There was a rise of 9.1 percent last May in terms of the jobless in Ann Arbor area. It was up 3% from last year, as reported by the state yesterday.
Last April, the unemployment rate went up as well. Total employment went down 1.5  percent between the months of April and May in the Ann Arbor area.
Mark Reffitt said, “Even Ann Arbor, which is the strongest economy in the state, is feeling the residual impact of the economy.” Mark Reffitt is the regional economic analyst with the state Department of …

According to Weather Service, 3 inches of rain nearly hit Ann Arbor in a single hour.
That rain that fell in an hour’s time was measured to be 2.9 inches saida National Weather Service spokeswoman. It was measured by a weather spotter near the intersection of M14 and US23. It was then reported to the Weather Service’s office at White Lake Township at midnight.
Washtenaw County was on the southern side of the storm while Macomb, Genesse and Oakland Counties experienced a worse weather. No reports from Livingston County yet. There is …

On June 12, Nationally-recognized Green RVer Brian Brawdy is going to be in Ann Arbor and he will be touring the world headquarters and manufacturing facilities of Thetford Corporation. He will be joining the other Thetford officials at the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWWA) convention which is going to be held on June 13-16 at Grand Rapids. The reason for this is to promote a green RV lifestyle to hunters and fishermen.
Brian Brawdy has appeared in many media outlets. Some of these incluse CNN, Fox News, The New York …

Sunday April 26, 2009 afternoon. The Ann Arbor police rescued a stranded swimmer who was stuck on an island near the foot of the stone steps at Nichols Arboretum. During the first attempt the one rescuer nearly drowned due to the high current and impaired mobility with the dry suit.
On the second attempt the rescue crew went to the other side of the river and got across over the island then made his way to the second island and pulled the swimmer (a girl about 20-ish) to safety.
There were at …

OK. So today I’m taking my dog for a walk at the Arb and as I enter from the Geddes Road entrance. I see a red heart spray painted on the ground. Hmmm.  First I think the paint actually looks like blood. Geez is this some kind of gory trick?  No. I think it’s waterproof spray paint. Then I see more of the spray paint on some trees.  Red hearts and arrows directing you down the wooden steps.    I didn’t follow them, but on my way back I came up the steps …

Yikes!  I walk my dog there all the time and I’ve seen so many fallen trees.  I’ve always been aware of that possibility, especially during or after a wind storm.  Here’s the scoop….
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/04/woman_injured_when_part_of_tre.html

The daffodils are blooming in the Ann Arbor “Arb” aka Nichols Arboretum. April 24, 2009. Make sure to see them soon or you’ll miss it this year.

The University of Michigan and research group Fraunhofer are partnering in a $2.2 million program to provide grants for alternative energy in transportation projects….

An Ann Arbor engineering company is working on a device to scan for smuggled “fissionable materials” at border checkpoints and is getting a $750,000 government contract for the project….

In a round of cost-cutting, the University of Michigan Health Service is reducing the services of a workplace health and disability medical unit. MWorks will still be available to U-M faculty and staff, but it won’t serve outside employers after…