Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

2005 Democratic Primary candidate questionnaire

Posted by Murph on 24. July 2005

On 2 August 2005, Ann Arbor will have Democratic primaries for City Council in the 2nd and 4th Wards. ArborUpdate asked 9 questions of the candidates in those races: Eugene Kang and Stephen Rapundalo in the 2nd, Eric Lipson and Marcia Higgins in the 4th. The questions and answers are below the cut.

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New Public High School: "Environmental Education"?

Posted by MarkDilley on 21. July 2005

Contributed by Alan Pagliere:

People should be aware of what is happening in Tree Town. Ann Arbor Public Schools is saying they are building a big-box school to provide an “environmental education.” In order to do so, they have destroyed a 109-acre natural site, filled in wetlands, stripped more than a quarter of an old Oak/Hickory woods, cut down hundreds of landmark trees around the site, cut off a wildlife corridor and will encourage gas-guzzling by paving for 800 parking spaces.

This is all in addition to the traffic and demographic issues that should have stopped the school from being put on the Maple Road / M-14 site. The school will not improve class size and projections of student population show a new, 1600 student school is not needed. In order to get this done, the AAPS has lied to the public, avoided naming the site on the bond proposal and ballot, and ignored calls from the Sierra Club to protect the site. It has talked about voluntary compliance with ordinances (since legally it is above those laws), but has not complied with city wetland ordinances.

See photos of the devastation at ProposedHighSchool.org

Write the School Board: boe@aaps.k12.mi.us
and the Ann Arbor News
and the City Council

The photos are stark and quite depressing.

Comment [91]

Urban Outfitters - not everything is cool there.

Posted by MarkDilley on 21. July 2005

Wanted to pass along this info because they are in our midst.

We have come a long way from the days of blatant racism.

As CNN’s Lou Dobbs continues to fan the flames of xenophobia and the “Minutemen” vigilantes rouse hatred, we now have to contend with corporate America, which thinks its open season on Latinos.

Urban Outfitters recently began selling offensive tee shirts with a slogan: New Mexico, Cleaner Than Regular Mexico, conjuring negative and racist ideas of the “the dirty Mexican.” Earlier this year, GUESS Inc. removed a similarly offensive tee shirt from its stores that read: Ski Colombia-always plenty of fresh powder! after protests from consumers and people of conscience.

These companies are feeding a social climate where derogatory messages are acceptable. Sign the petition and tell Urban Outfitters to take down the offensive and crude tee shirts.

We can not stand by and allow corporate America to insult Latinos, no matter what our national heritage. We must stand together against such affronts.

Sign the petition and tell Richard Hayne, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Urban Outfitters, Inc. to remove the offensive and crude tee shirts.

Sincerely,

Jose Quinonez, BlueLatinos.org

(yea, I know it is a petition, and those are going to change much…but they are a step in the right direction…)

Comment [10]

Art Fair Bingo

Posted by Brandon on 21. July 2005

Have fun while dodging the suburban fanny-packing tourists!

>Art Fair Bingo 2005

Comment [4]

Saturday: Art Ain't Fair

Posted by Brandon on 20. July 2005

Before you head over to The Bang! on Saturday, stop over at Natural Canvas Gallery & Studios:

GALLERY RECEPTION FOR ART AIN’T FAIR
3pm. $3. 3 Stages. Come on by and take a bite outta real A2 artists and
musicians in their prime.

ACOUSTIC STAGE (outside with th’ small mammals): Thom Elliot’s
Shakespearian dedication of the new sculpture garden(!), Actual Birds,
Aleise Barnett, Patrick Elkins, Sean Hoen (of the Holy Fire, no less!),
Mistylyn, Catch a Wave, and Jason Voss

NOISE/EXPERIMENTAL STAGE (in the everlovin’ basement): Drafted by
Minotaurs, Ronen Goldstein, Pedal Ophelia, Torpedo! (feat. Ryan Dawson and
Mike Young), Vince Swain, and Fearless Kevin Morris and the Xylophobes

MAIN STAGE (Because every wannabe festival has to have one): Black Sky,
Dabenport, Gerhard the Whale, The Intentions/A2 Dub Project, The Matt
Jones Band, and Zombie Gutz

THE ART AIN’T FAIR GALLERY BOASTS WORKS BY:

Ryan Wilson – paintings (headliner!)
Jason Graham – sculpture (flew in from th’ Left Coast!)
John Hoder – paintings
Amy E. Ingalls – temporal visual textures
Janella James – mirrors
Max Mollhagen-Jaxa – comics/sequential art
Laura Mullkoff – ceramics
Christopher Pierce – objects/sculpture
Lyman Rhodes – photography
Naia Venturi – puppets/marionettes
Chadness Willi – paintings/tattoos available(!)
Jamie Zapor – paintings/ceramics/always last in line

Comment [3]

Art Fair Week Civic Summary

Posted by Murph on 19. July 2005

Having missed a week’s worth of local goings-on and gossip, I can’t provide much up-to-the-minute commentary, but here are some notable things happening this week:

A2 City Council (18 July):

> Approved OxBridge and NoBuPa residential parking districts by 9-1 vote. See A2News’ City OKs parking limits in campus-area district (19 July) and prior ArborUpdate discussion (24 May).
> Appointed Councilmembers Greden, Easthope, and Teall to investigate design and financing of a $41m expansion to City Hall . A2News: City may stick with city hall plans (19 July).

A2 Parks Advisory Commission (19 July):

Public hearing 4 pm today in Council Chambers on the draft 2006-2011 Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan. Written comments on the draft Plan will also be taken until August 15.

A2 City Planning Commission (19 July):

Regular Meeting 7pm tonight – agenda is not yet online, but includes the item “f. Commission Discussion of Resolution regarding Council Action on City-Owned Properties,” which apparently is a resolution asking Council not to take action on the DDA’s Three/Two-Site plan until after the Calthorpe study. (Currently, the discussion of directing the DDA to back off to two sites is intended to come before Council at their 1 August meeting.)

Madison House Surprise Show Tonight!

Okay, not civic, but anyways, details on the Madison House blog

AATA Art Fair Annoyance (all week)

Art Fair Detours posted to AATA’s site.

In this week's summer Michigan Daily

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 19. July 2005

Interesting stories include a St. Mary’s parishoner outrage at a local pizza shop for being LGBT-friendly (and an editorial on the same subject), news of a ‘major artist’ coming to campus in the fall (and an editorial on the same subject), and notes on the DDA’s new plans for downtown parking (and an editorial on the same subject).

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Student anti-MCRI group takes shape

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 18. July 2005

U-M students working since the beginning of the year are joining with statewide anti-MCRI group One United Michigan (formerly, Citizens for a United Michigan) this Tuesday to launch their public campaign against the initiative which would end affirmative action in Michigan’s public institutions. A statewide referendum will be held in November of 2006.

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Sunday fun at Gallup Park

Posted by Matt Hollerbach on 9. July 2005

Tomorrow morning and afternoon, the city’s 25th annual Huron River Day will take place at Gallup Park. Included in the festivities will be walks and runs sponsored by the Ann Arbor Track Club, a community drum circle at 2:15, free canoe and kayak rentals all day, and free ice-cream from 2-4 courtesy Washtenaw Dairy.

For more info, call 734-662-9319

Comment [2]

Everybody loves talking about parking

Posted by Murph on 8. July 2005

So much so, in fact, that the Ann Arbor News seems to have found it necessary to run the story twice, at least on their website, both yesterday and today: Parking structure rates will decrease. More after the cut.

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