Village’s celebration like big family reunion
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Superstitious residents of Dexter hope history won’t repeat itself at the annual Dexter Daze weekend starting [this] week—on Friday the 13th.
The Monument Park event last opened on a Friday the 13th six years ago, when the Sportsman’s Bar on Main Street had a grease fire that spread to three other buildings.
The mid-morning fire either destroyed or seriously damaged four buildings. Loren Yates, the long-time chairman of Dexter Daze, didn’t have much time that day to devote to the festival—as a firefighter he was busy working to put the fire out.
Many hope Dexter Daze ’99 will go off without a hitch. Residents are looking forward to celebrating the 175th anniversary of Dexter Village this year at the three-day event.
The annual extravaganza regularly draws 20,000 to 30,000 people one Chamber of Commerce official said.
“Dexter Daze is kind of a big party of the community,” said Carol Jones, Dexter Daze committee secretary and an administrative assistant for the Chamber.
She said that during the weekend, many former Dexter residents come back to visit with friends and family. Jones said talking to people she hasn’t seen in a while makes her feel like she’s attending a big family reunion.
One hitch to Dexter Daze last year was the major construction under way on the town’s streets and sidewalks. But now, Dexter has a new-and-improved look, she said.
The event will feature musicians, arts and crafts vendors, a bake sale by senior citizens and food vendors. Children’s entertainment will include Gemini and Colors the Clown.
Yayes said there will be a free shuttle bus going into the village from Dexter High School for people who want to avoid traffic. Parking is free, he said.
The Saturday morning, Dexter Daze Parade will include a band antique and classic cars, fire and police departments, members of the Kiwanis, the Rotary and Lions’ clubs and local students and businesses.
While visiting the area, Jones said, Dexter Daze participants often visit other Dexter sites, including the 100-year-old cider mill and the 100-year-old cider mill and the Spring Valley Trout Farm, where people can catch and buy trout and catfish.
“It’s a busy (time), said Jan Going, who has lived in Dexter for 15 years.
She enjoys the parade and also will visit with several longtime friends coming in from other parts of Michigan and Florida.
“Dexter Daze) is just super,” she said. The community really participates.”
Dexter Daze
What: Town festival with arts and crafts, music and bingo, children’s activities.
When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Where: Dexter village
Highlights: Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, horseshoes tournament at 1 p.m.
Originally published Thursday, August 12, 1999
Thursday, August 12, 1999
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Senior Safety, The Ann Arbor News
Senior Safety
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Mall sponsors event to help older people avoid scams
Seniors like Ypsilanti resident, Grace Allen, 84, got a chance Tuesday to peruse information on everything from fraudulent health insurance billings to whether she gets enough fiber in her daily diet.
Allen was among 400 people who attended Briarwood Mall’s “Senior Safety Awareness Day,” the first senior event at the shopping center to address both health and safety issues.
“The response that we got was really positive,” said Marc Strich, Briarwood Mall general manager.
TRAID, a consortium of local area law enforcement agencies, senior organizations and local social service agencies, set up information booths and had experts on hand for questions.
Major concerns facing seniors are charity scams, telephone fraud and credit card fraud, said Irma Swanter, Michigan district coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons, an organization addressing political and social issues for people over 50.
She said AARP had documented stories where seniors have been defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars. The seniors thought they were giving to charity or getting a chance to win a free cruise. She said in some cases, seniors are scammed over several months, even years.
“(Seniors) are lonely. They like to talk on the phone or have company. They’re just vulnerable,” said Uva Wilbanks, chairwoman for TRIAD.
Seniors at Tuesday’s event were given information on how to avoid telephone fraud and know their rights regarding unsolicited telemarketing calls and letters. Sometimes seniors get bombarded by scammers, specifically because of their age, Wilbanks said.
Deputy Lisa King of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department recalled a recent case where an older Milan woman almost lost $1,200 on a scam.
Two men came uninvited to her home and offered to paint her barn, King said. The woman, in her late 70s, wrote them a check and the pair left without doing any work.
The woman’s son, an employee of the Ypsilanti Police Department, tracked the men that day—and the two were arrested at the bank as they were preparing to cash the check, King said.
Allen said she felt prepared for telephone scams by not answering the telephone unless she knows who is calling.
“I watch my bill every month. I got caller ID (and an answering machine), and if its important they will leave a message, she said.
Other booths at the mall gave information about Huron Valley paramedic service, area support groups, medical care and volunteer opportunities.
The event, said Tom Fisher, security director at Briarwood Mall, adds to other “senior friendly” activities at Briarwood, including the weekly “Fitness over Fifty” exercise.
Originally published August 11, 1999.
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Mall sponsors event to help older people avoid scams
Seniors like Ypsilanti resident, Grace Allen, 84, got a chance Tuesday to peruse information on everything from fraudulent health insurance billings to whether she gets enough fiber in her daily diet.
Allen was among 400 people who attended Briarwood Mall’s “Senior Safety Awareness Day,” the first senior event at the shopping center to address both health and safety issues.
“The response that we got was really positive,” said Marc Strich, Briarwood Mall general manager.
TRAID, a consortium of local area law enforcement agencies, senior organizations and local social service agencies, set up information booths and had experts on hand for questions.
Major concerns facing seniors are charity scams, telephone fraud and credit card fraud, said Irma Swanter, Michigan district coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons, an organization addressing political and social issues for people over 50.
She said AARP had documented stories where seniors have been defrauded of tens of thousands of dollars. The seniors thought they were giving to charity or getting a chance to win a free cruise. She said in some cases, seniors are scammed over several months, even years.
“(Seniors) are lonely. They like to talk on the phone or have company. They’re just vulnerable,” said Uva Wilbanks, chairwoman for TRIAD.
Seniors at Tuesday’s event were given information on how to avoid telephone fraud and know their rights regarding unsolicited telemarketing calls and letters. Sometimes seniors get bombarded by scammers, specifically because of their age, Wilbanks said.
Deputy Lisa King of the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department recalled a recent case where an older Milan woman almost lost $1,200 on a scam.
Two men came uninvited to her home and offered to paint her barn, King said. The woman, in her late 70s, wrote them a check and the pair left without doing any work.
The woman’s son, an employee of the Ypsilanti Police Department, tracked the men that day—and the two were arrested at the bank as they were preparing to cash the check, King said.
Allen said she felt prepared for telephone scams by not answering the telephone unless she knows who is calling.
“I watch my bill every month. I got caller ID (and an answering machine), and if its important they will leave a message, she said.
Other booths at the mall gave information about Huron Valley paramedic service, area support groups, medical care and volunteer opportunities.
The event, said Tom Fisher, security director at Briarwood Mall, adds to other “senior friendly” activities at Briarwood, including the weekly “Fitness over Fifty” exercise.
Originally published August 11, 1999.
Monday, August 09, 1999
Interest high in Catholic law school
Interest high in Catholic law school-Hundreds of prospective students apply to Ave Maria; 100 instructors interested as well
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The newly-formed Catholic law school in Ann Arbor is considering prospective students for fall 2000--an almost eight months before the April 1 admissions deadline.
Ave Maria administrators said hundreds of prospective students have called the admissions office asking for information on requirements, courses and faculty.
Michael Kenney, dean of admissions, estimated that 200 prospective law students from 40 states have called Ave Maria since the law school was formed four months ago.
About 100 faculty at other institutions have expressed interest in joining Ave Maria, Kenney added.
Ave Maria administrators are encouraged by the response, said Kenney, who had been acting dean of admissions until this month.
“I’m very enthused about the opportunity to be involved in the process of starting a new Catholic law school. The vision … is to be a national law school that will have high admissions standards,” he said.
Led by interim Dean Joseph Falvey of Grosse Pointe Park Ave. Maria Law School is preparing a specialized, Catholic-centered law curriculum and recruiting faculty.
Bernard Dobranski of the Catholic University Law School in Washington, D.C. will become Ave Maria dean in a few months. Judge Robert Bork was recently named as Ave Maria’s first faculty member, Kenney said.
The school, temporarily located at Thomas More Center at the Domino’s Farms, plans to admit 50 first-year law students in the fall 2000. It will gradually increase enrollment size to several hundred students, Kenney said.
Officials are still working out major details for short-and-long-term campus planning. A real estate agent said Ave. Maria is leasing an 85,000-square foot building at 4375 Plymouth Road, where Ave Maria may house administrative offices and classrooms.
Plans for student housing to fall 2000 are uncertain, school officials said.
However, admission services are up and running, and Kenney said the law school intends to process applications this year.
Law school candidates will be expected to fill out a two-page application. Admission will be assessed by grade-point average, standardized test scores, letters of recommendations and the prospective student’s personal statement.
Ave Maria, Kenney said, welcomes applicants of any religion.
Ave Maria will be the 26th Catholic law university in the United States. It is in the process of obtaining its accreditation with the Michigan Board of Education, published reports said.
Thomas Monaghan, the former owner of the Domino’s Pizza empire and founder of the Ave Maria foundation will reportedly spend $50 million of the law school.
For information, contact Kenney by email at mkenney@avemarialaw.org or by phone (734) 930-4408.
Originally published Tuesday, August 9, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The newly-formed Catholic law school in Ann Arbor is considering prospective students for fall 2000--an almost eight months before the April 1 admissions deadline.
Ave Maria administrators said hundreds of prospective students have called the admissions office asking for information on requirements, courses and faculty.
Michael Kenney, dean of admissions, estimated that 200 prospective law students from 40 states have called Ave Maria since the law school was formed four months ago.
About 100 faculty at other institutions have expressed interest in joining Ave Maria, Kenney added.
Ave Maria administrators are encouraged by the response, said Kenney, who had been acting dean of admissions until this month.
“I’m very enthused about the opportunity to be involved in the process of starting a new Catholic law school. The vision … is to be a national law school that will have high admissions standards,” he said.
Led by interim Dean Joseph Falvey of Grosse Pointe Park Ave. Maria Law School is preparing a specialized, Catholic-centered law curriculum and recruiting faculty.
Bernard Dobranski of the Catholic University Law School in Washington, D.C. will become Ave Maria dean in a few months. Judge Robert Bork was recently named as Ave Maria’s first faculty member, Kenney said.
The school, temporarily located at Thomas More Center at the Domino’s Farms, plans to admit 50 first-year law students in the fall 2000. It will gradually increase enrollment size to several hundred students, Kenney said.
Officials are still working out major details for short-and-long-term campus planning. A real estate agent said Ave. Maria is leasing an 85,000-square foot building at 4375 Plymouth Road, where Ave Maria may house administrative offices and classrooms.
Plans for student housing to fall 2000 are uncertain, school officials said.
However, admission services are up and running, and Kenney said the law school intends to process applications this year.
Law school candidates will be expected to fill out a two-page application. Admission will be assessed by grade-point average, standardized test scores, letters of recommendations and the prospective student’s personal statement.
Ave Maria, Kenney said, welcomes applicants of any religion.
Ave Maria will be the 26th Catholic law university in the United States. It is in the process of obtaining its accreditation with the Michigan Board of Education, published reports said.
Thomas Monaghan, the former owner of the Domino’s Pizza empire and founder of the Ave Maria foundation will reportedly spend $50 million of the law school.
For information, contact Kenney by email at mkenney@avemarialaw.org or by phone (734) 930-4408.
Originally published Tuesday, August 9, 1999
Friday, August 06, 1999
Towns with same names as girl invite her to be parade marshal
Ashley Hudson, Indiana
Towns with same names as girl invite her to be parade marshal
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Ashley Hudson, 10, says she’s a “regular kids” with one exception” “I have two towns with my name.”
These towns are a mile apart in the northeast corner of Indiana and they’ve adopted the Pittsfield Township girl as a unifying spirit.
Ashley and her family will be the guests of Ashley, population 900, and Hudson, population 700, this weekend when she serves as the grand marshal of the towns’ annual parade.
Back in early 1997, Ashley’s maternal grandparents were driving along I-69 on the way to Michigan when an exit sign caught their attention. It referred to two towns just off the interstate, “Ashley” was listed first, followed by “Hudson.”
To the grandparents, however, it wasn’t a reference to two towns—it was their granddaughters name. So they pulled over and took a picture of it, said Sandy Hudson, Ashley’s mother.
Several weeks later, the Hudson family, including Ashley’s father, Mike, and her brother Josh, 14, visited the two towns and looked around. Sandy Hudson late wrote to the two towns, telling them about her daughter’s name.
The towns’ joint chamber of commerce wrote a letter back, asking if Ashley and her family wanted to participate in the first annual Ashley and Hudson parade, which was being held in the spirit of cooperation between the two former rival towns. Ashley agreed and attended the first parade in 1997; this year’s parade will be her second.
Pat Alleshouse, secretary for the towns’ chamber of commerce, who has lived in Ashley since the 1950s, said the two towns haven’t always gotten along.
“Over a hundred years ago, Hudson was already a town. The people who owned the land right next to Hudson couldn’t get together (with the Hudson residents) on the price. They moved on down the railroad track and created the town of Ashley.”
Alleshouse says, though, that the longstanding rivalry isn’t as bad as it used to be. Events like the parade bridge the two towns,, which are located just west of I-69, about 18 miles south of the Michigan border.
Ashley, the girl, will receive a complimentary Ashley Hudson hat and T-shirt, free meals, lodging, a ride in the twons’ 1978 silver Corvette during the parade, and a bouquet of yellow flowers—the town’s official color.
“We just fell in love with her right away,” Alleshouse said. “They’re just the nicest family. Just a regular, friendly girl.”
Ashley who will be a student at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor this fall, is looking forward to the trip this weekend.
“They saw me when I was 8, and they can see how much I’ve grown,” she said.
Originally published Friday, August 6, 1999
Photo Caption: Ashley Hudson, 10, holds up a flier for the Ashley-Hudson festival in Ashley and Hudson, Ind., this weekend. Hudson will be the grand marshal for the festival’s parade for the second year in a row.
Towns with same names as girl invite her to be parade marshal
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Ashley Hudson, 10, says she’s a “regular kids” with one exception” “I have two towns with my name.”
These towns are a mile apart in the northeast corner of Indiana and they’ve adopted the Pittsfield Township girl as a unifying spirit.
Ashley and her family will be the guests of Ashley, population 900, and Hudson, population 700, this weekend when she serves as the grand marshal of the towns’ annual parade.
Back in early 1997, Ashley’s maternal grandparents were driving along I-69 on the way to Michigan when an exit sign caught their attention. It referred to two towns just off the interstate, “Ashley” was listed first, followed by “Hudson.”
To the grandparents, however, it wasn’t a reference to two towns—it was their granddaughters name. So they pulled over and took a picture of it, said Sandy Hudson, Ashley’s mother.
Several weeks later, the Hudson family, including Ashley’s father, Mike, and her brother Josh, 14, visited the two towns and looked around. Sandy Hudson late wrote to the two towns, telling them about her daughter’s name.
The towns’ joint chamber of commerce wrote a letter back, asking if Ashley and her family wanted to participate in the first annual Ashley and Hudson parade, which was being held in the spirit of cooperation between the two former rival towns. Ashley agreed and attended the first parade in 1997; this year’s parade will be her second.
Pat Alleshouse, secretary for the towns’ chamber of commerce, who has lived in Ashley since the 1950s, said the two towns haven’t always gotten along.
“Over a hundred years ago, Hudson was already a town. The people who owned the land right next to Hudson couldn’t get together (with the Hudson residents) on the price. They moved on down the railroad track and created the town of Ashley.”
Alleshouse says, though, that the longstanding rivalry isn’t as bad as it used to be. Events like the parade bridge the two towns,, which are located just west of I-69, about 18 miles south of the Michigan border.
Ashley, the girl, will receive a complimentary Ashley Hudson hat and T-shirt, free meals, lodging, a ride in the twons’ 1978 silver Corvette during the parade, and a bouquet of yellow flowers—the town’s official color.
“We just fell in love with her right away,” Alleshouse said. “They’re just the nicest family. Just a regular, friendly girl.”
Ashley who will be a student at St. Francis of Assisi in Ann Arbor this fall, is looking forward to the trip this weekend.
“They saw me when I was 8, and they can see how much I’ve grown,” she said.
Originally published Friday, August 6, 1999
Photo Caption: Ashley Hudson, 10, holds up a flier for the Ashley-Hudson festival in Ashley and Hudson, Ind., this weekend. Hudson will be the grand marshal for the festival’s parade for the second year in a row.
Thursday, July 29, 1999
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding, The Ann Arbor News
The Ann Arbor News
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding
By Pamela Appea
The Washtenaw County Michigan State University Extension Service is launching an “Ag Ambassadors” program this fall so that farmers and nonfarmers can better understand each other.
Due to perceived tension and miscommunication between the two groups, the Washtenaw-area Agricultural Advisory Council--a group of farmers and MSU agricultural administrators--decided to start a program to promote better understanding of local agricultural practices.
Also, because of the low use of locally produced Washtenaw agricultural products—most Washtenaw County grains or meat are exported out of the county—“mutually beneficial” business opportunities could be an additional perk of the program, MSU administrators said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Nancy Thelan, MSU Extension Director.
The extension office is looking for 10 county residents, including business professionals and local community leaders, to participate in the federally funded program and then pass on the information they learn to others, said Mike Score, the local Extension agricultural agent.
The program, which runs for a year and is funded with a grant of about $3,000, starts Sept. 18 with a Rural Community Appreciation Tour orientation.
The agricultural ambassadors, who will be selected for community involvement and interest in agricultural issues, will tour Way-lene Acres Dairy Farm, Shady Hills Farm and Plymouth Orchard during four meetings in 1999-2000.
“By educating 10 people, they become ambassadors to other nonfarmers, and they will let nonfarmers know what local agricultural concerns are,” said Score.
The “Ag ambassadors” program won’t just be quaint farm tours, Score said. The program will emphasize difficulties in farming and ambassadors will do some hands-on work, including milking cows and baling hay, in addition to talking to farmers. The group will meet at different points in the year to educate the ambassadors about the weather-related difficulties farmers may face.
Currently, there are 200 full-time farmers in Washtenaw County, said Score.
Although Washtenaw County farms have dwindled in numbers in the past 30 years, 160,000 acres of land are still farmed, Thelen and Score said.
Score, who works with farmers on educational program, said many have expressed concerns that nonfarmers don’t care where Washtenaw County corn goes or that farming land in developing areas are not seen as relevant to the entire community.
Score said that he hopes the program will also get business-minded “Ag Ambassadors” aware and excited about agribusiness opportunities.
Although some Washtenaw County residents do make a habit of buying locally produced fruits and vegetables, Score said, there is no medium for selling other Washtenaw county grains and agricultural products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, beef and pork—which local farms ship out of the county.
Buying locally produced grains or other food does not guarantee that the price will be lower. However, Score said, one benefit of supporting Washtenaw county agriculture might be better product quality.
The “Ag Ambassador” outreach program may expand and become an annual program in the next several years, MSU agricultural administrators said.
Anyone interested in the Ag Ambassadors program should contact Mike Score at (734) 971-0079, extension 2619, by Aug. 20.
Originally published Thursday, July 29, 1999
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding
By Pamela Appea
The Washtenaw County Michigan State University Extension Service is launching an “Ag Ambassadors” program this fall so that farmers and nonfarmers can better understand each other.
Due to perceived tension and miscommunication between the two groups, the Washtenaw-area Agricultural Advisory Council--a group of farmers and MSU agricultural administrators--decided to start a program to promote better understanding of local agricultural practices.
Also, because of the low use of locally produced Washtenaw agricultural products—most Washtenaw County grains or meat are exported out of the county—“mutually beneficial” business opportunities could be an additional perk of the program, MSU administrators said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Nancy Thelan, MSU Extension Director.
The extension office is looking for 10 county residents, including business professionals and local community leaders, to participate in the federally funded program and then pass on the information they learn to others, said Mike Score, the local Extension agricultural agent.
The program, which runs for a year and is funded with a grant of about $3,000, starts Sept. 18 with a Rural Community Appreciation Tour orientation.
The agricultural ambassadors, who will be selected for community involvement and interest in agricultural issues, will tour Way-lene Acres Dairy Farm, Shady Hills Farm and Plymouth Orchard during four meetings in 1999-2000.
“By educating 10 people, they become ambassadors to other nonfarmers, and they will let nonfarmers know what local agricultural concerns are,” said Score.
The “Ag ambassadors” program won’t just be quaint farm tours, Score said. The program will emphasize difficulties in farming and ambassadors will do some hands-on work, including milking cows and baling hay, in addition to talking to farmers. The group will meet at different points in the year to educate the ambassadors about the weather-related difficulties farmers may face.
Currently, there are 200 full-time farmers in Washtenaw County, said Score.
Although Washtenaw County farms have dwindled in numbers in the past 30 years, 160,000 acres of land are still farmed, Thelen and Score said.
Score, who works with farmers on educational program, said many have expressed concerns that nonfarmers don’t care where Washtenaw County corn goes or that farming land in developing areas are not seen as relevant to the entire community.
Score said that he hopes the program will also get business-minded “Ag Ambassadors” aware and excited about agribusiness opportunities.
Although some Washtenaw County residents do make a habit of buying locally produced fruits and vegetables, Score said, there is no medium for selling other Washtenaw county grains and agricultural products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, beef and pork—which local farms ship out of the county.
Buying locally produced grains or other food does not guarantee that the price will be lower. However, Score said, one benefit of supporting Washtenaw county agriculture might be better product quality.
The “Ag Ambassador” outreach program may expand and become an annual program in the next several years, MSU agricultural administrators said.
Anyone interested in the Ag Ambassadors program should contact Mike Score at (734) 971-0079, extension 2619, by Aug. 20.
Originally published Thursday, July 29, 1999
Visit to Dawn Farm helps special needs campers learn
Visit to Dawn Farm helps special needs campers learn
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
As Nondi Lampkin, 4, snapped broccoli heads from Dawn Farm’s garden and placed them in her yellow bucket, she said she planned to cooker her small harvest later on that afternoon—adding some supermarket-bought melted cheese.
Lampkin was one of more than 20 children from Ann Arbor’s Early Learning Center summer camp program who visited Dawn Farm Wednesday.
The 4 ½ week camp works with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs, grouping them together with other preschool children, so that all children can learn and have fun. One of the camp’s most popular field trips is to the Ypsilanti-area farm, where children pet farm animals, leaf-paint, go on hayrides, and garden for half the day.
Ann Telfer is one of the organizer’s of the integrated summer camp—which is in its third year. Telfer, the parent of a 6-year-old autistic child, David, said she felt there was a need for a local camp that took an integrated learning approach.
“This entire project points to the positive influence of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and its voice in requiring schools and communities at large to include and accommodate children with differing abilities in all aspects of life,” she said.
Telfer said the Dawn Farm trip is particularly successful for autistic children, who enjoy the direct contact with animals—since some have difficulty playing with other children or talking with adults.
Camps coordinators work on strengthening children’s verbal skill and play ability. The camp also gives non-special needs children the opportunity to learn about others who are different.
“I think it’s remarkable that we are now working in integrated classrooms,” said Linda Johnson, a special education teacher with the Ann Arbor Pre-School and Family Center.
Telfer said that the idea for the camp was realized with the support of Johnson, a 30-year teaching veteran and Carol Fast, an Ann Arbor-area speech pathologist. They and other parents worked with the Early Learning Center, which is a private school, and Ann Arbor Public School administrators to start the summer camp.
Jim Reitz, an Ann Arbor parent, said he was pleased with the camp. He went along with the group for the Dawn Farm field trip.
“My son (Duncan), 4) really likes animals. There’s nothing like a farm for these kids,” he said.
Telfer said it’s important to provide autistic children the opportunity to talk with other children during the preschool years. In her opinion, though, the camp benefits all the enrolled children.
Telfer’s son David, said he enjoyed feeding the goats and the llamas at the farm. “I feel proud the goat ate the leaves,” he said after thanking the animal.
Sam Colvin St. Cyr, 5, didn’t have much time to talk about his favorite farm activity. He said, “I have to feed my hungry goat,” he said, not breaking his stride.
The children also looked at llamas and the farm’s three pigs, and they petted baby turkeys and baby rabbits.
Dawn Farm which operates as a residential drug rehabilitation center, recruited resident volunteers to participate in the children’s farm experience, said Alayne Speltz, operations manager.
“I think it’s fantastic. They put a lot of smiles on our faces,” said Roxanne Denike, a Dawn Farm resident from the Whitmore Lake area.
The trip to Dawn Farm was partially subsidized by the Ann Arbor Branch of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association, in addition to parent’s camp enrollment fees.
Originally Published July 29, 1999.
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
As Nondi Lampkin, 4, snapped broccoli heads from Dawn Farm’s garden and placed them in her yellow bucket, she said she planned to cooker her small harvest later on that afternoon—adding some supermarket-bought melted cheese.
Lampkin was one of more than 20 children from Ann Arbor’s Early Learning Center summer camp program who visited Dawn Farm Wednesday.
The 4 ½ week camp works with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs, grouping them together with other preschool children, so that all children can learn and have fun. One of the camp’s most popular field trips is to the Ypsilanti-area farm, where children pet farm animals, leaf-paint, go on hayrides, and garden for half the day.
Ann Telfer is one of the organizer’s of the integrated summer camp—which is in its third year. Telfer, the parent of a 6-year-old autistic child, David, said she felt there was a need for a local camp that took an integrated learning approach.
“This entire project points to the positive influence of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and its voice in requiring schools and communities at large to include and accommodate children with differing abilities in all aspects of life,” she said.
Telfer said the Dawn Farm trip is particularly successful for autistic children, who enjoy the direct contact with animals—since some have difficulty playing with other children or talking with adults.
Camps coordinators work on strengthening children’s verbal skill and play ability. The camp also gives non-special needs children the opportunity to learn about others who are different.
“I think it’s remarkable that we are now working in integrated classrooms,” said Linda Johnson, a special education teacher with the Ann Arbor Pre-School and Family Center.
Telfer said that the idea for the camp was realized with the support of Johnson, a 30-year teaching veteran and Carol Fast, an Ann Arbor-area speech pathologist. They and other parents worked with the Early Learning Center, which is a private school, and Ann Arbor Public School administrators to start the summer camp.
Jim Reitz, an Ann Arbor parent, said he was pleased with the camp. He went along with the group for the Dawn Farm field trip.
“My son (Duncan), 4) really likes animals. There’s nothing like a farm for these kids,” he said.
Telfer said it’s important to provide autistic children the opportunity to talk with other children during the preschool years. In her opinion, though, the camp benefits all the enrolled children.
Telfer’s son David, said he enjoyed feeding the goats and the llamas at the farm. “I feel proud the goat ate the leaves,” he said after thanking the animal.
Sam Colvin St. Cyr, 5, didn’t have much time to talk about his favorite farm activity. He said, “I have to feed my hungry goat,” he said, not breaking his stride.
The children also looked at llamas and the farm’s three pigs, and they petted baby turkeys and baby rabbits.
Dawn Farm which operates as a residential drug rehabilitation center, recruited resident volunteers to participate in the children’s farm experience, said Alayne Speltz, operations manager.
“I think it’s fantastic. They put a lot of smiles on our faces,” said Roxanne Denike, a Dawn Farm resident from the Whitmore Lake area.
The trip to Dawn Farm was partially subsidized by the Ann Arbor Branch of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association, in addition to parent’s camp enrollment fees.
Originally Published July 29, 1999.
Monday, July 26, 1999
Runners carry torch for peace
Runners carry torch for peace
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key. She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key. She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
Sunday, July 25, 1999
Getting parking takes a ‘find’ art
Getting parking takes a ‘find’ art
The Ann Arbor News
By Colleen Newvine, Rob Hoffman and Pamela Appea
Kathy Krick went into this year’s art fairs knowing parking was going to be a challenge.
Wednesday morning, her hunch proved right.
Krick, director of the State Street Art Fair, had to shuffle artists around and provide alternative parking this year because typically many of her fair’s artists park in the 786-space Maynard Street structure, closed this year for repairs.
Krick had encouraged many of the fair’s artists to park in the Liberty Square structure instead, and issues many of them four-day parking passes they paid for in advance.
Come Wednesday morning, Liberty Square was full by 8 a.m. She heard that some artists showed only their artist identification, not a parking pass, and were admitted, leading to overcrowding.
“There’s always some first-day parking glitches,” commiserated Dave Kronenberg, director of the Summer Art Fair.
Krick said things seemed much smoother Thursday after she’d talked to people at the structure and checked in with some of the artists.
“Well, at least I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said.
Fair? What fair?
Ask artists in the Ann Arbor Fairs what pieces have caught their eyes and the likely response is a bewildered chuckle or a shoulder shrug. With four long days of selling, often alone or with one assistant, there’s not much time for strolling the streets.
Loel Martin, a photographer from Skokie, Ill., has been in the Summer Art Fair (booth D373) about a decade now, and though he thinks the quality of the show overall is on the rise, he can’t cite any particular booth that called to him.
“I’ve only seen what’s between here and the car,” he said, gesturing from his booth on Liberty Street down toward Main Street. “Now you could ask me about my art …”
-March Russell, an assistant at the Harvard Reflections Booth on Main Street (D424), said he’s snuck a few minutes here and there to look at other booths. He’s enjoyed the variety of photography, and the different types of glass work, though he didn’t have one particular favorite of either.
“It’s fun to see the great variety of work that’s produced,” he said.
One he did like, not far from the Harvard Reflections booth, is the assortment of rattam tables by Sally Bright (booth D349.)
Not so early risers
Spencer Porter did something Thursday that he had never done before in his 27 years as an exhibitor at the Summer Art Fair on Main Street.
He cooked himself breakfast.
“I had time,” said Porter, an Ann Arbor resident who displays life-sized casts (D470.) “It was great.”
It’s all due to the art fair’s new opening time of 10 a.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. Artists lobbied for the later hour to cut down on the amount of time they spend outside every day.
Are people paying attention to the new hours? Not really. At seems to be an art fair tradition, people were out on the streets before 8 a.m. munching on bagel, sipping coffee and sneaking peeks at the open booths. Plus the AATA is still running shuttle buses starting at 8 a.m.
“We figure it’s going to take a few years for people to get to the new hours,” said Liz Nowland-Margolis, an AATA spokeswoman.
Artists Robert Martin of King George, Va., (D440) arrived on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. Thursday--the same time he had traditionally showed up to sell his sculptures made out of recycled musical instruments.
“If you’re doing an art show and you wait until 10 a.m., it’s not professional,” he said.
He gives good face
Mark Hammond of Grand Rapids sells a number of musical instruments like wooden drums and other noisemakers such as rain sticks and wind chimes on Liberty Street (D324.)
But even as children bang on a small wooden drum, Hammond offers something completely unrelated--a sign beckons people to take advantage of free facial massage.
By Thursday, he’s only done a handful of them.
“It usually takes a while for people to realize it’s not a gimmick,” he said.
The massage takes about a minute, with Hammond rubbing and pressing on various points of the face while the recipient sits in his chair behind the booth.
Hammond used to live in Thailand, and while there, he studies with monks and learned about how blood flows and the skin works.
Sign up, sign on
With 500,000 pairs of eyeballs expected this week, it’s prime time to share a message.
The not-for-profit row on East Liberty Street has its typical diverse range of booths, including the Southeast Michigan Naturists and Ronald McDonald House.
One anti-abortion advocate took advantage of the audience by carrying a large placard with a graphic picture of an aborted fetus and text describing the picture as the remains of a child.
“Oh no, we’re in the weird section,” Holly Speers, an Ontario potter, said to her two fellow potters. As they briskly walked by the booths, the group explained they drove in Thursday from Canada to see the art, not to listen to any impromptu lectures.
Hare Krishna monks Giri-Govardhana Das and Iksraku-Das, both of Detroit, have come to the art fairs for years to talk to people about the “pure love of God.” Their both occasionally offers free vegetarian food, a time when they admit they are the busiest.
The Michigan Greyhound connection is a group that works to find non-lethal alternatives for the estimated 30,000 greyhound dogs--a year--that are bred but then not necessarily used for racing.
As volunteer Stacey Ignagni sad by one of two greyhounds--who were well protected from the heat under the booth’s tent--she said the art fairs are a great way to publicize the dogs’ plight.
Much less weighty was the message touted by an employee of Arbor Brewing Co. “Beer. It’s like art, but wetter.”
Smile, You’re on CTV.
For the ninth year in a row, the Community Television Network has its camera trained on the art fairs.
At their tent on South Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street, producers with the Ann Arbor public-access channel try to entice passers-by[s] into saying hello on camera. One in four usually are amenable, says Ralph Sameron, CTV’s facility manager.
“After a while, you can spot who you should approach.”
About 20 hours of tape will be distilled into 14 hours of programming. CTV began broadcasting the results Wednesday night. Most people just say a few words, like “Hi mom” and other greetings, Sameron said. But there are always a few people who like to juggle, perform dramatic readings and even show off their pet snakes.
Sidewalk sales
With the art comes the sales.
Many local businesses set up tables bearing discounted merchandise, and other businesses plan on increase sales during the fairs.
Sales at most downtown ice cream establishments were busy Thursday. With lines well out the door at Stucchi’s most of the day, Megan Cagney, the manager of the sore on South State Street and Washtenaw Avenue estimated that the State Street location sold at least 150 gallons of ice cream.
At Kilwin’s on East Liberty Street, the “swamped” owner Karen Piehutkoski estimated that her store did well on opening art fair day--despite the rain.
“What we sold yesterday was what we might (usually) sell in an average week,” she said, noting that the day’s sales topped 200 gallons.
Copping a spot
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has long been a fixture of the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs. This year, the Ann Arbor Police joined the roster.
Vicki Motsinger, crime analyst with the department, said she’s been surprised by the number of visitors she’s seen at the booth on Main and Liberty streets.
People have asked a variety of art fair questions, like where the find the bathrooms, but they’ve also taken an interest in a display of illegal drugs.
Better bags
When Shary Brown sat down last winter to view slides of the 1998 Street Art Fair, she was pleased with what she saw.
Except those little yellow things that kept appearing in her pictures.
“I didn’t know what they were,” she said. “Then when I saw one up close, I realized. ‘Oh, it’s a parking meter. That’s pretty ugly. What can I do? I can decorate it,’ so I did.”
This summer, instead of being covered with city-issued bright yellow bags, the area’s 43 meters feature bags decorated with this year’s Street Art Fair logo--a picture of a wooden shack reminiscent of the fair’s former booths.
Originally published July 25, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Colleen Newvine, Rob Hoffman and Pamela Appea
Kathy Krick went into this year’s art fairs knowing parking was going to be a challenge.
Wednesday morning, her hunch proved right.
Krick, director of the State Street Art Fair, had to shuffle artists around and provide alternative parking this year because typically many of her fair’s artists park in the 786-space Maynard Street structure, closed this year for repairs.
Krick had encouraged many of the fair’s artists to park in the Liberty Square structure instead, and issues many of them four-day parking passes they paid for in advance.
Come Wednesday morning, Liberty Square was full by 8 a.m. She heard that some artists showed only their artist identification, not a parking pass, and were admitted, leading to overcrowding.
“There’s always some first-day parking glitches,” commiserated Dave Kronenberg, director of the Summer Art Fair.
Krick said things seemed much smoother Thursday after she’d talked to people at the structure and checked in with some of the artists.
“Well, at least I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said.
Fair? What fair?
Ask artists in the Ann Arbor Fairs what pieces have caught their eyes and the likely response is a bewildered chuckle or a shoulder shrug. With four long days of selling, often alone or with one assistant, there’s not much time for strolling the streets.
Loel Martin, a photographer from Skokie, Ill., has been in the Summer Art Fair (booth D373) about a decade now, and though he thinks the quality of the show overall is on the rise, he can’t cite any particular booth that called to him.
“I’ve only seen what’s between here and the car,” he said, gesturing from his booth on Liberty Street down toward Main Street. “Now you could ask me about my art …”
-March Russell, an assistant at the Harvard Reflections Booth on Main Street (D424), said he’s snuck a few minutes here and there to look at other booths. He’s enjoyed the variety of photography, and the different types of glass work, though he didn’t have one particular favorite of either.
“It’s fun to see the great variety of work that’s produced,” he said.
One he did like, not far from the Harvard Reflections booth, is the assortment of rattam tables by Sally Bright (booth D349.)
Not so early risers
Spencer Porter did something Thursday that he had never done before in his 27 years as an exhibitor at the Summer Art Fair on Main Street.
He cooked himself breakfast.
“I had time,” said Porter, an Ann Arbor resident who displays life-sized casts (D470.) “It was great.”
It’s all due to the art fair’s new opening time of 10 a.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. Artists lobbied for the later hour to cut down on the amount of time they spend outside every day.
Are people paying attention to the new hours? Not really. At seems to be an art fair tradition, people were out on the streets before 8 a.m. munching on bagel, sipping coffee and sneaking peeks at the open booths. Plus the AATA is still running shuttle buses starting at 8 a.m.
“We figure it’s going to take a few years for people to get to the new hours,” said Liz Nowland-Margolis, an AATA spokeswoman.
Artists Robert Martin of King George, Va., (D440) arrived on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. Thursday--the same time he had traditionally showed up to sell his sculptures made out of recycled musical instruments.
“If you’re doing an art show and you wait until 10 a.m., it’s not professional,” he said.
He gives good face
Mark Hammond of Grand Rapids sells a number of musical instruments like wooden drums and other noisemakers such as rain sticks and wind chimes on Liberty Street (D324.)
But even as children bang on a small wooden drum, Hammond offers something completely unrelated--a sign beckons people to take advantage of free facial massage.
By Thursday, he’s only done a handful of them.
“It usually takes a while for people to realize it’s not a gimmick,” he said.
The massage takes about a minute, with Hammond rubbing and pressing on various points of the face while the recipient sits in his chair behind the booth.
Hammond used to live in Thailand, and while there, he studies with monks and learned about how blood flows and the skin works.
Sign up, sign on
With 500,000 pairs of eyeballs expected this week, it’s prime time to share a message.
The not-for-profit row on East Liberty Street has its typical diverse range of booths, including the Southeast Michigan Naturists and Ronald McDonald House.
One anti-abortion advocate took advantage of the audience by carrying a large placard with a graphic picture of an aborted fetus and text describing the picture as the remains of a child.
“Oh no, we’re in the weird section,” Holly Speers, an Ontario potter, said to her two fellow potters. As they briskly walked by the booths, the group explained they drove in Thursday from Canada to see the art, not to listen to any impromptu lectures.
Hare Krishna monks Giri-Govardhana Das and Iksraku-Das, both of Detroit, have come to the art fairs for years to talk to people about the “pure love of God.” Their both occasionally offers free vegetarian food, a time when they admit they are the busiest.
The Michigan Greyhound connection is a group that works to find non-lethal alternatives for the estimated 30,000 greyhound dogs--a year--that are bred but then not necessarily used for racing.
As volunteer Stacey Ignagni sad by one of two greyhounds--who were well protected from the heat under the booth’s tent--she said the art fairs are a great way to publicize the dogs’ plight.
Much less weighty was the message touted by an employee of Arbor Brewing Co. “Beer. It’s like art, but wetter.”
Smile, You’re on CTV.
For the ninth year in a row, the Community Television Network has its camera trained on the art fairs.
At their tent on South Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street, producers with the Ann Arbor public-access channel try to entice passers-by[s] into saying hello on camera. One in four usually are amenable, says Ralph Sameron, CTV’s facility manager.
“After a while, you can spot who you should approach.”
About 20 hours of tape will be distilled into 14 hours of programming. CTV began broadcasting the results Wednesday night. Most people just say a few words, like “Hi mom” and other greetings, Sameron said. But there are always a few people who like to juggle, perform dramatic readings and even show off their pet snakes.
Sidewalk sales
With the art comes the sales.
Many local businesses set up tables bearing discounted merchandise, and other businesses plan on increase sales during the fairs.
Sales at most downtown ice cream establishments were busy Thursday. With lines well out the door at Stucchi’s most of the day, Megan Cagney, the manager of the sore on South State Street and Washtenaw Avenue estimated that the State Street location sold at least 150 gallons of ice cream.
At Kilwin’s on East Liberty Street, the “swamped” owner Karen Piehutkoski estimated that her store did well on opening art fair day--despite the rain.
“What we sold yesterday was what we might (usually) sell in an average week,” she said, noting that the day’s sales topped 200 gallons.
Copping a spot
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has long been a fixture of the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs. This year, the Ann Arbor Police joined the roster.
Vicki Motsinger, crime analyst with the department, said she’s been surprised by the number of visitors she’s seen at the booth on Main and Liberty streets.
People have asked a variety of art fair questions, like where the find the bathrooms, but they’ve also taken an interest in a display of illegal drugs.
Better bags
When Shary Brown sat down last winter to view slides of the 1998 Street Art Fair, she was pleased with what she saw.
Except those little yellow things that kept appearing in her pictures.
“I didn’t know what they were,” she said. “Then when I saw one up close, I realized. ‘Oh, it’s a parking meter. That’s pretty ugly. What can I do? I can decorate it,’ so I did.”
This summer, instead of being covered with city-issued bright yellow bags, the area’s 43 meters feature bags decorated with this year’s Street Art Fair logo--a picture of a wooden shack reminiscent of the fair’s former booths.
Originally published July 25, 1999
Thursday, July 22, 1999
Jack Nielsen, former head of floral businesses, dies
Jack Nielsen, former head of floral businesses, dies
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jack Nielsen, co-founder and former president of Ann Arbor-based Nielsen’s Flowers & Greenhouses, died Sunday at home after a yearlong illnesses. He was 86.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Remembered for his quiet and unassuming manner and his business acumen, Nielsen developed the retail side of the family business until his retirement in 1982.
Some associates recall thinking of Nielsen as the “white tornado: because of his light blond hair and high energy. Family members remember that he was difficult to keep up with in the store and on the way to buy fresh plants and flowers.
Nielsen also served as a charter member of the Pittsfield Township zoning Board of the Appeals in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Remembering Nielsen as a natural leader in promoting environmental concerns during zoning ordinance planning, former township supervisor Robert Lillie described Nielsen as a “very fine man” when they were both involved with township service.
A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Nielsen came to the Untied States in 1925 at age 12 with his parents and two brothers.
After living in Des Plains, Ill., and Mt. Clemens, the family settled in Ann Arbor in 1934.
The greenhouse, originally known as Nielsen’s Flower Shop, is located at 1021 Maiden Lane. It is in its 65th year of business this year.
During World War II, the family business experienced some difficult times.
“People weren’t buying flowers then, obviously,” said Paul Nielsen, his son.
To compensate, Jack Nielsen converted some of the greenhouses to henhouses. He then raised chickens, donating thousands of eggs to the University of Michigan community for the war effort, said his daughter-in-law Diane Nielsen.
Nielsen, a traditional and reserved man, “always showed that he cared,” said Mary Ann Nielsen-Nisley. She remembers that her father was instrumental in encouraging her, along with siblings, to be involved with the family businesses and nature.
Nielsen devoted most of his time and energy to the greenhouse and flower shop, working seven days a week. He was president of Nielsen Flowers and Greenhouse from 1959 until 1982.
Inducted into the Ann Arbor Bowling Hall of Fame, Nielsen also enjoyed a long involvement with the Harness Horseman’s Association in Michigan.
Nielsen also is survived by a brother, Paul Nielsen of California; sons Frederick Nielsen and Larry Nielsen; nine grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and his brother Brent F. Nielsen, who also worked at the family business.
Originally published Tuesday, June 22, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jack Nielsen, co-founder and former president of Ann Arbor-based Nielsen’s Flowers & Greenhouses, died Sunday at home after a yearlong illnesses. He was 86.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Remembered for his quiet and unassuming manner and his business acumen, Nielsen developed the retail side of the family business until his retirement in 1982.
Some associates recall thinking of Nielsen as the “white tornado: because of his light blond hair and high energy. Family members remember that he was difficult to keep up with in the store and on the way to buy fresh plants and flowers.
Nielsen also served as a charter member of the Pittsfield Township zoning Board of the Appeals in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Remembering Nielsen as a natural leader in promoting environmental concerns during zoning ordinance planning, former township supervisor Robert Lillie described Nielsen as a “very fine man” when they were both involved with township service.
A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Nielsen came to the Untied States in 1925 at age 12 with his parents and two brothers.
After living in Des Plains, Ill., and Mt. Clemens, the family settled in Ann Arbor in 1934.
The greenhouse, originally known as Nielsen’s Flower Shop, is located at 1021 Maiden Lane. It is in its 65th year of business this year.
During World War II, the family business experienced some difficult times.
“People weren’t buying flowers then, obviously,” said Paul Nielsen, his son.
To compensate, Jack Nielsen converted some of the greenhouses to henhouses. He then raised chickens, donating thousands of eggs to the University of Michigan community for the war effort, said his daughter-in-law Diane Nielsen.
Nielsen, a traditional and reserved man, “always showed that he cared,” said Mary Ann Nielsen-Nisley. She remembers that her father was instrumental in encouraging her, along with siblings, to be involved with the family businesses and nature.
Nielsen devoted most of his time and energy to the greenhouse and flower shop, working seven days a week. He was president of Nielsen Flowers and Greenhouse from 1959 until 1982.
Inducted into the Ann Arbor Bowling Hall of Fame, Nielsen also enjoyed a long involvement with the Harness Horseman’s Association in Michigan.
Nielsen also is survived by a brother, Paul Nielsen of California; sons Frederick Nielsen and Larry Nielsen; nine grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and his brother Brent F. Nielsen, who also worked at the family business.
Originally published Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Church Group raises goal for clothing drive
Church Group raises goal for clothing drive
Organization hopes to provide clothing for 1,000 low-income children
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jewelry retailer Arthur Robertson said he has wanted for years to so something for low-income children in the community. Although Robertson said he often talked with his wife, Sandra, about some of his big dreams for a grassroots community service project, he said he wasn’t sure he could make that commitment.
“Like everyone else, I thought I was too busy.” But after Robertson said he had a vision from God, he knew it was time to act. In 1993, as part of the Bethel AME church outreach program, he started the Quality of Life Resource Center, a clothing center for low-income children at 1511 Traver in Ann Arbor.
The organization’s annual back-to-school clothing drive, the group’s largest venture, tries to provide hundreds of Washtenaw County children with basic staples such as a winter coat or a dictionary for the school year.
Not only do new clothes and school supplies fulfill a practical need for low-income families, but they also provide children with self-esteem, said Roberson, the organization’s executive director.
This year, Robertson said the Quality of Life Center’s goal is to clothe 1,000 children, up from the 560 children for whom the organization provided clothes last year. Although this jump may seem like a stretch. Roberston said his operation has expanded since 1994 when it provided clothes for only 10 families.
“(My) dream has been realized,” he said.
Working from a list of names given by Washtenaw County Interdependence Agency along with families involved in the Head Start program and a local domestic violence shelter, Robertson works with the families’ requests.
“We give them a form and build from that,” he said.
Most children need a jacket, pants, socks, underclothes and shoes. For school supplies, they need one notebook, a pen and a pencil, he said.
J.C. Penney gives the Quality Life Center discounts for the clothing drive.
“The families are very appreciative because the funds (for clothing) are not available,” said Scott Elliott, the director of Head Start’s family services division.
According to Elliott, 90 percent of families who participate in the Head Start program fall under the federal definition of living in poverty, and many are homeless.
A new set of clothes, said Robertson, can cost up to $300, a “luxury” that many low-income families cannot afford. Last year, he estimated that he spent $100 for each child who received new clothes.
“Sometimes … problems pile up, if you take away just one (that helps),” said Gerald Monford Jr., a parent whose children were helped through the program.
The center often struggles to get sustained financial support. This year, the Quality of Life Center has raised $35,000 since March. To reach its goal this year, Robertson said he wants to raise $65,000. The center relies on cash donations from businesses, churches and other organizations for funding.
“(Last year) we were so far from our goal (in the late part of summer), it was frightening,” he said. But, the center ended up providing clothes for 560 children--60 more than expected.
Anyone interested in making a donation can call Robertson at (734) 665-1221 or send checks payable to the Bethel Quality of Life Resource Center to P.O. Box 13099, Ann Arbor, MI 48133. Donations are tax deductible.
Originally published Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Organization hopes to provide clothing for 1,000 low-income children
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jewelry retailer Arthur Robertson said he has wanted for years to so something for low-income children in the community. Although Robertson said he often talked with his wife, Sandra, about some of his big dreams for a grassroots community service project, he said he wasn’t sure he could make that commitment.
“Like everyone else, I thought I was too busy.” But after Robertson said he had a vision from God, he knew it was time to act. In 1993, as part of the Bethel AME church outreach program, he started the Quality of Life Resource Center, a clothing center for low-income children at 1511 Traver in Ann Arbor.
The organization’s annual back-to-school clothing drive, the group’s largest venture, tries to provide hundreds of Washtenaw County children with basic staples such as a winter coat or a dictionary for the school year.
Not only do new clothes and school supplies fulfill a practical need for low-income families, but they also provide children with self-esteem, said Roberson, the organization’s executive director.
This year, Robertson said the Quality of Life Center’s goal is to clothe 1,000 children, up from the 560 children for whom the organization provided clothes last year. Although this jump may seem like a stretch. Roberston said his operation has expanded since 1994 when it provided clothes for only 10 families.
“(My) dream has been realized,” he said.
Working from a list of names given by Washtenaw County Interdependence Agency along with families involved in the Head Start program and a local domestic violence shelter, Robertson works with the families’ requests.
“We give them a form and build from that,” he said.
Most children need a jacket, pants, socks, underclothes and shoes. For school supplies, they need one notebook, a pen and a pencil, he said.
J.C. Penney gives the Quality Life Center discounts for the clothing drive.
“The families are very appreciative because the funds (for clothing) are not available,” said Scott Elliott, the director of Head Start’s family services division.
According to Elliott, 90 percent of families who participate in the Head Start program fall under the federal definition of living in poverty, and many are homeless.
A new set of clothes, said Robertson, can cost up to $300, a “luxury” that many low-income families cannot afford. Last year, he estimated that he spent $100 for each child who received new clothes.
“Sometimes … problems pile up, if you take away just one (that helps),” said Gerald Monford Jr., a parent whose children were helped through the program.
The center often struggles to get sustained financial support. This year, the Quality of Life Center has raised $35,000 since March. To reach its goal this year, Robertson said he wants to raise $65,000. The center relies on cash donations from businesses, churches and other organizations for funding.
“(Last year) we were so far from our goal (in the late part of summer), it was frightening,” he said. But, the center ended up providing clothes for 560 children--60 more than expected.
Anyone interested in making a donation can call Robertson at (734) 665-1221 or send checks payable to the Bethel Quality of Life Resource Center to P.O. Box 13099, Ann Arbor, MI 48133. Donations are tax deductible.
Originally published Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Monday, July 19, 1999
Parking structure gets ‘safety’ phones
Parking structure gets ‘safety’ phones
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Melisa Medina has wondered whether she’s safe when walking through Ann Arbor’s parking garages at night.
“(I sometimes feel) like I have to run to my car,” said Medina of Saline.
City police say crime is not prevalent in the city’s parking structures, but the nature of the buildings can create the perception that people need to be wary in them.
In the past few weeks, bright yellow “safety phones” have been added to several of the city’s parking structures. Officials say the phones can be used by people who must immediately contact police or medical help.
The effort stems from work by the Downtown Development Authority, the city and the Ann Arbor Mayoral Taskforce on Increasing Safety for Women.
“It is something that we wanted to do for a long time,” said Deputy Chief Craig Roderick of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
There are eight “safety phones,” each illuminated by a blue light, at the parking areas on South Fourth Avenue and William Street. Ann and Ashley streets, South First and West Washington streets and West Liberty Street.
And there are 29 phones installed by the DDA at elevator doors and each floor of the Fourth Avenue and the Liberty Street parking structures.
The phones have a button that, when pressed, immediately connects the individual with the 911 dispatcher. Modeled on the University of Michigan safety phone program, the dispatcher also can immediately determine the location of the call.
Lt. Greg Bazick, said police have not received emergency calls on the phones yet, though there have been a couple of pranks.
However, the police said the perception of increased safety is a benefit of the phones.
Kent Baumkel of the mayor’s safety task force said the group spent two years developing the safety phone project.
The DDA and the police department began preliminary discussions in early 1998 on how to implement some new ways to make Ann Arbor residents feel they could have immediate police help, officials said.
“Even if you’re not a victim of crime,” said Susan Pollay, executive director of DDA, “it gives the bad folks the message that this is not the place to get into mischief. It gives the good folks a feeling of comfort.”
Funds for city phones were generated from increased parking meter rates that took effect last year, Roderick said. The total for the city’s part of the project was $17,800.
The task force allocated $25,000 for the safety phones in the 1998-1999 fiscal year, and hopes to expand the project next year. And the DDA has allocated $55,000 through December for the phones.
Representatives for both agencies indicated they plan on installing several more phones in the Maynard Street structures this fall.
They also said that phones will be installed in the next two weeks in the parking area next to the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.
Photo Caption: The city of Ann Arbor, with the Downtown Development Authority, installed ‘safety phones’ in several parking structures such as this one at the Fourth Avenue and William Street structure.
Photo Credit: Larry E. Wright
Originally published Saturday, July 19, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Melisa Medina has wondered whether she’s safe when walking through Ann Arbor’s parking garages at night.
“(I sometimes feel) like I have to run to my car,” said Medina of Saline.
City police say crime is not prevalent in the city’s parking structures, but the nature of the buildings can create the perception that people need to be wary in them.
In the past few weeks, bright yellow “safety phones” have been added to several of the city’s parking structures. Officials say the phones can be used by people who must immediately contact police or medical help.
The effort stems from work by the Downtown Development Authority, the city and the Ann Arbor Mayoral Taskforce on Increasing Safety for Women.
“It is something that we wanted to do for a long time,” said Deputy Chief Craig Roderick of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
There are eight “safety phones,” each illuminated by a blue light, at the parking areas on South Fourth Avenue and William Street. Ann and Ashley streets, South First and West Washington streets and West Liberty Street.
And there are 29 phones installed by the DDA at elevator doors and each floor of the Fourth Avenue and the Liberty Street parking structures.
The phones have a button that, when pressed, immediately connects the individual with the 911 dispatcher. Modeled on the University of Michigan safety phone program, the dispatcher also can immediately determine the location of the call.
Lt. Greg Bazick, said police have not received emergency calls on the phones yet, though there have been a couple of pranks.
However, the police said the perception of increased safety is a benefit of the phones.
Kent Baumkel of the mayor’s safety task force said the group spent two years developing the safety phone project.
The DDA and the police department began preliminary discussions in early 1998 on how to implement some new ways to make Ann Arbor residents feel they could have immediate police help, officials said.
“Even if you’re not a victim of crime,” said Susan Pollay, executive director of DDA, “it gives the bad folks the message that this is not the place to get into mischief. It gives the good folks a feeling of comfort.”
Funds for city phones were generated from increased parking meter rates that took effect last year, Roderick said. The total for the city’s part of the project was $17,800.
The task force allocated $25,000 for the safety phones in the 1998-1999 fiscal year, and hopes to expand the project next year. And the DDA has allocated $55,000 through December for the phones.
Representatives for both agencies indicated they plan on installing several more phones in the Maynard Street structures this fall.
They also said that phones will be installed in the next two weeks in the parking area next to the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.
Photo Caption: The city of Ann Arbor, with the Downtown Development Authority, installed ‘safety phones’ in several parking structures such as this one at the Fourth Avenue and William Street structure.
Photo Credit: Larry E. Wright
Originally published Saturday, July 19, 1999
Sunday, July 18, 1999
Close to Home
Close to Home
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Even many local artists who regularly tour the annual art fairs in places like New York City or Santa Fe say there’s no place like home.
Especially during Art Fairs week in Ann Arbor.
Many of the potters, photographers, craft workers and painters who make the Ann Arbor area their year-round homes say that despite the fairs; grueling demands, they will still feel a sense of relief when the three fairs comprising the event begin on Wednesday.
It’s four days of the year when they won’t have to book plane travel, stay at motels and live out of their suitcase to show and sell their wares.
“(It’s a relief) just to sleep in your own bed,” said Margo West, a ceramic artist who is participating in the State Street Art Fair for the fourth time.
West, an Ann Arbor native, said she loves participating in the State Street fair—even though each vendor spends typical 12-hour days in the July sun and “it’s hard to get away, even for a moment.”
But, she said, the long days are worth it, since she’s at home.
Artists, even the locals, have to go through a rigorous screening process to be included in one of the art fairs. Many artists applied in February, then waited for the decisions in April.
Michael Waldchen, a furniture maker, said it’s a thrill to be accepted into an Ann Arbor fair. He said he probably shares the feeling with other Ann Arbor artists –“no matter how many years they have been doing it.”
With an estimated half-million people coming to the art fairs, most local artists spent last week completing booth arrangements and waiting for extra orders of business cards.
Most artists said they won’t produce rush artwork in the weeks before the fairs. Brighton-area song-bird painter Catherine McClung said she sent her last painting out in early July to be framed.
Local artists said one advantage of being at home was that they didn’t have to worry about broken pottery, exceeding airline weight limitations or misplacing a bag with important fair information – all of which can cause stress when traveling to fairs far away from home.
The comfort of being around family is also part of the home-turf advantage.
Ann Arbor woodworker Mark Orr and Jan Dutcher, a painter, said they never take their children with them to out-of-state art fairs.
“You can’t be watching your children and watching your booth,” Orr said.
Even weekend out-of-state trips—while their three children stay with Orr’s mother—are difficult, he said.
But when the artists are in Ann Arbor, the children ages 11, 9, and 4 can visit their parents at the fairs.
A long-time State Street art fair artist, McClung said the Ann Arbor fair is now one of the only fairs that she attends. When she was starting out in the late 1970s, McClung recalled 25 shows in a year.
After the birth of her daughter 24 years ago, McClung remembered how she juggled substitute teaching, painting and fairs.
After a year or two, though McClung knew that she wanted to do art full-time which also made it easier to be with her young daughter.
For McClung, the art fairs—both then and now—are fun.
“It’s like going to a big cocktail part, without the cocktails,” she said.
Sidebar
Local Angle
State Street Art Fair:
Total artists: 300
Area artists 7
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: 190
Area artists: 25
Summer Art Fair: 550
Area artists: 45
Photo Caption One: Mark Orr makes some measurements on a table leg as he and partner Jan Dutcher work the afternoon away in Orr’s Ann Arbor garage recently. The two were preparing to exhibit this week.
Photo Caption Two: Roann Ogawa glazes a giant ceramic bead recently at her Ann Arbor home. Ogawa and other members of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild will have display space on South University Avenue.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Sunday, July 18, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Even many local artists who regularly tour the annual art fairs in places like New York City or Santa Fe say there’s no place like home.
Especially during Art Fairs week in Ann Arbor.
Many of the potters, photographers, craft workers and painters who make the Ann Arbor area their year-round homes say that despite the fairs; grueling demands, they will still feel a sense of relief when the three fairs comprising the event begin on Wednesday.
It’s four days of the year when they won’t have to book plane travel, stay at motels and live out of their suitcase to show and sell their wares.
“(It’s a relief) just to sleep in your own bed,” said Margo West, a ceramic artist who is participating in the State Street Art Fair for the fourth time.
West, an Ann Arbor native, said she loves participating in the State Street fair—even though each vendor spends typical 12-hour days in the July sun and “it’s hard to get away, even for a moment.”
But, she said, the long days are worth it, since she’s at home.
Artists, even the locals, have to go through a rigorous screening process to be included in one of the art fairs. Many artists applied in February, then waited for the decisions in April.
Michael Waldchen, a furniture maker, said it’s a thrill to be accepted into an Ann Arbor fair. He said he probably shares the feeling with other Ann Arbor artists –“no matter how many years they have been doing it.”
With an estimated half-million people coming to the art fairs, most local artists spent last week completing booth arrangements and waiting for extra orders of business cards.
Most artists said they won’t produce rush artwork in the weeks before the fairs. Brighton-area song-bird painter Catherine McClung said she sent her last painting out in early July to be framed.
Local artists said one advantage of being at home was that they didn’t have to worry about broken pottery, exceeding airline weight limitations or misplacing a bag with important fair information – all of which can cause stress when traveling to fairs far away from home.
The comfort of being around family is also part of the home-turf advantage.
Ann Arbor woodworker Mark Orr and Jan Dutcher, a painter, said they never take their children with them to out-of-state art fairs.
“You can’t be watching your children and watching your booth,” Orr said.
Even weekend out-of-state trips—while their three children stay with Orr’s mother—are difficult, he said.
But when the artists are in Ann Arbor, the children ages 11, 9, and 4 can visit their parents at the fairs.
A long-time State Street art fair artist, McClung said the Ann Arbor fair is now one of the only fairs that she attends. When she was starting out in the late 1970s, McClung recalled 25 shows in a year.
After the birth of her daughter 24 years ago, McClung remembered how she juggled substitute teaching, painting and fairs.
After a year or two, though McClung knew that she wanted to do art full-time which also made it easier to be with her young daughter.
For McClung, the art fairs—both then and now—are fun.
“It’s like going to a big cocktail part, without the cocktails,” she said.
Sidebar
Local Angle
State Street Art Fair:
Total artists: 300
Area artists 7
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: 190
Area artists: 25
Summer Art Fair: 550
Area artists: 45
Photo Caption One: Mark Orr makes some measurements on a table leg as he and partner Jan Dutcher work the afternoon away in Orr’s Ann Arbor garage recently. The two were preparing to exhibit this week.
Photo Caption Two: Roann Ogawa glazes a giant ceramic bead recently at her Ann Arbor home. Ogawa and other members of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild will have display space on South University Avenue.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Sunday, July 18, 1999
Saturday, July 17, 1999
Firefighters Focusing on Safety
Firefighters Focusing on Safety
Training sessions teach specialized techniques for efficient rescue
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most fire fighters worry about the safety of others at the scene of a fire before they think of themselves.
However, the focus is on firefighter safety this week as the Ann Arbor Fire Department hosts 16 veteran firefighters from southeast Michigan as part of a statewide effort to teach specialized safety techniques.
The Rapid Integration Team training program is being conducted at an abandoned building at 436 S. Main Street that will be demolished in the next few weeks. The program focuses on teaching firefighters quick and effective methods of firefighter rescue.
Another firefighter team is working with makeshift structures at the Resource Recovery Center landfill.
Jim Baldwin, the Ann Arbor Fire Department bureau chief will help firefighters approach their work differently.
“For years and years and years, we’ve practiced saving occupants of buildings,” he said. “But we’ve never really done—on a formal basis—enough to save our own people.”
Each graduate of this “train the trainer” program will go to their local departments and teach others what they have learned.
During the course, firefighters review ways to tear down walls, ceilings and floors as quickly as possible. They also practice hoisting methods for injured firefighters using mannequins and other trainees.
According to many of the course participants, rescuing firefighters can be difficult because of the uniform and firefighting equipment which can weigh up to 70 pounds.
The annual firefighter mortality rate is about 100 in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association statistics.
Last year, the federal government passed a bill mandating that three or fewer firefighters cannot enter a burning structure until they have backups.
Baldwin said Ann Arbor is one of the first cities in Michigan to train individuals using new rescue techniques, allowing the fire department to “better comply with the law.”
“This is probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever worked on,” said Lt. Don Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and a 28-year fire department veteran.
Fisher said the training continues Ann Arbor’s “progressive” tradition. He and four other firefighters helped develop the program curriculum at Michigan State University.
Fisher and Baldwin will start training all the 120 Ann Arbor firefighters in the next few months. Baldwin said training should be completed by the end of the year.
Full funding for the training was provided by a $50,000 federal grant.
Photo Caption: Ypsilanti Firefighter Fred Williams lowers Lt. Dave Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, from a second-story window as party of a training session in Ann Arbor.
Photo Credit: Alan Warren
Originally published Thursday, June 17, 1999
Training sessions teach specialized techniques for efficient rescue
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most fire fighters worry about the safety of others at the scene of a fire before they think of themselves.
However, the focus is on firefighter safety this week as the Ann Arbor Fire Department hosts 16 veteran firefighters from southeast Michigan as part of a statewide effort to teach specialized safety techniques.
The Rapid Integration Team training program is being conducted at an abandoned building at 436 S. Main Street that will be demolished in the next few weeks. The program focuses on teaching firefighters quick and effective methods of firefighter rescue.
Another firefighter team is working with makeshift structures at the Resource Recovery Center landfill.
Jim Baldwin, the Ann Arbor Fire Department bureau chief will help firefighters approach their work differently.
“For years and years and years, we’ve practiced saving occupants of buildings,” he said. “But we’ve never really done—on a formal basis—enough to save our own people.”
Each graduate of this “train the trainer” program will go to their local departments and teach others what they have learned.
During the course, firefighters review ways to tear down walls, ceilings and floors as quickly as possible. They also practice hoisting methods for injured firefighters using mannequins and other trainees.
According to many of the course participants, rescuing firefighters can be difficult because of the uniform and firefighting equipment which can weigh up to 70 pounds.
The annual firefighter mortality rate is about 100 in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association statistics.
Last year, the federal government passed a bill mandating that three or fewer firefighters cannot enter a burning structure until they have backups.
Baldwin said Ann Arbor is one of the first cities in Michigan to train individuals using new rescue techniques, allowing the fire department to “better comply with the law.”
“This is probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever worked on,” said Lt. Don Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and a 28-year fire department veteran.
Fisher said the training continues Ann Arbor’s “progressive” tradition. He and four other firefighters helped develop the program curriculum at Michigan State University.
Fisher and Baldwin will start training all the 120 Ann Arbor firefighters in the next few months. Baldwin said training should be completed by the end of the year.
Full funding for the training was provided by a $50,000 federal grant.
Photo Caption: Ypsilanti Firefighter Fred Williams lowers Lt. Dave Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, from a second-story window as party of a training session in Ann Arbor.
Photo Credit: Alan Warren
Originally published Thursday, June 17, 1999
Monday, July 12, 1999
Evening of Entertainment to aid safe haven for youth
Evening of Entertainment to aid safe haven for youth
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
During a typical workday, Wil Seegars has to wear the hats of a bus driver, psychologist, grant writer, secretary, programmer, coach—and executive director of Pinelake Cooperative Center in Ann Arbor.
With a focus on positive uplift, the youth center—where the walls are adorned with pictures of black leaders and information on African-American history—provides recreational activities during the school year. It also provides “life skills” training year round, as well as community service opportunities.
Seegars’ role as fund-raiser takes priority as the center hosts a jazz musician, dancers and other entertainment at a fund-raiser at Washtenaw Community College.
But his work continues year round at the center.
With a lot of director and staff turnover over the past decade, Pinelake has lost regular members—particularly girls—and some community support, said several Pinelake youths and a parent.
Detroit native, Seegars, 29, has held his current position for three years. He believes he has provided “a safe haven” for the 50 or so youths who regularly drop into what they affectionally call the “clubhouse,” located at the Pinelake Village Cooperative housing development off Maple Road in west Ann Arbor. He also recently hired a full-time female staffer who makes a special effort to work with teen-age girls.
When only one of four high school seniors who attended the Pinelake Center graduated last year, Seegars stepped up tutoring and encouragement efforts. This year, all four of the members who were seniors—Aliaa Meadows, Freddie Brann, Wyland Kirkland and Edrick McBoy—graduated this past spring from either Pioneer or Roberto Clemente high schools.
Many who regularly stop by Pinelake, which has been in existence for 10 years, have been coming sine they can remember.
Jason Cooper, 7, who has been active at the center for two years, said that he thinks Seegars is “pretty cool” and enjoys the frequent field trips the center organizes.
“I live here basically. When I wake up, I come to the clubhouse and see what they’re doing,” said Shamise Jones, 15, a Roberto Clemente 10th-grader who has been coming to Pinelake since 1990.
She added that a regular University of Michigan Pinelake tutor was “really helpful breaking algebra down” when Jones had difficulty with math during her junior high school years.
Many others see Seegars as a father figure who gives constant uplifting talks and coaching. He, along with two other Pinelake members and several volunteers, also works to aid Pinelake teens in finding their first jobs and applying to community colleges.
Seegars, who runs Pinelake with the aid of local and city grants along with individual donations, believes however Pinelake children should not assume everything will be handed to them for free. Parents are asked to contribute $35 for summer activities.
“We’re a small operation with big ideas,” he said.
As a former member of the Air Force and a police officer, Seegars believes strongly in the importance of trips not only to places like Kings Island or Disney World, but also to the Wayne County Jail, where he took one Pinelake male as a lesson when the teen was going through a difficult period.
Seegars believes that children living in the surrounding Pinelake Village Cooperative neighborhood, home to about 250 residents, should felt that they have opportunities.
As Pinelake resident Cynthia McCoy, mother of Edrick and two younger sons, said, “The crime (in this area) is not totally gone, but it’s tolerable. The (center has) helped me a lot. My children can come in and get advice and guidance.
Fund-Raiser Details
Pinelake Center will hold a fund-raiser Sunday featuring jazz artist Althea Renee’, African dance, and spoken word. The event will be held 5-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call (734) 994-0431.
Photo Caption: Pinelake Cooperative director Wil Seegars takes up Brandon Fortson (not pictured) on a bet that Seegars couldn’t do 50 push-ups. Parents and youths at the center say Seegars has greet rapport with kids there.
Photo Credit: Michael Sugrue.
Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
During a typical workday, Wil Seegars has to wear the hats of a bus driver, psychologist, grant writer, secretary, programmer, coach—and executive director of Pinelake Cooperative Center in Ann Arbor.
With a focus on positive uplift, the youth center—where the walls are adorned with pictures of black leaders and information on African-American history—provides recreational activities during the school year. It also provides “life skills” training year round, as well as community service opportunities.
Seegars’ role as fund-raiser takes priority as the center hosts a jazz musician, dancers and other entertainment at a fund-raiser at Washtenaw Community College.
But his work continues year round at the center.
With a lot of director and staff turnover over the past decade, Pinelake has lost regular members—particularly girls—and some community support, said several Pinelake youths and a parent.
Detroit native, Seegars, 29, has held his current position for three years. He believes he has provided “a safe haven” for the 50 or so youths who regularly drop into what they affectionally call the “clubhouse,” located at the Pinelake Village Cooperative housing development off Maple Road in west Ann Arbor. He also recently hired a full-time female staffer who makes a special effort to work with teen-age girls.
When only one of four high school seniors who attended the Pinelake Center graduated last year, Seegars stepped up tutoring and encouragement efforts. This year, all four of the members who were seniors—Aliaa Meadows, Freddie Brann, Wyland Kirkland and Edrick McBoy—graduated this past spring from either Pioneer or Roberto Clemente high schools.
Many who regularly stop by Pinelake, which has been in existence for 10 years, have been coming sine they can remember.
Jason Cooper, 7, who has been active at the center for two years, said that he thinks Seegars is “pretty cool” and enjoys the frequent field trips the center organizes.
“I live here basically. When I wake up, I come to the clubhouse and see what they’re doing,” said Shamise Jones, 15, a Roberto Clemente 10th-grader who has been coming to Pinelake since 1990.
She added that a regular University of Michigan Pinelake tutor was “really helpful breaking algebra down” when Jones had difficulty with math during her junior high school years.
Many others see Seegars as a father figure who gives constant uplifting talks and coaching. He, along with two other Pinelake members and several volunteers, also works to aid Pinelake teens in finding their first jobs and applying to community colleges.
Seegars, who runs Pinelake with the aid of local and city grants along with individual donations, believes however Pinelake children should not assume everything will be handed to them for free. Parents are asked to contribute $35 for summer activities.
“We’re a small operation with big ideas,” he said.
As a former member of the Air Force and a police officer, Seegars believes strongly in the importance of trips not only to places like Kings Island or Disney World, but also to the Wayne County Jail, where he took one Pinelake male as a lesson when the teen was going through a difficult period.
Seegars believes that children living in the surrounding Pinelake Village Cooperative neighborhood, home to about 250 residents, should felt that they have opportunities.
As Pinelake resident Cynthia McCoy, mother of Edrick and two younger sons, said, “The crime (in this area) is not totally gone, but it’s tolerable. The (center has) helped me a lot. My children can come in and get advice and guidance.
Fund-Raiser Details
Pinelake Center will hold a fund-raiser Sunday featuring jazz artist Althea Renee’, African dance, and spoken word. The event will be held 5-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call (734) 994-0431.
Photo Caption: Pinelake Cooperative director Wil Seegars takes up Brandon Fortson (not pictured) on a bet that Seegars couldn’t do 50 push-ups. Parents and youths at the center say Seegars has greet rapport with kids there.
Photo Credit: Michael Sugrue.
Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1999
Thursday, July 08, 1999
Children find fun in themes of science
Children find fun in themes of science
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Bengamin Lehman shook the jar of homemade butter and chanted “better butter, better butter” until a teacher gently reminded him to give the next person a turn.
The Ann Arbor boy was having fun at Logan Elementary School—and learning about science at the same time.
Science has never been this fun, said Becky Hatner, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum’s summer science camp coordinator. The camps offer classes that take a specific theme in science and make such subjects as polymers, paleontology and physiology both fun and educational, she said.
“It gives kids who are already interested in science a chance to create and explore and to discover new things,” she said. “It can also interest kids who may not like science as much, hooking them in.”
Each class in the seven-week program is one-week long, with a morning or a afternoon shift. Sessions are offered for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Twice-weekly classes are offered for children ages 1 to 5.
Near the classroom where the butter was being made in the “Gobbledy-Gook” session, the 12 kindergartners and 1st-graders in “Sense-sational” learned about their sweet, salty and sour tongue tastebuds using Toostie Rolls, pretzels and pickles.
Classes at the science summer camp, said Hattner, are truly hands on, she said, adding that children get to take the time in finding the answer to such questions as “how much they would weigh on Jupiter” or what a dinosaur bone feels like.
For the several new teachers who work at the science summer camps, many said they also learn a lot by approaching science through a child’s point of view.
David Consiglio, a recent college graduate who will teach chemistry and physics in a Detroit-area school in fall, said that while making rockets in his “Flighty Fliers” class he has been amazed at the “kids’ ability to solve problems.”
The program, which is in its 12th year, allows teachers to think of creative ideas for class experiments. Consiglio said instead of using the typical paper airplane approach, he came up with the idea of a balloon hovercraft.
Sandra Finkel said her son, Micah Warschausky, enjoyed the program so much from last year, she knew it would be a good idea to enroll him again.
Photo Caption: Charmaine Redman, 9, left, watches her balloon float around the floor during a gravity experiment in Flighty Fliers class. The Ann Arbor Hands on Museum is sponsoring Summer Science Camp, housed in Logan Elementary School.
Info: Classes, which go until Aug. 13, cost $60 for each weekly session. They last two hours per day. Scholarships are available. For information, call (734) 994-6449.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Bengamin Lehman shook the jar of homemade butter and chanted “better butter, better butter” until a teacher gently reminded him to give the next person a turn.
The Ann Arbor boy was having fun at Logan Elementary School—and learning about science at the same time.
Science has never been this fun, said Becky Hatner, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum’s summer science camp coordinator. The camps offer classes that take a specific theme in science and make such subjects as polymers, paleontology and physiology both fun and educational, she said.
“It gives kids who are already interested in science a chance to create and explore and to discover new things,” she said. “It can also interest kids who may not like science as much, hooking them in.”
Each class in the seven-week program is one-week long, with a morning or a afternoon shift. Sessions are offered for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Twice-weekly classes are offered for children ages 1 to 5.
Near the classroom where the butter was being made in the “Gobbledy-Gook” session, the 12 kindergartners and 1st-graders in “Sense-sational” learned about their sweet, salty and sour tongue tastebuds using Toostie Rolls, pretzels and pickles.
Classes at the science summer camp, said Hattner, are truly hands on, she said, adding that children get to take the time in finding the answer to such questions as “how much they would weigh on Jupiter” or what a dinosaur bone feels like.
For the several new teachers who work at the science summer camps, many said they also learn a lot by approaching science through a child’s point of view.
David Consiglio, a recent college graduate who will teach chemistry and physics in a Detroit-area school in fall, said that while making rockets in his “Flighty Fliers” class he has been amazed at the “kids’ ability to solve problems.”
The program, which is in its 12th year, allows teachers to think of creative ideas for class experiments. Consiglio said instead of using the typical paper airplane approach, he came up with the idea of a balloon hovercraft.
Sandra Finkel said her son, Micah Warschausky, enjoyed the program so much from last year, she knew it would be a good idea to enroll him again.
Photo Caption: Charmaine Redman, 9, left, watches her balloon float around the floor during a gravity experiment in Flighty Fliers class. The Ann Arbor Hands on Museum is sponsoring Summer Science Camp, housed in Logan Elementary School.
Info: Classes, which go until Aug. 13, cost $60 for each weekly session. They last two hours per day. Scholarships are available. For information, call (734) 994-6449.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Annual event celebrates Huron River
Annual event celebrates Huron River
Wide array of activities planned for Huron River Day on Sunday
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When Huron River Day first took place in 1980, it was organized by a handful of environmentalists and concerned locals. The event, which featured bluegrass music and water-testing displays, attracted several hundred people, said longtime Ann Arborite Eunice Burns, one of the original organizers.
Now Huron River Day regularly brings as many as 5,000 individuals to Gallup Park for canoeing, bike tours, races, entertainment and other family activities, sponsored mostly by select corporations.
Organized by the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department, the 19th annual Huron River Day will take place Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite changes since its inception, the event still brings people together to celebrate the Huron River, said Irene Bushaw, department marketing specialist.
The river, which extends nearly 130 miles from its main outlet, is a major source of drinking water for nearly 60 surrounding communities in the Michigan area. In addition, residents and visitors regularly fish or canoe in the river.
Coordinators say the event will feature both new and old activities, including educational exhibits on recycling, drinking water safety and organic farming. Many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Ecology Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Landscapers, will educate the public with displays on local environmental issues from noon to 4 p.m.
“We think we have something for every age, every interest: athletes, environmentalists, music and nature lovers and vegetarians,” said Bushaw.
“It is a time for to be with their families,” she said.
Children can enjoy workshop theaters and music will be performed by various groups, including the Ann Arbor Civic Band.
Events that require paid admission and/or registration include the youth fishing derby, the mile run and various bicycling tours.
However the event hasn’t been without its mishaps. Burns aid just a day before the second annual Huron River Day, two canoeists almost drowned. An article in The Ann Arbor News at the time reported that a surge from a dam malfunction caused the canoe to overturn. Efforts from concerned onlookers aided the rescue of both canoeists.
Another year, said Burns, some individuals enthusiastically proposed jousting contests on a bridge over the river, but event organizers rejected the idea, fearing that participants might accidentally fall into the water.
Among the most popular spectator events are the Corporate Challenge and the Community Cup Mayor’s canoe races.
Event admission and parking at Huron High School are free. Call (734) 994-2284.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Wide array of activities planned for Huron River Day on Sunday
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When Huron River Day first took place in 1980, it was organized by a handful of environmentalists and concerned locals. The event, which featured bluegrass music and water-testing displays, attracted several hundred people, said longtime Ann Arborite Eunice Burns, one of the original organizers.
Now Huron River Day regularly brings as many as 5,000 individuals to Gallup Park for canoeing, bike tours, races, entertainment and other family activities, sponsored mostly by select corporations.
Organized by the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department, the 19th annual Huron River Day will take place Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite changes since its inception, the event still brings people together to celebrate the Huron River, said Irene Bushaw, department marketing specialist.
The river, which extends nearly 130 miles from its main outlet, is a major source of drinking water for nearly 60 surrounding communities in the Michigan area. In addition, residents and visitors regularly fish or canoe in the river.
Coordinators say the event will feature both new and old activities, including educational exhibits on recycling, drinking water safety and organic farming. Many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Ecology Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Landscapers, will educate the public with displays on local environmental issues from noon to 4 p.m.
“We think we have something for every age, every interest: athletes, environmentalists, music and nature lovers and vegetarians,” said Bushaw.
“It is a time for to be with their families,” she said.
Children can enjoy workshop theaters and music will be performed by various groups, including the Ann Arbor Civic Band.
Events that require paid admission and/or registration include the youth fishing derby, the mile run and various bicycling tours.
However the event hasn’t been without its mishaps. Burns aid just a day before the second annual Huron River Day, two canoeists almost drowned. An article in The Ann Arbor News at the time reported that a surge from a dam malfunction caused the canoe to overturn. Efforts from concerned onlookers aided the rescue of both canoeists.
Another year, said Burns, some individuals enthusiastically proposed jousting contests on a bridge over the river, but event organizers rejected the idea, fearing that participants might accidentally fall into the water.
Among the most popular spectator events are the Corporate Challenge and the Community Cup Mayor’s canoe races.
Event admission and parking at Huron High School are free. Call (734) 994-2284.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Thursday, July 01, 1999
City seeking goose population solutions
City seeking goose population solutions
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When a particularly territorial Canada goose knocked a Gallup Park visitor off her bicycle this past spring, Ann Arbor park officials were reminded of the ever-present and often annoying goose population.
Park workers and state wildlife specialists spent hours Wednesday putting bands on 257 city geese, an early step in an effort that could limit the birds’ reproduction.
David Borneman, coordinator of the natural-area preservations in the city, said the DNR came to Ann Arbor to put plastic bands on the necks and legs of the geese as part of an ongoing study by U.S. and Canadian conservationists.
“It is simple, low-tech, but very effective in figuring out what is happening with the population,” said Earle Flegler, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
Using canoes, the dozen or so people rounded up the birds from Gallup Park and the Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses.
DNR wildlife experts are trying to determine how many of the geese are year-round city residents.
If experts classify 90 percent of the geese as “Big Michigan” or native area geese, then Ann Arbor may qualify for a federally funded egg replacement program by spring 2000.
This program, Borneman said, would lead to goose population control. It’s a problem, he said that has been an issue in Ann Arbor for years.
The high goose population –which rough estimates place at 3,000 in the area—causes pollution and upsets the ecological balance in Gallup Park, he said. Each adult goose, he estimated, produces about a pound of manure per day, making cleanup an impossible chore for park maintenance.
And while attacks are rare, he noted that many Ann Arbor residents have complained about the potential hazard of aggressive geese.
If the DNR funds that Ann Arbor does qualify for the egg replacement program, biologists and conservationists would take goose eggs from nests, substituting the original eggs for plastic eggs.
After several week, Borneman explained, the geese would realize that the eggs will not hatch, and then abandon the nest.
“We would certainly give the public a chance for comment (before any decision is made), he said.
Borneman also noted that the National Humane Society supports such egg replacement programs.
The species of Canada geese that consider Ann Arbor to be their home base leave during the winter for warmer climates. However, Flegler said, many Ann Arbor geese won’t venture more than 20-30 miles away from the area, unless the weather becomes excessively cold.
Photo Caption One: A Canada goose protests Wednesday while waiting to be banded at Gallup Park. The plastic bands do not harm the birds, said Ann Arbor Parks and state wildlife officials.
Photo Caption Two: A flock of Canada geese is shooed to a pen Wednesday where the birds were banded, tested and released at Gallup Park. Ann Arbor Parks and DNR officials processed 257 birds in a study to see whether the city is eligible for a program that would reduce the goose population.
Photo Credit: Robert Chase
Originally published Thursday, July 1, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When a particularly territorial Canada goose knocked a Gallup Park visitor off her bicycle this past spring, Ann Arbor park officials were reminded of the ever-present and often annoying goose population.
Park workers and state wildlife specialists spent hours Wednesday putting bands on 257 city geese, an early step in an effort that could limit the birds’ reproduction.
David Borneman, coordinator of the natural-area preservations in the city, said the DNR came to Ann Arbor to put plastic bands on the necks and legs of the geese as part of an ongoing study by U.S. and Canadian conservationists.
“It is simple, low-tech, but very effective in figuring out what is happening with the population,” said Earle Flegler, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
Using canoes, the dozen or so people rounded up the birds from Gallup Park and the Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses.
DNR wildlife experts are trying to determine how many of the geese are year-round city residents.
If experts classify 90 percent of the geese as “Big Michigan” or native area geese, then Ann Arbor may qualify for a federally funded egg replacement program by spring 2000.
This program, Borneman said, would lead to goose population control. It’s a problem, he said that has been an issue in Ann Arbor for years.
The high goose population –which rough estimates place at 3,000 in the area—causes pollution and upsets the ecological balance in Gallup Park, he said. Each adult goose, he estimated, produces about a pound of manure per day, making cleanup an impossible chore for park maintenance.
And while attacks are rare, he noted that many Ann Arbor residents have complained about the potential hazard of aggressive geese.
If the DNR funds that Ann Arbor does qualify for the egg replacement program, biologists and conservationists would take goose eggs from nests, substituting the original eggs for plastic eggs.
After several week, Borneman explained, the geese would realize that the eggs will not hatch, and then abandon the nest.
“We would certainly give the public a chance for comment (before any decision is made), he said.
Borneman also noted that the National Humane Society supports such egg replacement programs.
The species of Canada geese that consider Ann Arbor to be their home base leave during the winter for warmer climates. However, Flegler said, many Ann Arbor geese won’t venture more than 20-30 miles away from the area, unless the weather becomes excessively cold.
Photo Caption One: A Canada goose protests Wednesday while waiting to be banded at Gallup Park. The plastic bands do not harm the birds, said Ann Arbor Parks and state wildlife officials.
Photo Caption Two: A flock of Canada geese is shooed to a pen Wednesday where the birds were banded, tested and released at Gallup Park. Ann Arbor Parks and DNR officials processed 257 birds in a study to see whether the city is eligible for a program that would reduce the goose population.
Photo Credit: Robert Chase
Originally published Thursday, July 1, 1999
Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Workers labor to set up carnival, The Ann Arbor News
The Ann Arbor News
Workers labor to set up carnival
By Pamela Appea
Jaycee-sponsored event runs through Sunday in Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School parking lot.
It takes 150 people to put together and run a carnival the size of the annual event sponsored by the Ann Arbor Jaycees at Pioneer High School.
The carnival opens today and runs through Sunday in the high school parking lot. Hours, carnival workers said, are 3-10 p.m. through Friday, then noon to midnight Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
The workers have been on the site since Monday, unloading more than five dozen trailers and converting the contents into 19 rides, assorted games and various food booths.
It’s like being on tour—every week you go somewhere different,” said John Marquette, a W.G. Wade Show manager.
On Tuesday, most vendors had set up and spent some of the afternoon moving from their trailer homes to outdoors.
Marquette, 51, a Michigan native employed in the carnival business since 1957, said families come to carnivals expecting a professional, yet customer-oriented affair.
That, said Marquette, is exactly what they will get this week at Pioneer High School.
“We try to bring safe family entertainment to people’s backyards,” he said.
In addition to the rides and games, Marquette said all the “traditional” carnival foods, including cotton candy, Polish and Italian sausages, and caramel apples will be sold.
The Ann Arbor Jaycees also will offer children face painting, chalk for sidewalk art, and juggling demonstrations.
Rides include a double-edge Ferris Wheel, a merry-go-round and bumper cars. Other rides include the “gravity defying” Zen Dar; “The Zipper,” a water ride; and children’s rides.
Ride safety, said Marquette, is an issue constantly on the minds of the staff. He noted that the carnival company does daily machine inspections.
Admission to the annual event is free, with tickets sold for rides.
Concessions manager Corky Jones said his priority is to make sure each patron leaves happy. The 35-year carnival veteran said the key to having fun at a carnival is not spending money “all in one place.”
“Not that we don’t want people to spend their money,” he said with a smile.
Photo caption: Ronald Wright, left, and a co-worker who didn’t give his name install one of the horses on the merry-go-round in preparation for the opening of the annual carnival sponsored by the Ann Arbor Jaycees at Pioneer High School. It opens today.
Originally Published Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Workers labor to set up carnival
By Pamela Appea
Jaycee-sponsored event runs through Sunday in Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School parking lot.
It takes 150 people to put together and run a carnival the size of the annual event sponsored by the Ann Arbor Jaycees at Pioneer High School.
The carnival opens today and runs through Sunday in the high school parking lot. Hours, carnival workers said, are 3-10 p.m. through Friday, then noon to midnight Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
The workers have been on the site since Monday, unloading more than five dozen trailers and converting the contents into 19 rides, assorted games and various food booths.
It’s like being on tour—every week you go somewhere different,” said John Marquette, a W.G. Wade Show manager.
On Tuesday, most vendors had set up and spent some of the afternoon moving from their trailer homes to outdoors.
Marquette, 51, a Michigan native employed in the carnival business since 1957, said families come to carnivals expecting a professional, yet customer-oriented affair.
That, said Marquette, is exactly what they will get this week at Pioneer High School.
“We try to bring safe family entertainment to people’s backyards,” he said.
In addition to the rides and games, Marquette said all the “traditional” carnival foods, including cotton candy, Polish and Italian sausages, and caramel apples will be sold.
The Ann Arbor Jaycees also will offer children face painting, chalk for sidewalk art, and juggling demonstrations.
Rides include a double-edge Ferris Wheel, a merry-go-round and bumper cars. Other rides include the “gravity defying” Zen Dar; “The Zipper,” a water ride; and children’s rides.
Ride safety, said Marquette, is an issue constantly on the minds of the staff. He noted that the carnival company does daily machine inspections.
Admission to the annual event is free, with tickets sold for rides.
Concessions manager Corky Jones said his priority is to make sure each patron leaves happy. The 35-year carnival veteran said the key to having fun at a carnival is not spending money “all in one place.”
“Not that we don’t want people to spend their money,” he said with a smile.
Photo caption: Ronald Wright, left, and a co-worker who didn’t give his name install one of the horses on the merry-go-round in preparation for the opening of the annual carnival sponsored by the Ann Arbor Jaycees at Pioneer High School. It opens today.
Originally Published Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Saturday, June 26, 1999
Runners carry torch for peace
Runners carry torch for peace
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key.
She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key.
She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
Saturday, June 19, 1999
Program teaches children safety basics, The Ann Arbor News
Program teaches children safety basics
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Despite some lingering sniffles, after most of the parents have left, a group of 15 or so future kindergartners listened attentively to first-grade teacher Cheryl Schroeder talk about how safety can be fun.
Standing in a Bryant Elementary School classroom, Schroeder calmed the group by reaching the group a story.
It prepared the children for learning such things as “stranger danger,” their home phone numbers and addresses, and why everyone should wear a bicycle helmet and seat belt.
Over the next two weeks, as many as 800 children ages 5 and 6 in Ann Arbor will go through the Safety Town program, which the Ann Arbor Police Department and the Ann Arbor Public Schools System has sponsored since 1979.
The classes are at Bryant Elementary School, and participating schools include Haisley, Allen, Mack, Burns Park and Logan.
Ann Arbor Police Officer Tom Hickey, who helps run Safety Town, said children get to practice making 911 calls and rehearse fire drills in a “simulated smoky environment.”
Hickey helped get grants and donations for 800 new bike helmets and 16 tricycles, which Safety Town leaders will use in program exercises this year. Children also color and review worksheets to reinforce safety techniques.
Hickey, who has helped lead the program for about four years and has a son in this year’s class, said on the first day of the program, there is usually some crying.
But by “graduation” day, he said, “kids are sorry they have to leave.”
“I’ve heard so many parents talk about the program … I wanted to make sure my son was part of it,” said Vickie Malcolm of Ann Arbor.
Malcolm said her son Xavier, 4 1/2 , will attend Bach Open School this fall.
“I don’t want to overwhelm my son, but now is definitely the time (for this kind of class),” she said.
“We have to teach our kids and make them more aware.”
The program requests that parents register in advance and pay $40, although some scholarship are available.
For more information, call (734) 994-8587.
Originally Published Tuesday, June 19, 1999
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Despite some lingering sniffles, after most of the parents have left, a group of 15 or so future kindergartners listened attentively to first-grade teacher Cheryl Schroeder talk about how safety can be fun.
Standing in a Bryant Elementary School classroom, Schroeder calmed the group by reaching the group a story.
It prepared the children for learning such things as “stranger danger,” their home phone numbers and addresses, and why everyone should wear a bicycle helmet and seat belt.
Over the next two weeks, as many as 800 children ages 5 and 6 in Ann Arbor will go through the Safety Town program, which the Ann Arbor Police Department and the Ann Arbor Public Schools System has sponsored since 1979.
The classes are at Bryant Elementary School, and participating schools include Haisley, Allen, Mack, Burns Park and Logan.
Ann Arbor Police Officer Tom Hickey, who helps run Safety Town, said children get to practice making 911 calls and rehearse fire drills in a “simulated smoky environment.”
Hickey helped get grants and donations for 800 new bike helmets and 16 tricycles, which Safety Town leaders will use in program exercises this year. Children also color and review worksheets to reinforce safety techniques.
Hickey, who has helped lead the program for about four years and has a son in this year’s class, said on the first day of the program, there is usually some crying.
But by “graduation” day, he said, “kids are sorry they have to leave.”
“I’ve heard so many parents talk about the program … I wanted to make sure my son was part of it,” said Vickie Malcolm of Ann Arbor.
Malcolm said her son Xavier, 4 1/2 , will attend Bach Open School this fall.
“I don’t want to overwhelm my son, but now is definitely the time (for this kind of class),” she said.
“We have to teach our kids and make them more aware.”
The program requests that parents register in advance and pay $40, although some scholarship are available.
For more information, call (734) 994-8587.
Originally Published Tuesday, June 19, 1999
Friday, June 18, 1999
Knot a Bad Idea, The Ann Arbor News
Knot a Bad Idea
Baker’s patrons trade ugly ties for free loaf of bread
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Customers this week at the Great Harvest Bread story in Ann Arbor are feasting their eyes on more than bread and cookies.
Ties of all colors, sizes and less-than-pleasing designs adorn the walls of the bakery’s beloved life-sized cow figurine.
In honor of Father’s Day on Sunday, bakery owners and husband-wife team Dan and Janene Centurione will give a loaf of freshly baked bread to each customer who brings in an ugly tie until Saturday.
Janene Centurione said she came up with the idea for an ugly tie trade-in last year. She knew many fathers who received ties on Father’s Day that were, in her opinion, less than fashionable.
“We were trying to think what would warm the hearts of fathers, and we just thought it would be funny to see what ugly ties would come in,” she said.
Centurione feels the ugly tie trade-in will “help people give dad an interesting gift for Father’s Day by taking away one of his ugly ties and giving him some great bread.”
By Thursday, at least 50 people had dropped off ties, which are all worthy of winning an ugly-tie contest, she said. Last year’s Father Day ugly tie trade-in attracted 300 to 400 people to the store at 2220 S. Main St., in the Woodland Plaza.
Pointing out some of her favorite ties, Centurione said that many of the ties give her customers an amusing overview of tie fashions from years or decades ago. Her favorite ugly ties are the “power ties” of the early ’80s, the polyester ties of the ‘70s, and ones which she said she feels belong in a category of its own: a 15-year-old Australian tie that shows several koala bears holding flowers.
Many Great Harvest employees at Woodland Plaza have amusing stories why customers trade in their husband or father’s ties. Employee Becky Smith said one woman saw a tie in the store that she really liked for her husband. So she brought in another of her husband’s ties and replaced it for the tie she liked, getting a tie and a loaf of bread.
Photo Caption: Mollie Mintz, 3, trades a necktie for a loaf of bread at the Great Harvest Bread Co. in the Woodlands Plaza shopping center Thursday. This is the second year the company has sponsored the pre-Father’s Day promotion calling for ‘ugly ties’ in trade for bread. Last year, all the ties were donated for an art project. Lauren Foley, a customer service representative, makes the trade. Photographer Robert Chase, The Ann Arbor News
Originally Published Friday, June 18, 1999
Baker’s patrons trade ugly ties for free loaf of bread
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Customers this week at the Great Harvest Bread story in Ann Arbor are feasting their eyes on more than bread and cookies.
Ties of all colors, sizes and less-than-pleasing designs adorn the walls of the bakery’s beloved life-sized cow figurine.
In honor of Father’s Day on Sunday, bakery owners and husband-wife team Dan and Janene Centurione will give a loaf of freshly baked bread to each customer who brings in an ugly tie until Saturday.
Janene Centurione said she came up with the idea for an ugly tie trade-in last year. She knew many fathers who received ties on Father’s Day that were, in her opinion, less than fashionable.
“We were trying to think what would warm the hearts of fathers, and we just thought it would be funny to see what ugly ties would come in,” she said.
Centurione feels the ugly tie trade-in will “help people give dad an interesting gift for Father’s Day by taking away one of his ugly ties and giving him some great bread.”
By Thursday, at least 50 people had dropped off ties, which are all worthy of winning an ugly-tie contest, she said. Last year’s Father Day ugly tie trade-in attracted 300 to 400 people to the store at 2220 S. Main St., in the Woodland Plaza.
Pointing out some of her favorite ties, Centurione said that many of the ties give her customers an amusing overview of tie fashions from years or decades ago. Her favorite ugly ties are the “power ties” of the early ’80s, the polyester ties of the ‘70s, and ones which she said she feels belong in a category of its own: a 15-year-old Australian tie that shows several koala bears holding flowers.
Many Great Harvest employees at Woodland Plaza have amusing stories why customers trade in their husband or father’s ties. Employee Becky Smith said one woman saw a tie in the store that she really liked for her husband. So she brought in another of her husband’s ties and replaced it for the tie she liked, getting a tie and a loaf of bread.
Photo Caption: Mollie Mintz, 3, trades a necktie for a loaf of bread at the Great Harvest Bread Co. in the Woodlands Plaza shopping center Thursday. This is the second year the company has sponsored the pre-Father’s Day promotion calling for ‘ugly ties’ in trade for bread. Last year, all the ties were donated for an art project. Lauren Foley, a customer service representative, makes the trade. Photographer Robert Chase, The Ann Arbor News
Originally Published Friday, June 18, 1999
Saturday, March 27, 1999
Sweatshop Debate Students Seek Changes In Clothes-Licensing Deals
Sweatshop Debate Students Seek Changes In Clothes-Licensing Deals
[CHICAGOLAND FINAL Edition]
Pamela J Appea
Washington Bureau. Chicago Tribune Chicago, Ill.:Mar 27, 1999. p. 10
Subjects:
Demonstrations & protests, College students, Unfair labor practices, Work environment, Clothing industry, Licensed products, Activism
Locations:
United States, US
Author(s):
Pamela J Appea, Washington Bureau
Article types:
News
Dateline:
WASHINGTON
Section:
NEWS
Publication title:
Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Mar 27, 1999. pg. 10
Source Type:
Newspaper
ISSN/ISBN:
10856706
ProQuest document ID:
40062720
Text Word Count
764
In response, some colleges and universities are adopting measures intended to remedy sweatshop conditions at overseas apparel factories. Seventeen colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale and Duke, earlier this month announced they would join a new factory-monitoring group, the Fair Labor Association, which has established a code of conduct for apparel producers in addition to providing measures for monitoring plants for violations.
Full Text (764 words)
(Copyright 1999 by the Chicago Tribune)
In a burst of campus activism, college students around the country are staging sit-ins and other protests in hopes of ending "poor and inhumane" working conditions at factories licensed to produce clothing bearing their school names.
In response, some colleges and universities are adopting measures intended to remedy sweatshop conditions at overseas apparel factories. Seventeen colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale and Duke, earlier this month announced they would join a new factory-monitoring group, the Fair Labor Association, which has established a code of conduct for apparel producers in addition to providing measures for monitoring plants for violations.
The anti-sweatshop movement has gained momentum with successes on campuses such as Georgetown University, where students in February occupied the president's office for 85 hours before reaching an agreement for the university to exercise stricter control over its apparel licensing, including disclosure of plants producing university-branded apparel.
Anti-sweatshop action also has increased in recent weeks at universities such as the University of Arizona, University of North Carolina and UCLA. Student activists say they are "actively" negotiating with school administrators over apparel-licensing provisions that include "livable" wages, protection against child labor and sexual harassment, and measures permitting factory workers to unionize.
"Many of us are proud of our universities and can't live with the idea of seeing our mascots dragged through the mud by our universities' collusion with sweatshop labor," said Thomas Wheatley, 24, a sociology graduate student at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and member of the Madison Anti-Sweatshop Coalition.
Students at the University of Michigan, after a 51-hour president's office sit-in, claimed victory earlier this month when the administration endorsed a code of conduct and said it will require licensees to provide full disclosure of manufacturing locations.
However, Michigan sophomore Peter Romer-Friedman, 19, a founder of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality, said many Michigan students think they have not yet reached a "complete agreement, but rather a down payment to an agreement," because the university has not accepted a timeline on obtaining livable workers' wages.
In the past several years, public awareness on sweatshops has spurred student activists who say they are motivated by the desire to uphold a truly "global economy" in which factory workers have fair and safe conditions.
According to Tico Almedia, 22, a senior at Duke University, public awareness of factory conditions became a pressing issue after the media spotlighted Kathy Lee Gifford's popular clothing line--which reports revealed were made in a Honduran sweatshop--and conditions at plants producing Nike products.
The student activism has support from organized labor, including UNITE, the textile and apparel workers union, which often has sought to draw attention to abusive working conditions at foreign apparel manufacturing plants that supply U.S. retailers.
Stanley Ikenberry, president of the American Council on Education, said the Fair Labor Association provides an effective way for colleges and universities to address sweatshop code-of-conduct issues. The association, developed with the encouragement of the White House and the Labor Department, is composed of several human- rights groups and some prominent manufacturers such as Nike Inc. and Reebok International Ltd., whose practices have been criticized in the past.
The FLA code of conduct prohibits forced labor, discrimination and child labor in internationally based factories or free-trade zones, where collegiate apparel is produced. "We will enter into licensing agreements only with companies that meet FLA standards," said a spokesperson for Princeton University.
In his letter to the education council's membership of 1,800 colleges and universities, Ikenberry said that while the Fair Labor Association accord is "not a perfect agreement, it does lay the foundation for creating a practical and enforceable monitoring system that will help improve working conditions."
The colleges and universities affiliating with the Fair Labor Association are the University of Arizona, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Florida State University, Harvard University, Marymount University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and Yale University.
But some student activists, including Nora Rosenberg, 19, a Brown University sophomore, are skeptical that the Fair Labor Association will produce results.
Charging that its code of conduct is "inherently flawed," Rosenberg asserted that the agreement embodies a "conflict of interest" that may enable the association's corporate board members to influence how their plants and suppliers are monitored.
Under the Fair Labor Association's proposed code of conduct, selected factories will be inspected at announced times to receive the Fair Labor Association's stamp of approval. Rosenberg said that FLA board members may be able to influence the selection of supposedly independent factory monitors.
[CHICAGOLAND FINAL Edition]
Pamela J Appea
Washington Bureau. Chicago Tribune Chicago, Ill.:Mar 27, 1999. p. 10
Subjects:
Demonstrations & protests, College students, Unfair labor practices, Work environment, Clothing industry, Licensed products, Activism
Locations:
United States, US
Author(s):
Pamela J Appea, Washington Bureau
Article types:
News
Dateline:
WASHINGTON
Section:
NEWS
Publication title:
Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Mar 27, 1999. pg. 10
Source Type:
Newspaper
ISSN/ISBN:
10856706
ProQuest document ID:
40062720
Text Word Count
764
In response, some colleges and universities are adopting measures intended to remedy sweatshop conditions at overseas apparel factories. Seventeen colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale and Duke, earlier this month announced they would join a new factory-monitoring group, the Fair Labor Association, which has established a code of conduct for apparel producers in addition to providing measures for monitoring plants for violations.
Full Text (764 words)
(Copyright 1999 by the Chicago Tribune)
In a burst of campus activism, college students around the country are staging sit-ins and other protests in hopes of ending "poor and inhumane" working conditions at factories licensed to produce clothing bearing their school names.
In response, some colleges and universities are adopting measures intended to remedy sweatshop conditions at overseas apparel factories. Seventeen colleges and universities, including Harvard, Yale and Duke, earlier this month announced they would join a new factory-monitoring group, the Fair Labor Association, which has established a code of conduct for apparel producers in addition to providing measures for monitoring plants for violations.
The anti-sweatshop movement has gained momentum with successes on campuses such as Georgetown University, where students in February occupied the president's office for 85 hours before reaching an agreement for the university to exercise stricter control over its apparel licensing, including disclosure of plants producing university-branded apparel.
Anti-sweatshop action also has increased in recent weeks at universities such as the University of Arizona, University of North Carolina and UCLA. Student activists say they are "actively" negotiating with school administrators over apparel-licensing provisions that include "livable" wages, protection against child labor and sexual harassment, and measures permitting factory workers to unionize.
"Many of us are proud of our universities and can't live with the idea of seeing our mascots dragged through the mud by our universities' collusion with sweatshop labor," said Thomas Wheatley, 24, a sociology graduate student at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and member of the Madison Anti-Sweatshop Coalition.
Students at the University of Michigan, after a 51-hour president's office sit-in, claimed victory earlier this month when the administration endorsed a code of conduct and said it will require licensees to provide full disclosure of manufacturing locations.
However, Michigan sophomore Peter Romer-Friedman, 19, a founder of Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality, said many Michigan students think they have not yet reached a "complete agreement, but rather a down payment to an agreement," because the university has not accepted a timeline on obtaining livable workers' wages.
In the past several years, public awareness on sweatshops has spurred student activists who say they are motivated by the desire to uphold a truly "global economy" in which factory workers have fair and safe conditions.
According to Tico Almedia, 22, a senior at Duke University, public awareness of factory conditions became a pressing issue after the media spotlighted Kathy Lee Gifford's popular clothing line--which reports revealed were made in a Honduran sweatshop--and conditions at plants producing Nike products.
The student activism has support from organized labor, including UNITE, the textile and apparel workers union, which often has sought to draw attention to abusive working conditions at foreign apparel manufacturing plants that supply U.S. retailers.
Stanley Ikenberry, president of the American Council on Education, said the Fair Labor Association provides an effective way for colleges and universities to address sweatshop code-of-conduct issues. The association, developed with the encouragement of the White House and the Labor Department, is composed of several human- rights groups and some prominent manufacturers such as Nike Inc. and Reebok International Ltd., whose practices have been criticized in the past.
The FLA code of conduct prohibits forced labor, discrimination and child labor in internationally based factories or free-trade zones, where collegiate apparel is produced. "We will enter into licensing agreements only with companies that meet FLA standards," said a spokesperson for Princeton University.
In his letter to the education council's membership of 1,800 colleges and universities, Ikenberry said that while the Fair Labor Association accord is "not a perfect agreement, it does lay the foundation for creating a practical and enforceable monitoring system that will help improve working conditions."
The colleges and universities affiliating with the Fair Labor Association are the University of Arizona, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Florida State University, Harvard University, Marymount University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and Yale University.
But some student activists, including Nora Rosenberg, 19, a Brown University sophomore, are skeptical that the Fair Labor Association will produce results.
Charging that its code of conduct is "inherently flawed," Rosenberg asserted that the agreement embodies a "conflict of interest" that may enable the association's corporate board members to influence how their plants and suppliers are monitored.
Under the Fair Labor Association's proposed code of conduct, selected factories will be inspected at announced times to receive the Fair Labor Association's stamp of approval. Rosenberg said that FLA board members may be able to influence the selection of supposedly independent factory monitors.
Thursday, March 11, 1999
Group: Immigrants Missing Aid Benefits
GROUP: IMMIGRANTS MISSING AID BENEFITS
[CHICAGOLAND FINAL Edition]
Pamela J Appea,
Washington Bureau.
Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Ill.:Mar 11, 1999. p. 11
Subjects:
Welfare reform, Aliens, Federal legislation
Author(s):
Pamela J Appea, Washington Bureau
Article types:
News
Dateline:
WASHINGTON
Section:
NEWS
Publication title:
Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Mar 11, 1999. pg. 11
Source Type:
Newspaper
ISSN/ISBN:
10856706
ProQuest document ID:
39636023
Text Word Count
303
Article URL:
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?RQT=309&VInst=PROD&VName=PQD&VType=PQD&Fmt=3&did=000000039636023&clientId=9269
Abstract (Article Summary)
The 1996 welfare reform law imposed restrictions on access to welfare by legal immigrants and refugees. But the authors of the report, Urban Institute researchers Michael Fix and Jeffrey Passel, said the decline in welfare use by non-citizens and refugees was due more to the "chilling effect" of recent policy changes than to shifts in eligibility due to welfare reform.
Full Text (303 words)
(Copyright 1999 by the Chicago Tribune)
Welfare reform has caused "confusion and fear" among immigrants, reducing their use of public aid for which they were eligible, a new study says.
Immigrant households' use of public benefits sharply decreased in comparison with non-immigrant households from 1994 to 1997, according to an analysis of census data by the non-partisan Urban Institute, which released the study Tuesday.
The 1996 welfare reform law imposed restrictions on access to welfare by legal immigrants and refugees. But the authors of the report, Urban Institute researchers Michael Fix and Jeffrey Passel, said the decline in welfare use by non-citizens and refugees was due more to the "chilling effect" of recent policy changes than to shifts in eligibility due to welfare reform.
"Welfare reform seems to be playing a significant role in discouraging immigrants from using health, nutrition or other benefits despite the fact that most immigrants remain eligible," Fix said. "It appears that these chilling effects originate in confusion and fear among immigrants and lack of understanding on the part of providers over who is eligible for benefits."
The release of the study comes as the Clinton administration prepares to defend budget requests to further extend health, nutrition and cash benefits to the most vulnerable legal immigrants, in particular children, pregnant women and disabled people who recently entered the U.S.
The study found that, from 1994 to 1997, welfare use by non- citizen households fell by 35 percent while citizen households' use of public benefits declined by 15 percent. The report also found a similar drop in non-citizens' use of Medicaid and food stamps.
However, rates of welfare use by non-citizen households remained higher than that of citizens both before and after passage of the 1996 welfare reform law--in large part because non-citizen households are more likely to include children and be poor, the report said.
[CHICAGOLAND FINAL Edition]
Pamela J Appea,
Washington Bureau.
Chicago Tribune
Chicago, Ill.:Mar 11, 1999. p. 11
Subjects:
Welfare reform, Aliens, Federal legislation
Author(s):
Pamela J Appea, Washington Bureau
Article types:
News
Dateline:
WASHINGTON
Section:
NEWS
Publication title:
Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Ill.: Mar 11, 1999. pg. 11
Source Type:
Newspaper
ISSN/ISBN:
10856706
ProQuest document ID:
39636023
Text Word Count
303
Article URL:
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?RQT=309&VInst=PROD&VName=PQD&VType=PQD&Fmt=3&did=000000039636023&clientId=9269
Abstract (Article Summary)
The 1996 welfare reform law imposed restrictions on access to welfare by legal immigrants and refugees. But the authors of the report, Urban Institute researchers Michael Fix and Jeffrey Passel, said the decline in welfare use by non-citizens and refugees was due more to the "chilling effect" of recent policy changes than to shifts in eligibility due to welfare reform.
Full Text (303 words)
(Copyright 1999 by the Chicago Tribune)
Welfare reform has caused "confusion and fear" among immigrants, reducing their use of public aid for which they were eligible, a new study says.
Immigrant households' use of public benefits sharply decreased in comparison with non-immigrant households from 1994 to 1997, according to an analysis of census data by the non-partisan Urban Institute, which released the study Tuesday.
The 1996 welfare reform law imposed restrictions on access to welfare by legal immigrants and refugees. But the authors of the report, Urban Institute researchers Michael Fix and Jeffrey Passel, said the decline in welfare use by non-citizens and refugees was due more to the "chilling effect" of recent policy changes than to shifts in eligibility due to welfare reform.
"Welfare reform seems to be playing a significant role in discouraging immigrants from using health, nutrition or other benefits despite the fact that most immigrants remain eligible," Fix said. "It appears that these chilling effects originate in confusion and fear among immigrants and lack of understanding on the part of providers over who is eligible for benefits."
The release of the study comes as the Clinton administration prepares to defend budget requests to further extend health, nutrition and cash benefits to the most vulnerable legal immigrants, in particular children, pregnant women and disabled people who recently entered the U.S.
The study found that, from 1994 to 1997, welfare use by non- citizen households fell by 35 percent while citizen households' use of public benefits declined by 15 percent. The report also found a similar drop in non-citizens' use of Medicaid and food stamps.
However, rates of welfare use by non-citizen households remained higher than that of citizens both before and after passage of the 1996 welfare reform law--in large part because non-citizen households are more likely to include children and be poor, the report said.
Friday, March 05, 1999
Sexual Abuse Of Women on Prison Called an Epidemic
Sexual Abuse Of Women on Prison Called an Epidemic
Pamela J Appea, Washington Bureau.
Chicago Tribune.
Chicago, Ill.: Mar 5, 1999. pg. 5
Full Text (395 words)
Stepping up its attack on human-rights violations in this country, Amnesty International charged Thursday that widespread sexual abuse of female inmates is "virtually a fact of life" in U.S. prisons.
Amnesty's report cited court records and accounts by female inmates of sexual abuse by prison guards, including being sold to male inmates for sex, groping pat-down searches, rape and prurient viewing of women while dressing and showering.
"These degrading and dangerous abuses reflect an epidemic of violence against women and the continued second-class status of women in the U.S.," the report said.
Amnesty International said that, although it is difficult to estimate how many women are victims of sexual abuse or assault, the number of women in U.S. prisons and jails has more than tripled since 1985, to 138,000, increasing the likelihood that a greater number of women will be subject to human-rights abuse in a prison system primarily designed for male inmates.
Amnesty claims that 12 states lack laws prohibiting prison guards from having sexual contact with female inmates. Coercive sexual abuse was the report's most frequently cited abuse, said Christine Haenn, media director for Amnesty International in Washington.
The report cites the case of a female inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago who alleged in a federal court hearing last October that she was forced into a sexual relationship with a staff member in return for contraband hair products and food.
The woman said she was groped and fondled by another employee on a number of occasions after the first employee bragged about what he had done. One of the employees has been reassigned to a job where he has no contact with female inmates, Amnesty said.
Amnesty's report also said the penal system's medical system and prenatal resources for female inmates are inadequate. It said shackles are sometimes used during hospitalization, including childbirth, by various institutions, including Cook County Jail.
The report recommends that prisons place women with infants in halfway houses so they can be with their children for at least part of their prison term. Illinois permits qualified inmates--those without a history of violent behavior or severe mental illness--in residential programs for up to two years.However, only 15 slots are available for this program.
In 1997, the report states, at least 120 pregnant women were incarcerated in Illinois state prisons, and 51 babies were born to prisoners.
Pamela J Appea, Washington Bureau.
Chicago Tribune.
Chicago, Ill.: Mar 5, 1999. pg. 5
Full Text (395 words)
Stepping up its attack on human-rights violations in this country, Amnesty International charged Thursday that widespread sexual abuse of female inmates is "virtually a fact of life" in U.S. prisons.
Amnesty's report cited court records and accounts by female inmates of sexual abuse by prison guards, including being sold to male inmates for sex, groping pat-down searches, rape and prurient viewing of women while dressing and showering.
"These degrading and dangerous abuses reflect an epidemic of violence against women and the continued second-class status of women in the U.S.," the report said.
Amnesty International said that, although it is difficult to estimate how many women are victims of sexual abuse or assault, the number of women in U.S. prisons and jails has more than tripled since 1985, to 138,000, increasing the likelihood that a greater number of women will be subject to human-rights abuse in a prison system primarily designed for male inmates.
Amnesty claims that 12 states lack laws prohibiting prison guards from having sexual contact with female inmates. Coercive sexual abuse was the report's most frequently cited abuse, said Christine Haenn, media director for Amnesty International in Washington.
The report cites the case of a female inmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago who alleged in a federal court hearing last October that she was forced into a sexual relationship with a staff member in return for contraband hair products and food.
The woman said she was groped and fondled by another employee on a number of occasions after the first employee bragged about what he had done. One of the employees has been reassigned to a job where he has no contact with female inmates, Amnesty said.
Amnesty's report also said the penal system's medical system and prenatal resources for female inmates are inadequate. It said shackles are sometimes used during hospitalization, including childbirth, by various institutions, including Cook County Jail.
The report recommends that prisons place women with infants in halfway houses so they can be with their children for at least part of their prison term. Illinois permits qualified inmates--those without a history of violent behavior or severe mental illness--in residential programs for up to two years.However, only 15 slots are available for this program.
In 1997, the report states, at least 120 pregnant women were incarcerated in Illinois state prisons, and 51 babies were born to prisoners.
Thursday, February 25, 1999
Senate bill seeks firm handgun wait period
Senate bill seeks firm handgun wait period
The Chicago Tribune
By Pamela Appea
Washington—Gun control advocates on Wednesday called for resuming a waiting period for handgun buyers, saying the new national system of instant background checks of firearm buyers is inadequate.
Six Democratic senators, including Dick Durbin of Illinois and Republican John Chafee of Rhode Island proposed legislation imposing a three- to five-day waiting period for handgun purchases.
"This is literally a matter of life and death," Durbin said.
Rep. John Peter (R-Ill.) plans to introduce a similar measure in the House to permanently restore the Brady law waiting period.
The original 1993 Brady Bill, which expired in November, imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases.
In most states, a potential handgun owner now can buy a gun through the FBI's National Instant Check System, a method that allows guns to be purchased in minutes.
However, gun control advocates assert that the computer check system is incomplete and cannot thoroughly check a person's record in such a short time.
Durbin and other gun control advocates point to a shooting in Salt Lake City as evidence of problems with the new system.
Last month, AT & T employee Anne Sleater, 30, was killed in her office building by a woman who was angry with NBC affiliate KSL Televion.
The 24-year-old allegedly purchased the gun—allegedly without any extensive background check—the day before her alleged rampage of the office building that houses the television station and other tenants.
Sleater’s husband, Christian, said at a Capitol Hill press conference that a three-day waiting period is a “small thing to ask to avoid such tragedies.”
Gun control advocate James Brady said that while the FBI check system is better than no gun regulation at all, the system is flawed and incomplete. “We can do better,” Brady said. “For the last five years, the Brady law has worked.”
National Rifle Association spokesman Jim Manown said that waiting periods are unnecessary and antiquated.
“The instant check system is the standard for the nation,” he said.
While Illinois conducts its own background checks on potential gun owners, Durbin said he is concerned about the guns that are often trafficked into Illinois with less stringent gun laws.
Co-sponsors of the Brady extension act include Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Robert Toricelli (D-N.J.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)
Originally published Feb. 25, 1999
Originally published Feb. 25. 1999
The Chicago Tribune
By Pamela Appea
Washington—Gun control advocates on Wednesday called for resuming a waiting period for handgun buyers, saying the new national system of instant background checks of firearm buyers is inadequate.
Six Democratic senators, including Dick Durbin of Illinois and Republican John Chafee of Rhode Island proposed legislation imposing a three- to five-day waiting period for handgun purchases.
"This is literally a matter of life and death," Durbin said.
Rep. John Peter (R-Ill.) plans to introduce a similar measure in the House to permanently restore the Brady law waiting period.
The original 1993 Brady Bill, which expired in November, imposed a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases.
In most states, a potential handgun owner now can buy a gun through the FBI's National Instant Check System, a method that allows guns to be purchased in minutes.
However, gun control advocates assert that the computer check system is incomplete and cannot thoroughly check a person's record in such a short time.
Durbin and other gun control advocates point to a shooting in Salt Lake City as evidence of problems with the new system.
Last month, AT & T employee Anne Sleater, 30, was killed in her office building by a woman who was angry with NBC affiliate KSL Televion.
The 24-year-old allegedly purchased the gun—allegedly without any extensive background check—the day before her alleged rampage of the office building that houses the television station and other tenants.
Sleater’s husband, Christian, said at a Capitol Hill press conference that a three-day waiting period is a “small thing to ask to avoid such tragedies.”
Gun control advocate James Brady said that while the FBI check system is better than no gun regulation at all, the system is flawed and incomplete. “We can do better,” Brady said. “For the last five years, the Brady law has worked.”
National Rifle Association spokesman Jim Manown said that waiting periods are unnecessary and antiquated.
“The instant check system is the standard for the nation,” he said.
While Illinois conducts its own background checks on potential gun owners, Durbin said he is concerned about the guns that are often trafficked into Illinois with less stringent gun laws.
Co-sponsors of the Brady extension act include Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Robert Toricelli (D-N.J.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.)
Originally published Feb. 25, 1999
Originally published Feb. 25. 1999
Friday, February 19, 1999
Chicago Tribune, Settlement Reached in Housing Bias Case
Settlement Reached in Housing Bias Case
Chicago Tribune, Metro Section
By Pamela Appea
Niles—Federal officials on Wednesday announced the settlement of a housing discrimination charge against the owners and manager of a Niles apartment complex who refused to rent to families with children.
Housing and Urban Secretary Andrew Cuomo said that Irwin and Muriel Lippman, who owned the apartment complex at 7920 Caldwell Ave., agreed to pay $26,500 in damages to Nicole Donaldson and the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern suburbs, which assists families with children to find suitable housing.
Donaldson, a single mother with a 3-year-old daughter, had sought to rent a one-bedroom apartment in the complex in October 1996 but was told that the unit was not available to families with children, according to Donaldson’s lawyer, Miriam N. Geraghty.
HUD said four tests at the apartment complex showed discrimination against families with children, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act.
Lippman and Siegel have sold the property and are no longer involved in the rental property business, according to the settlement.
Originally published in the Chicago Tribune on February 19, 1999.
Chicago Tribune, Metro Section
By Pamela Appea
Niles—Federal officials on Wednesday announced the settlement of a housing discrimination charge against the owners and manager of a Niles apartment complex who refused to rent to families with children.
Housing and Urban Secretary Andrew Cuomo said that Irwin and Muriel Lippman, who owned the apartment complex at 7920 Caldwell Ave., agreed to pay $26,500 in damages to Nicole Donaldson and the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern suburbs, which assists families with children to find suitable housing.
Donaldson, a single mother with a 3-year-old daughter, had sought to rent a one-bedroom apartment in the complex in October 1996 but was told that the unit was not available to families with children, according to Donaldson’s lawyer, Miriam N. Geraghty.
HUD said four tests at the apartment complex showed discrimination against families with children, which is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act.
Lippman and Siegel have sold the property and are no longer involved in the rental property business, according to the settlement.
Originally published in the Chicago Tribune on February 19, 1999.
Wednesday, February 10, 1999
Voting rate for youths declining, study finds
Voting rate for youths declining, study finds
Downward trend continued in 1998
The Chicago Tribune
By Pamela Appea
Washington—Even though he’s preoccupied with LSATs, job interviews and school work, Howard University junior and Chicago native Louis Sterling believes in taking time to vote in every election because it’s his “responsibility as a citizen.”
The Washington student’s perspective is unusual among 18 - to 24-year-olds, according to a study released Wednesday. When it comes to government and politics, a majority of American youths are disengaged, disinterested and distrustful, according to the study by the National Association of Secretaries of State.
Across the nation, fewer than one in give 18 - to -24-year olds found their way to voting booths in the 1998 congressional elections, the study showed, and only 32 percent of youths voted in the 1996 presidential elections, continuing a downward trend since the voting age was lowed to 18 in 1971.
The research, conducted by the Tarrance Group and Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates, found “distrust, disinterest, and ignorance” among young people towards politics and government.
For instance, 58 percent of young people surveyed agreed with the statement, “You can’t trust politicians because most are dishonest.”
Being involved in a democracy and voting is “extremely important” to only 26 percent of young people.
William Gardner, president of the secretaries of state group, said the downward trend is “ a grave matter that will only get worse in time.”
The study conducted a national telephone survey of 1,005 people ages 18 to 24 in Iowa, Baltimore and Salt Lake City. In six focus group meetings, many participants said they felt too uninformed to vote, especially in congressional elections.
The difference in voting patterns between students and non-students was striking.
On college campuses, many student leaders said they felt frustrated with their peers’ lack of involvement.
Elizabeth Maki, president of the University of Chicago Republicans and a fourth-year English major, said, “I certainly believe that college students nowadays are becoming less politically involved than in previous years or decades.”
Maki noted that while involvement with the U of C Republicans has increased in recent years, only 30 to 40 students out of 3,5000 regularly attended political meetings and events.
More 18-to 24-year-olds are beginning to distance themselves from the Democratic and Republican parties, embracing independent status of the relatively new Reform party, the study showed.
For instance, almost half of voters under 30 in Minnesota voted for Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura for governor last fall.
Originally published Wednesday, February 10, 1999
Downward trend continued in 1998
The Chicago Tribune
By Pamela Appea
Washington—Even though he’s preoccupied with LSATs, job interviews and school work, Howard University junior and Chicago native Louis Sterling believes in taking time to vote in every election because it’s his “responsibility as a citizen.”
The Washington student’s perspective is unusual among 18 - to 24-year-olds, according to a study released Wednesday. When it comes to government and politics, a majority of American youths are disengaged, disinterested and distrustful, according to the study by the National Association of Secretaries of State.
Across the nation, fewer than one in give 18 - to -24-year olds found their way to voting booths in the 1998 congressional elections, the study showed, and only 32 percent of youths voted in the 1996 presidential elections, continuing a downward trend since the voting age was lowed to 18 in 1971.
The research, conducted by the Tarrance Group and Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates, found “distrust, disinterest, and ignorance” among young people towards politics and government.
For instance, 58 percent of young people surveyed agreed with the statement, “You can’t trust politicians because most are dishonest.”
Being involved in a democracy and voting is “extremely important” to only 26 percent of young people.
William Gardner, president of the secretaries of state group, said the downward trend is “ a grave matter that will only get worse in time.”
The study conducted a national telephone survey of 1,005 people ages 18 to 24 in Iowa, Baltimore and Salt Lake City. In six focus group meetings, many participants said they felt too uninformed to vote, especially in congressional elections.
The difference in voting patterns between students and non-students was striking.
On college campuses, many student leaders said they felt frustrated with their peers’ lack of involvement.
Elizabeth Maki, president of the University of Chicago Republicans and a fourth-year English major, said, “I certainly believe that college students nowadays are becoming less politically involved than in previous years or decades.”
Maki noted that while involvement with the U of C Republicans has increased in recent years, only 30 to 40 students out of 3,5000 regularly attended political meetings and events.
More 18-to 24-year-olds are beginning to distance themselves from the Democratic and Republican parties, embracing independent status of the relatively new Reform party, the study showed.
For instance, almost half of voters under 30 in Minnesota voted for Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura for governor last fall.
Originally published Wednesday, February 10, 1999
Thursday, January 28, 1999
Angela Davis draws capacity crowd
Angela Davis draws capacity crowd
The Chicago Maroon
By Pamela Appea
Originally published Tuesday, January 20, 1998
Political activist and writer Angela Davis spoke yesterday to a crowd of nearly 2,000 people in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, as part of the University of Chicago’s Tenth Annual Dr. Martin Lutjer King Day celebration.
The event, organized and sponsored by The Coordinating Council for Minority Issues (CCMI), was free and open to all members of the University and greater Chicago. However, due to overcrowding, over 100 people were turned away.
“I’m delighted by the response, the support that people showed. Given the fact that we had over 2,000 people cramming themselves into Rockefeller Chapel shows that we picked the right speaker,” said Kathy Stell, deputy dean of Students in the University; assistant to the Provost; and chair of CCMI.
Davis’s speech focused on what she called “The Prison Industrial Complex” a modern phenomena which she believes exists in the United States.
According to Davis, the number of inmates in U.S. prisons and jails are increasing at an alarming rate. “Almost 2 million people are currently locked up in U.S. prisons and jails. They are, as Barbara Fletcher puts it, ‘the truly forgotten,’ she said.
Davis asserted that the majority of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are black males, and the real root of crime is produced by “poverty and racism.” In addition to this, Davis pointed out that while the majority of inmates are male, the number of women being put “behind bars is increasing at an even greater rate than men.
Davis sees the growing reliance of imprisonment as the government’s solution to complex social problems, combined with corporate interests in the punishment industry.
“We often assume prison has nothing to do with us if we aren’t there,” said Davis. “But it has permeated our culture.”
Davis believes that the privatization of prisons benefits U.S. capitalist interests. “In some places, prisons contract labor well below minimum wage, ten cents to 44 cents per hour,” Davis alleges that some major companies such as IBM, Motorola, Microsoft, Honeywall, and Nordstrom are implicated in prison labor violations.
Davis said that Martin Luther King believed that individuals do have the power to realize change. While she said that many attempt to take a neutral position in socio-political matters, she believes that “adopting a manner of acquiescence” is not appropriate.
“Where are the wars against corporate crime, Where are the wars against police crime? Where are the wars against hate violence? Davis asked.
“The growth in prison [inmates] was what really hit me about Davis’ speech,” said Lawrence Pausback, a former Friendship House volunteer and staff member who attended The University of Chicago in the 1950s.
“Especially, the emphasis on the incarceration of women. I thought the percentage was smaller.”
Over the past few weeks, students and student leaders at the U of C have either applauded or decried the choice of Davis as a speaker for the commemoration of King.
Many U of C conservatives have expressed concern with the selection of Davis for the King Day Celebration.
“I believe that Martin Luther King stood for equal opportunities for al Americans, regardless of
race. But key to his vision was the believe that a color-blind America was to achieved through non-violent means. Angela Davis, whose Marxist views and association with such militant groups as the Black Panthers, in my opinion, does not properly represent Martin Luther King’s legacy of non-violence,” said John Roland, president of the University of Chicago Republicans, and a third-year in the College.
King Day organizers disagreed, however. “The idea of the Martin Luther King Day speaker is to have someone speak who has an interesting perspective on Dr. King. We are not having a contest to see who most resembles King,” said Stell.
The University of Chicago Republicans have established another event celebrating DR. King, which is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21. The event will feature conservative black radio talk show host Reginald Jones.
Many at the event, however, express their support in the choice of Davis as a key note speaker.
“King had a passion for justice. King and Davis had a different means of achieving that same end.
For that, Davis embodies the King spirit,” said Tiffany Rockette, vice president of the Organization of Black Students (OBS), and a third-year in the College.
Others felt that the event was organized by the College Republicans would provide another diverse viewpoint on King.
“I think it’s great that that College Republicans are celebrating Martin Luther King Day in their own way. Bringing in different points of view is what academic exchange is about. Their response is perfectly appropriate,” said Stell.
Some in attendance disagreed.
“The Republicans tried to divide us. Basically, the Republicans called King a Communist. Now, it’s strange that they are trying to promote his image. [Reginald Jones] speaks for no one but himself. He does not represent the black community,” said Albert Thompson, a Hyde Park resident.
The King Day celebration included performances from various other student and community organizations.
The celebration began with a traditional Native American dance entitled ’La Danza de los Concheros’ performed by Grupo Folklorico Internacional, a troupe which includes children and adults.
The Evangelistic Crusaders Church of God sang two songs as well. Soul Umoka, and Make a Joyful Noise (MAJ’N,) two University music groups, also sang two selections.
An afternoon reception with Davis was held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Ida Noyes Hall. Along with CCMI, eleven other student organizations sponsored the event, including OBS, Hispanic Association for Cultural Expression & Recognition, Jewish Students Union (JSU), Sexual Violence Prevention Resource Center (SVPRC) and SistaFriends.
Planning for the King day celebration has been ongoing since spring of last year. Davis was selected to be the keynote speaker in August of 1997 according to a representative of CCMI.
Past speakers for the U of C King celebration have included Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Attorney Surgeon General, Bishop Arthur Frazier, and Clarence Page, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Davis’ political activism began as a young woman in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s. She traveled and lectured extensively throughout the U.S., several countries in Africa, Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Davis has long been an advocate for civil and human rights, especially the U.S. prison system. In the early 70s, Davis’ name was placed on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List and she was later incarcerated for a period of sixteen months.
Along with the help of a “Free Angela Davis” campaign, she was released from prison. All charges against Davis were dropped in 1972.
Davis continues to be active with the fight for improving the U.S. penal system. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Prison Activist Resource Center.
Davis is currently working on a comparative study of women’s imprisonment in the U.S., the Netherlands and Cuba.
Photo Caption: The choir of the Envangelistic Crusaders Church of God in Christ performed as part of Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration
Photo Credit: Andrew Fish
Originally published January 28, 1999
The Chicago Maroon
By Pamela Appea
Originally published Tuesday, January 20, 1998
Political activist and writer Angela Davis spoke yesterday to a crowd of nearly 2,000 people in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, as part of the University of Chicago’s Tenth Annual Dr. Martin Lutjer King Day celebration.
The event, organized and sponsored by The Coordinating Council for Minority Issues (CCMI), was free and open to all members of the University and greater Chicago. However, due to overcrowding, over 100 people were turned away.
“I’m delighted by the response, the support that people showed. Given the fact that we had over 2,000 people cramming themselves into Rockefeller Chapel shows that we picked the right speaker,” said Kathy Stell, deputy dean of Students in the University; assistant to the Provost; and chair of CCMI.
Davis’s speech focused on what she called “The Prison Industrial Complex” a modern phenomena which she believes exists in the United States.
According to Davis, the number of inmates in U.S. prisons and jails are increasing at an alarming rate. “Almost 2 million people are currently locked up in U.S. prisons and jails. They are, as Barbara Fletcher puts it, ‘the truly forgotten,’ she said.
Davis asserted that the majority of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. are black males, and the real root of crime is produced by “poverty and racism.” In addition to this, Davis pointed out that while the majority of inmates are male, the number of women being put “behind bars is increasing at an even greater rate than men.
Davis sees the growing reliance of imprisonment as the government’s solution to complex social problems, combined with corporate interests in the punishment industry.
“We often assume prison has nothing to do with us if we aren’t there,” said Davis. “But it has permeated our culture.”
Davis believes that the privatization of prisons benefits U.S. capitalist interests. “In some places, prisons contract labor well below minimum wage, ten cents to 44 cents per hour,” Davis alleges that some major companies such as IBM, Motorola, Microsoft, Honeywall, and Nordstrom are implicated in prison labor violations.
Davis said that Martin Luther King believed that individuals do have the power to realize change. While she said that many attempt to take a neutral position in socio-political matters, she believes that “adopting a manner of acquiescence” is not appropriate.
“Where are the wars against corporate crime, Where are the wars against police crime? Where are the wars against hate violence? Davis asked.
“The growth in prison [inmates] was what really hit me about Davis’ speech,” said Lawrence Pausback, a former Friendship House volunteer and staff member who attended The University of Chicago in the 1950s.
“Especially, the emphasis on the incarceration of women. I thought the percentage was smaller.”
Over the past few weeks, students and student leaders at the U of C have either applauded or decried the choice of Davis as a speaker for the commemoration of King.
Many U of C conservatives have expressed concern with the selection of Davis for the King Day Celebration.
“I believe that Martin Luther King stood for equal opportunities for al Americans, regardless of
race. But key to his vision was the believe that a color-blind America was to achieved through non-violent means. Angela Davis, whose Marxist views and association with such militant groups as the Black Panthers, in my opinion, does not properly represent Martin Luther King’s legacy of non-violence,” said John Roland, president of the University of Chicago Republicans, and a third-year in the College.
King Day organizers disagreed, however. “The idea of the Martin Luther King Day speaker is to have someone speak who has an interesting perspective on Dr. King. We are not having a contest to see who most resembles King,” said Stell.
The University of Chicago Republicans have established another event celebrating DR. King, which is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21. The event will feature conservative black radio talk show host Reginald Jones.
Many at the event, however, express their support in the choice of Davis as a key note speaker.
“King had a passion for justice. King and Davis had a different means of achieving that same end.
For that, Davis embodies the King spirit,” said Tiffany Rockette, vice president of the Organization of Black Students (OBS), and a third-year in the College.
Others felt that the event was organized by the College Republicans would provide another diverse viewpoint on King.
“I think it’s great that that College Republicans are celebrating Martin Luther King Day in their own way. Bringing in different points of view is what academic exchange is about. Their response is perfectly appropriate,” said Stell.
Some in attendance disagreed.
“The Republicans tried to divide us. Basically, the Republicans called King a Communist. Now, it’s strange that they are trying to promote his image. [Reginald Jones] speaks for no one but himself. He does not represent the black community,” said Albert Thompson, a Hyde Park resident.
The King Day celebration included performances from various other student and community organizations.
The celebration began with a traditional Native American dance entitled ’La Danza de los Concheros’ performed by Grupo Folklorico Internacional, a troupe which includes children and adults.
The Evangelistic Crusaders Church of God sang two songs as well. Soul Umoka, and Make a Joyful Noise (MAJ’N,) two University music groups, also sang two selections.
An afternoon reception with Davis was held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Ida Noyes Hall. Along with CCMI, eleven other student organizations sponsored the event, including OBS, Hispanic Association for Cultural Expression & Recognition, Jewish Students Union (JSU), Sexual Violence Prevention Resource Center (SVPRC) and SistaFriends.
Planning for the King day celebration has been ongoing since spring of last year. Davis was selected to be the keynote speaker in August of 1997 according to a representative of CCMI.
Past speakers for the U of C King celebration have included Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Attorney Surgeon General, Bishop Arthur Frazier, and Clarence Page, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Davis’ political activism began as a young woman in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s and 1960s. She traveled and lectured extensively throughout the U.S., several countries in Africa, Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Davis has long been an advocate for civil and human rights, especially the U.S. prison system. In the early 70s, Davis’ name was placed on FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List and she was later incarcerated for a period of sixteen months.
Along with the help of a “Free Angela Davis” campaign, she was released from prison. All charges against Davis were dropped in 1972.
Davis continues to be active with the fight for improving the U.S. penal system. She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Prison Activist Resource Center.
Davis is currently working on a comparative study of women’s imprisonment in the U.S., the Netherlands and Cuba.
Photo Caption: The choir of the Envangelistic Crusaders Church of God in Christ performed as part of Monday’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration
Photo Credit: Andrew Fish
Originally published January 28, 1999
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