THE FACE OF ANN ARBOR VOLUME 3, NUMBER 52

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Inside

Snyder signs bill allowing charter school expansion

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U of M resident physician arrested for possessing child porn

By Ben Baird
A2 Journal

A look inside our downtowns

By David Veselenak
A2 Journal

On the RAIL

Dr. Stephen Jenson, 36, has been arrested and arraigned on four counts of possessing child sexually abusive materials. A preliminary exam was scheduled for Wednesday. Jenson, a resident physician at the University of Michigan Health System in his fourth year studying internal medicine and pediat- Jenson rics, is suspended from practicing within the health system. He cannot see patients, access medical records or enter any university facility, according to the university. Diane Brown, University of Michigan police spokeswoman, said on Nov. 18 hospital security informed the Department of Public Safety about suspicions of a resident physician possessing child pornography. Material was found on a USB thumb drive used on computers within a restricted area of the hospital, she said. She said Jenson is among the hospital staff with access to this area. The investigation led to police executing a search warrant Dec. 2 at Jensons Ann Arbor residence, Brown said. A computer and storage devices capable of holding digital images were seized, she said. She said police found child pornography among the stored files. Jenson was arrested Dec. 16 and arraigned Dec. 17 at Washtenaw County Jail. Each count of possessing child sexually abusive materials is a felony charge with a maximum penalty of four years in prison. He has been released from jail on a personal recognizance bond of $10,000. Some restrictions have been placed on his movements.

hat makes a downtown unique? For the next two weeks, A2 Journal will look at two major issues facing area downtowns involving vacancies and historic preservation. This week, we look at vacancies in Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Saline, Milan and Belleville, and how area downtowns are combating them and trying to fill the storefronts. Next week, well look at how historic preservation in downtowns can affect business and the downtowns atmosphere. Well host a live chat

Sports
Pioneer girls get rst win of the season with 38-36 victory over Holt.

Page 1-C
on our website, Heritage. com, Jan. 11 on what youd like to see in your communitys downtown, and your suggestions for improving business and other activities. The chat will take place at noon. Please be sure to join us!

ON THE WEB

Turn to Page 4-A for Part I of our series on area downtowns

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Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Saline police departments, the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Ofce, University of Michigan athletics programs and talk radio station WTKA 1050 AM worked together to provide a Christmas for more than 100 families in need.

Police agencies team up to give kids a better Christmas

By Ben Baird
A2 Journal

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Sheriffs deputy talks about his job Community reacts to proposed cuts at shelter

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Hundreds of children in Washtenaw County received gifts this year through the local holiday charity program Magic of Christmas. Ann Arbor, Chelsea and Saline police departments, the Washtenaw County Sheriff s Office, University of Michigan athletics programs and talk radio PLEASE SEE JENSON/3-A station WTKA 1050 AM

worked together to provide a Christmas for more than 100 families in need. Debbie Williams-Hoak, a former golfer and current teacher in the Ladies Professional Golf Association tour, started the charity 16 years ago. Residents were invited to adopt a family for Christmas. Approximately 600 children received gifts through the Magic of Christmas this year, she said, including children

in about 125 families and many foster children. Schools and church leaders provide her with the names of families in need and a wish list of presents for the children, she said. She said the gifts are then delivered by police officers in time for Christmas. Other volunteers are responsible for purchasing and wrapping the gifts. Saline Police Department became involved with Magic of Christmas three

years ago. Linda Hehnlin, administrative assistant, and Jan Wegner, records, coordinated the effort within the department. Its an awesome thing, Wegner said. It makes a lot of kids very, very happy. The department collected gifts for 10 families, Hehnlin said, providing about 15 gifts per child. Its a lot of fun being involved, it really is, she
PLEASE SEE KIDS/3-A

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District bids out HVAC post, but hiring cheaper

By James David Dickson
A2 Journal

INDEX
Second Front Editorial Calendar Sports Deaths Page 4-A Page 6-A Page 2-B Page 1-C Page 10-A

The battle between paying the prevailing wage and signing on with the lowest responsible bidder was decided by the Ann Arbor school board at its Dec. 14 regular meeting. The low bidder won. But it wasnt the cheapest option available. Ann Arbor Public Schools solicited several bids for a 2,000 hour HVAC journeyman position. The HVAC journeyman works closely with district employees and other contractors to maintain and ensure the proper working condition of the heating,

ventilation and air conditioning systems in the districts 33 school buildings. The board had discussed the contract as a first briefing item at its Nov. 30 regular meeting. At the time, trustees raised a number of questions that Randy Trent, the districts executive director of physical properties, was to follow up on at the next meeting. Trent returned Dec. 14 to deliver a second briefing to the board. He checked additional references and brought evidence to bolster the notion that Flint-based D.M. Burr, which he tapped for the contract, in fact qualified as responsible.

But Trents presentation and the boards inquiries raised another question: Was Burr actually the cheapest option? In the end, the HVAC journeyman bid came down to D.M. Burr, which says it can do the job for $93,000, and Johnson Controls, which says it can do the job for $160,000. The contract is for five years. But hiring on another HVAC journeyman, who would be a member of AFSCME Local 1182, wouldve only cost the district roughly $80,200, according to Trents presentation to the board. So why didnt the district go that route?

Trent and Dave Comsa, then-assistant, now deputy, superintendent for human resources and legal services, told the board that a hire wasnt made because contract negotiations werent open. But DeAngelo Malcolm, staff representative for the Michigan AFSCME Council 25, which represents Local 1182, told The Ann Arbor Journal that he would have been happy to have that negotiation. All told, Malcolm represents 19 bargaining units and 5,000 laborers for the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. Whether negotiations

are open or not has no bearing on that, Malcolm said. I have guys sitting on their couch right now; a job is the best Christmas gift you could give a person. That concerns me, Malcolm said. Trents logic behind selecting D.M. Burr is that it was the cheapest option. In the event the Burr contract is canceled, it would then be awarded to the next highest bidder. In that scenario the cost of the contract would rise from $93,000 to $160,000 while there was an $80,000 option on the table. Why was the job bid out
PLEASE SEE HVAC/3-A

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