GOING OUTBACK
'Australia' is an epic story of romance and
conflict set on an incredible stage. If only it
were a little shorter,
See Arts, Page 5
BAILOUT BATTLE, ROUND 2
The Detroit Three are headed back to Washington.
Congress should focus less on how the CEOs get there
and more on what their companies' failure could mean.
See Opinion, Page 4
E ic i1 Hn' ai l
Ann Arbor Michigan
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
michigandaily.com
UNIVERSITY APPAREL SALES
Steve and
Barry 's to
close in Jan.
LSA senior Alex Perry and L SA junior Romargo Ludmer listen to the names of the victims of the Mumbai attacks being read at a vigil late Monday night on the Diag.
Students mourn umbai victims
Vigil for dead of
terrorist attacks
draws crowd on Diag
By BENJAMIN S. CHASE
Daily StaffReporter
With the world still reeling from
the 60-hour terrorist siege that
began last week in Mumbai, India,
about 200 students gathered last
night on the Diag to remember the
at least 188 people who were killed
in the attacks.
The University and the Michi-
gan Student Assembly sponsored
the vigil, which drew a large crowd
despite brisk winds and snow that
threatened to extinguish the stu-
dents' candles.
"With the strength of the human
spirit we can overcome this," Anjali
Anturkar, the University's associ-
ate vice presidentof student affairs,
said during the event.
MSA President Sabrina Shin-
gwani led off the event, speaking
while standing next to students
holding both Indian and American
flags. The hushed crowd drew close
to the Hatcher Graduate Library
steps, which served as a make-
shift stage, listening to those who
spoke.
Anturkar reaffirmed the eve-
ning's reverential and conciliatory
tone, tellingstudents, "Just because
the world is unsafe - is becoming
unsafe - does not mean we lose
hope."
Rabbi Alter Goldstein, of the
Michigan Chabad House, also
spoke, urging students to unite
to heal the wounds caused by the
attacks.
"When the world was created, it
was with one and many came after
it. Tonight we come as many and
atemne;" he said.
Those gathered on the Diag
bowed their heads for a moment of
silence after volunteers from the
crowd stepped to the microphone
to read the names of those killed
in the attacks. Students left condo-
lences and brief messages of hope
on a poster bearing a block 'M' and
an Indian flag.
The Chabad House will host
a public service at 8 p.m. tonight
to remember the victims of the
attacks at the Jewish Center and
across Mumbai. Terrorists specifi-
cally targeted the Chabad outreach
center in Mumbai, killing nine,
including two Americans.
The vigil and attacks that
inspired it elicited mixed reactions
from those who attended, ranging
from grief and sorrow to anger and
even hope for the future. Alum
Aaftab Husain, who graduated
last spring, said the event "gives
you hope at a time when hope is
lost."
With the attacks and bloodshed
still fresh in the minds of students
on campus and people around the
world, some felt that justice must
be meted out to those responsible
for the violence.
Vijay Ramprasad, a graduate
student in the School of Natural
Resources and the Environment,
said the Mumbai attacks made him
angry.
"It's directed toward the terror-
ists, the brains behind the attacks
and perhaps Pakistan," he said.
But the evening's overall tone
was one of solemnity and remem-
brance for the victims of the attacks
and their families, with students
coming together to grieve and help
each other cope.
"Events like this strengthen us
even more and bring us together,"
LSA sophomore Pratik &arula said.
Chain announced
bankruptcy in Nov.,
lost 'M' contract
By JILLIAN BERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
Cut-rate apparel retailer Steve
& Barry's, a popular fixture on
State Street and on Football Sat-
urdays is going out of business. Its
landlord said it will likely close its
doors for good on Jan. 3.
The financial woes for the
retailer began when the Steve &
Barry's national chain declared
Chapter 11 bankruptcy this sum-
mer, which would have given the
store the opportunity to reor-
ganize and stay in business. But
on Nov. 18, the Steve and Barry's
national chain declared Chapter
7 bankruptcy - putting the com-
pany into liquidation.
The chainwas forcedtodeclare
bankruptcy after it fell behind in
payments to builders, suppliers
and advertisers. In addition to the
national chain's bankruptcy, the
financial woes of the State Street
store only increased when the
University didn't renew its licens-
ing contract with 4004 Inc., the
apparel company that supplies
Steve & Barry's.
The State Street store was
something of an anomaly for
Steve & Barry's. Most of the com-
pany's stores were in department
store-sized spaces in malls. Mall
owners, faced with increasing
vacancies in recent years, paid
Steve & Barry's to locate its stores
in their malls in order to increase
traffic. The company used those
payments to fund its operations,
but when the opening of new
locations slowed, so did those
payments.
Steve & Barry's carries a wide
variety of low-priced Michigan
gear. It sells t-shirts with the names
of dozens of different University
departments, schools and colleges
on them. Some of the store's more
esoteric shirts - "Michigan Grand-
ma" and "Michigan Undecided" -
attracted lots of student buyers.
Ed Davidson, the landlord for
the State Street location of Steve
& Barry's, said he has tenants
looking to move into for 303 S.
State St. once the retailer leaves.
"I started looking at poten-
tial tenants when they declared
Chapter 11," Davidson said. "I
found a couple (potential tenants)
that were very, very interested
and said, 'I'd like to negotiate a
lease with you, and if (Steve and
Barry's) goes Chapter 7, we can
get something done."'
Davidson said he will be sad
to see the Steve and Barry's leave
the State Street location, but is
excited for the new tenant to
come in. He said he couldn't say
who will be taping over the space,
but that the new store will make
an announcement within the next
couple of weeks.
When asked if he had an idea
of what sort of store he wanted
to move in, he only offered one
guideline.
"I didn't think the street need-
ed a new restaurant," he said.
Tom Heywood, executive
director of State Street AreaAsso-
ciation, of which Steve & Barry's
is a member, said he doesn't know
yet what the new store will be.
"From what I've heard, we're
See APPAREL, Page 7
ANN ARBOR REAL ESTATE
City Council OKs
new apartments
WORLD AIDS DAY
Complex at First
and Washington to
replace parking lot
By THOMAS CHAN
Daily StaffReporter
During its meeting yesterday
night, the Ann Arbor City Coun-
cil unanimously approved plans
to build an apartment building
and garage at the southeast cor-
ner of First and West Washington
streets.
The move will replace the
parking lot that currently sits in
that space.
The proposed nine-storybuild-
ing, to be named Ann Arbor City
Apartments, is slated to have 156
apartments and 244 public park-
ing spaces.
The building is part of a part-
nership between the city of Ann
Arbor and Farmington Hills-
based developer Village Green
Companies. Ann Arbor currently
owns the parking lot and will also
own the garage. Village Green
will own the apartments and
finance the construction.
While Village Green Compa-
nies describes itself as "a large
developer and manager of luxury
apartment communities," the
proposed complex will have at
least 10 percent of its units dedi-
cated to affordable housing.
"These people do affordable
housing on site, which is really
positive," said Councilmember
Sabra Briere (D-Ward 1). "And it's
important that there be afford-
able housing downtown. Really
important."
Many who were involved with
City Apartments' planning were
satisfied with negotiations for the
City Apartments' construction
plans. That wasn't the case with
the controversial 601 Forest proj-
ect. 601 Forest, a high-rise apart-
ment complex planned for the
corner of South Forest and South
University avenues, angered local
groups who said the project would
draw too much traffic and be too
See CITY COUNCIL, Page 7
WINTER WEATHER
Icy roads cause multiple
late-night car accidents
First major snowof extensions coming up out of the
porch floor.
season yields slew LSA junior Joel Arnold, who
lives at 1011 South Main Street,
of street collisions said two cars had collided in the
street, and one of the cars was the
By ANDY KROLL one that crashed into his house's
Daily StaffReporter porch.
Arnold said it took the driver of
As the day's snow quickly froze the car and the attending AAPD
into ice last night on many Ann officer ibout half an hour to deal
Arbor roads, poor driving condi- with the crash, after which the
tions led to multiple car accidents driver was able to steer the car
throughoutthe city. back onto the road under its own
"Basically, we had probably power.
20-plus accidents around the city The house's landlord, former
tonight," Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Ann Arbor mayoral candidate
Michael Lance said. and All Star Driver Education
At the intersection of Pauline owner Tom Wall, was arranging
Blvd. and South Main Street, a few for assessment of the damage and
hundred yards from the entrance the necessary repairs to the front
to Michigan Stadium, several porch, Arnold said.
accidents took place involving According to Lance, not long
multiple vehicles. after the crash at 1011 South Main
Around 10:30 p.m., a car trav- Street three cars driving on South
eling on South Main Street lost Main lost control due to the icy
control, slid into the lawn of the .roads, collided with each other
house at 1011 South Main Street and remained pinned together
and crashed into the front porch in the northbound lane of the
of the house. The crash damaged street.
the wooden flooring of the porch The three cars all sustained
and shattered some wooden See ACCIDENTS, Page 7
LSA sophomores Bianca Renae Lee and Alex McQueen perform in When It Hlts
Home: Effects oftthe Epidemic," a show sponsored by AIDS in Black and Brown, So
You Say Productions, and the HIV/AIDS Resource Center for World Aids Day. The
day is part of an international public awareness campaign.
WEATHER Hi: 38
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