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Posted on Thu, Dec 6, 2012 : 8:06 a.m.

Rise & Fall: The City of Ypsilanti and 15,000 runners

By Paula Gardner

One is a city that is seeing more positive attention from developers. The other is 15,000 participants left high and dry after an annual race for charity event was canceled.

Here are our picks for Thursday's winner and loser in the news:

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Rise: City of Ypsilanti

A 7-acre vacant landfill next to I-94 may seem like the least likely parcel for a $4 million investment, but that’s what could happen next year. SunDurance Energy is seeking to lease the property from the city for a 1.3 megawatt solar array as part of a proposed deal with DTE Energy. The city will gain about $44,000 in lease payments per year. It’s still early in the process - and the city may not know until January whether the deal is viable - but it’s a welcome sign that developers are considering the area for new projects.

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Fall: 15,000 runners

That’s how many people participated in the annual Big House Big Heart fund-raising run through Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus before organizers canceled the April event after U-M removed Michigan Stadium from the plan. U-M says it hopes the race stays in Ann Arbor. We presume those 15,000 runners do, too. That’s a big turnout - and, in turn, those runners generated big money for charities. Mobilizing that much energy and excitement (and money) is an achievement that is worth holding onto.