Ann Arbor, Michigan ONL MHUNDRj E) 1TWEINT TW YEAt I \F E\I T1111 I111 F 1EDM 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 TOMORROW LO: 31 GOT A NEWS TIP? NEW ON MICHIGANDAILYCOM Call 734-418-4115 or e-mail How to really "Be Yourself" news@michigandaily.com and let us know. 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