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Barn fire destroys an estimated $1M worth of trucks, tractors, tools

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A barn fire caused an estimated $1 million in damage Sunday morning in Augusta Township, destroying multiple tractors and trucks stored inside, officials said Monday.

Augusta Township Assistant Fire Chief Dave Music said Monday firefighters were sent to the blaze at 8:19 a.m. Sunday off Willow Road between Whittaker Road and Gooding Road. Music said the barn was fully engulfed in flames and threatening a nearby propane tank and diesel fuel tank.

“The fire was fully involved, the plume could be seen two or three miles away,” he said.

Augusta Township firefighters called in help from the Pittsfield Township Fire Department, Saline Area Fire Department and Milan Area Fire Department. Sumpter Township firefighters covered the Augusta Township area while crews fought the blaze and Huron Valley Ambulance crews were on standby.

The first crews on scene put water on the propane tank in order to keep it cool and their quick arrival managed to keep the 1,000-gallon propane tank and 300-gallon diesel fuel tank from exploding.

Music said crews also managed to calm the fire around an excavator parked outside the barn that only suffered some scorched paint.

However, the large number of items inside the 60-foot-by-120-foot barn were not salvageable, Music said.

The building is owned by Szabo Farms and is a part of a complex of buildings on the sod farm, Music said. It was one of the largest buildings on the site and mainly was used for storage.

Inside the barn at the time of the blaze were multiple tractors, trucks, tools and other items that were being stored. Music said there was a large amount of straw bales in the back of the barn that had to be separated by an excavator in order to keep the fire down.

Initial estimates by Augusta Township Fire Chief Vic Chevrette put the damage caused by the fire to be somewhere between $800,000 and $1 million. Music said the owner of the building is doing an itemized list of things lost in the flames.

The blaze took between 45 minutes and an hour in order to get under control and crews were on scene for hours afterward for overhaul, Music said. He said several small explosions were heard inside the building and Music said there was a report of a large explosion before firefighters arrived.

No one was injured in the fire and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation by the Michigan State Police, but Music said there’s nothing that immediately pointed to the fire being suspicious.

“It’s still under investigation but we didn’t see anything that stuck out as suspicious,” he said.


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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.


Chelsea man pleads guilty in sexual assault case

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Michael Radant

Courtesy of WCSO

The 37-year-old man charged with sexually assaulting a woman who was living with him in Chelsea took a plea deal Thursday, according to court records.

Michael Paul Radant pleaded guilty to two added charges of assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct in exchange for the dismissal of two third-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, court records indicate.

Assault with intent to commit CSC is a felony with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Sentencing is scheduled for May 2 in the Washtenaw County Trial Court.

Radant is accused of sexually assaulting a 37-year-old woman at his home in the 700 block of North Main Street in Chelsea last November. The woman, who is a long-time acquaintance of Radant's, said she had been staying with him in his basement apartment, but that the two were never romantically involved, according to court records.

At a preliminary hearing, the woman testified that Radant sexually forced himself on her in her bedroom.

Radant's family runs Ellie’s Chelsea, a burger and sandwich shop located at 312 N. Main St. in the Clocktower Commons in Chelsea. He has been employed at the restaurant in the past.

Radant's attorney, Brian Montoye, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Radant is free on bond, according to jail records. His bond was set at $10,000 cash or surety at his fall arraignment. It was unclear if he posted the bond, or if the judge changed the bond as part of the plea deal.

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

University of Michigan basketball fans vying for limited tickets to Final Four game

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A crowd waits to greet Michigan's basketball team outside Crisler Center Sunday.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

Two decades have lapsed since Michigan last made it to the Final Four and Wolverine fans are clamoring to watch their beloved basketball team try again at becoming national champions.

University of Michigan graduate Julie Mclaughlin, who was 9 years old the last time Michigan made it this far in the NCAA tournament, is one of those fans scrambling to get a ticket to Saturday's semifinal game.

The NCAA has allotted U-M 3,950 tickets for the semifinal against Syracuse, but 700 are earmarked for students and the rest are reserved for season ticket holders.

Mclaughlin, now a Colorado resident, is no longer either. Getting a ticket requires some serious stratagem and Mclaughin is working her connections on overtime, she said.

"I am just trying to cast a wide net and see what's out there," she said. "It's kind of annoying, you really have to find the right person at the right time and place. There's a small window for success."

Nonetheless, Mclaughlin says she's determined to watch the semifinal live.

"I booked my plane ticket without having a plan, so I am sort of just playing it by ear," she said. "I've been following Michigan basketball very closely since I was in school."

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University of Michigan's basketball team made it to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

U-M associate athletic director Dave Ablauf said Michigan isn't planning a public sale of tickets. Yet one is possible if not enough season ticket holders buy tickets.

Such a scenario, however, is unlikely.

"We're getting high demand at this point. There's great interest," Ablauf said, adding later: "We don't anticipate a public sale but it's still too early to tell."

Michigan will play Syracuse on Saturday at 8:49 p.m. in Atlanta. If the Wolverines win, they will play the winner of Louisville-Wichita State on Monday night.

There are another 600 tickets to the semifinals available on Stubhub, with ticket prices reaching $5,000 for a seat and $50,000 for a suite. The lowest priced tickets are in the mid-$400s.

When bought from the university, a ticket for the two national semifinal games and the national championship game is $310. Beginning Monday, U-M began offering 3,250 tickets for this price.

Tickets are first offered to season ticket holders with the most priority points, which are established by longevity of loyalty and donations. Each tier has a certain amount of time to buy tickets before the tickets are offered to another tier.

There are 700 student tickets available to both semifinal games at a cost of $40 a game. The deadline for student ticket applications is 5 p.m. Tuesday.

U-M's alumni association is offering travel packages, sans ticket, for $3,119 per person. The packages include airfare, hotel, shuttles and events, but don't include game tickets.

The association did have a limited number of tournament tickets, but sold out early Monday.

"A lot of alumni are asking us [about tickets]. There's a lot of interest in this," said Brad Whitehouse, a representative for the alumni association. "This is a long time coming, so it's just a really big deal for alumni."

Lansing resident and lifelong Michigan fan Scott Greenlee obtained his ticket to the final four through a friend for $250. He bought the ticket before Michigan bested Florida and made it to the Final Four, taking a chance that his favored team would win.

It paid off, big time.

"I couldn't have scripted it any better," said Greenlee, who attended the NCAA final in 1993, when Michigan lost the championship title by six points.

"It was great. The fab five were super popular and obviously very talented," he said, adding that he's "very excited" to watch his favorite team try again for the championship title.

As of Monday evening, Ablauf said he does not know how many of Michigan's allotted tickets have been sold yet.

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

Safe containing handgun, jewelry stolen from Superior Township home

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A safe containing a handgun and jewelry was stolen from a home in the 3800 block of North Prospect in Superior Township, according to deputies with the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies believe the suspect entered the home through an unlocked door sometime during the day.

There are no suspects at this time.

Further information was not immediately available. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the sheriff's office's Confidential Tip line at (734) 973-7711 or 1-800-SPEAK UP.


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Kody Klein is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at kklein@mlive.com

Ann Arbor man accused of biting 2 men during fight

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James Badalamenti

Courtesy of the WCSO

An 18-year-old Ann Arbor man accused of biting two men was arraigned on assault charges Monday, court records show.

James Badalamenti was arraigned on charges of assault with intent to maim and two counts of aggravated assault after fighting with two acquaintances early Sunday morning, Ann Arbor police said.

“He got into a fight with two individuals," said Sgt. Earle Fox. "He ended up biting both subjects.”

Officers were called to a residence in the 900 block of Oakland Avenue at 3:49 a.m. Sunday after receiving reports of the fight. None of the men lived at the residence, but did know each other before the bitings, Fox said.

Badalamenti was arguing with two 19-year-old Ann Arbor men at a house when police say he bit the ear of one man and the face of the other. The 19-year-old with the bitten ear had "pretty significant damage," Fox said, The face bite was minor, he said.

The men were not taken to the hospital, but did seek medical treatment on their own after the incident, police said.

Badalamenti was not at the residence when police arrived. Officers found him a short time later in the area and he was arrested without incident, Fox said. He did appear to have been drinking, Fox added.

Badalamenti was given a 10 percent of $20,000 bond at his arraignment. He is free on bond, according to jail records.

A preliminary examination is scheduled for April 11.


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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.

Ex-Ann Arborite Michelle Chamuel wins over 'The Voice' judges on Monday

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Ella Riot's frontwoman Michelle Chamuel, center, was featured on "The Voice" on Monday.

Michelle Chamuel, former Ann Arbor resident and front woman of local favorite band Ella Riot/My Dear Disco, sang Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" on NBC's "The Voice" on Monday night—and the judges liked it.

They liked it so much, in fact, that judges Adam Levine and Shakira pushed a button to indicate they wanted Chamuel for their team before the song's first chorus, and Usher followed.

"You were absolutely spectacular," said Shakira. "I loved your voice, I loved your stage presence. … You were fierce. … I see that rock chick inside of you."

Chamuel turned the tables and asked the three judges who wanted her what they would like to develop if they worked with her. When Usher asked her what genre of music she'd like to work in, Chamuel answered, "Alternative electronic pop," and in the end, despite a passionate campaign by Shakira, Chamuel chose Usher.

Chamuel reportedly now lives in the Boston area. Under its previous name, My Dear Disco, Ella Riot was for several years one of the leading local bands on the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti scene. The band went on hiatus in 2011.

Did she make the right choice? We'll have to keep watching to see.

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.

One lane of M-14 to be closed Wednesday in Ann Arbor for pavement repairs

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One lane of eastbound M-14 on the northwest side of Ann Arbor will be closed Wednesday for pavement repairs by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The lane closure will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. between Miller Road and Beechwood Drive in Ann Arbor.

The lane closure is the only construction scheduled for freeways around Ann Arbor Wednesday.

North of Ann Arbor in Livingston County, the left lane on eastbound and westbound Interstate 96 at Latson Road near Howell will be closed for work on the new interchange by MDOT.

That closure extends from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday.


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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.

City budget live chat with Ann Arbor's city administrator and CFO

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Ann Arbor City Administrator Steve Powers and his administration will finalize a budget plan for the next two fiscal years to be presented before Ann Arbor City Council on April 15.

Join us at 1 p.m. to ask Powers and Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer, your questions regarding the city's financial status and what's being proposed in the budget.


GM Willow Run plant redevelopment: Aircraft maintenance firm buys 1 building

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The International Turbine Industries, an aircraft maintenance firm, has purchased the former General Motors Willow Run Company Vehicle Operations facility, RACER Trust announced Tuesday.

ITI will use the property to expand its jet engine repair and parts sales business. The purchase will create 25 new jobs over the next five years and the company plans to invest $50,000 in repairs and improvements to the building. The company currently has 10 employees.

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International Turbine Industries has purchased the former General Motors Willow Run Company Vehicle Operations facility at 2901 Tyler Road. Pictured here is heating machinery, housed in a separate building at the GM plant.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

The purchase price amount was not immediately available.

The Company Vehicle Operations property at 2901 Tyler Road consists of a 23,000-square-foot facility on 22 acres of property that was once part of the GM Willow Run complex. The property is across the street from ITI’s existing facility at 2890 Tyler Road. The remainder of GM’s former holdings at Willow Run, consisting of more than 300 acres and a 5-million-square-foot manufacturingbuilding, remain for sale. ITI purchased the Company Vehicle Operations property from RACER Trust, which, on March 31, 2011, took control of 89 abandoned GM properties, 56 of which were in Michigan. The trust was charged with selling, repositioning and cleaning up all the sites, including the Willow Run plant. RACER Trust is marketing parts of the plant separately:

  • The Company Vehicle Operations facility, now under contract with ITI
  • The Engineering Center: An office building attached to the main plant
  • The Powertrain Plant: 5 million square feet of manufacturing space

The new jobs ITI is creating will range from laborers to skilled aircraft engineer technicians.

ITI owner Mark Andrews said in a statement he considered expanding his operations to another state, but decided to stay in Michigan because he wanted to give his employees the opportunity to continue living in Michigan without searching for new jobs.

Andrews founded the company in 2009 with his wife, Rhonda.

“I can’t wait to raise the flag across the street again,” Andrews said.“RACER offered me an affordable opportunity to invest close to home, in an area we know very well, and I’m very excited not just for Rhonda and me, but also for the people we work with now and those who will be joining our team in the near future.”

ITI specializes in engine repair, overhaul and inspection on TFE731, JT15D and other aircrafts and will soon specialize in CF34 engines for corporate and other private jets.

“I’m very pleased and proud that ITI decided not only to stay in Michigan, but to expand here and bring 25 new jobs to our community,” said Brenda Stumbo, Ypsilanti Township Supervisor. “ITI had other options, and the fact the company chose to invest and grow here is great news. I thank Mark and Rhonda Andrews for their confidence in our local workforce and the RACER Trust for working collaboratively with ITI and Ypsilanti Township to make this deal possible.”

The Willow Run property is adjacent to Willow Run Airport. GM stopped production at the facility in 2010.

The news of the purchase comes days after RACER Trust told AnnArbor.com it was fielding "several discussions" with potential purchases of the property. According to the company's marketing brochure, the total assessed value for the manufacturing building is $16,284,900, making its market value more than $32 million.


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

DIA art reproductions brightening up downtown Ann Arbor

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A reproduction of Henri Matisse's "The Window" displayed at the Ann Arbor Justice Center.

courtesy of the Public Art Commission

Noticing some new artworks sprouting on downtown Ann Arbor buildings? Thank the Detroit Institute of Arts' "Inside|Out" program.

Inside|Out temporarily displays full-sized, high-quality reproductions of DIA paintings, placed in outdoor settings.

From now through June, seven reproductions are on display in Ann Arbor. All the artworks are displayed within walking distance of each other, so that people can tour all the works on foot. For a map of the locations, see below.

As part of the event, all Ann Arbor residents will have the opportunity to enjoy free admission to the DIA during the city’s Community Weekend on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21. Plus, performers from the Ann Arbor area will have the opportunity to play inside the museum on those dates.

This is the fourth year of the DIA’s Inside|Out program, and Ann Arbor is one of 13 communities participating this spring. Additional information about the DIA program can be found at the Inside|Out Facebook page: www.facebook.com/dia.insideout.

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Roadwork ahead: State Street, Barton Drive among Ann Arbor streets to get $3.6M facelift

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2013 street resurfacing projects in Ann Arbor. Download larger map.

City of Ann Arbor

Nearly $3.6 million worth of street resurfacing projects are scheduled in Ann Arbor after the City Council approved a contract with Barrett Paving Materials Monday night.

This year's program consists of resurfacing parts of two major streets, State Street and Barton Drive, and repaving nine or more local streets, said Nick Hutchinson, interim manager of the city's project management unit.

Construction is scheduled to begin around April 15 and finish in October. A tentative time frame for construction is shown in the chart below.

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City of Ann Arbor

Depot Street from Main to Carey was included as part of the original bid package, but it's not included now. Hutchinson said that has to do with storm sewer issues still being studied.

Other local streets, yet to be determined, will be substituted for Depot this year.

For all streets on the list, local access will be maintained throughout construction. On major streets, traffic lanes will be reduced to allow construction on half the street at any time.

For the project on State Street, traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions and no detour will be used. And for the project on Barton Drive, westbound traffic will be maintained and eastbound traffic will be detoured.

This year's resurfacing program is reduced from last year when the city spent more than double the money to resurface more than three dozen streets. That was after the city had saved millions by securing state and federal grant funding for the East Stadium Boulevard bridges.

For more information, visit www.a2gov.org/RoadConstruction

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.

Willow Run Airport to let you get close to history at Bomber Buffing

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Doing manual labor for free is not something a person would generally sign up for. However, polishing vintage flying war planes would be something to pay for. But you don't have to! You can lovingly wipe down an airplane for free at the Yankee Air Museum Bomber Buffing.

How often do you get to get up and close with remnants from history? Big, loud remnants from history that can do tricks in the air? You get to say you went bomber buffing and get free pizza!

Bring a can of Mothers or Meguiar's Aluminum Polish and plenty of clean soft rags. Wear your Saturday worst; this is a dirty job.

If you become a Member of the Yankee Air Museum you will receive a free cockpit photo in the Yankee Lady B-17.

Saturday, April 6, 2013. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. In Hangar 1 at Willow Run Airport, off Airport Drive in Ypsilanti Township. 734-483-4030

Officials: Blow from frying pan may not have caused man's death

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Police say John Lawrence, 46, was killed by his daughter's roommates at the Peninsular Place apartment complex in Ypsilanti Sunday night.

John Counts | AnnArbor.com

Officials are still trying to determine exactly how 46-year-old John Lawrence died at the Peninsular Place apartment complex in Ypsilanti Sunday night.

A preliminary autopsy performed by the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner revealed blunt force trauma might not be the cause of death, said Ypsilanti police Det. Joe Yuhas. Police Monday said that appeared to have been the cause.

“He was hit with a frying pan,” Yuhas confirmed Tuesday. “We don’t know if that contributed to the cause of death at this time.”

The final autopsy and toxicology reports won't be ready for a few weeks. Police would not immediately elaborate on what is known about the cause of Lawrence's cause of death.

Police will still be seeking unspecified charges against the 20-year-old man and 20-year-old woman who have been held at the Washtenaw County Jail since being arrested Sunday night after John Lawrence's death.

Yuhas said the warrant will be taken to the prosecutor's office Wednesday morning for review. Any final charges will be up to prosecutors, he added. The two are expected to be arraigned on charges by Wednesday afternoon.

Police believe the two 20-year-olds killed John Lawrence during an argument about the lease between the roommates. Raven Lawrence said she called her father to come to her aid after she felt threatened by the 20-year-old man. The Eastern Michigan University student said she was taking her father's registered handgun to his car after he arrived when the 20-year-olds locked her out of the apartment. When she came in with police, John Lawrence was lying on the floor dead, Raven Lawrence said.

Raven Lawrence said her father drove to Ypsilanti from his home in Detroit to help her, though officials indicated he is from River Rouge.

Police said the 20-year-old man is a Farmington Hills resident, but Raven Lawrence said the man had been staying at the apartment she shared with the 20-year-old woman, the man's girlfriend. Their 2-month-old baby also lived at the apartment, Raven Lawrence said.

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

Eastern Michigan names Melody Reifel Werner as interim athletic director

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Eastern Michigan has found a replacement for departing athletic director Derrick Gragg, and it didn't have to look very far.

Dr. Melody Reifel Werner will serve as the interim athletic director, the university announced on Tuesday. Reifel Werner has served as the associate athletic director and senior woman administrator with the school for the past 17 years.

Reifel Werner will assume her new responsibilities on Wednesday, April 17.

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Melody Reifel Werner

Courtesy of Eastern Michigan athletics

The announcement comes two weeks after Gragg announced he would be leaving Eastern for the same position at Tulsa University. Gragg's last day at Eastern is April 16.

Gragg spent seven years at Eastern totalling 24 Mid-American Conference team championships, 32 MAC Coach of the Year Awards, 38 MAC Player of the Year honors and 164 individual MAC champions.

Eastern also was sanctioned for exceeding practice time and other NCAA violations during his tenure. The football and men's basketball teams struggled mightily in Gragg's tenure going 18-66 and 91-133, respectively.

“I'm excited and honored that (Eastern Michigan) president (Susan) Martin has asked me to serve as interim athletics director,” Reifel Werner said in a news release. “EMU is a place that has meant so much to me and I strongly believe in the foundation we have created. My task, along with our coaches, staff, student-athletes and supporters is to continue the momentum we have established.”

Reifel Werner, 56, earned her bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from Eastern and is the author of Protecting University Integrity: Managing Risks in Intercollegiate Athletics.

A national search will soon commence to fill the position on a permanent basis, the university said in a release.

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

Man brought to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital with gunshot wound

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Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating after a man was brought to an Ann Arbor-area hospital with a gunshot wound Tuesday.

Sgt. Geoffrey Fox said investigators were notified of the man being brought to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital at 12:48 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators spoke with the man briefly before he went into surgery, but were unable to glean any information.

“Our victim is uncooperative at this point,” Fox said.

The man was alert, conscious and talking before going into surgery. He was being operated on at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Huron Valley Ambulance spokeswoman Joyce Williams said the man was dropped off at the St. Joseph Orthopedics building with a gunshot wound. Security there called 911 and HVA personnel transported him to the emergency room.

The man was in critical condition, Williams said.

Fox said more information on the incident might not be available for a number of hours. “We’re doing the initial investigation,” he said. “It’s undetermined where he was shot.”

At this point, investigators don’t know where the man was shot and will have to wait until he’s out of surgery to interview him.

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


Woman accused of setting man up in armed robbery sentenced to 3 years' probation

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The 23-year-old Ypsilanti Township woman accused of setting up a man in an armed robbery last September was sentenced Thursday to three years probation, including six months on a SCRAM alcohol tether, according to court records.

The woman, Amber Marie Davis, also has to pay more than $3,000 in fines and is not allowed contact with the man police say she set up, records indicate.

On Feb. 25, Amber Marie Davis pleaded no contest to two added charges of unarmed robbery and conspiracy to commit unarmed robbery in exchange for the dismissal of armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony charge.

Her codefendants have already been sentenced. Deandre Mitchell, 20, of Belleville, was sentenced in November to 5-20 years in prison for the armed robbery. Eddie Nailor, 20, of Ypsilanti, was sentenced Feb. 14 to 42-81 months in prison after pleading no contest to an armed robbery charge in January, according to court records.

Police said Mitchell and Nailor robbed a man outside Lakeshore Apartments in Ypsilanti Township early on Sept. 14 after the man went to the complex to see Davis. The man went to Davis’ apartment and then went to see his friend, but Davis called him a short time later and told him to come back to her place, police said.

Mitchell and Nailor then robbed the man at gunpoint outside the complex and fled, police said. Davis was arraigned on charges a little more than a week after Nailor and Mitchell were taken into custody. An investigation revealed Davis called the man who was robbed and lured him to the location where he was confronted by the two men, police said.

The Washtenaw County Jail does not have a booking picture of Davis.

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

Obama names University of Michigan professor to science award panel

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Hyman Bass

Courtesy of University of Michigan

Michigan U.S. Rep. John Dingell says the White House has nominated a University of Michigan professor to a panel that selects the winner of the National Medal of Science.

The Dearborn Democrat said Tuesday that President Barack Obama picked mathematician Hyman Bass for the President's Committee on the National Medal of Science. Bass won the medal in 2006.

The University of Michigan's website says that Bass's publications "cover broad areas of algebra with connections to geometry, topology, and number theory."

Fire official: Brush fire at Ford Lake Park intentionally set

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A brush fire at Ford Lake Park Tuesday afternoon appears to have been set intentionally, fire officials said.

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The boat launch at Ford Lake Park.

Courtesy of Ypsilanti Township

Emergency crews were sent at 1:23 p.m. to Ford Lake Park for a report of a fire, Huron Valley Ambulance spokeswoman Joyce Williams said. Ypsilanti Township Fire Department officials said the fire was in a heavily wooded area south of the park’s boat launch.

The fire appeared to have four points of origin and converged into a single, large fire. The department’s fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze, but it appears it was intentionally set.

The Augusta Township Fire Department provided mutual aid and approximately 10 firefighters from both departments worked to put out the blaze. The fire was under control by 1:59 p.m. and totally out by 2:30 p.m., officials said.

There were no injuries and no real damage to the area, aside from the scorched earth, officials said. There were no vehicles in the park at the time of the blaze and there are no suspects at this point.


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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.

Troopers: Woman arrested for assault, threatening relative with small axe

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A 67-year-old woman is accused of choking and punching family members, as well as threatening one with a small axe, during an assault in Putnam Township Monday afternoon.

Michigan State Police Sgt. Mark Thompson released a statement regarding the incident that took place just outside of Washtenaw County. Troopers responded at 4:30 p.m. Monday to a home in the 1100 block of Dexter-Pinckney Road for a report of an assault in progress.

The 67-year-old woman, from Gaines, Mich., reportedly punched a 19-year-old Gaines woman and threatened her with the axe, according to the statement. The older woman also choked a 22-year-old Gaines man, troopers reported.

The 67-year-old was arrested and lodged at the Livingston County Jail to await arraignment on felonious assault charges, according to the statement.

The 22-year-old man was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant for failing to appear in court on an alcohol-related charge. He was turned over to the White Lake Township Police Department.

No one required medical attention, according to troopers


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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.

Saline Area Schools seeking community feedback in district-wide climate survey

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The banner on the Saline Area Schools' website. The district is launching an online climate survey starting Monday for parents, students and staff to give feedback on the environment at each school building.

From salineschools.org

Saline Area Schools is inviting parents, students and staff to weigh in on how well its schools are meeting and serving the needs of the community through a building-by-building survey.

The district will launch a climate survey at each of its schools starting April 9. Academic preparation, student support, parent engagement, school operations and accessibility of school leaders will be among the topics covered in the survey.

The climate survey is the first in a series of planned communication initiatives that school officials announced in a press release late last week. The district is working with an independent research and communication firm, K12 Insight, to obtain the community feedback.

K12 Insight is a company that was founded in 2002 to transform school districts into "organizations that grow trust capital by engaging the silent majority of their stakeholders through transparency and collaborative decision-making," according to its website.

"We need everyone to participate and join in this conversation," Superintendent Scot Graden said in the news release. "This and future initiatives are an effective way for everyone to make their voices heard as we work collaboratively to make critical decisions ... .

"This type of ongoing two-way dialogue with the Saline Area Schools community is critical as we work together to achieve our ultimate goal of instilling in our students a desire for lifelong learning."

Saline Area Schools also started the process of reviewing its strategic goals this academic year. School officials have met with community members to look at what the district already accomplished toward meeting its five existing strategic goals, to identify what the district still needs to accomplish, to look at some goals Saline no longer needs and to identify new things the district should work on.

The climate survey will be posted to the district's website starting Monday. Community members also can arrange to use one of the district's computer labs to complete the survey, if they don't have Internet access, or can request a paper survey by calling (734) 429-8000 ext. 2003.

The survey will close on April 23. Responses will be kept confidential. District officials will report back to the community the results of the survey, along with an explanation of specific changes that may be employed as a result of the stakeholder feedback, the news release said.

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

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