Hiller’s Markets decides to butt out cigarette sales

Cigarettes aren’t getting a second chance at Hiller's Markets because of second-hand smoke.Excerpt:If you're looking to purchase a pack of cigarettes, Hiller's Markets soon won't be an option.The chain of seven Michigan grocery stores announced plans this week to stop selling them because of the health impacts of second-hand smoke. The Ann Arbor store in Arborland Mall still had cigarettes Wednesday - including stock from the other Hiller's stores - and was selling them for $4 a pack, down from $6.75."I don't want to be responsible for killing people, plain and simple," Chief Executive Officer Jim Hiller said. "I believe we all engage and indulge in vices ... But with cigarettes, it's not about people who don't choose to smoke, but about those around them that don't."Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s Huron High named top high school

Proposed low income housing sites in Ann Arbor generate debate

Downtown affordable housing is becoming a more and more controversial subject in Ann Arbor these days.Excerpt:A month after taking the wraps off a new plan for developing low-income housing just west of North Fourth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor, city and Washtenaw County officials say they've gotten some feedback on the three potential sites.A number of county officials like the idea of building next to the county courthouse, said county Administrator Bob Guenzel.The county's judges aren't among them. They say the idea is at odds with keeping the courthouse secure.Although that site - on North Fourth Avenue and Ann Street, south of the court building - presents some unusual challenges, it's the most removed from the neighboring retail area, Guenzel said."It feels like part of the county campus," he said.The proposed housing would serve as many as 100 low-income and special-needs tenants. It's intended to replace the single-room occupancy units once available at Ann Arbor's former YMCA facility.Read the rest of the story here.

Who will succeed MEDC’s Epolito? The speculation begins

The race to run the MEDC has two Ann Arborites contending for the position.Excerpt:When James Epolito announced last week he would step down as President and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., two prominent names began to be bandied about as possible replacements — Michael Finney and Rick Snyder.Snyder is a former COO and president of Gateway Computers who helped take that company public before returning to Ann Arbor in 1997 to found Avalon Investments Inc., a venture-capital company with a $100 million fund. In 2000, he co-founded Ardesta L.L.C., another VC firm that invests in micro- and nanotechnologies.In 2005, Snyder co-founded Ann Arbor Spark, an economic-development organization, and serves as its chairman.Read the rest of the story here.

MASTERMIND: George Hammond

Ann Arbor is known for its natural spaces, but few locals realize just how important the critters that live in those spaces are. Enter George Hammond - biolgist, educator and uber-volunteer. George not only keeps tabs on Tree Town's fabulous fauna, he's out to spread the word that you don't have to go to the Galapagos to experience the wonders of the natural world.

DIY Hollywood

"My Dad has a barn" has become "My brother has an HD video camera." Do-it-yourself filmmakers and producers are offering Ann Arbor area locavores something other than regional produce to consume. How about homegrown home entertainment?

Ann Arbor takes on graffiti with revised ordinance

Graffiti is a subject that bedevils officials in every city. Some refer to it as art, others as vandalism but everyone kind wishes it would just go away at one point or another.Ann Arbor officials are trying to make that happen more efficiently now that City Council has revised its graffiti ordinance. The new law means more levels of fines and more rules about removing the offending material.The new ordinance means property owners have 2-4 days to remove graffiti after city officials give them notice to remove it. First-time offenders face a $100 fine. Subsequent offenders can get up to a $500 fine.The previous ordinance just had a penalty of $500 and no provisions for removing the graffiti.Source: City of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke

U-M proposes adding 50,000 square feet to Chrisler Arena

Expanding the University of Michigan's Crisler Arena never seemed to make much sense since the words Ed Martin entered into university vocabulary. Things have changed now that Wolverine fans have their first basketball team to get excited about in a long time.Coincidence or not, U-M officials are making plans to add a "player development center" to the home of Cazzie Russell, the Fab Five and the 1989 National Champions. That 50,000-square-foot addition to the back of the arena comes with a $23.2 million price tag. The idea, which is going before the U-M Board of Regents tomorrow, is to give both the men's and women's basketball teams a place to practice. Both teams use Crisler as their home court.The new proposed facility will have locker rooms, strength and conditioning space and coaching offices. The addition will replace about 60 surface parking spots behind the arena. The university's Athletic Department plans to pay for the project with its own funds and gifts. The Athletic Department wants to start design of the new facility immediately and wants to hire Jickling Lyman Powell Associates to do it.Source: University of MichiganWriter: Jon Zemke

Ann Arbor skatepark backers form construction endowment

The people trying to make the Ann Arbor Skatepark a reality are getting creative in their attempts to attract funding in these tough economic times.The Ann Arbor Skatepark Action Committee has opened two endowment funds through the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. The first fund will be to help raise money to build the skatepark. The second is for the maintenance, improvements and upgrades of the skatepark once it's done.That committee plans to raise $800,000 to $1 million through donations and grants to build the skatepark. They hope to raise that money within the next 12-18 months.The facility will be about 30,000 square feet of permanent concrete skatepark at Veterans Memorial Park. It will have a skateplaza and possibly even a full pipe. It will also work with the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission to bring some art into the skatepark as well.For information on the project, contact fundraising chair Jim Reische at jreische@a2skatepark.org or Trevor Staples at (734) 223-9837.Source: Trevor Staples, spokesman for the Ann Arbor SkateparkWriter: Jon Zemke