Site Selection magazine ranked Michigan 4th in their annual Governor’s cup that compares the growth of new and expanded corporate facilities in states across the country, according to a story from MLive’s Melissa Anders.

Liebherr Aerospace in Saline expanded by 33,000 square feet in 2012, one of the major expansions in Washtenaw county that contributed to Michigan's totals.

Photo courtesy of Liebherr-Aerospace

Michigan and Texas are the two states in the top 5 that have passed right-to-work laws, and Site Selection editor-in-chief Mark Arend told MLive the legislation will “certainly keep Michigan on lists of states that are under consideration [for companies].”

Gov. Rick Snyder and Michigan Economic Development Corp. CEO Mike Finney both said the ranking highlights Michigan’s economic turnaround. The last time Michigan was ranked in the list’s top 10 was 2010, when it ranked 7th.

• Read the full story on MLive

Following a Feb. 18 fire that destroyed a free medical clinic in Pinckney, the community has responded with an outpouring of donations, according to a report by the Daily Press & Argus.

Faith Medical Clinic served about 2,000 uninsured patients. About 120 patients also were treated there by the University of Michigan Student Run Free Clinic.

The Faith Medical Clinic in Pinckney before it was destroyed by fire Feb. 18.

File photo | Courtesy of the University of Michigan Health System

Thousands of dollars of medical equipment also has been donated to the clinic. The Faith Medical Clinic is seeking a space to lease for its operations. Additional donations are needed.

• Read the full story in the Daily Press & Argus

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

Ypsilanti police arrested a 50-year-old man who attempted to break into a home Tuesday after a man assaulted his son in an earlier incident.

Officers reported responding at 6 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the 300 block of Adams for a report of an assault. According to police, a man said he was assaulted by his sister’s boyfriend following a confrontation.

Police reported that a 50-year-old man arrived at the same house later and attempted to break-in and assault the man who had assaulted his son. The 50-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted home invasion, police said.

The case is still under investigation.

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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.

A 22-year-old man faces three felony charges for assaulting two children earlier this week and is being held at the Washtenaw County Jail, according to court records.

Demarco LaShawn Phillips, 22, faces two charges of third-degree child abuse and one count of interfering with electronic communications, records show. He was arraigned Tuesday and is being held in the jail on a $10,000 bond, according to court records.

According to University of Michigan Police, officers responded at 11:20 a.m. Sunday to the 1300 block of McIntyre in the Northwood Community Apartments. According to police, two children reportedly were assaulted by their father between 10:15 and 11:10 a.m. The ages of the children is unknown.

Phillips left the apartment but was found later on in the day and arrested, according to police.

The children did not require medical treatment.

Phillips returns to court for a preliminary exam at 8:30 a.m. March 14, jail records show.

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 Ann Arbor Housing Commission is getting started on a comprehensive plan to redevelop all of the city's public housing properties, starting with Baker Commons.

As that plan moves ahead, the commission is pondering a fundamental change in the way it operates, fully converting the city's public housing to a project-based voucher funding model.

For now, the Downtown Development Authority on Wednesday agreed to grant $300,000 from its housing fund for the upcoming improvements to Baker Commons, a low-income public housing facility managed by the city's Housing Commission at Packard and Main.

Baker Commons as it looked in October. The total cost of redeveloping all Housing Commission properties is estimated at more than $25 million, while the reinvestment in Baker Commons is expected to be about $3 million.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Jennifer Hall, the Housing Commission's director, made a case for the new grant in a written proposal to the DDA, revealing the work at Baker Commons is the start of a bigger plan.

The total cost of redeveloping all Housing Commission properties is estimated at more than $25 million, while the reinvestment in Baker Commons is expected to be about $3 million.

The goal of the redevelopment process, starting with Baker Commons, is to help the Housing Commission transition to a project-based voucher funding model, which Hall believes will provide more stable funding and access to additional sources of revenues to address repairs.

In addition to funding from the DDA, the Housing Commission is requesting $500,000 from the city of Ann Arbor for the renovations at Baker Commons. The balance of the funding would come from low-income housing tax credits, grants and loans, according to Hall's written proposal.

The initial scope of work includes driveway and sidewalk replacement and repair, energy efficient lighting for the interior and exterior, insulation and air sealing, replacing windows, adding a second entrance, replacing doors, fixing or replacing all heating and cooling units, replacing generators, replacing an elevator, upgrading common area fixtures and furniture, landscaping, additional security cameras, and upgrading fixtures, appliances, flooring and cabinetry in units.

The bigger picture

The Housing Commission's consultant conducted an assessment in recent years that showed a need for more than $14.5 million in repairs — or $40,000 per unit — over 15 years.

If federal funding remained constant, Hall said, the commission would receive about $18,000 per unit throughout the next 15 years to maintain its properties, which isn't enough.

DDA board member Joan Lowenstein called the switch to a voucher funding model a "very complicated transition" that hopefully will work out for the Housing Commission.

She said Baker Commons' tenants are regular users of downtown and reinvestment in the building will add to the vitality of downtown and ensure it does not become a blighted building.

The Ann Arbor DDA board on Wednesday voted to help fund upcoming renovations to Baker Commons.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

"You have to understand what they're up against," he said. "The challenge that we all face is how do we keep public housing in good condition with this declining revenue stream."

The city's Housing Commission is the largest provider of rent and income-restricted affordable housing units in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.

It manages or administers 360 public housing units in the city limits, 1,333 vouchers and 155 veteran's vouchers, 34 units of "Shelter Plus Care Vouchers" for local nonprofits, 202 units of project-based rental assistance for Cranbrook Towers, and 20 units of project-based vouchers for Pear Street Apartments for local affordable housing provider Avalon Housing.

The commission is dependent on funding from Congress to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but that revenue source has been declining.

The year 1976 was the watermark year for HUD, with the highest funding in its existence at $86.8 billion. It has decreased since then to $41.7 billion in 2012.

Hall said that has had a negative impact on the ability to take care of properties, which continue to deteriorate. She said there has been no funding for new public housing units since 1986 and HUD estimates a nationwide loss of 10,000 to 15,000 units each year.

But there has been a movement toward voucher programs. Hall said HUD now funds several voucher programs, including the Housing Choice Voucher, which enables tenants to take a voucher subsidy to a private landlord, so that no matter where the tenant lives, the tenant pays 30 percent of his or her income on rent and the private landlord receives a rent subsidy to cover the balance.

The Housing Commission estimates it receives about $300 a month less per unit in total rent for its public housing units than private landlords serving similar tenants with vouchers.

Hall said HUD has recognized the public housing program historically has been underfunded and has proposed a new program called the Rental Assistance Demonstration to convert public housing to project-based vouchers to provide a more stable source of rental subsidy.

The Housing Commission applied to HUD and was approved to convert 282 out of 360 of its units under the RAD program, with the intention of eventually converting all of them.

Hall said the commission has selected Norstar Development as the developer, Mitchell and Mouat as the architect, Recap Real Estate Advisors as the RAD consultant and Avalon Housing as the supportive housing consultant through a request for proposal process.

DDA board member John Mouat, an architect and partner with Mitchell and Mouat, abstained from Wednesday's vote because he's working on the project.

John Hieftje

City Council Member Stephen Kunselman, D-3rd Ward, has objected to the plan, suggesting it's really about privatizing public housing in Ann Arbor.

Hieftje dismissed Kunselman's remarks on Wednesday, saying "Council Member Kunselman says a lot of things and I'm not sure that he thinks them through."

Hieftje said nothing is final yet and City Council approval will be required before the transition to a voucher model happens.

"I think before we go any further on it, there's going to be more study of it, and the city attorneys are working on it," he said. "Council members and myself need to be better educated about it. There's plenty of time to look at this and make sure we do the right thing."

Hall said the commission cannot maintain its properties without either an increase in funding from HUD, an annual contribution from the city of about $500,000 a year, or converting the units to project-based vouchers and accessing private and public funding to redevelop the properties.

"We'd get additional new vouchers from HUD, we'd be able to access private capital instead of using public HUD funds, so we'd be able to access things like low-income housing tax credits, FHA loans — all different kinds of funding," Hall told the City Council when presenting the idea at a meeting back in October, portraying it as an opportunity to leverage new revenue.

Hall said some tenants could be eligible to get vouchers one or two years after the conversion, and they could take those vouches and go into the private sector and use it on private housing. She said she had a meeting with public housing tenants and many are excited about that.

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.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green said she planned to take a pay cut.

AnnArbor.com file photo

• Previous story: Teachers union president calls for superintendent pay cut as Ann Arbor considers salary reductions

Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part interview with Superintendent Patricia Green about budget issues in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Part two will be published Thursday morning.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green said she will accept a cut to her $245,000 salary to help balance the budget for the 2013-14 academic year.

Green, in an interview Tuesday with AnnArbor.com, said she was planning to take a pay cut even before the Ann Arbor teachers union president publicly challenged her to reduce her salary.

"I already shared with the board that I intended to take a cut in my pay," Green said Tuesday. "And that precedes anybody saying anything publically about it. … If I'm asking concessions from individuals in this organization, how could I not take the same thing myself? I don't need anybody to ask me to do that. Because as a superintendent I recognize, that as a leader of the school district, you don't ask people to take compensation cuts and not do it yourself."

Ann Arbor Education Association President Linda Carter recently called for Green and the rest of central administration to "step up" and take a pay cut as the district tries to negotiate reduced compensation with its unions. She said administrators' salary decreases should be at least on par with teachers' salary reductions, if not more.

"She needs to come back down here with the rest of us," Carter said last week about Green's salary, which a new database shows is the highest of all superintendents in Michigan by $31,000.

Contract negotiations are under way in Ann Arbor, school officials said. And negotiations with the district's unions are expected to play an important role in Ann Arbor Public Schools reducing its budget by more than $17 million.

Each 1-percent across-the-board pay cut that employees agree to could save AAPS $1.3 million, officials have said.

Green's total compensation in 2012 was $308,433, according to W2 tax information provided by the district.

How much of a pay cut Green will take is not known. Green said the percentages of the reductions and the terms of the concessions are all part of the negotiation process that is taking place right now with all AAPS employees.

"I don't think that detail is something we're prepared to talk about yet," she said.

Green added all of the district's employees are important and everyone — including her and the rest of central administration — has contracts. So everyone's contracts are being looked at right now, she said.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools face tough and emotionally charged cuts for the 2013-14 academic year. Among the possibilities are more cuts to music, theater, athletics, district media center staff and transportation.

This is first the first time since 2010 the district's unions have been asked to renegotiate their contracts.

"We're looking at furlough days and any compensation type of activity. We want to still try to keep as much (of the cuts) out of the classroom as we can," Green said. But she added after five years of reductions, "It's into the bone. There is nothing that is going to be pleasant. Nothing."

The district has cut its operating budget by about $70 million in the past five years, through the consolidation of transportation services, increasing class sizes, increasing pay-to-participate fees, cutting athletics, decreasing funding for art and music and decreasing pay and benefits for staff. Green said it's to the point that the cuts have taken a serious toll on a school district that is considered one of the very finest.

"What it does now is it basically starts pitting program against program and people against people," she said, adding school officials can't prevent it and can only hope it doesn't get too ugly. "... It's all valuable. Every single thing on our list this year, if these were better times, would not even come close to being considered."

• Read the proposed cuts for 2013-14.

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

It came down to the last games of the regular season, but we have a Washtenaw County scoring champion: Father Gabriel Richard's Jason Houle.

Gabriel Richard forward Jason Houle goes up for a shot against Pontiac Notre Dame Prep earlier this season.

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com

Houle played in 19 regular-season games, scoring 412 points for an average of 21.7 per game. That edged out Andrew Khouri of Greenhills by .3 points per game.

Three times Houle scored more than 30 points, including a season-high 34 Dec. 11 against Detroit Old Redford. Nearly half of those points came from behind the arc, as the 6-foot-3 junior hit 66 3-pointers, nearly three-and-half per game.

“He’s a really good shooter, and he’s really basketball savvy,” Gabriel Richard coach Pete Schoch said in January. “He sets himself up in good spots.”

The Irish’s switch to a transition-based offense didn’t hurt Houle’s effort. Father Gabriel Richard averaged 66 points per game during the regular season. His teammate Kamari Davis finished sixth on the list.

Khouri, last year’s county scoring champion, played in 14 games and scored 412 points. Milan forward C.J. Turnage came on strong at the end of the season, scoring more than 20 in five of his team’s last six games to take the third spot on the list.

You the Manti

Ethan Spencer, right, would often get compared to Manti Te'o, which he said was fine by him.

Photos by Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

It may be the only time in recorded history that being compared to a college football player less than a month removed from finishing runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting was considered an insult.

Spencer, who like Te'o is of Hawaiian descent, found the attempted jeers amusing.

"I guess I kind of look like him, so might as well make a joke out of it," Spencer said.

Spencer never found it insulting, though.

"I personally take it as a compliment. He’s a good player," he said.

Not surprisingly, Spencer said he never heard those "jeers" during football season.

Ypsilanti back at home

Ypsilanti coach Steve Brooks likes his team's move to an Ann Arbor district.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

The Skyline bleachers were nearly full Monday night as Ypsilanti faced Pioneer, with student sections chanting and fans leaning over the railings.

It may have been a district quarterfinal, but it had the feeling of a district final. And it’s one that wouldn’t have happened before this year.

Ypsilanti moved from a district that featured Monroe County and southern Washtenaw County teams to one featuring mostly Ann Arbor teams this year. And while acknowledging the tough competition -- despite its 66-43 win over Pioneer -- Phoenix coach Steve Brooks said it’s where his team wants to be.

“This is really the way it should be, anyway, because these schools used to be rivalries from way back,” Brooks said. “And so we’re glad we’re over here, win lose or draw.”

Before spending two seasons in a district with Saline, Monroe, Milan, Lincoln and Temperance Bedford, Ypsilanti had to travel east to Wayne County for its district, where it would face the likes of state powers Inkster and Romulus.

Aside from Pinckney, every other team in the Phoenix’s new district is in Washtenaw County and plays in the SEC. And the trip was plenty shorter -- Ypsilanti had to travel just over 10 miles

“It’s really a district of all the area schools, you’re not playing any schools that are 45, 50 miles away,” Brooks said. You get great crowds when it’s like that, everybody knows one another, they go to churches together and do things together. So we’re really glad that we’re over here.”

Long droughts

Dexter's Makenzie Svihra guards Canton's Paige Aresco during the first half the regional semifinal game at Novi Tuesday.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

If you’re a fan of defense, then Tuesday night’s girls semifinal action was for you.

Two Washtenaw County teams managed to hold their opponents without a field goal for stretches of 16 minutes or more while advancing to play in Thursday regional final games.

Dexter gave up only two first-half points to Canton and didn’t give up a field goal until 5:57 remained in the third quarter. Chelsea, meanwhile, held Jackson Northwest without a field goal for 16:40, from midway through the first quarter until the first minute of the fourth.

The Dreadnaughts won 26-17, while Chelsea won 31-25.

Both teams accomplished the feats with a similar gameplan: pack the interior, and force your opponent to shoot from the outside.

“We really tried hard to clog up the lane and make their dribble-drives as difficult as possible and force them into some perimeter shots,” Dexter coach Mike Bavineau said.

Goodbye to Lamb

Temperance Bedford's Jackson Lamb looks to dribble in a game against Pioneer last month.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Temperance Bedford senior forward Jackson Lamb said his goodbyes to the Ann Arbor basketball scene over the past two weeks. And he went out with a bang.

Against Pioneer Feb. 19, Lamb had 33 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort. Nine days later at Huron, Lamb finished out his SEC career with a 32-point, nine-rebound effort (including 20 points in the first half), helping the Kicking Mules clinch their first-ever league title.

Despite Lamb being the primary reason the SEC Red title didn’t go to an Ann Arbor school this year -- Pioneer and Huron finished second and third, going 1-3 against Bedford -- coaches still appreciated his presence.

“Our league has been fortunate to have a kid like that,” Huron coach Waleed Samaha said. “He’s a first-team dream team player, and we’ve had the privilege of playing against him for four years. He’s special.”

But it won't be too long before Lamb is in Ann Arbor full-time: he has signed to play baseball for Michigan.

If the shoe fits, wear it

Washtenaw County didn’t just lose one of its best teams in the area on Monday in the opening round of districts, it may have lost its most creatively dressed squad.

A snapshot of the Pioneer's boys basketball team's eclectic footwear.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

While the trend of many teams is to wear matching team shoes, Pioneer’s footwear is anything but uniform. Nearly every color in the rainbow could could be found under Pioneer’s bench.

“We have a lot of unique personalities on our team so they want to stand out,” said Pioneer senior Ethan Spencer of his team’s shoes. “Everyone just has their own unique styles. We have a unique team.”

- Pete Cunningham contributed to this article

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com.

As AnnArbor.com previously reported, the new album will be released April 30th on Fat Possum Records. "Ready to Die" is now available for pre-order on the Fat Possum website, and an announcement regarding a tour is expected soon.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.

Jonathan Aiden

Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office

The family members of William "Sam" Kenney said they are happy to have some kind of resolution six years after his murder.

The second man convicted in the 2006 homicide, Jonathon Aiden, was sentenced Tuesday in the Washtenaw County Trial Court to life without parole for felony and premeditated murder.

"We're relieved it's over," said Kenney's brother, Peter, who was in the courtroom with several other family members -- including Kenny's mother -- to watch the sentencing."It was a long wait. We're satisfied with the results."

When given a chance to speak, Aiden, who has grown a beard since his last court appearance, maintained his innocence in the beating death of 55-year-old Kenney.

"I believe there's been a great injustice done here," he said before addressing Judge Archie Brown personally. "It lies on your conscience, as well."

"Well, Mr. Aiden, I'll sleep well tonight," Brown replied before sentencing Aiden to life without parole on the murder charge.

Aiden received concurrent sentences between 62 and 600 months for charges of breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, safe breaking, conspiracy to commit breaking and entering and conspiracy to commit safe-breaking.

Aiden was convicted by a jury last month.

His uncle, Shane Roscoe, was convicted last year of the murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Prosecutors said Aiden and Roscoe beat Kenney to death during a break-in Aug. 18, 2006 at the Jim Bradley Pontiac GMC in Scio Township. Aiden and Roscoe were stealing auto-related equipment and materials and came into contact with Kenney, who worked at the dealership. Both Roscoe and Aiden were former employees of the dealership.

Prosecutors said Roscoe and Aiden hit Kenney on the head with a sledgehammer and then ran him over with a vehicle. Kenney was taken to U-M Hospital, where police questioned him on at least two occasions before he died from the injuries on Sept. 14, 2006.

"The sentence can't bring (Kenney) back, but it can protect other people," said Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Dianna Collins.

It still remains to be seen whether Aiden will have to go back to a Florida prison to serve out the remaining nine months of a sentence from a home invasion charge. Aiden said he would rather stay in Michigan and start serving his life sentence in order to start the appeals process.

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

It meant a lot that state Rep. Gretchen Driskell and the other Washtenaw County representatives came to our district on Feb. 25 to listen to my concerns about accepting federal funds to expand the Michigan Medicaid program. It isn't often that our legislators have the time to reach out to us to hear what’s important; it’s usually the other way around.

This event allowed me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the 400,000-plus uninsured residents in Michigan.This especially is important to cancer patients who, without health insurance, are twice as likely to die in the first five years than those with private insurance.

Rep. Driskell assured me that my voice matters and I am glad I spoke up last night.

Jennifer Belaire

Ypsilanti

The University of Michigan and the Lecturers’ Employee Organization announced Wednesday that they have reached a tentative five-year contract that will be ratified one week before new right-to-work legislation takes effect. According to a story in the Detroit News, the previous deal between U-M and the union had been set to expire April 20.

Michigan union members protested right-to-work legislation before it was passed at Michigan's capitol. Since the bill's passing, many unions have reached new deals before the provisions take effect.

J. Scott Park | MLive Media Group

Negotiations had been ongoing since November, and a joint statement from the two parties said the agreement was reached in good faith. The contract will be ratified by mail with a deadline of March 21.

• Read the article from the Detroit News.

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

University of Michigan anthropologist Jason De Leon was inspired to start the Undocumented Migration Project after he came across the body of an unauthorized immigrant while doing fieldwork in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The immigrant, a 41-year-old woman named Marisol, had died attempting to crawl up a steep hill north of the state’s border with Mexico according to a story published in Salon.

Photographer Richard Barnes took many of the pictures used in the exhibit after curator Amanda Krugliak introduced him to Jason De Leon

From exhibit brochure

According to the report in Salon, a curator at the Institute for the Humanities Gallery at Michigan named Amanda Krugliak encouraged De Leon to develop the exhibit after reading about his research.

State of Exception is on view at the University of Michigan Institute for the Humanities Gallery in the Thayer Academic Building through March 12.

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• Read the full story at Salon.

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

Lincoln's Tyler Mabry and Will Russel look for a rebound with Temperance Bedford's Ethan Babkiewicz.

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com

TEMPERANCE -- One cruised in its semifinal win, the other barely snuck by.

But no matter the route, Milan and Temperance Bedford will be on the court Friday in a district final matchup -- in a rematch of the 53-49 Bedford win last year in the district semifinals.

“We’ve been looking forward to that game since they beat us last year at our place,” Milan coach Josh Tropea said. “It’s been on the calendar for a while.”

While Milan (20-1) cruised from the start, going up double digits in the first quarter and never trailing in a 77-55 win over Saline (9-11), Bedford’s win was a different story.

More Coverage: Lincoln-Bedford boxscore | Milan-Saline boxscore | Bracket | Photo Gallery | District roundup

The SEC Red champion Kicking Mules’ semifinal win over Lincoln came down to the final possession. With seven seconds left, the Railsplitters had the ball down by two, but couldn’t get a shot off as they turned the ball over on the inbounds play.

The matchup, pitting an eight-win team against a 16-win team, nearly resulted in a major upset.

“They don’t want to hear it now, but it was our best game of the year,” Lincoln coach Rich Marion said.

The Railsplitters (8-13) trailed nearly the entire game, but never fell behind by double digits. Lincoln fell behind 8-2 early, then climbed back to make it 10-7 and took a brief lead near the end of the first quarter.

Bedford led by as many as eight in the third quarter, before Javin Etchison hit a 3-point basket as time expired to tie the game going into the fourth. The Kicking Mules went up by five midway through the quarter, before Lincoln hit three late 3-pointers to make it a two-point game.

The Railsplitters finished with nine 3’s, and were paced by 15 points from Sherrod Motley-Dismuke and 14 points from Tyler Mabry.

Lincoln stayed with a team receiving votes in the state rankings by executing as well as it has all year, creating open jumpshots and opportunities down low. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.

“They came in and worked every day,” Marion said. “They really did. I loved coming to practice. And they hadn’t really been rewarded for that as much in the win-loss column as much as I would have preferred. It sure looked in the fourth quarter to me like they were about to get rewarded. That’s tough to swallow in that respect.”

The doubleheader nightcap proved less dramatic. Big Reds forward C.J. Turnage had 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and a dunk in the first-quarter alone as Milan jumped out to a 22-12 lead.

“We were ready for the game,” Turnage said. “I guess everything was just falling for us. We were ready to play.”

Turnage finished with a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds. Latin Davis added 18 for Milan, while Nick Perkins had 15.

And after a season playing against mostly smaller competition, Milan proved itself more than capable in a Class A district.

“We kind of expected that,” Tropea said. “Honestly, we expected to play that way, and we expected to be playing on Friday.”

Saline was led by 22 points from point guard Reece Dils and 11 from Michael Hendrickson.

But it had to play most of the first half without big man Max Recknagel, who picked up two quick fouls.

“It’s tough, any time you lose any of your starters, especially when we’re already undersized, to lose a big,” Saline coach Eric Williams said. “We always tell them not to play like they’re in foul trouble. But it’s always hovering above them.”

The Big Reds took a 15-point lead into halftime, before outscoring Saline 19-8 in the third quarter.

Soon, they were on their way to a matchup with Bedford they’ve been anticipating all season. It’s one that will feature two of the best forwards in Southeast Michigan in Turnage and Bedford’s Jackson Lamb, who scored 22 Friday.

“Everybody says Jackson Lamb is the best player in Southeastern Michigan,” Milan assistant coach Chris Pope said. “Well, we’ve got a pretty good player on our team that we want to see what happens come Friday.”

And Milan knows that slowing down Lamb will be the top priority come Friday.

“We just want to stop Jackson, we feel like they’re a one-man show,” Turnage said. “So we want to make sure that we stop Jackson Lamb.”

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.

This file will be updated throughout the night

AnnArbor.com Washtenaw County Scoreboard

Gabriel Richard advanced to Friday's district final with a 71-54 win over Livonia Clarenceville.

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com

Gabriel Richard 71, Livonia Clarenceville 54
Bracket

Richard will play Detroit Community on Friday at 6 p.m. at Calrenceville High School.

Clinton 62, Willow Run 49
Story | Boxscore

Clinton outscored Willow Run 23-8 in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Clinton struggled to hit its free throws, making 22 of its 40 attempts with a majority of those makes occurring in the final eight minutes.

“At the end of the second and third quarters, Willow Run went on runs to take the lead,” Clinton coach Mike Ruhl said. “We came together in the fourth quarter to pull it out.”

Willow Run (10-11) led 26-24 at halftime and utilized a six-point run at the end of the third quarter to take a 41-39 lead into the final quarter.

Daquanta Brown of Willow Run scored 21 points.

Greenhills 53, Arbor Preparatory 36
Story | Boxscore

Leading by five points at halftime, Greenhills (19-1) outscored Arbor Preparatory 18-7 in the third quarter to advance to the Class C district final at Whitmore Lake.

“We talked about raising our game at the half, and being more aggressive offensively,” Greenhills coach Andrew Wright said. “We did a better job of getting inside, and creating better shots in the third quarter.”

Andrew Khouri led Greenhills with a game-high 16 points.

Greenhills' Abe Estenson added nine points and eight rebounds, and Derek Heitman and Emmet Kulka each scored eight points.

Adrian Harrison and Michael Donatelli led Arbor Prep, each with eight points.

Arbor Prep, with five freshmen and four sophomores, finished its season 7-12.

“Offensively, it will be a work in progress,” Arbor Prep coach Don Spencer said. “Defensively, we are headed in the right direction.

“In all, we had a great season. Each night, we were outsized, outmuscled and you feel bad because you think they should be winning right now.”

Greenhills faces Clinton at 7p.m., Friday at Whitmore Lake, hoping to win its first district title since a Class C title in 2002.

Washtenaw Christian 66, Calvary Christian 42
Story | Boxscore

Washtenaw Christian used a 24-6 run in the second quarter to extend its lead and improve to 12-8. Senior Mathias Donat led Washtenaw Christian with 24 points, while Josiah Donat added 15.

"We came out in a man-to-man defense, and got off to a healthy lead," Washtenaw Christian coach Dan Benefiel said. "We had played Calvary twice before, so we knew their personel pretty well. When we play man-to-man defense against them, they have a harder time getting shots. We used it pretty much the whole game and the boys played hard, and never quit.

Johnny Bryant led Calvary Christian Academy (3-18) with 11 points, while James Bergler added 10.

Washtenaw Christian hosts Livingston Christian at 7 p.m. Friday in the Class D district finals.

AnnArbor.com Coverage

Temperance Bedford 60, Lincoln 58
Story | Boxscore | Photo Gallery

Huron 57, Dexter 22
Story | Boxscore | Photo Gallery

Milan 77, Saline 55
Story | Boxscore | Photo Gallery

Ypsilanti 39, Skyline 35
Story & Photo Gallery | Boxscore

By Andrew Hillebrand, Mlive.com

Riverview senior goalie Zach Woolcott gave up two goals in the first period, but came back in the next two periods to shut down Chelsea and help his team win, 5-3, in a Division 3 boys hockey quarterfinal game in Allen Park on Wednesday.

Riverview will advance to the semifinals at Compuware Arena against Cranbrook-Kingswood at 12 p.m. Friday.

Chelsea held a 2-0 lead after the first period, but Riverview came back after the early barrage to tie it, 2-2, going into the final period.

Riverview led, 4-3, late in the third period, when Woolcott made a huge play to preserve the lead.

After Chris Hass deflected a Jay Helstowski shot into the net to give Riverview a 4-3 lead, Chelsea's Jacob Ryan had a chance to tie the game with 5:58 left.

But Woolcott made the save, one of 14 he made in the third period, to help seal the win for Riverview.

"Biggest save of my life," Woolcott said. "I was hoping he was shooting the whole way, to be honest."

After that save, Woolcott made several more as Riverview tried with all its might to keep the puck out of its zone.

Finally, with 28.3 seconds left, Kyle Agius scored an open-net goal to clinch the victory.

Agius also scored on a deflection with 11:51 left in the third period to give Riverview its first lead of the game, 3-2.

Ryan answered just 35 seconds later with a breakaway goal to tie it, before Woolcott stopped his second breakaway opportunity on the penalty shot.

"That has actually been our weak spot all year, goaltending," Riverview coach Al Taurence said. "I've been here for three years, and with this group of kids I needed a strong goaltender, so this was nice to see today."

Woolcott faced 16 shots in the first period, which included two Chelsea power plays.

Freshman Alec Daman scored first, with 7:56 left in the first period, and then senior Connor Carry scored a few minutes later.

The game slowed down a little in the second period, as Chelsea only mustered three shots, while Riverview only had six shots.

But the Pirates scored two goals, from senior captain Brian Bachnak and fellow senior Helstowski.

"In the second period, we just got away from what we were doing," Chelsea coach Don Wright said. "We took a couple penalties there. I didn't think we kept playing the way we did in the first.

"The second period was probably our worst period of the playoffs."

Chelsea outshot Riverview, 15-11, in the third period, but Woolcott continually closed the door on the Bulldogs' opportunities.

Woolcott saved 31 of Chelsea's 34 shots. This will be the second time playing in Compuware for Woolcott.

"My very first game freshman year of high school, we played a scrimmage against Plymouth at Compuware. (It) didn't go so well, so we're hoping to turn it around."

Wright and Chelsea are disappointed about not making it to the semifinals at Compuware for what would have been the third time in four seasons, but still happy with what was accomplished this season.

"Last year, we had our best record ever, we graduated a lot of seniors," Wright said. "This team did a great job to get right back and win the league, to win the region, and to be in position to get to the final four again."

Helen Zell earned her English degree at Michigan in 1964.

Photo courtesy Zell Family Foundation

Helen Zell, who earned her English degree at Michigan in 1964, has been supporting the Michigan program with smaller gifts totaling more than $10 million over more than a decade. Five long bookshelves, nearly covering an entire wall of her Chicago apartment, are filled with books written by the graduate program's faculty and alumni, she said, and she looks forward to adding more. Graduates include writers Elizabeth Kostova, Hanna Pylvainen and Jesymn Ward.

In a telephone interview, Zell described the new donation as an investment in some of the world's promising young poets and novelists, to ensure the books they have inside them get written, shared with the world, and allowed to work the unique magic of human self-reflection that literature offers.

"What I've watched happen with the introduction of the Internet and media and blogging, I almost feel like this part of our education is under siege," Zell said. "The ability of fiction to develop creativity, to analyze the human psyche, help you understand people — its' critical. It's as important as vitamins or anything else. To me, it's the core of the intellectual health of human beings."

The gift — the third-largest ever to the university — comes from the Zell Family Foundation, where Helen Zell is executive director, and is in her name. Her husband, who endured a contentious tenure as chairman of media conglomerate Tribune Co., which he took private but then led into bankruptcy, is also a Michigan alumnus who has made substantial gifts to the university.

For aspiring writers, a spot in Michigan's graduate program is already akin to winning the lottery. Just 22 of roughly 1,000 applicants annually are accepted. Nationally, MFA students are among the most indebted, often borrowing six figures to pay for school then struggling to pay repay their loans. But Michigan covers tuition and offers a $22,000 stipend for students while they take classes their first year, then pays them for teaching during their second.

Most unusually for the field, all students receive a third, postgraduate year of support, including health insurance, to focus on their work. The bonus year, already funded by Zell, has been dubbed on campus a "Zellowship."

"Writers should be at their desk, not at Starbucks serving coffee," she said.

Kostova, whose debut novel "The Historian" rose quickly to No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list, and Ward, whose 2011 novel "Salvage the Bones" won the National Book Award, are among the program's better-known graduates. Pylvainen, whose first novel "We Sinners" won a Whiting Writers' Award last year, said the book might never have been written without the third-year fellowship.

There are no plans to expand the program, which Zell said might dilute its quality. Rather, the gift will essentially underwrite it in perpetuity, while offering flexibility for new projects.

"What happens next is you can write it in pen, as it were, that Ann Arbor is going to be one of the places in the country where some of the most important new writing is going to be happening as far into the future as you can see," said Michael Byers, director of the program, which will be renamed for Helen Zell.

American universities raised $31 billion last year, according to the Council for Aid to Education, but most of the giant, transformative gifts in recent years have provided either general support or targeted medical and scientific research. Recent large gifts include $100 million from The Grainger Foundation to the University of Illinois engineering school in January and $100 million in December to UCLA's medical school.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also recently announced a $350 million gift to Johns Hopkins University to support interdisciplinary research and student aid. Overall he has given more than $1 billion to the university, much of it focused on public health.

Sam Zell speaks at the Zell Lurie Institute’s Private Equity conference at the Michigan Union.

Ben Freed | AnnArbor.com

"The bigger donors tend to give these larger gifts to research or construction projects, more in the sciences," said Pam Russell, director of communications at CASE. But gifts to the humanities can go farther, in some ways, because the work is less expensive to support, and reflect "great confidence in these institutions" by donors.

Zell said her husband asked her over dinner more than a decade ago, when she had as yet done little philanthropy, what she might like to do for her alma mater, where she fondly recalled studying literature. That led to dinners and meetings with Michigan MFA faculty like novelist Nicholas Delbanco, where they talked — only half-jokingly — about building a program that could rival or surpass the famed one at the University of Iowa. It worked: Iowa and Michigan are ranked No. 1 and 2 in the most recent Poets & Writers magazine MFA rankings.

The latest gift reflects confidence not only in Michigan but "in the really vital and human mission of literature itself," Byers said. "More and more we are turning to art of one kind or another to make sense of what's going on around us. What's so glorious about Helen's gift is it allows for the making of art that would otherwise go unmade, we fear, and for the telling of stories that would otherwise go untold."

Certainly, Zell acknowledged, some writers are so driven they will find a way to publish no matter what.

But if given "a loamy garden," she said, many more "will also produce and will bear wonderful fruit."

It’s was a rough regular season for the Skyline boys basketball team. The Eagles lost four games by two points or less and another in overtime after a buzzer beater tied the game in regulation.

With the Eagles postseason starting on Wednesday it was an opportunity to start anew.

But as the saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same.

A missed alley-oop that would have tied the game with less than 10 seconds remaining was the final missed opportunity in a season full of them for the Eagles on Wednesday night. Ypsilanti was able to escape with a 39-35 win in the Class A district semifinal between the teams at Skyline High School.

More coverage: Boxscore | District bracket

The alley-oop slipped past the extended arms of center Tristan Wilson, who came open after Peter Bakker-Arkema set a perfect backside pick. Wilson had an open path to the basket, but just couldn’t corral the pass for a shot attempt.

“It was a really good game, it would have been nice to be on the other side of one of these,” said Skyline coach Mike Lovelace. “We executed well down the stretch, it’s just kind of the way it’s been.”

Skyline took the lead with six minutes, 36 seconds left in the third quarter and after back-to-back 3-pointers from Bakker-Arkema and Jack Clark had the largest lead of the game at 27-19.

Just two nights removed from scoring 66 points in a win over Pioneer, Ypsilanti struggled to just barely score half that amount.

“We felt like they had a battle against Pioneer for sure and I felt like we could just use our depth and really pressure them full court and try the best to just keep the pressure on and keep going and hopefully we’d be able to take over at the end,” Lovelace said.

Lovelace said he targeted the final four minutes of the game for his team to be able to take over, but the opposite occurred as Ypsilanti locked down on defense and went on an 11-2 run in the final 5:30 of play.

“A lot of nights, man, there’s going to be a lid on the basket so we just tell them to work. You just gotta keep working,” said Ypsilanti coach Steve Brooks. “We always have confidence that we can get a stop…The kids have a saying, ‘That’s how we eat.’”

Ypsilanti will play Huron in Friday’s district final. The River Rats will be going for their fifth straight district title after leading from beginning to end in a 57-22 win over Dexter.

Huron’s press led to nine first-quarter Dexter turnovers and the River Rats led 15-4 at half a vast improvement compared to their slow start against Pinckney on Monday.

Boxscore

“Kids played with a sence of urgency, Monday night we played with desperation,” said Huron coach Waleed Samaha. “When we play with urgency especially in our press, we can give people problems.”

Four straight 3-pointers helped Huron end the half on a 12-2 run that put the nail in the coffin of Dexter’s season as Huron led 37-8 at the break.

Dexter's Brandon Bellottie looks for an open teammate as he is guarded by Huron's Demetrius Sims and Xavier Cochran during the first half of the Class A district semifinals at Skyline High School Wednesday, March 6.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

Huron coach Waleed Samaha knows his team won’t have as easy of a time at it on Friday.

“(Ypsilanti’s) I think the best pressure defensive team in the state in all kind of positions they defend hard, they rebound well. Having those sky skrapers in there doesn’t hurt, but I think their guards are underrated rebounders,” Samaha said. “Both teams make defense a priority, so that’s going to be the theme going into that game.”

Ypsilanti was 2-of-12 from the free-throw line on Wednesday, which many times killed rallies and kept the Phoenix from putting the game away late. Senior guard Janeau Joubert said that will have to change on Friday.

“Huron’ s really good team,” Joubert said. “Tomorrow in practice we’re going to work on free throws a lot.”

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

Roger Hewitt says he's heard the argument that Ann Arbor is too small to be talking about bigger-city transit options like light rail, streetcars and bus rapid transit.

Hewitt, a downtown business owner and treasurer for the Downtown Development Authority, says a new analysis of population and employment density says something different, though.

While the city's population remains at roughly 114,000, there are tens of thousands of additional people who make the daily commute to work in Ann Arbor.

The study area for the Ann Arbor Connector, extending from northeast Ann Arbor down to Briarwood Mall.

Image courtesy of URS Corp.

Those include Cleveland, Eugene, Ore., Jacksonville, Fla., Little Rock, New Orleans, Norfolk, Va., Portland, Salt Lake City and Tacoma.

The other communities examined are Lansing, Grand Rapids and Fort Collins, Co., which have advanced transit systems in the planning stages right now, Hewitt said.

"With the exception of Lansing, all of these cities are larger or quite a bit larger population-wise," he said. "But they dug a little deeper and looked at the population per square mile — the population density. And if you look at all of those, Ann Arbor ranks fourth on that list for population density."

Going a little farther, Hewitt said, looking at employment density — how many people are employed per square mile — Ann Arbor is first among all those cities.

"We have 3,800 people working per square mile in this city," he said. "The next closest one is Cleveland at about 3,300, and then it drops down to about 2,500 and lower."

Hewitt's conclusion: Ann Arbor, although it is small geographically in size, is pretty dense in population and extremely dense in jobs.

"Which is the answer to why you need a transit system like this," he said of the Ann Arbor Connector. "We have a lot of activity, both in population and jobs, and moving people around and finding places for people to park is going to become increasingly difficult."

The Ann Arbor Connector initiative is focused on a boomerang-shaped area extending from northeast to south Ann Arbor, connecting major destinations, including downtown, University of Michigan's north and central campuses, the university medical center and commercial areas.

This example of bus rapid transit on 34th Street in Manhattan was included in a recent presentation on the Ann Arbor Connector.

URS Corp.

AATA board member Jesse Bernstein, former chairman of the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, said he's personally excited about the possibility of bus rapid transit.

"The buses you use in bus rapid transit are large, and they're articulated so they bend in the middle, so they can get around corners," he said. "But what that means is we could run them on dedicated lanes that are at grade or above, and they could run on regular roads when it's less dense, so there's just a lot of options. Plus it's going to be cheaper than putting in fixed rail."

Bernstein said the type of vehicles used for bus rapid transit are essentially "rubber-tired trains," and Brazil is a good example of where they work well.

"They have the buses lined up, and as they fill up going into town, they just shoot another bus down the line," he said. "So I think there's a lot that corridor can do. I think we could do something really exciting, and it's years away. We're not going to have this tomorrow."

This example of a streetcar in Tacoma was included in a recent presentation on the Ann Arbor Connector.

URS Corp.

The project is now in the alternatives analysis stage, where community input is needed to determine a locally preferred alternative. That includes specifying the type of transit technology to be used, service levels, route alignments, station locations and cost estimates.

The next set of public meetings as part of the alternative analysis phase will be in April, though dates haven't been announced yet.

Ann Arbor resident Rita Mitchell, who has been following the process and attended one of the drop-in sessions in December, said it's good to reduce the number of cars on the road in Ann Arbor. She'd prefer to see bus rapid transit service the city by connecting to park-and-ride lots.

"Even potentially considering parking structures being built at those locations and to serve those with really excellent bus service or really excellent transit service," she said. "I would not want any system to move in and plop a station in a park, and I believe one of the stations is along Fuller Road and potentially in Fuller Park, so I would resist that, as I have resisted a train station being built there."

An example of a monorail in Las Vegas.

URS Corp.

While Ann Arbor might have a high employment density, Mitchell said she doesn't think the city has a large enough tax base.

"I certainly prefer something that is least cost, possibly something that could be tested, and that's why at this point I would probably lean toward bus rapid transit," she said.

Bernstein said he agrees with the analysis that Ann Arbor has the population and employment density along the corridor to justify investment in advanced transit technologies.

"When you look at the corridor that's outlined, you can start with Domino's Farms — a million square feet of office space," he said. "The East Medical Campus — thousands of square feet of office space and growing. You come down through the Plymouth Road/Green Road collection of hotels and shops into North Campus and the North Campus Research Complex — that is very dense.

"And then you come to the hospital, you come down through main campus, so I could see where the density is there," he continued. "The transit corridor makes a great deal of sense, and the way we're going about talking to people, having open discussions, looking at options, is the way to go."

The timeline for the Ann Arbor Connector alternatives analysis. The yellow triangles note the timing of planned community workshops.

URS Corp.

"The Connector study is just one of the many transit issues currently being discussed," she said. "We have just emerged from a failed effort to create a countywide transit authority. The AATA seems intent on expanding service beyond Ann Arbor to the adjoining urban areas."

Additional, a new four-county Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority is just being formed, and Kailasapathy believes that eventually will have an impact on transit in Ann Arbor.

And there are plans for two commuter rail lines from Ann Arbor to Detroit and from Howell to Ann Arbor.

"I think my view on the Connector plans will be affected by the developments of all of these proposals," she said. "I am mostly concerned about how we will pay for any of the proposed services, and cannot understand how all of them can be afforded at the same time."

• Download a recent presentation on the Ann Arbor Connector project

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.

City Manager Ralph Lange said the city is moving forward with the hybrid police and fire department.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

The city of Ypsilanti is projecting it will save $2.1 million over the next five years with the creation of a hybrid police and fire department, which City Manager Ralph Lange said is a necessity in order to remain solvent.

Documents sent to the Michigan Department of Treasury show the city will hire eight new public safety officers over the next three years and 13 existing officers will be trained in firefighting duties through 2016.

The city of Ypsilanti has applied to receive $943,480 through the Competitive Grant Assistance Program from the state of Michigan. If received, the funds will go toward the creation of the hybrid department.

"I think the position is we’re going with the hybrid public safety," Lange said. "That’s where we’re going. It’s not just about police and fire. For the city to be successful, I have to work with council to make sure the city is literally one integrated unit."

Separate from the possible grant, the city is set to receive $903,474 through the state's Economic Vitality Incentive Program. Of that number, $301,158 is for the city's consolidation efforts.

From 1977 to 2014, the documents show the city has saved close to $21 million through various consolidation and collaboration efforts.

"Given the economic circumstances in the state, all local governments are driven to find ways to save money, just to stay solvent," Lange said. "It's something that I've done my whole career and it was part of the five-year recovery plan that was backed up by the SEMCOG management review. It's just a necessity when you have less revenue for the general fund."

In February, the city sent compliance forms to the Michigan Department of Treasury for the EVIP program, outlining its consolidation efforts.

• View the full EVIP compliance forms.

The documents state the city will spend approximately $738,480 over the next four years to train new and existing officers. The city believes it will find about $210,315 in short-term savings in one year or less and save $2,103,153 over the next five years.

"The goal is to obtain a more efficient workforce by ultimately placing more police officers on patrol and increasing the city's ability to provide adequate staffing levels to meet fire and medical emergencies," Lange wrote to the treasury.

Lange said the beginning of combining the two departments will be to consolidate the police and fire administration under one team and one director.

"The value of that is significant," Lange said. "That can't happen until we pick a new fire chief and that is moving along."

City Manager Ralph Lange

Lange said he will likely select the new fire chief by the end of March, but declined to say who the finalists are or how far the pool of applicants have been narrowed down.

Lange previously told AnnArbor.com that Police Chief Amy Walker is a likely candidate to head the entire hybrid department.

Lange is also in the middle of collective bargaining with the various unions within the fire and police departments. Lange said the Police Officers Association of Michigan contract negotiations are moving along well, but the fire negotiations are moving "very slowly."

"I would feel very confident that before the end of the year, we'll have some measure of public safety," Lange said. "For this to really work efficiently, the POAM needs to get settled and the deputy police chief was a key component and the other is picking fire chief."

Lange said the city will work with the Command Officers Association of Michigan to revisit their contract and "deal with a few things."

"It's very important for the COAM and the POAM to mesh together," Lange said. "I believe all of that is possible, but the final thing would be when does the fire contract get settled and I'm not willing to make any comment on that."

When asked whether the city can move forward with the hybrid department without settling the fire contract, Lange said the administration portion of the model could be completed.

"Can we do the PSO officers? That's a matter of debate and a legal question not resolved," Lange said.

The chart shows the projected costs to cross-train police officers and firefighters.

SEMCOG report

In the documents sent to the state treasury, the city wrote that another potential consolidation could have been a potential fire authority between the city, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti Township and Pittsfield Township.

According to the documents, the municipalities met four times last year to talk about ways to forge a collaboration that could have potentially led to a regional fire department.

"If we just gave the fire department away, it would not be the same," Lange said.

Fire Department Union President Ken Hobbs said he and other Ypsilanti firefighters are still in support of the authority. Retired Ypsilanti fire Chief Jon Ichesco heavily pushed for regionalization.

"In our mind, it would have been the perfect time," Hobbs said. "... We're not in support of a plan that's going to eliminate us."

The city has effectively "put on hold" the fire authority as it explores the hybrid department, but if it is determined the model isn't feasible, Ypsilanti will return to the possibility of creating an authority. The authority would save the city $689,808.

However, the city outlined in the documents that a fire authority will require an agreement between policy makers, labor unions and administration.

"Members of the proposed authority continue to fail to successfully navigate these three issues," Lange wrote.

Hobbs said the nearly $1 million grant is not a sure thing yet for the hybrid model and believes the city shouldn't depend on it as a source to cover the costs.

"We always apply for a SAFER grant and say, 'you can’t count this money until you receive it,'" Hobbs said. "Right now it's just a request, so basing everything on a request, how do you come up with the $33,000 per officer to cross train them to do fire work? If you don’t get the grant, what's your plan after that?"

According to Lange, the model will allow the city to provide the necessary level of public safety at a cost that will not severely hamper the city's budget.

"While not ideal, it is the best solution given the city's public safety needs and financial capabilities," Lange wrote.

Lange said the city will continue to look at other ways to consolidate in different areas to save more money and become more efficient.

"We’re here not just to balance the budget, but deliver critical and essential services to the citizens," Lange said. "It's one thing to save money, but you have to still deliver services and we have to have the best use of employees."

Whether it's internal or external consolidation efforts, the city is looking at multiple possibilities.

"We are going to continually do this and my emphasis as long as we work with council will be internal consolidation that really allows service to be delivered at same or reduced cost," Lange said. "There's still a lot that can be done on that and we’re going to work really hard to accomplish all of these things. I'm very excited to have the opportunity to do these things."

Katrease Stafford covers Ypsilanti for AnnArbor.com.Reach her at katreasestafford@annarbor.com or 734-623-2548 and follow her on twitter.

A Washtenaw County Circuit Court judge has ruled that the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act does not pre-empt local zoning laws regulating the production and distribution of the drug.

The ruling is significant because it’s the first court challenge to zoning laws regulating medical marijuana in the state, according to Dennis McLain, Ypsilanti Township’s attorney.

Previous court challenges have been against communities that have tried to outright ban medical marijuana use, production or distribution because it is still illegal at the federal level.

The ruling is part of a case against two Ypsilanti Township residents officials charge are pumping an “intense” medical marijuana odor out of their home that is resulting from some type of processing operation in their basement. Neighbors have complained about the odor, though the defendants deny it is an issue.

Officials say homeowners at 1397 Crestwood are growing more marijuana than is allowed per township zoning ordinance.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

The township also charges the defendants, Michael Engle and Deborah Klochubar, are growing more medical marijuana than allowed under the township’s zoning laws.

According to state law, a person with a medical marijuana patient’s card can grow up to 12 plants for his or her personal use. Ypsilanti Township ordinance allows residents to grow their personal plants in residential zones.

But state law says registered caregivers can grow up to 72 plants for up to five patients and their own personal use. Ypsilanti Township's zoning ordinance doesn’t permit caregivers to operate in residential zones. Klochubar's and Engle's home is in such a zone.

Eric Misterovich, attorney for Engle and Klochubar, argued that state medical marijuana laws pre-empt local ordinances, and the township’s zoning ordinances regarding medical marijuana are not enforceable.

The state law does not say where medical marijuana can and cannot be grown.

Misterovich asked Washtenaw County Circuit Court Judge Archie Brown to dismiss the case, but Brown disagreed with Misterovich's assessment.

“There are no provisions in the MMMA that prohibit municipalities from adopting zoning ordinances regulating where medical marijuana caregivers can grow and dispense marijuana for other patients,” Brown wrote in his ruling.

Misterovich did not return calls from AnnArbor.com. seeking comment.

“This is a significant issue; whether densely populated neighborhoods can be taken over by medical marijuana grow operations. We’re definitely fighting that to the end,” McLain said.

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Contact the news desk at 734-6232530 or news@annarbor.com