Firefighters said the fire spread from the chimney and caused minor property damage and no significant injuries.
The fire is one of several that have spread from chimneys or stoves in the past couple of weeks, causing damage.
Last Sunday, Ann Arbor firefighters extinguished a fire in a wall above a fireplace. The fire appeared to be caused by the fireplace or firebox, they said. Wood-burning stoves have been blamed for fires in Superior Township and Chelsea recently.
Lt. Michael Grissom said residents with chimneys should make sure they have triple wall flues. He said it was also very important to clean the chimneys at least once a year.
"The best thing to do is that if you're going to have it cleaned, have a reputable company come out to do it," he said.
Grissom said that it's easy for an uninformed person to twist the flue, which could allow a fire to spread from the chimney. He added that hiring a professional company to clean the chimney will mitigate personal liability issues if an insurance claim is filed later.
In addition to this advice, Grissom advised against burning "green wood."
"It needs to sit for about a year to dry," he said.
The University of Michigan's heritage project website.
In honor of the school's upcoming bicentennial, University of Michigan is taking a look back at the tapestry of tradition its students and scholars have woven.
Through a new heritage project website U-M is using images and articles to convey the people and experiences of the last 196 years. U-M will celebrate the school's bicentennial in 2017.
The university has populated the site with 10 feature stories and expects to add between 10 and 12 additional articles each year leading up to the bicentennial celebration.
One of the first stories centers on Ruth Bacon Buchanan, a former receptionist at the Museum of Natural History. During World War II, Buchanan corresponded with more than 2,200 former students and others with U-M ties fighting the war. According to Kim Clarke, project directer, Buchanan wrote nearly 18,000 letters and mailed 21,000 cards.
"We really want to share dramatic and personal stories that make up the Michigan story — one people will come to know and share," Clarke said in a release.
A resident shovels snow in Ann Arbor on Friday, Jan. 25. A snow, sleet and freezing rain mixture Jan. 27 through the night led to the first snow day in 2 years for Washtenaw County students.
A messy mix of overnight snow, sleet and freezing rain gave Ann Arbor-area students their first snow day in two years.
The winter of 2011-12 was the fifth warmest on record in the Ann Arbor area, resulting in no extra days off for students. Washtenaw Intermediate School District Superintendent Scott Menzel said it was the first year in his 10 years as a superintendent that there were no snow days.
More than 400 school closings were reported in southeast Michigan Monday as result of the conglomeration of precipitation that fell Sunday night and early Monday. All of Washtenaw County's school districts closed, as well as most of the private and charter schools.
Road conditions had improved by the time commuters got in their cars for the morning drive. But school districts have to make decisions on whether to close by 5 a.m., officials said.
Ann Arbor Public Schools leaders prefer to make the call by 4:30 a.m. to allow for parents and staff to be notified by 5 a.m., said district spokeswoman Liz Margolis.
Bus drivers report for work around that time and some bus runs start as early as 5:30 a.m., Menzel said.
The process of making the decision to close schools starts much earlier. The districts all vary slightly on their protocols, but most start the process between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., officials said.
The WISD transportation supervisors take the lead. The WISD provides transportation for Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Willow Run schools.
"They're out driving the rural routes and select city routes, too, on nights like last night," Margolis said. "There are predetermined roads that they know there can be issues with. At the district level, we have our facilities people out at the schools starting at about (2 a.m.), too, clearing snow and assessing what the ice situation is."
She said the roads on the west side of the Ann Arbor school district usually are the worst for AAPS.
The remaining districts send their own transportation officials out on the roads.
Margolis said because the district has so many more students walking these days, because of cuts to the transportation budget, the amount of ice on the sidewalks is very important to consider.
The decision to close is collaborative, school officials said. The county superintendents and transportation officials talk to one another frequently in the early hours before making a decision. There have been a number of occasions when some of the districts close and others don't, however, Margolis said.
Even though weather forecasters indicated temperatures were expected to rise to 40 degrees by mid-morning Monday, there is a general practice among county school districts not to close for a partial day, either through a late start or a "two-hour delay," Menzel said.
He said this practice was driven by feedback from parents who said a two-hour delay disrupts their work schedule.
"The preference was to either have students go or not go so (parents) could make definitive decisions," Menzel said, adding that often two-hour delays can turn into full-day closures when weather conditions don't improve as expected.
Barnes & Noble plans to close about 30 percent of its stores over the next decade, CEO Mitchell Klipper told the Wall Street Journal.
File photo | AnnArbor.com
In yet another blow to brick-and-mortar bookstores, Barnes & Noble announced plans this week to shrink its national store count by about 30 percent.
Mitchell Klipper, CEO of Barnes & Noble’s retail group, told the Wall Street Journal that in 10 years, the chain will have 450 to 500 stores, down from its 689 existing bookstores. The company also operates 667 separate college bookstores.
Klipper said the plan would result in about 20 store closures a year for the next decade. Still, he added, it’s “a good business model” for the company.
"You have to adjust your overhead, and get smart with smart systems. Is it what it used to be when you were opening 80 stores a year and dropping stores everywhere? Probably not. It's different. But every business evolves," Klipper told the Wall Street Journal.
According to the Associated Press, Barnes & Noble spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said Klipper’s comments don’t mark a change in the company’s plans. For the past several years, Barnes & Noble has closed about 15 stores per year, she said.
The news comes a year and a half after one of Barnes & Noble’s main competitors, Borders, announced its plans to liquidate. Borders has since shuttered all of its bookstores, including the flagship location in downtown Ann Arbor.
When Borders closed, Barnes & Noble bought Borders’ loyalty list in an attempt to win those customers over. The list included millions of names, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and some purchase information. Barnes & Noble also paid $13.9 million to acquire Borders’ brand name and website.
In December, New York-based Barnes & Noble reported a 10.9 percent decrease in bookstore sales over the holiday season. Sales of the Nook tablet also fell short of the company’s expectations, down 12.6 percent from 2011. Barnes & Noble posted $317 million in earnings in 2012.
It’s unclear which Barnes & Noble stores will be affected by the store closings. There is a store on Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor, and nearby stores in Brighton and Livonia, according to its website.
Following the news, Barnes & Noble’s stock fell 26 cents to $12.90 in midday trading.
As the Michigan student section predicted against Purdue on Thursday, Jan. 24, the Michigan basketball team is No. 1 for the first time in more than 20 years, when AnnArbor.com writer Jenn McKee could have been found in the section.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com file photo
My senior year of college - which was my third year playing trombone in the University of Michigan men's basketball band - was the last time the team was ranked number one in the country.
And boy, do things feel different now. We’ve come a long way, but - for hardcore Wolverine hoop fans deeply stung and disillusioned by the Fab Five/Ed Martin scandal - it feels like it’s taken an awfully long time to get back to this place, too.
Back in 1992, after our five “diaper dandy” freshmen decided to “shock the world” by making it to the NCAA tourney finals (where, admittedly, they got trounced by Bobby Hurley, Christian Laettner and the rest of the Duke Blue Devils), we started the 1992-93 season with a number one ranking and something to prove.
Chris Webber (front) and the Fab Five were no match for Christian Laettner (back) and the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils in the 1992 national championship game, but returned the following season with all five starters and a top ranking.
AnnArbor News file photo
The team gave the media fits, as sportswriters scrambled to decide whether we were an inspiring, anti-establishment Cinderella team, or a bunch of undisciplined, trash-talking, shorts-that-look-like-pants-wearing kids that had talent, but would never be able to close the deal.
We were both, of course.
And because I was a senior at the time, my own feelings and anxieties got wrapped up in the team’s fate. An English major with no clear direction, and a dwindling sense of my own potential, I feared my own looming graduation day; and far from “shocking the world,” I thought I’d instead just be shocking my parents by settling for a minimum-wage job after they’d invested thousands in my top-notch education.
But the on- and off-court swagger of Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson gave me the vicarious thrill of bravado. When they jawed at opponents between plays, and shamelessly showboated on a breakaway, I swooned at their fearlessness and unapologetic ego. At a time when I felt painfully vulnerable and scared most of the time, my team, 40 minutes at a time, made me feel like I could fly.
We had wax wings, of course. We lost the final game of the NCAA tournament yet again - I’ll just say the words “time out” and it will all come painfully rushing back to you - and we lost our biggest star, Webber, to the NBA. Our moment had passed, and we had nothing but some great games and memories to show for it.
A few years later, allegations surfaced about U-M booster Ed Martin giving money to Webber (as well as Louis Bullock, Robert “Tractor” Traylor, and Maurice Taylor); and I was asked to play with a ragtag group of alumni band members at a “We Believe in Steve” rally, where cardboard paddles emblazoned with Steve Fisher’s apple-cheeked face were defiantly held in the air.
After allegations of Michigan booster Ed Martin, pictured above leaving a federal courthouse in Detroit in 2002, giving money to players hit, dark days would follow for the Michigan basketball team and its fans.
Booth Newspapers file photo
Fisher left Ann Arbor shortly thereafter, trailing dark clouds in his wake, and former assistant coach Brian Ellerbe stepped in. And things got worse for Michigan basketball.
In the fall of 2002, the NCAA’s sanctions hit the program and fans hard, but with this hitting-rock-bottom moment came a single glimpse of silver lining: Maybe now we could gradually put the scandal behind us and build a team we’re proud of again.
Tommy Amaker had the unenviable task of seeing us through that period, when recruiting was an impossible task. He did so with impeccable class and dignity - exactly what we all needed. And there were flashes of fun Michigan basketball moments along the way.
But when the NIT seemed to be all we could hope for, John Beilein was brought on board in 2007. Of the hires from West Virginia that year, football coach Rich Rodriguez got the lion’s share of ink. Beilein, though, was the quiet, unfussy hero who would finally bring Michigan basketball back to number one.
Now I’m 20 years past my Fab Five fan days. I’m almost 10 years married (to a man who played trombone a few chairs away from me in the basketball band), and have two young daughters. We don’t get to many games at Crisler, but we record every one, to watch them after the kids are in bed.
We watched Beilein’s inevitably rough first season, then thrilled to see him, after just one year, not only bring the team back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years, but win its first-round game.
John Beilein (far right) Trey Burke (3) Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) have given Wolverines fans much to cheer about, as has Nik Stauskas (11) of late.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo
And more recently, the play of Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr. regularly inspires my husband and I to yell and pump our fists and jump up and down in our living room, as if we were those 20-year-old versions of ourselves again, standing in the band section of Crisler (when the back-row trumpets weren’t constantly chiding us to sit down, that is).
The electricity that made the Fab Five era so exciting is finally back in Crisler, thanks to Beilein’s brilliant coaching and recruiting, and to the young players he's convinced to come to Michigan, in hopes of bringing the program back to where it should be.
Yes, we’ll likely lose this number one ranking during the course of the brutal Big Ten season. But I’m really, really enjoying it for now. Strangely, when I was in college, the team's number one ranking felt like something we were entitled to. Now, it feels like an unexpected bit of grace. We get to feel like we’re flying again.
But this time, it feels more like we’re riding a phoenix instead of catching a ride with Icarus.
Here’s hoping, anyway.
Jenn McKee is a digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.
The Arlington Square PNC Bank at Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Parkway in Ann Arbor.
Daniel Brenner I AnnArbor.com
The Arlington Square PNC Bank branch, located at Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Parkway in Ann Arbor, will close effective April 19. The branch will be combined into the Huron Parkway branch on Plymouth Road.
The closing marks the second bank branch to go out of business on Washtenaw Avenue between Huron Parkway and US-23 in one year. Bank of Ann Arbor closed its branch and drive-through location on Washtenaw at Pittsfield Boulevard in May 2012.
In a notice sent to branch customers, Mike Bickers, executive vice president and market manager, tells customers that the closing is a result of constant studying of “the effectiveness of our branches based on the physical capacity and the number of customers frequenting each location.”
PNC spokeswoman Amy Vargo said the consolidation of branches is “not unusual” throughout the PNC network.
“We are always looking at our branch network to make sure we’re serving customer needs and doing that in a cost efficient way,” she said.
“Customers are using branches in a very different way today. They’re using other ways of reaching the bank, such as online and mobile banking much more, as well as our advanced ATMs.”
PNC will not be leaving an ATM at the Arlington Square location, Vargo said, due to a high density of PNC Bank ATMs in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
With the closing, there will be 5 PNC branches in Ann Arbor and one just west of the city on Jackson Road in Scio township. The remaining branches include the Huron Parkway branch, branches downtown on Main Street and South University, a branch on Maple Road in the Maple Village shopping center, abranch on Eisenhower Parkway between State Street and Main Street and the Scio Township branch on Jackson Avenue near I-94.
There are also branches in Saline, Dexter and Ypsilanti Township.
PNC came to Washtenaw County in 2010 as part of their acquisition of National City Bank in 2008.
Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Reach out to Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2
The Eastern Echo reports on a new, three-episode competition TV show being produced at Eastern Michigan University that will focus on the arts.
"Clash of the Creators" will be based on a judging format like "Project Runway" and similar shows. Each episode will focus on a different area of the arts, the Echo reports.
A water main broke Monday afternoon on Hampshire Road at the intersection of Towner Boulevard, according to Lisa Wondrash, a spokesperson for the city.
Wondrash said the city is encouraging commuters to use alternate routes, since lanes will be restricted while city crews work on repairs.
No homes or businesses are without water, but Wondrash said certain streets may be affected later this evening, including: Chesterfield, Hampshire, Radcliff, Cranbrook, Towner, Cumberland, Beacon Hill, and Canterbury.
The city does not have an estimated time the repairs will be complete.
Pauline Olga Emerson Burton's last wish, to donate about $120,000 to the University of Michigan is finally being fulfilled, almost five decades after her death, the Toledo Blade reported.
Burton died in 1965 and left a will giving the bulk of her estate to U-M. However, this wish was overlooked for decades until recently when the vice president of Fifth Third Private Bank Trust Department, Marsha Manahan, began investigating the bank statements and discovered Burton's forgotten last wishes.
Burton made specific requests that part of the donation be made to the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and for student scholarships in Latin.
Heavy rains in the forecast have prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for part of southeast Michigan, including Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.
The watch takes effect Tuesday evening and runs through Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters expect heavy rains Tuesday night, the advisory said. Snowmelt will add .5 to .75 inch to the rainfall total of more than 1 inch.
The flooding risk likely will be compounded by frozen ground, which will prevent the ground from absorbing the water, the weather service said.
A couple of days of warm and soggy weather are on tap before colder weather moves in again Wednesday night.
Widespread fog is expected Monday night, and showers are likely after 3 a.m. Tuesday, forecasters said.
Showers are also expected Tuesday, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 p.m. A high near 57 is expected. New rainfall of up to a quarter of an inch is expected, although more is possible if thunderstorms develop.
The heavy rain sets in Tuesday night, when the flood watch takes effect. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain are expected.
Rain and snow showers are likely Wednesday, mainly before 1 p.m. Some thunder is also possible. The high will be near 49. It will be windy, with a west-southwest wind 18 to 23 mph increasing to 24 to 29 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch is possible.
Snow showers are possible Wednesday night with a low around 20. Thursday, the chance of snow showers continues. It will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 22. Expect a cold night Thursday, with a low around 12 degrees.
Residents are advised to monitor forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should prepare to take action should flooding develop.
For updated forecasts and conditions anytime, check AnnArbor.com's weather page.
Former Michigan running back Leroy Hoard, pictured above during the 1989 Rose Bowl, recently shared talked with ESPN about the physical and emotional toll his football career has taken on him.
Ann Arbor News file photo
Ex-Michigan fullback Leroy Hoard was a bruising runner when he played for the Wolverines from 1987-89 and during his 10-year NFL career. But after all those years of abusing would-be tacklers, now it's Hoard who is feeing the pain from all of those hits.
Hoard recently told ESPN about the physical and mental toll the game has played on him on the Sunday morning show "Outside the Lines." One of the ailments Hoard suffers is memory lose, so he keeps a notepad handy to write down things he fears he may forget.
Hoard battles emotional demons as well, and to combat his struggles, writes the names of former NFL players Junior Seau, Andre Waters and Dave Duerson on the inside of every one of his notebooks. All three former players suffered brain trauma during their NFL careers from repeated blows to the head and all three committed suicide by shooting themselves.
"I don't know why I wasn't one of them. I worry all the time, like, 'how close was I to that?'" Hoard told Outside the Lines.
Police are investigating reports that someone has left homemade dog treats of meat and fish spiked with sharp metal objects in a Canton subdivision, the Observer & Eccentric reported.
Anastasia Bremmer told the newspaper her two dogs had surgery at the Humane Society of Huron Valley in Washtenaw County to remove needles they swallowed eating food they found on the ground.
Canton police said the incidents in the Central Park South neighborhood near Geddes and Beck roads could lead to criminal animal cruelty charges.
Six-year-old Faith Falzon spends hours each day doing gymnastics around her Dexter home. She’ll put on a leotard, and with her stepfather acting as announcer, do handstands and cartwheels around the carpet and jumps from the furniture.
Some days, she’ll spend three or four hours in a leotard. But now, she says, she’ll be spending “20 times more” time jumping around the house, thanks to the generosity of some local teenagers,
Falzon has a rare intestinal disease, Hyperganglionosis, that gives her stomach pain, trouble eating, using the bathroom and absorbing nutrients. She’s been in and out of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital her whole life, often staying there for extended stretches.
She loves gymnastics, but her condition doesn't allow her to take group classes regularly at the gym. So a group of gymnasts from Gym America in Ann Arbor held a fundraiser and bought Falzon gym equipment for her home.
They presented that equipment to her Monday afternoon as a surprise.
When the group of a dozen gymnasts lifted a parachute and revealed a new balance beam, bar, floor mat and wedge mat, Falzon looked in disbelief. A few seconds later, she was walking across the bar to a grand applause.
“They’re great,” her father, Brian Falzon, said. “Thanks to the gymnastics, she’s gotten to know all the girls. It was very nice of them to do that for her.”
Faith Falzon took up an interest in gymnastics last year, one that was piqued watching Team USA win gold at the Olympics in London.
She soon found a group of girls at her school, Light of the World Academy in Pinckney, that took gymnastics classes. But when she asked her mom if she could join, the answer was no. The group setting was too hazardous for Falzon, who is susceptitle to disease.
Falzon would watch the girls practice gymnastics on the playground, wishing to join in.
“All of the girls there were in gymnastics, and she would just sit on the side and look sad,” her mother, Mary Ann Bell, said.
One day 15-year-old Amelia Moorehouse was visiting her mother -- Kathy Moorehouse who works at Light of the World -- and saw Falzon sadly watching her classmates. Moorehouse, a gymnast herself, decided to find a way to teach Falzon the sport. She approached Bell and offered to teach Falzon basic gymnastics in a one-on-one setting that her immune system could handle.
“She was so interested in it and it broke my heart that she wasn’t able to do a class, and I wanted her to be able to experience what it’s like for a gymnast to get a new skill,” Moorehouse said.
Soon, the two were working out at Falzon’s school in Pinckney, learning handstands and cartwheels. They hit it off quickly.
“She’s just really fun and I like her a lot,” Falzon said of Moorehouse.
Amelia Moorehouse, center, holds Faith Falzon after the Gym America gymnasts surprised Falzon with her own gym equipment.
Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com
The best part, Moorehouse said, is seeing Falzon complete something new and get “that twinkle in her eye.” Then comes the inevitable hug.
“She’s an Olympic hugger,” Moorehouse said.
After working with Falzon, Moorehouse would go to her own gymnastics class and talk about her new pupil. Her fellow gymnasts got interested, and soon they invited Falzon to Gym America.
Falzon loved it, and left with a foam cube that she’s since been sleeping with.
“She says this is her happy," Bell said. "It’s what she looks forward to doing. She loves doing gymnastics.”
Looking for a way to help her, the gymnasts held a flip-a-thon last month -- soliciting pledges for each flip performed in a 15-minute span. In the end, they raised $700.
The gym’s owner, Claudia Kretschmer, spoke to a supplier and was able to get the equipment at cost.
That equipment was in the middle of the gym floor Monday afternoon, with a smiling Falzon near it.
Soon, it will be back in her Dexter home, where the gymnastics routine will kick into a new gear.
“The house has been a mini gymnasium, so with the new stuff I can’t imagine what it’s going to be turned into,” her stepfather, Dennis Fithian, said.
Faith at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital:
Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.
Huron's Micah Robinson goes up for a shot against Pioneer earlier this season.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
League title races in the Southeastern Conference and beyond are starting to get interesting.
Pioneer’s Friday night boys basketball loss at Temperance Bedford put the Pioneers a game out of first place in the SEC Red standings, and tied with Huron for second place. On the SEC White side, Ypsilanti holds a one-and-a-half game lead over Dexter.
In the SEC girls standings, Temperance Bedford and Huron continue to stay locked in a tie for first place at 5-1 overall. The two teams meet Friday, with the game’s winner earning the inside track toward the league title with four league games after that. Huron won the season’s first matchup.
The Dexter girls hold a one-game lead over Chelsea in the SEC White. The two rivals face off Feb. 8 at Dexter, after the Dreadnaughts won the first game.
Elsewhere, the Manchester girls have moved to 8-0 and remain alone in first place in the Cascades Conference, while the Milan boys are now 5-0 and, by virtue of their Friday night win over Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, alone in first place in the Huron League.
The Greenhills boys are also unbeaten in the MIAC Blue, while the Rudolf Steiner boys and girls are both undefeated in the Mid-South.
Boys Standings
SEC RED
Lg.
Overall
SEC WHITE
Lg.
Overall
Bedford
4-0
8-1
Ypsilanti
4-0
8-2
Pioneer
3-1
8-3
Dexter
2-1
5-5
Huron
3-1
5-4
Lincoln
2-2
5-6
Skyline
1-2
4-6
Tecumseh
1-3
4-6
Saline
1-3
7-4
Adrian
1-3
4-7
Monroe
0-4
4-7
Chelsea
1-3
2-8
Girls Standings
SEC RED
Lg.
Overall
SEC WHITE
Lg.
Overall
Bedford
5-1
10-3
Dexter
6-0
12-1
Huron
5-1
7-4
Chelsea
5-1
8-4
Saline
3-3
7-6
Lincoln
4-2
10-3
Pioneer
2-4
7-5
Tecumseh
3-3
4-6
Monroe
1-4
4-8
Ypsilanti
2-4
7-5
Skyline
0-6
5-8
Adrian
0-6
1-10
Manchester up to No. 4 in AP rankings
Both schools went 2-0 on the week, but somehow the Manchester girls managed to catch Concord and move into a tie for fourth place this week, marking their highest spot of the season in the Associated Press girls basketball rankings.
The Dutch, in Class C are one of three girls teams to appear in this week's rankings. Dexter received four votes in Class A, after receiving one last week, while Arbor Prep received 21 votes in Class C, same as last week (although the Gators are now three spots out of the top ten instead of two.
Ypsilanti continues to be the only area boys team to appear in the poll, receiving two votes in Class A.
Associated Press girls basketball rankings
CLASS A School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Detroit King (3) (13-0) 73
2. Grand Haven (1) (12-0) 68
3. Grosse Pointe South (1) (12-1) 67
4. East Lansing (11-1) 60
5. Westland John Glenn (12-1) 56
6. Midland Dow (14-0) 48
7. Clarkston (11-1) 42
8. Macomb Dakota (11-2) 38
9. Southfield Lathrup (11-2) 24
10. Inkster (9-0) 22 Others receiving votes: Grand Ledge 21, Brownstown Woodhaven 16, Bloomfield Hills Marian 13, Novi 12, Utica Ford 11, Waterford Kettering 11, DeWitt 8, Dexter 4, Walled Lake Western 4, Farmington Hills Harrison 1, Mattawan 1.
CLASS B School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Goodrich (5) (12-1) 75
2. Flat Rock (13-0) 67
3. Freeland (11-1) 63
4. Detroit Country Day (10-2) 61
5. Eaton Rapids (12-2) 54
6. Hamilton (11-1) 48
6. Ludington (11-1) 48
8. Grand Rapids South Christian (11-1) 38
9. Portland (11-2) 37
10. Midland Bullock Creek (10-2) 22 Others receiving votes: Dearborn Divine Child 20, Clare 16, Haslett 9, Olivet 7, Big Rapids 6, Battle Creek Harper Creek 6, Benton Harbor 6, Flint Powers 4, Wayland 4, Livonia Ladywood 3, Kalkaska 2, Grand Rapids Catholic Central 2, Williamston 1, Shepherd 1.
CLASS C School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Reese (4) (13-0) 74
2. Niles Brandywine (1) (12-0) 67
3. Saginaw Nouvel (11-1) 60 4. Manchester (12-1) 47
4. Concord (12-1) 47
6. Leroy Pine River (11-1) 40
7. Kent City (12-1) 39
8. Houghton (12-1) 37
9. Saginaw Valley Lutheran (12-2) 33
10. Flint Hamady (12-1) 27 Others receiving votes: Watervliet 26, Traverse City St. Francis 25, Ypsilanti Arbor Preparatory 21, Johannesburg-Lewiston 12, Shelby 11, Burton Bendle 10, Marlette 7, Adrian Madison 4, Carson City-Crystal 3, Gobles 3, Hemlock 3, Pewamo-Westphalia 2, Lincoln-Alcona 1, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary 1.
CLASS D School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. St. Ignace LaSalle (5) (13-0) 75
2. Crystal Falls Forest Park (13-0) 69
3. Lansing Christian (13-0) 66
4. Eben Junction Superior Central (14-0) 59
5. Portland St. Patrick (12-1) 52
5. Waterford Our Lady (10-2) 52
7. Mendon (12-1) 43
8. Posen (15-0) 42
9. DeTour (10-1) 22
10. Marine City Cardinal Mooney (8-4) 20 Others receiving votes: Gaylord St. Mary 17, Birmingham Roeper 15, Fruitport Calvary Christian 12, Bark River-Harris 10, Manistee Catholic Central 8, Hillsdale Academy 7, Powers North Central 7, Athens 6, Ontonagon 6, Carney-Nadeau 4, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic 4, Big Rapids Crossroads Charter Academy 2, Pickford 1, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart 1.
Associated Press boys basketball rankings
CLASS A School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Detroit Pershing (5) (14-0) 75
2. Romulus (9-1) 69
3. Saginaw Arthur Hill (12-0) 66
4. East Kentwood (12-0) 60
5. Detroit U-D Jesuit (10-2) 51
6. Saginaw (13-1) 49
7. Detroit Cass Tech (12-1) 48
8. Detroit Southeastern (11-3) 39
9. Zeeland East (11-1) 31
10. Grand Blanc (11-0) 30 Others receiving votes: Temperance Bedford 21, Holt 13, Macomb L'Anse Creuse North 12, Rochester Adams 11, Lansing Waverly 6, Harrison Township L'Anse Creuse 6, Clarkston 4, Fenton 3, Warren De La Salle 2, Ypsilanti 2, DeWitt 1, Okemos 1.
CLASS B School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Detroit Country Day (4) (9-2) 65
1. Wyoming Godwin Heights (10-1) 65
3. Dowagiac Union (10-1) 59
4. Stevensville Lakeshore (11-0) 55
5. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy (9-3) 53
6. Otsego (9-1) 49
7. Dearborn Heights Robichaud (6-2) 39
8. Jackson Lumen Christi (9-1) 38
9. Big Rapids (1) (11-0) 35
10. Detroit Douglass (7-1) 24 Others receiving votes: Frankenmuth 23, Lansing Sexton 19, Hudsonville Unity Christian 14, Comstock Park 13, Warren Fitzgerald 11, Yale 10, Cadillac 10, Lansing Catholic 6, Trenton 3, Spring Lake 3, Flint Southwestern Classical Academy 2, Portland 1, South Haven 1, Corunna 1, Bridgeport 1.
CLASS C School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Flint Beecher (5) (12-1) 75
2. Grandville Calvin Christian (11-1) 65
3. Traverse City St. Francis (11-0) 60
4. Melvindale Academy for Business And Tech (7-0) 46
5. Detroit Consortium (8-2) 42
6. Detroit Loyola (10-2) 37
7. Negaunee (10-1) 36
8. Harbor Beach (11-0) 34
9. Mount Clemens (9-1) 32
10. Flint Hamady (13-0) 28 Others receiving votes: Leroy Pine River 27, New Haven 23, Pewamo-Westphalia 23, Muskegon Heights Muskegon Hghts Public Sch Academy System 19, Montague 17, Ithaca 10, Pontiac Academy for Excellence 8, Adrian Madison 7, Hanover-Horton 5, Sanford-Meridian 4, Schoolcraft 1, McBain 1.
CLASS D School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (4) (11-1) 74
2. Climax-Scotts (1) (12-0) 71
3. Cedarville (11-1) 62
4. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (10-2) 56
5. Southfield Christian (8-4) 55
6. Frankfort-Elberta (10-0) 53
7. Bellaire (8-0) 45
8. Mio Au Sable (11-0) 39
9. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (11-1) 36
10. Brimley (10-2) 24 Others receiving votes: Middleton Fulton 18, Mendon 14, Carney-Nadeau 13, Munising 9, Canton Plymouth Christian Academy 7, Lake Linden-Hubbell 7, Crystal Falls Forest Park 5, Eau Claire 3, Ewen-Trout Creek 3, DeTour 2, Rock Mid Peninsula 2, Bessemer 2.
Tuesday night basketball schedule
Boys Basketball
Adrian at Chelsea, 7 p.m.
Arbor Prep at Taylor Baptist Park, 7 p.m.
Calvary Christian Academy at Lutheran Westland, 7:30 p.m.
Dexter at Lincoln, 7 p.m.
Father Gabriel Richard at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 7 p.m.
Grass Lake at Manchester, 7 p.m.
Huron at Monroe, 7 p.m.
Milan at Monroe Jefferson, 7 p.m.
Pioneer at Skyline, 7 p.m.
Temperance Bedford at Saline, 7 p.m.
Westland Huron Valley Lutheran at Greenhills, 7 p.m.
Washtenaw Christian at Rudolf Steiner, 7:30 p.m.
Whitmore Lake at Adrian Lenawee Christian, 7 p.m.
Ypsilanti at Tecumseh, 7 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Chelsea at Adrian, 7 p.m.
Greenhills at Westland Huron Valley Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Lincoln at Dexter, 7 p.m.
Manchester at Whitmore Lake, 7 p.m.
Monroe at Huron, 7 p.m.
Pontiac Notre Dame Prep at Father Gabriel Richard, 7:30 p.m.
Rudolf Steiner at Saline Washtenaw Christian, 6:30 p.m.
Saline at Temperance Bedford, 7 p.m.
Skyline at Pioneer, 7 p.m.
Tecumseh at Ypsilanti, 7 p.m.
Wyandotte Roosevelt at Arbor Prep, 7 p.m.
Willow Run at Hamtramck, 5:30 p.m.
Game of the Week
Next Tuesday's Huron vs. Dexter girls basketball game currently has a slight lead in the AnnArbor.com Game of the Week voting. The poll is open until Saturday at noon and you can vote once per hour until then.
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Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.
The city of Ann Arbor receives a new audit report each year — a lengthy document that provides an in-depth look at city hall's finances and how it performed the year before.
The latest audit shows the city's general fund, which pays for basic services like police and fire protection, had a $1.6 million surplus for the fiscal year ending June, 30, 2012.
That left the general fund with unassigned cash reserves equal to 19 percent of the total general fund budget, which is considered healthy.
The audit shows the city took in $192.1 million in revenue from governmental and business-type activities, while it spent $155.3 million, leaving positive balances in all major categories.
Revenues included $83.3 million in charges for services, $76.5 million in property taxes, $13.2 million in operating grants, $1.6 million in capital grants, $9.7 million in state-shared revenue and grants, $3.8 million in investment income and $3.9 million in other revenue, including the $3.2 million property sale.
Spending cuts
Overall spending decreased by $5.1 million or 3.2 percent.
Public safety costs dropped 3.3 percent to $40.6 million. Public works costs dropped 2.8 percent to $19.9 million. Community and economic development costs dropped 22 percent to $2.9 million.
Solid waste costs dropped 15.7 percent to $11.6 million. Airport costs dropped 23.6 percent to $568,629. Golf course costs dropped 5.8 percent to $1.6 million.
Water costs dropped 2 percent to $17 million. Public transportation costs dropped 4.8 percent to $8.9 million. Debt service costs dropped 2.3 percent to $5.1 million.
Spending increases
Stormwater costs went up 9.9 percent to $4.3 million. Sewer costs went up 0.9 percent to $14.6 million. Culture and recreation costs went up 1.4 percent to $10.1 million.
General government costs went up 3 percent to $15.2 million.
Bond debt drops
The city's total bonded debt decreased by $2.3 million or about 1 percent, going from $242.3 million to $240 million.
Of the total outstanding bonded debt, $118.6 million is backed by the full faith and credit of the city. The remainder of the city's debt represents bonds secured solely by specified revenue sources such as revenue bonds and revolving loans.
State law limits the amount of the general obligation debt a governmental entity can issue to 10 percent of its total assessed valuation. The current debt limit for the city is $526.8 million, which is significantly in excess of the city's outstanding general obligation debt.
Longterm liabilities
As of June 30, 2012, the city's pension plan was 82.7 percent funded (compared to 88 percent the year before). The liability for benefits was $496.8 million ($481.3 million the year before) and the value of assets was $410.7 million ($423.7 million the year before), resulting in an unfunded liability of $86.1 million ($57.6 million the year before).
The city's annual required contribution for the pension plan was $9.4 million and the city's actual contribution was $10.5 million (111 percent). Employees contribute 5 percent or 6 percent of their annual pay depending on the employee group. The city's required contribution was $7.6 million in 2010 and $8.7 million in 2011, and the city contributed 100 percent both of those years.
As of June 30, 2012, the retiree health care plan was 35.1 percent funded (compared to 34 percent the year before). The liability for benefits was $249.8 million and the value of assets was $87.7 million, resulting in an unfunded liability of $162.2 million.
The city contributed $11.1 million to the retiree health care plan, including $8.9 million for current premiums (56 percent of total health care premiums) and $2.2 million to pre-fund benefits.
The annual payroll of active employees covered by the city's pension and retiree health care plans was $44 million.
Other highlights
The city's net assets increased by $36.8 million primarily due to increases in capital assets.
City of Ann Arbor
Charges for services increased roughly 5 percent largely due to an increased volume of fire inspections, building permits and hydropower services, as well as new fees for enhancements to the Argo Liveries.
The city's assets exceed liabilities by more than $1 billion. Of that amount, $867.8 million is invested in capital assets, $88.5 million is restricted for specific purposes, and $73.5 million is unrestricted.
The unrestricted balance includes $23.9 million in governmental activities and $49.5 million in business-type activities.
The general fund has a $14.1 million unassigned fund balance.
The street repair fund balance ($25 million) decreased by $4.2 million due to planned use of fund balance for construction projects, including funds set aside for the Stadium bridges project that were repurposed after state and federal grant funding was received.
Unrestricted net assets of the water, sewer, stormwater, parking system, market, golf courses, solid waste and airport at the end of the year amounted to $49.5 million. All funds had an increase in net assets for the year totaling $16.6 million.
The city's investments included $89.1 million in U.S. treasuries, $83.3 million in U.S. agencies and $11.9 million in money market accounts for a total of $184.2 million.
A look a the city's bonded debt as reported in the latest audit.
City of Ann Arbor
A chart from the audit showing a history of tax collections in Ann Arbor.
City of Ann Arbor
An indication of the city's tax base showing property wealthy in Ann Arbor.
City of Ann Arbor
Notes from the auditor
As part of its audit of the city's finances, the Rehmann accounting firm noted the following concerns about the city's internal controls and recommended they be addressed.
Instances where an employee's time input did not bear evidence of direct supervisor review and approval as required by the city's policies and procedures.
Three instances ranging in dollar amount from $3,000 to $44,000 where a family member of a city employee had a contract with the city to provide goods or services.
Other recommendations from auditor
The city should review its internal audit procedure and determine if it would be more effective if the internal auditor reported directly to the audit committee instead of the chief financial officer.
The city should consider enhancing information technology controls for four reasons: Passwords are not required to be changed at regular intervals. The city does not have a disaster recovery plan. A backup and data retention policy does not exist and backups are not tested. And employees are not required to lock computer screens when leaving their work stations.
Cars drive over potholes on Ann Arbor-Saline Road at the Interstate 94 overpass Monday afternoon in Ann Arbor. The roadway was slated to be resurfaced this year, but the funding fell short.
Resurfacing of Ann Arbor-Saline Road over Interstate 94 at the edge of Ann Arbor has been pushed back to 2014 after the Michigan Department of Transportation could not find the funding to make the project happen this year.
The project has been in the planning process since 2011 and is a partnership between MDOT, the Washtenaw County Road Commission and the city of Ann Arbor.
A year ago, the project won a $372,960 grant through the state’s Transportation Economic Development Fund. At that time the plan was to begin construction in May 2013.
However, MDOT couldn’t find the $200,000 to $300,000 in its 2013 budget to fund its portion of the $1 million project, said Roy Townsend, director of the WCRC.
Kari Arend, spokeswoman for MDOT, confirmed that the resurfacing project is on MDOT’s 2014 schedule.
The heavily-traveled roadway serves just as its name implies -- as a main connector in a commercialized corridor between Saline and Ann Arbor. It's also riddled with potholes.
The resurfacing will be paid for by the city, the road commission and MDOT in three separate pieces according to ownership.
The state owns the overpass, the city owns the roadway north of the bridge and Pittsfield Township owns the roadway south of the bridge.
The city and road commission are responsible for approximately $700,000 of the project, Townsend said. With the grant money, both are left with a $327,000 bill to split.
Each of the three entities in the partnership has to find funding and secure permits for the project they have ownership over. The road commission will be coordinating all of the funding and managing the project so that one contractor will be hiring for the work.
MDOT is considering incorporating bike lanes and sidewalks into the overpass, Townsend said.
On the bright side, Townsend said the delay means people traveling to and from Saline will not have to deal with two major construction projects this summer, as construction of a roundabout at State and Ellsworth roads will begin in June.
AnnArbor.com photographer Melanie Maxwell took her camera to the street Monday to see the potholes up close and personal.
In this video clip, she drove south on Ann Arbor-Saline Road across the overpass in the left lane. Let us know what you think of the road's condition in the comments.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
"I am excited to get to work setting the spending priorities for our state and all Michiganders," said Zemke, who will serve on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
Gretchen Driskell at a campaign event last year.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
In that capacity, Zemke will be a member of the Department of Education subcommittee and will be the Democratic vice chairman of the Joint Capital Outlay and Community Colleges subcommittees.
"I believe that the state's budget is a reflection of our priorities, and I am proud to assume a leadership position for these important subcommittees," he said.
Driskell, formerly Saline's mayor, will be serving on the Commerce Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee during her first term. She said she's excited to have the opportunity to work on transportation issues and, like Gov. Rick Snyder, wants to see funding increased.
"I have worked locally for many years on our transportation systems, and I am very concerned about the lack of revenue supporting our transportation infrastructure," she said. "Our ability to maintain our roads affects school bus routes and public safety."
Driskell believes her experience as Saline's mayor also will serve her well on the Commerce Committee. For 14 years, she said, she worked to create a pro-business climate and attract jobs to the city, and she looks forward to using her experience on a broader scale.
"Too many Michiganders are still looking for work, and many small businesses are struggling," she said. "Working on the Commerce Committee, I will focus on creating more and better jobs, including those generated by locally owned businesses in my district."
Adam Zemke
Noting that Washtenaw County is home to the University of Michigan, Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, Zemke said he's particularly excited to be a member of two education-related subcommittees.
In addition to supporting K-12 schools and higher education, he said he's eager to work on the budget for early childhood education.
"Education is our No. 1 form of economic development, and increasing access to early childhood education offers the greatest return on our investment in a brighter future," he said.
Washtenaw County's two returning state representatives have mixed opinions about their assignments heading into their second terms.
Rep. David Rutledge, D-Superior Township, will serve on the Local Government Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, while Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, will serve on the new Financial Liability Reform Committee and the Judiciary Committee.
Irwin, who's known for being a thorn in the side of the Republican leadership, complained he didn't get the committee assignments he hoped for last week.
He wanted to be on the Election and Ethics Committee and on the Energy and Technology Committee. Instead, he's on two committees that meet at the exact same time each week.
"I'll be using my staff on those mornings to help me know which committee I have to run to and when," Irwin said of how he'll handle the situation. "Obviously, I'll be running back and forth quite a bit, because I am very active with amendments in committee."
David Rutledge
Rutledge has been appointed minority vice chairman of the Local Government Committee where he plans to push legislation that will make it easier for local units of government to consolidate or share services. He also wants to restore previously cut revenue sharing dollars and strengthen public safety.
While he has been removed from the Education Committee, Rutledge vowed that his work for quality in community governed schools will not diminish. He said he will continue to be a vocal advocate for removing the "profit motive" from the state's K-12 education system.
As for his appointment to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rutledge said he's passionate about helping to find equitable ways of investing in Michigan's roads and bridges.
"For too long, our disinvestment has allow this important asset to threaten our quality of life," he said. "My work on the Transportation Committee will be focused on reversing this trend."
A jury trial is expected in late spring in the lawsuit alleging an Eberwhite Elementary School student was sexually assaulted by classmates twice in the 2010-11 school year.
Chris Asadian | AnnArborcom
According to court documents filed in the United State District Court Eastern District of Michigan earlier this month, a jury trial will come in May or June of this year. All discovery in the case must be filed by March 1 and the final pretrial hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. May 21.
The lawsuit alleges the then-7-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and bullied in October 2010 and March 2011. The girl and the boys who allegedly bullied and assaulted her were all special education students in the same class.
According to court documents, the girl went to the bathroom on March 22, 2011 and a classmate somehow got into the restroom with her. The boy allegedly pulled her off the toilet, kissed her, undressed himself and the girl and attempted to engage in oral sex.
There were four adults assigned to the special education classroom at the time of the alleged assault, but only one student teacher was present. The student teacher noticed the two students were missing, eventually telling them to come out of the bathroom.
Documents showed the boy came out first, pulling up his pants and fastening his belt while the girl remained seated on the toilet. The students were taken to the office and the regular teacher was called in from a meeting to talk to them.
After speaking with the students, the teacher called interim principal Judy Copes and left a voicemail. The next day, Copes met with the girl’s mother and told her about the incident. According to the lawsuit, the mother took her daughter to the hospital and hospital personnel notified police of the alleged assault.
The girl told police the boy and another boy bulled her during the school year. She said they sexually assaulted her and another girl while they changed into their Halloween costumes earlier in the school year. The same boy attempted to engage the girl in oral sex, while the other boy attempted to take the other girl’s clothes off, according to court document.
The lawsuit alleges the students’ teacher did not ask questions about why the boys were in the bathroom with the girls. It's also alleged Copes asked the girl's mother to not tell police about the assault.
Due to the boys’ special education status, they only received a two-day suspension from Eberwhite, documents stated.
The lawsuit alleges violations of the American Disability Act, the Persons with Disability Civil Rights Act, section 504 of the Rehabilitative Act, the 14th Amendment and Title IX. The girl’s family is seeking $75,000, in addition to costs and attorney fees.
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 owners of Grizzly Peak are opening a German bar, called the Old German, in the basement of the downtown Ann Arbor brewpub.
Ann Arbor District Library archives
It has been 18 years since the Old German closed, but Jon Carlson still has fond memories of the long-time downtown Ann Arbor restaurant.
“I would come in for lunch where there was a lunch counter, and you could sit alone and not feel uncomfortable. I would be here twice a week or three times a week,” he said.
Carlson and one of his business partners, Chet Czaplicka, replaced the Old German at 120 W. Washington St. with Grizzly Peak Brewing Company in 1995.
“(Bud Metzger) and I shook hands. I was only 24-years-old and it was my first real business deal,” Carlson recalled. “(Bud) gave us the price of the building and the business and we didn’t negotiate. It was fair.”
Years later, Carlson and his partners have plans to bring the Old German back to life — potato salad and all.
Construction is under way on the vacant 2,000-square-foot basement below Grizzly Peak, which will be transformed into a German bar — called the Old German — with a limited food menu.
The exterior of Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, located on West Washington Street in downtown Ann Arbor.
File photo
“The (Old German) recipe book is one of the things we saved,” Carlson said. “We’re not bringing back the full menu, but we’ll bring back their potato salad and German sausages and some pretzels. It’s going to be more of a limited menu.”
The Old German first opened downtown in 1928, according to an Ann Arbor Observer article from 1995. Bud’s father, Fritz Metzger, purchased the Old German in 1946 — years after his brother opened a similar German restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor called Metzger’s, which is now located on Zeeb Road. In 1975, a fire destroyed the Old German and it was rebuilt before closing in 1995.
During the next few months, Carlson plans to double the brewing capacity at Grizzly Peak, and the lobby will be reconfigured so that the Old German has a direct entrance. He’s also bringing back a version of the Old German’s wrought iron sign. He hopes to open the bar in March or April.
“It will have more of a bar and lounge feel downstairs that focuses more on our beer,” Carlson said. “Grizzly Peak is more American beer culture, but downstairs will be a German one.”
“It’s going to have heavy cedar timbers and a big, heavy bar with some of the craziest, funkiest lights from the 1960s from Eastern Europe and a jukebox,” he continued.
Although the new concept draws inspiration from the original Old German, Carlson wants customers to know it won’t be exactly the same.
One of the bar areas at Grizzly Peak in downtown Ann Arbor.
File photo
“We can’t bring back what the Metzger family created and we would never try to do that,” he said. “They spent their entire lives creating this place and we could never do justice to that. What we’re trying to do is put a new spin on it and bring it back almost as an homage to the Old German and to Bud Metzger, who I knew quite well.”
Carlson hopes to open a bar that Bud, who died years ago, would be proud of and support.
“I think he’d like to know that something he worked so hard on still means a lot to Ann Arborites and is coming back in a different form,” he said.
The basement bar is a model Carlson and his partners know well: they launched two basement concepts in 2012, with the opening of mash below Blue Tractor and the new Cafe Habana underneath Lena.
“We’ve learned that the concepts can’t be mutually exclusive,” Carlson said. “If we have (restaurants) in one location, they need to tie in.”
Carlson and his business partner at 2mission, Greg Lobdell, together own a dozen restaurants around the state. The duo often works behind the scenes and they hire a partner to handle day-to-day operations at the restaurants.
Although Carlson said they’re “slowing down,” there are several projects in the lineup, including a possible rooftop concept at Lena, a possible Jolly Pumpkin in downtown Royal Oak and the recent opening of a new Jolly Pumpkin brewing facility in Dexter.
“I don’t think we’re done, but I think we’re definitely taking a kick back to focus on what we have. Of course, I’ll say that and then something will come up,” he joked.
