• Previous story: Dexter Community Schools gearing up to select district's next superintendent

Dexter Community Schools' Board of Education was expected to begin interviewing its first round of superintendent candidates this week. But a report in the Dexter Leader says the school board wants more time to vet the individuals and consider its candidate pool.

Dexter Board of Education President Larry Cobler

AnnArbor.com file photo

Dennis Desmarais, a longtime educator from the Riverview Community School District, was appointed the interim superintendent of the Dexter schools following Marshall's mid-year departure.

The Dexter Board of Education hired the Michigan Leadership Institute last fall to assist with its superintendent search. According to the Leader, the MLI presented 35 candidates to the board, and now the board would like to push back the initial interview dates to "look deeper" into the backgrounds of the candidates.

School board President Larry Cobler told the Leader some of the candidates were not the right fit or had not been working for a while. Only about "10 or so" were sitting superintendents, which is what the school board wants, Cobler said in the newspaper.

• Read the full report in the Dexter Leader.

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

If "American Idol" has taught us anything, it's that some TV shows shouldn't last forever—but more importantly, that kids have amazing talents and just need an outlet to shine. That's what the Second Annual Huron High School Celebrity Showcase aims to do.

Some students will compose and write their own music and raps while others will perform songs from artists such as Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Alicia Keys. All songs have been cleaned up to make it a family-friendly program.

Thursday, March 28, 2013. 7 p.m. $5 at the door. Huron High is located at 2727 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor.

Legislation passed by a Republican-controlled House panel could put some state funding at risk for local governments that sign long labor contracts before Michigan's right-to-work law takes effect.

Commissioner Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor, at last week's meeting of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.

Andrew Kuhn | For AnnArbor.com

Exact funding consequences for each municipality weren't immediately clear. Washtenaw County last week approved 10-year contracts with its unions.

Similar restrictions in a recent higher education budget proposal would cut 15 percent of aid for universities that enter into lengthy contracts without savings. About $41 million in state funding is at risk for the University of Michigan.

Republicans criticize the contracts as circumventing the right-to-work law. Democrats say the contract negotiations have been fair.

Center for Automotive Research vice president Sean McAlinden told the Washtenaw County Economic Club that the "Big 3" auto companies are as profitable as they've ever been.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

• Washtenaw County in the midst of a six-year economic rebound, adding 25,000 jobs
• Economic forecast sure to provide interesting look into Washtenaw County's future

Speaking at the Washtenaw County Economic Outlook Luncheon on Wednesday, economists George Fulton and Sean McAlinden said that while manufacturing is returning to Southeast Michigan, greater gains are being made in the development and creation of automotive components than in the heavy manufacturing that was once a central component of the local economy.

“Michigan has 65,000 automotive engineers working at 360 technical centers and is the largest industrial R&D center in the United States outside California,” said McAlinden, executive vice president for research and chief economist at the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, said.

The economists agreed that these knowledge-based jobs are the future of the economy for the region and that while many positions are filled, there is room for a lot more talent to come to the area.

“For every engineer with at least five years of experience, there are three or four job openings right now,” McAlinden said.

“Some engineers right out of school have had some difficulty because companies are hesitant to train new hires in case they are then hired away by competitors for just a few thousand dollars more, but I think that’s going to go away soon and you’ll see an increase in entry level positions being hired.”

This issue of a gap in available talent and hiring practices of companies was addressed at the Governor’s Economic Summit held in Detroit March 18 and 19.

The one area where the auto industry is outpacing the talent supply available in Michigan by a wide margin is software developers. According to McAlinden’s presentation, Michigan is not a top 10 state in terms of the density of software developers and programmers.

“When we talk about this kind of talent we always say Ann Arbor is where that is,” he said. “Well, we need even more now, even Ann Arbor isn’t enough of that.”

The increase in engineering and design jobs helped support one of the primary theses in Fulton’s presentation, that future job growth in Washtenaw County will be driven by “high-wage” jobs. Fulton, director of the Center for Labor Market Research at the University of Michigan, predicts that over the next three years, jobs with annual wages higher than $62,000 will grow by 8.5 percent, far and away the highest gaining sector in the local economy.

Both agreed, however, that the increase in available jobs will have to be met by an increase in talent which means more university graduates choosing to remain in the area or the retraining of older unemployed residents.

While the number of Washtenaw County jobs in automobile manufacturing has dropped from a peak of 19,120 in 1990 to just 4,656 today, the industry is still a major factor in the economic health of the region.

“The high unemployment, the housing crash, everything that happened in 2008 and 2009, those were body shots,” McAlinden said in an interview. “They were reminders to the county that ‘you’re still in Michigan.’”

In delivering his 28th economic forecast for Washtenaw County, George Fulton said "it's been another good year."

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

“Washtenaw County (and Livingston County) will replenish all of the jobs lost from the recession by 2013,” he said. “That’s a big deal to people outside the area because they are still really struggling.”

Fulton attributed the recovery to the county’s relatively diverse economy and said that the gains were spread across most major sectors, especially private sector service providing.

“It’s better to see the whole economy improving slightly more gradually than to have it dominated by a couple of industries that are really taking off while others still struggle,” he said in an interview.

Just as the automotive recovery has helped the local economy regain its footing, the recovery of the residential real estate market has in turn come full circle and has helped the recovery the automotive industry, the economists said.

Fulton saw the increase in home construction as a sign that the housing market is tight and that prices are increasing. For McAlinden, the upswing means that customers have higher net worth and that construction workers need new trucks.

“We saw a 10.7 percent increase in light truck sales, much of that being pickup trucks as construction of new homes has increased,” he said.

“…And when you sell a driveway, we sell some cars. Especially when there’s a garage behind it.” 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

Right-to-work legislation takes effect Thursday, but five University of Michigan unions won't have to worry about its impact for several years.

University of Michigan

Knowing unions would be open to making concessions, U-M agreed to negotiate early. The fifth agreement, with the lecturers union, was negotiated in advance of it expiring this spring.

And while the four- and five-year contracts aren't as long as those reached by some schools and municipalities —such as Wayne State University's eight-year agreement with its faculty union— U-M could face serious, and expensive, backlash for helping unions skirt the law.

A house subcommittee has recommended penalizing the university by cutting 15 percent of its appropriations, or $41 million, if officials didn't achieve adequate cost savings. When Republican representatives proposed the measure last week, U-M administrators had already signed off on the agreements and sent them to union memberships for ratification.

Throughout the bargaining process lawmakers' threats to withhold funding created a tense atmosphere between the university and unions, according to officials from the school's lecturers union.

Bonnie Halloran, president of U-M's lecturers' union, has said the subcommittee recommendation to cut funds is unfair. "Nothing illegal is being done," she has said.

U-M Board of Regents chairwoman Denise Ilitch said the school "can't respond to threats."

U-M nurses protest right-to-work legislation in December at the state capitol.

AP Photo | Carlos Osorio

Yet architects of the proposed penalty say it's not a threat, but a measure meant to hold officials accountable.

"I think we've sent a pretty serious message here," Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, told MLive after a subcommittee on higher education, which he chairs, passed the measure in a 4-3 party-line vote March 19. "And hopefully it's received. The message is: Protect taxpayers. If you're going to do contracts, make sure that you come up with real taxpayer savings."

In an interview Tuesday, Pscholka said the length of the five-year lecturers contract is "curious" given that the last contract was for three years. He said his committee is mainly concerned with contracts related to U-M's education arm, such as the lecturers and graduate employees unions, and not those related to the health system.

None of the contracts in question, he said, appear to achieve adequate cost savings.

"What they've told me is that they have all this leverage to do all of these great deals for taxpayers and that they're saving taxpayers money," Pscholka said of U-M. "I have not seen any taxpayer savings at all."

Between March 21 and March 25 all five U-M unions ratified their contracts. Each agreement includes lower increases in base pay than previous contracts and all raises are lower than 3 percent.

The five agreements represent 11,600 employees, or the vast majority of union workers at the university. There are nine unions at the school and, collectively, members pay at least $5.36 million in annual dues.

• The 1,100-member house officers union, which represents medical residents training at the health system, ratified a four-year contract that expires June 2017. Pay increases range from 1.5 percent to 1.85 percent.
• The lecturers union, which represents 1,500 non-tenured teachers at the school's three campuses, agreed to a five-year contract. Ann Arbor lecturers will receive no raise in fiscal 2014, a 1.5-percent raise in 2015, 2-percent raises in 2016 and 2017 and a 2.75-percent raise the last year of the contract.
• The 1,800-member Graduate Employees Organization, which represents graduate students who also teach, ratified a four-year contract that will expire in May 2017. The contract renegotiated raises set to take effect in September from 3 percent to 2 percent. It includes 2-percent raises each year, lower than the nine-year average of 3.3 percent.
• The 2,400-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees agreed to a four-year contract expiring in June 2017. The new contract includes two years of lump-sum payments in lieu of base increases, followed by a 1 percent raise and then a 2-percent raise the final year of the contract. Over the past three years, the union members had averaged a 2.2-percent annual wage increase.
• The 4,800-member Michigan Nurses Association ratified a five-year contract, which will expire in June 2018. For the first year of the contract, nurses will receive a 4 percent raise, which was stipulated in the union's prior contract. For the next three years nurses will receive 1.25 percent raises, with certain nurses receiving $1,000 lump-sum payments, according to an MNA official. The last year of the contract includes a 1 percent raise. Throughout the contract, nurses can move up a payment ladder and receive step increases. The union's prior contract provided for 3 and 4 percent raises over the course of three years.

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.

University of Michigan economists George Fulton and Donald Grimes released their annual economic outlook report for Washtenaw County on Wednesday.

The forecast predicts the county will add 12,961 new jobs from 2013 to 2015, while the unemployment rate will fall from 5 percent to 4.3 percent by the end of the three-year period.

By the second quarter of 2013, the county will surpass its previous peak level of employment in 2002, and by 2015, the county will have 11,000 more jobs than ever before.

• Download a PDF of the full 32-page report.

Related coverage:

• Washtenaw County in the midst of a 6-year economic rebound, adding 25,000 jobs

• Ann Arbor needs more engineers and programmers to fuel new-look auto industry

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.

• Previous article: FBI joins Washtenaw County police agencies in vehicle shooting investigation

Police confirmed Wednesday they believe three shootings that occurred within about 30 minutes and about 9 miles of each other Monday night in Washtenaw County are related.

Pittsfield Township and Michigan State Police investigators continue to work together to find out who shot at the three vehicles in Pittsfield and Bridgewater townships.

Courtesy of the Pittsfield Township DPS.

“We came down to the fact that we are investigating the three cases that happened Monday evening and we do believe they are related,” Harshberger told AnnArbor.com. “We have assigned the Michigan State Police and Pittsfield Township as lead investigators to continue the investigation into all three incidents together and we’re trying to plan out the resources we might need as part of the investigation.”

An unknown shooter hit three vehicles Monday evening. The first two incidents were reported about 6 p.m. in Bridgewater Township on Austin Road and, 15 minutes later, another vehicle was shot on Michigan Avenue in Pittsfield Township.

FBI spokesman Simon Shaykhet confirmed the agency was involved in the investigation Wednesday afternoon. Sgt. Geoffrey Fox, of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies attended Wednesday’s meeting to stay abreast of the situation.

Harshberger said representatives from other agencies attended the meeting Wednesday but he declined to say what agencies they were from.

He said Wednesday’s meeting was an initial, general dialogue about the situation.

To this point, there has been no suspect information from the three shootings released to the public.

The first shooting was reported on Austin Road east of Ernst Road. A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven west by a Manchester man was shot.

The second shooting was reported a short time later on Austin Road west of Schneider Road. An Adrian woman was driving the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix west on Austin Road when it was hit by a bullet.

The third shooting occurred between 6 and 6:15 p.m. Monday, police said in a release Wednesday. A vehicle driven west by a 72-year-old Pittsfield Township woman was hit by a bullet in the driver’s side door as she drove westbound on Michigan Avenue east of Industrial Drive.

The distance between the intersection of Austin and Schneider and Michigan Avenue and Industrial is a little more than nine miles. According to Google Maps, the estimated drive time between the two intersections is 14 minutes.

No one was injured in the shootings.

Anyone with information on the shootings is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).

View Driving directions to michigan avenue and industrial road, pittsfield township, mi in a larger map

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

French automotive components manufacturer Faurecia plans to build a new North American headquarters and technical center in Auburn Hills, according to a report on Crain’s Detroit Business.

The Faurecia plant in Saline employs 800 workers according to Ann Arbor SPARK

Courtesy of Faurecia

The site plan for the headquarters is on the Auburn Hills Planning Commission agenda for its meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. The general contractor for the building told Crain’s that plans call for a three-story 300,000-square-foot building.

• Read the full story from Crain's Detroit Business.

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

Canton Township police are investigating whether a possible bullet hole discovered in a vehicle that came from the Ann Arbor area Saturday is related to three reports of vehicle shootings Monday in Washtenaw County.

Sgt. David Schreiner, of the Canton Township Department of Public Safety said a man driving from the Ann Arbor area to work near Michigan Avenue and Beck Road in Canton Township discovered a single bullet hole in the door of the vehicle Saturday. Schreiner said the incident was reported Saturday, and investigators are working with Washtenaw County investigators to see if the incidents are related.

“Ours was actually before the news broke on the other ones,” Schreiner said. “When we heard about the other ones, it heightened our attention.”

Pittsfield Township police released this photo of a bullet hole left in a woman's vehicle after it was shot Monday evening.

Courtesy of Pittsfield Township police

The Michigan State Police and Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety the lead investigating agencies for the shootings in Washtenaw County. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation are assisting.

Schreiner said what’s believed to be single bullet hole from an unknown caliber bullet was discovered in the door of the man’s vehicle. “We’re not sure when or where it happened,” he said.

The incident is still under investigation, Schreiner said.

The first shooting was reported on Austin Road east of Ernst Road. A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven west by a Manchester man was shot. The second shooting was reported a short time later on Austin Road west of Schneider Road. An Adrian woman was driving the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix west on Austin Road when it was hit by a bullet.

The two shootings in Bridgewater Township occurred between 5:40 p.m. and 6 p.m., police said in a statement.

At 6:15 p.m., a 72-year-old Pittsfield Township woman reported a single bullet hole in the driver’s side door of her vehicle. Police said the vehicle was hit on Michigan Avenue near Industrial Drive.

The woman returned home before discovering the bullet hole and then reported the incident to police.

The distance between the intersection of Austin and Schneider and Michigan Avenue and Industrial is a little more than nine miles. The estimated drive time between the two intersections is 14 minutes.

No one was injured in the shootings, and police have not released any suspect information in the case.

Pittsfield Township Public Safety Director Matt Harshberger said he is aware of the Canton Township case and police are investigating any possible connection.

Anyone with information on the shootings is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).

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

This is the year. This is the year you're going to have the best luminary sculpture in Ann Arbor. This is the year that you won't be walking empty-handed in the FoolMoon parade. Not like last year.

"These popular Make your Own Luminary Workshops are led by several of the regions most talented public art artists," according to the press release. So even the most unsure hand will walk away with a sculpture they can proudly parade around the streets of Ann Arbor.

FoolMoon will be held on Friday, April 5 from dusk to midnight and FestiFools will be held Sunday, April 7 from 4-5 p.m. this year. (Watch AnnArbor.com on Monday for a preview article.)

The final luminary workshop is Sunday, March 31, 2013. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Suggested donation: $10. The Workantile Exchange is located at 118 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. 734-763-7550.

A cluster of services housed at the University of Michigan Health System’s main medical campus in Ann Arbor will be moved to an off-site clinic location to alleviate space constraints after a $3.6 million renovation, officials recently announced.

Additionally, UMHS will be investing $2.34 million to create a new wound care clinic at its leased Domino’s Farms Office Park space on Frank Lloyd Wright Drive in Ann Arbor Township.

UMHS is preparing to relocate its Pediatric Speech Language Pathology, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy services from the second level of a unit in the former C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to an office at 2205 Commonwealth Blvd., in Ann Arbor.

The University of Michigan Health System will be creating a new wound care clinic at Domino's Farms in Ann Arbor.

AnnArbor.com files

The construction will create six on-site jobs, according to UMHS. Work is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2014.

In addition to the new clinic on Commonwealth Boulevard, UMHS will be investing $2.34 million to establish the new wound care clinic at Domino's Farms.

The clinic will help patients with wounds from trauma, arterial diseases, pressure ulcers and venous insufficiency, and is expected to open in the summer of 2014.

The money will be used to renovate 9,325 square feet at Domino’s Farms to create the new clinic. UMHS leases nearly 25 percent of the facility, and has agreements in place for 240,920 square feet of the office park.

The $2.34 million also includes the purchase of a hyperbaric chamber that provides intense oxygen therapy to treat damaged tissues and wounds that are difficult to heal, including ulcers that many diabetic patients get.

UMHS moved its diabetes care and adult endocrinology programs to Domino’s Farms in 2009 to serve a rapidly growing population of type 2 diabetes patients.

The Board of Regents approved both projects at its March 21 meeting.

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

The city of Ypsilanti has selected a new fire chief, who will be tasked with leading the department forward as it deals with mounting budget restraints.

Captain Max Anthouard, who was serving as the interim chief, has been appointed as the permanent chief and will be earning an $84,000 salary. Anthouard's appointment becomes effective April 1.

Fire Chief Max Anthouard

Courtesy Captain Max Anthouard

Anthouard replaces Jon Ichesco, who retired following 28 years of service within the department. Ichesco retired Dec. 31 and Anthouard was named interim chief Dec. 20.

Ichesco served as both fire chief and fire marshal. The city has yet to hire a fire marshal.

Anthouard has more than 37 years of fire experience, 19 of which were the Ypsilanti Fire Department. He began his career in Ypsilanti in 1994 as a firefighter and was promoted to lieutenant in 2001 and was promoted to captain in 2008.

Prior to coming to Ypsilanti, Anthouard worked for 15 years in Paris, France as a firefighter.

In a statement, Anthouard noted the fire department is facing difficult challenges ahead.

"These challenges open doors to opportunities that I will use to deliver the best possible fire protection and EMS service to the citizens of this community," Anthouard said. "Council member (Pete) Murdock once told me, ‘Do what is best for the citizens with the resources you have,’ and I plan to do exactly that."

In January, it was announced the city was looking into creating a hybrid public safety department to help cut costs and maintain service levels.

City Manager Ralph Lange said it's "premature" to discuss Anthouard's role in the creation of the department that possibly would cross-train police officers to do firefighter duties.

Earlier this year, the city applied to receive $943,480 through the Competitive Grant Assistance Program from the state of Michigan for the creation of a hybrid department.

“The city of Ypsilanti still has a stand-alone police department and fire department," Lange said. "Chief Anthouard has been promoted to fire chief based on his excellent credentials and service to the city. At this point in time, any discussions on his role in the city creating a public safety department are premature.”

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

Water pours into North Quad through a burst water pipe Thursday morning.

Courtesy of Keya Patel

• Update: Nearly 100 students displaced by flooding at University of Michigan's North Quad

A broken water pipe spilled water throughout the North Quadrangle dormitory Thursday morning and University of Michigan officials are still determining the extent of the damage.

A burst water pipe caused flooding at U-M's North Quad Thursday morning.

AnnArbor.com file photo

“The water drains down and a lot of water was released before they were able to get the pumps turned off,” she said.

The residence tower was closed and classes in the building were canceled Thursday.

Water pipe broken at North Quad.Residential tower is closed. Classes cancelled at North Quad.

— umichpolice (@umichpolice) March 28, 2013

University of Michigan Plant Operations and other crews were at the residence hall, 105 S. State St., Thursday morning to clean up the building and determine what caused the burst pipe.

It’s unknown exactly what caused the pipe to break at this point. Brown said it’s unlikely that the pipe was broken by a person in the stairwell.

“(Residents) are not typically rambunctious on a Thursday morning,” she said.

Brown said students' rooms may have been affected by the flooding but the extent of the damage wasn’t clear as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Jeff MacKie-Mason, dean of the U-M School of Information, sent an email to the school community stating The Ehrlicher Room in North Quad sustained major damage in the flooding.

"We will not be able to use it for some time, perhaps several month (the ceilings may need to be replaced, walls may need repair, the carpet and our extensive electronics equipment may need replacement)," MacKie-Mason wrote in the email.

Brown said more information on the flooding should be released later Thursday.

View Larger Map

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

Spring sports got underway earlier this month around the state, and plenty of teams have their eyes on the ultimate prize.

Take a look at the outlooks of three area teams, courtesy of MLive.com's High School Sports Network.

Saline baseball looks to Battle Creek

Saline senior Andrew White.

AnnArbor.com file

The Saline baseball team has had a fair amount of success during the past five years, reaching the state finals in 2008, 09 and 10 and the semifinals last season.

However, each year the Hornets have been unable to bring a Division 1 championship back to Saline.

With consistency like that, it’s no wonder Saline baseball coach Scott Theisen’s expectations are high for the 2013 season.

“No different than any other year,” said Theisen, in his 21st year at Saline. “We want to be a contender in our conference and be playing our best baseball near the end of the season and keep playing as long as we possibly can at that time.”

Senior second baseman Andrew White said a close 4-3 loss to eventual state champ Hudsonville in the semifinals last year motivated the team for a deep run this season.

“It’s something to work for,” he said. “The feeling of coming a little short like that and knowing we could have easily won the state championship; it gives us a lot of motivation.

“We have the team to do it if we get hot at the right time and stay together.”

• Read the entire article on MLive.com

Saline boys track replacing strong senior class

A group of Saline runners compete at a meet in May.

AnnArbor.com file

Despite making history at last year’s Division 1 state meet, the Saline boys track team fell short of its ultimate goal: a state title.

The Hornets scored 42 points, the most in school history, and placed third at the finals. In 2006, Saline won a D-1 state title with 39.5 points.

A group of highly-touted seniors, including Steven Bastien, helped Saline place third last season. Bastien, Michigan’s Mr. Track and Field last year, set Saline’s school record in the long jump at 24-feet-0.25 and the pole vault at 15. Bastien now competes for Birmingham, Alabama’s Samford University.

“It was a very talented senior class, and six of them are running at the collegiate level this season,” Saline coach Allan Leslie said. “From their freshmen year on, they were really impressive.

“When they were sophomores, we brought them to a JV meet and thought, ‘This is our varsity lineup.’ They tore it up, and we knew that we had something special.”

While Bastien and the other seniors have left the program, Leslie said the expectations for the Saline program remain the same, as the Hornets have claimed five SEC championships, three regional titles and five appearances in the state meet since 2007.

“We have 164 boys on the roster, and we are constantly rebuilding talent,” Leslie said. “We graduate a lot of talent, but our expectations have not changed. We expect to be district champions, we expect to be regional champions and we expect to compete at the state meet.”

• Read the entire article on Mlive.com

Pioneer boys lacrosse has new coach

Pioneer players celebrate a state semifinal win last year.

AnnArbor.com file

After graduating many starters and welcoming a new coach, the Ann Arbor Pioneer boys lacrosse team looks a bit different this season, but the goal remains the same: get back to the state finals.

Smith Atwood, a Michigan State University 2nd-Team All-American goalie (2011), returned to his alma mater to coach the Pioneers with big hopes.

“Our expectations are as high as they are every year,” said Atwood, who was 1st-Team All-State as a Pioneer senior. “We want to be the best public school program in the state.”

Pioneer entered the Division 1 state championship game with a 21-0 record, but fell to eight-time defending champ Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice.

Returning starters and defenders Bryan Matney and Ryan Huffnagle as well as midfielder Peter Burke are the core of the team and hope to support the less-experienced offense.

“Our defense is unbelievable,” Burke said. “They are the foundation of our team. We don’t have to worry about the other teams at all because our defense has got it locked up.”

• Read the entire article on Mlive.com

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com.

Remember when Hostess went bankrupt? Luckily their shelf life won't stop the April Fool's Day Twinkie Run 5K at Gallup Park & Canoe Livery. OK, it might just be a reasonable facsimile, but there will be baked goods involved.

Believe it or not, Twinkies (or their knockoffs) will actually take off time from the runners' finish. They will have the opportunity to eat one at the beginning and at the midpoint to take a minute off their time.

For participants, there will be medals for the first 200 participants and pint glasses for age group awards. There will also be a homemade Twinkie contest.

Register online: a2a3.wufoo.com/forms/s7x1a3/.

Monday, April 1, 2013. 6:15 p.m. Race number pickup starts at 5:15 p.m. $15 registration. $12 for a T-shirt. Gallup Park & Canoe Livery is located at 3000 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor. 734-794-6240.

James Duval headlines "Naked Angel," filmed in Ann Arbor.

James Duval stars in "Naked Angel" as a man who wants to end it all until he falls in love with his guardian angel, who inspires him to live again. Cameron Watkins, Johnny Moreno, Andy Wolf, Kelly Perine and Debra Wilson fill out the cast.

"Angel" was an official selection of the Detroit Windsor Film Festival and the Stauros Inspirational Film Festival, and won awards for best picture, most inspirational film, best directing, best story, best actress and best actor at the Stauros Inspirational Film Festival.

To purchase "Angel" for $17.95 (plus taxes and shipping), visit https://www.createspace.com/328107. To learn more about the movie, visit http://nakedangelfeaturefilm.com, or read this 2010 AnnArbor.com interview with Hemenway.

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.

Debbie Dingell, a Democratic National Committee member and wife of U.S. Rep. John Dingell, could be in line to replace U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, according to a new poll.

Debbie Dingell at a conference on Mackinac Island last year.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The poll of likely voters between March 19-21 found that, in a Democratic primary matchup, Dingell, who lives in Dearborn, leads Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, 30 percent to 25 percent, with 45 percent undecided.

While others could enter the race, Dingell's and Peters' names were the only ones tested in calls to 387 likely Democratic voters, the Free Press reported.

Peters is considering running after Levin announced this month he won't run again in 2014. Dingell has been mentioned as a possible candidate, but hasn't confirmed she's interested.

• Read the Free Press story.

Dingell, who is no stranger to Ann Arbor and regularly makes appearances here with her husband, caught up with AnnArbor.com last year at the Mackinac Policy Conference where she was pushing for an increased focus on early childhood education. Read the story.

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.

Generation APA, the U-M student-run group that celebrates the culture and talents of their Asian Pacific American roots, will once again bring one of the largest cultural celebrations in the Midwest to the Power Center stage.

Get a sneak peek at this year's event at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDZG994RzrA.

Saturday, March 30, 2013. 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 pre-sale, $7 at the door. Buy tickets at http://muto.umich.edu/event/generation-apa-cultural-show. The Power Center is located at 121 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor. Get more information at www.genapa.org

Water pours into a hallway at North Quad Thursday morning. The flooding displaced almost 100 students.

Courtesy of Keya Patel

Almost 100 University of Michigan students were displaced Thursday after significant flooding in the North Quadrangle dormitory damaged the third- and fourth-floor living areas. Classes normally held in the building also had to be canceled.

University Housing spokesman Peter Logan said approximately 66 students from the fourth floor and roughly 30 students from the third floor of North Quad, 105 S. State St., were displaced by Thursday morning’s flooding. Logan said a broken 3-inch coupling on a water line that services the fire suppression system caused the flooding.

“In situations such as this, students will sometimes seek out friends on or off campus and relocate there,” Logan said. “We’re going to try and identify spaces within University Housing and identify spaces off campus at local hotels (to relocate them).”

The flooding started in a stairwell on the fourth floor and spread throughout the lower floors of the building, causing the residential tower to be closed. The third and fourth floors are student housing areas in that part of the building. The second floor is a community space and the first floor is mainly classrooms, Logan said.

Parts of the University of Michigan's North Quad dormitory were closed Thursday after a coupling in the fire suppression system broke, flooding portions of the third and fourth floors.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

North Quad's third-floor study room, computer lab and technology-equipped classroom were all damaged by water as the fourth-floor flooding seeped through the floors.

"The water was coming through the ceiling. It looked like it was raining," recalled Libby O'Connell, who lives on the eighth floor of North Quad.

O'Connell recalls seeing students ankle-deep, "trudging through the water" on North Quad's fourth floor

University of Michigan Police spokeswoman Diane Brown said the flooding began about 10:40 a.m. It’s still unknown at this point what caused the coupling to break.

North Quad opened in 2010, after a three-year, $175 million construction project was completed. The building houses the U-M School of Information and portions of the university’s College of Literature, Science and Arts. It replaced the Frieze Building, formerly Ann Arbor High School, which was torn down to make room for it.

Jeff MacKie-Mason, dean of the U-M School of Information, sent an email to the school community stating that the The Ehrlicher Room in North Quad sustained major damage in the flooding.

"We will not be able to use it for some time, perhaps several months (the ceilings may need to be replaced, walls may need repair, the carpet and our extensive electronics equipment may need replacement)," MacKie-Mason wrote in the email.

The power to the wall outlets on the third and fourth floors has been turned off, but the power in the rest of the building remains on, Logan said. Students who live on the fifth through tenth floors were allowed to return to their rooms, which were not damaged.

Logan said the power to the entire building could not be turned off because of the possible impact on the rest of the building’s residents.

“We’re anxious about the possibility of the water being electrified and we turned off the power to wall outlets on three and four,” he said. “We haven’t powered down the building entirely because it would impact the students living above and the elevator.”

All academic classes in the affected area of the building were either canceled or relocated and it’s not clear when students might be able to return to the third and fourth floors. He said students who live in those rooms cannot return at this point, even to collect personal items.

A multipurpose room in a different part of North Quad was housing displaced students Thursday, Logan said. The university was providing them with food and working on giving students information about the incident.

The 180-seat dining hall is still operational and was not affected by the flooding, Logan said.

University of Michigan Plant Operations crews and other workers were at the building Thursday afternoon working on cleaning up the building.

University Housing will be working with the Dean of Students office to relocate the students who were displaced, Logan said.

Logan said the university has dealt with flooding in residential areas before, usually as a result of the sprinkler systems being activated.

“We do have protocols and we have had it before,” he said. “We do evacuate students from certain parts of the building and until we know it’s safe they cannot go back to their rooms to check personal objects.”

He added, “We have procedures to help with cleanup and identify personal objects that may be damaged. We’ve had experience in flooding, but the cause of this one is a little curious.”

Higher education reporter Kellie Woodhouse contributed to this story.

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 controlled burn is in progress at the 38-acre Furstenburg Nature Area on Fuller Road just west of Gallup Park on the north side of Ann Arbor.

The burn began at 1 p.m. Thursday and will go until 6:30 tonight.

A controlled burn at Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

It is standard procedure for NAP to notify park neighbors in advance of a burn with a mailed notice that a controlled burn is scheduled. Police and fire departments also are alerted.

Those with questions should call the Natural Area Preservation office at (734) 794-6627.

A number of other Ann Arbor parks could potentially see controlled burns this spring: Argo, Bandemer, Barton, Belize, Bird Hills, Bluffs, Briarcliff Raingarden, Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow, Burns Park, Cedar Bend, Fuller, Greenview, Hunt Park, Huron Hills Golf Course Woods, Kuebler Langford, Leslie Park Golf Course, Leslie Science & Nature Center Prairie, Mary Beth Doyle, Miller, Oakwoods, Olson, Onder, Ruthven, South Pond South, Veterans Memorial Park, Wheeler Service Center and Wurster.

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