The law banning young drivers from using cellphones while driving is set to take effect on Thursday.

Known as Kelsey’s Law, the legislation will ban drivers with a Level 1 or Level 2 driver’s license from using a cellphone while they are operating a motor vehicle. Gov. Rick Snyder signed the legislation into law in January.

The crash scene after Kelsey Raffaele's car and a Dodge Durango crashed Jan. 24, 2010.

MLive Media Group photo

The law is named after Kelsey Raffaele, a 17 year old driver from Sault Ste. Marie who was killed when she was talking on her cellphone on Jan. 24, 2010.

The law makes it a civil infraction for drivers with a Level 1 or Level 2 license to be using their cellphones while driving. Officers are allowed to stop a driver if they believe the person is using a cellphone without the proper license.

The law does not apply to a driver who is using a voice-operated system integrated into the vehicle.

More than 30 states have similar laws banning teenage drivers from using cellphones while driving.

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

Washtenaw County home sale prices were up nearly 20 percent in February over the previous year as inventory declines and buyers compete for homes, according to data released Tuesday by the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors.

AnnArbor.com file photo

Meanwhile, declining inventory caused overall sales to drop 17 percent in February, while total residential dollar volume also fell. The data show there have been 647 new residential listings entered year-to-date, compared with 813 during the same period of 2012.

Declining inventory has been a problem for house hunters across the country, according to a recent New York Times report. Inventory is at its lowest levels since 1999, while sales prices rose 7.3 percent nationwide in 2012.

The Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors reports that 38 percent of homes sold during February were at-or-above list price.

“Multiple offers are the norm,” the report says.

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.

A nonprofit environmental advocacy organization will host a community forum Tuesday night in Ypsilanti to promote solar power.

Solar panels line the roof of the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, 720 Norris St. The panels provide hot water in addition to electricity for the building.

Jeffrey Smith | AnnArbor.com file photo

“We’re having this meeting to show support for the strong goal,” she said.

Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber said he wants to gauge support for such a goal at the forum Tuesday night .

“It’s pretty clear that Ypsilanti is definitely interested in solar,” he said, citing the fact there are solar panels on city hall and noting that a recent study showed Ypsilanti had more solar energy being created per capita than Ann Arbor. “I would like to move in that direction. I just don’t know how quickly we can.”

Participants at the event will include Baxter and the mayor as well as:

• Dave Strenski, founder of SolarYpsi
• Shane LaHousse, vice president of operations for Renovo Solar
• Gary Turner, owner of GaryBuilds
• Prasad Gullapalli, president of SRIEnergy

The forum comes as the city awaits word on whether a former Ypsilanti landfill will be developed into a $4 million solar array site that would produce alternative energy for DTE Energy.

The forum will be from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St., in Ypsilanti. That business also is home to a major solar panel installation and other green initiatives.

A city-owned building at 415 W. Washington St. that Ann Arbor officials for years have been talking about transforming into a community arts center might be demolished instead.

City officials released a revised budget plan this week revealing the city is planning to spend $300,000 to demolish the building in the fiscal year starting July 1, 2014.

The city's capital project plan previously assumed a $650,000 cost in fiscal year 2014-15 for the reuse of the deteriorated building as a community arts center.

The move to demolish the building represents a $350,000 cost reduction, Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer, noted at a budget meeting Monday night.

The 415 W. Washington building as it looked in December 2011.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Powers said the city is leaning toward demolition after doing some preliminary analysis of the site's reuse potential. The City Council voted last July to spend $50,000 to evaluate the condition of 415 W. Washington, including an environmental assessment and historic structure report.

Powers said the report isn't available yet, but the work done so far did inform the administration's decision to recommend demolition.

"We are perhaps jumping ahead, but the timing of the budget process required a tentative decision to be made regarding what to include in the budget for that parcel," he said.

"If the study comes back and indicates the building does have some strong reuse potential, we'll recommend to council that be revisited," he said.

Powers said it might be possible for an arts center to still happen at another location. He mentioned a large building on another city-owned property at 721 N. Main, which is being evaluated now.

"The preliminary analysis and the review of the floodplain maps are indicating that, of the two sites, the one on Washington is most problematic as far as reuse," Powers said.

The dilapidated building at 415 W. Washington stands on the west edge of downtown directly across from the YMCA. The two-story building — now more than 80 years old — has been vacant for several years, and it remains in a state of disrepair.

Some community members have suggested turning it into a 24-hour warming center for the homeless, but city officials rejected the idea, saying it's not fit for occupancy.

The city began exploring the creation of a greenway anchor park and arts center at 415. W. Washington with the nonprofit Arts Alliance and Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy a number of years ago. But those efforts have been slow to progress.

The 415 W. Washington property is considered historic, which means the city would have to go to the city's Historic District Commission for permission to tear down the building.

The 721 N. Main site as it looked last Thursday.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The site originally was home to the Road Commission in the 1920s and later was used by the city as a headquarters for forestry, park operations, signs and signals, the city's radio shop and parking enforcement. Many of those operations moved to the city's new Wheeler Service Center on Stone School Road in 2007, and 415 W. Washington has been vacant since.

The idea for 415 W. Washington was that the existing brick building on the site — with some money — could be restored and made available to artists and others in the community as a place for studios, gatherings, meetings and performances.

David Esau, an architect and owner of Cornerstone Design Inc. who looked at the 415 W. Washington building for the Arts Alliance, said the demolition is "unfortunate but hardly surprising."

"The building has potential, but would need a lot of work to be usable, and funding sources to move a renovation forward are hard to come by," he said. "I'm sure the neighbors have been pushing for resolution one way or another as the building deteriorates over time."

Esau serves on the board of the Arts Alliance, but he said his comment was not an official Arts Alliance position.

Regardless of what happens with the building, it's still expected 415 W. Washington eventually will be the site of an anchor park for the proposed Allen Creek Greenway.

Bob Galardi, president of the Allen Creek Greenway Conservancy and a member of the city's Park Advisory Commission, said he actually took an art class many years ago inside the 415 W. Washington building, but he doesn't know if the building holds any significance.

"We can't maintain everything, and I think the city has to make some tough decisions about that," he said of the possibility of demolishing the building.

Generally speaking, the greenway would be a green walking and bicycle pathway located in the Ann Arbor Railroad right-of-way, running from the University of Michigan athletic complex to Argo Dam and the Huron River, connecting neighborhoods to downtown and recreational opportunities.

The proposed Allen Creek Greenway

Courtesy of Friends of the Ann Arbor Greenway

"I would love to have this greenway concept clearly understood," Galardi said. "I think it would be one of the most unique assets to Ann Arbor, because it's more than a park. It's a nonmotorized path, it's a park and it's stormwater mitigation, so it meets a lot of different needs."

The city plans to move forward soon with demolition of two smaller buildings on 721 N. Main, leaving a much larger garage standing. That facility is being studied for potential reuse.

Julie Grand, chairwoman of the city's Park Advisory Commission, has been closely involved in planning the greenway park for 721 N. Main. She said she welcomes the idea of having a community arts center take shape at the North Main site instead of 415 W. Washington.

"We want to activate that space the best we can, and that's a real potential for activating that space, using it as an arts center," she said.

"I think that can be a great place for it, as an entrance to a potential greenway," she added. "Having an arts center there makes a lot of sense to me, but it's all dependent on the outcome of that study (of the building's reuse potential), which we don't know yet."

The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission agreed earlier this month to contribute $150,000 toward the greenway vision for 721 N. Main, which includes trails connecting to the Border-to-Border Trail. The city also is hoping for a $300,000 grant from the state later this year.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

• Previous article: Michigan State Police investigating reports of shots fired at multiple vehicles

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments from Matt Harshberger, Pittsfield Township public safety director.

Police are investigating three vehicle shootings reported in Washtenaw County Monday evening within 15 minutes of each other. One was on Michigan Avenue in Pittsfield Township east of Saline. The other two were on Austin Road in Bridgewater Township east of Manchester.

Courtesy of Pittsfield Township police

"We do believe they're probably related," said Matt Harshberger, Pittsfield Township public safety director, noting they occurred within a few minutes of each other and within a relatively short distance.

The shooting in Pittsfield Township occurred about 6:15 p.m. when a bullet struck the driver’s side door of a westbound vehicle on Michigan Avenue east of Industrial Drive. The 72-year-old driver from Pittsfield Township was not injured and reported the incident to Pittsfield Township police.

The other two shootings occurred about 6 p.m. on Austin Road. Police said a wesbound 2005 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by a Manchester man was shot on Austin Road east of Ernst.

The second shooting occurred on Austin Road west of Schneider Road. State police said a westbound 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix was shot on Austin Road west of Schneider Road. The woman who was driving the car is from Adrian, police said.

Initial reports Monday evening indicated a green vehicle might have been involved in the shootings.

Anyone with information regarding the incidents is asked to contact the Michigan State Police Brighton Post at 810-227-1051 or the Pittsfield Township Police Department at 734-822-4911 or the confidential tip line at 734-822-4958.

"Even if it’s the smallest potential thing we will follow up on it," Harshberger said.

View Vehicle shootings in a larger map

The man accused of killing a 15-month-old boy when he was babysitting him last year rejected a plea offer that would have sent him to prison for a minimum of 30 years.

Michael Curtiss

Michael Curtiss, 34, appeared in court for a final pretrial hearing Tuesday in front of Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Donald Shelton. Curtiss is accused of pushing 15-month-old Chase Miller into a TV stand on the night of Oct. 21 at his Ypsilanti Township home while Curtiss was high on heroin.

The hearing had been delayed a week because his attorney, Washtenaw County First Assistant Public Defender Lorne Brown, said Curtiss was likely to take a plea deal.

That fizzled out in court Tuesday. Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Blake Hatlem put the plea deal on the record: Curtiss could plead guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse and prosecutors would enter into a sentencing agreement calling for a prison sentence of between 30 and 50 years.

Curtiss refused to take the deal, even though Shelton told him he could be facing a mandatory life sentence if found guilty on a felony murder charge.

“It’s already a life sentence, the way I see it,” Curtiss said.

Curtiss faces charges of open murder, first-degree child abuse and possession of less than 25 grams of heroin. He’s held in the Washtenaw County Jail without bond.

Curtiss appeared in court Tuesday with a heavy cast on his right forearm. He looked back at his family members gathered in the first room of the second-floor courtroom on a number of occasions.

Perhaps the most telling moment was when he peered back at the group of family members and shook his head slightly with a frown on his face.

His case was called originally toward the beginning of Shelton’s Tuesday afternoon docket. However, the case was passed for Hatlem and Brown to continue plea negotiations.

It did not take long for Brown to pass along the news that Curtiss wasn’t going to take the prosecution’s offer.

“We respectfully request this matter be continued for trial,” Brown said upon returning to the court.

Curtiss’ trial is scheduled for 8 a.m. April 15 in Shelton’s court.

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

The Washtenaw Metro Dispatch has adopted one common phone number for people to call in non-emergency situations, officials announced Tuesday.

After police dispatch services were consolidated between the city of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, call takers at dispatch were answering multiple non-emergency lines, said David Halteman, 911 coordinator.

Metro dispatch will be using (734) 994-2911 exclusively for all non-emergency calls, effective immediately. The number was adopted previously for county dispatch use.

“It improves our way of managing the calls,” Halteman said.

Metro dispatch handles calls for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, Ann Arbor Police Department, Huron Area Metro Parks Police, Michigan State Police, Northfield Township Police and the Ypsilanti Police Department.

The non-emergency line will continue to be answered by the same trained metro dispatch staff.

Contact Halteman with any questions at (734) 973-4548.

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.

A man and woman from Whitmore Lake were taken into custody Saturday after a couple posed as buyers for their son’s stolen dirt bike, the Daily Press & Argus reported.

Mike and Melissa Adkins of Livingston County’s Cohoctah Township found their 5-year-old son’s stolen dirt bike listed on Craigslist and arranged to meet the seller at a Walmart parking lot in Lyon Township in Oakland County Saturday, the newspaper reported.

When they told the seller the bike was stolen, the man pulled out a knife, but Mike Adkins and some friends who came with him subdued him, according to the report. Oakland County sheriff’s deputies took the man and his girlfriend, who accompanied him to Walmart, into custody, the newspaper reported.

• Read the article in the Daily Press & Argus.

Two people were rushed to University of Michigan Hospital Tuesday evening after a rollover crash off of Pleasant Lake Road west of Fletcher Road in Freedom Township.

Huron Valley Ambulance spokeswoman Joyce Williams said HVA was called to the scene of the crash at 7:04 p.m.

One of the people was thrown from the vehicle during the roll and was in critical condition upon HVA's arrival. The other occupant was in stable condition.

Survival Flight was initially called to the scene, but was canceled. It was not immediately clear why.

Further details were not immediately available from the Manchester fire department. Check back to AnnArbor.com for updates.

View Larger Map

Police have arrested a Waterford man accused of pointing a handgun while driving on U.S. 23 north in Green Oak Township Tuesday.

Troopers from the Michigan State Police Brighton Post and officers from the Green Oak Township Police department responded to a call around 5:20 p.m. from a semitruck driver who saw the man holding the gun, according to a news release. The vehicles were northbound on U.S. 23, south of Interstate 96.

The semi driver told Livingston County dispatchers that the man, who was driving a black pickup, was pointing a black and silver handgun at the passenger door with his finger on the trigger.

Police responded to the call while dispatchers were able to get enough details from the semi truck driver, from Westland, so they could locate the suspect. The pickup driver was eventually stopped in the area of U.S. 23 and M-59.

Police said the suspect was arrested without incident and a semi-automatic handgun was found in his vehicle.

Charges are being sought through the Livingston County prosecutor.

View Larger Map

Julie Baker can be reached at juliebaker@annarbor.com or at 734-623-2576.

A Barracuda Networks employee works on computer systems at the company's downtown Ann Arbor office.

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

Washtenaw County is in the middle of a six-year economic rebound that will result in 25,000 new jobs and replenish all the jobs lost during the recession.

That’s the message from a 2013-2015 economic forecast conducted by University of Michigan economists George Fulton and Donald Grimes for AnnArbor.com.

The forecast, released this week, 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.

University of Michigan economist George Fulton

AnnArbor.com file photo

That’s in addition to the 11,978 jobs added from 2010 to 2012.

“It’s sort of remarkable how quickly we have turned around,” Grimes said in an interview. “I don’t think we would have expected that three years ago.”

Since 1986, the economists have been forecasting local job growth with an annual average error of 0.7 percent. After four consecutive years of job losses from 2006 through 2009, Fulton and Grimes agree: this year’s report is good news for Washtenaw County.

It shows the recovery is broad based: There will be new jobs added across most major sectors, with high-wage industries leading the way. High-wage jobs are defined by those earning more than $62,000 in annual wages.

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. In 2012, there was an estimated 193,149 total jobs in Washtenaw County.

The chart shows jobs trends in Washtenaw County from its previous peak employment in 2002 to the end of the forecast period in 2015.

Washtenaw County economic outlook

“That might seem less of a deal to our residents than if you live outside of this area, because so many parts of the state are so far from recovery,” Fulton said. “This is enviable…this area is doing very well in that regard.”

Indeed, Washtenaw County’s jobless rate has fared better than the U.S. and the state of Michigan, which posted an 8.9 percent unemployment rate in January. In the U.S., unemployment is expected to fall from 8.1 percent in 2012 to 6.7 percent in 2015.

Still, there are concerns regarding the Ann Arbor area’s economy as the unemployment rate hovers well above the 3.6 percent it averaged between 1990 and 2007. Meanwhile, the overall poverty rate has increased by more than half between 1999 and 2011 — when the most recent data was available — and the rate for children has more than doubled.

“It looks like we’re going to have a real problem, both nationally as well as locally, in dealing with a lot of people who were extraordinarily hurt by the Great Recession, or decade-long recession,” Grimes said. “That’s going to be a long-term issue I think the country is going to have to figure out some way to deal with.”

Where are the jobs?

In 2012, about 62.5 percent of Washtenaw County’s jobs were in the private sector, with 37.5 percent defined as government jobs. The University of Michigan and its health system — the county’s largest employers with a combined workforce of 41,700 people — are classified under the state government sector, which is expected to add 3,520 jobs over the next three years.

“Clearly, the University of Michigan and its health system have been the foundation for the region’s economic stability over the past decade,” the report says.

Pete Barkey, the health system's director of public relations, said the organization is anticipating job growth through 2015 as demand for care grows. He also expects hiring increases associated with ambulatory care.

The county’s federal government sector shows a slight decline in employment through 2015, largely due to cuts at the United States Postal Service. The post office ranks as the region’s 12th largest employer with 923 workers, according to data from Ann Arbor SPARK and the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.

The three private service-providing industries that lead job growth through 2015 are: Trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; and private education and health services.

The professional and business services sector, which includes most of the region’s technology companies and consulting firms, is expected to add 1,873 jobs. Fulton said many of those gains stem from small companies experiencing rapid growth.

“We’re certainly bullish in (the technology) sector,” he said.

“We’re talking about a lot of small companies growing rapidly, rather than plunking down 3,000 workers in one shot,” he continued.

MedHub is preparing to move into its new offices in Dexter, an old grain mill in the downtown area.

Photo courtesy of MedHub

Technology companies Barracuda Networks and PRIME Research, which both expanded in downtown Ann Arbor this year, have announced plans to hire additional employees over the next several years.

The financial activities sector is predicted to add 663 jobs, with 250 of those coming from Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group. The Ann Arbor-based company announced plans in early March to move into the former Borders headquarters on Phoenix Drive, and CEO Dan Milstein said he plans to hire about 250 new employees this year. Cole Taylor Mortgage has also experienced rapid growth at its headquarters in the Northeast Corporate Center.

One of the fastest growing industries in the private sector is transportation and warehousing, where employment is expected to grow by 17 percent through 2015.

At Ann Arbor Township's Con-way Freight — a company hit particularly hard by the recession — 2012 employment was up about 7 percent compared with 2011, said company spokesman Gary Frantz. He said the office on Old Earhart Road employs 401 people, and it has an additional 38 employees at a service center in Whitmore Lake. The company is hiring in various departments, including sales, operations and project management.

In the retail trade sector, job gains are forecasted for grocery stores (271 new jobs) and clothing stores (123 new jobs), while department stores and bookstores are expected to lose jobs over the next three years.

Local manufacturers — a sector that shed thousands of jobs during the recession — are expected to add 712 jobs through 2015, with most of the gains occurring outside the motor vehicle manufacturing industry. That industry, which involves vehicle assembly, will lose 40 jobs this year and then experience small gains in 2014 and 2015.

“I think (one) aspect I thought was sort of interesting, was we’ve got the strong recovery without any help from auto manufacturing in Washtenaw County,” Grimes said.

Job gains in manufacturing come from even growth across several industries, including fabricated metal products, medical equipment and supplies, plastics and rubber products, and computer and electronic products. Meanwhile, book printing will lose 100 jobs through 2015.

A rebound in new home construction is expected to boost construction jobs in the county by 23 percent, or 752 workers, during the three-year period. It’s good news for an industry that was cut almost in half from 2005 to 2011.

Residential building permits were up 35 percent in 2012 over the previous year. (A home in Pittsfield Township is pictured here)

Daniel Brenner | AnnArbor.com

“The industry is rebounding and so in general, we’re busier than we were,” said Doug Selby of Ann Arbor’s Meadowlark Builders. Selby estimated the company, which specializes in green building and remodeling, has received triple the amount of leads for new homes since the third quarter of 2012.

“During the last six months, we’ve hired two (people), we’re in the process of hiring two more, and when things pick up in late spring and summer, we’re probably going to be hiring two more,” he said.

Other construction job gains will come from non-residential projects, like the Briarwood Mall renovations and the under-construction Arbor Hills shopping center on Washtenaw Avenue.

High-wage growth

As Washtenaw County started its recovery and added jobs in 2010, the economists wondered: Were the new jobs coming from low-wage, middle-wage or high-wage industries?

The answer they found and what they’re forecasting will continue through 2015, is that high-wage industries in the private sector are growing at the fastest rate. Hot industries include engineering, computer systems design and scientific research and development.

The number of high-wage jobs (annual wages higher than $62,000) is expected to grow by 8.5 percent, or 2,968 jobs, through 2015. Employees in this category earned an average $83,796 in annual wages in 2011. Middle-wage jobs (earning $33,500 to $62,000) will rise 7.5 percent, and low-wage jobs (less than $33,500) will grow by 6.8 percent.

“Obviously, that’s favorable for the overall economic prospects and prosperity of the county,” Fulton said.

Fulton said it’s a trend that’s occurring statewide, and it places an emphasis on the importance of higher education. It also puts more pressure on those with only a high school degree.

“Somehow, more jobs have to be created for those people,” he said. “It has to grow faster, however that comes about, or else they have to acquire more education or training.”

Orr, CEO of MedHub, said growth in these knowledge-based industries is making it difficult to find qualified workers to fill the growing number of technology job openings in the county. He said it's the main threat to his company’s growth.

“The issue is simple: low availability of qualified candidates produced in this region and high competition for them. This will be the single most critical factor in determining whether the forecasted job growth actually comes to fruition,” he said in an email interview.

Economic concerns

Fulton said one of the biggest disappointments in the forecast is that by the end of 2015, the unemployment rate is still too high by historical standards.

Washtenaw County's unemployment rate compared to the U.S. rate.

Washtenaw County economic outlook

A 4.3 percent unemployment rate in 2015 is above the 3.6 percent the county averaged from 1990 to 2007.

Data from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments and the U.S. Census Bureau shows Washtenaw County experienced modest population growth of about 5,500 in the past two years, but Fulton said most of the forecasted new jobs will be filled by people already living in the region.

“One of the things that’s causing the (unemployment) rate not to drop further is the re-entrance into the labor force,” he said. Discouraged workers who stopped looking for work during the recession drop out of the unemployment statistics. As they start looking for jobs again, they re-enter the workforce.

Another notable concern for the local economy is impending federal government spending cuts on research and health care.

“The University of Michigan, including its health system, has been very successful in growing its slice of the federal research pie,” the report says. “But now that the pie is in danger of shrinking, the university will need to look increasingly to private-sector activity to sustain the growth in its academic research.”

• Download a PDF of the full 32-page report.

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.

A vandal smashes a shed in Liberty Square in January.

Tom Perkins | For AnnArbor.com

Ypsilanti Township will receive $653,000 in grant funding to complete the demolition process of the Liberty Square townhome complex.

The township applied for $653,000 out of a $97 million settlement banks agreed to pay the State of Michigan for the banks' role in the foreclosure crisis.

That money is earmarked for foreclosure prevention and blight elimination, and came after a national class action lawsuit was filed by Michigan, 48 other states and the federal government.

Township officials are hopeful the site will be cleared by the end of May, but the project is not a small one. Liberty Square is a 151-unit, 17-building complex that sits on 25 acres. The land is on the north side of South Grove Road and a quarter-mile west of Rawsonville Road.

The township already has paid for minor asbestos cleanup and has secured the buildings since they were abanadoned in 2011, though continue to be a regular target for scrap metal thieves and vandals. Around 30 units were broken into in January, and it costs about $100 to have each resealed.

The $653,000 includes the direct cost of demolition, but does not include the more than $170,000 the township has spent on legal fees, board-up fees, an asbestos survey and asbestos abatement.

“Demolition would be the conclusion of a very long process, and I can only imagine what it means to the business owners and residents who live in close proximity, who have to stare at it everyday,” said Mike Radzik, director of the office of community standards. “It’s the worst continuing eyesore in the township in recent memory.”

Selecting projects and distributing money was done through a partnership among the Michigan State Department of Human Services, Michigan Land Bank and Michigan State Housing Development Authority.

The awards ranged from a $10,000 sum given to the Houghton County Land Bank to as high as approximately $3.7 million that was given to the Genesee County Land Bank. All geographic regions of the state were represented.

According to a press release from the DHS, the state allocated $25 million of the $97 million settlement toward a Blight Elimination Program “to help communities demolish vacant and abandoned properties with the goal of promoting public safety, stabilizing property values and enhancing current and future development opportunities.”

Detroit was awarded $10 million of those funds, while 90 other municipalities and agencies applied for the remaining money.

Radzik said he was overjoyed to know funding is on its way, especially because the land sits near the busy South Grove and Rawsonville Road intersection, just south of Interstate 94. The location makes it attractive to potential developers.

“Returning it to active use would be huge,” Radzik said.

One last legal obstacle remains, however. The Michigan Court of Appeals will soon issue a ruling on an appeal by Liberty Square homeowners who contend they shouldn’t be forced out of their homes because their neighbors’ units are deteriorating.

No stay was placed on a Washtenaw County Circuit judge’s order to demolish the property, so the township is moving forward with the project. Around nine of the 151 units were occupied at the time of the order.

7:55 a.m. update: Dispatch now reports up to four cars are reportedly involved in one or two crashes in the area. None appears to be blocking, but a Google traffic map showed a significant slowdown on the freeway.

A two-vehicle crash could cause some slow going on Interstate 94 near State Street in Ann Arbor Wednesday morning.

The crash, which occurred about 7:40 a.m., was in the eastbound lanes. It was not immediately clear whether it was blocking traffic.

Further information was not immediately available.

View Crash 032713 in a larger map

A driver on eastbound I-94 got a shock Tuesday evening when the rear driver's side window in the vehicle shattered, launching an investigation to see if the incident was related to three vehicle shootings reported Monday.

Michigan State Police investigators ruled a window broken in a vehicle on Interstate 94 Tuesday was not related to Monday's reports of vehicle shootings.

File photo

However, Michigan State Police said Wednesday the incident does not appear to be connected to the recent shootings and there is no criminal investigation.

Sgt. Mike Garland, of the Michigan State Police, said a vehicle was eastbound on I-94 near Zeeb Road about 7 p.m. Tuesday when the window shattered. Troopers investigated the incident but determined the window was not shot out.

“We are not investigating it as a part of those shootings,” Garland said, “and the vehicle is already released.”

Garland said he wasn’t aware of what actually broke the window on the vehicle

Three vehicles were reported shot within 15 minutes of each other Monday in Washtenaw County — two in Bridgewater Township and one in Pittsfield Township. No one was injured and police were working to determine if the three incidents were related.

The first two incidents occurred about 6 p.m. Monday on Austin Road in Bridgewater Township. Police said a westbound Chevrolet Silverado driven by a Manchester man was shot east of Ernst Road. Later, a westbound 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by an Adrian woman was shot on Austin Road west of Schneider Road.

About 15 minutes later, a bullet struck the driver’s side door of a westbound vehicle on Michigan Avenue east of Industrial Drive in Pittsfield Township. The 72-year-old driver from Pittsfield Township was not injured n the incident.

Southeast Michigan has seen two people arrested in the last six months for shooting at vehicles on area roads.

Raulie Casteel is facing terrorism charges for allegedly shooting at more than 20 vehicles in the Interstate 96 corridor before his arrest in November. His case is headed toward trial.

Elmore Ray is held in the Washtenaw County Jail on charges alleging he shot at cars on U.S. 23 with a sawed off shotgun in February. Ray was arrested on Feb. 27 and will retun to court on April 30.

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

A contingent of Washtenaw Community College faculty members told the Board of Trustees during a Tuesday meeting that they're concerned over the recent firing of the school's vice president of instruction, according to a report by radio station WEMU.

Rose Bellanca

Stuart Blackwell was fired on March 14, months before his contract expired in June.

Bellanca emailed faculty last week promising more communication and defending Blacklaw's firing.

• Listen to the full WEMU report.

A health insurance plan specifically designed to help adults with little-to-no income is enrolling Michigan residents in the month of April only.

Made possible through the Michigan Department of Human Services, the Adult Benefit Waiver Program is enrolling patients locally through the Washtenaw Health Plan under its “Plan A.”

This is the first time this particular insurance program has opened enrollment in two and a half years, said Ellen Rabinowitz, executive director of the Washtenaw Health Plan.

At that time, about 2,000 Washtenaw County residents enrolled in the plan. Enrollment numbers have dropped to 600 residents on the plan as of this month, said Krista Nordberg, director of enrollment and advocacy services.

“We further hope the state moves forward with Medicaid expansion in 2014, which would include the Plan A enrollees,” Rabinowitz said in statement.

Washtenaw Health Plan has set a goal to bring its enrollment numbers in Plan A back to 2,200 people in 22 days, Nordberg said.

Coverage provided under Plan A includes primary and specialty care, prescription drugs and limited mental health services. Co-pays for prescription drugs are about $1 under the plan.

Eligible adults are between the ages of 19 and 64 years old. They must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident for at least five years.

The Adult Benefit Waiver program is for adults with no income or very low income: The requirements are a maximum income of $335 per month for a single person, or a maximum income of $452 per month for a married couple.

Applicants must also have less than $3,000 in assets, excluding a car and a home.

No interview is required to enroll, and the application process is fairly simple, Nordberg said.

Washtenaw County residents can enroll through the Washtenaw Health Plan during the month of April only.

The office is open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at 555 Towner St. in Ypsilanti. Call (734) 544-3030 for more information, or visit whp.ewashtenaw.org.

Residents from any part of Michigan can enroll in the Adult Benefit Waiver Program by visiting www.michigan.gov/mibridges or at a Department of Human Services location.

• Find out more about free or low cost health care services in Washtenaw County for residents

Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.

The man accused of shooting another man on Bedford Drive in Ypsilanti Township last year will return to court for a final pretrial hearing next month.

Christopher Tillison

Courtesy of the state of Michigan

Christopher Tillison, 26, is charged with shooting a man during a robbery on July 10 in the 300 block of Bedford Drive. He was scheduled to be in court Tuesday afternoon but his final pretrial hearing was adjourned until 1:30 p.m. April 2, according to jail records.

Tillison is scheduled to go to trial in the case at 8 a.m. April 15, according to court records.

Tillison is accused of being one of the men involved in the incident, in which an Ypsilanti Township man was shot in the knee at 10:45 a.m. July 10 in the 300 block of Bedford Drive, a street in the Huron Ridge Apartments near Eastern Michigan University. A car hit a second man, 31 years old, soon after the shooting.

Tillison is the only person charged in the case and was arraigned on July 24 and has been held at the Washtenaw County Jail since then. He was originally given a $250,000 bond but now faces a $500,000 bond, jail records show.

In the days after the shooting, police said a second man was at large, but no one was ever arrested.

Tillison faces a charge of assault with intent to murder, as well as three armed robbery charges and charges of first-degree home invasion, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The shooting occurred just three months after Tillison was paroled on a previous conviction. He has seven previous convictions dating back to Oct. 20, 2005.

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

An intruder broke into an Ypsilanti Township home Tuesday but apparently left without taking anything after an alarm scared him off, according to deputies.

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the home invasion that occurred at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Hillcrest Boulevard. According to investigators, a residential burglary alarm reported the break-in in progress.

When deputies arrived at the home, the intruder was gone but investigation revealed the home was broken into via a pried open window.

However, nothing was reported stolen as of Wednesday morning. Deputies attributed this to the alarm going off and possibly scaring the suspect.

There is no suspect information available. Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to call the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line at 734-973-7711 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).

View 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.

Lincoln Consolidated Schools Superintendent Ellen Bonter offered and agreed Monday night to take a 10-percent pay cut for the upcoming 2013-14 academic year.

And as school officials begin contract negotiations for concessions from its collective bargaining units, Bonter also agreed to increase her salary reduction to the highest percentage obtained from the district's unions.

Ellen Bonter

The evaluation examined 12 key areas of effectiveness: relationship with the board; community relations; staff relations; business and finance; educational leadership; personal qualities; evaluation; progress toward the school improvement plan; student attendance; feedback from students, parents and teachers; and student growth and achievement.

"Board members individually commented on each of the 12 areas and in summary, the Board of Education determined that Superintendent Bonter's performance meets and in some areas exceeds the expectations overall,” according to a statement released after the evaluation. "Areas requiring improvement and the strengths of the superintendent relative to these 12 categories were identified and discussed. The board unanimously expresses its continued support for the superintendent and confidence in her ability to lead the district towards the fulfillment of our mission and vision."

Bonter earns a base salary of $130,000, according to a recent statewide Mackinac Center for Public Policy superintendent compensation database. She receives a pension of $32,500 and insurance coverage worth $8,234, for a total compensation of $170,734, the database says.

Outdated compensation information from the 2011 calendar year on the district's website shows Bonter earned a salary of $131,000 that year.

A 10-percent pay cut is equal to approximately a $13,000 reduction.

The statewide database shows Bonter has the fourth-highest base salary in Washtenaw County and the district is the third largest in terms of student enrollment. Other superintendent salaries in the county range from $113,500 to $245,000.

Board documents from Monday's meeting show Lincoln schools is projecting a best-case-scenario budget shortfall of $5.2 million for the 2013-14 academic year. Worst-case scenario would be nearly $6.5 million.

Lincoln's operating budget for the current school year is about $46 million. District documents show Lincoln had a fund balance, or primary savings account, of $745,438 at the beginning of the school year. Officials project a negative fund balance of nearly $3 million by June 30, documents say.

In Monday's board report, officials say a solution to the district's budget troubles will require a collaborative effort and meetings with Lincoln's four employee unions.

• Download Monday's Lincoln school board packet.

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

A trip to the Secretary of State’s office can be a hassle on occasion, but, for two visitors to the Ypsilanti Township office, a visit on Tuesday proved to be downright costly.

The man and woman parked their car in the lot in front of the Secretary of State’s office at 2720 Washtenaw Ave. in Ypsilanti Township, deputies with the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said in a media release. At 3:30 p.m., deputies were dispatched to that location because the car was broken into while the couple was inside.

Someone broke a window on the vehicle and stole a backpack and a purse, deputies said. Inside the bags were a laptop, iPod, ear buds, calculator and schoolbooks.

No suspect information was available Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office anonymous tip line at 734-973-7711 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP (773-2587).

View 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.