Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

The rise of private-public transportation in a2

Posted by Nancy Shore on 23. November 2008

It used to be that transportation fit neatly into two basic categories: public transportation and private transportation. Think of buses vs. bikes or trains vs. cars.

We’ll here in Ann Arbor, and elsewhere in the world, a new trend is emerging.

Meet the new era of private-public transportation (PPT).

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Ann Arbor in the Onion

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 18. November 2008

One of the Onion’s headlines for Monday reports that “Co-Op Casino Robbed Again.” The report that “The member-owned-and-operated casino known as the Sunshine & Sharing Gaming Cooperative was robbed Tuesday for the fourth time this month.”

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Ann Arbor News shrinking

Posted by Bruce Fields on 17. November 2008

Mary Morgan at the Chronicle reported last week that “Buyouts Hit The Ann Arbor News“:

This morning, management at The News and all seven other newspapers owned by the Newhouse family in Michigan announced a massive round of buyouts and plans to consolidate some operations in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.

No longer breaking news (and probably not a great surprise), but worth a discussion thread.

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Documentary about Water and War to show at Michigan Theater

Posted by Chuck Warpehoski on 15. November 2008

Michigan Peaceworks is showing the documentary Flow at the Michigan Theater this Sunday, November 16 at 7pm.

This documentary explores how water scarcity and privitization lead to conflict around the world. The event is a fundraiser for Michigan Peaceworks’ Iraq Water Project to send badly needed water treatment units to Iraqi hospitals and schools.

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City Council: Ann Arbor City Apartments

Posted by Juliew on 7. November 2008

Thursday, November 6 (special date due to election) at 7:00 pm.
Ann Arbor City HallAgenda

Highlights:

  • Ann Arbor City Apartments Rezoning (West Washington and South First)
  • Quickie Burger Liquor License
  • Greenbelt purchases

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eWashtenaw Election Results '08

Posted by Murph on 5. November 2008

For those not too riveted to the national races to care, (and not hanging out in person at the Clerk’s office) local results can, of course, be found at http://electionresults.ewashtenaw.org/nov2008/indexreport.html

At this moment, the site is reporting 0.64% of precincts reporting (yes, that’s less than 1%), but you can add it to the list of sites to reload obsessively.

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Election Night: special!

Posted by Murph on 4. November 2008

Election Night’s a good night to spend out with like-minded folk, celebrating or commiserating, as the case may be.

For those who want to go straight to the source, County Clerk Kestenbaum will be hosting a shindig:

If you want to be social on Election Night, here’s another option for you.

We’re reviving the old tradition of Election Night at the county seat, featuring immediate access to local election results, local politicos, local reporters, much election conversation and speculation, plentiful food, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Also, televisions to follow national results.

It all starts at 8:00 pm at 200 N. Main (corner of Main & Ann), in downtown Ann Arbor.

Unlike partisan victory parties, you don’t even have to pretend to have worked on a campaign. Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, Socialists, and the unaffiliated all welcome.

You can also stroll to and from, um, partisan parties only a couple blocks away.

To my knowledge, there will be election night parties at the Arbor Brewing Company and Corner Brewery (one can expect these to be leaning, ahem, slightly to the Democrat), and the Sidetrack has a “free beer with ‘i voted’ sticker” special (requires a coupon, too – find a friend on their e-mail list).

Others?

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'Twas the Week Before the Election: Ballot Surprises

Posted by Juliew on 3. November 2008

Ballot Surprises
While Publius.org is a great resource, even the most prepared voter can be surprised when they get to the polls.

Candidate names are always (often?) moved around on ballots to prevent the person on top from getting all the votes so your ballot at the polls may not look exactly like it shows up online. Make sure you know the names of your candidates, not just where they show up on the ballot.

Also some of the local items aren’t on the sample ballots. For example, the nonpartisan Washtenaw Community Collage Board of Trustees race doesn’t appear on sample ballots. Because it is nonpartisan, unless you know the candidates, it is hard to make a judgment. Some information on that race can be found here.

Do any of you know of any other races that don’t show on the sample ballots?

Be Prepared to Vote on Tuesday
Polls are open from 7:00am to 8:00pm. You must be in line by 8:00pm if you are going to vote.

If you are a regular voter, bring your Michigan driver license, or be prepared to sign an affidavit saying you don’t have ID with you. If you are a first-time voter, you must bring ID showing your current address. These include a current and valid photo ID (MCard, driver license, etc.), a paycheck stub, utility bill, bank statement, or government document that lists your name and address.

Remember not to wear any partisan clothes or buttons to your polling place. Yeah, it might seem like a silly rule, but it was upheld in court and is intended to keep the polling places free from voter intimidation, which is a worthy cause.

Need a Ride to the Polls?
“The Peace Neighborhood Center will transport any Ann Arbor residents who want to vote from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rides will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents should schedule rides in advance and must know where they need to vote. For more information, call the center at 734-662-3564 or e-mail info@peaceneighborhoodcenter.org.”

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Where is bike parking needed?

Posted by Matt Hampel on 1. November 2008

After unlocking my bike from the transformer cage at the Amtrak Station (photo), I realized that there must be a bunch of places in Ann Arbor that need bike parking.

Here is an editable Google map — anyone can add points. Once we have a couple contributions, this might be info that getDowntown can use.


View Larger Map

Comment [11]

“Twas the Week Before the Election: Judges

Posted by Juliew on 31. October 2008

So you say you are a staunch Democrat or Republican? Planning on voting straight ticket? Sorry, you are still going to have to pay attention to the judgeships because they are on the nonpartisan section of the ballot and are not marked with a party designation. In theory, this is because judges are supposed to be nonpartisan and uphold the law, not represent voters. For a race like the 15th District Judge of the Distict Court race between Easthope and Gutenberg, party affiliation doesn’t really apply. However, the State Supreme Court race has definitely shaped up to be a “Republican” vs. “Democrat” race.

Michigan Daily coverage of “the ballot beyond Obama” with explanations of the judges is here.

The Voters Guide from the League of Women Voters has judge information.

State Supreme Court Judges
Incumbent judges in Michigan win most of their elections. However, there are a lot of people unhappy with how Cliff Taylor (originally an Engler appointee) has been carrying out his job. As the “Democrat” candidate, Hathaway has lots of support in Ann Arbor, but how does that translate to the rest of the state? The three candidates are:

22nd Circuit Judge of the Circuit Court
The race for the 22nd District Court is particularly interesting because one of the people on the ballot, Douglas B. Shapiro, doesn’t actually want to run. There are three names on the ballot and two openings. The three names of the candidates are similar so it is possible that Shapiro could accidentally win. At least he is a legitimate candidate and is thinking about running in the future even if he doesn’t want to win this election.

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