Samuel McCray, Richard Winston, William McCray

Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office

Three Detroiters accused of robbing a cab driver in Ypsilanti Township last month will return to court at the end of February for pretrial hearings.

William McCray, 22, Samuel McCray, 17 and Richard Winston, 17, will face pretrial hearings at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 25. Winston was in court for a hearing Monday in front of Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Darlene O’Brien.

William McCray was bound over to the circuit court after a preliminary exam and it will take time to get a transcript of the exam, Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Brenda Taylor said. She said the defense attorneys in the case will be getting more discovery materials to look over before the next hearing.

According to Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputies, the three men assaulted a cab driver and took cash and a cellphone after being picked up at 6:15 p.m. Dec. 26 in the 800 block of George Place in Ypsilanti Township.

A search by the sheriff’s office K-9 unit led deputies to the Harmony House Motel at Michigan Avenue and Ecorse Road. After speaking with people in the area, deputies made contact with two of the men in a hotel room while the other man was caught while trying to flee the area. It’s unclear which man fled.

The men are charged with two counts each of armed robbery and unarmed robbery. Samuel McCray and Richard Winston are both being held on $250,000 bonds and William McCray is being held without bond.

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

Editor's note: This story was edited at 4:40 p.m. to reflect the Black Rat Snake and Blandings Turtle were animals seen on the Trachet's property.

Nearly 168 acres in Jackson County’s Norvell Township on the western edge of Washtenaw County are now protected as a part of the newest addition to the Legacy Land Conservancy of Ann Arbor.

The addition comes as a donation from Ron and Susan Trachet of Ann Arbor. The parcel has been in the Trachet family since 1978, and was used for family hunting trips. A solar-powered vineyard also has been built on the property.

A wetland on the Trachet property in Norvell Township, which will be protected indefinitely as a result of the Trachets' donation to the Legacy Land Conservancy.

Courtesy of the Legacy Land Conservancy

About 38 acres of the property is in the floodplain for the Manchester Drain.

Protecting the land was prioritized because it serves as a habitat for the endangered Indiana bat.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, about 400,000 bats remain in the U.S. About 85 percent of them spend their winters at seven locations.

The Massausauga Rattlesnake, Black Rat Snake, Blandings Turtle, as well as deer and pheasants have been seen frequenting the property.

The Legacy Land Conservancy was founded in 1971 and has worked to protect more than 4,800 acres of land throughout southern Michigan. Property owners who choose to protect their land are eligible for tax incentives.

Part of the conservancy’s goal for the next 100 years are to protect land near Waterloo, Pinckney and Sharonville; farmland in southwest Washtenaw County, groundwater recharge areas, wetlands and areas adjacent to streams.

The Weidmayer farm in Freedom Township.

Courtesy of the Legacy Land Conservancy

The farm belongs to Neil Weidmayer, of Freedom Township, who decided to protect the farm from any future development. Weidmayer Farms is Weidmayer’s business, which grows corn and hay, as well as a dairy operation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources Conservation Service have classified the areas as “prime farmland” and “farmland of local importance.”

In addition to being productive land, the Weidmayer farm also contains wetlands and native wooded areas that serve as habitat for songbirds, deer, coyotes and red tail hawks.

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

Both the Ypsilanti District Library branches on Whittaker Road and Michigan Avenue will hold events on Monday. The only problem will be deciding between honoring an icon from the Civil Rights movement or delicious chocolate.

The Michigan Ave. branch will celebrate the best part of Valentine's Day with "For the Love of Chocolate." There, you'll learn about the history of chocolate, different types of chocolate and how chocolate is made. And more importantly, samples will be provided.

Rosa Parks event: Monday, Feb. 04, 2013. 6:30 p.m. Free. 5577 Whittaker Road, Ypsilanti. 734-482-4110 ext. 1377.

For the Love of Chocolate: Monday, Feb. 04, 2013. 6:30 p.m. Free. 229 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. 734-482-4110 ext. 1385.

Ann Arbor-based University Bank has completed its first purchase of an independent insurance agency in 17 years, acquiring Ann Arbor Insurance Centre for $1.13 million.

Over the next few months, the bank’s current insurance agency, University Insurance & Investment Services, will be absorbed into the Ann Arbor Insurance Centre office.

University Bank is headquartered in the Hoover Mansion on Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor.

Photo courtesy of AADL

“This is a major expansion of our agency. The group we bought is larger than the one we had built up ourselves.”

According to a news release, the bank expects insurance revenues to grow to 1.2 percent of revenue, totaling approximately $42 million annually.

Ranzini said the acquisition was driven by a desire to be able to offer plans from Auto Owners Insurance and Citizens Insurance, two of the largest insurance companies in Michigan.

“For 15 years we’ve been seeking appointments with them, but they aren’t giving them out so you really have to buy into the companies,” he said.

“This really fills out our stable of companies. We were an independent agency representing 49 companies in Michigan before, but those are the two big ones we didn’t have. Now we feel we have a full pallet to offer everyone the best products from the best companies.”

University Bank also acquired the Ann Arbor Insurance Centre building at 2621 Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township. Ranzini said that he may look into developing the vacant half-acre lot next to the building.

“We need more parking for the location to maximize our use of the land, but there’s also potential for other development there,” he said.

“I have interest in talking with Dennis Dahlmann who bought the hotel immediately on the other side of the lot.”

University Bank, founded in 1890, is the ninth largest bank in Michigan. The bank holds and manages a total of over $12.2 billion in loans and assets.

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

Fifteen Washtenaw County high school students were named candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

This program recognizes some of the most exceptional graduating high school seniors in the nation. Up to 141 students eventually are named U.S. Presidential Scholars each year, and they are selected from approximately 3,000 initial candidates, according to the program’s website.

Ann Arbor’s Huron High School had three students selected as candidates for 2013 and Pioneer High School had six.

Huron’s candidates are Eilam Morag, Cyrus Nikolaidis and Valerie Peng. The candidates from Pioneer are Elizabeth Hines, Siyan Li, Danny Luan, Jenny Nathans, Daniel Rothchild and Siddhartha Sarkar.

Emma Borjiginwang and Jack Hu are candidates from Skyline High School. Community and Father Gabriel Richard high schools in Ann Arbor also were represented by Acer Xu and Joseph Sorenson, respectively.

Garrett Schliebe from Dexter High School and James Corcoran from Saline High School also are candidates.

Students who have been selected as candidates have until Feb. 28 to apply for the prestigious honor.

Approximately 20 male and 20 female seniors from each state are chosen as candidates based on their ACT and SAT test scores or through demonstrated talent in the visual, creative and performing arts, the website says.

The initial pool of candidates is narrowed down from 3,000 to about 560 semifinalists. The U.S. Presidential Scholars are announced in April.

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

An ambulance that was transporting an unstable patient to the University of Michigan Hospital got into a traffic accident in downtown Ann Arbor Thursday morning, officials said.

Joyce Williams, spokeswoman for Huron Valley Ambulances, said one of their vehicles got into a crash at the intersection of East Huron and State streets just before 9 a.m.

HVA had initially responded to a call of a pedestrian being struck at Wagner and Miller roads at 8:53 a.m., Williams said.

“We were transporting that person emergent because they were unstable,” she added.

The ambulance then got into the accident as it was making its way through Ann Arbor toward U-M Hospital with the patient. The ambulance was unable to proceed to the hospital with the patient.

“We called another ambulance to continue the transport,” Williams said.

The second ambulance arrived at 8:58 a.m. and took the pedestrian who was struck to the hospital. There was no additional information about what happened with the patient.

Neither the HVA paramedics nor the driver of the car involved in the crash were injured. Williams did not have any other details about the accident.

Snowy weather conditions and icy roads played a part in both incidents, Williams said.

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

Slick conditions led to slow-moving traffic on Jackson Road on the west side of Ann Arbor Thursday morning.

John Counts | AnnArbor.com

Related stories:

• Winter weather advisory issued: Crashes clog freeways, U-S 23 closed

• First Ann Arbor schools snow day in 2 years: How districts make the call

Slick roads and crashes throughout Washtenaw County Thursday morning delayed students' arrival to school.

A bus carrying special needs students to Eberwhite Elementary School was involved in a minor collision with a Blue Cab taxi on the west side of Ann Arbor.

The collision was described as a "fender bender" and took place in the Adrienne Drive subdivision near the corner of West Liberty Street and South Maple Road.

There were no injuries. Ann Arbor Public Schools and Blue Cab representatives said the cab slid into the school bus at approximately 5 mph and minimal damage occurred to the car.

District Communications Director Liz Margolis said the students all have been delivered to school and parents of students on the bus are being contacted, according to the district's normal practice.

Washtenaw Intermediate School District transportation officials said a number of buses got stuck behind cars that couldn't make it up various hills Thursday morning on their routes, but there were no major incidents involving buses.

Newport Road near Forsythe Middle School was blocked by traffic this morning that delayed buses, Margolis said.

"The roads, especially on the west side of the city, did get icy with no salt down on them," she said.

Most middle school students arrived on time, except for those living in the Forsythe area. There were delays on the west-side roads for both buses and parents driving students to school; and a few elementary buses were delayed up to an hour, Margolis said.

"The east side of the city was in a bit better shape," she said. "Eisenhower was slower but not as icy as the west-side roads."

The squall blew in after the high school service had started, Margolis said, which was too late for district officials to close school.

Ann Arbor Public Schools staff and transportation officials were out assessing the roadway conditions this morning.

"It was slow and icy but we already had students at school and waiting for the bus so there was not a decision to close," Margolis said.

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

The Michigan Theater is celebrating its 85th anniversary, and at the same time Russ Collins is marking 30 years running the treasured local movie palace and performing-arts venue.

Both anniversaries fall in conjunction with the return of Sundance USA to the Michigan, which happens tonight. Collins took some time earlier this week to reflect on the importance of the theater and its history, as well as his own ties to the Michigan.

Organ music is performed by Andrew Rogers.

Russ Collins on the Michigan and its history:

Russ Collins on his own history with the theater:

Ypsilanti police were called to a residence in the 400 block of Ainsworth Circle for a home invasion at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Two flatscreen televisions, three watches and two bracelets were reported stolen, according to a crime summary.

The victim said he left the house on Jan. 26 and returned Wednesday to discover the air conditioning unit in a window had been pushed in.

Police believe this is where the suspect or suspects gained entry. They continue to investigate.

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

Three Depot Town businesses and one home were spray painted Wednesday night in Ypsilanti.

Depot Town

File photo

An Ypsilanti resident notified the police Wednesday night after seeing the graffiti.

The Ypsilanti Police Department said no further details were immediately available about the incident or which businesses were affected.

This is the second act of vandalism to occur in the Ypsilanti area in the past two weeks.

Earlier this month, 50 headstones were vandalized at the Highland Cemetery located at at 943 N. River St.

Several headstones were tipped over, however, there was no permanent damage to any marker that was disturbed. Trash also was strewn across some of the headstones.

Police said the incident still is under investigation and no suspects have been identified.

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

The National Weather Service has extended the winter weather advisory for the Ann Arbor area until 7 p.m. Thursday.

Forecasters said snow squalls are expected to produce about 2 inches of snowfall and up to 4 inches in some areas. Snowfall rates could exceed 1 inch per hour in areas affected by the most intense snow bands, the weather service said.

Visibility will be reduced to less than one-quarter mile at times. Road conditions could deteriorate rapidly in those areas, forecasters said.

Motorists creep along Jackson Road west of Ann Arbor during Thursday morning's snowfall.

John Counts | AnnArbor.com

Bands of lake effect snow moving across southeast Michigan caught drivers by surprise earlier Thursday morning, resulting in numerous crashes, including a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 in Detroit that killed at least four people and shut the freeway.

Another multi-vehicle crash closed U.S. 23 near Milan Thursday morning, but no serious injuries were reported in that crash. The crash was first reported about 6:30 a.m. on southbound U.S. 23 between Carpenter and Plank roads, Huron Valley Ambulance spokeswoman Joyce Williams said. A car was stuck under a semi and the driver required extrication, Joyce Williams with HVA said.

Milan firefighter Greg Brierley said eight to 12 vehicles were involved in the crash and other crashes then occurred north and south of the first crash. HVA transported two people to the University of Michigan Hospital and one to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Williams said.

An ambulance from out of the area also was involved in the crash, Williams said. “They happened to be on the road,” she said.

Three other patients were transported to the University of Michigan Hospital in stable condition. There was an ambulance from out of the area involved in the crash. The ambulance was not responding to the crash. “They happened to be on the road,” Williams said.

A man stole a woman’s purse while she was walking up to her Ypsilanti apartment Wednesday afternoon, dragging her down a flight of stairs and causing minor injuries in the process.

Investigators later arrested a man driving the suspect's getaway car and still are looking for the robber.

According to a statement from Ypsilanti police, a 30-year-old woman flagged down two officers at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1400 block of Gregory Street to report the robbery. According to police, a man grabbed her purse from behind while she was walking up to her apartment.

A witness told police he chased the man with the purse to a red Ford Escort, where another man was waiting in the car. After the man with the purse jumped in, the car sped south on Courtland, away from the scene.

A Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputy went to the address listed in records for the vehicle and saw the Escort pull up to the home. The deputy arrested the driver, a 24-year-old Ypsilanti Township man, who said the passenger in the car had stolen the purse, removed the money and thrown the purse out of the window.

The purse was located with all of its contents, except for the cash, according to police. Investigators still are working to identify the second suspect. The woman's ID, cellphone and credit cars were recovered in the purse.

Police said the at-large man is black, in his late 20s, between 5-feet-10 inches and 6-feet tall, skinny, with a long goatee. He was wearing a black hat, black coat and black pants.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Ypsilanti police at 734-483-9510.

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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.

Today's scheduled Penny Stamps Speaker Series lecture on "Visualizing Data," featuring Bloomberg's Lisa Strausfeld, has been canceled.

Organizers announced, "Due to flight cancellations caused by the wintry weather, this evening's Penny W. Stamps Speaker Series featuring Lisa Strausfeld is canceled. The talk was scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Michigan Theater. Strausfeld's appearance at the Stamps Series will be rescheduled, and notice will be circulated when the new date is confirmed."

For more information, see the series website.

Deborah Slaner Larkin, a leading force for change and equality in women's sports, will speak at the SHARP Center for Women and Girls on Igniting Change in Women's Sport: Illuminating the Hidden Levers of Change.

Deborah Slaner Larkin

Image courtesy RacquetSportsIndustry.com

"Larkin will speak...about her extensive experience and perspective on the real causes of change in girl's and women's sport, with a focus on the synergistic roles of research, advocacy, and collaboration," according to the press release.

She is currently the executive director of USTA Serves, the national charitable foundation of the United States Tennis Association, and she was the former executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation.

Wednesday, Feb 06, 2013. Noon-1:30 p.m. Free. In 2239 Lane Hall at 204 S. State St., Ann Arbor.

WANTED: M or W who would like to spend time with sassy, brassy babes on wheels. Any race or orientation. No creeps.

If that's you, then you need A Night of Speed Dating with the Ann Arbor Derby Dimes at the Corner Brewery. There will be no discrimination on gender or orientation. So whether you’re searching for a casual courtship, friendship or an everlasting valentine, it will be fun for all.

There will live entertainment, and you'll get to rub elbow pads one-on-one with the baddest chicks on eight wheels—the Derby Dimes, Ann Arbor's roller derby team.

Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. 7 p.m. Register by Feb. 2. $20, includes a drink ticket and access to a round robin date forum, 'Date a Derby Dime' auction, A2D2 meet & greet, and live entertainment. The Corner Brewery is at 720 Norris St, Ypsilanti.

The hot chocolate at Zingerman's Coffee is made with Callebaut chocolate drops and natural creamline non-homogenized milk.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Yesterday we asked you, our AnnArbor.com readers, to share your favorite hot chocolate destinations, and your answers were (predictably) diverse. We've compiled them—plus a few more—into a poll, and you can vote for your favorites after the jump.

My kid digs hot chocolate.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

"I think this requires more research, Mom."

So my 10-year-old and I spent Christmas break hitting every hot chocolate destination we could think of. Starbucks was immediately discarded as a contender. (The chocolate flavor was too strong but "not chocolatey enough," and the baristas always make it scalding hot.) Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee held a lot of promise—more than a few friends have raved about their hot chocolate and mochas—but the ratio of chocolate to milk was "too overpowering."

In the end, my little hot chocolate expert narrowed it down to three: two local shops and a surprisingly good national chain.

The best hot chocolate in Ann Arbor, according to Jacob:

Zingerman's Coffee. Made with Callebaut 67 percent chocolate drops, melted into steamed Calder Dairy milk. This south side coffee destination's manager Anya Pomykala told me that most people order the hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, but Jacob wholeheartedly recommends the housemade marshmallow. ($3.00/$3.75)

Here's Pomykala walking us through the making of this delicious treat:

Coming in at second place on Jacob's list of the best hot chocolate in Ann Arbor is the Mindo hot chocolate at Morgan & York. That's right, though Zingerman's Next Door's Mindo Hot Chocolate made Food & Wine's list of the best hot chocolate in the country, my discriminating 10-year-old believes that Morgan & York has the leg up on this one, and they charge less for it. The wine and cheese shop also makes a good hot chocolate with steamed Calder Dairy chocolate milk. Bonus: the shop also stocks croissants and other goodies from The Pastry Peddler and (occasionally) Cafe Japon. ($2.50)

Our best hot chocolate list is rounded out by a trip to Caribou Coffee. A couple of years ago, the chain switched from a syrup to making hot chocolate with melted chocolate nibs. They offer hot chocolates in either dark, white or milk chocolate, and are careful to regulate the temperature of the drink when it is intended for a child. ($3.09/$3.49/$3.79)

And now you tell us. We've compiled your choices for best hot chocolate in Ann Arbor in the poll below, and added a few favorites of our own. Vote for your favorite hot chocolate destination, or comment and tell us what we might have left off.

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Grocery section for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at JessicaWebster@annarbor.com. You also can follow her on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

Former Eastern Michigan and Indiana University basketball player Devan Dumes has been charged with attempted murder in Indianapolis.

Former Eastern Michigan and Indiana University basketball player Devan Dumes has been charged with attempted murder in Indianapolis.

Associated Press

Dumes played his freshman year at Eastern Michigan University in the 2006-07 season. After averaging 8.1 points, 2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steals for the Eagles, Dumes transferred to Vincennes Junior College where he averaged 16.9 points, four rebounds and four assists during the 2007-08 season.

Dumes used his final two years of eligibility at Indiana where he led the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game during the 2008-09 season. He played in 30 of 31 games for the Hoosiers in 2009-10 as a senior and was second on the team in steals (30) and 3-pointers made (31).

• Read the Indianapolis Star report.

Friends and former classmates of Brandon Wesley Charles, who was shot dead Tuesday night in a car in Ypsilanti Township, remember him as outgoing and athletic.

Brandon Charles

Courtesy photo

Charles was found dead in the driver’s seat of a Ford sedan at 10 p.m. Tuesday in front of a home in the 600 block of Calder Avenue. He died from gunshot wounds to his torso. According to deputies, he was visiting a friend at the home.

Thursday morning, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Geoffrey Fox said no further updates were available. Deputies are actively investigating the case, but no suspects have been identified.

Friends and former classmates of Charles said his death came as a shock. He was well-liked and known in the Ypsilanti area, they said, and recently celebrated his birthday on Jan. 21.

Crystal Burks, a former Lincoln High School classmate and a friend of Charles, said the one thing she'll remember is his personality.

"Brandon was very kind, funny and dedicated," Burks said.

Burks said she remembered Charles asking for help with his homework so he could graduate from high school.

"That showed me he was serious about getting his life back together after a small hiccup," Burks said. "... He was a great friend with a wonderful sense of humor and will definitely be missed."

Richard Burns, another former Lincoln High classmate, said he and Charles grew up in the same neighborhood.

"We lived in the same neighborhood for most of our childhood," Burns said. "I also did yard work for his parents, too ... . He was a good dude, excellent basketball player, funny, and very outgoing. He was loyal to family and friends. ... (I'm) sad to hear about his death because I knew him since he was 11 years old."

Charles did have previous run-ins with the law. Fox confirmed the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office had previous contacts with Charles regarding drugs, weapons and assault-related offenses. However, Fox said Charles was not known to be affiliated with any gangs in the West Willow neighborhood.

Before he was fatally shot Tuesday, Charles was shot in a road rage incident in Detroit on New Year's Day. He had been scheduled to testify Wednesday in a court hearing related to that case.

Charles and a woman, who police believe was his girlfriend, were leaving the MGM Grand Casino in Detroit around 3:10 a.m. on Jan. 1 when they were involved in a car accident with a Ford Expedition, Lt. Michael Shaw of the Michigan State Police said.

Charles was shot once and a woman in the passenger's seat of Charles' vehicle was shot nine times. The woman was also scheduled to testify in Wayne County court Wednesday morning in the shooting case.

Police arrested and charged two men, 30-year-old Willie Lee Wimberly, of Trenton, and 33-year-old Steve DeShawn Smith-Rush, of Inkster, in connection with the road rage incident. Both are out on bond.

Mary McPhail-Ciufo, who attended Lincoln Consolidated Middle School with Charles, called his death tragic.

"Brandon Charles had an excellent sense of humor, was a very nice guy, and I remember him being very sweet to his younger sister," McPhail-Ciufo said. "This is an awful tragedy and one that no one deserves to have befallen upon them, least of all a good person like Brandon. (I) extend my condolences to his family."

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

It was “not uncommon” that the certificate of compliance issued by the city of Ann Arbor to the owners of 401 S. Division St. expired Jan. 1, the city's rental housing services projects and programs manager Lisha Turner-Tolbert said. That left the building without an up-to-date certificate when it caught fire Jan. 25.

It also was not uncommon that the building did not have an inspection scheduled and was unlikely to be looked at by city officials until late April at the earliest.

No one was injured in the fire at 401 S. Division St. and two dogs in the building were rescued by firefighters.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

“It’s not written in the code anywhere that [property owners] have to call us or to get their certificate renewed within a certain period,” she said.

“Only about 20 percent of our population calls us to schedule an inspection ahead of their expiration date.”

Turner-Tolbert said that due to scheduling restraints, once a property has a certificate of compliance there is no ordinance specifying renewal requirements and the responsibility is on the city to schedule the inspections.

“My goal is to keep it to six months or less after the permit expires,” she said.

“We’ve been working really hard to get the right personnel and be able to keep it to about five months… so right now people whose permits expired in September are having their inspections performed.”

Ann Arbor currently has four rental housing inspectors according to the city’s website.

The city’s eTrackit website that tracks permitting progress shows the certificate of compliance for 401 S. Division St. expired on June 1, 2012, but Turner-Tolbert said that display is the result of a glitch in the system that effected approximately 20 properties.

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

Butzel Long PC, a Michigan-based law firm with an office in Ann Arbor, has asked a federal agency to save its pension plan that is underfunded by more than $9 million according to a report from MLive.

Rather than using tax revenues, the agency, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC), is funded by insurance premiums paid by sponsors of defined benefit plans. The PBCG paid about $384 million to Michigan retirees in failed pension plans in 2011.

According to MLive statewide business reporter Melissa Anders, the firm regularly represents clients before the PBGC and also represents the Michigan Press Association, of which MLive Media Group is a member.

Unlike other companies requesting pension relief, Butzel Long is not facing bankruptcy. The company has changed its benefits package to include a defined-contribution 401(k) plan instead of the pensions.

• Read the full story on MLive

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