Pittsfield Township police closed Carpenter Road between Merritt Road and Bemis Road after a multi-vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon.

Dispatchers confirmed the road was being closed just before 5:30 p.m. Police and fire crews were just getting to the scene and dispatchers did not have more information about the crash.

Pittsfield Township Fire Department Fire Chief Sean Gleason said one person was transported to the hospital with one minor injury.

Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area until further notice.

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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.

Former Eastern Michigan quarterback Alex Gillett, right, and defensive lineman Andy Mulumba, left, are in training camp with the Green Bay Packers.

Chris Asadian | AnnArbor.com file photo

"The best undrafted rookie so far this year is Andy Mulumba, who’s giving himself a fighting chance to make it as the No. 4 or 5 outside linebacker," writes Daugherty. "Mulumba (6-feet-3 and 260 pounds) is making the transition from a hand-on-the-ground defensive end at Eastern Michigan to a standup player in the Packers’ 3-4 defense. He’s more of a power player for his new position, in the Nick Perry mode, but he’s also showing some athletic ability in coverage also."

Mulumba has been catching the eye of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy as well.

"I think he’s an excellent fit for our defense. He plays with excellent leverage with his long leverage. He has a nasty streak to him,” McCarthy told the Press-Gazette.

Mulumba had 73 tackles as a senior in 2012 and was a second-team All-Mid American Conference selection as a defensive lineman. Fellow former Eagle Alex Gillett is also trying to make the Packers as an undrafted free agent.

• Read the entire Green Bay Press-Gazette article.

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

Opening at the multiplex

In “Elysium,” it’s the year 2154, and two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet's crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium—but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens' luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission—one that pits him against Elysium's Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster)—but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well. Anthony Lane of the New Yorker says, “It hits you as fact; the director's fiercest gift is not to invent the future, as a plausible dream, but to report on it as if it already existed.” “Elysium” opens today.

“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” continues the saga of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, as he tries to fulfill his destiny. He teams with his demigod friends to retrieve the Golden Fleece, which has the power to save their home and training ground, Camp Half-Blood. Tom Russo of the Boston Globe says, “The mythology-rooted ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians' franchise is fairly engaging stuff, unabashed ‘Harry Potter’ knockoff or no.” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” opened yesterday.

"We're the Millers"

Opening downtown

“Unfinished Song” is a funny and inspiring story about Arthur (Terence Stamp), a curmudgeonly old soul, who is perfectly content sticking with his dull daily routine until his beloved wife (Vanessa Redgrave) introduces him to a local seniors singing group. The group is led by the youthful and charming Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) and her unexpected friendship with Arthur reignites his passion for new adventures and shows us all life should be celebrated at any age. Rick Groen of the Globe and Mail says, “Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp and those voices - their solos contain this picture like carved book-ends, vintage and lovely and still so profoundly of use.” “Unfinished Song” opens Friday at the Michigan Theater.

“Lovelace” begins in 1972—before the internet, before the porn explosion—and follows how “Deep Throat” became a phenomenon: the first scripted pornographic theatrical feature film, featuring a story, some jokes, and an unknown and unlikely star. Linda Lovelace became an international sensation, less centerfold fantasy than a charming girl-next-door. Fully inhabiting her new identity, Linda became an enthusiastic spokesperson for sexual freedom and uninhibited hedonism. Six years later she presented another, utterly contradictory, far darker narrative to the world. Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter says, “Smartly done account of the trials and tribulations of the first porn star.” “Lovelace” opens Friday at the State Theatre.

Special screenings downtown

“The Kiss,” Greta Garbo’s final silent film of her career and the final silent film MGM made, is a stunner. Garbo stars as Irene, a young woman whose unhappy marriage to an older man leads her into the arms Andre (Conrad Nagel). Unable to continue this illicit affair, they stop seeing each other, driving Irene into the arms of Pierre (Lew Ayres), the son of her husband's business associate. As Pierre leaves for college, he begs her for one last kiss, a kiss that will change her life. Presented with live organ accompaniment by Andrew Rogers on the Barton Theatre Pipe Organ! “The Kiss” plays Sunday, August 11 at 1:30 p.m. and Tuesday, August 13 at 7 p.m.

“Willow” comes from legendary filmmakers George Lucas and Ron Howard. It is a timeless fantasy about the young Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis) who must team up with a rogue swordsman (Val Kilmer) and overcome the forces of darkness in the ultimate battle of good versus evil! “Willow” plays as part of Summer Classics After Dark on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 10 p.m.

See you at the movies!

Russ Collins is executive director of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Tune in to the audio version of “Cinema Chat” on WEMU radio (89.1-FM) each Thursday at 7:40 a.m. and 5:40 p.m., or listen to it online at WEMU's web site.

The Ann Arbor Planning Commission recommended denial of a property owner's request Wednesday night to rezone land at 3325 Packard Road for construction of a new duplex.

Chairman Kirk Westphal and other commissioners said they're obligated to uphold the city's master plan and they couldn't support "spot zoning" a single parcel.

"It's very difficult to justify spot zoning," said Sabra Briere, who serves on both the Planning Commission and the City Council.

City of Ann Arbor

The property owner asked that the vacant lot, where a fire destroyed a single-family house in April 2012, be rezoned from R1C single-family dwelling to R2A two-family dwelling.

The commission followed the city staff's recommendation by voting to deny the request.

City Planner Jill Thacher said the proposed land uses permitted under R2A zoning would not be consistent with the city's master plan, which recommends single-family detached homes for that particular block of Packard, as well as other blocks to the east, north and west.

Land use in the area to the east, north and west of the site is almost entirely single-family residential, Thacher stated in a report to the commission.

Phillip Weaver of Bradenton, Fla., is listed as the property owner. Scott Betzoldt of Ann Arbor-based Midwestern Consulting is listed as the petitioner for the project.

They proposed a single duplex residence with a detached two-car garage to replace the single-family home that burned.

Commissioner Wendy Woods said she could appreciate that the petitioner was stuck "between a rock and a hard place" but she couldn't support the rezoning.

It was suggested that the city could take a fresh look at the overall zoning for that area of Packard at some point in the future to see what land uses might be most appropriate.

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.

A rendering shows the proposed plans for the building at 210-216 S. Fourth, which involves a building addition and makeover of the facade.

J Bradley Moore & Associates

Brad Moore of J Bradley Moore & Associates Architects, the architect for both projects, submitted plans last week to Ann Arbor’s Historic District Commission for 121-123 E. Liberty and 210-216 S. Fourth. Moore hosted a citizen participation meeting for the projects in July. (Read more)

The existing one-story Running Fit building on the corner of East Liberty and South Fourth

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com

The submittal includes never-before-seen renderings of the projects — which together, would result in about 36 new downtown housing units. Both proposals also call to redesign or restore the buildings’ original facades.

“We’re hoping the combination of the two projects transforms Fourth Avenue, which has been so hard to pull back from where it was in the (1970s),” Moore told attendees at the public meeting in July.

This rendering shows the plans for the Running Fit building at 121-123 E. Liberty St., viewed from East Liberty.

J Bradley Moore & Associates

Plans for the one-story 121-123 E. Liberty St. building call to rebuild two upper floors that were destroyed by a fire in the 1950s, as well as an additional partial fourth floor that would be set back from the building’s facade. Running Fit owners Randy Step and Steve Angerman own the building and are proposing the project.

Six housing units would occupy the building addition, and those would be marketed for lease or for sale. Along with the building addition, Step and Angerman want to replace the building’s enameled steel panel siding with a brick veneer facade.

The new owner of the building at 210-216 S. Fourth wants to build residential units.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

The second project, proposed for the adjacent building at 210-216 S. Fourth, calls to construct three additional floors on top of the existing two-story building. The addition would be set back from the front facade and contain roughly 30 housing units.

Building owners Joe Barbat and David Ebner of Barbat Holdings LLC also wants to restore the facade to resemble the former Montgomery Ward’s department store, which occupied the building until it suffered a fire in 1960. Barbat and Ebner are proposing to rebuild the storefront in mostly masonry/brick.

Both projects require approval from Ann Arbor’s Historic District Commission before the plans can move forward to Planning Commission and City Council.

Related coverage:

• 2 downtown Ann Arbor buildings seek to add floors for apartments or condos
• 2 downtown Ann Arbor housing projects well-received at public meetings

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.

I am not an engineer, traffic or otherwise, but those cable median barriers that have been installed on the expressway look awfully uninviting and unforgiving to me. Perhaps that is part of their appeal or, more likely, their lower cost is the reason they are appearing on interstate highways.

Cable median barriers reduce the number of cross-median fatalities, the Michigan Department of Transportation says. Here, damage to a barrier can be seen following a crash on I-275 in Farmington Hills.

MDOT photo

In my crash, which was completely my fault as I was driving too fast in a torrential shower, I hit the median wall after passing a semi. Not wanting to overcorrect or bounce back into the path of the truck, I turned into the median after I initially struck it. The driver’s side of the car was torn up and emitted a rather large shower of sparks, even in the torrential rain, but I walked away. I am not sure I would have reacted the same way with a cable barrier.

I understand the necessity of having median barriers so that traffic heading one way does not cross into oncoming lanes going the opposite way. I remember a double fatal truck crash a few years ago west of Baker Road on Interstate 94 when a westbound truck came unimpeded across the median and struck an eastbound truck. That eastbound truck had no chance or place to go because at the time of impact he had been passing another eastbound truck.

I am actually haunted going through that stretch of freeway, imagining what must have been going through that poor trucker’s mind as he saw the westbound truck driving through the median. There was nothing he could do and no place he could go to avoid the crash, but he had to see it coming for several long seconds.

Having witnessed several very serious crashes in my career, it seems like time stands still or is in extreme slow motion as they occur. There is an immediate adrenaline dump and a feeling as if what you are witnessing is not really happening. When it is over, there is a momentary calm, and then things get rather fast-paced and furious.

I had an opportunity to speak to a couple of Michigan State Police troopers the other night, and I asked them what the outcome was when cars hit the new cable median barriers on the expressway. The simplest answer they gave was the easiest — those cables make a mess.

Placed close to the shoulder like they are on I-94 west of town, they scatter a lot of debris back into the roadway and shut down the freeway more often than the cement or metal guardrail-type barriers.

Based on the research I have done on the cable barriers, they work best when there is a rather large shoulder or median before the barrier. That is, cable barriers work best — like any barrier would — when there is a greater margin for driver error. Allowing at times for what the troopers call “road runoffs” that do not necessarily mean a car impacts with anything.

Obviously wider medians would also minimize the problem of vehicle debris shredding off and landing in traffic lanes. Unfortunately we can not widen the medians on established freeways, but perhaps cement or metal guardrails would be a safer solution.

In regard to the cable median barriers, I asked the troopers the inevitable question that scares me about those cables, “Do the cables cut through cars and people like they look like they would?” One of the troopers kind of cut me off and did not really want to talk about it, replying only, “Yeah, there’s that…. I much prefer the metal guardrails attached to wood posts. They seem to be the safest.”

I had not really thought about the cable guardrails before until I was speaking to a motorcyclist last spring. He complained about the cables and called them “Motorcycle shredders.” His fear was hitting the cable and being decapitated.

To allay the motorcyclist’s fears, I cheerfully told him the story of a legendary Ann Arbor police officer I nicknamed “Like I Said Ted.” Ted is a mountain of a man and Vietnam veteran who also worked for the Saline Police Department after retiring from Ann Arbor. I have previously referred to “Like I Said Ted” as a “ Police Yeti” in a column I wrote about his run-in with a snowmobiler.

Several years ago, Ted was touring northern Michigan on his motorcycle with a group of like-minded Ann Arbor police officers. Near Gaylord, Ted straightened out a curve, ran off the road and through a barbwire fence. Ted’s longtime friend and partner “Sprocket” was riding behind him and saw the incident unfold.

Sprocket was terrified, and the first to Ted’s aid. Sprocket told me when he approached the seated but slumped Ted he thought for sure his longtime friend was dead — surely no one could survive such a crash.

Not only had Ted survived, but the barbwire had caught him on the neck and he had broken the barbwire. Talk about tough as nails, apparently Ted is tougher than barbwire as well. That was one of the reasons I always appreciated working with Ted and having him back me up on calls!

I just saw Ted the other night and he was feeling a bit under the weather. Hang in there, my friend and brother in blue!

Few of us are as tough as Ted, so my best advice is to pay attention, slow down, put your cellphone, burger or burrito down and drive carefully around those cable median barriers.

Lock it up, don’t leave it unattended, be aware and watch out for your neighbors.

Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.

Jim Nemeth says he is determined to open a dispensary in this building on Ypsilanti's south side before a new ordinance capping the number of medical marijuana facilities in the city goes into effect.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Early in 2013, Jim Nemeth began putting tens of thousands of dollars into remodeling a long-vacant ice cream truck depot into a medical marijuana dispensary.

In his search to find a place to open shop, he said he didn’t have to choose Ypsilanti, but “Ypsilanti chose me.”

“I contacted the city, they said ‘Come on down, we’ll welcome you here,’” Nemeth said. “I met with the city planner, looked at all these locations and figured out that one of the only places I could go was this beat up old gas station (more recently used as the ice cream truck depot), so I took it.”

The location at 539 S. Huron St. in Ward 1 on Ypsilanti’s south side seemed to suit his needs.

But soon after Nemeth submitted paperwork, an emergency ordinance to place an immediate moratorium on the issuing of medical marijuana licenses was proposed at a City Council meeting by Ward 1 Council Member Ricky Jefferson and Mayor Pro Tem Lois Richardson.

At the time, Jefferson noted that Ward 1 had received three of the last four medical marijuana facility applications and residents there feared that the ward was being “targeted,” though now he says it’s a city-wide concern.

The emergency moratorium failed, but City Council subsequently passed first and second readings of an ordinance limiting to nine the number of grow operations and dispensaries in the city.

Ward 1 now has four medical marijuana facilities open or in the process of opening; Ward 2 has one dispensary; and ward 3 has three facilities and one more preparing to open.

With nine medical marijuana grow operations or dispensary licenses issued or pending, that left Nemeth, who is trying to open the dispensary in Ward 1, facing the possibility that he would lose his investment in a property he doesn’t own.

He felt the ordinance was created by Jefferson and Richardson to stop him from opening his business in their ward.

Renovations are already underway at 539 S. Huron St. in Ypsilanti.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

“(The ordinance) is definitely targeting me,” he said.

Jefferson said that's not true. It's not targeted at a specific facility, he says.

The ordinance will not go into effect until Sept. 5, so Nemeth is now trying to beat the clock and get all his plans approved by the city, receive a license and open shop before that date.

City Planner Teresa Gillotti confirmed Nemeth has submitted his medical marijuana dispensary application and his site plans, which will be up for review at the Aug. 20 Planning Commission meeting.

Nemeth had previously started working on the building without submitting plans and was ordered to stop by the city.

If those plans are approved by the Planning Commission, then Nemeth can restart work on the building on Aug. 21 and has until Sept. 5 to complete it and receive his certificate of occupancy. If he is blocked, Nemeth says he can approach the issue through the court system.

“If the city wants to battle and they have funds to do it, I have funds to do it, too,” he said.

Tension arose at the July 16 City Council meeting when Jefferson questioned why Nemeth hadn’t called him or Richardson to discuss opening the dispensary.

During public comment, several residents expressed their opposition to the dispensary opening, and Jefferson admonished Nemeth for not having the courtesy to meet with a community that opposed his business before opening.

“If he really wants to respect the opposition of the residents and get his point of view to the residents, he knows how to reach us,” Jefferson said in an email after the meeting.

Jefferson pointed out that two other dispensary applicants planning to open in the ward contacted him and decided not to open after it was made clear that residents did not want them there.

“Respect begins when you are a stranger and you enter a new neighborhood with intentions of making significant changes to it, and out of courtesy you assess and consider how the neighbors feel about the proposed changes before you attempt to make any changes. The neighbors have spoken,” Jefferson said.

Nemeth questioned why he had to get in touch with a City Council member to open a business, which he said is an unusual request. He said he has “done everything by the book.”

“I don’t know Ricky. I didn’t know I had to go talk to him. He acted like I offended him, but it wasn’t intentional. I followed all the guidelines,” Nemeth said. “I’d be more than happy to talk to anyone. I think they would be impressed with what we’re trying to do.”

Nemeth said his business model differs slightly from other dispensaries in town in that he plans to offer medical marijuana for little cost to low-income residents who otherwise can’t afford it. He said he would require patients to show medical records and proof of income, and he would also keep limited hours between noon and 4 p.m.

“I’m already pretty well set (financially),” Nemeth said. “This is for people who can't afford medical marijuana. It’s a whole different concept. I’m looking to help people who are in need of it.”

Nemeth said his inspiration was seeing how medical marijuana alleviated the pain his wife suffered before she lost a battle with cancer. He said it worked where traditional medicines failed, and he believes it prolonged her life.

Nemeth said he is determined to open his dispensary.

“It will get open, if it has to be in front of a Circuit Court judge, one way or another, I’m not stopping,” he said.

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Contact the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2572.

An attempt by Washtenaw County Commissioner Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor, to return some funding to human services programs that received heavy cuts in the county's previous budget cycle was voted down by the Board of Commissioners Wednesday night.

In a five-hour-long series of back-to-back meetings that proved to be confusing at times for both the commissioners and the county staff observing the process from the audience, amendments proposed by Smith to a housekeeping budgetary item failed to win support from the board.

Commissioner Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor, sought to use some of the county's surplus revenue to restore funding to some of the county's human service agencies Wednesday but was met with opposition.

Andrew Kuhn | AnnArbor.com file photo

Smith initiated the effort after commissioners faced a vote on a routine budget adjustment in the Ways and Means Committee meeting Wednesday.

The board had to approve an unexpected increase in property tax and state revenues in a budget adjustment in order for the county to comply with its audit requirements. About $654,670 would be returned to the county’s fund balance.

That figure also included a reimbursement of approximately $552,000 from the state for the county’s previous contribution to a failed statewide trial court electronic records program that was earmarked to pay for part of a $2.3 million new electronic records system that the Washtenaw County Trial Court is seeking.

A resolution from the Trial Court was before commissioners Wednesday night as well - seeking the board’s approval to move forward with the vendor — Tyler Technologies — that the Trial Court had selected. The update to the electronic records system is long-overdue for the court, as its current software vendor went out of business eight years ago, and the system has no qualified individual to provide maintenance should it crash.

Heading in to the Wednesday meeting, the resolution from the Trial Court had included a payment plan for the $2.3 million upgrade that would have included use of nearly $900,000 of the county’s capital reserves and $700,000 of the county’s general technology fund balance.

That payment plan was removed from the resolution just before the meeting due to Smith’s concern that the use of the county’s reserves would not be reimbursed by the trial court.

“I raised some concerns admittedly late in the game,” Smith said.

However, lack of a payment plan in the resolution caused numerous commissioners - including Dan Smith, R-Northfield Township, and Alicia Ping, R-Saline — to object to approving the costly software upgrade.

With the trial court’s electronic records upgrade under fire and discussion tabled to the end of the Ways and Means meeting, Conan Smith began floating an amendment before the board to use the $654,670 in unexpected surplus revenue for several human services departments. “I’m interested in seeing the reduced use in fund balance be reallocated to the departments that those funds came from,” Conan Smith said.

Smith submitted a proposed amendment that would have allocated funds from the count's general fund to departments who chose to dip in to their reserves to balance their budgets during a year in which they received a funding cut:

• $152,000 to the sheriff’s community corrections division
• $386,000 to Public and Environmental Health
• $650,000 to Employment Training and Community Services

“We say, you made the right moral decision and we’re going to fund it (now),” Conan Smith said.

Dan Smith supported the amendment. Commissioner Andy LaBarre, D-Ann Arbor, questioned Conan Smith as to the timing of the matter.

“Really we’re talking about 2013,” Conan Smith said. “We have additional surplus revenue that we are planning to receive … from August to December that can be used for functions we used in the development of that budget.”

Administrator Verna McDaniel cautioned the board that it would be spending down the county’s earmarked reserves should they choose to approve Conan Smith’s amendment.

“Other departments did not use fund balance to come up with their budget targets, so what we’re doing is refunding the departments that did not use structural cuts?” said Board Chairman Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor. “Why aren’t we giving money back to all the departments in the county? This sounds like we’re singling out departments.”

Commissioners voted Conan Smith’s amendment down 6-3. Conan Smith, Dan Smith and Peterson voted for the measure.

Commissioners then returned to discussing the housekeeping item of adjusting the budget to account for unexpected revenue.

Dan Smith proposed moving the $552,000 earmarked for the trial court’s records upgrade to the county’s un-earmarked reserves. Conan Smith offered a friendly amendment to the item to ensure that the budget balanced as a result of Dan Smith’s amendment. Both amendments would move the trial court's reimbursement away from a designated use in the technology fund and towards a more general cash flow purpose.

“Why in the heck are we even messing with this?” said Commissioner Rolland Sizemore Jr., D-Ypsilanti Township. “It’s the court’s money; they’re going to need new software soon.”

Commissioner Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield Township, said that if the board voted to move the $552,000 reimbursement to the trial court to the county’s reserves, it may violate the memorandum of understanding between the trial court and the county that dictates how each body interacts.

Dan Dwyer, Trial Court administrator, said in response to a board question that the $552,000 is already in his Trial Court budget.

“I didn’t come prepared to talk about what would happen in some crazy scenarios,” Dwyer said. “It’s in the court’s budget … I’m not certain the board has the authority to remove that money from my budget. We’re not spending it on anything except for a case management system.”

Commissioners voted down Conan Smith’s amendment to make sure the budget balanced as a result of moving the funds in a 5-4 vote, with Sizemore, Brabec, Labarre, Kent Martinez-Kratz, D-Chelsea and Peterson voting against.

With that, Dan Smith’s original amendment to move the funds out of the trial court’s designated use failed to pass muster in a 6-3 vote.

The board eventually went on to approve both the county budget adjustment and trial court electronic records upgrade, which moved the items to the full meeting of the board immediately after the Ways and Means meeting Wednesday.

At the beginning of the full board meeting, Conan Smith re-introduced a version of an amendment that was previously vetoed by the board.

“I’m having one of the worst nights that I’ve ever had on this board,” Conan Smith said. “Tonight we took in almost $3 million in new revenue in to the county and the only expenditure we made tonight was on software. … But the human services — the things that people need — we’re not going to lift a finger.”

In a heartfelt delivery, Conan Smith listed a number of programs that he said deserved a reimbursement from the county:

• $152,000 to Sheriff’s community corrections fund
• $386,000 to Public and Environmental Health
• $754,000 to Workforce Development
• $252,000 to the Office of Community and Economic Development to programs assisting the elderly
• $199,000 to the OCED for housing programs

“We had the opportunity to help real people tonight,” Conan Smith said to his fellow commissioners. “When someone’s heat is getting shut off in December 2013 you have to remember the vote you took at Ways and Means.”

Rabhi stated that he agreed with Conan Smith’s intent, but that he disagreed with the process.

“I understand the imminence of his priorities, but as responsible stewards, we need to do this in a responsible way,” Rabhi said, explaining he was worried the board would open a Pandora’s box should it approve the reimbursement to select departments and not other programs that received cuts.

Though Conan Smith’s amendment failed in a 7-2 vote at about 11 p.m. Wednesday, commissioners voted unanimously to postpone their final discussion on the county’s $654,670 budget adjustment to their Sept. 4 meeting.

The board’s final vote on the resolution approving the Trial Court’s electronic records upgrade was approved in a 5-4 vote, but failed to gain the full six votes needed to move the item through both the Ways and Means and full board meeting Wednesday night. The resolution will next appear before the board at its Sept. 4 full board meeting.

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

Nader Nassif

Courtesy of WCSO

The warrant against Nader Nassif, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority board member charged with sexual assault, indicates the victim was "mentally incapacitated" at the time.

The Michigan Penal Code defines the charge this way: "The actor knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally incapable, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless."

Police would not comment on this aspect of the case.

Nassif's attorney, Joe Simon, confirmed that this was the count listed in the complaint filed against his client. Simon would not comment any further on the case.

Nassif was arrested July 31 in the 200 block of South Fourth Avenue. The warrant, which didn't appear in court records until Wednesday even though Nassif was arraigned last Friday, lists Nassif as residing in that block.

Police confirmed the victim was a female over 18 and the two were acquainted.

The arraignment was initially scheduled to take place Friday at Pittsfield Township's 14A-1 District Court, but the venue was changed to the 15th District Court in downtown Ann Arbor. A defendant needs to be arraigned within 48 hours from the arrest. Court officials said this played a part in why the venue was changed.

A preliminary examination was set for Aug. 15, according to court records.

Nassif is a criminal defense attorney and a member of the Ann Arbor DDA since 2011. He is a former attorney with the Washtenaw County Public Defender's Office and the Lorandos Joshi Law Firm, and runs his own law firm, The Nassif Law Firm PLLC, at 202 E. Huron St. in Ann Arbor.

He is also a partner with Model Cities Legal Services, with which the city contracts to provide indigent representation in 15th District Court. The city paid $383,000 to the firm for these services in the fiscal year that ended in June. The city approved a $240,000 contract for the fiscal year that started July 1.

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

About two-thirds of the 233 Ann Arbor teachers who were issued pink slips in May have been asked to return to work.

When and if the remaining 79 teachers will be recalled remains to be seen. Ann Arbor Education Association President Linda Carter sees no reason why these other teachers should not be called back, especially given the most recent total of resignations and retirements.

"It's just been, unfortunately, not a very nice or restful or happy summer for our teachers," Carter said.

Linda Carter

• 27 undesignated teaching positions, $2.7 million
• 3 reading intervention specialists, $300,000
• 3 teachers at Skyline High School (allowing Skyline to remain on trimesters), $300,000
• 3 fine arts/physical education teaching positions through attrition, $200,000
• 3 P.E. teachers from cutting the extra P.E. credit requirement at the high schools, $400,000

The district recalled about 109 teachers from the layoff list on July 19 and another 45 teachers on July 26 — for a total of 154 teachers who can start thinking about how to welcome children to their classrooms this fall.

District spokeswoman Liz Margolis said the human resources department is working hard to call back staff as soon as possible and is hopeful all of the 233 teachers will be able to be recalled. However, Margolis declined to say how likely this was or to comment on a timeline for the recalls.

The recall process involves monitoring student enrollment, analyzing teachers' certifications to see which grade levels and subjects they are eligible to teach and must take into consideration teachers' seniority, Margolis said.

"We will continue to recall back as we make placements and watch building enrollment numbers, as well as retirements," she said.

Despite several years of budget constraints and a need to reduce personnel to save money, the Ann Arbor Public Schools never has achieved teacher reductions through layoffs in the past. Reductions always have occurred through attrition — retirements and resignations. So if not all 233 teachers can be recalled, this would be the first round of teacher layoffs in the district's history. AAPS issued pink slips just one other time in 2010.

Carter said depending on what the human resources team is able to work out with teacher certifications, there should be no need for this to be a historic year. She said to date, AAPS has had 41 teacher retirements and resignations — which is more than the number of teacher reductions the school board approved in June. So Carter said she is cautiously hopeful.

"We've never gone through a layoff, so that has everybody nervous," Carter said. But she added that most of the teachers have stuck it out and stayed with AAPS through the summer. She said she knows of only two teachers who lost the faith and went out and found other work because of the uncertainty.

"I've tried to stay as close to the phone as possible and on email to keep people calm and make sure they are hearing from the voice of the association. I've done my best to keep people thinking positive."

Carter said she is trying to make sure the association is involved in these last few steps of making sure people's certifications work out to get them back into their classrooms before fall.

"We know how important it is for folks to get into their room and get set up, get stuff on the bulletin boards. So if there has to be a reassignment, we want our teachers to know at least 2 weeks (before school starts)," Carter said. "So by at least next Thursday, this should all be resolved ... that's what I'm hoping."

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

Attractions at Thunder Over Michigan 2011.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

Featuring jet teams, world-class civilian performers, rare historical aircraft and demonstrations from the U.S. military, the event is known as one of the best “warbird” shows in the world.

Organizers recently announced the addition of a rare aerial demonstration by the North American Aviation F-100 Super Sabre.

"We are known as one of the top air shows in the U.S. for a reason, and that is because we always have something new and unusual for our fans to enjoy,” said Kevin Walsh, air show director.

Proceeds from the event, produced by the Yankee Air Museum, helps support the museum and other local charitable organizations. The museum is currently conducting a special fund-raising drive to attempt to save part of the former Willow Run Bomber Plant and turn it into the museum's new home.

Artists will paint Dexter en plein air. Photo courtesy of Victoria Schon.

Dexter's Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee wanted to introduce a new event that would celebrate and promote Dexter's character.

The first Paint Dexter Plein Air Festival aims to attract artists who paint outdoors and in the moment. Let loose on the village Aug. 13-17, they will capture scenes of Dexter's downtown, surrounding farmlands, and natural areas. (Plein air means "in the open air.")

The public can watch painters at work, purchase their artworks at the end of the festival, and attend special events and performances along the way.

An important festival highlight to keep in mind, the artworks will be for sale on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 2:30 p.m. until the festival ends at 8 p.m. That will be your chance to see all of the finished artworks.

The best plein air paintings will be awarded cash prizes, selected by competition judge Frits Hoendervanger, 3rd-place winner at last year's ArtPrize. An additional "Quick Draw" competition will be judged by artist Dee Overly, who directs the gallery at the Riverside Art Center in Ypsilanti.

"What this new event will hopefully do," Schon says, "is create a certain level of pride in our community. People will see artists' perspectives of the beauty that we might take for granted every day. I hope it will help them appreciate it more or see it in a new way."

In Dexter, there are many potential painting sites. The artists might prefer to stay within the Village of Dexter to paint downtown, historic houses, street-scapes, or architecture. They may choose to venture out into the natural surrounds and park lands.

"There are beautiful landscapes and rivers, forests and parks all over this area. You could be at Hudson Mills metro park, there is a new park down by the river, and there are beautiful old red barns in our landscape - I've painted them myself. There are also awesome fields, meadows, wild flowers," she says.

"In the village itself there are what I think are lovely, charming city-scapes and really cool old Victorian style homes or Greek revival for people who are into painting architecture," Schon says.

Of plein air painting as a discipline, Schon says, "it's outdoors, quick, and spontaneous." Artists paint their immediate impressions of a landscape, scene or subject, in situ.

Throughout the event, plein air painters will likely be spotted all over Dexter. On-lookers are strongly encouraged to watch.

"I would love for people to come out to see the artists at work," Schon says, adding "part of this is that we want to educate people about plein air painting and get them interested in it."

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

On Thursday, Aug. 15, while painters continue to paint, the public can attend 2 special festival events.

Tecumseh's Black Door Gallery owner Susan Amstutz will do a painting demonstration at Monument Park, from 4 to 6 p.m.

UM art history graduate student Martha Girsch will give a presentation on the "History of Plein Air Painting," from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Dexter Public Library.

A special student art exhibition will be on display, on Friday, Aug. 16. Students from Dexter Schools recently competed in a "Light Pole Banner Contest," and their original artworks will be on display under the festival tent at Monument Park from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Musical accompaniment to the student art show will be provided by Dexter's Summer Music Series nearby. Country rock band Most Wanted will play an unplugged set at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 17 is a big day for the new festival. By 2:30 p.m., all of the artworks will be delivered to the Monument Park tent and put up for sale, until the festival ends at 8 p.m.

Artists will also compete in a "Quick Draw" competition, a 3-hour plein air challenge, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Judges will announce their favorites at the "Awards Ceremony" from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., followed by music from the Dexter Symphony Orchestra from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Find the festival schedule and information about how to participate as a plein art painter on the Dexter Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee website.

Tight end Tony Scheffler stretches with the team during the Detroit Lions training camp at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, Mich. on Wednesday, August 7.

Mike Mulholland | Mlive Media Group

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper has been at the center of a firestorm for the past week, after it was revealed that he used the N-word at a Kenny Chesney concert. He was fined and took a brief leave from training camp.

But as Detroit News columnist Terry Foster writes Thursday, former Chelsea High School standout Tony Scheffler uses the term often at the Detroit Lions practice facility. And the person the word is directed at is more than fine with it.

Scheffler, who is white, often calls close friend and teammate Louis Delmas, who is black, the N-word. Delmas, in turn, calls Scheffler “cracker.” Both say the terms are used as terms of affection.

“I treat Louis like a little brother,” Scheffler says in the story. “He knows my wife and kids. He calls me ‘white boy’ and ‘cracker.’ We go back and forth with it and we are both comfortable with each other.

“I can’t say the same with other relationships in the locker room or how other guys would feel about it. So it is a tough dynamic when you are using those types of words. Everybody does not react the same.”

Scheffler graduated from Chelsea in 2001 and went on to Western Michigan, where he first met Delmas. The two were teammates for one season at Western and are entering their fourth season as NFL teammates.

The article goes on to further examine the use of racial slurs in locker rooms.

• Read the entire Detroit News article.

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com.

Anti-affirmative action activist Jennifer Gratz is considering running for a seat on the University of Michigan's Board of Regents, the Detroit News reported.

Gratz has been working across the country to push for the end of affirmative action as a factor in admission decisions at higher education institutions and in public hiring processes.

Jennifer Gratz

“I recall there being some sort of exclamation that proponents of (the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative) should have lobbied the Regents to change policy rather than pushing a constitutional amendment — that voters, nor the legislature, nor the governor, nor the constitution had any say in the matter,” Gratz told the Detroit News. “With that line of thinking, it made me think to myself — if the only way to change policy is through the board of regents, then we may want to start focusing on who makes up these governing boards.”

• Read the full story in the Detroit News

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 graffiti tagger known as SAES was ordered Thursday to pay more than $18,000 in restitution in of multiple cases against him.

The 15-year-old Ann Arbor boy's moniker.

In Washtenaw Juvenile Court, Referee Gail Altenburg ordered the 15-year-old Ann Arbor boy, who admitted to painting his SAES moniker in multiple locations in the Ann Arbor area, to pay $18,248.91 in restitution. Restitution for the other cases will remain open and be determined within the next 30 days.

The boy was also sentenced to six months of probation and 80 hours of community service to be completed by Nov. 1. Up to 20 additional hours of community service may be added.

Altenburg is requiring that the boy continue therapy and write a letter of apology to each of the victims after reading the victim statements on file. Letters will be reviewed by a probation officer. SAES will also attend a victim awareness class.

The boy will continue to participate in W-A-Y Washtenaw, a mostly online alternative school.

Prior to sentencing, Altenburg asked the boy if he wanted to say anything. He said that he just wants to move forward with everything.

In June, the 15-year-old admitted to vandalizing 28 different locations in Washtenaw County from November to May and accepted a plea deal, which will erase all but three counts against him if he successfully completes probation and pays restitution.

He pleaded responsible to six charges of malicious destruction of property, six charges of malicious destruction of a building, four charges of malicious destruction of a building, four charges of malicious destruction of personal property, four charges of malicious destruction of a building causing less than $200 in damages and four charges of malicious destruction of property worth between $1,000 and $20,000.

Each charge represents a location in Washtenaw County that was vandalized. Public property as well as multiple restaurants and businesses were targeted by the graffiti tagger.

In a related vandalism case involving the graffiti tagger MOLE, the 16-year-old Pioneer High School student pleaded responsible to 11 charges in June. He will pay more than $13,500 in restitution.

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

The woman hit by a car while crossing Plymouth Road between Traverwood Boulevard and Nixon Road Wednesday remains in critical condition, according to police.

The woman hit by this Chevrolet Cavalier Wednesday remained in critical condition Thursday.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said Thursday the woman is in critical condition at University of Michigan Hospital, where she was taken after being struck by a green Chevrolet Cavalier.

Witnesses said Wednesday the woman was crossing at a pedestrian crosswalk on Plymouth Road east of Traverwood and west of Nixon. The crosswalk has flashing lights that turn on when a pedestrian hits a button on either side of the road to alert drivers someone is going to enter the road.

According to witnesses, the lights were flashing when the woman entered the crosswalk. The driver of the Cavalier did not appear to see the woman when she was crossing the street.

The woman was hit in the crosswalk and ended up lying face down in the median between the eastbound and westbound lanes. The Cavalier stopped about 30 feet east of the crosswalk.

The Cavalier showed heavy damage to the front end and a circular impact point on the windshield where the glass was cracked.

The injured woman appears to be about student age, witnesses said.

Police did not release more information about the crash Thursday. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Any witnesses are encouraged to call police at 734-794-6939.

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

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office responded to two reports of breaking and entering of a vehicle Wednesday.

Deputies received a report of two different vehicles being broken into sometime overnight in the 9500 block of Lakeside Drive in Ypsilanti Township.

A window was broken out to gain entry into the vehicle in both cases. A GPS was stolen along with other miscellaneous items.

In another report, a handgun was stolen from a vehicle in the 10200 block of East Avondale Circle in Superior Township. Entry was gained through an unlocked door sometime between midnight and 3 a.m.

There are no suspects in either of these cases. If you have information regarding these incidents please call the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Confidential Tip line at (734) 973-7711.

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

A new southern-style barbecue restaurant opened Aug. 1 on West Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti Township, according to Concentrate Media.

DJ’s Kitchen and Dining Smokehouse, 1004 West Michigan Ave., serves all of its own sauces, smokes all of its own meat and makes all of its dishes to order, the story said.

The 1,100-square-foot space has a 26-person dining capacity, but owner Justin Allen plans to expand by creating a patio for additional seating and renovating the second floor in the future, Concentrate said.

• Read the full story in Concentrate.

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

Pizza Hut closed in late July.

Chelsea Hoedl I AnnArbor.com

After closing in late July, the Pizza Hut at 2407 Washtenaw Ave., in Ypsilanti Township, has placed a sign on its door directing customers to its location on Carpenter Road.

The large, white Pizza Hut letters have been removed from the roof of the building and the sign by the road is blank. It's not clear what will happen to the building.

The property owner is listed as Atlantic Development Corporation located in Greenfield PK, Quebec, Canada.

The franchise owner and corporate representatives could not be reached for comment.

The Pizza Hut at 3045 Carpenter Road, in Pittsfield Township, will be able to accommodate most of the closed location’s clientele, but delivery will no longer be available east of Lowell Street, according to the Pizza Hut website.

Pizza Hut has more than 37,000 locations worldwide with restaurants in more than 117 countries and territories, according to its website.

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

The Dexter police and fire departments are inviting community members to join them for a Battle of the Badges Blood Drive.

The American Red Cross will host a blood drive between 11 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Saturday at the Dexter Pharmacy, 8059 Main St., in Dexter.

Participants must be 17 years or older or 16 years old with parental consent. In addition, donors must weigh at least 110 pounds. Blood can be donated every 56 days.

Visit the Red Cross website to schedule an appointment. To access the event, enter the sponsor code: Badges.

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