Local governments provide a cornucopia of information for residents on the Internet. Here’s one that will help you make informed decisions about eating out. Washtenaw County provides Restaurant Inspection Reports for local restaurants, bars, night clubs, school cafeterias and more. Then you can check out the restaurants section at Arbor Web and leave those pots and pans for another night.

211

Beginning November 1, 2006, residents of Washtenaw, Livingston and Monroe counties will have one phone number to call – 211 -- for easy access to community services. Whether it’s helping with basic needs like food, shelter or rent assistance, employment services, help with child care, respite care, disaster relief or hundreds of other services vital to your well-being, 211 will direct you to the right agency. Use a land line, cellphone or a pay phone to make this toll-free call.

On Tuesday, October 24, a selection committee of community leaders, students and educators in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area chose Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World (2003) for the 2007 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads. The 2007 program will encourage readers of all ages to explore the theme We The People… - the many people that we are, the diverse communities we have created, and the challenges we face in fostering a continuing sense of belonging and civic engagement in a rapidly changing world. Check it out!

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The Community Collaborative of Washtenaw County has published
Community Needs Assessment 2006 , a comprehensive look at the socio-economic well-being of county residents. Data on unemployment, health care, child poverty, homelessness and more are presented in the report. A Plenary Session for the public to discuss the findings will be held on Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 7:30 a.m. – Noon at the Morris Lawrence Building, Washtenaw Community College.

If you're planning to attend the October 13 or 14 UMS performance of the Martha Graham Dance Company, you don't want to miss the study club here at AADL Tuesday night. Peter Sparling, UM Professor of Dance and former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, will talk about Ms. Graham's life and legacy in the world of American modern dance and present rare archival footage and demonstration. This event is open to the public and will take place on Tuesday, October 10, 7-8:45 p.m. in the Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room. Meanwhile, the Martha Graham Dance Company is also featured on the DVD Martha Graham in Performance, "...among the two or three successful dance films ever made." (Clive Barnes).

Did you know that the latest census projects that Washtenaw County's population of people 65 and older will grow from approximately 26,000 today to nearly 73,000 in 2030? The Blueprint for Aging, a local partnership of consumers and agencies, is sponsoring a series of lectures on Positive Aging.

The first event "Age with Attitude" will take place this coming Friday October 6, 2006 from 9:30 am to noon at the Village at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, 5341 McAuley Drive. Frank Cambria, the deputy director of Washtenaw County, will be the keynote speaker. Other community leaders will also address relevant issues on improving services for older citizens.

For more information, contact Virginia Boyce at 734-712-2718 or "vboyce@css-washtenaw.org".

Are you looking for a way to celebrate fall? Maybe you are looking to get into the Halloween Spirit! If so, I suggest checking out one of many Michigan cider mills! Here is a list of a few orchards and cider mills in, or around, Ann Arbor: Dexter Cider Mill, Wiards Orchards, or Obstbaum Orchards are good choices.

If you need some help carving those pumpkins, look no further! Check out what the library has to offer, such as Pumpkin Carving or Great pumpkins : crafty carving for Halloween. And if you aren't sure what to do with your freshly picked apples, take a look at An apple harvest : recipes and orchard lore.

Did you know the Huron River Watershed Council sponsors a film festival? The Millers Creek Film Festival is a filmmaking competition and festival that is held to raise awareness about the river and water issues in the area. You can submit a film five minutes long (or shorter) or a 30 second public service spot. The subject is human connections to the River or its tributaries. Prizes will be awarded and the winners will be shown at the Michigan Theater on March 20, 2007.

Entries must be submitted by February 20, 2007. The entry fee is $15 (or $10 if submitted by February 1, 2007).

Check for further information and entry forms online at HRWC

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The Ann Arbor District library's web site is now home to an online pictorial exhibit and history of the Ann Arbor Police Department. The exhibit, one of four local history collections on the library's research page, features a large assemblage of images of the police department and its officers, police vehicles, artifacts and documents. The pictorial collection is accompanied by the complete text of Lieutenant Michael Logghe's True Crimes and the History of the Ann Arbor Police Department which traces the history of the department from its beginnings in the 1870s to the late 1990s. The narrative is filled with fascinating accounts of the organization, development, and controversial issues which faced the department, as well as inside information on the large array of major criminal investigations which have been part of that history, such as the 1908 student riot at the Star Theater, the murder and aftermath of Officer Clifford Stang in 1935, the student unrest of the 1960s and and 1970s, the shocking co-ed murders, and numerous others.

AccuVote

Voters can judge for themselves when CTN Channel 19 airs candidate debates sponsored by the League of Women Voters. On Tuesday, Oct. 17th, Ann Arbor City Council Ward 3 candidates will square off at 7 p.m. followed by Mayoral candidates at 8 p.m. On Wednesday, Oct. 18th, 18th District State Senate candidates will debate at 7 p.m. followed by the 53rd District State Representative candidates.