Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Dingell town hall forum tonight

Posted by Brian Kerr on 16. August 2004

From a recent e-mail:

Ann Arbor, MI – Congressman John D. Dingell (MI-15) will address the public in a town hall forum on Monday, August 16 at 7pm on domestic and foreign policy matters including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 9-11 Commission report, the economy, and healthcare. There will also be time available for questions and answers from the audience.

The community forum is sponsored by Second Baptist Church and the Ann Arbor Area Committee for Peace. Reverend Lyons of Second Baptist Church and Phillis Engelbert of the Ann Arbor Area Committee for Peace will also make brief introductory remarks.

This community forum is a continuation of “Dingell Dialogues,” events where Congressman Dingell solicits the views of the public on various issues of national importance. The event is free and open to the public.

Dingell Town Hall Forum – Ann Arbor
Monday, August 16, 2004, 7-9pm.

Second Baptist Church
850 Red Oak, Ann Arbor
(off Miller Rd, between Main St. and Maple Rd.)

Contact Michael Robbins (734.481.1100 ph / 734.481.1112 fax) with any questions.

Edwards to gesticulate eagerly in Flint

Posted by Brian Kerr on 11. August 2004

From a Kerry campaign e-mail:

Please join us in welcoming John Edwards to Flint, Michigan, on Friday, August 13. Come hear him outline the Kerry-Edwards vision for a stronger America, and make sure to bring your friends, family, and neighbors to see the next vice president of the United States.

Tickets are required for this event. To print your complimentary ticket(s) or to volunteer at the rally, please click here:

http://www.johnkerry.com/flint

WHEN:
Friday, August 13
Gates open at 11:30 a.m.

Please note that, although this event is associated with “the most important election of our lifetime,” umbrellas, bags, signs, and excessive “personal items” are prohibited.

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MSA-Sponsored "Rate My Rental" Site to Launch this Fall

Posted by Brian Kerr on 8. August 2004

The Ann Arbor News reports on an upcoming MSA project—a collaborative website that will allow students to rate their apartments or housing complexes, and give landlords opportunity to respond. The site, which is still in development, will be launched ahead of the annual housing crunch this fall. According to the article, MSA is planning to publicize the site (in an effort to get students to populate the database) alongside a general push to educate students of their rights as tenants.

We’ll note the launch of the site and any related items of interest here.

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Republican Candidate in TN Fears One Big Detroit

Posted by Dumi Lewis on 6. August 2004

Since it’s the season of primaries, you may have missed a little race in Tennessee.
James L. Hart managed to be the only Republican on the congressional ticket and won a “Republican” nod. So what’s the issue? Hart advocates for eugenics and hopes to limit the less favored races in the US. Hart fears if the US continues to let immigrants, the poor, and their genes flow freely the nation will look like “one big Detroit”. No really, I’m not joking. Hart will likely not win the real election, but I can’t help but wonder what percent of Hart supporters were familiar with his literature?

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News Roundup

Posted by Brandon on 5. August 2004

A few Ann Arbor News stories you may have missed this week:

>Development agreement reached:

Despite losing the visionary behind the project and the support of the University of Michigan, the man leading the Broadway Village at Lower Town development said he’s sure the project will be built.

Scott Chappelle of Strathmore Co. said Monday he’s certain the $125 million, 500,000-square-foot residential and commercial project will be completed after the Ann Arbor City Council approved a development agreement Monday night by a 6-2 vote.

>Couches dragged into street, burned:

Fire officials have noticed a rash of couch fires around the University of Michigan campus in the last few weeks.

The most recent blaze occurred early today in on East University Avenue. Battalion Chief Chris Brenner said firefighters have extinguished about six to eight couch fires in the last few weeks in the area around the Central Campus.

Typically, the couches are dragged into the streets or curbs and burned in the middle of the night, Brenner said. “When we get there, no one knows how the couches got there,” Brenner said.

>Ann Arbor is Overrated’s take on the couch fires

>Smith wins Washtenaw board seat:

Conan Smith rounded out a three-generation political dynasty [Tuesday] when he won the Democratic primary for the Washtenaw County Commissioner in the 10th District, which covers northwest Ann Arbor.

>Planning Commission tables New Life Church project:

New Life Church, a campus ministry that would like to change a former University of Michigan sorority house into a church, failed in its second attempt to get the Ann Arbor City Planning Commission’s recommendation for the project.

Voting 6-0 in a packed council chamber, the commission tabled the proposal until Sept. 8 because it received information from both neighbors and the church too late to review before the Tuesday evening meeting.

The move came despite the downsizing of the original proposal.

>Eaton development wins commission’s OK:

A combination of condominiums and retail shops proposed for the Eaton Corp. building on the western edge of downtown Ann Arbor received the city Planning Commission’s unanimous recommendation Tuesday evening.

Voting 6-0, the commission cited the First & William Lofts as a welcome way to create more housing downtown. The planners were unsuccessful, however, in getting the developers to include affordable housing units in the project.

Morningside Equities Group, a Chicago firm specializing in upscale residential and mixed-use buildings in the urban Midwest, wants to redevelop the five-story factory into 60 condominium lofts with 60 indoor parking spaces. A one-story building on the north end of the project would house 19,000 square feet of retail shops.

Some pot use will be legal in Detroit...

Posted by dilleym on 5. August 2004

via Detroit Free Scab Press:

“Detroit voters said yes to marijuana for medical purposes at the polls on Tuesday, and now, some are wondering how soon they can light up.”

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Union picket over unfair work conditions

Posted by on 5. August 2004

FLOC will picket Farmer Jack again over the boycott of Mt. Olive Pickle Company Products.

This Friday, August 6, at noon, FLOC will picket Farmer Jack Supermarket in Dearborn, located at 15255 Michigan Avenue. In December, Farmer Jack agreed to pull Mt. Olive Pickles from its stores after a protest at the former Bancroft Avenue location in Toledo, Ohio. However, FJ continues to sell Mt. Olive Products in all of its Michigan Stores.

Similar actions took place on Thursday July 29 at the FJ in Perrysburg, Ohio, and on July 30 at the FJ in Allen Park, Michigan.

For more information please contact Beatriz Maya at (419) 243-3456. For a press release, please contact Beatriz or Marisela Garcia at SEMCOSH at (313) 849-3345.

Moveon.org Vote for Change Tour Coming

Posted by Rob Goodspeed on 4. August 2004

Moveon.org is sponsoring a Vote for Change Tour featuring a number of high-profile acts. They’ll be in our area quite a bit come one day in October:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band / R.E.M. / John Fogerty / Bright Eyes
Sunday, Oct. 3 – Ann Arbor

Dave Matthews Band / Jurassic 5 / My Morning Jacket
Sunday, Oct. 3 – Detroit

Dixie Chicks / James Taylor
Sunday, Oct. 3 – Detroit

All the artists involved have signed a pledge they are “fighting for a government that is open, rational, just, and progressive.”

Also, here’s what Dave Matthews had to say:

“A vote for change is a vote for a stronger, safer, healthier America. A vote for Bush is a vote for a divided, unstable, paranoid America. It is our duty to this beautiful land to let our voices be heard. That’s the reason for the tour. That’s why I’m doing it.”

In other news, this event was also announced locally on the newly-launched U-M College Democrats Blog: Kicking Ass Ann Arbor.

Remember to Vote Tuesday!

Posted by Brandon on 2. August 2004

Don’t forget to vote in Tuesday’s primary election, which will decide who’ll be on the ballot in November for a variety of local, state, and Federal offices. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit Publius to find your polling place and view your ballot.

> The Ann Arbor News’ primary coverage

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The big squeeze in the Big Apple

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 2. August 2004

New York City, NY—Spending a few days in New York City on my way back to Michigan, I wanted to give a firsthand account of the effects the recent terror warnings have had on the city…

Walking through the financial district, the air is palpably filled with tension. Police and press crowd near major landmarks and are poised as though they expect a bomb to explode any second. Newspaper vendors hold up copies of the Daily News shouting “Be safe! Be prepared! Know where the targets are and stay away!” (The paper’s front page has a white headline “TARGETS” against a black background, with a photo of Citigroup headquarters below)

Bomb-sniffing dog units are positioned at many subway entrances and patrol most major public spaces. By the Stock Exchange, you can occasionally catch a glimpse of special antiterror forces wielding assault rifles. Trucks are not allowed to use the tunnels and bridges that enter the downtown area, and are being routed elsewhere, where many of them are stopped and inspected before continuing on to their Manhattan destinations.

On the heels of a dire and alarmingly specific terror warning Sunday, citizens of New York have mixed feelings on the warnings and the city’s reaction. To many, it is business as usual. As the focal point of the 9/11 attacks, much of the city still hasn’t let its guard down, unlike much of the rest of the country. The ever-present police, road closures, and expectation of another attack are all too familiar.

But an employee of a midtown internet cafe says that the police deployment has been larger than in the past, and that the city seems to be taking this threat more seriously than any other before.

This may be due to the incredible level of detail given by Sec. of Homeland Security Tom Ridge in the press conference yesterday (see link below). Among other things, the warning mentioned specific targets in lower Manhattan and New Jersey, prompting swift reaction from NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor George Pataki.

Mayor Bloomberg even went so far to say that the additional deployment (part of the so-called “Operation Atlas”) would be in place “from now on,” and not on a temporary basis.

All in all, it is difficult to say this early how necessary (or unnecessary) these precautions are. While I have not been personally affected by the changes (other than having to walk the long way around Wall St. and having my bag searched at the public library), the police presence is somewhat alarming. And I don’t think I should comment on whether the warning was a politically-motivated move on the part of the Bush admin. until hindsight offers a better perspective.

I invite others in the City (if there are any of you reading this here) to let us all know what your experiences have been by commenting on this post.

> NY Times: U.S. Warns of High Risk of Qaeda Attack (non-expiring link)
> Department of Homeland Security warning
> Economist.com: Terror alerts in America—Bracing for the worst
> Google News Search Results
> BBC News: Arrest ‘led to US terror warning’ and Attacks warning pushes oil higher
> NYPD: ‘Operation Atlas’ details

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