No time for idle chatter this week! A flurry of blockbuster stories – the school board voting to remove the superintendent, the possible end of the GEO strike, the expansion of the Big Ten, the arrest in that shocking Saline homicide – demands I get out of your way.

Any one of those items would be the biggest headlines of other weeks. Taken together, they defy the old media-biz adage that August is a slow news month. Not this year!

Yeah, there’s other stuff, too. Domino’s stock had a great month thanks to a new deal, an EMU football player gave his scholarship to a teammate, and even the fire department has serious problems with DTE.

As I catch my breath, I wish you all a splendid week.

– Steve Friess, editor

Jeanice Swift booted as AAPS superintendent: Her decade-long tenure appears to be over, with the school board this week voting 4-3 in a special, unscheduled meeting to give her a pre-termination notice and to enter negotiations for a separation agreement, WXYZ-TV reports. The sudden end to Swift’s run came after the Detroit Free Press reported (paywall) on a lawsuit against the district filed by the mother of an autistic boy who was hit by a bus aide in 2019.  Swift, who earlier this year was a finalist for the top job in a Seattle-area school district, said she will be “dedicated to move forward from this evening to a strong transition.” The Observer’s James Leonard wrote about the highs and lows of Swift’s time at AAPS in the May issue.

GEO’s five-month-old strike could end tonight: Members of the graduate students union are expected to vote at a 6 p.m. virtual-only meeting on whether to accept U-M’s latest offer, which contains a 20 percent pay raise over three years, expanded access to child care subsidies and a promise not to discipline workers for the strike, according to the GEO’s feed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It’s unclear whether the offer still stands; the university said it expired on Friday and was withdrawn, according to the University Record. As the union contemplated the offer, U-M issued a warning that graduate students still striking when class begins will be replaced. In another development, the university’s accreditors rejected the GEO’s claims that students received inappropriate grades for the winter semester after the strike began. 

Adrian man charged in murder of ex-girlfriend in Saline: Forty-year-old Amber Jo Thomas of Lenawee County had obtained a personal protective order against Barry Garza days before she was shot to death outside a UAW hall on Aug. 3, the Saline Post reports. Garza, fifty-eight, is accused of shooting Thomas and a bystander, who suffered minor injuries, before leading police on a chase that ended with him colliding with another car. Garza is being held without bail on charges of open murder and two other felonies.

Former U-M professor and famed opera singer pleads guilty of rape: David Daniels, considered among the world’s greatest countertenors, admitted he and his husband drugged and sexually assaulted a Rice University graduate student in Houston in 2010, NPR reports. That incident took place years before he was hired and granted tenure at U-M School of Music, Theatre and Dance, where the couple also was accused of a similar incident and other sexual harassment by a graduate student. Daniels was fired in 2020 and the university settled a lawsuit with the graduate student, who alleged it had warnings about Daniels.

Fall of affirmative action turns eyes toward U-M: The Supreme Court’s sweeping decision in June barring consideration of race as a factor in college admissions had no impact on schools in Michigan because the voters here long ago amended the state constitution to outlaw the practice. Yet now that the rest of the nation’s prestigious schools must find other ways to achieve diversity, U-M is fielding inquiries from its competitors on what it has tried and what has been effective, Debbie Merion writes in this month’s Observer.

A2 rejects blame for Beekman on Broadway delay: Developer Morningside Group say slow inspections were one factor in pushing the 286-unit apartment building’s opening at least into October, but city officials denied the claim, MLive reports (paywall). The delay has forced would-be renters expecting to move in this summer to scramble for lodging as the new school year approaches later in August. The Building Board of Appeals even approved a variance from code requirements, a city official said.

Fire chief bashes DTE as unresponsive during outages: Mike Kennedy told the Michigan Public Service Commission that firefighters have had to track down the power company’s crews in the field to alert them to priority calls because the department couldn’t reach anyone by phone, MLive reports (paywall). The testimony came in response to DTE’s request for a 14 percent residential rate increase. “The field crews were the only functional part of DTE’s response,” Kennedy wrote in testimony submitted in June.

AAPD enlists AI to review body camera footage: The department will be the first in Michigan to review the massive volume of footage using software from Chicago-based Truleo, according to a press release. The system automatically “detects critical events such as uses of force, pursuits, frisks, and non-compliance incidents, and screens for both professional and unprofessional officer language so supervisors can then praise or review officers’ conduct,” the company says.

Commercial spaces struggle in mixed-use buildings: Ann Arbor’s requirement that  developers provide ground-level retail in residential high-rises has not gone according to plan, MLive reports (paywall). The Yard, a complex on S. Main St., has even offered the space for free for as much as two years but still got no takers. The city permitted developers at the George on Packard St. to convert more than 23,000 square feet of vacant commercial space into forty-two apartments last year. 

Council rezones S. State St. block to allow high-rise: The eight-story, 216-apartment mixed-use SouthTown complex planned between Stimson and Henry streets received unanimous support this week and is expected to get the final OK in September, MLive reports (paywall). SouthTown, which will have retail and office space as well as residential units, replaces a collection of buildings that add up to thirty-eight apartments. Jordan Scenna traced the project’s genesis in the April Observer. 

City to spend $100K to slow traffic on Fulmer St.: Council unanimously approved the installation of two raised crosswalks, three speed humps, and a curb extension on the road between Miller Ave. and Foss St. on the west side, according to public records. The work, prompted by a petition from Fulmer residents, is expected to be done by next year. 

Oregon, Washington to join Big Ten, much to U-M regent’s outrage: The former Pac-12 schools are the latest additions as the conference, once comprised solely of Midwest universities, will by 2024 include eighteen schools from Seattle to New Brunswick, New Jersey, Yahoo! Sports reports. The news prompted a critical social media thread by U-M regent Jordan Acker, who lambasted the NCAA and the Big Ten for prioritizing television revenue over the well-being of student-athletes. League executives ignore “the VERY real impact that a weeknight competition in Seattle would have on student athletes with classes in College Park,” he writes.

EMU captain gives scholarship to walk-on: Offensive lineman Zack Conti has paid his way through four years of school, but this year he’ll get his tuition for free thanks to a dramatic announcement by fellow lineman Brian Dooley that has been viewed more than 13,000 times on YouTube. EMU head coach Chris Creighton tells CBS Detroit that he had tried to get a waiver to give out an additional scholarship but the NCAA refused to allow it. 

Big House unveils mammoth new scoreboards: The pair of 179-by-62-feet structures are 85 percent bigger than the ones that were installed in 2011, the Detroit Free Press reports. They are the third-largest in the country, behind scoreboards at Auburn and Purdue, and are part of $41 million in upgrades to Michigan Stadium this year. The team says it will use the additional real estate to provide more data on the game in real time.

U-M athletes to appear in messages for United Dairy Industry of Michigan: Players for the men’s hockey team and various women’s teams will tout the nutritional and athletic performance benefits of milk products in a new sponsorship deal, ClickOnDetroit reports. The multiyear partnership begins with the fall season.

Buddy’s to sell pizza at Michigan games: The venerable Detroit chain will be available at U-M football, basketball, and hockey matches under a five-year agreement that runs through the 2027-2028 season, ClickOnDetroit reports. It’ll cost $15 for four pieces of pepperoni or cheese pizza, served in a custom “Go Blue” box.

Investors find Domino’s deal with Uber Eats, Postmates appetizing: The A2-based pizza chain’s stock surged 11 percent on July 12 after an announcement that it would finally allow third-party delivery apps to list its menus at all its locations by next year, Antonio Cooper writes for this month’s Observer. Domino’s had resisted the move for years and will continue to use its own drivers, but being listed on the popular apps proved necessary to keep up with the changing takeout market landscape. The share-price bump was no blip; as of this week, it’s still up nearly 15 percent.

Ten-bag limit for curbside compost pickup coming: The new rule kicks in Sept. 2 as a “safety measure to protect city public works staff from possible injuries that can result from lifting and loading bags,” according to the city’s website. Bags also must be less than fifty pounds. Residents can drop off additional bags at the compost facility at 4170 Platt Rd. for free from Oct. 2 through Dec. 15.

Ypsi city manager to quit Friday: Frances McMullan, who has run the city for sixteen years, is retiring from the post ahead of the end of her contract in April 2024, MLive reports. City clerk Andrew Hellenga will take over on an interim basis while council selects a new permanent leader. McMullan says she doesn’t know what her next move is but that she wants “to do something different.” In February, she filed a complaint accusing council member Steve Wilcoxen of creating a “hostile council environment,” a conflict that was resolved by the two meeting with a third-party mediator.

Residents oppose MDOT plan to fence off train tracks along river: The six-to-eight-foot barriers are planned for a stretch of W. Huron River Dr. where people and animals cross to get to the water, but nearly 1,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging the agency not to do it. Opponents say the fence would disrupt wildlife, limit human access to the river and look ugly.

180-year-old Dexter Twp. cemeteries undergoing restoration: Volunteers are working to reassemble fallen, buried, and damaged headstones that marked the graves of some of the county’s earliest European settlers, MLive reports. The effort began when a landscaper brought the disarray at Hudson Mills Cemetery and Four Mile Cemetery to officials’ attention. That sparked a community effort that included bringing historic preservationists in to teach volunteers how to clean up burial plots that date as far back as the 1840s.

Closing sale this weekend at Saline’s Rock Paper Scissors: The offbeat gift and stationery shop is shutting its locations on W. Michigan Ave. in Saline after a June fire, so starting tomorrow, the owners are selling the inventory with everything half-off, according to a Facebook post..The shop’s original Ann Arbor location on Main St. will remain open.

Sichuan restaurant relocates to former Big Boy: Ypbor F.M., formerly known as Ypbor Yan, is now a bit farther east on Washtenaw Ave. in the building most recently occupied by Crazy Crab, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. “F.M.” stands for “food museum,” and diners can peruse a modest collection of Chinese artifacts on display.

New pet ER opens: Animal Urgent Center in Maple Village has been busy since its July 5 debut, filling a gap in emergency services for dogs and cats since the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital stopped providing them in March, its owners tell MLive. The practice is owned by veterinarians Kate Gunasekaran and Elizabeth Woodworth and is open seven days a week.

Volunteers sought for Ypsi preschool literacy program: The Washtenaw Promise hopes to pair as many as seventy-five adults with underprivileged local children at Beatty Early Learning Center in an effort to encourage emerging reading skills. The adults write letters to the students every week and receive notes and drawings back. For more information or to sign up, click here.

Applications open for scholarship for students with disabilities: The awards, which start at $500, are aimed to assist students who live in Livingston, Washtenaw or Monroe counties and are in high school or in the first two years of a two- or four-year college, university or trade school. The John Weir Academic Scholarship, administered by the Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston, is named for a Pioneer High alum who became the first person with a severe disability to attend EMU and in 1976 co-founded the Disability Network’s precursor, the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living. More information and the form is here. 

Group seeks money to help resettle Ukrainian family: The nonprofit Washtenaw Ukrainian Refugee Sponsorship is trying to raise $2,250 via GoFundMe to support the arrival of a couple and their two sons due to arrive in the U.S. on Aug. 23. The parents and their seven-year-old and twenty-two-month-old are fleeing the Luhansk region, currently occupied by Russian forces, and are expected to settle in the Saline area. Emily Rusnak, who is leading the effort, also is asking via a Facebook post for volunteers willing to house the refugees for at least a week upon their arrival. To donate or learn more, click here.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Catch L.A. stand-up comic Lisa Curry at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase (Aug. 11 & 12). Curry has an endearingly sunny facade and a slow-burn delivery of sneakily dark jokes about modern life. Preceded by two opening acts. Alcohol is served. 7:15 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $18 reserved seating in advance (before 6 p.m. the night of the show) here, $20 general admission at the door. (734) 996–9080. 

Saturday: Cut loose at the final days of the 78th Manchester Community Fair, with midway rides, carnival games, concessions, tractor pulls, bull-riding, a rodeo, live music, and more. Click here for complete schedule. Noon to 10 p.m. (Fri.), and  9 a.m.to 10 p.m. (Sat.), Alumni Memorial Field, Vernon & Wolverine, Manchester. Admission: Sat. $10 ($8 before 3 p.m.); Kids age 5 & under, free. (734) 260–1019.

Sunday: Take the African American Cultural & Historical Museum of Washtenaw County’s “Underground Railroad Bus Tour.” AACHM board member Deborah Meadows leads the tour of Ypsilanti and Pittsfield Township sites. 2 to 5 p.m., meet in the Meijer Parking Lot, 3825 Carpenter Rd., Ypsi. Tickets $30 (students, $25) must be bought in advance here. (734) 819–8182.

See the Observer’s online calendar for many more local events. 

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