Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

North Burns Park and Oxbridge seek residential parking districts

Posted by Murph on 24. May 2005

Ann Arbor is Overrated gets credit as the first comment on the new applications for residential parking permits by the North Burns Park and Oxbridge neighborhood associations. The districts would have a 2-hour limit on street parking between 8 am and 6 pm except for vehicles with resident permits.

The Ann Arbor News says the neighborhood associations blame commuters and students for taking up parking:

While each district varies, the new parking district would generally allow parking from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. for two hours without a permit and violators could be ticketed. Those with a permit and those parking after 6 p.m. would face no restrictions.

Stu Wagner, a member of the University of Michigan Student Assembly, called the parking districts “deeply problematic.”

Wagner is concerned the council will approve the parking districts before the students return in the fall.

“This would be a change that drastically affects the way students operate and most of the students who would be affected by the change are not here,” Wagner said.

Long-term parking by students, who leave their cars unused for weeks at a time while walking, biking, or bussing around town, is mentioned as a particular problem.

Comment [148]

Alternative Motorized Transportation Events

Posted by Juliew on 24. May 2005

Speaking of transportation options, there are two informational sessions this week discussing motorized transportation alternatives in Ann Arbor.

Today, Tuesday (5/24): Ann Arbor Community Car Co-op (A2C3) Join the group working to bring car sharing to Ann Arbor. Find out how car sharing works and how you can join the A2C3. Time: 7:00 pm; Location: Downtown Library

Tomorrow, Wednesday (5/25): AATA and MichiVan visit Kerrytown. Find out about ridesharing opportunities in Ann Arbor. Representatives from AATA and MichiVan will have information on carpooling and vanpooling and be available to answer all your questions. A MichiVan will be on site to look at.
Time: 10am-1pm; Location: Farmer’s Market

From the getDowntown web site.

Non-Motorized Transportation Plan nearing completion

Posted by MarkDilley on 23. May 2005

A comment left in the Contact us section:

The Sunday (5/22/05) Ann Arbor News ran a story on bicycling on the front of the Connection Section (which may indicate how serious they are about it). Anyway, it’d be great to hear it discussed on Arbor Update. Thanks. – Al Braun

Ann Arbor is one of the safest places to bicycle already, but improving it to one of the top bicycling communities would be great.

p.s. it would be good to include links ;-)

Comment [50]

LIVE ON LIBERTY -- DJ's and HOST's NEEDED

Posted by MarkDilley on 20. May 2005

This looks like a blast! While working on the second floor of the Michigan Theater Building, I had always imagined having a street party with music and dancing.

We will be simulcasting live (over the internet and on the street) from the porch of Elmo’s T-Shirts, 404 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor on nice days this summer! The porch is at street level, about 10 feet from the sidewalk! We have built a portable broadcast unit with a P/A system, dual CD mixer, laptop with internet, lights, and mikes.

via Ed via a3radio

Comment [5]

The Onion highlights Ypsi Water Tower

Posted by MarkDilley on 20. May 2005

For those of you who have just heard of the ypsilanti water tower, there are no pictures in this Onion article.

>Google images

Comment [1]

Student Filibuster on WCBN-FM Tonight

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 19. May 2005

Ann Arbor Filibuster The organizer of today’s student protest filibuster of the Nuclear Option at the Michigan Union, Kristin Purdy, will appear on “Renegade Solutions with Charmie Gholson” on WCBN-FM tonight at 6:00 p.m. I’ll also be joining the show from Washington D.C. by telephone to talk about what we have been doing here. WCBN is broadcast on 88.3 FM in the Ann Arbor area, and also online. The image to the left shows U-M students calling their senators to speak out against the Nuclear Option. See the whole set here.

I just spoke to Kristin, and a hardy band of filibusterers are holding their protest despite some nasty weather. They plan on continuing until 9 p.m. tonight. I will update this post with photos as soon as I receive them. The students have released the following statement:

University of Michigan students will hold a 12 hour filibuster on the steps of the Michigan Union to protest the nuclear option in solidarity with students and community members across the country. We will be standing up against the destructive nuclear option and speaking out for democracy and minority rights.

As University of Michigan students we especially know the impact the judiciary and Supreme Court can have on individuals and society. Many of the students filibustering on Thursday traveled to Washington D.C. two years ago to support our University as the Supreme Court upheld our Affirmative Action policy.

For the last 200 years the filibuster has protected the minority in the Senate, no matter which party is in power. It forces parties to work together to confirm more fair and independent judges. Removing the filibuster removes an important aspect our system of checks and balances. As students we are protesting against the nuclear option not because it will have an impact on a couple judicial nominations, but because we know it will have a negative and lasting effect on our country.

Comment [6]

Students stage protest against Frist and GOP

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 17. May 2005

Following the lead of Princeton students, U-M groups have organized a ‘filibuster’ to protest GOP plans to change Senate rules.

Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 16:58:53 -0400
From: purdykri@umich.edu
To: dems.mi@umich.edu, dems.core@umich.edu, umichssaa@umich.edu, cokecampaign@umich.edu, ej-core@umich.edu, sdinfo@umich.edu
Subject: UM Filibuster Thursday 9 to 9 Steps of Union

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

  • FILIBUSTER FOR DEMOCRACY ************
STOP FRIST’S NUCLEAR OPTION
  • JOIN US ************

+ Thursday, May 19
+ 9 AM to 9 PM
+ Steps of the Union

Save the Senate’s voice in judicial nominations
Bring signs, reading material, and your voice!

Please email Kristin at purdykri@umich.edu or call 517-980-6374 for further questions. Also check out the Princeton Filibuster at: www.FilibusterFrist.com

Comment [33]

Michigan Radio hosting "Globalism & Michigan", 17 May

Posted by Murph on 17. May 2005

Michigan Radio is hosting an event on “Michigan’s role in the global economy” tonight at the business school. From their press release (pdf):

These forums, entitled “Globalism and Michigan: Where Do We Fit In?�, will be moderated by Michigan Radio News Director Michael Leland. Leland will host a panel of experts on globalization, who will discuss the issue and take questions from the audience.

The Tuesday, May 17 forum will be held in Ann Arbor at 7 pm in Phelps Lounge in the U of M Business School.This event will be held in partnership with the William Davidson Institute.

The event is open to the public, and is part of NPR’s Think Global 2005 series, running this week.

See also,
> Michigan Radio Think Global broadcasting schedule
> Think Global 2005 podcast page

Comment [1]

False dichotomy or brilliant ad campaign?

Posted by Murph on 17. May 2005

The Friends of the Ann Arbor Greenway are pressing their “Greenway or Concrete Jungle” slogan on every audience they can find. Last week, they pitched their message to an open house at The Planet, apparently without rebuttal or challenge, with the result that Planet organizer Adam de Angeli called City Council in e-mail, “so thoroughly corrupted by corporate influence that they have absolute-zero respect for the concerns, demands, and general well-being of the public.” [EDIT, 8pm: the e-mail mentioned was to The Planet’s mailing list, not to City Council themselves, to my knowledge. Sorry for the potentially confusing wording. -RM]

Today, the Friends are presenting to a probably calmer crowd, the Huron Valley Chapter of the Sierra Club, an event which chapter co-Chair Mike Sklar describes in e-mail as,

Two starkly different visions for the future of downtown Ann Arbor have been offered. The Sierra Club’s Huron Valley Group is pleased to offer the public an opportunity to understand those competing visions. On Tuesday, May 17, Margaret Wong from the Friends of the Ann Arbor Greenway will present “Greenway or Concrete Jungle? Re-imagining Downtown Ann Arbor.” This free event begins at 7:30 pm at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens (directions below). Newcomers are welcome; no membership is required.

This “opportunity to understand these competing visions” seems to include airtime for only one of the visions, strangely enough.

Comment [90]

Trooper charged with murder

Posted by MarkDilley on 16. May 2005

DETROIT – As Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced charges against the state trooper who killed a homeless man in Greektown April 14, his family said they would organize the city’s homeless to fight for a conviction.

via The Michigan Citizen

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