Feed aggregator

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- City Councilman Eric Garcetti defeated Controller Wendy Greuel to become next mayor of Los Angeles after a caustic campaign in which he depicted his fellow Democrat as a pawn of powerful labor bosses....

NEW YORK (AP) -- Robin Roberts will tell the story of her battle with a life-threatening illness in a new memoir....

ROME (AP) -- An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people....

NEW YORK (AP) -- There was a time when most of the songs played on the radio came from Broadway. Now some popular hit makers like Cyndi Lauper and Sting are finding it still feels like home....

• Related story: Teacher firing upheld: Former Huron orchestra teacher Chris Mark's appeal denied

The idea that "boys will be boys" didn't fly in William Harris' gym class.

Continue reading Case closed against Ann Arbor gym teacher fired for shutting students in dark supply room...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Anthony Weiner's run for a renaissance is officially on....

LONDON (AP) -- Olympic officials agree that more targeted, out-of-competition testing in high-profile sports is needed to catch the drug cheats who are escaping the net, IOC President Jacques Rogge said Wednesday....

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- When a small anti-abortion group in Iowa sought nonprofit status, the Internal Revenue Service asked its board to promise not to organize protests outside Planned Parenthood and demanded to know how its prayer meetings and protest signs were educational....

There's a warrant out for my arrest, and I need your help to raise bail!

Fortunately, it's for a good cause. And my "jail" on June 13, the day of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's annual Lock-Up, will actually be Outback Steakhouse ... a far better place, offering much better food, than a cell with bars where I'd only get bread and water.

Every year, the MDA "arrests" people and asks them to raise "bail" — contributions to the very good cause:

The Lock-Up is the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s premier fundraising program. These high-profile events occur all across the country at various times throughout the year. Business and community leaders agree to be "put behind bars for good," where they utilize their vendors, co-workers, family and friends to get donations that will go toward their “bail.”

Each Jailbird has weeks to raise his or her donations. That way, on the day of the Lock-Up event, they can enjoy the Lock-Up experience by networking with other business leaders and meeting with the individuals and families that they’re helping in their community. All funds raised by the MDA Lock-Up assist the Association in providing lifesaving research, a nationwide network of medical clinics and accessible summer camp experiences to individuals and families affected by neuromuscular diseases.

So, what are you waiting for? Please, please, please go to my personal donation page and help me make bail!

Continue reading Muscular Dystrophy Association Lock-Up - getting arrested for a good cause...

MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- With an ominous storm approaching, the Moore Public School District flashed a text alert to parents: "We are currently holding all students until the current storm danger is over. Students are being released to parents only at this time."...

CAIRO (AP) -- Six Egyptian policemen and a border guard kidnapped by suspected militants in the volatile Sinai Peninsula last week were freed by their captors Wednesday after successful mediation, the country's military spokesman said....

Two of Washtenaw’s premier productions head into the home stretch this weekend, leaving just a few more chances to catch both of these much-lauded productions.

The Purple Rose’s production of “33 Variations” has been called “an uplifting experience," and a “perfect play,” while Performance Network’s “The Mountaintop” has garnered kudos like “excellent,” “an impeccable production” and “not to be missed.”

Both of these plays are compelling dramas about renowned historical figures with a modern-day twist, a dash of humor, and some astonishing performances by Michigan’s finest actors. No matter which one you choose, you're bound to have an experience you won’t soon forget.

Continue reading '33 Variations' and 'The Mountaintop' continue at The Purple Rose and Performance Network...

Most tickets available from Ticketmaster.com or Ticketmaster retail sites. The Michigan League Ticket Office, 911 N. University Ave., sells tickets in person or by phone at 734-764-2538 for University Musical Society, University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Summer Festival productions; these tickets are also available online: UMS; the U-M School of Music, Theatre and Dance; and the Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Tickets for The Ark are available at the box office; Michigan Union Ticket Office, 530 S. State St.; Herb David Guitar Studio, 302 E. Liberty St.; or online from the Michigan Union Ticket Office. Major Eastern Michigan University events can be ordered online. Kerrytown Concert House reservations may be made online or at 734-769-2999. Green Wood Coffee House reservations: 734-665-8558. Ann Arbor Symphony: www.a2so.com or 734-994-4801.

Upcoming ticket sales:

• Bruno Mars - July 11 at the Palace of Auburn Hills (on sale TBD)


• Blake Shelton "Ten Times Crazier" Tour with special guests Easton Corbin and Jana Krame - Sept. 28 at the Palace of Auburn Hills (on sale TBA)


• City and Colour; Sleepy Sun - Nov. 8 and 9 at the Fillmore Detroit (on sale TBD)

Continue reading Tickets on sale: Lyle Lovett at Meadow Brook, Backstreet Boys at DTE; and more...

BERLIN (AP) -- Germany on Wednesday celebrated the 200th birthday of Richard Wagner, the 19th-century composer whose music has been hailed as sublime art at the height of Western culture even as he remains tainted by his visceral anti-Semitic views, which later found favor with the Nazis....

Photo of Little League by Ed Yourdon, released for public use via Wikimedia Commons.

Editor's note: This post is part of a series by Dr. Baker on Our Values about core American values. This week Dr. Baker is discussing the common good.

How do we find the common good?

Jim Wallis, in his new book On God’s Side, says that we have lost sight of the common good—but we can find it again. “The common good and the quality of our life together,” he argues, “will finally be determined by the personal decisions we all make.”

What are those personal decisions? Wallis offers 10 personal decisions in his book. Today, I focus on the first one.

He tells a warm and touching story about how it plays out in Little League baseball with his sons. Here’s how he describes the decision: “If you are a father or mother, make your children the most important priority in your life and build your other commitments around them. If you are not a parent, look for children who could benefit from your investment in their lives.”

Continue reading Common good: Is Little League baseball the answer?...

Lorrie Shaw | Contributor

Knowing that there are many fun-loving pets living in and outside of our area, we're anxious to see what they've been up to.

Have you captured your pet taking advantage of all that the outdoors has to offer? Why not submit a favorite photo of your pet?

Any pet or animal in the family is welcome in the slideshow we feature each Friday.

Continue reading Pet Photo Friday is a fun way to share the happiness that your pet gives you - send in your submissions...

A rendering of the proposed Kerrytown condo project shows two of the three proposed buildings viewed from North Main Street.

Huron Contracting LLC

Tom Fitzsimmons' plans to build new upscale condos in Kerrytown received unanimous approval Tuesday night from the Ann Arbor Planning Commission.

The project, which spans the block between North Main Street and Fourth Avenue at the former site of a Greek church that was demolished last year, now heads to City Council for approval.

Continue reading Kerrytown condo project headed to Ann Arbor City Council for approval...

Ypsilanti Township is asking a woman proposing to open a daycare along South Grove Road to develop safe parking plans before it will consider allowing her business to move forward.

At its May 20 meeting, the Planning Commission tabled approval of a special use permit to allow the daycare to operate in a residential zone.

Continue reading New Ypsilanti Township daycare plans halted over traffic safety concerns...

The Speedway on the corner of Maple and Miller, pictured here in early May, is set to open on May 23.

Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com

Construction work is wrapping up on Ann Arbor’s new Speedway gas station, which is set to open Thursday on the northeast corner of the Maple and Miller intersection.

Continue reading Speedway gas station set to open Thursday on Ann Arbor's North Maple...

A new University of Michigan initiative has doled out its first round of funding.

Continue reading University of Michigan Water Center awards $570K in grants focusing on Great Lakes...