| May 22, 2026Can you guess what’s pictured above? Click the image to find out! |
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| | I had an aphid invasion this week – in my email box (har har). In last week’s a2view, I asked about ideas for conquering the unsightly infestation on my potted hibiscus trees and received quite a few interesting replies. There was a wide range, with Kimberley Ladue (aka BROOKE BLACK’S MOM) suggesting these sticky insect traps, Steve Welch recommending neem oil, and Robert Glassman swearing by this stuff.
Emily Jennings just wanted to commiserate: “I have the exact same problem with my hibiscus. This plant has also survived everything from being rescued from a dump in the U.P. to being gnawed on by squirrels, but the aphids literally suck. If the ladybugs work out or if you come up with a better solution than soapy water (so messy), please share!”
Evelyn Sebik, too, acknowledges the struggle is real. “Last summer the aphids were all over my potted tomatoes too despite the abundant marigolds nearby. Recently I read that planting garlic near the tomatoes not only benefits the soil, but also helps ward off aphids. I have planted some garlic in with my tomatoes. Unfortunately, it seems chipmunks and squirrels like garlic since they dig up the exact spot where I planted garlic!! I’m thinking of buying more mature garlic plants next.”
But, of course, the most popular response was … ladybugs! So now I’m waiting for a shipment of them, and then the kids and I will give it a whirl. Stay tuned!
Your news is here. U-M regents’ purchase of Concordia led to a fiery reaction from state rep Jason Morgan, there was a mayoral debate, non-occupant short-term rentals are a no-go for city council, there were two troubling deaths at the women’s prison, Kidfest is coming up, and much more.
This is last week’s most-clicked link.
– Steve Friess, editor
Correction: The 2026 U-M commencement speaker whose remark on Israel and Gaza sparked controversy was Derek Peterson, not Drew Peterson. |
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| | | Great moments in Ann Arbor parking jobs. Courtesy: Laurie Briegel |
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| | | | Lawmaker slams U-M after Concordia purchase vote: Ann Arbor state rep Jason Morgan castigated the regents’ decision to go forward with spending $60 million for 140 of the Concordia campus’s 152 acres along Geddes Rd. in a scathing Facebook post in which he reminded the university it is “a public institution, not a private empire.” He called the property, which the city wanted to bring back onto the tax rolls and see developed, “one of the last major land opportunities in Ann Arbor.” Morgan, who is vice chair of the Michigan Democratic Party and widely seen as among the state’s most influential politicians, used the moment to ding U-M for other perceived misdeeds, too, including its push to build a mammoth data center in Ypsilanti Twp. over community objections. “Frankly,” he continued, “it is becoming harder to defend this institution against state cuts when it is willing to spend enormous sums expanding its footprint against the wishes of the communities it operates in while working families struggle with rising housing costs and property tax burdens.” What’s more, in response to a comment, Morgan – whose husband Jon Mallek represents the Concordia area as a Ward 2 councilmember – wrote that the city “was prepared to buy it and facilitate getting most of it back on the tax rolls to support the community.” That little-known plan was not referenced in the resolution that council passed this week urging U-M not to buy the property, although Morgan said the mayor mentioned it at the meeting where they voted for the resolution and Mallek “shared [it] with me, too.” Concordia stopped using the property last year following a major contraction of operations that involved cutting many academic programs and all athletics; it now operates only out of its building on Plymouth Rd.
The move garnered some support, though, notably from ex-councilmember Elizabeth Nelson. In her newsletter, she said she found the city’s handwringing over “lost” tax revenue hypocritical. It hasn’t been on the tax rolls since 1962, she noted, and four councilmembers opposing this U-M acquisition recently voted for a plan “to divert thirty years of future tax revenue – over $350 million – for the development of Arbor South.” (That plan, incidentally, received county commission approval yesterday.)
Concordia spokesman Scott Rudie told MLive that U-M was a favored purchaser because that meant “it will continue to be used for educational purposes well into the future.” U-M said it has no specific plans for its new expanse, which includes “administration buildings, classrooms, residence halls, athletic facilities, the historic Earhart manor, and a chapel,” but regent Paul Brown said he expects U-M to offer up the athletic facilities to local groups and perhaps turn some of the green space into a park. “Our job is to protect our future from the present, which means thinking proactively and long-term,” Brown said. “We think in centuries.” |
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| | Duggan for U-M president? The three-term former Detroit mayor ended his independent bid for governor because “internal polling showed the intense anger over gas prices and Iran was boosting Democrats in every office nationally.” So this U-M and U-M Law alum is looking for a very well-paying, nationally prestigious, powerful job where he doesn’t have to campaign, can use his diplomatic skills, and can fix a few things. The rumors tying Duggan to the U-M presidency flew a year ago when Santa Ono quit, but Duggan had his sights set on Lansing then. Now that he’s gotten that out of his system, it seems to a2view that this could be seamless and easy for everyone involved. Duggan, the former Detroit Medical Center chief, might just have the chops to fix the BCBSM-MM mess (see next item) before it becomes a legit disaster. |
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| | BCBSM tells 250,000 customers to line up alternative providers: As talks between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Michigan Medicine roll into the final critical weeks, the health insurance giant sent an alert to enrollees this week that they should be prepared to find other doctors after its contract with the medical system expires on June 30, the Michigan Daily writes. “Schedule your first appointment with a new doctor as soon as possible,” an informational site posted by BCBSM urges. Some patients, including pregnant women or people with cancer or chronic illnesses requiring active treatment, will remain covered under continuity of care requirements if the parties can’t reach an agreement in time. |
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| | Two deaths in four days at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility: Twenty-eight-year-old Khaira Howard of Detroit died in mid-May, days before she was to be released on parole, Bridge Michigan reports. In a March letter to state rep. Laurie Pohutsky of Livonia, Howard wrote that she had been ordered to clean toxic mold without safety equipment, one of many complaints from inmates about unsafe conditions. Four days after Howard, another inmate, fifty-seven-year-old Rebecca Fackler, died. Causes of death have not been released; the state said it doesn’t suspect foul play. Still, a lawyer representing more than 900 women in civil rights litigation against the state said the lack of adequate medical care and personnel may have been a factor. Last year, a fifty-four-year-old inmate died of sepsis after she received the wrong medication and her medical care was delayed. |
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| | | How to make friends and enjoy people: Amid what the U.S. surgeon general has called an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation,” some Ann Arborites are organizing events and clubs to make friends, stay active, and cultivate emotional support, Shelley Daily writes. Ethan Ward, for instance, joined “20s & 30s New Friends” on Meetup.com after graduating from college, moving back home, and finding himself with fewer people to hang out with. Others, like Dennis Sparks, rely on friendships with neighbors to fend off isolation. “It feels good to be known,” he said.
The A2 webs we weave: Since we’re always hearing about what a small town Ann Arbor is, we put that theory to the test by profiling five strangers to figure out if and how they were connected. Writers Latitude Brown, Alex de Wild, Gregory Anderson, and Bree Stilwell managed to tie a mathematician-novelist, a strongman-inventor, a barber to celebrities, the “keeper of Huron River Drive,” and “the Blueberry Man” together in a series of profiles. Find out how.
What went wrong on S. Main? Jan Schlain and John Hilton delve into why the 100 block, which seemed poised a few years ago for a comeback, remains a downtown dead zone. They found that plans to replace the vacant Chase building with a high-rise hotel-apartment complex never got off the ground because of how quickly and substantially the economics of such development have changed. In fact, since this piece was published, the options have narrowed further; an effort to get council to allow non-occupants to do short-term rentals on their units – translation: make them Airbnbs – got shot down this week. |
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| | | Two of the candidates for Ann Arbor mayor argued over who hates ICE more.
WCC is freezing its lowest-in-the-state in-district tuition rates and lowering its online rates for the 2026–27 academic year. Smart!
U-M is making a surprisingly strong case that it, too, is a pretty good deal – if your family makes less than $110,000. Is that before or after taxes? #askingforafriend
A thousand nurses and their supporters marched in Fuller Park in support of a new Michigan Medicine contract on Sunday.
Waiting for peonies? Keep an eye on this site for updates.
The Michigan Strategic Fund Board has approved a $30 million tax-capture plan to fund a twenty-story, mixed-use high-rise that will provide 330 units of affordable housing at 350 S. Fifth Ave.
The Ypsi council is weighing cuts to close a projected $1.9 million budget gap.
Michigan wants its $35 million loan to the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti Twp. repaid. Critics say that would run the nonprofit autonomous-vehicle research enterprise aground.
There’s been a homeless encampment behind this woman’s home for two years. The Ypsi mayor told her that removing it involves “legal processes.”
Since gas prices aren’t coming down anytime soon, the gang at EMU’s Eastern Echo have provided an exhaustive and handy cheat sheet on rewards programs associated with local filling stations.
Researchers at U-M and a few other universities have a fascinating new way to detect prostate cancer. What will they come up with next?
Wolverines star guard Elliot Cadeau is withdrawing from the NBA draft to stay at U-M and try to win a second straight national title. The NIL deals must’ve been insane.
Consumers Energy has optioned 120 acres in rural Lima Twp. for a possible 1.4-gigawatt natural gas power plant. The township supervisor said he can’t get the power company to call him back.
Saline’s Bird Center of Michigan is super busy this spring.
Saline Twp. is the fourth fastest-growing municipality in the state so far this decade, gaining more than 20 percent in population, according to new census data analyzed by MLive. Ypsi lost the most, down 4.1 percent. The City of Ann Arbor lost 1.3 percent, or 1,666 residents. Explain this to me again – why are they building all these high-rises?
WCC student and Dexter native Mikala Sposito is heading to China as the first woman to represent Team USA in what now?
Second-year sheriff Alyshia Dyer is crediting her kinder, gentler policing approach for drops in traffic violations, crashes, reported crime, and the jail population.
Meanwhile, Oakland County sheriff Michael Bouchard called out Washtenaw County for giving a mere two-year probation sentence to a man convicted of “duct taping and hogtying a woman to a bed and briefly suffocating her with a plastic bag threatening sexual assault.” That man is now accused of a violent carjacking in Orion Twp.
Scroll down on this page to see this year’s commemorative posters for Art Fair. I’m partial to the geese.
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| | | Bruegger’s is toast in rebranding: All the bagel shop’s locations in Michigan are being converted to Einstein Bros. Bagels, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. Both brands are owned by Panera. The Bruegger’s on S. Main in Woodland Plaza reopened last week under its new identity after a remodel; the Bruegger’s at 709 North University has shut down permanently.
Dixboro Project spinoff to replace Molly’s Cupcakes: Orijin Bakery, set to open in July at 617 E. Liberty, is an outgrowth of the popularity of The Boro pastry chef Jin Capobianco Gorian’s creations, Detroit Metro Times reports. The new shop will be a partnership between Gorian and Sava Farah of the Pulpo Group, which also owns Sava’s and Aventura. Molly’s closed in April.
Shuttered Circle K to reopen as Marathon: The store at E. Clark and N. Prospect roads closed up suddenly in January, leaving folks living north of there in Superior Twp. without a quick spot for sundries in the middle of the night. Now Marathon banners and a “coming soon” sign have sprouted on the building. No opening date has been announced, and the location has not been added to the company’s website. |
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| | | Event and concert to support First Steps scholarships: Kidfest, which runs from 3–5 p.m. on May 31, is an annual fundraiser for AAPS’s early-childhood programs. This year, it also celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the programs that my kids have attended since they were infants. Kidfest will take place at Leslie Science & Nature Center and features a 4 p.m. concert by Joe Reilly as well as food trucks and other hands-on activities for kids. Tickets, which cost $5 for kids and $10 for adults, can be found here.
Fundraiser to support cost of care for trans youth: The May 30 event hosted by Huron Valley Democratic Socialists of America at the Regal Beagle in Ypsi will benefit the nonprofit Corner Health Center, which continues to provide gender-affirming health care even as Michigan Medicine and Corewell Health have stopped amid pressure from the Trump administration. This twenty-one-and-up fundraiser runs 7–9 p.m. and will feature live music, custom button-making, a pool tournament, and a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses and artists.
We the People Opportunity Farm to continue late founder’s legacy: The unexpected passing of Melvin Parsons rocked the Ypsi urban farming and mentorship nonprofit that employs formerly incarcerated people and provides free produce to people in need, but new executive director LaWanda Hollister tells Concentrate she’s committed to keeping it going. “I am formerly incarcerated myself, and it’s difficult to receive employment, training, [and] resources upon reentry,” she said. “I know the things I went through, the difficulties, the good and the bad, and I want to be able to bridge that gap for others that are returning.” |
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Friday: Brevity Shakespeare presents a 90-minute abridged production of Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s high-spirited, sharp-tongued comedy about two pairs of lovers.
Saturday: In their season opener, AFC Ann Arbor Men’s Team, our local United Soccer League 2nd division semiprofessional team, plays Lansing City.
Sunday: On Flower Day, the Ann Arbor Farmers Market takes on a festive atmosphere, with flowers and plants for sale, kids activities, and food trucks.
Monday (Memorial Day): You can catch Memorial Day parades in Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, or Glacier Highlands in Ann Arbor. They all start at 10 a.m. In Ypsi, the parade starts at 9 a.m.
See the Observer’s online calendar for many more local events. |
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