” she said.

The Plymouth Road Mall has some visibility challenges, particularly the Carpenter Bros. space, which is situated on the rear side of the mall and hidden from Plymouth Road.

And with a new retail and office building under construction in front of the mall, visibility is reduced even more. Ita and Armando are hopeful the new building’s tenants will increase the traffic flow to the center.

The under construction Plymouth Road Plaza in Ann Arbor is expected to open this year. Tenants include Starbucks and Dearborn Financial Credit Union.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

“Everything in the front of the mall is now behind something else,” Armando said. “It’s something we have to address.”

With Baskin-Robbins closing shop recently and the Songbird Cafe opening, changes continue at the shopping center, but Ita said business is steady at both Carpenter Bros. and the yoga studio.

“The yoga studio is really busy now and the hardware store is a little slow,” she explained. “Then summer comes and people want to workout outside so the studio is slow and the store is hopping.”

Armando said the hardware store has attracted a loyal following of customers after its 40 years in business, and many of them live on the north side of Ann Arbor. He said he’s always researching competitors’ prices and changing his inventory to keep customers happy. Carpenter Bros. also has an online store.

“You change your product line to match the needs of the customers,” he said. “If you don’t, you go out of business.”

He continued: “That neighborhood feel is still there. You’re competing with big-boxes, but you really can’t put a pricetag on knowing somebody and going into the same store for 40 years.”

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.

The city-owned Library Lot on Fifth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor, as viewed from the downtown library, where Alan Haber and others want to see an outdoor skating rink happen yet this winter.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

More specifically, what about an outdoor ice skating rink? What about a Spring Party in March? What about an Earth Day festival in April? What about another block party in July?

Those are all ideas longtime community activist Alan Haber is asking members of the Ann Arbor City Council and the Downtown Development Authority to consider.

In collaboration with other members of a grass-roots group called the Library Green Conservancy, Haber plans to deliver a proposal for an outdoor skating rink to the DDA in the coming days.

"We're very close to putting the proposal in their hand," he said.

Alan Haber

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

An overall budget of about $50,000 would cover all costs, including at least one staff person at all open times, along with volunteers, and liability insurance to protect the city, Haber said.

"This would be open skating in downtown Ann Arbor on artificial ice," Haber said. "A place where people could bring their ideas about ultimately what they would like to see on this property."

DDA Chairwoman Leah Gunn said she hasn't yet seen a formal funding request from Haber's group, so she didn't feel comfortable commenting.

Gunn said the DDA was directed by the City Council to make the top of the underground parking garage a surface parking lot, and so that's what it did last year.

"We're doing what council has told us to do," Gunn said, suggesting doing anything different with the site likely would require council approval.

Gunn recalled when Ann Arbor-based Dahlmann Apartments Ltd. in 2009 offered to give the city at least $2.5 million to develop a town square/urban park on the Library Lot, including an outdoor ice skating rink, and the city turned down the offer, saying it didn't meet the city's goal of seeing a positive financial return from the site. City officials also cited concerns about ongoing maintenance costs.

Mayor John Hieftje said the idea of a skating rink on the Library Lot sounds nice in concept, but it would be expensive and couldn't happen without an extensive planning process.

John Hieftje

Haber said the rink — comprised of interlocking plastic panels on a level platform — could be assembled within two weeks and would take up only a portion of the 33-space lot, which is nestled between Earthen Jar and the Ann Arbor District Library on Fifth Avenue.

He said it could operate through the winter, and because there's no need to worry about ice melting, it could continue into the spring and summer if it's working out and people like it.

"After the winter changes to spring and summer, maybe this would be a neat thing and people would want to keep it, or we could take the ice off and it could be a dance floor, or the whole thing could be disassembled and we could maybe plant grass," Haber said.

The DDA recently completed a roughly $100,000 planning process called Connecting William Street that resulted in recommendations for private development on five city-owned properties downtown, including high-density, mixed-use development with a lodging or office focus on the Library Lot.

Haber said it looks as though in the short-term there will be no sale or request for proposals for development, so he doesn't see why it can't be used as a public gathering space for now.

The Library Green Conservancy, which Haber is working with, has pressed city officials to consider transforming the Library Lot into a downtown central park complete with grass and trees.

Hieftje and DDA officials have pressed back, saying they're not certain that's the best use of the site, though they say a public plaza likely will be developed on the southwest corner.

"But if we want a larger 'green' park downtown, there is a better place than the roof of the parking garage," Hieftje said. "Why not a site where trees aren't set in pots so they can actually grow tall and where there can be more than a few inches of soil?"

He suggested transforming the parking lot at the corner of Main and William into a green space with outdoor seating, and having the Palio restaurant open up to it.

Hieftje said it seems unrealistic to think that if the Library Lot was made into a temporary park that it ever would be possible to do anything else with the site after that.

Haber agreed with the mayor.

"Once you let people onto it, they won't want to go off," he said.

Hieftje thinks there are plenty of green spaces on the State Street end of downtown, such as the University of Michigan's Ingalls Mall where the Ann Arbor Summer Festival is held, another park on Washington Street next to North Quad and the Central Campus Diag.

Ann Arbor-based Dahlmann Apartments Ltd. in 2009 offered to give the city at least $2.5 million to develop this town square/urban park on the Library Lot, including an outdoor ice skating rink, and the city turned down the offer, saying it didn't meet the city's goal of seeing a positive financial return from the site. City officials also cited concerns about ongoing maintenance costs. The proposal is no longer on the table, but a grass-roots group now has hopes of making a smaller-scale artificial ice rink happen on the site.

Hieftje said the city's parks system has been steadily expanding for years, and the city now has 156 parks covering about 2,200 acres.

"The feedback I have been getting from many residents is we need to take care of the parks we have now," Hieftje said.

"That said, there are already a couple of other new parks in the pipeline ahead of a big new park downtown. There are three in the Allen Creek Greenway right along the edge of downtown. We are finally seeing some progress on the greenway and now is not the time to step back."

The city hopes to develop its first major greenway park at 721 N. Main, and it's planning on applying this year for grant funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. Other greenway parks are planned for 415 W. Washington and the corner of First and William.

Given the city's experience with Liberty Plaza, a mostly concrete park at the corner of Liberty and Division that regularly attracts drug users and homeless people, a new large downtown park is something the city needs to make sure it gets right, Hieftje said.

Appropriately, he said, the city's Park Advisory Commission is now in the process of examining the issue of where to put more parks/plazas downtown.

"The parks commission is studying this issue and they have a subcommittee assigned, and it think we need to let them do their work," Hieftje said, cautioning against creating another public space downtown before it's fully planned out. "We can't afford another Liberty Plaza."

Hieftje proposed this instead: "I wonder if Mr. Haber and friends would be willing to work with parks and the DDA to take on Liberty Plaza for a year or two and see what they can do to make it vibrant and inviting beyond the Sonic Lunch days when a couple of hundred people are there. The plans they have to make a parking lot function as a vibrant park should work even better in an actual park."

Haber's response: "I only have so much energy. And I think what we need is to create a community space, and Liberty Plaza is not really large enough."

If Haber can get approval from the city, he wants to hold a Spring Party for all Ann Arborites March 21-24 on the Library Lot, followed by an Earth Day festival April 20-22. He also proposes rerouting the Fourth of July parade to end at the Library Lot for a community gathering and picnic.

"Take the cars off and let the people on and see what will happen," Haber said. "Until you do it, you can only imagine. I imagine it would be really beautiful."

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

Every weekday at noon in Ann Arbor there's a live concert taking place 10 stories above the students who hustle to get to their classes on time.

The concert is played on one of University of Michigan's most valuable instruments, the Charles Bard Carillon, which includes 53 bells that sit 212 feet high, perched at the top of the Burton Memorial Tower on central campus.

The largest bell weighs 24,000 pounds and the entire collection clocks in at 45 tons.

The carillon, acquired by the university in 1936, is one of roughly 200 active carillons in the world, and one of the largest and most valuable among them.

U-M's carillon program dates back to 1939 and, according to program director Steven Ball, is the oldest carillon program in the U.S. Every year between 15 to 20 students study the art of the carillon under Ball, who has been playing the carillon for 18 years.

"It has this sort of dark, smokey sound that's very special," said Ball, who called the carillon a "civic instrument" that plays "at the pleasure of the regents."

It's Ball, U-M alumni and students who make the daily carillon concerts possible.

Unlike the automated ringing of the bells every 15 minutes, the noon concert takes considerable man power. Everyday, a carillonneur plays a unique 30-minute noon concert that's audible "for a couple of blocks" surrounding the bell tower.

The carillonneur, or a counterpart, then travels to north campus to give another concert there, at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Carillon and Tower.

The system could be automated, but then the university would lose one of its richest and longest traditions.

"You don't have the ability to make an automative system expressive. There's a certain continuity with the life and the culture of this place that would be lost," Ball said. "Selections change day-to-day and they generally try to fit the mood of the occasion."

He added: "The bells mark moments in university time."

The concerts take place during days when classes are in session. According to Ball, the only time the concerts have been unexpectedly halted since the 1930s is when a pair of Peregrine falcons was found nesting on the tower in 2006. After about a month, when the falcons were deemed safe, the bells resumed ringing.

Anyone can attend the performances.

Ball said the carillon is the largest unaltered British-made system of its kind in the world. In the 1970s, the university replaced about half of the bells in the carillon in order to make the instrument louder and have a wider range, but in the mid-2000s Ball collected the old parts and restored the carillon to its original condition, despite the objections of some colleagues.

"It's always the same thing in our culture: faster, louder, brighter, shinier," Ball said. "The reality is that, historically, this carillon occupies such a significant place in North America.... Returning the bells, returning the keyboard, it really returns the sound of the instrument back to what it was."

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.

The New York Philharmonic is returning to Hill Auditorium.

photo by Chris Lee

But in a year celebrating Hill Auditorium’s centenary, it’s particularly fitting that the nation’s oldest orchestra pay a call—which the Philharmonic does in two concerts Saturday and Sunday at Hill, part of a residency under University Musical Society auspices.

The Philharmonic has been visiting Ann Arbor since 1916—three years after Hill opened in May, 1913.

“The concert was March 17, 1916,” St. Patrick’s Day, said New York Philharmonic Archivist Barbara Haws, in a conversation from New York. “We did not do an Irish concert.”

She’s right. Arias by Mozart and Verdi figured on the bill, along with symphonic works by Beethoven, Liszt and Tchaikovsky.

Since that time, the orchestra has made frequent returns, 13 to be exact, under conductors like Barbirolli, Mitropoulos, Bernstein, Ozawa, Boulez and, most recently, in 2005 and 2009, Maazel.

Gilbert and the orchestra recently announced a Philharmonic new music biennial, just one of his new initiatives, but this weekend spotlights masterworks of the past. Saturday evening, Mozart’s “Overture to ‘Marriage of Figaro’” and his “Linz” Symphony join Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in c minor on the program. Sunday afternoon, the clock ticks forward to the expressive music of the late 19th and early 20th century, with Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” Bloch’s “Schelomo” (with cellist Jan Vogler as soloist in his UMS debut) and Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique.”

Bringing fresh insights to this music is not the only way in which this extraordinary group of musicians is moving forward. This weekend’s residency provides a great look at what’s new at the New York Philharmonic.

Alan Gilbert

photo by Chris Lee

Alan Gilbert, who has conducted around the world and heads the conducting program at the Juilliard School, is more than three years into his tenure as music director, but this is his first visit to Ann Arbor at the Philharmonic’s helm. He is not only the first native New Yorker to lead the Philharmonic, he is the son of two New York Philharmonic musicians—his mother, violinist Yoko Takebe, still plays with the group; his father, violinist Michael Gilbert, retired in 2001.

He’s loved within the orchestra, many of whose members can say they knew him when, and without. And his ideas—for composers-in-residence, for example; and his performances—including those of unusual works like Ligeti’s “Le Grand Macabre”—with the group have drawn high praise from critics and audiences.

Next weekend, the Ann Arbor audience gets to experience the fresh energy he has brought to this venerable orchestra. This year’s concerts have included a Brahms symphony cycle—so look to the dramatic Brahms No. 1 for the fruits of an in-depth approach to this towering composer.

Beyond the concert hall

It’s not as if audience education is a new thing for the New York Philharmonic. Older classical music fans, for example, will surely remember Bernstein’s masterful Young People’s Concerts—viewed either in the concert hall or from in front of the TV—which influenced a whole generation. Bernstein made music education a centerpiece of his work, and the same is true for Gilbert, who believes “the modern orchestra should be a resource—both inside and outside the concert hall.

One of the orchestra’s newest initiatives, for example, is a four-year partnership with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Shanghai Conservatory that would take Philharmonic musicians abroad not just for concerts but for numerous Orchestral Academy sessions for Chinese musicians. The academy addresses a need for specialized training of orchestra musicians, identified by Shanghai Symphony Music Director Long Yu as one of the main issues of orchestral development in Asia.

The Shanghai partnership, said Philharmonic Executive Director Matthew VanBesien in a recent phone call from New York, is part of a broader thrust by the orchestra to make it a resource, not just an ensemble. “It’s a way to think about our future,” he said.

It’s not just abroad that the Philharmonic musicians will be teaching. The Ann Arbor visit, for example, includes numerous master classes at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance—open not just to the music students who will play in them and their peers, but to the general public. Most focus on students playing, with esteemed percussion, brass and string musicians from the Philharmonic (including Chris Lamb, Joe Alessi and Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow) in charge. But clarinetist Mark Nuccio will also discuss the business of a music career in one session—a fascinating behind-the-scenes topic for non-players as well as players.

Said UMS Director of Education and Community Development Jim Leija, “These events are both a great opportunity for young musicians-in-training to learn from the masters, and a chance for the public to get a glimpse into the creative process, and hard work and training that goes into becoming a topnotch performer. We're delighted that the School of Music, Theatre & Dance has collaborated with UMS to make these events open to the public, so that we can showcase education and emerging talent at its finest."

Friday, there are lectures, too, highlighting the future and the past. Archivist Haws, for example, will talk about the ongoing digitization of the Philharmonic’s archives along with Digitial Archives Project Manager Mitchell Brodsky. Right now the years from 1943-1970 are online, with more of the Philharmonic’s 170 to follow. You can also view scores, with conductors’ markings - a delicious and instructive opportunity.

Haws will also look to the past in a lecture about Leonard Bernstein, racial barriers at the Philharmonic and the Black Panthers. To see a full list of residency activities, including a Saturday evening post-concert Q&A with Philharmonic musicians and visual artist Ernestine Ruben (who has created a photo exhibit on display), visit ums.org/performances/new-york-philharmonic-residency-the-archives. All activities are free and open to the public, except for the post-concert Q&A, which is for ticket-holders only.

Soloist in the spotlight: Jan Vogler, cello, making UMS debut

When German-born cellist Jan Vogler steps onto the Hill Auditorium stage Sunday afternoon as soloist in the Bloch “Schelomo” (Hebraic Rhapsody for Cello and Large Orchestra),” it will be to play a work that is about as near and dear to him as it gets.

Next to the Schumann cello concerto, it’s the work he has performed most in a career that has taken him around the globe as soloist with leading orchestras.

If that career only started after he left his position as a principal cellist with the Dresden Statskapelle, his familiarity with the Bloch goes back way further, to childhood.

A cello prodigy at age 6, he grew up in East Germany, encountering the Bloch - and the Schumann, for that matter - via a recording.

“It was Leonard Rose playing, with Ormandy conducting,” he recalled in a phone conversation from New York. “The Schumann concerto was on the first side, but in many aspects the two pieces have a lot in common; they both speak and sing a lot.”

The music impressed him so much, he said, because it “fit with my idea of how I love to play the cello. I want to make the listener forget that I have a piece of wood with four strings, to produce a vocal quality that speaks.”

Bloch, who first conceived his piece with a singer in mind and was inspired by Ecclesiastes and King Solomon’s lament, understood that vision, Vogler feels. & #8220;He figured it out,” said Vogler, adding that the cello in “Schelomo” is perhaps even more “mystical and magical” than the human voice would be singing words. “Everybody gets, from the first note, that somebody is speaking and singing.”

Vogler was raised in East Berlin, in a musical family. His father, cellist Peter Vogler, was his first teacher. His mother’s instrument was violin.

“In our house, everybody who visited came with an instrument,” he said. “I was 10 when I noticed that there were people in the world who don’t have an instrument. When people came to visit, my first questions was: ‘What do you play?’”

But it took some time before this cello prodigy could obtain the score for “Schelomo” so he could play it. “Music,” he noted, “had to come from far away.” His father, luckily, also taught some diplomats in West Berlin, and could trade lessons for recordings and scores.

He has not abandoned the piece since, and his performances of it have drawn raves. Over the years, he said, he has come to appreciate it not only for its songlike features but for its structure.

“The great architecture of the piece appeals more and more,” he said.

He’s played it with many an orchestra, but he first essays it with the New York Philharmonic and Gilbert the Thursday and Friday before the Ann Arbor concerts. As for playing it with different orchestras, he says:

“You’re a little at the mercy of the orchestra. It’s a huge orchestra, and in order to bring it across, really, you need the conductor to be very outgoing in the tuttis, with big explosions when the cello is not playing. But when the cellos is playing, the conductor has to organize the orchestra in a way so the cello comes through - and yet you hear the different voices. I am very happy about the New York Philharmonic concerts that are coming. I have worked with them before, and I am looking forward to working with Alan Gilbert.”

For audio clips of the Brahms and Bloch, visit the NYP website.

“Losing it” as a problem of possessions can be a costly nuisance, but as a reference to an emerging senior-disorientation, it can be a definition of tragedy.

After a lifetime of working to raise a family and protecting and providing for all the people under that umbrella, many seniors grab the first opportunity to escape those requirements of guide and guardian in order to leisurely and comfortably bask in the pleasures of retirement. The lure of a life free of the demands of continuing responsibility can be a temptation difficult to ignore, so when the opportunity arrives, many seniors choose to quit the exhausting demands of life in the “madding crowd” and to enjoy the fruits of labors long-past.

Volunteers from Ford Motor Co. put the finishing touches on a playground they helped build at Pittsfield Township's Arbor Hospice. Some find volunteering to be a good way of engaging with their community and breaking up the monotony of retirement.

Volunteers from Ford Motor Co. put the finishing touches on a playground they helped build at Pittsfield Township's Arbor Hospice on Friday afternoon. The playground is meant to offer a place for patients at the hospice to spend time with child visitors.

A great idea - for about 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, despite all its surface appeal, that unrestrained “life of leisure” can be more damaging than delightful. The early pleasures of retirement - working little, sleeping late, immersion in a life free of care - are more enticing than enduring. Having little to look forward to other than more of same - without the satisfaction of accomplishment or the thrill of competition or even the stimulating stings of failure in pursuit of something more - tends to dull the days. After a life of active participation in the affairs of family and community, such a retreat into ourselves has some appeal, but can leave us lost in a vacuum of disinterest.

Old age is not child’s play. The skills of survival gained during decades of aging quickly can fade from neglect. While it is appealing to just quit and enjoy the benefits that have accumulated throughout the years, many of us need something more, the continuing stimulus of improving the conditions of life - whether it be for ourselves or for others.

And it is that “others” that holds a special value for many of us. In a recent interview on CNN, Wolf Blitzer admired the strength and continuing activity of Israel’s President Shimon Peres and, noting his age of almost 90 years, asked him about retirement. “Oh no,” was the brief and enthusiastic reply. “Vacations are a waste of time. It is better to work, to be engaged, to be curious — and to care,” adding that involvement with the needs and affairs of others is the best way to stay young and strong. “The secret of life is good will.”

Peres was talking about projects designed to help some of the larger pockets of suffering humankind, but the same benefits accrue as well to working on small pieces of local community service. Too many seniors who have traded continuing participation for retirement simply have opted out of those many activities that largely shape each community’s environment — fighting for a new road or against a new regulation or in support of a political candidate or Party. They have resigned themselves to roles of passive observer - and that can be damaging to their core.

It is the projects of longer duration and of greater value that keep our minds and interests alive. It is the energy of staying active and involved, mostly in projects outside the narrow boundary of “self,” that keeps us alert and helps us avoid the curse of “losing it” — for whatever condition that “it” might represent.

Albert Einstein once expressed his belief that, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” That may not be as profound as some of his theories of the universe, but at least it should help some of we more fuzzy-thinking seniors from “losing it” quite so often and quite so far.

Robert Faber has been a resident of Ann Arbor since 1954. He and his wife, Eunice, owned a fabric store and later a travel agency. He served a couple of terms on the Ann Arbor City Council. He may be reached at rgfaber@comcast.net.

The sales office for the Dexter Wellness Center has opened.

Daniel J. Brenner | AnnArbor.com

The sales office can be reached at 855-588-5080. Information about the Wellness Center including the types of memberships is on its web site at dexterwellness.org.

Construction of the Dexter Wellness Center continues at 2810 Baker Road, behind the Dexter Pharmacy. It is set to open June 1.

The Chelsea-Area Wellness Foundation, a tax-exempt private foundation, will operate the 46,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to employ more than 100 people.

"The Dexter Wellness Center will take an integrated approach to fitness, wellness and health," said Amy Heydlauff, the foundation's executive director, in a press release.

Everyone who joins the center will receive a fitness assessment and personalized exercise plan. There will be certified personal trainers and fitness instructors on staff as well as massage therapists.

The center will offer a variety of programming including group exercise and aquatics classes for all ages, and special exercise programs for weight loss as well as for orthopedic and cardiac conditions.

The center will have modern circuit and free-weight training equipment, an indoor walking and running track, a lap pool and warm water therapy pool, a basketball court and equipment such as treadmills, bikes and ellipticals.

A 27 year-old Ypsilanti resident is facing charges following an arrest Saturday for snatching a woman's purse in downtown Ann Arbor.

Christopher Courdway was charged Sunday with one count of unarmed robbery. He remains in the Washtenaw County Jail on $10,000 bond.

AnnArbor.com incorrectly reported Courdway's age in its earlier report.

The incident took place around 10 a.m. Saturday on the 100 block of South Main Street. Police said a 41 year-old Ann Arbor woman was waiting for a receipt after making a ATM withdrawal when Courdway yanked the purse from her hand and ran south on Main.

Two bystanders heard the woman scream for help and were able to physically detain the suspect before he struggled free and fled. Police apprehended him about five blocks away.

"It was a group effort in the sense that everyone played a role in making this arrest happen," Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Matt Lige said.

Courdway has previous convictions, Lige said. He was to appear Feb. 28 for a preliminary examination.

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Jeffrey Arthur Schuh, Jeffrey Aron Schuh, Quang Nguyen, Stephen Colwell

The 25-year-old Lima Township man who testified against three members of a break-in crew is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday in the Washtenaw County Trial Court, according to court records.

Steven Colwell is expected to receive two to 15 years in prison in exchange for his testimony. He pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree home invasion.

Colwell testified that he broke into houses and stole numerous items along with Jeffrey Arthur Schuh, 54; his son Jeffrey Aron Schuh, 20, both of Dexter; and Quang Nguyen, 19, of Ypsilani Township to feed his heroin habit. The elder and younger Schuhs and Nguyen, who all face numerous charges, were all still working on plea deals last month.

Colwell, the younger Schuh and Nguyen broke into nine homes and the elder Schuh served as a lookout on three of those occasions, according to Colwell’s testimony. The crew allegedly stole a wide range of items: foreign coins, two-dollar bills, equestrian trophies, jewelry, silver goblets, electronics, cash, a guitar and custom-made brass bullets.

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

Mildred A. MacGregor, a World War II front-line nurse who published a memoir about her experiences treating soldiers from the Battle of the Bulge and victims of a Nazi concentration camp, has died. She was 100.

Mildred A. MacGregor

MacGregor passed away peacefully on Feb. 13, according to an obituary published on AnnArbor.com.

She became a lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corp. and as part of the Third Auxiliary Surgical Group in WWII, was stationed in England, North Africa, France and Germany. MacGregor was stationed in Africa during much of 1943. In 1944, 10 days after D-Day, she arrived on Omaha Beach, where she nursed wounded soldiers.

Her memoir, "World War II Front Line Nurse," was published by the University of Michigan Press in 2008 when she was 95. The first-person history of her wartime experience includes stories of a difficult trip through the Sahara and surviving dangerous air raids.

The book also includes tales of heroism and letters from her family and fiance.

She was born Mildred MacGregor in Detroit on Nov. 2, 1912 and came to Ann Arbor in 1930 to attend the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital School of Nursing.

She married Robert K. MacGregor after the war and raised three children, Elizabeth (Rick) York, Robert (Radka) and John (Peggy). She is also survived by nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

MacGregor sent letters to surviving members of the 298th every year on June 6, the anniversary of D-Day, and returned to France on the 50th anniversary in 1994.

A memorial service is planned for MacGregor at the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor at a later date.

The No. 4 Michigan men's basketball had a sluggish start against Penn State at the Crisler Center on Saturday, but pulled out the 79-71 win.

Daniel Brenner is a photographer for AnnArbor.com.

The star of a number of Food Network TV shows, cookbook author and owner of acclaimed restaurants like Mesa Grill Sunday afternoon wrote from his verified Twitter account:

"With @SooPhly at @zingermans in Ann Arbor, Mi. First stop, an education in delicious sandwiches. Tomorrow, the big house!"

It's not clear what brought Flay to town, but he's far from the first food-world luminary to visit Zingerman's; for one, the iconic deli is known to be a semi-regular stop for Flay's colleague Mario Batali.

The new season of one of Flay's TV shows, "Worst Cooks in America," begins tonight on Food Network.