Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
michigandaily.com
THE ENVIRONMENT
Warm winter
weather due
to La Nina,'U'
scientist says
* Climate expert says ents and how the earth is heat-
ed, when those temperatures
recent heat wave change even by half a degree,
we see changes in the weather,"
not a sign of global Marsik said. "Global warm-
ing may be a long-term effect
a i of these storm trends, and any
one location may see changes in
By ALEXANDRA their weather patterns."
MONDALEK The average high tempera-
Daily StaffReporter tures at Detroit Metro Airport
was 30.7 degrees last month and
While students sporting the average low temperature
shorts in January would typi- was 17.8 degrees. These temper-
cally be susceptible to frostbite, atures marked the 13th warm-
unreasonably warm tempera- est January in Michigan since
tures, which rose as high as 54 temperature recording began
degrees on Tuesday, have led to in 1880, according to AnnArbor.
the disrobing of layers a bit ear- com.
tier than usual. The National Oceanic and
Frank Marsik, an associate Atmospheric Administra-
research scientist at the Uni- tion predicts higher tempera-
versity, credited the mild con- tures and wetter conditions for
ditions to the La Nina climate Ann Arbor in the next several
pattern - a system in which months, said Marsik, adding
low-pressure systems pull warm that La Nina trends can last for
air north from the equator. over a year.
"We've been experiencing a With warmer temperatures,
La Nina for about a year and a Marsik suspected that plant
half now," Marsik said. "This operations for the University
should continue right into the have been less costly this win-
springtime." ter, because buildings may
Marsik said the La Nina trend need to be heated less. Accord-
has no connection to global ing to the University's Energy
warming, a term he said he feels Management's website, build-
is loosely thrown around in the ing space on campus in need of
media. heating and power totals 30.6
"Based on temperature gradi- See WEATHER, Page 5A
Freshman guard Trey Burke (3) and sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) celebrate Michigan's 68-56 victory over Indiana at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor
last night. 0 For full coverage see page 8A
Michi an la ds25011
National Signing Day
Wolverines finish
with fourth-ranked
recruiting class
By STEPHEN J. NESBITT
Daily Sports Editor
Brady Hoke and the Michi-
gan football coaching staff
eased into their seats in the war
room at Schembechler Hall and
waited. It was 7 a.m. yesterday -
National Signing Day.
Fourteen minutes later, the
first Letter of Intent printed out
on the fax machine down the
hall. It was a sigh of relief for
the staff completing its first full
recruiting class at Michigan.
By noon, the last of the Wol-
verines' 25 incoming freshmen
faxed in his paperwork, filling
the board. Scout.com tabbed
Michigan as the No. 4 recruiting
class in the nation.
"I know none of you will ask
the question, 'Is this a good
class?' " Hoke joked at the
National Signing Day press con-
ference. "Because it is. We don't
try to recruit bad classes.
"Hoping to save you some
embarrassment."
Hoke gave a weary grin. It
had been an early morning.
The biggest surprise of the
day came long before the coach-
ing staff made its way to Schem-
bechler Hall. In the wee hours
of the morning, the Wolverines
secured a surprise commitment
from Dennis Norfleet, a four-
star running back from Detroit,
to round out the class.
Norfleet's offer came late,
See SIGNING, Page 5A
LOCAL BUSINESSES
University
alum's cake
bakery thrives
in community
Use of local foods
inspired by trip to
Tuscany
By MOLLY BLOCK
For theDaily
After discovering her passion for
food during a stint abroad in Flor-
ence, Italy, University alum Heather
Anne Leavitt decided to start her
own bakeshop in Ann Arbor - Sweet
Heather Anne.
Leavitt said her cultural anthro-
pology minor influenced her inter-
est in art and sparked her curiosity
about different cultures and people.
Pairing her time in Italy with her
knowledge of art and affinity for
sculpture, Leavitt developed her
arts thesis by creating a series of
edible monuments to highlight food
producers and artisans in the Ann
Arbor area. The project eventually
blossomed into her current business.
"It was really easy to combine my
passion for food and artwork after I
came back from studying abroad in
Italy," Leavitt said. "The art school
is really open to different mediums.
I even took a food class and got to
See CAKE, Page5A
POOL PARTY
Sustainability
a priority for-
Ann Arbor
Multiple CONTINUING SERIES
susTAINABILUTY
programs lead to ON CAMPUS
environmental
change in city forum at the Ann Arbor
r
ERIN KIRKLAND/Daily
Rick Hollander, a Master's student in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, plays pool in the Michigan
Union Billards Room last night.
UNIVE RSITY RES EA RC
New drug helps alleviate
sy-mptoms of hepatitis C
By K.C. WASSMAN
Daily StaffReporter
The city of Ann Arbor -
also known as Tree Town
- has been widely recog-
nized for its environmental
and sustainable practices.
However, these awards rep-
resent just the beginning
of Ann Arbor's sustainabil-
ity efforts, according to city
officials.
In an effort to make the
city more environmentally-
friendly, a four-part Sus-
tainable Ann Arbor forum
series was launched ear-
lier this year. An energy
financing program called
Property Assess Clean
Energy was implemented
last fall. The series, which
held its first community
District Library earlier this
month, is meant to facilitate
public discussion on four
sustainability themes -
resource management, land
use and access, climate and
energy and community.
The meetings have
had large turnouts thus
far, more than 100 people
attended the first meeting
on Jan. 12, Christopher Gra-
ham, vice chair of the Ann
Arbor Environmental Com-
mission said.
Grahamwrote inanemail
that the city's sustainability
efforts are a combination of
different programs and ini-
tiatives that will make Ann
Arbor a greener place.
"Sustainability, in prac-
tice, is actually dozens and
dozens of individual initia-
See PRIORITY, Page SA
Test subjects show United States - University
researchers recently uncov-
suppression of ered a new advancement in
treatment of the diseases that
virus strain afflicts millions of Americans
each day.
By MARY HANNAHAN In a study published on
Daily StaffReporter Jan. 19, University researchers
found that a new drug for treat-
In an attempt to allevi- ing hepatitis C virus genotype 1
ate symptoms of hepatitis C infection suppressed the virus
- the most widespread cause for patients who previously had
of chronic liver disease in the no response to treatment.
Anna Lok, the study's lead
author and a professor of inter-
nal medicine at the Univer-
sity Medical School, said the
results of the study are signifi-
cant because the only current
treatment for HCV infection
is a combination of the anti-
viral medication ribavirin and
pegylated interferon - a drug
which is accompanied by harsh
side effects that many patients
See DRUG, Page 5A
HWEATHE: 43
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