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FBI joins Washtenaw County police agencies in vehicle shooting investigation

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The Federal Bureau of Investigations is assisting Washtenaw County police agencies in the investigation into three vehicle shootings reported Monday evening, an official confirmed Wednesday.

A meeting about the three incidents was held Wednesday morning involving Pittsfield Township police investigators, Michigan State Police troopers, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office deputies and FBI agents. Simon Shaykhet, public affairs specialist with the FBI’s Detroit division, confirmed the agency’s involvement Wednesday.

“The FBI is working this matter in partnership with local, county, state and federal agencies,” he said in an email.

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Courtesy of Pittsfield Township police

Police are investigating whether three incidents — two shootings in Bridgewater Township and one in Pittsfield Township — reported between 6 and 6:15 p.m. Monday are related. No one was injured in the incidents and police are in the early stages of the investigation.

Officials from the various agencies met at the Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety Wednesday. It wasn’t immediately clear what came out of the meeting.

Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Geoffrey Fox confirmed deputies were involved in the meeting. State police troopers are investigating the incidents in Bridgewater Township, where the sheriff’s office shares jurisdiction with the state police.

Fox said the shootings may not be investigated by the sheriff’s office directly, but officials need to be aware of what’s happening.

“The reality is it’s happening in our county,” he said. “Whether we’re handling the alleged incidents, we need to be aware of what’s happening in our county.”

Officials and members of the community are on alert after two previous separate incidents of people shooting at cars made headlines in the past six months.

Raulie Casteel was arrested for allegedly shooting at 24 vehicles in the Interstate 96 corridor in October, injuring one person. Casteel is facing a multitude of criminal charges, including terrorism counts. His case is headed toward trial.

More recently, Elmore Ray was arrested last month after allegedly firing a sawed-off shotgun at vehicles on U.S. 23. He’s lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail and is awaiting a competency hearing.

Michigan State Police investigators told AnnArbor.com Wednesday that a report of a fourth shooting Tuesday evening was not true.

A driver was eastbound on Interstate 94 when a rear window in her vehicle shattered. It was initially feared that the window was shot out, but police determined that wasn’t the case.

The vehicle has since been released and there is no criminal investigation into the incident. Police said Wednesday they don’t know for certain what broke the window.

Anyone with information on Monday’s shootings is encouraged to call the Pittsfield Township police at 734-822-4911, the Michigan State Police Brighton Post at 810-227-1051 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).


View Vehicle shootings in a larger map

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


Dexter school board to delay interviews for new superintendent

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Dexter Community Schools' Board of Education was expected to begin interviewing its first round of superintendent candidates this week. But a report in the Dexter Leader says the school board wants more time to vet the individuals and consider its candidate pool.

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Dexter Board of Education President Larry Cobler

AnnArbor.com file photo

The district is the process of hiring a new superintendent to replace Mary Marshall, who left Dexter in December to take a superintendent's job with Pentwater Public Schools on the west side of the state, along Lake Michigan.

Dennis Desmarais, a longtime educator from the Riverview Community School District, was appointed the interim superintendent of the Dexter schools following Marshall's mid-year departure.

The Dexter Board of Education hired the Michigan Leadership Institute last fall to assist with its superintendent search. According to the Leader, the MLI presented 35 candidates to the board, and now the board would like to push back the initial interview dates to "look deeper" into the backgrounds of the candidates.

School board President Larry Cobler told the Leader some of the candidates were not the right fit or had not been working for a while. Only about "10 or so" were sitting superintendents, which is what the school board wants, Cobler said in the newspaper.

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

Huron High to highlight student talent at 'Celebrity Showcase'

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If "American Idol" has taught us anything, it's that some TV shows shouldn't last forever—but more importantly, that kids have amazing talents and just need an outlet to shine. That's what the Second Annual Huron High School Celebrity Showcase aims to do.

Huron High Celebrity Showcase
The show brings together kids with a passion for music but who may not perform or study it academically with kids who have had more formal training. All involved will get the chance to push their boundaries and perhaps discover something new about themselves.

Some students will compose and write their own music and raps while others will perform songs from artists such as Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and Alicia Keys. All songs have been cleaned up to make it a family-friendly program.

Thursday, March 28, 2013. 7 p.m. $5 at the door. Huron High is located at 2727 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor.

Washtenaw among counties risking state funds for lengthy labor contracts

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Legislation passed by a Republican-controlled House panel could put some state funding at risk for local governments that sign long labor contracts before Michigan's right-to-work law takes effect.

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Commissioner Conan Smith, D-Ann Arbor, at last week's meeting of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.

Andrew Kuhn | For AnnArbor.com

The bill was approved by the House General Government Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday. It would tie some incentive funding for counties, cities, villages and townships to requirements that union contracts renewed or extended before Thursday show savings of more than 10 percent.

Exact funding consequences for each municipality weren't immediately clear. Washtenaw County last week approved 10-year contracts with its unions.

Similar restrictions in a recent higher education budget proposal would cut 15 percent of aid for universities that enter into lengthy contracts without savings. About $41 million in state funding is at risk for the University of Michigan.

Republicans criticize the contracts as circumventing the right-to-work law. Democrats say the contract negotiations have been fair.

Ann Arbor needs more engineers and programmers to fuel new-look auto industry

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Center for Automotive Research vice president Sean McAlinden told the Washtenaw County Economic Club that the "Big 3" auto companies are as profitable as they've ever been.

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

Related:
Michigan already is one of the top research and development centers in the country, but the state will need more highly trained engineers and programmers to keep up with the increased demand from an ever-evolving automotive industry.

Speaking at the Washtenaw County Economic Outlook Luncheon on Wednesday, economists George Fulton and Sean McAlinden said that while manufacturing is returning to Southeast Michigan, greater gains are being made in the development and creation of automotive components than in the heavy manufacturing that was once a central component of the local economy.

“Michigan has 65,000 automotive engineers working at 360 technical centers and is the largest industrial R&D center in the United States outside California,” said McAlinden, executive vice president for research and chief economist at the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research, said.

The economists agreed that these knowledge-based jobs are the future of the economy for the region and that while many positions are filled, there is room for a lot more talent to come to the area.

“For every engineer with at least five years of experience, there are three or four job openings right now,” McAlinden said.

“Some engineers right out of school have had some difficulty because companies are hesitant to train new hires in case they are then hired away by competitors for just a few thousand dollars more, but I think that’s going to go away soon and you’ll see an increase in entry level positions being hired.”

This issue of a gap in available talent and hiring practices of companies was addressed at the Governor’s Economic Summit held in Detroit March 18 and 19.

The one area where the auto industry is outpacing the talent supply available in Michigan by a wide margin is software developers. According to McAlinden’s presentation, Michigan is not a top 10 state in terms of the density of software developers and programmers.

“When we talk about this kind of talent we always say Ann Arbor is where that is,” he said. “Well, we need even more now, even Ann Arbor isn’t enough of that.”

The increase in engineering and design jobs helped support one of the primary theses in Fulton’s presentation, that future job growth in Washtenaw County will be driven by “high-wage” jobs. Fulton, director of the Center for Labor Market Research at the University of Michigan, predicts that over the next three years, jobs with annual wages higher than $62,000 will grow by 8.5 percent, far and away the highest gaining sector in the local economy.

Both agreed, however, that the increase in available jobs will have to be met by an increase in talent which means more university graduates choosing to remain in the area or the retraining of older unemployed residents.

While the number of Washtenaw County jobs in automobile manufacturing has dropped from a peak of 19,120 in 1990 to just 4,656 today, the industry is still a major factor in the economic health of the region.

“The high unemployment, the housing crash, everything that happened in 2008 and 2009, those were body shots,” McAlinden said in an interview. “They were reminders to the county that ‘you’re still in Michigan.’”

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In delivering his 28th economic forecast for Washtenaw County, George Fulton said "it's been another good year."

Courtney Sacco | AnnArbor.com

Fulton said that while Washtenaw County’s economy is tied into the state’s it has recovered from the economic downturn at a much faster pace than much of the rest of Michigan.

“Washtenaw County (and Livingston County) will replenish all of the jobs lost from the recession by 2013,” he said. “That’s a big deal to people outside the area because they are still really struggling.”

Fulton attributed the recovery to the county’s relatively diverse economy and said that the gains were spread across most major sectors, especially private sector service providing.

“It’s better to see the whole economy improving slightly more gradually than to have it dominated by a couple of industries that are really taking off while others still struggle,” he said in an interview.

Just as the automotive recovery has helped the local economy regain its footing, the recovery of the residential real estate market has in turn come full circle and has helped the recovery the automotive industry, the economists said.

Fulton saw the increase in home construction as a sign that the housing market is tight and that prices are increasing. For McAlinden, the upswing means that customers have higher net worth and that construction workers need new trucks.

“We saw a 10.7 percent increase in light truck sales, much of that being pickup trucks as construction of new homes has increased,” he said.

“…And when you sell a driveway, we sell some cars. Especially when there’s a garage behind it.” 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

5 University of Michigan union contracts ratified in advance of right to work

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Right-to-work legislation takes effect Thursday, but five University of Michigan unions won't have to worry about its impact for several years.

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University of Michigan

Four of the five unions opened negotiations early in an effort to reach agreements ahead of right-to-work, which was passed by the Republican-controlled state Legislature in December. The law says unions can't mandate dues from employees they represent; however, contracts ratified before March 28 may still include language that requires workers to pay fees for the duration of the contract.

Knowing unions would be open to making concessions, U-M agreed to negotiate early. The fifth agreement, with the lecturers union, was negotiated in advance of it expiring this spring.

And while the four- and five-year contracts aren't as long as those reached by some schools and municipalities —such as Wayne State University's eight-year agreement with its faculty union— U-M could face serious, and expensive, backlash for helping unions skirt the law.

A house subcommittee has recommended penalizing the university by cutting 15 percent of its appropriations, or $41 million, if officials didn't achieve adequate cost savings. When Republican representatives proposed the measure last week, U-M administrators had already signed off on the agreements and sent them to union memberships for ratification.

Throughout the bargaining process lawmakers' threats to withhold funding created a tense atmosphere between the university and unions, according to officials from the school's lecturers union.

Bonnie Halloran, president of U-M's lecturers' union, has said the subcommittee recommendation to cut funds is unfair. "Nothing illegal is being done," she has said.

U-M Board of Regents chairwoman Denise Ilitch said the school "can't respond to threats."

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U-M nurses protest right-to-work legislation in December at the state capitol.

AP Photo | Carlos Osorio

Yet architects of the proposed penalty say it's not a threat, but a measure meant to hold officials accountable.

"I think we've sent a pretty serious message here," Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, told MLive after a subcommittee on higher education, which he chairs, passed the measure in a 4-3 party-line vote March 19. "And hopefully it's received. The message is: Protect taxpayers. If you're going to do contracts, make sure that you come up with real taxpayer savings."

In an interview Tuesday, Pscholka said the length of the five-year lecturers contract is "curious" given that the last contract was for three years. He said his committee is mainly concerned with contracts related to U-M's education arm, such as the lecturers and graduate employees unions, and not those related to the health system.

None of the contracts in question, he said, appear to achieve adequate cost savings.

"What they've told me is that they have all this leverage to do all of these great deals for taxpayers and that they're saving taxpayers money," Pscholka said of U-M. "I have not seen any taxpayer savings at all."

Between March 21 and March 25 all five U-M unions ratified their contracts. Each agreement includes lower increases in base pay than previous contracts and all raises are lower than 3 percent.

The five agreements represent 11,600 employees, or the vast majority of union workers at the university. There are nine unions at the school and, collectively, members pay at least $5.36 million in annual dues.

  • The 1,100-member house officers union, which represents medical residents training at the health system, ratified a four-year contract that expires June 2017. Pay increases range from 1.5 percent to 1.85 percent.
  • The lecturers union, which represents 1,500 non-tenured teachers at the school's three campuses, agreed to a five-year contract. Ann Arbor lecturers will receive no raise in fiscal 2014, a 1.5-percent raise in 2015, 2-percent raises in 2016 and 2017 and a 2.75-percent raise the last year of the contract.
  • The 1,800-member Graduate Employees Organization, which represents graduate students who also teach, ratified a four-year contract that will expire in May 2017. The contract renegotiated raises set to take effect in September from 3 percent to 2 percent. It includes 2-percent raises each year, lower than the nine-year average of 3.3 percent.
  • The 2,400-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees agreed to a four-year contract expiring in June 2017. The new contract includes two years of lump-sum payments in lieu of base increases, followed by a 1 percent raise and then a 2-percent raise the final year of the contract. Over the past three years, the union members had averaged a 2.2-percent annual wage increase.
  • The 4,800-member Michigan Nurses Association ratified a five-year contract, which will expire in June 2018. For the first year of the contract, nurses will receive a 4 percent raise, which was stipulated in the union's prior contract. For the next three years nurses will receive 1.25 percent raises, with certain nurses receiving $1,000 lump-sum payments, according to an MNA official. The last year of the contract includes a 1 percent raise. Throughout the contract, nurses can move up a payment ladder and receive step increases. The union's prior contract provided for 3 and 4 percent raises over the course of three years.

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

View the full 2013-2015 Economic Outlook report for Washtenaw County

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University of Michigan economists George Fulton and Donald Grimes released their annual economic outlook report for Washtenaw County on Wednesday.

The forecast predicts the county will add 12,961 new jobs from 2013 to 2015, while the unemployment rate will fall from 5 percent to 4.3 percent by the end of the three-year period.

By the second quarter of 2013, the county will surpass its previous peak level of employment in 2002, and by 2015, the county will have 11,000 more jobs than ever before.

Related coverage:

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.

Police: 3 Washtenaw County vehicle shootings believed to be related

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Police confirmed Wednesday they believe three shootings that occurred within about 30 minutes and several miles of each other Monday night in Washtenaw County are related.

Pittsfield Township and Michigan State Police investigators continue to work together to find out who shot at the three vehicles in Pittsfield and Bridgewater townships.

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Courtesy of the Pittsfield Township DPS.

Pittsfield Township Department of Public Safety Director Matt Harshberger said investigators from Pittsfield Township, the Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigations met Wednesday to talk about the incidents. He said the three shootings, which took place between 5:40 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. Monday in Bridgewater Township and Pittsfield Township, are related.

“We came down to the fact that we are investigating the three cases that happened Monday evening and we do believe they are related,” Harshberger told AnnArbor.com. “We have assigned the Michigan State Police and Pittsfield Township as lead investigators to continue the investigation into all three incidents together and we’re trying to plan out the resources we might need as part of the investigation.”

He also encouraged anyone who might have seen anything that could be related to any of the incidents to call police.

An unknown shooter hit three vehicles Monday evening. The first two incidents were reported about 6 p.m. in Bridgewater Township on Austin Road and, 15 minutes later, another vehicle was shot on Michigan Avenue in Pittsfield Township.

FBI spokesman Simon Shaykhet confirmed the agency was involved in the investigation Wednesday afternoon. Sgt. Geoffrey Fox, of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies attended Wednesday’s meeting to stay abreast of the situation.

Harshberger said representatives from other agencies attended the meeting Wednesday but he declined to say what agencies they were from.

He said Wednesday’s meeting was an initial, general dialogue about the situation.

To this point, there has been no suspect information from the three shootings released to the public.

The first shooting was reported on Austin Road east of Ernst Road. A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven west by a Manchester man was shot.

The second shooting was reported a short time later on Austin Road west of Schneider Road. An Adrian woman was driving the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix west on Austin Road when it was hit by a bullet.

The third shooting occurred between 6 and 6:15 p.m. Monday, police said in a release Wednesday. A vehicle driven west by a 72-year-old Pittsfield Township woman was hit by a bullet in the driver’s side door as she drove westbound on Michigan Avenue east of Industrial Drive.

The distance between the intersection of Austin and Schneider and Michigan Avenue and Industrial is a little more than nine miles. According to Google Maps, the estimated drive time between the two intersections is 14 minutes.

No one was injured in the shootings.

Police said a fourth incident in which a car window shattered in a vehicle on Interstate 94 near Zeeb Road in Scio Township is not believed to be related to the shootings.

State Police also told the Detroit Free Press Wednesday that an incident in which a man was arrested for allegedly pointing a handgun at vehicles while driving on U.S. 23 in Green Oak Township does not appear related to the shootings.

The shootings come several months after Raulie Casteel was arrested after being accused of shooting at 24 vehicles along the Interstate 96 corridor in October, injuring one person. Casteel is facing a multitude of criminal charges, including terrorism counts. His case is headed toward trial.

More recently, Elmore Ray was arrested last month after he was accused of firing a sawed-off shotgun at vehicles on U.S. 23. He’s held at the Washtenaw County Jail and is awaiting a competency hearing.

Anyone with information on the recent shootings is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).


View Driving directions to michigan avenue and industrial road, pittsfield township, mi in a larger map

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


Faurecia hopes to build North American headquarters in Auburn Hills

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French automotive components manufacturer Faurecia plans to build a new North American headquarters and technical center in Auburn Hills, according to a report on Crain’s Detroit Business.

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The Faurecia plant in Saline employs 800 workers according to Ann Arbor SPARK

Courtesy of Faurecia

The company, which purchased the former Saline ACH plant in June 2012, has research and development centers in Auburn Hills and Troy as well as two production plants in Sterling Heights. Crain’s quotes industry sources as saying that the new headquarters will be a $30 million development.

The site plan for the headquarters is on the Auburn Hills Planning Commission agenda for its meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. The general contractor for the building told Crain’s that plans call for a three-story 300,000-square-foot building.

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

Police release photo of bullet hole left in car by unknown shooter

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This bullet hole was left Monday afternoon in a vehicle driven by a 72-year-old woman, according to police.

Courtesy of Pittsfield Township police

Pittsfield Township police released a photo of the bullet hole left in a township woman’s car Monday as detectives team with Michigan State Police troopers and others to investigate the shooting.

Pittsfield Township Public Safety Department Director Matt Harshberger released the photo to media outlets Wednesday. The photo shows a single shot in the driver’s side door of the vehicle driven by the 72-year-old Pittsfield Township woman Monday.

Three Monday evening shootings are believed to be related, investigators said Wednesday. Officials from the Pittsfield Township police, Michigan State Police, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigations met Wednesday morning to begin planning a joint investigation into the incidents.

“We’re trying to plan out the resources we might need as part of the investigation,” Harshberger told AnnArbor.com.

Harshberger told the Detroit Free Press the Pittsfield Township woman heard a loud bang about 6:15 p.m. Monday on Michigan Avenue near Industrial Drive. The woman returned home before discovering the bullet hole in her door. She came to police immediately after that, Harshberger told the newspaper.

The Free Press also reported bullet fragments were pulled from a vehicle involved in one of the two shootings on Austin Road in Bridgewater Township.

The first shooting was reported on Austin Road east of Ernst Road. A 2005 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck driven west by a Manchester man was shot. The second shooting was reported a short time later on Austin Road west of Schneider Road. An Adrian woman was driving the 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix west on Austin Road when it was hit by a bullet.

The two shootings in Bridgewater Township occurred between 5:40 p.m. and 6 p.m., police said in a statement.

The distance between the intersection of Austin and Schneider and Michigan Avenue and Industrial is a little more than nine miles. According to Google Maps, the estimated drive time between the two intersections is 14 minutes.

No one was injured in the shootings and police have not released any suspect information in the case.

It’s unclear at this point if the incidents are related to the arrest of a man Tuesday on U.S. 23. He is accused of pointing a handgun at vehicles. However, police told the Free Press the man will be reinterviewed.

The shootings come several months after Raulie Casteel was arrested after being accused of shooting at 24 vehicles along the Interstate 96 corridor in October, injuring one person. Casteel is facing a multitude of criminal charges, including terrorism counts. His case is headed toward trial.

Elmore Ray was arrested last month after he was accused of firing a sawed-off shotgun at vehicles on U.S. 23. He’s in the Washtenaw County Jail and is awaiting a competency hearing.

Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).

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

Police: Man shot Friday at Ypsilanti home

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Ypsilanti Police Sergeant Brent Yuchasz tapes off the scene where a man was shot Friday afternoon.

Daniel Brenner I AnnArbor.com

One man had to be treated at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Friday afternoon after being shot at a home in Ypsilanti.

Detective Joe Yuhas said police were investigating the shooting reported after noon Friday in the 600 block of Congress Street. The man was treated at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for the gunshot wound.

The extent of the man’s injuries was not immediately known Friday afternoon.

The home on Congress Street was cordoned off by police tape just before 2 p.m. Friday. Neighbors told AnnArbor.com they hadn’t heard any sort of commotion at the home.

It’s not clear at this point if the shooting is being treated as a criminal investigation or an accidental shooting. Yuhas said police expect to release more information later on Friday.

Check back to AnnArbor.com for more information on this story as it becomes available.


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

Starbucks, Great Clips among tenants now open at Ann Arbor's Plymouth Road Plaza

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Developer Louis Johnson, left, general contractor Dave Hughes of Vanston/O'Brien Inc. and developer Jack Edelstein stand outside the new Plymouth Road Plaza in Ann Arbor.

Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com

A mixed-use development on the north side of Ann Arbor opened its doors this week after eight months of construction.

Tenants in the two-story, 21,000-square-foot Plymouth Road Plaza are: Dearborn Financial Credit Union, Great Clips, The Big Salad, LaVida Massage and Starbucks Coffee. The developers still are marketing 9,000 square feet of office space on the second floor for lease.

“This is the best location for us. It’s right on the road, so it’s very visible. The building is brand new so I had the ability to build-out exactly how I wanted to,” said Julie Gabriel, owner of the LaVida Massage franchise.

Local developers Louis Johnson and Jack Edelstein, in a partnership with Plymouth Road Mall owner Vern Hutton, received city approvals for the project in 2007, but it was sidelined when the economy turned south.

Edelstein said improving economic factors and U-M’s purchase of the former Pfizer site revived the development this year. It’s situated on a 1-acre parcel on the underutilized parking lot in front of Plymouth Road Mall, just east of Nixon Road.

The project’s general contractor was Dave Hughes of Vanston/O’Brien.

Great Clips and Starbucks Coffee are officially open for business, while LaVida Massage will celebrate its grand opening on Monday, April 1. Gabriel said the massage center focuses on custom massages and facials. She’s also looking to get involved with events in the Ann Arbor area.

“Being involved in the community is important to me, as well as all of my therapists,” she said.

The Big Salad, which was founded in 2008 in Grosse Pointe, is planning to open Wednesday, April 3.

“There aren’t many (fast-casual and healthful) restaurant options,” said franchise owner Kevin Vlazny. “I like it. I’m excited.”

The Big Salad and Starbucks have outdoor patio seating, while Starbucks and Dearborn Financial Credit Union have drive-thru lanes. The credit union is aiming for a May opening.

Edelstein estimated there will be 80 employees working at the new development, which doesn’t include the second-floor office space.

“Having a new building with this type of image and all the customers that are going to come to this, it’s going to be harmonious with what’s going on (in the mall) behind it,” Johnson said.

The center will have a grand opening celebration from 2 to 6 p.m. on April 26 with a live band and special promotions.

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.

Washtenaw County led country in changing Facebook profile picture for marriage equality

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If you've uttered the sentence "My Facebook newsfeed seems to be nothing but equal signs lately," you're not alone — especially if you live in Washtenaw County.

Facebook officials reported that people from Washtenaw County were more likely to change their profile picture to the pink-on-red equal sign than those from any other county in the country.

The symbol, which is advocated by the Human Rights Campaign, is meant to show Facebook users' support for marriage equality.

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Researchers with Facebook compiled massive amounts of data, tracking the effects of the HRC's campaign on Facebook users. Though people change their profile photos every day, analysts observed a spike in the trend corresponding with the time at which the HRC began urging people to upload the equals sign at 1 p.m. on Monday.

The next day, roughly 2.7 million more people changed their profile picture than the previous Tuesday — an increase of 120 percent.

After analyzing the data based on location, Facebook analysts determined the greatest increase of people changing their profile pictures occurred in Washtenaw County, where an estimated 6.2 percent of people who logged into Facebook changed their picture in response to the campaign.

The primary researcher, and author of the analysis, Eytan Bakshy, is an alumnus from the University of Michigan.

Kody Klein is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at kklein@mlive.com

Dog dies in Ypsilanti Township fire after residents leave stove on while gone

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Four fire departments worked to put out the fire at 7334 Spyglass Lane, Ypsilanti Township.

Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com

An Ypsilanti Township house sustained $200,000 worth of damage Friday morning from a fire firefighters believe began because the residents left the stove on when they left.

"At this time it appears to be caused by unattended cooking," said David Crescio, fire captain for the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department.

The fire was reported to the fire department by a neighbor at 11:15 a.m.

The damage to the home, which was located at 7334 Spyglass Lane, in Ypsilanti Township, included extensive fire damage to the kitchen and the room above it, as well as smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.

In addition to the damages, Crescio said a dog left in the house died as well, from what he believed was probably smoke inhalation.

The township received assistance from Ypsilanti Fire Department, Pittsfield Fire Department and Ann Arbor Fire Department.


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Kody Klein is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at kklein@mlive.com

Spring-like weather will continue through the weekend in Ann Arbor

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The spring-like weather Ann Arbor residents have been experiencing will continue through the weekend, the National Weather Service reported.

Friday night will be mostly clear but temperatures will dip below 30 with northwest winds between 5 and 15 mph.

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Temperatures will reach just below 60 this Saturday in Ann Arbor.

AnnArbor.com file photo

On Saturday, conditions still are looking positive with a mostly sunny outlook and temperatures as high as 58 with south winds between 5 and 15 mph.

"Saturday’s going to be the better of the two days, for sure," said Mike Richter, meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

Light showers may grace the area beginning Saturday night and into Sunday morning, accompanied by temperatures around 40 degrees and south winds between 5 and 15 mph.

Richter said Sunday will be much more gloomy than Saturday. It will be breezy and wet with light showers and gusts of wind as high as 30 mph in the afternoon. Temperatures will be around 50 degrees.

Richter said winter may once again come knocking Sunday night with light rain and snow showers accompanying temperatures between 27 and 31 degrees.

For updated forecasts and conditions any time, check AnnArbor.com's weather page.

Kody Klein is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at kklein@mlive.com


Ypsilanti man shot in the head Friday in critical condition

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Ypsilanti Police Sergeant Brent Yuchasz is shown taping off the house where a 20-year-old man was shot in the head Friday afternoon.

Daniel Brenner I AnnArbor.com

A 20-year-old male living in Ypsilanti suffered a gunshot wound to the head at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Friday in a home on the 600 block of Congress Street, in Ypsilanti.

A release sent out by Ypsilanti Police Department said after locating residents of the home and conducting interviews, it appears the man was holding the gun to his head in a "Russian Roulette fashion" when he pulled the trigger and injured himself. The gun used was a .32 caliber revolver.

As AnnArbor.com reported earlier, the man was rushed to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ypsilanti following the incident where he is alive and in critical condition as of 7:30 p.m., according to police.

Neighbors told AnnArbor.com earlier on Friday they hadn't heard any commotion at the home earlier in the day.

It’s not clear at this point if the shooting will be pursued with a criminal investigation or ruled an accidental shooting.

If you have any additional information regarding this case, the Ypsilanti Police Department asks that you call 734-482-9878 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP (773-2587).


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Cole Bertsos is a news producer and copy editor for AnnArbor.com.

Plans surface for new medical marijuana dispensary at former Ypsilanti ice cream truck depot

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The former Pars Ice Cream could soon be a medical marijuana dispensary.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Plans are in the works for a new medical marijuana dispensary at the former Pars Ice Cream ice cream truck depot 539 S. Huron St. just north of Interstate 94 in Ypsilanti.

It’s the latest site that could become a medical marijuana facility in the city.

Work already has started on the property, but City Planner Teresa Gillotti said the city asked the group making renovations there to stop until it submitted and received site plan approval, and pulled the proper permits.

The property is owned by Asad Khailany, who owns multiple residential properties throughout the city, Gillotti said. The group planning to open the dispensary would lease from Khailany.

Gillotti said she does not know who is planning to open the dispensary is because they haven’t submitted any applications with names. Once paperwork is submitted, it will have to go before the city's planning commission for a vote.

The building, which was originally a gas station before serving as Pars’ office, is approximately 540 square feet.

Gillotti didn’t say whether she supported a dispensary at the location, but she did point out that the property has been vacant since Pars closed three years ago.

“The property has been underutilized for several years, but it does need full site plan approval and building improvements, so it will take some doing for it to be approved,” she said.

The planning commission recently approved site plans for a medical marijuana grow operation at nearby 75 Catherine St., and another group is awaiting site plan approval for a grow operation at 834 Railroad St.

The plans come as Mayor Pro Tem Lois Richardson called for a moratorium on medical marijuana grow facilities and dispensaries opening in the city. The city currently has six dispensaries.

Richardson did not respond to AnnArbor.com requests for comment on her thoughts about a new dispensary on Huron Street.

The Michigan Supreme Court recently ruled that dispensaries were illegal because they weren’t addressed in the Medical Marihuana Act. But legislation to allow dispensaries and decriminalize marijuana in Michigan is in the works.

"Sate law is continually changing on this topic and there is case law that is continually developing,” Gillotti said. “As it progresses each year, as we do our inspections, we try to make sure (dispensary owners) are meeting city ordinances and licensing standards, and they are subject to state law as well.

“It’s a lot for the owners to juggle and they’re operating at their own risk."

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter. Reach the AnnArbor.com news desk at news@annarbor.com.

Mocha Monkey Cafe opens on Carpenter Road

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Mocha Monkey Cafe is open on Carpenter Road in Pittsfield Township. It's the third coffee shop that has opened in that location.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

Residents looking for a fresh alternative for coffee in Pittsfield Township have a new option: Mocha Monkey Cafe.

This is the third coffee shop to move in to the retail strip at 2871 Carpenter Road, but Jamal Abusway, co-owner, thinks his café has something the former coffee houses did not.

“I’m excited to offer a locally owned, quality alternative to the drive-thru coffee chains, where people can gather and enjoy healthier food and beverages with friends,” Abusway said.

Abusway has owned three other cafes in Washtenaw County, including Backdoor Café in Saline and Sway in Ypsilanti.

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Co-owner Jamal Abusway wants to offer a quality alternative to chain coffee shops.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

Mocha Monkey offers coffee drinks brewed with coffee from The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, a Michigan-based company that sources high-quality, fair-trade organic beans and roasts them locally for optimal flavor. The cafe also offers smoothies made from made from whole fresh fruits and non-fat yogurt with no added sugar.

The cafe also specializes in soups, sandwiches and “morning starters,” like bagels, muffins and and Mediterranean pastries from New Yasmeen Bakery in Dearborn.

Prices for menu items tend below comparable items at larger chain cafes. A house coffee $1.85, smoothies are $3.75 and sandwiches are $5.25, served with chips or fruit.

The cafe opened on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. As tribute, there is a heart-shaped wall mural where patrons are invited to come in and add the word for “peace” in any language.

The cafe’s grand opening will take place on April 1, the “41 on 4/1 event” will feature free baked good samples and a free drip coffee for the first 41 customers of the day.

Mocha Monkey is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Angela Smith is a freelance reporter. Reach the AnnArbor.com business desk at business@annarbor.com.

Volunteer group revamps used prom dresses to sell at a lower price

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From left to right, Jill Ripley, Patricia DeLamielleure, and Jan Wery, hold prom dresses donated to the project.

Kody Klein I AnnArbor.com

Prom dresses often fall victim to a Cinderella-type tragedy — cherished for one night, but by morning they're treated as day-old news and seldom worn again.

Jan Wery wanted to change that, so she and several of friends started the Prom Dress Project, which collects used prom dresses, launders and repairs them, and resells them for $15 or less. Wery said the project prices the dresses to cover expenses.

"I just thought that we could collect dresses that girls didn’t want to wear a second time," she said. "This is a way to make sure somebody else gets a beautiful dress."

Jill Ripley, one of the project's volunteers, said the dresses are meant for girls who might not otherwise have the means to get a dress.

"This gives a chance for some girls who couldn’t afford a dress, [to have] a nice dress," said Jill Ripley, one of the project's volunteers.

Wery said she can take used dresses and make them look new by lifting stains and mending seams as needed.

"Even if these dresses are donated flawed, we can restore them," Ripley said. "We’ll accept everything."

This is the project's first year and hit is limited to Pioneer High School, Skyline High School, Huron High School and Ann Arbor Technological High School. Dresses are being collected at the schools' counseling offices, along with shoes and accessories.

Patricia DeLamielleure, one of the project's volunteers, stressed that this initiative could make prom more socially conscious and eco-friendly.

"It’s about consumption and a throw-away society," she said. "We buy and then we toss it…[This project] curtails that consumption waste cycle."

The dresses will be sold at a weekend sales event from 3 to 7 p.m. on April 13 and 1 to 4 p.m. on April 14. The event will be hosted by Darling Brides Showcase and Tuxedos, 5204 Jackson Rd, Scio Twp. Anyone who donates a dress to the project will receive a coupon for a new dress from Darling Brides.

This year, the used dresses will only be sold to students from the participating schools, so anyone who wishes to buy one must present a valid school ID.

"In a few years, I would love it to be big enough that anybody could walk in at anytime and have a dress for nothing," Wery said.

Kody Klein is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at kklein@mlive.com

Several items stolen during 2 home invasions in Ypsilanti

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Two separate home invasions were reported in Ypsilanti on Friday, according to the Ypsilanti Police Department.

The first was an apartment on the 200 block of Ballard Street. The victim said an unknown suspect entered his unlocked apartment sometime Friday night and stole several items. The victim said he was not home at the time.

Police said the other incident was at a house on the 400 block of North Adams Street, where a woman said an unknown suspect entered her home sometime on Friday and stole several items.

Police are continuing to investigate these incidents.


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