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 TOMORROW LO2 GOT A NEWS TIP? Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail news(v)michigandaily.com and let us know. O N T HE DA ILY BL10s5 Coolest. Poster. Ever? THEFILTER.BLOGS.MICHIGANDAILY.COM INDEX NEWS...... Vol. CXIX,No. 62 SUDDKU... 02001SheMichigan Daily OPINIO N.. michigondaily.com ..............2 ARTS................. ........3 CLASSIFIEDS... ..............4 SPORTS............. .5 ..6 ..