In The News

Ann Arbor hoop houses promote community gardening trend

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April 14, 2010

Community gardening isn't just a summer hobby in Wastenaw County thanks to some large, plastic-covered hoop houses that are starting to pop up in the Ann Arbor area.Excerpt:Shannon Brines stooped down, pulled a young carrot out of the ground and gently brushed the soil off its roots."My customers love to get these," he said, checking his crops one cold, rainy morning last month.While most Michigan gardeners still haven't bought their vegetable seeds, Brines spent his winter harvesting handfuls of baby carrots and hundreds of pounds of fresh baby lettuce, arugula, spinach, chard, kale and exotic gourmet greens from three unheated hoophouses near Dexter.Growing produce year-around in Michigan may sound like a global-warming daydream. But entrepreneurs like Brines prove it can be done -- profitably -- in the low-tech, plastic-covered sheds."It could be a living, depending on your definition," says Brines, 34, a University of Michigan data analyst who lives in Ann Arbor. If he focused only on growing, he figures he could make about $40,000 a year.Read the rest of the story here.

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Former Ann Arbor hockey player becomes best in nation

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Education

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April 14, 2010

Blake Geoffrion, former Ann Arbor Huron graduate and member of the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor, has quickly become the best college hockey player in the world. No, he unfortunately didn't win this honor at the University of Michigan, but he is prepping to work his way up in the Detroit Red Wings minor league system.Excerpt:Wisconsin senior forward Blake Geoffrion was presented with the Hobey Baker Award Friday night at Ford Field.Now, Geoffrion, the first Wisconsin player to win the award, will try to help his team win the national championship when it faces Boston College tonight at the same site."It's a great honor," said Geoffrion, who leads the Badgers with 28 goals, including a nation's-best 15 on the power play. "I'm pumped, so happy to win this award.Read the rest of the story here.

U-M students flee Bay Area for refuge in Ann Arbor

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Education

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April 14, 2010

The stereotype for Generation Y is fleeing Michigan for the Bay Area. Meet a talented, young woman who made the reverse stereotypical migration and is loving it.Excerpt:For some young people, school is something from which to escape. Not so for Janasha Higgins.Higgins, now 23, has long turned to her studies as a way to take a break from a tough family life — and as a means to get ahead."School's been my sanity," said Higgins, "and my mentors helped me a lot, too."The 2004 graduate of the Alameda Community Learning Center earned a degree from San Francisco State University, where she majored in psychology, in 2009. She's currently completing a master's in social work at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and will soon begin a doctorate program there in psychology and social work.Read the rest of the story here.

Giant puppet invasion in downtown Ann Arbor gets national coverage

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Arts & Culture

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April 14, 2010

Art in motion paraded through downtown Ann Arbor during the FestiFools event, attracting attention from both local and national news sources.Excerpt:Ann Arbor -- Main Street was transformed into a fool's paradise Sunday afternoon as hundreds of people lined the street to watch huge papier-mache puppets and their colorful puppeteers during the fourth annual FestiFools parade.There were dragons and witches, eyeballs and court jesters, and even Popeye and Mickey Mouse among the dozens of puppets that dazzled the crowd as children applauded.Mary and Al Aviles of Northville brought their three children. "This is our first time and we really enjoyed it," said Mary, wearing a fringed paper hat, handed out to many in the crowd.Read the rest of the story here and more about FestiFools from NPR here.

White House, Ann Arbor, U-M continue to intersect

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Community Development

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April 7, 2010

The words Ann Arbor, University of Michigan and the White House continue to be said in the same sentence as President Obama gets ready to give the commencement speech at U-M. One of Ann Arbor's famed entrepreneurs, Menlo Innovations Rich Sheridan, talks to the White House about creating workplace flexibility.Excerpt:Though it was only announced last month that President Barack Obama would be the speaker at this spring's commencement, University officials have been communicating with the White House since last April to try to get the president to speak at the Big House.According to documents obtained by The Michigan Daily through a Freedom of Information Act request, University President Mary Sue Coleman first contacted Alyssa Mastromonaco, White House director of scheduling and advance, on April 30, 2009. Following the initial letter, Coleman sent a formal invitation directly to Obama last September. In her letter to Obama, Coleman highlighted the University’s history as one of the premier public universities in the country. Coleman also encouraged the president to come to Ann Arbor by referencing the University’s commitment to topics important to his administration like economic expansion, developing alternative energy sources, sustainability and health care. "The University of Michigan vigorously pursues the many issues our nation faces and that you are tackling as president," Coleman wrote to Obama in her September letter. "Your visit would inspire and motivate continued progress in these areas."Read the rest of the story here and how Menlo Innovations' Rich Sheridan is consulting with the White House here.

Ann Arbor’s Logic Solutions continues China expansion

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General

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April 7, 2010

China seems like a logical place for growth for Logic Solutions. Makes sense why the Ann Arbor-based firm continues to grow in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world.Excerpt:Ann Arbor-based Logic Solutions Inc. Wednesday announced several achievements of its China Services division, which supports United States companies with their operations in China. Recent successes include staffing for technology giant Cisco, and facilitating commerce between business automation center provider LogicLink and hoteliers Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao, Howard Johnson All Suite Hotel Shanghai, Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong, and Jin Jiang Y.M.C.A Hotel.Logic Solutions has provided three staff members for Cisco, bolstering their efforts at the Shanghai World Expo. Candidates will manage logistics for the massive event that begins May 1. The Expo’s Web site reports an expected 70 million visitors, and 200 companies will serve as presenters, including Cisco.Read the rest of the story here.

Ann Arbor’s economy begins to rev up, hire

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Entrepreneurship

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April 7, 2010

The Ann Arbor economy is poised to recover and lead the economic recovery across the state of Michigan, a recovery that hold big potential for new white collar hires.Excerpt:The Ann Arbor region’s economy is poised to steadily add jobs over the next two years, economists say, but a lack of access to capital threatens to slow the pace of recovery. Twenty executives from the region's top alternative energy companies gathered this morning to discuss the obstacles to accelerating their growth in a forum with John Fernandez, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Commerce. The common theme: We need capital in all forms. The executives said improved access to financing is critical to helping them expand their businesses, target new markets and add jobs."It's a consistent message we hear everywhere we go," Fernandez said. "It used to be a valley of death. Now it’s more like an ocean of death."Read the rest of the story here, how Adaptive Materials is hiring here and how the area's educated workforce is starting to take off here.

NY Times highlights Ann Arbor’s Tissue Regeneration Services

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Education

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April 7, 2010

Old school: Replacing human joints. New school: Harvesting home-grown replacement bones. This is news for University of Michigan spin-off Tissue Regeneration Systems.Excerpt:Scott Hollister, a professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is a co-founder of Tissue Regeneration Systems, a company that is commercializing technology his group is developing for skeletal reconstruction in the face, spine and extremities.Dr. Vunjak-Novakovic, who has filed a patent application through Columbia, said that her lab’s work had attracted considerable interest from investors, but that it was too soon to talk about commercial applications. “We are starting studies with large animals that will establish safety and feasibility before commercialization, “she said. Read the rest of the story here.

U-M makes Washington Post’s 2010 College Tour

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Education

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April 7, 2010

When it comes to college consideration for cream of the crop of high school students, the University of Michigan continues to make the list of school's to tour.Excerpt:The one thing that stood out for us was the football stadium. It is iconic. They call it the Big House, and it is a destination in and of itself. They charge kids a couple hundred dollars for a season of football tickets but everybody loves to go to the games. The school had a lot of school spirit.We really liked the balance of sports and academic excellence, including the honors colleges for freshmen.Ann Arbor seems like a great town to spend time in. They get a lot of theater and comedy groups and music groups there, which are pretty cool.Read the rest of the story here.

Detroit News profiles Dexter’s Jolly Pumpkin artisan ales and eats

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Economic Development

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April 7, 2010

Washtenaw County's bevy of microbrews and brewpubs continue to attract lots of glowing attention thanks to their finely crafted brews.Excerpt:Tucked into a cozy, unpretentious spot on Ann Arbor's main drag, the Jolly Pumpkin Café and Brewery has something for just about everyone in your group, whether you are a family with little ones, a group of college-age foodies or beer connoisseurs looking to mingle with friends. The menu at the two-level brewery is diverse and trendy with fresh, always-changing specials that cater to all tastes. Upstairs is a pub-type atmosphere that offers live music on the weekends. "Fantastic beer and great food," says patron James Gutierrez of Ann Arbor, who says he visits once a week. "I can come here for a beer with friends, but I can also bring my wife and kids and have dinner." Read the rest of the story here.