Jim Stein, left and Coleman Jewett, right, sitting in chairs Jewett hand-built and sold at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market in October 2005.

Courtesy of Jessica Black

So what better way to pay tribute to the recently deceased craftsman than a bronze Adirondack chair dedicated in his honor at the Farmers Market?

Mayor John Hieftje floated the idea at Monday night's Ann Arbor City Council meeting, noting the idea came from several individuals in the community.

"Several individuals mentioned something to me and I wanted to pass it on," Hieftje said, adding he looks forward to kicking the idea around with the city's Public Art Commission.

"It would just have a little plaque that said, 'This is Coleman's chair,'" Hieftje said of what some have in mind. "I think that it would be something that would be appreciated by every market-goer because he was indeed a fixture and often called the 'Mayor of the Market.'"

Jewett was a teacher and later assistant principal at then Tappan Junior High School from the 1960s to early 1990s. He died recently at the age of 78.

An Adirondack chair made by Coleman Jewett became a memorial to the Ann Arbor educator and craftsman on the Saturday following his death in January.

Lisa Carolin | For AnnArbor.com

John Kotarski, a member of the city's Public Art Commission, was in attendance and said he likes the idea a lot.

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "It would be something that the art commission would have to take a look at in terms of finding funding. There might be some ways in which we could possibly get vendors at the market to participate outside of the Percent for Art."

The city normally funds public art projects through its Percent For Art Program, which sets aside 1 percent of capital project expenditures for artworks around town.

The City Council took action in December to partially suspended the program until April 1 while a task force looks into options for taking public art in Ann Arbor in a new direction.

"The Percent for Art money right now is kind of in limbo," Kotarski said, adding there will have to be discussions about how to fund the project the mayor is talking about. "But personally I think it's a great idea. It's something that I'd like to see happen. It's just how?"

Kotarski said it's possible it could be largely or entirely funded through private donations, and he suggested getting vendors at the market to contribute.

"I think there's a way of doing that," he said. "And I for one would like to expand the way we fund art in Ann Arbor, and this could be an example of it. It sounds like there are a lot of people who would want to see that happen, and maybe it could be the vendors there themselves."

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.

• Previous story: Board to select name for new Ypsilanti-Willow Run district Monday night

The unified Ypsilanti-Willow Run school district is nameless no more.

The unified Ypsilanti-Willow Run school board.

Trustee Maria Sheler-Edwards, co-chairwoman of the unified district naming committee, said the committee, which was comprised evenly of staff members and parents from both districts, immediately dismissed Ypsilanti United School District as an option.

That left Ypsilanti Community Schools and Eastern Washtenaw Community Schools.

Sheler-Edwards said after these three finalists emerged from the list of more than 280 name proposals, the committee received a vast array of additional public input from a variety of outlets and polls among community members.

"What was most immediately clear was that Ypsilanti United was a very distant third," she said.

The committee took a vote on the remaining two names and voted 8-3 in favor of Ypsilanti Community Schools. However, the committee chose not to endorse one over the other and brought both names back to the table Monday for the board to decide.

Sheler-Edwards said the committee's caution and hesitation was in wanting to equally uphold the history, honor and tradition of both districts. Willow Run Superintendent Laura Lisiscki explained the "community" part of Willow Run Community Schools was, historically, the most important part.

She said when the change was made from "public schools," it was because the district consciously was moving toward embracing what it meant to employ a community school model and philosophy and was focused on embracing a "we're all family" mindset.

Lisiscki also said school districts in Michigan traditionally are named after the city in which they are located.

When the naming committee conducted the public forums and spoke with others in the community, "people spoke passionately about how Ypsilanti is the thing that we share," Sheler-Edwards said. A number of board members echoed the sentiment, adding it would be important for uniting people moving forward.

Vice President Don Garrett, a Willow Run High School graduate, made the motion to adopt Ypsilanti Community Schools as the district's new name, but not without an explanation.

He received so many phone calls about "killing Willow Run" and "Willow Run getting buried," that he "wanted to change his phone number," he joked at Monday's meeting. But he said when he thinks about Willow Run, it is the family aspect and that close-knit characteristic that stick with him.

"Everybody knows everybody, ... and when it comes to our kids I want the whole city of Ypsilanti to feel that way... To embrace that we are one city, one family," Garrett said.

Garrett said if the new district were to be called Eastern Washtenaw Community Schools, people would lose their identity. Even Willow Run parents and students associate with living in Ypsilanti, he said.

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

There were a lot of laughs and there was a lot of spandex as the University of Michigan Student-Athlete Advisory Committee put on its annual "Mock Rock" variety show on Monday at Hill Auditorium. The event was a fundraiser for the Family and Hope Fund at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and also raised funds for the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit. The school's founder, former Michigan basketball player Jalen Rose, served as master of ceremonies for the night.

Joseph Tobianski is a photographer for AnnArbor.com.

Manchester's Sarah Thompson dribbles in a game against Napoleon earlier this season.

Mike Mulholland | Mlive Media Group

Associated Press girls basketball rankings

CLASS A
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Detroit King (2) (13-0) 72
2. Grand Haven (1) (14-0) 68
3. Grosse Pointe South (1) (14-1) 67
4. East Lansing (1) (13-1) 61
5. Westland John Glenn (14-1) 56
6. Midland Dow (16-0) 49
7. Clarkston (12-1) 36
8. Inkster (11-0) 35
9. Brownstown Woodhaven (15-1) 31
10. Macomb Dakota (12-3) 28
Others receiving votes: Southfield Lathrup (12-2) 21, Bloomfield Hills Marian (13-2) 21, Grand Ledge (12-2) 17, Utica Ford (14-1) 16, Waterford Kettering (12-1) 8, Novi (13-1) 8, DeWitt (12-3) 2, Dexter (14-1) 2, Farmington Hills Harrison (14-1) 1, Oxford (13-2) 1.

CLASS B
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Freeland (5) (14-1) 75
2. Goodrich (13-2) 69
3. Flat Rock (15-0) 65
4. Detroit Country Day (9-2) 58
5. Hamilton (13-1) 49
6. Ludington (12-1) 48
7. Eaton Rapids (13-2) 47
8. Grand Rapids South Christian (13-1) 41
9. Portland (12-3) 30
10. Midland Bullock Creek (13-2) 20
Others receiving votes: Clare (13-1) 19, Dearborn Divine Child (7-3) 18, Battle Creek Harper Creek (12-1) 16, Big Rapids (14-0) 8, Olivet (13-2) 8, Benton Harbor (10-3) 7, Wayland (10-3) 6, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (12-3) 4, Muskegon Oakridge (16-1) 3, Haslett (11-3) 3, Grand Rapids Catholic Central (10-3) 3, Livonia Ladywood (7-6) 1, Flint Powers (9-6) 1, Williamston (13-2) 1.

CLASS C
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Reese (5) (15-0) 75
2. Niles Brandywine (13-0) 69
3. Saginaw Nouvel (12-1, 14-1) 62
4. Manchester (14-1) 59
5. Leroy Pine River (12-1, 13-1) 50
6. Houghton (14-1) 49
7. Watervliet (14-0) 40
8. Flint Hamady (13-1) 39
9. Kent City (12-2) 26
10. Concord (13-2) 25
Others receiving votes: Saginaw Valley Lutheran (11-3) 21, Ypsilanti Arbor Preparatory (11-4) 16, Traverse City St. Francis (11-2) 11, Shelby (13-1) 9, Burton Bendle (13-1) 9, Johannesburg-Lewiston (14-1) 9, Gobles (8-1) 6, Carson City-Crystal (12-2) 6, New Lothrop (12-2) 6, Adrian Madison (13-2) 4, Hemlock (9-4) 3, Marlette (10-2) 3, Pewamo-Westphalia (12-3) 2, Saginaw Michigan Lutheran Seminary (9-5) 1.

CLASS D
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. St. Ignace LaSalle (5) (13-0) 75
2. Lansing Christian (14-0) 70
3. Eben Junction Superior Central (15-0) 64
T4. Crystal Falls Forest Park (14-1) 55
T4. Portland St. Patrick (14-1) 55
6. Waterford Our Lady (11-2) 52
7. Posen (16-0) 44
8. Mendon (13-1) 43
9. DeTour (12-1) 31
10. Gaylord St. Mary (14-2) 23
Others receiving votes: Marine City Cardinal Mooney (8-4) 15, Birmingham Roeper (10-2) 14, Bark River-Harris (13-3) 12, Manistee Catholic Central (11-1) 8, Hillsdale Academy (10-1) 7, Fruitport Calvary Christian (11-0) 6, St. Joseph Lake Michigan Catholic (12-2) 6, Muskegon Catholic Central (11-1) 5, Ontonagon (9-2) 4, Athens (9-2) 4, Big Rapids Crossroads Charter Academy (12-1) 3, Carney-Nadeau (9-5) 2, Climax-Scotts (8-2) 1, Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (9-5) 1.

Associated Press boys basketball rankings

CLASS A
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Detroit Pershing (5) (15-0) 75
2. Romulus (11-1) 68
3. Saginaw Arthur Hill (14-0) 66
4. Saginaw (14-1) 59
5. Macomb L'Anse Creuse North (12-1) 52
6. Detroit Cass Tech (13-1) 46
7. East Kentwood (13-1) 40
8. Grand Blanc (13-0) 37
9. Detroit U-D Jesuit (11-3) 34
10. Temperance Bedford (10-1) 31
Others receiving votes: Detroit Southeastern (11-3) 29, Clarkston (10-2) 19, Zeeland East (12-2) 18, Rochester Adams (12-1) 13, Lansing Waverly (11-2) 6, Fenton (14-0) 3, Holt (13-3) 3, Ypsilanti (10-3) 1.

CLASS B
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Detroit Country Day (4) (10-3) 72
2. Wyoming Godwin Heights (11-1) 66
3. Dowagiac Union (12-1) 62
4. Stevensville Lakeshore (12-0) 56
5. Otsego (10-1) 49
6. Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy (11-3) 47
7. Big Rapids (1) (12-0) 45
8. Jackson Lumen Christi (11-1) 44
9. Dearborn Heights Robichaud (8-2) 37
10. Detroit Douglass (8-1) 24
10. Frankenmuth (11-1) 24
Others receiving votes: Comstock Park (12-2) 17, Hudsonville Unity Christian (11-2) 15, Lansing Sexton (8-4) 9, Warren Fitzgerald (11-2) 8, Corunna (10-2) 7, Cadillac (10-2) 7, Spring Lake (12-1) 6, 2, Lansing Catholic (11-4) 3, Flint Southwestern Classical Academy (8-4) 1, Yale (10-3) 1.

CLASS C
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Flint Beecher (5) (13-1) 75
2. Traverse City St. Francis (13-0) 68
3. Melvindale Academy for Business And Tech (10-0) 56
4. Grandville Calvin Christian (13-1) 53
5. Flint Hamady (12-1) 45
6. Detroit Consortium (9-2) 42
7. Negaunee (12-1) 41
8. Detroit Loyola (10-2) 37
9. Pewamo-Westphalia (12-1) 36
10. Muskegon Heights (12-1) 31
Others receiving votes: Mount Clemens (11-1) 24, New Haven (11-1) 18, Montague (11-1) 18, Harbor Beach (12-1) 15, Leroy Pine River (10-2) 10, Ithaca (10-1) 7, Adrian Madison (12-1) 7, Decatur (12-1) 6, McBain (9-3) 5, Hanover-Horton (11-1) 3, Schoolcraft (12-2) 2, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (11-1) 1.

CLASS D
School (First-place votes) (Record) Points
1. Climax-Scotts (3) (14-0) 73
2. Wyoming Tri-unity Christian (2) (9-2) 72
3. Cedarville (12-1) 61
4. Allen Park Inter-City Baptist (11-2) 59
5. Frankfort-Elberta (11-0) 53
6. Southfield Christian (10-4) 47
7. Bellaire (9-0) 46
8. Mio Au Sable (12-0) 43
9. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart (12-1) 37
10. Brimley (12-2) 29
Others receiving votes: Mendon (11-1) 16, Middleton Fulton (11-2) 14, Ewen-Trout Creek (10-2) 11, Powers North Central (9-2) 9, Carney-Nadeau (9-3) 7, Lake Linden-Hubbell (11-1) 6, Covert (9-2) 5, Adrian Lenawee Christian (7-2) 4, Bessemer (10-1) 3, Boyne Falls (10-1) 2, Munising (8-3) 2, Crystal Falls Forest Park (6-4) 1.

Girls teams close in on league titles Not only will Tuesday’s Dexter-Huron winner claim a victory between first-place teams, it will have the inside track toward claiming the first conference championship of 2013.

The Dreadnaughts and River Rats have two-game leads in the SEC White and SEC Red, respectively, and either can clinch at least a share of a league title with undefeated weeks. Dexter can win the league outright this week, since it faces second-place Chelsea Friday, while Huron could clinch at least a share of the title.

The Manchester girls, out to a 9-0 start to the league season, can wrap up their second straight Cascades Conference title next week.

Girls Basketball Standings

Boys Basketball Standings

Tuesday night's schedule

Huron's Auzhane King records a steal against Pioneer last month.

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com

As big as Tuesday’s Dexter-Huron girls basketball game is -- pitting the two Southeastern Conference leaders and two of the hottest teams in Washtenaw County -- it’s in some ways just a warmup act.

The Dreadnaughts and River Rats could end up facing each other three times in a span of 25 days if both continue to win at the pace they have been over the last month.

The first will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at Huron in a scheduled regular season matchup. Two weeks later, the SEC will play its crossover games, and with both Dexter and Huron holding two-game leads in their respective divisions, seeing them face off at Huron Feb. 22 is a good bet.

And if both can avoid upset losses early in the district tournament, they will find each other facing off for a district title March 1, again at Huron, after both have gotten to know one another well.

“It could be difficult, playing them three times in less than a month,” Huron coach Steve Vinson said.

But as to whether the frequent meetings produce closer outcomes, that’s less sure.

“I think it depends on a lot of different variables, in terms of the history and how the games have gone in previous years,” Vinson said. “If one team is winning a majority of those games, I think it tends to be a letdown.”

For Dexter and Huron, meetings have been infrequent recently. Last year, the two teams both had strong regular seasons, but didn’t see each other until a district semifinal game that Huron won, 52-31, before advancing to the state semifinals.

That game could serve as motivation for some Dexter players.

“I’m sure in the back of their mind, they want to play well against them because we didn’t play very well against them,” Dexter coach Mike Bavineau said. “But I don’t know if you can put a lot of stock in what happened last year. They’re completely different teams, different players.”

Dexter has won seven straight and Huron has won six coming into Tuesday’s game. Both have largely cruised through the SEC in January and early February.

Both teams also feature deep offenses that don’t rely on any one or two players. Huron’s Ariel Bethea, at 10.4 points per game, is the only player from either team that averages double figure scoring. The River Rats haven’t had a double-figure scorer in any of their last three wins, and had all of its 12 players score against Skyline Jan. 25.

And both have found success in large part due to their defense. Dexter has allowed just one opponent to crack the 30-point barrier during its current win streak, and Huron has only allowed two.

Bavineau said Dexter has found success by not allowing penetration off the dribble.

“We keep the ball in front of us, we don’t give up opportunities where people have to help,” Bavineau said.

But Tuesday, it will also be facing the always tough full-court Huron defense -- and one Vinson said has improved as of late.

“It’s definitely better the last month, we’re more focused on the defensive end,” Vinson said. “That’s one of the things I’ve been happiest about the last several games.”

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.

Yo La Tengo

And they're proud of not repeating themselves. They've often demonstrated that eclectic spirit by shifting musical gears from album to album. And on tour, they typically play songs differently from night to night. One night, a song might be a freewheeling, 15-minute-long improvisation, the next night it might clock in at a concise, pop-friendly four minutes.

That affinity for those extended improvisational excursions has indeed long been one of their trademarks, but on their new album, "Fade," they found themselves leaning more toward brevity.

"When we were writing and recording these songs, we didn't necessarily start out thinking that, but early on, we realized the songs were getting shorter and shorter, and that appealed to us," says James McNew (bass, vocals), who joined the group in 1992 after the band—anchored by husband-and-wife Ira Kaplan (guitar/piano/vocals) and Georgia Hubley (drums/piano/vocals)—had previously used a rotating lineup of different bass players.

"The novelty of having a lot of shorter songs this time appealed to us, so we began condensing what we might usually do," says McNew, who joins his bandmates on Friday for a show at the Michigan Theater. "But it felt natural—it didn't feel like we were forcing anything on ourselves, it felt like we were following it as it was happening. And then we got into rhythm of it. We got into a mindset, in terms of arranging the songs that way."

"That wasn't conscious," says McNew during a recent phone interview. "We just wrote a bunch of songs, recorded 13 of them, and used 10 of them, and made the best album we could make. That's definitely one side of our personality—sometimes we're loud, and sometimes we're more quiet. We're pretty naturally comfortable doing both, so neither of them ever seems to be an extreme."

A couple of those above-noted exceptions are the lead-off track, "Ohm," and the album closer, "Before We Run." "Ohm" is rousing and uptempo, and marked by bristling, jagged guitars, and "Before We Run" is similarly anthemic, but adds strings and horns to anchor the song's intense emotions with extra textures.

So, was anything going on in their world that might have inspired the comparatively more languid sound this time out?

"It's possible," says McNew, cryptically. "All of our songs, we write for ourselves, both musically and lyrically, but we try to leave the meanings open, and not define them. And we never print the lyrics. I think that's better. When I hear song on the radio, I hear it in terms of how it relates to my own life, which could be completely different than what, say, the Ohio Players might have had in mind when they wrote 'Love Rollercoaster,'" he quips.

Yo La Tengo's approach to structuring their songs is to bring their individual song sketches in to rehearsal, and then find the arrangements through jamming and improvisation. "And a lot of messing around," adds McNew. "We just start playing, and we'll discover a chord progression we like, and find a place for it, and then build up the songs from there. At at some point, the song finds its natural length. Sometimes it remains 20 minutes long, sometimes we'll whittle it down to four minutes."

And while all three members obviously have their own "main instrument," they frequently interchange musical roles.

"We all play different instruments to varying degrees of skill," says McNew. "Sometimes, one of us will spend more time learning an instrument and getting better at it, so those changes can also be heard in the music. On this record, I played more 12-string guitar than I'd ever played before. And Georgia played lot of keyboard and guitar, and I played drums on one song."

The Band employed a similarly impromptu approach, passing instruments and vocal parts around, until they discovered what sounded like the "real" version of the song.

"Yeah, and that's fun to do," says McNew. "To me, the sound of Georgia playing guitar is very apparent. I know what her style is, and neither Ira or I can capture that, and that adds to our library of tones and textures. When other people listen to the records, it's sometimes kind of a mystery. You're not sure who's playing what until you come and see our live show."

As for their dizzying romp through far-flung styles, McNew observes that "we're just fans. We like many different kinds of music, and all of it has become part of us. It all goes in, and eventually it comes out of us somehow. Sometimes, it comes out in more direct fashion—like, some songs of ours have a more prominent soul-music element."

Their spontaneous, jazz-inspired improvisational approach—both while working out the arrangements and in their live shows—comes from the band "wanting to leave things open, and letting them change and grow," says McNew. "We definitely like that spontaneity. Some songs change length every night, and different cues come at different times in the songs, and we like segueing from one song right into another. That can be a fun and freaky thing to do."

Kevin Ransom, a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com, can be reached at KevinRansom10@aol.com.

University of Michigan's recently hired general counsel met with faculty Monday and explained his new gig.

"My job is to represent the university, to represent the regents, to represent the president and executive officers and, where appropriate, individual employees," said Timothy Lynch, who assumed U-M's top legal position Jan. 7. "To give my best judgement and advice regardless of who's asking the question, that's my job as general counsel."

Timothy Lynch

During the Monday afternoon meeting with the faculty senate's advisory committee on university affairs, Lynch said he would help administrators "avoid risk" by advising them on practices and policy choices. Ever the risk manager, Lynch advised one faculty member to stop speaking when he thought the subject matter (the appearance of course material used in a Coursera class without the professor's knowledge) was too sensitive to share in front of the media.

He emphasized the importance of compliance, both to avoid criminal issues and grant misconduct.

"It's really a vital thing for any entity this size ... to have a strong compliance culture, and to have not just a culture but to have tools in which people can bring [up] issues."

Lynch said he'll employ a hands-on leadership style as general counsel.

"I go to the other offices" outside of the Fleming Administration building, where Lynch is based. "That’s the way I like to manage and that's the way I’ve managed lawyers in the past."

He said that although his department has offices in Fleming, the health system, university development and the office of technology transfer, he doesn't "view anyone as a sub-office."

"We work together because we have one client," he said.

When asked, Lynch, who has lectured at Georgetown University and the University of Virginia, said faculty views are important to the general counsel's office. He said some lawyers in the office also adjunct for the law school.

"This is a university, this is not a widget manufacturer," he said. "This is a university so the views of the faculty are important."

Faculty views, Lynch said, will be considered as his department helps create a new document disposal policy.

Lynch earns $400,000 annually, $88,000 more than his predecessor.

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

The unfinished Hideaway Lane project on Ann Arbor’s north side is being revived after an Oakland County developer purchased the property in December.

Trowbridge Homes of Hideaway Lane LLC, an affiliate of the Trowbridge Companies, submitted a site plan to the city of Ann Arbor to build 19 homes at 2000 Traver Road, just northeast of Barton Drive.

The Hideaway Lane property at 2000 Traver Road in Ann Arbor. A vacant lot sits behind a nine-unit townhouse building and a single-family home that were constructed on the property years ago.

Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com

“The residential for-sale market has clearly gotten better than it has been, and for us, this is the right timing. It’s a unique property on the northeast side of Ann Arbor,” said Bruce Michael of Ojibway Development LLC, the petitioner’s agent.

Situated on 4.57-acres and bordered by Traver Creek and Traver Crossing apartments, it’s the site of two unfinished housing projects; in 1965, plans were approved to build six townhouse buildings with 49 units, but only one nine-unit building was constructed. In 2005, developers planned to construct 18 single-family homes and four duplex units in two buildings, but only one single-family home was built.

“Basically, I think (the other developers) just had bad timing in terms of bringing it online when the market crashed,” Michael said.

Michael said the new Hideaway Lane houses would be architecturally similar to the existing single-family home on the property.

Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com

Michael said Trowbridge recently finalized a deal to purchase the property from Mercantile Bank, and now they are bringing forward a new project that is similar to the one proposed in 2005. The financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.

Plans call to construct 19 single-family houses with attached two-car garages. The homes are two stories with three or four bedrooms and range from 2,246 square feet to 3,425 square feet. The homes would be listed for sale between $279,000 and $349,000.

“They’re going to be very pleasant units,” Michael said.

He said the architecture would be similar to the existing single-family home on the site, although there would be some variations.

“We have a marketing agent lined up and we’re ready to go. I would say, as soon as we can get permits from the city, we would start construction immediately and start to take advantage of the 2013 sale season,” Michael said. If approved, Michael hopes the project would be completed in 2014.

The site already has a central driveway, underground public utilities and stormwater detention basis that were installed as part of the previously approved project.

Ann Arbor planning staff is recommending that the site plan be postponed until outstanding issues related to natural feature impacts and mitigation requirements have been addressed. But the project, the report says, will “fill a gap in the city’s available housing choices.”

Ann Arbor Planning Commission will consider the project at its meeting Tuesday.

A preliminary architectural drawing for the revised Hideaway Lane project shows elevations for one of the single-family homes.

Courtesy photo

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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.

Photo courtesy of the Humane Society of Huron Valley

Ypsilanti Township Trustee Mike Martin and his wife, Wendy Martin, fit the definition of "cat people." They own five cats who are a part of the family, along with several other pets.

But last summer, the Martins also got acquainted with several other cats they named “Ariel” and “Chunky Butt” among others. That group is among the neighborhood's feral cats, and through the Martins’ efforts, they were all trapped, sterilized at the Humane Society of Huron Valley, vaccinated and released back into the neighborhood.

Feral cats - or “community cats, as the HSHV refers to a broader population of outdoor cats averse to human contact - have particularly been an issue in Ypsilanti Township. On more than one occasion, township ordinance officers have encountered vacant homes sheltering up to 60 cats.

As he walks his dog through the neighborhood each day, Martin said he continues noticing a growing number of feral cats, though there are no solid figures from the township or HSHV on how many community cats live in Ypsilanti Township.

"Let’s say I’m seeing 10 of them on my walk now, then that means there are more I don’t see. Those are going to multiply, and soon we’re going to have a lot of feral cats,” Martin said. “What we’re trying to do is be proactive and prevent the situation from escalating by controlling the population.”

The “Trap-Neuter-Return” approach to controlling the cat population is the most humane and best solution, HSHV officials say. It involves live-trapping community cats, sterilizing them, treating them for disease and releasing them back into the colony where they were found. Their ears are tipped so officials know the cat has been treated.

The HSHV put the program in place in 2007 and has seen a 23 percent drop in the number of strays brought in since then while assisting more than 8,500 cats.

The method is so successful that cities like Calgary and Long Beach created their own large, controlled feral cat colonies to help control the population, and Martin is hopeful something similar could be established in Ypsilanti Township. While there are multiple smaller colonies now, Martin envisions something larger, though he said it’s only being discussed as of now.

Brittany Keene, the HSHV’s community cat coordinator, said the agency is working on a study to at least get a clearer picture of what areas have higher populations of community cats. Keene said she believes Ypsilanti Township might hold more than other communities because parts of it are rural while other parts are more urban, and vacant homes are a good spot for a cat colony to grow.

Regardless of the location, Keene stressed the TNR program is the only humane way to control and address a burgeoning community cat colony in any part of Washtenaw County.

“TNR is the only method proven to be humane and effective at controlling community cat population growth,” Keene said. “The goal of any community cat management program is to maximize the quality of life for the cats, stabilize the colony population, reduce unnecessary euthanasia, and elevate the worth of community cats through education and awareness.”

Martin explained the way he and his wife live trap the cats. For a week, Wendy feeds the cats and lets them get comfortable coming to the dishes. They then place food in live traps without setting the traps. After several days, she leaves the traps empty so the cats get slightly hungry. Wendy then puts the food back in the traps and sets them, which catches all the cats.

The Martins then take the cats to the HSHV and pay for them to be sterilized and receive vaccinations. Their ears are then tipped to signify they are sterilized and vaccinated. Females receive a dose of penicillin to aid in recovery and the cats are held overnight to recuperate before being returned to their original habitat.

The problems associated with community cats or feral cats in a neighborhood don’t threaten humans’ safety but the yowling, spraying and other similar behaviors can be a nuisance.

Keene said cats, for reasons that are unclear, are often considered “second-class pets” and are dumped by owners to live outside. They also are targeted for elimination and killed by some people who simply don’t like feral cats.

Among other tactics, some will try to starve the cats out of a colony by not feeding them, though Keene points out that is ineffective because cats are able to find other food sources. Others call animal control companies that Keene said almost all euthanize the cats, some inhumanely through gassing.

If someone is successful at clearing a cat colony, Keene said, then often new cats will move in or any cats that weren’t “cleared” will continue breeding, but become more cautious.

“Simply put, eradication is only a temporary fix that sacrifices animals' lives unnecessarily, yet yields no positive beneficial return,” Keene said.

She stressed the importance of cat owners spaying or neutering their own pets, and pointed out that cats are fertile animals, producing up to three litters annually.

If residents see stray cats roaming the neighborhood, Keene suggests contacting the HSHV if their ear is not tipped. The HSHV can send out a TNR specialist. They also offer classes once a month to train people to become TNR specialists who can take care of a cat colony. Yet another option is the "Barn Buddies" program, which offers cats for free to farms that will provide a good outdoor home for them.

"The bottom line is that no matter how they came to be outside, community cat overpopulation results from owners who have dumped or lost or let their unsterilized cats roam," Keene said. "This is a problem caused by people. HSHV is committed to protecting and improving the lives of community cats. By spaying and neutering, and vaccinating these cats, we can all do our part to ensure they lead the healthiest lives possible."

Contact the humane society at 734-662-5585.

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com.

From a website that tells you where to eat to a “living” robot, students at the MHacks “hackathon” came up with 126 projects, the most ever at a student-run event.

More than 550 students came from across North America to spend 48 straight hours hacking in Palmer Commons on the University of Michigan’s campus. The teams developed projects that ranged from comical to practical with everything in between.

One team of U-M Students created “Snooze N Shame,” an app that would send automatic Facebook updates from your account every time you hit the snooze button, alerting your friends to your lack of morning motivation.

On the more practical side, a team of students from the University of Pennsylvania developed “Lawlipop,” a 3-D visualization of the connection between cases that could eventually allow legal experts to examine the relationship and cross-referencing of decisions in an entirely new light.

One team with students from U-M and Purdue came up with “Sup?” for the indecisive among us. The website takes the decision making entirely out of your hands and uses your location to simply tell you where to eat.

Amongst all of the innovation, two hacks stood out as particularly impressive:

WAND

What if you didn’t need to use a mouse?

What if you could actually control computer screens with simple movements like Robert Downey Jr. does as Tony Stark in Spider man?

The technology for this type of automation has been available to the public in its early stages with the Xbox Kinect, which retails for about $110. College undergraduates Zain Shah and Ishaan Gulrajani developed code in 48 hours that allows you to control your computer screen through a simple webcam.

“You could do a lot with this by setting up two cameras, even just using your iPhone as a second camera,” Shah said.

“There are possibilities from 3-D drawing for sculptures or engineers, to using your hand as a remote control, really anything is possible.” Shah and Gulrajani have worked together at hackathons before, even though Shah is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh and Gulrajani is just a freshman at MIT.

The application they developed uses data from your computer’s webcam to track motion. The “wand” controlling your screen can be anything from your finger to a marker, can move the mouse around the screen, and clicks by staying in one place for long enough.

Chaos Pad:

Strumming away on an electric guitar with his iPhone velcro’d next to the strings was University of Michigan sophomore Joe Constantakis. As he played, Constantakis would tap or drag his fingers across the phone, causing a burst of color and distorting the sound coming out of the amplifier.

Constantakis, with fellow U-M computer science sophomores Billy Irwin and Chris O’Neil, decided on developing the “Chaos pad” the night before the hackathon.

“It just sounded like something that would be really freaking cool to work on,” Irwin said.

“So we decided to go for it, and it took all of the 48 hours… I’m working on about three hours of sleep on the weekend.”

The team said they plan on working some kinks out of the app over the next few weeks and then putting it in the Apple store.

“We’ll probably price it between $2.99 and $4.99,” Irwin said.

“We think that people who are really into the guitar culture will be willing to spend a few dollars to play around with this or use it. Other similar products require hardware and can cost hundreds of dollars.”

The app changes the sound emitted by the guitar and can even develop two and three part harmonies as a soloist plays. It communicates wirelessly between the phone and a computer, although the team said they hope to take the computer out of the equation before offering the app to the public.

Check out a demo of the Chaos Pad:

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

Ypsilanti is exploring the possibility of creating a special assessment district to help cover the cost of its electricity and street lighting. Mayor Paul Schreiber said it potentially could generate about $500,000 to go toward the costs.

Ypsilanti is considering implementing a special assessment district to help cover costs.

Steve Pepple | AnnArbor.com file photo

City Manager Ralph Lange wrote to city council that the special assessment district would encompass the entire city and levy a fee to pay for electricity costs as well as capital improvements.

According to Lange, the special assessment is being explored because council previously requested staff to proceed with it.

Schreiber said the city potentially could have the assessment cover capital costs and operational costs, although he noted this is just the beginning of the process.

Schreiber said it would be good for the city to consider installing high efficiency LED lights that didn't cost as much to have as the standard ones.

Tuesday, council will consider granting authorization for city staff to move forward with the assessment in order to determine the feasibility and value.

Possible options for the assessment include a flat flee, irrespective of parcel size; fees based upon the average parcel area; or fees based upon the perimeter.

This is not the first time the city has discussed creating a special assessment district. In 2011, city council discussed ways to create more significant budget reductions for the city.

Schreiber said at the time that rough estimates from city staff said the district could generate around $500,000 and cost most residents an additional $85 annually. Schreiber said the talks didn't move forward until now.

Schreiber said while the estimated savings still are roughly the same, he isn't sure if the estimated cost for residents will remain the same or change.

Lange has proposed a tentative timeline for the assessment to go into effect:

• Feb.19 - Report by city manager: Presentation of assessment options
• March 5 - Preliminary resolution of necessity and public hearing
• March 19 - City council approval, directing the city assessor to prepare the roll
• Last week of March 2013 - Notices will be mailed to property owners and a second public hearing will be held
• April 23 - Either an approval, rejection or changes will be made to the proposal
• July 1 - The special assessment district goes into effect

The next step according to a memo sent out by City Attorney John Barr will be for Lange to provide cost projections, the necessity of the project, what proportion should be paid by residents and what proportion should be paid by the city.

In the public hearing, Barr said residents have the right to file objections. If property owners representing more than 50 percent of the expected cost of the assessment file objections, the project may not proceed without the affirmative vote of four-fifths of all of the council members.

Schreiber said he isn't sure if residents will be in favor or against the special assessment. Lighting and electricity is paid for out of the general fund, which is where most of the city's expenses and revenues are located.

"I think voters tend to vote in favor of things they can benefit from," he said. "I think it's probably going to be some objection by people, but how do you make up the $500,000? It's really about how do we get the whole general fund to work?

"The general fund is the one that we’re trying to make solvent. This will be a way to provide a revenue source that its tied to a direct benefit that residents get."

Schreiber said he supports the idea of creating a special assessment district.

"If I don't support it, then what is my solution?" Schreiber said. "I supported the income tax twice and that went down in defeat. Voters told us told us they don't want an income tax or Water Street debt millage... At some point, we still need more revenue and this is the only way we can get revenue... The state government is squeezing us and we really don't have anywhere to go."

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

Though characterized by family and colleagues as a wise, intellectual leader, a connector of people and a founding member of two prestigious University of Michigan colleges, Michael Cohen refused a goodbye party when he retired last summer.

The longtime information and public policy professor was both influential and understated, his colleagues say.

University of Michigan photo

University of Michigan photo

"He hated being the center of attention," recalled Jerry Davis, a professor of management at U-M's Stephen M. Ross School of Business who worked with Cohen on the Interdisciplinary Committee on Organizational Studies, a group oriented toward strengthening collaboration among fields. "He said 'No, don't even give me a toast.'"

On Saturday, Feb. 2, Cohen died at 67. He was fighting prostate cancer and succumbed to complications involving pulmonary hypertension, according to his family. "It was sudden," his daughter Rachel said.

Cohen is survived by his wife Hilary and two daughters, Rachel and Amy.

While Cohen was widely known for being "warm and humble," according to Davis, he also was known for his ability to create, whether his product be connections among friends or schools that shape U-M's academic reputation today.

The U-M School of Information was in part born at his kitchen table in the mid-1990s, over wine, cheese and discussion among fellow faculty.

"He was one of the most important, most central people in creating the school," said Jeff Mackie-Mason, the School of Information dean. "He's always been one of the most visionary, wise and deep-thinking faculty I know."

Mackie-Mason first met his mentor 33 years ago, when he was a master's student in one of Cohen's classes. Eventually, Cohen and Mackie-Mason would collaborate together as they helped found the school of information and, later, as they co-taught courses together.

"He's been my teacher, my colleague, my friend. Always my teacher," he recalled. "Everybody is made wiser and more caring by interacting with him. He's the type of teacher that people look back and say 'He's the one who really changed my life.'"

Cohen also was involved in creating the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, which existed as an institute prior to 1995.

He and his wife moved to Ann Arbor from California in 1973 so Cohen could teach political science. He gradually began teaching information courses and served as a visiting professor in Norway and New Mexico, among other places. His intellectual interests were varied. In fact, his last article was published in a medical journal and, prior to his death, he was in the midst of writing a book. Upon Cohen's June 2012 retirement, the school of information named a service award in his honor.

Michael Cohen

Facebook photo

"He was really instrumental in building that interdisciplinary nature that remains a hallmark of the Ford School," said Susan Collins, dean of the public policy school.

Among his colleagues, he's known as someone who can easily make connections between people. "He had this ability to see productive connections that could be made and make it happen," said Davis, who added that Cohen's connections always were point-on.

Added Collins: "He was somebody that really had a lot of respect from a lot of the intellectual giants on campus."

His daughter Rachel said her father didn't boast about his work on campus.

"He used to say it was never important for him to have credit for things," said Rachel. "He was interested in being part of life."

He enjoyed traveling and listening to music. He would often take long walks. Once, during a year of sabbatical, he walked along the entire Huron River in Ann Arbor, traveling from park to park, according to his wife Hilary.

A sailor, he would often sail from St. Lucia to Grenada with Hilary.

"He was quite adventurous," recalled Hilary. She and her husband lived in the same Burns Park home since they moved to Ann Arbor.

According to his family, Cohen played with his children often when they were young, building block towers with them and reading them to sleep. When they got older, and one became a writer while the other pursued community organizing, he liked to discuss their professions.

"He loved our girls so much. He loved hanging out with them, he loved supporting them, learning about what they are interested in," Hilary said. "He was immensely gentle and patient."

A memorial service in honor of Cohen will take place 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 on U-M's campus, although the exact location hasn't yet been determined. Those interested are encouraged to donate to the Michael Cohen Memorial Scholarship in lieu of flowers.

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

Ann Arbor officials are talking about cracking down on unlicensed taxicabs after the reported rape of a female University of Michigan student by a cab driver early Sunday.

City Council Member Stephen Kunselman, speaking as chairman of the city's Taxicab Board and the father of two teenage daughters in college, raised the issue at Monday night's council meeting.

"It's imperative that our city police department start showing some enforcement of our taxicab ordinance and start pulling over limos with top lights that are basically impersonating taxicabs," he said. "I don't know what other actions can be done other than start enforcing our ordinance."

Stephen Kunselman said some companies are "flouting the law" and "trying to beat the system" while "trolling for fares in our downtown" without a taxicab license from the city.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com file photo

"Perhaps we could have the city attorney's office look into that to see if we could enforce that," Hieftje said, getting a nod of support from City Attorney Stephen Postema.

Kunselman said there is some ambiguity in the state law. He said the city is trying to get it clarified to make it clear it's unlawful for anyone to impersonate a taxi by using so-called "top lights." But for now, he doesn't see why the city can't take action under existing local ordinance.

"There's some language in our existing ordinance that specifies what a top light can be used for in terms of on top of a vehicle — basically what we all expect a taxi to use," he said. "We amended our taxicab ordinance to basically start writing tickets for limos that impersonate taxis by driving around with top lights on their vehicles, but with no taxicab license issued by the city."

Kunselman said he's going to start asking for monthly reports from the Ann Arbor Police Department at Taxicab Board meetings regarding what enforcement activities are taking place.

Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said police are investigating Sunday's reported rape as third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which involves penetration.

Bush said the woman described the cab as a car but it’s unclear what company the cab came from and if it was a taxi licensed by the city or a limousine service licensed by the state.

The woman got in the cab alone at 2 a.m. in the 1200 block of South University, and she told police the rape took place in a parking lot near the 300 block of East Madison near Packard Street.

The woman was treated at the University of Michigan Hospital’s emergency room and police were sent there after the incident was reported, Bush said. The only available description of the driver describes him as a white man with short hair, possibly brown.

The city licenses more than 100 taxicabs and more than 200 taxi drivers, but there are many limousine companies allowed to impersonate cabs due to the Limousine Transportation Act.

That law allowed any vehicle with a seating capacity of 15 or less to be classified as a limousine and is licensed through the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Kunselman gave two examples of state-licensed limo companies that are using top lights to look like taxicabs in Ann Arbor, even though they're not licensed by the city.

"One is the Michigan Green Cab and the other is Yellow Car," he said. "They are avoiding our taxicab ordinance and, as far as I'm concerned, we need to out them."

The Tobias family expanded its Michigan Green Cab fleet into Ann Arbor in 2010.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

A manager for Michigan Green Cab could not be reached Monday night, but a manager for Ann Arbor Yellow Car spoke with AnnArbor.com by phone after the council meeting.

Alex Persu, director of call center operations for Yellow Car, said the city would be going after the wrong people if it cracked down on a licensed limo company like Yellow Car, which he said has been doing business in Ann Arbor since the 1930s.

Persu said the bigger issue is what's infamously known in local taxicab circles as the "scabs" — the taxicabs that come into Ann Arbor on busy weekend nights from places like Detroit.

"That's kind of frustrating to us and other local companies when these out-of-towners come on busy nights and pick up students. We wish the city would do more about them," he said.

Persu said sometimes those "scabs" will be marked with an actual company name, but other times they'll be unmarked — they'll just have a top light on their roof. He said students often don't question hopping in those vehicles after a long night out on the town, especially when it's cold out, and he's heard a number of firsthand complaints from students who have been overcharged by them.

"Everybody sees them all over," he said. "We call each other all the time (and say): 'The scabs are out tonight.' People know about them."

Yellow Car formerly operated under the name Yellow Cab with taxicabs licensed by the city, but it changed and became licensed as a limousine company through the state in May 2011.

The company still has a fleet of about 50 cars that look just like normal taxicabs, and on any given night 20 or more of them are out in Ann Arbor, Persu said, noting the company also has a fleet of black Lincoln town cars, stretch and super-stretch limos and a party bus.

One of the reasons cited for why some taxicab companies might prefer being licensed by the state as a limousine company instead is because of reduced insurance costs.

Persu said another reason is because Yellow Car, now that it's no longer licensed by the city of Ann Arbor, doesn't have to adhere to the Taxicab Board's strict regulations regarding fare rates. He said the city wouldn't let the rates fluctuate or keep pace with changing gas prices.

"As a limo company, we can go up and down with the rates," he said. "The part that our customers like a lot is that we give flat rates over the phone. We don't run a meter. Our prices are based on point-to-point using Google maps that anyone on the phone with us can Google-map themselves."

Kunselman said there are good reasons why the city wants taxicabs to be licensed and on record with the city, though.

"The importance of a well-regulated taxi fleet is that we as a community know who the drivers are and that we're not getting into the car with a stranger," he said.

"Without that, we don't know who these drivers are. We don't know who these strangers are coming into our community, and I think it's time that we do something about it."

Persu suggested it's far-fetched to call Yellow Car a stranger after being in Ann Arbor for many years and being the sole operator of the city's A-Ride transit service for people with disabilities.

"Our requirements for drivers to drive for us are much more stringent than a taxicab company," he added. "We turn down a lot of people because of background checks or points on their license."

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.

A crash was causing a slowdown on southbound U.S. 23 on the northeast side of Ann Arbor Tuesday morning.

Drivers wait for their vehicles to be towed on M-14 near Barton road on Tuesday Morning.

Kyle Mattson | AnnArbor.com

The crash was near the intersection with Plymouth Road, a dispatcher with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said. It was off on the left shoulder and not blocking traffic.

State Police were on the way to the crash, the dispatcher said at 7:50 a.m.

At 9:15 a.m., dispatchers confirmed there was a two-car crash on westbound M-14 at Barton Drive that was causing a traffic back up coming into Ann Arbor. Officers were on scene but dispatchers were not clear if the crash was blocking any lanes. Traffic was slow in the area.

Further information was not immediately available.

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There are people who might know things that you don't. They might be on to really great entertainers that you've never heard of. Those people are the reason that the Kerrytown Concert House added a second show so those people who haven't heard of Cyrille Aimee and Guitar Heroes (or didn't act fast enough) will get their chance to see them on Friday.

Cyrille Aimee

Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. 8 and 9:30 p.m. $5-$30. Go to www.kerrytownconcerthouse.com to make a reservation. The KCH is located at 415 N. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor. 734-769-2999.

The death of a 38-year-old Ypsilanti man found in an alleyway between West Washington and West Huron streets last week is under investigation, Ann Arbor police said.

Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush said Tuesday the 38-year-old man was seen by a passerby in the alley about 1 p.m. Wednesday. The person called police to check on him and he was unresponsive, Bush said.

After medical personnel checked his vital signs, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, Bush said. It appears he was treated at a local hospital earlier in the day and detectives are investigating. His death does not appear to be criminal in nature.

“We try to retrace the steps for the past 24 hours of a person and we bring in the detectives do that,” Bush said.

A reader alerted AnnArbor.com to the man’s death on Friday. Police sources reached last week were not aware of the incident. Bush said the incident appears to be of a medical nature and medical incidents are not usually immediately reported.

The temperature on Wednesday was approximately 51 degrees, leading police to believe the man did not freeze to death accidentally, and police have not been given the results of an autopsy performed on Friday.

Bush said the man’s body showed no visible signs of trauma. The case has been turned over to the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office. Family members have been notified of the man’s death.

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

Mark Palms founded and led the Riverfolk Festival.

Eliyahu Gurfinkel | Ann Arbor News file photo

But another Manchester fest will debut this summer that in some ways will fill the void left by the Riverfolk Fest, and will include other types of events besides music and art.

Palms—who in 2000 founded the Riverfolk Fest, held at Carr Park—served as artistic director on a volunteer, unpaid basis, like everyone else who helped to make the fest happen. He was also the one who chose and booked the acts, who organized and managed the fest every year, and who ran the associated Jam Camp.

So, it was a huge investment of time and energy, and Manchester is a small community, so eventually the Fest's small-town volunteer staff became overburdened, says Palms. And there was also the economic factor. After the Wall Street meltdown of 2008, and the ensuing Great Recession, Riverfolk attendance was down in 2009 and 2010—also due in part to bad weather. So, starting in 2011, the fest was downscaled and split into two events—a Cajun dance party on Friday night at Carr Park, followed by a festival / concert at The Ark the following night.

And when Palms was recently informed that some other Manchester community groups were organizing a new community festival, he decided it was time to step back, and "let some new folks fire their own engines, and do whatever kind of festival they decided to do," says Palms.

"After I'd been doing Riverfolk for a few years, I started thinking that I would probably do it for about 10 years total, and then let the next generation take over," says Palms. "So, now that it's been 13 years, the time seems right."

The new fest will be the Manchester Street Festival, says Amelia Woods, one of the new fest's organizers and a trustee on the Manchester Village Council. She's also the race director for Run Manchester, which will now be one of the centerpiece events for the Manchester Street Festival.

The new fest will be held the first Saturday in August, and will include 5K and 10K runs and a one-mile Fun Run Manchester, plus a bed race, an art show, beer tents, food, and music at four locations, says Woods—including "a main stage on Main Street, the Mill porch by the river, and the gazebo at Wooster Park."

"We want to make sure there will be music playing at all times, at one spot or another, from 9 a.m to 9 p.m.," she says. "We'll have high school bands, and we'll be booking singers and groups from various genres—rock, folk, blues, bluegrass, Cajun, and more," says Woods. "It'll be a lot of local artists, but some national ones, too."

In recent years, The Riverfolk Music & Arts Organization, the umbrella group that presented the Riverfolk Fest, has also sponsored a local Art Center, community theater shows, the Riverfolk Jam Camp, the annual gazebo concerts and, more recently, a new Cultural Art Strings program. The organization "will continue to fulfill its mission of nurturing cultural arts in the community," says Palms, although he says he's not yet sure about the future of the Jam Camp.

Looking back, Palms has many warm memories of the various Riverfolk Fests he booked and organized. "Being there, at such a beautiful park, and presenting great artists like Vienna Teng, and Susan Werner, and George Bedard and the Kingpins, and Hot Club of Cowtown—those were great experiences. And they're great memories," says Palms.

Other acts who played at the fest during its 13-year run include The Red Stick Ramblers, Bill Kirchen, The Glengarry Boys, Tangerine Trousers, Billy Jonas, The Steel Wheels, Laurie Lewis, Joel Mabus, Dick Siegel & the Brandos, Seth Bernard & Daisy May, Steppin in It, Jan Krist, Matt Watroba, Adrianne Young & Little Sadie, Millish, Red Mountain White Trash, The Heatons, Woody Pines and many others.

Palms liked to book relatively unknown acts from other regions, to introduce them to local audiences. For example, "we were the first Michigan festival to book the Red Stick Ramblers, in 2002, before many people around here knew who they were. They played here four years in a row, then went on to sweep the festival circuit, then started their own fest, and now they're doing music for films and TV," says Palms.

Palms, a retired grade-school music teacher, also sings and plays guitar / fiddle / banjo in the folk / bluegrass / roots-music trio The Raisin Pickers. He's also in a Cajun-Zydeco group, Creole Du Nord. The Raisin Pickers includes his wife, Carol Wells Palms (string bass / vocals / fiddle) and David Mosher (mandolin / fiddle / guitar / vocals).

That's another reason Palms decided to step down: so he could devote more time to making music. Indeed, The Raisin Pickers have a new album coming out this summer, their first in 12 years.

"We used to put one out every two years, but then we got so busy with the festival," he says. "We have 20 new original songs to choose from, some of which have been on the shelf for almost 12 years. This will be a different-sounding record for us. Over those 12 years, we've all done a lot of different projects, and played in other groups, so this one will be more musically diverse, in terms of the styles we draw from.

"Plus, many of the songs are inspired by the events that have taken place America over the last 10 years or so. So, there's some social commentary in there that I think a lot of Americans will be able to relate to."

David Behen is the State of Michigan's chief information officer and an adviser to Gov. Snyder.

AnnArbor.com file photo

Gov. Rick Snyder's chief information officer David Behen will speak about information technology in Michigan at 7 p.m. Thursday, in room 201 of Welch Hall, across the street from the Ypsilanti Water Tower.

As an executive of the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, Behen will talk about the department's goals, the state's key IT metrics, IT investment fund projects, Michigan's Cyber Range and cyber security and IT career opportunities.

A question and answer session will follow.

Behen was the winner of Crain's Detroit Business CIO Awards in the government category.

In addition to being the state's CIO, Behen is the chair of the governing body for the Detroit CIO Executive Summit and co-chair of the NASCIO State and Local Collaboration Committee.

He previously worked as CIO and deputy administrator of Washtenaw County.

Behen is an alumnus of EMU, having earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from there.

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Kevin Keeney, left, a maintenance worker for the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority, and Ray Casey, maintenance mechanic, check sewage pumps at the Snow Road pump station in Ypsilanti Township.

File photo

Construction work to repair a sanitary sewer line will partially block one of the busiest intersections in downtown Ypsilanti Thursday.

The work will repair a leaking sewer line in a manhole at Michigan Avenue and Huron Street.

Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority Engineering manager Scott D. Westover said the construction will shut down an eastbound lane of Michigan Avenue starting West of Huron Steet and the northbound lane of Huron Street through the intersection.

Westover said the closure will take most of the day, but YCUA will try to limit the work between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

"We're going to do what we can to limit it ... ," Westover said. "It depends on how quickly we can get started. ... It could make traffic in that area a little unpleasant."

YCUA will be making improvements to the wastewater collection system. The improvements will be done without removing pavement or excavation. Up to 10 workers will be on site, Westover said.

"We’ve got a sanitary sewer pipe that at some point in the past, the top of the sanitary sewer pipe was removed and looks like it was done intentionally," Westover said.

YCUA will replace the top of the pipe, Westover said. The project is the last in a series of improvements to the system to eliminate discharges of sewage that periodically occurred from the manhole into the storm water sewer.

Westover said sewage flowed from the storm water sewer under Michigan Avenue from Huron Street to the Huron River. This occurred periodically over the past year, but during the past four to six months, YCUA made a series of improvements to stop the leakage.

Westover didn't have an exact estimate available regarding the amount of sewage that was discharged from the manhole, but said "it wasn't much."

"There was sewage that was occasionally getting into the river," Westover said. "We have eliminated that. This is the last piece to seal up the pipe."

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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.

One of the brothers accused of abducting and shooting a man multiple times in Superior Township took a plea deal last week, while a jury found the other one guilty of multiple felony charges.

Clinton Desir and Allan Tomlinson

Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office

Clinton Desir, 23, and Allan Tomlinson, 27, were charged with abducting and shooting Julien Butler on Aug. 10. With a jury trial scheduled to start last week, Desir elected to take a plea deal while Tomlinson took his chances at trial.

Desir pleaded no contest on Jan. 28 to assault with intent to murder and guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful imprisonment, conspiracy to commit unlawful imprisonment and carrying a concealed weapon, records show.

In exchange, charges of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm, two charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to commit bodily harm and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony were all dropped, according to court records.

On Jan. 30, Tomlinson was found guilty of two counts of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm, reduced from two counts of assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of unlawful imprisonment, carrying a concealed weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to court records. Records also show that, in a bench trial, Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Donald Shelton found him guilty on two additional counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

Two counts of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon were dismissed, according to court records. Desir and Tomlinson will be sentenced on Feb. 26.

According to testimony at a preliminary exam, the two men abducted Butler at gunpoint outside an Ypsilanti party store on Aug. 10. They drove him to a rural part of Superior Township before shooting him and leaving him bleeding on the side of Old Ford Road.

In court, Butler testified that the men accused him of raping the mother of Desir’s child. Butler denied that accusation at the preliminary exam. Butler suffered 13 wounds, causing severe injuries to his hip, thigh, buttocks and testicles. One of his hips has been replaced and a prosthetic bone was put in his thigh to replace a shattered femur.

Tomlinson has been previously convicted of a charge of armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in 2005. He served six and a half years in prison on that charge.

Both Desir and Tomlinson remain in the Washtenaw County Jail.

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