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General Motors announces $900,000 grant for middle and high school science education

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As the rebounding economy adds more jobs, many of the higher paying openings require applicants to have science or engineering degrees.

With this trend in mind, General Motors announced a three-year $900,000 grant Friday morning to that will help fund Project Lead The Way, a national non-profit STEM — Science Technology Engineering and Mathmatics — curriculum provider.

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Students at Skyline, Ann Arbor's newest high school, are taught Project Lead The Way curricula in engineering and biomedical sciences.

File photo

The announcement took place at Eastern Michigan University, where teachers who will be using the Project Lead The Way classes receive their training and support. With the increased focus on STEM education, both employers and educators are turning their focus to preparing middle and high school students for these advanced college courses.

“Project Lead The Way ensures that U.S. schools succeed in preparing students in our increasingly high-tech and high-skill economy,” John Dugger, director of Michigan’s Project Lead the Way affiliate program at EMU, said in a statement.

“This program is our country’s leading provider of rigorous STEM classes. It is a hands-on program that engages students on multiple levels to promote critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem-solving skills.”

Ford announced earlier this summer that it is increasing the number of engineers its hiring in 2013 by 800 positions, and 90 percent of those new salaried jobs have been in Southeast Michigan. The region has long been a leader in employing engineers thanks to the automotive industry, and GM vice president of global vehicle engineering John Calabrese said in a statement that education is important in continuing that success.

““In order to ensure our leadership in the automotive industry, and advance our innovative transportation solutions, we need to always look for opportunities to strengthen our involvement with science and math education programs,” he said.

“It is essential that the next generation of professionals has the skills and education necessary to compete on a global platform, particularly as it pertains to STEM-related fields.”

The grant money provided by GM can be used by middle and high schools throughout Michigan to participate in the program. Participating schools will use the money to purchase classroom supplies and equipment for the courses and send teachers to a professional training development program at EMU.

There are 122 schools in Michigan offering Project Lead the Way curriculum, and it is estimated that the grant from GM could help an additional 24 schools join the program. Washtenaw County has 11 schools in the program including Skyline, Saline and Lincoln high schools, and Tappan, Clague and Scarlett middle schools.

EMU and General Motors are not the only higher education-business partnership focusing on STEM education in the county. Washtenaw Community College offered an intensive two-week STEM program for high schoolers over the summer that was funded by DTE Energy.

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


Domestic partner benefits returned to City of Ann Arbor employees

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Slightly more than one month after a federal judge struck down Michigan’s ban on domestic partner benefits, the city of Ann Arbor has officially restored them to its employees.

As of Thursday, health care benefits were granted back to “other qualified adults” — which include gay and lesbian partners of city workers. Ann Arbor City Council's labor committee began pursuing the issue in mid-July.

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Ann Arbor's city hall.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com file photo

Domestic partner benefits had been offered to the city’s employees for years prior to the state ban, which took effect in 2011. When the ban was implemented, 12 people were covered by the plans.

Here are the stipulations for the city’s medical coverage for other qualified adults:

  • An employee can only name one other adult as his or her “other qualified adult”
  • The employee and the other qualified adult must have lived together for the past 18 months
  • Neither the employee nor the other qualified adult is married to someone else
  • The other qualified adult can’t inherit from the employee
  • The employee and the other qualified adult either have durable power of attorney for health care for each other or for financial management

Employees have until Aug. 30 to apply for coverage.

The city of Ann Arbor follows Washtenaw County's swift move to restore domestic partner benefits to nine employees in early July.

Ann Arbor Public Schools reinstated health care benefits for domestic partners of employees at the end of June immediately after the judge issued an injunction on the ban, said Liz Margolis, district spokeswoman.

The city of Ypsilanti is working on a resolution to restore such benefits to its employees as well.

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

Branching out with new sounds, Frank Turner playing the Blind Pig

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Frank Turner performs at the Newport Folk Festival last Saturday.

Associated Press | Joe Giblin

In the 10 years since Frank Turner began his recording career, as a member of the British punk band Million Dead, his musical palette has expanded. And since he began his solo career in 2007, he’s also been very prolific. His latest disc, “Tape Deck Heart,” is his sixth release in six years.

When he first went the solo route, he was a socially conscious folk-punk firebrand, and the Billy Bragg influence was evident. He has retained many of those elements, but “Tape Deck Heart” is a bigger-sounding album that its predecessors, as it mixes bristling punk, intimate acoustic-folk songs, and buoyant pop.

And some of the tracks are more sleek and produced than in the past. He has also talked about having a jones for the music of Weezer, and you can hear that influence on this record as well.

It’s also his “break-up album” - he wrote it in the wake of a painful split with his girlfriend. But he didn’t consciously decide to write songs about the split, he says.

“No, I try not to lead my songwriting but to follow it,” says Turner, who comes to the Blind Pig on Monday with his band, the Sleeping Souls. “It's important to me that it's a relaxed, natural thing, so I like to just let songs arrive in the manner of their choosing. I had a reasonably s----y time in my personal life since the last record, and these are the songs that came out of that, so it's cathartic.

“I just try to let songs be what they're going to be,” says Turner during a late-July e-mail interview from London, on a day off between music-festival gigs. “I guess when choosing the track listing for the album, there's a degree of selection involved in putting together a body of work that hangs as one, but that's about it.”

This disc, given the subject matter, is more personal than his previous albums, but he notes that “all the records I do are personal to some extent. I write autobiographically. But I suppose this one is probably rawer, more exposed, than others I've done.

“There's certainly a willingness to be more open about some of the darker sides of life. But I've never been one for too shady a metaphor, or, indeed, for irony.”

PREVIEW

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls

  • Who: British singer-songwriter who started out as a member of the punk band Million Dead in the early 2000s, before going the solo route in 2007. With Ben Marwood and Off With Their Heads.
  • What: Turner’s early solo work was in the folk-punk vein, but on his latest disc, he’s added pop-music elements to the mix.
  • Where: Blind Pig, 208 S. First St.
  • When: Monday, Aug. 5. Doors at 7 p.m.
  • How much: Sold Out. More info: 734-996-8555, www.blindpigmusic.com.
The disc’s more expansive, more layered sound is largely due to the contributions of producer Rich Costey, who has also produced albums by Rage Against the Machine, Weezer, Muse, Interpol and My Chemical Romance.

“Working with Rich was a new thing for me, and something I was very keen to do,” says Turner. “He's made some amazing records in his time, and also I was just kind of curious as to how the process would be, working at that level of technicality and skill, it's a new one for me. Rich drove the band and me much harder than we've ever been driven before, which made for a better album I think.

And the bigger sound “just left like the right way to present these songs,” Turner adds. “I do like big sounding records.”

Turner has always appealed to his fans because of the blunt, frank nature of his songs, and those qualities are in abundance on “Tape Deck Heart,” especially given the personal nature of these songs. He can also be self-immolating, like in the song “Plain Sailing Weather,” where he sings, ‘It was a wonderful life when we were together, and now I’ve f----- up every g--- d--- thing.” He drops the F bomb with some frequency on the disc.

He also likes to juxtapose songs that are very different, emotionally and sonically. “Tell Tale Signs” is a languid, intimate song about being used and covering up the emotional wounds. But the next track, “Four Simple Words,” starts out quietly and slowly before exploding into a full-on rocking romp, as he extols his love of punk rock.

Turner is so prolific that a special edition of “Tape Deck Heart” consists of 12 main tracks, plus another half-record’s worth of six “bonus” songs, which include the punchy “We Shall Overcome,” the rousing “Recovery,” the dance-worthy “Time Machine” and the straightforward “Cowboy Chords.”

As for the enigmatic album title, “Tape Deck Heart,” Turner says: “Unlike with previous records, which have usually had a pretty complex intellectual justification for their titles, this one was much more gut instinct. I wrote the line down (he uses the phrase in one of the album’s songs, ‘Tell Tale Signs’), and it just leapt out at me. It feels right, but I also like the way it's open-ended.”

When the album was released in April, one music writer asked him if anyone had asked him yet what a tape deck was. Turner laughed and said no. But, we were curious if anyone has posed that question to him since then. “Ha-ha!,” replies Turner. “No. I think the technological naivete of the younger generation is a little overstated. A lot of cars still have tape decks in them.”

Kevin Ransom is a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at KevinRansom10@aol.com.

Homicide confirmed in University of Michigan medical student's death

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University of Michigan medical student Paul DeWolf's death has been ruled a homicide, records show.

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Paul DeWolf

DeWolf died from a single gunshot wound to the neck, his death certificate shows. “The decedent was shot by another person,” the death certificate states. The time of death is unknown.

DeWolf was found dead July 24 in his basement room in the Phi Rho Sigma medical fraternity in the 200 block of North Ingalls Street. Police have said since July 25th that they were investigating the case as a homicide.

The time of injury and time of death are listed as unknown on the certificate, which was obtained through a request to the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen, Washtenaw County chief medical examiner, said Friday the case is still under investigation.

“We’re working with the Ann Arbor Police Department,” he said.

Ann Arbor police Detective Lt. Robert Pfannes said earlier this week that a toxicology report was being done by the medical examiner’s office. That’s a normal part of their investigation, he said.

Ann Arbor police detectives are leading the investigation into DeWolf’s death, with assistance from the United States Air Force and the University of Michigan Police Department. DeWolf was a second lieutenant in the Air Force and was a reservist planning to enter the service after graduation.

The Schoolcraft, Mich., native was planning to be a surgeon when he graduated in May. He was a 2010 graduate of Grand Valley State University.

DeWolf did not show up for a scheduled assignment at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System on the morning of July 24. Per U-M medical school policy, a colleague was sent to check on him at his home when he didn’t respond to phone calls. That colleague found him dead and called police.

DeWolf’s room was not out of order and no valuables appeared to be stolen. No firearm was found at the scene.

DeWolf was buried at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Mich. after his funeral on Monday.

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

Ann Arbor ranks second to Boulder in list of top 10 college towns

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A new ranking of the top 10 best college towns in America has Ann Arbor listed as second-best to Boulder, Colo.

The 2013 list, compiled by Livability.com, moved Ann Arbor up seven spots on the list this year from the city’s ninth-place ranking in 2012.

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The University of Michigan's presence in Ann Arbor has placed it on the list of top 10 best college towns in the country.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

The 2013 list:

  1. Boulder, CO
  2. Ann Arbor, MI
  3. Gainesville, FL
  4. Columbia, MO
  5. Lexington, KY
  6. Iowa City, IA
  7. Missoula, MT
  8. Madison, WI
  9. Fayetteville, AR
  10. College Station, TX

Editors of the list focused this year on cities with a high quality of life determined by cost of living, walkability and pollution levels, as well as places where the university is a top employer and key economic driver.

Livability.com cited Ann Arbor’s tree-lined streets, independent restaurants and bookstores, numerous bars, parks and museums as contributors to the town's “stimulating atmosphere” in addition to the University of Michigan's permeating presence.

Compare this year's results to the 2012 list:

  1. College Station, TX
  2. Oxford, MS
  3. Logan, UT
  4. Champaign, IL
  5. Lawrence, KS
  6. Corvallis, OR
  7. Bloomington, IN
  8. Athens, GA
  9. Ann Arbor, MI
  10. Blacksburg, VA

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

The Lunch Room vegan restaurant to open Tuesday in Kerrytown

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Between catering private group meals and opening a food cart at Mark’s Carts, The Lunch Room owners have been sharing their love of vegan food with the Ann Arbor community for three years.

Now, after a year of preparations, Phillis Engelbert and Joel Panozzo are ready to open their brick-and-mortar restaurant in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Market & Shops building.

The Lunch Room officially opens in the building at 403 N. Fifth Ave. at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

“It feels kind of unbelievable and it’s really a fulfillment of a dream,” Engelbert said.

The vegan restaurant, which is opening in the former Yamato restaurant space, has two outdoor dining areas, high top seating and table seating indoors and a full bakery counter.

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The Lunch Room co-owners Phillis Engelbert and Joel Panozzo are opening their new restaurant located at the Kerrytown Market & Shops on Tuesday.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“We’re doing all our own breads and buns and cookies,” Engelbert said. “We’re making cupcakes and cinnamon rolls. We’ll have rotating bakery items where some days there will be soft pretzels and some days there will be brownies.”

Ann Arbor architects Lisa Sauve and Adam Smith of Synecdoche custom-built and designed The Lunch Room space.

“We got really ambitious and made everything,” Sauve said. “Everything is custom because I think that’s how it needed to be to really be The Lunch Room. They built the (food) cart from scratch and nothing off the shelf could do it justice.”

Some menu items at The Lunch Room are: fresh summer rolls, miso soup, Greek salad, southwestern salad, Indian coleslaw, seaweed salad, tempeh reuben, BBQ tofu sliders, banh mi, mac & cheese, nachos, pad Thai, sushi, and desserts. (See the full menu)

The restaurant will serve breakfast on Wednesday mornings and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Engelbert and Panozzo launched their vegan food cart at Mark’s Carts in summer 2011. They left Mark’s Carts to open the restaurant — a feat Engelbert said required a considerable amount of community support.

“We had the help of literally dozens of friends and community members and a lot of people who we met through the cart to put this place together,” Engelbert said. “Everything from assembling the furniture and helping with the skewer art installation, and even washing the windows. We’re really grateful.”

The Lunch Room also launched their own version of crowdsourcing in the final weeks before opening to help raise capital for remaining renovations and supplies. People could buy pre-paid “Meal Plans” and get a 10 percent discount. For instance, someone could pay $100 up front, and get $110 worth of food at the restaurant.

Engelbert said The Lunch Room raised about $14,500 through the Meal Plans.

"The purpose was twofold: to thank our patrons for their patience and support, and to raise capital to get us through to opening," she said.

The Lunch Room's hours are: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday; and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday.

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.

Team USA NTDP looking for host families for incoming hockey players

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Players for the Team USA National Team Development Program lace up their skates before a game in 2012.

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com file photo

USA Hockey's National Team Development Program is searching for Ann Arbor-area families to host players for the 2013-14 school year.

The Team USA NTDP prepares American-born hockey players under the age of 18 for possible participation for U.S. National Teams and for their future college and professional careers. Players from all over the country try out for the Ann Arbor-based team, which plays and practices at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

The team competes in the United States Hockey League, the top junior ice hockey league in the country as well as against college and international opponents. Players live with host families while attending Pioneer High School and training with the team.

There are 44 players who play on the Under-17 and Under-18 teams. For information, call 734-327-9251 ext. 323 or email Housing@usahockey.org.

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

Michigan to open up 2,000 single-game football tickets behind student section

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The Michigan student section during a 2011 night game against Notre Dame.

Matt Gade | Mlive.com

If you buy a single-game ticket to a Michigan football game this season, you just may find yourself behind the student section.

Seats above row 70 in sections 31-34 will be sold to the general public this season, Michigan associate athletic director Dave Ablauf said Friday. The student section and band will be seated throughout sections 26-30, and in rows 1-70 in sections 31-34. Ablauf said he was unsure if the general public had ever been seated behind the student section, as the student section's placement has changed over the years.

The move frees up approximately 26 rows in three sections. Ablauf said the department made the decision after approximately 2,000 fewer student tickets were purchased during the student ticket purchase window. Single-game tickets went on sale to the general public Aug. 1.

The decreased demand comes in a year in which student ticket prices went up 23 percent, and the university implemented a new general admission seating policy.

Michigan will host seven home games this year, starting Aug. 31 against Central Michigan.

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com.


Absentee ballot applications for Tuesday's primary election due Saturday

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Applications for an absentee ballot are due at 2 p.m. Saturday for the primary election Tuesday.

Absentee ballots must be requested by filling out the appropriate form and returning it to the clerk's office.

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Applications can be obtained at the clerk's office, or can be downloaded from the state's website. Voters must return the application to the clerk either by mail, express mail service or by delivering the application in person.

The clerk's office must receive the application for an absentee ballot by 2 p.m. Saturday.

The city of Ann Arbor clerk's office will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to accommodate voters wishing to file or obtain and file an absentee ballot. The clerk's office is located at city hall at 301 E Huron St.

You must be a registered voter to obtain an absentee ballot.

In Washtenaw County, the only items on the ballot in Tuesday's election are city council races in Ann Arbor's Ward 3 and Ward 4, four millage requests in Ypsilanti Township and a millage request for facilities improvements and buses in the Whitmore Lake school district.

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

1 dead after rollover crash sends vehicle on top of cars in restaurant parking lot

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One person is dead after a vehicle rolled on top of other vehicles from the intersection of Carpenter Road and Washtenaw Avenue onto the Palm Palace restaurant’s parking lot in Pittsfield Township, according to fire officials.

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Police cordoned off the parking lot of the Palm Palace Restaurant while they investigated the rollover.

Colleen Ramsdell | For AnnArbor.com

Pittsfield Township Fire Chief Sean Gleason said firefighters were still on the scene of the fatal wreck just after 9 p.m. Friday. Gleason said one vehicle rolled over and ended up on vehicles parked in the restaurant’s lot, located at the southwest corner of the intersection.

It’s unknown at this point what caused the crash - reported at about 7:45 p.m. - and the incident is under investigation. Gleason said the driver of the rolled vehicle was the only person injured in the crash.

Drivers were encouraged to avoid the area for several hours as police investigate the scene. However, all roads were open as of 9:15 p.m.

Gleason said the victim's family had not been notified as of 9:30 p.m.

The intersection of Carpenter and Washtenaw is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous intersections in Washtenaw County.

The crash is the latest in a string of fatal crashes across Washtenaw County and it's the second in a week in Pittsfield Township.

Anyone with information on this crash is encouraged to call the Pittsfield Township Police Department at 734-822-4911.


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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.

Man accused of stealing van, leading Ann Arbor police on chase faces charges

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Police said the man drove the van into a porch and garage on Springbrook Street before it came to a halt.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

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Michael Garner

Courtesy of Washtenaw County Jail

The 34-year-old Ann Arbor man accused of stealing a van and leading officers on a chase that ended when police shot out the tires was arraigned on seven charges in the 15th District Court Wednesday, according to court records.

Michael Frederick Garner was charged with unlawful driving away of an automobile, third-degree fleeing and eluding, two counts of assaulting/resisting a police officer, reckless driving, operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license and operating a vehicle without a license.

Garner is accused of stealing the van from his caregiver after an outing in the 3200 block of East Eisenhower Parkway around 9:40 p.m. July 2, police said.

Police said Garner locked his caregiver out of the van and drove off while the caregiver hung on to the side-view mirror. Officers saw the van heading east on Eisenhower with no lights on as the caregiver clung to the mirror, according to police. The caregiver was able to step away from the vehicle as police attempted to pull it over.

Police say Garner did not stop, but instead fled in the van and struck five vehicles on a side street with it before stopping on the front lawn of a residence in the 3200 block of Springbrook. Garner is accused of backing up the van as officers approached it and ramming the patrol car, police said.

An officer then shot out one of the van's tires to stop it. The man then drove the van into a porch and garage before it came to a halt.

Garner is free on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. A preliminary examination is set for Aug. 8.

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

Ypsilanti's Smith Furniture Building to hit the auction block

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The Smith Furniture Building will soon be auctioned.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Downtown Ypsilanti’s Smith Furniture Building will soon be on the auction block.

The decision to sell the long-vacant building comes after consistent pressure from the city for its owner, James Pate, to renovate or sell the property.

Ann Arbor-based auction house Braun and Helmer Auction Services will hold the auction at the property at 15 S. Washington St. No date has been set, but Braun and Helmer owner Jerry Helmer said the target is sometime in the first week of September.

Helmer said the Smith Building will be sold as is with no minimum bid. An auction was chosen over putting it on the market because Pate wants to quickly move the property, Helmer said.

“The owner wants to sell it on that day, as is, with no contingencies,” he said. “He would rather take a little less money and get it sold then.”

The city has cited Pate for a range of issues at the site and placed the building on its dangerous buildings list, though all involved believe it can still be redeveloped.

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The interior of the building is blanketed in mold that the auction house says will be cleaned out before the auction.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Among other issues are a leaking roof, mold growth, a lack of a working ventilation system, a crack in the outer wall and damage to the drywall in the interior.

But Helmer noted that the building’s foundation is strong, it has a steel frame and the two floors in the 25,000-square-foot structure are made of concrete. He said he plans to make repairs to the roof and is hiring workers to clean out the moldy carpets from inside the building.

"It’s rough and we're not trying to pretend it isn’t, but it doesn’t need to be torn down by any means,” Helmer said. “The roof has leaked for so long that it did a lot of damage, but we’re going to clean a lot of that up, make roof repairs, take everything out of the inside, get it presentable.”

City records show that the building has a taxable value of $266,000. Pate bought the building from the former owners for $300,000 in 1992.

Helmer said the building would be suited best for a local investor, and he added that it will likely go for a bargain for a building of its size and location.

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The rear of the Smith Furniture Building

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

“It’s a wonderful buying opportunity for someone if they have the wherewithal,” Helmer said.

The building has rarely been used since Pate bought it, except serving briefly as an office for his wife.

The city has grown increasingly impatient to have the property redeveloped, though Pate has ignored all the city’s correspondences regarding the building. He failed to show for a hearing in front of the city’s dangerous building officer in June 2012.

Pate also ignored an order from the Ypsilanti City Council to bring it up to code, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and/or 90 days in jail. That case is in the 14A2 District Court.

City officials have repeatedly said that they simply want something done with the building.

"We’d be happy to see reuse in the facility," said City Planner Teresa Gillotti. "Previously we’ve had people inquire about using it as a club, office, retail and even second story residential. We’re open to a variety of reuses. Potential buyers can contact the city if they have questions about what uses would be allowed."

Gillotti said she was pleased that Helmer had contacted the city on Thursday about permits for roof work and mold remediation.

"We’re happy to hear that the property owner is working to repair the building and potentially sell it for reuse," she said.

Helmer said it isn't the first time his auction house has been called for an auction at the property. In 1975,the company was to hold a furniture auction for what was then the Walker Furniture Store, but the auction house was forced to cancel the auction because of a blizzard.

Michigan grad student brings Rosie the Riveter to life to help Yankee Air Museum fundraising efforts

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University of Michigan graduate student Alison Beatty dressed as Rosie the Riveter and stationed herself at a busy Ann Arbor intersection this week to raise awareness for the campaign to save part of the former B-24 Liberator bomber plant at Willow Run.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

As fundraising continues for Yankee Air Museum’s bid to buy a piece of the former General Motors powertrain plant, one University of Michigan graduate student decided to make the campaign personal.

“Well, I love history, I kind of look like Rosie the Riveter and it was a really easy costume to put together,” said Alison Beatty, who has been standing all week at the corner of Jackson Avenue and West Stadium Boulevard with a “SaveTheBomberPlant.org” sign.

“The response has been really positive. Everyone seems to connect to Rosie.”

Beatty was moved to act when she logged onto the fundraising campaign’s website three weeks after she first noticed the yard signs adorned with Rosie the Riveter that have been displayed around the region.

“When I finally went there were only five days before what was the deadline and I thought ‘I wish I had gotten hear earlier so I could have emailed all of my friends and family and asked them to donate,’” she said.

“The only thing I could think of that would have made me go earlier was someone attracting attention to the sign. So that’s what inspired me to come out here and do the Rosie thing.”

Beatty said that the “Rosie thing,” has been a fun experience for her and made her realize how much appeal the character has more than 70 years after she worked at the plant just down the road.

“Guys love her, girls emote with her and people of all ages just really like her,” she said. “That’s something I didn’t really get before I started all this but it’s been great to see.”

Friday was Beatty’s last day in front of Zingerman’s Roadhouse, where she said a number of people have tried to give her donations on the spot that she cannot accept. She plans on being at the Thunder Over Michigan Air Show at the museum on August 10-11, and she said that if she’s making a noticeable impact she’ll keep up the work through September and up to the new October 1 deadline.

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Passers by shouted words of encouragement and some even stopped to chat with U-M grad student Alison Beatty as she advertised for the Save the Bomber Plant campaign.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

“I’m really passionate about Michigan history, and Detroit during the war was called the ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ because so many plants were switched over to building war machines,” she said.

“… The history of what happened in Michigan with the rise and fall of the automobile industry, and the fact that we had the industrial and factory power to help win the war, is something really incredible that should be preserved.”

Beatty grew up in the Ann Arbor area and went to Chelsea High School. She said her interest in Michigan history was piqued after her experience as an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Dallas.

“Texans have so much pride for their state and the culture there, that it kind of made me feel the same way about Michigan,” she said.

According to the campaign’s website, on Friday afternoon approximately $4.5 million has been raised of the $8 million needed to save the portion of the plant that made B-24 Liberator bombers during World War II.

After facing an August 1 deadline, the museum was given a 60 day extension earlier this week by the Revitalizing Auto Communities Environmental Response Trust, the organization in charge of the property. The trust said in a statement that the fundraising effort’s “success and momentum” made the extension possible.

On top of her state pride and historical interests, Beatty has a special connection to the B-24 bombers made at the Willow Run plant.

“My grandpa was actually a tail gunner in a B-24 Liberator bomber in the war,” she said.

“The tail gunner is the most dangerous job, but he was a good shot, so they put him in the back. I think a part of this is to honor him and the other people who were involved in the war and everything that they did.”

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

Report: Processing marijuana with butane sparked fire that destroyed home

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A fire caused by a man heating hash with butane burnt a hole through the front of his mobile home in Ypsilanti Township.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Authorities say a flash fire that destroyed a mobile home on July 10 in Ypsilanti Township was ignited by a buildup of butane used to process marijuana.

The fire was the second in three days believed to be related to the use of butane for marijuana processing.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. July 10 in the 9000 block of Joan Circle in the Lakeview mobile home park. Flames were shooting from the trailer when firefighters arrived. The residents had fled.

Ypsilanti Township Fire Chief Eric Copeland said a man at the home was cooking marijuana into hash oil with a torch on a skillet in an enclosed area. Copeland said the gas is heavier than air and builds up just above the floor, so it can easily ignite.

According to a fire inspection report by Fire Marshal Vic Chevrette, the man who ignited the fire initially declined to tell authorities what happened because of the presence of Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department deputies.

Once officials told him that an explanation was for the safety of firefighters still on the scene, the man asked to speak to firefighters in private, the report stated.

“While attempting to make hash oil from marijuana plant products, he was using butane as part of the process,” Chevrette wrote. “He was using a steel water bottle to heat up the product over the stove and a flash fire occurred.”

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Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

The man attempted to put out the fire with a blanket and suffered second degree burns to his arms, according to the report. The entire front of the manufactured home was destroyed.

“A marijuana grow operation was discovered at the rear of the manufactured home. (Sheriff’s deputies) confiscated the plants,” Chevrette wrote.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Geoffry Fox said the man was not charged with any crimes.

Mike Radzik, director of the office of community standards, said the Sheriff's Department was investigating the home because of complaints from neighbors about the grow operation.

The July 10 fire bears similarities to an explosion on July 7 that destroyed a home in the 1300 block of Gattegno Street,

The Gattegno home was scheduled to be raided the following day as part of a larger series of raids throughout metro Detroit.

At that home, officials discovered hundreds of boxes containing thousands of 15-ounce canisters of butane and dozens of bags of marijuana.

Copeland said processing marijuana with butane appears to be an increasingly common practice in the area, though it is especially dangerous when done in enclosed spaces. Butane-extracted hash oil is emerging in stoner culture as a way to achieve an intense high, described as “cosmically baked,” according to a June 2013 Rolling Stone article. Usually, marijuana is packed into a tube, and a solvent, such as butane, is forced through it.

The liquid is collected, and the solvent is evaporated — leaving a highly concentrated THC-laced resin that can vary in its final consistency from hard crystals to earwax-like goop.

Ypsilanti Township Attorney Doug Winters said he has spoken with Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority officials and is planning to ask DTE Energy officials about helping locate homes that are using high levels of utilities, which could indicate the presence of marijuana operations. Winters said he received a positive response from the YCUA but a DTE official at the July 22 meeting said he would have to get back in touch with the township, though it wouldn’t be difficult to do.

Winters said similar tracking is being done in Detroit.

“They can identify uses that are so abnormally high that there’s something going on beyond just the running the air conditioner,” Winters said.

Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Contact the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.

Crafty bear caught on camera wheeling away restaurant's dumpster

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Bears are known for their smarts, especially when it comes to getting access to food. It's fair to say that commercial dumpsters are especially inviting to the creatures.

Remember the video of the young bear cubs who were stuck in a dumpster after their curiosity got the better of them?

Well, video footage captured by a Colorado Springs, Colorado restaurant is making the rounds and is equally interesting to watch.

Twice in the last week, a large bear has lumbered to the back of a popular German restaurant with a penchant for authentic weiner schnitzel, and on both occasions, he was caught on tape. He's given dumpster driving -- err, diving -- a whole new meaning.

"He just grabbed right onto it," said Dieter Schnakenberg, manages Edelweiss.

"There's just something about a bear taking a trash dumpster away."

The video cameras were installed not long so, as the restaurant had been the target of graffiti.

Little did anyone know that mischief of this kind would be captured.

"He must like our food. He does take out," mused Helga Schnakenberg, co-owner of the family-run eatery.

"It looks like he's using a shopping cart."

After the second time, it was decided that locking the 500-pound dumpster to the fence would be a wise idea to perhaps dissuade the uninvited guest from continuing his bear buffet.

Though the restaurant is located in close proximity to downtown Colorado Springs, bears have been sighted in the area.

You can view the bear's hijinks in the clip below.

Lorrie Shaw leads the pets and animals section for AnnArbor.com. Connect with her on Google + or e-mail her directly.


Jazz singer Kathy Kosins showing her artistic side at Kerrytown Concert House gallery exhibit

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Kathy Kosins

Can you hear color? Can you see music? Most of us probably can’t, but jazz vocalist Kathy Kosins says she can.

Kosins, who grew up in Detroit's jazz and R&B scene, has maintained a busy second career as a visual artist, primarily as a painter of abstract original canvases. Her art is on display at Kerrytown Concert House through Sept. 4.

“I paint the sounds that I hear. Strains from Miles Davis’ trumpet, Charlie Parkers’ sax and Bud Powells’ piano translate into color and texture. For me, painting is simply an extension of the music I love,” Kosins says.

Born in Highland Park, Kosins was initially known as a singer of soul, rock, and funk, and worked with Detroit’s acclaimed Was (Not Was).

Although that career is separate, Kosins notes the parallels between the two ideals.

"Songwriting, singing and painting are my creative disciplines," she explains. "Music and painting are equal parts of who I am. I sing what I paint and I paint what I sing. I use the lyric and melody for color and shape inspiration."

The artwork of Kathy Kosins will be on display at Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave., Tuesday, Aug. 6 through Wednesday, Sept. 4; 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays, or by appointment. Free. Details at www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com or 734-769-2999.

Hearing delayed for Ypsilanti man accused of shooting at motorists on U.S. 23

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A judge this week granted the defense's motion to delay a pretrial hearing for the 28-year-old Ypsilanti man accused of shooting at multiple cars on U.S. 23.

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Elmore Ray

Courtesy of Pittsfield Township police

Elmore Ray was scheduled for a pretrial hearing Thursday before Judge David S. Swartz in Washtenaw Circuit Court.

Ray's lawyer requested a three-week adjournment for further investigation. Swartz granted the request and set a new pretrial hearing for Aug. 22.

On Feb. 27, Pittsfield Township police responded to a report of a gunman aiming at motorists on U.S. 23 near Michigan Avenue just west of Carpenter Road.

Witnesses said the gunman was using a sawed-off shotgun to shoot at multiple cars. No cars were hit, and there were no injuries.

Ray was arrested as he walked west away from the area, police said.

He is charged with four counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder, and one count each of possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.

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

Hot Club of Detroit, at Kerrytown Sunday, dedicates new CD to absent player

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The release of the new album “Junction” is bittersweet for the Gypsy jazz band Hot Club of Detroit, playing Sunday at Kerrytown Concert House.

One of their members, bassist Andrew Kratzat (and his fiancee), were seriously injured in an auto accident in July 2011, and are currently on a long road to recovery.

"This album is a dedication to both of them," said guitarist Paul Brady. "It's been tough for us, musically but also emotionally," added accordionist Julien Labro. "Andrew is like a brother, a family member. But we're still hopeful, and one day I'm sure he'll be back to playing."

Hot Club of Detroit is one of many groups worldwide that honor the memory of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, featuring the late guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt. In 2010, the group played at the Michigan Theater with Hot Club of San Francisco, and more than held its own with the California ensemble. A snipped of Lady Gaga’s hit “Paparazi” delighted younger audience members, and showed that just about any song can be Django-fied.

Besides Labro and Brady, Hot Club of Detroit’s current lineup includes Evan Perri, guitar; Andrew Bishop, saxophone; and Jordan Schug, bass/composer.

Hot Club of Detroit plays at Kerrytown Concert House at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4. Tickets are $10-$35. Info and reservations at www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com or 734-769-2999.

Library concert, lecture by Chris Vallillo explores the roots of rural music

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Chris Vallillo

Musician Chris Vallillo, a Midwestern boy who makes the people and places of “unmetropolitan” America come to life in song, returns to theh Ann Arbor District Library Thursday to perform and discuss roots music and its impact on our lives.

Performing on six-string and bottleneck slide guitars and harmonica, he draws on his experience as a music collector and performer of the songs of rural America, from the first pioneers through the era of steamboats, trains and early radio. He will also perform on a collection of vintage instruments.

From 1990 through 1998, Vallillo served as the performing host and co-producer of the public radio series “Rural Route 3.” His one-man show “Abraham Lincoln in Song” received the endorsement of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and the accompanying CD of music reached No. 10 on Billboard’s Bluegrass Album Chart in March 2008.

His latest album, “The Last Day of Winter,” was released this past January, which seems a little premature given the title, not that it matters. It’s the music that counts - especially here in the Midwest.

Chris Vallillo appears at the Ann Arbor District Library, 343 S. Fifth Ave., at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. Admission is free. Details at www.aadl.org or 734-327-4200.

Crash shuts northbound U.S. 23 in Pittsfield Township

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Editor's note: An advisory from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office said the freeway had been reopened as of 1:47 p.m.

A multi-vehicle crash shut down the northbound lanes of U.S. 23 just north of Michigan Avenue in Pittsfield Township Saturday afternoon, a dispatcher with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said.

The crash, which occurred shortly after noon, involved about eight vehicles, including one semi, said Pittsfield Township Fire Chief Sean Gleason.

One person suffered a minor injury, he said. Huron Valley Ambulance spokeswoman Joyce Williams said paramedics didn't transport anyone to the hospital.

The freeway was shut down to allow police and firefighters to clear roadway of the vehicles. A Sheriff's Office Nixle communications alert advising people to avoid the area said the closure would be for an undetermined amount of time.

A Google traffic map showed a significant backup in the area, which is just south of Ann Arbor. The westbound lanes of Interstate 94 in Ann Arbor from U.S. 23 to M-14 are also closed this weekend because of roadwork, further impacting traffic near the crash site. Traffic was a mess in the area, Gleason said.


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