I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m pretty sure tomorrow I’m going on Ann Arbor’s Cemetery Stroll.

To which the natural reaction is: Uh, what?

Well, the city’s website has a seven-stop self-guided tour of Fairview Cemetery, which it owns. I discovered this while testing out the city’s new AI bot, Ask Ann, that launched this week. (For more on how I stumbled upon this, click here.) I’m not clear why this tour is labeled as being for 2023 – cemeteries of historic significance don’t, almost by definition, change much, do they? – but I understand Fairview is actually a popular walk for locals. So I figure it’s worth a gander.

Meanwhile, thousands of students arrived this week to breathe life (and traffic) back into the city. We saw it firsthand as friends and their daughter stayed with us, and it was clear the Brooklynite parents are unfamiliar with how U-M allegiance becomes an identity. They were amused by the Wolverines tchochkes all over our home and the Maize and Blue on our basement and son’s bedroom walls. The daughter transferred as a sophomore from Skidmore because she aspired to be a part of this fandom, so they are about to discover how the Block M can take over their homes, wardrobes, and brain space.

So, welcome Luna and all your classmates. And welcome to all of you readers. Your news, as always, is below. We’re glad to have all of you.

– Steve Friess, editor

Seventeen-story high-rise approved on South University: The planning commission unanimously gave the OK for a $68 million, 186-unit apartment tower to replace the three-story Galleria Mall, according to city records. Developer Landmark Properties says it will start building it in 2026 with an intended completion by June 2028, in time to welcome student renters that fall. The delay in construction is intended to give businesses like Pinball Pete’s time to relocate. The tower is expected to include 4,600 square feet of ground-level retail spaces.

Developer withdraws from site across from YMCA: 4M will not move forward with a six-story, 157-unit housing development at 415 W. Washington St., prompting the city to hire a real estate broker to seek other prospects for the property, MLive reports. Earlier this month, council approved a contract to demolish the decrepit eyesore, and that work is expected to start in September. 4M CEO Margaret Poscher said in a statement that the affordability and sustainability goals of the proposal “would stretch my small team too thinly” as the company also develops SouthTown. 

School wins back kindergarten amid AAPS budget cuts: Mitchell Elementary’s principal and Parent Teacher Organization won a reprieve from the district after initially expecting to start the school year with one fewer kindergarten class and class sizes for that level at twenty-eight students per teacher, MLive reports (paywall). Mitchell has been hard hit by efforts to cut $20.4 million from the AAPS’s operating budget, losing seven teachers and three staffers. Twenty-eight kindergarteners per teacher would have been five more than the union contract permits. The PTO and school administration are also concerned about the expected twenty-seven students per fourth-grade class, though there the contractual maximum is thirty. (Disclosure: My son will be attending Mitchell beginning next week.)

City enters talks with MDOT on trunk lines: The long-expected effort seeks to take ownership of all state-owned roads in town, including N. Main St. and parts of Washtenaw Ave., Huron St. and Jackson Ave., according to city records. Local officials are frustrated by the state’s management of the thoroughfares and want to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Deputy city administrator departs for Allegheny County, PA: John Fournier, whose recent projects include developing a plan to expedite housing construction, will be returning to old stomping grounds in Pittsburgh, the county seat, after six years in Ann Arbor, WESA reports. He’ll start as acting county manager on Sept. 9 until the county commission can confirm his nomination. Fournier previously was deputy chief of staff for then-Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto.

Washtenaw is EV capital of Michigan: So says Bridge Michigan, which compiled data showing our 4,380 registered electric vehicles are the most per capita in the state, with 1.74 percent of drivers running on electrons. EVs were more numerous in Oakland County, with 15,871 registered, but with its much larger population Oakland lagged slightly behind Washtenaw with a 1.5 percent share. There were just 261 EVs registered in the entire Upper Peninsula, Secretary of State records show. In 2021, the Observer’s Jan Schlain profiled local “EV Pioneers,” including an engineering prof who commuted in a 2013 Nissan Leaf and a family who named their Tesla Model 3 for environmental activist Greta Thunberg. In related news, Ann Arbor this week began accepting applications from commercial centers and apartment complexes for free EV charging stations. Council has approved an initial $100,000 for the installations.

U-M residence staff unionizes: In a 141-8 vote, the employees created a bargaining unit called ResStaff Allied Organization, the Michigan Daily reports. The group includes residential advisors, diversity peer educations, and residential staff coordinators. The Michigan Employment Relations Commission is expected to confirm the new union next week.

Business booms for daily Detroit-Ann Arbor express bus: The Observer’s Eve Silberman writes this month that D2A2’s ridership is up 60 percent over this time last year, peaking at a record 8,500 riders over three days during the NFL Draft in April. A pilot program funded by the Regional Transit Authority, the service runs between Fifth Ave. in A2 and Grand Circus Park in Detroit. Fares are $6 each way when purchased at d2a2.com, or $8 on the bus. 

City launches “Ask Ann,” an AI bot: The artificial intelligence assistant can be summoned by clicking the link at the bottom right corner of every page of its website to give users a quick way to get answers to questions about various municipal functions. Ask Ann, as the feature is called, “communicates proficiently in seventy-one different languages, showcasing the advancements in conversational AI for a more seamless and inclusive customer experience,” according to a press release. If users need more help, they use the bot to send a message to city staff, who will follow up when they can.

Eighty-six-year-old woman with dementia dies in accident: Marilyn Savage of Ann Arbor died early Saturday at U-M Hospital after being hit by a car near Barber and Ravenwood avenues, MLive reports. Relatives told police Savage had Alzheimer’s disease and had wandered away from home. The driver, a twenty-two-year-old Ann Arbor woman, remained at the scene and was cooperative with the investigation. No charges are pending.

Shelter seeks information about emaciated, matted poodle: The three-year-old dog was abandoned and tied to a tree near the maintenance entrance of Saginaw Forest Park in Lodi Twp. on Aug. 11, the Humane Society of Huron Valley writes. CEO Tanya Hilgendorf says it’s an especially extreme example of “a slew of unwanted dogs tied to trees and fences at or near HSHV this summer.” Anyone with information on the poodle can call HSHV at (734) 661-3512.

SUV crashes into lighting store: The vehicle jumped a six-inch curb and plowed into the front of Gross Electric on S. Industrial Hwy. last week, according to an Ann Arbor Fire Department post on Facebook. Nobody was injured and the store, which was open at the time, reopened quickly. 

AAFD to get second ambulance: Council approved the $321,000 purchase as demand for emergency services continues to rise, according to city records. The department acquired the first one in February 2023. 

M Den files for bankruptcy, closes Briarwood store: Co-owner Scott Hirth blames debt problems – it owes between $10 million and $50 million to creditors – that began during the pandemic for the downfall of the official merchandiser for U-M, the Detroit Free Press reports. In addition to the Briarwood shop, a downtown Detroit outpost and the store in Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi also have shut their doors. According to a social media post, the company has renamed itself Heritage Collegiate Apparel and is expected to be sold. The largest unsecured claim, $8.8 million, is for royalty payments owed to the U-M athletic department. Hirth’s father and a partner started the business in 1976.

Connor Stalions tapped to coach at Mumford High in Detroit: The figure at the center of the U-M football team’s sign-stealing scandal is the school’s new defensive coordinator, the Detroit News reports. Head coach William McMichael told the newspaper: “I got the most hated man in college football right now, Connor Stalions. … He comes here every day and gives 120%, and the kids all love him and we’re all learning from him.” McMichael says Stalions, who resigned his job at U-M in November, is volunteering his time.

Downtown street closures, shuttles coming for U-M football games: Beginning two hours before kickoff and ending an hour after the game ends on Sept. 7 and 21 and Oct. 5, vehicle traffic will be rerouted around State St. between William and Washington streets, Liberty St. from State to Maynard, and North University from State to Thayer, according to city records. Bars and restaurants will be allowed to expand outside seating into the street, and the State Street District is applying for a liquor license to allow for sales and consumption in public spaces. In a related development, TheRide announced this week it will offer shuttles to and from the Big House with pickup locations at Wyndham Garden Ann Arbor, Weber’s Ann Arbor, Graduate Ann Arbor Hotel, Pizza House on Church St., Sheraton Ann Arbor Hotel, the Kensington Hotel, and DoubleTree by Hilton North.

More road, bridge reopenings: The city says Earhart Rd. between Geddes Rd. and Pine Brae St. is due to reopen Monday after a monthlong shutdown to install a gas line. S. Seventh St. from Scio Church Rd. to Delaware Dr., under construction since April, is scheduled to reopen on Saturday night. Also, the LeForge Bridge in Ypsi reopened this week after two months of reconstruction work.

New Border-to-Border Trail segment, park features open: The 0.6-mile B2B stretch will connect next year to a pedestrian tunnel between Barton Nature Area and Bandemer Park, the city says. The boat launch area at Barton was also reconstructed, and a new “nature playground” opened by the Barton Dam parking lot. A dying, 150-year-old oak that could have endangered trail users was taken down and its trunk repurposed as a rough-hewn climbing structure.

Fast-casual Asian eatery replaces Blaze Pizza: Fuel’d in Cranbrook Village serves stir-fries, poké, salads, and smoothies, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. It’s the first Ann Arbor location for the two-year-old chain, which also has stores in East Lansing, Flint, and the Atlanta area. Owner Irene Gao’s brother, Gian Gao, summed up their build-your-own format as: “Just Subway, but better.”

Hungarian pastry shop opens next week: The House of Chimney Cakes Cafe, which has locations in Dearborn, California, and Texas, specializes in ice cream-filled “sweet dough wrapped around a wooden dowel and baked in an oven,” MLive writes. It opens at 216 S. 4th Ave. on Aug. 31, according to a Facebook post.

Potobox brings a South Korean fad to A2: The downtown store, in the former American Apparel space, offers digital photo booths where customers can select backgrounds, accessories, plush props, and digital effects, then hand-decorate the printed photo sets with markers, Algase writes in this month’s Observer. A typical session is $10. The store is the chain’s fifth and the first outside California. 

Three local causes receive $5,000 grants from Trinity Health: Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, Programs to Educate All Cyclists in Ypsi, and Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County were among the nonprofits benefiting from the grants, which are intended to buy cardiac emergency response equipment and programming, according to a press release.

Tickets on sale for Arbor Hospice fundraiser on Sept. 5: The nonprofit’s Barley, BBQ & Beats event at Revel Run in Chelsea is being emcee’d this year by 102.9 FM morning co-hosts Madison Rally and Brian Welch. Tickets are $65 per person in advance or $75 at the door and each entitles the holder to three servings of BBQ and three hand-crafted cocktails.

Residents, Ypsi locals band together to restore Chidester Place spirit: The subsidized apartment complex for seniors and people with disabilities is enjoying a revival of activities that were lost during the pandemic, Concentrate reports. Emy Deshotel says that when she moved into her Chidester apartment last September, the resident council that had planned events was not in operation. Now events from bingo nights to free meals are rebuilding a sense of community.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Put yourself and your kids on ice with free rentals and skating at the Ann Arbor District Library’s Summer Game Skate at Yost. Also, activities for AADL Summer Game players. 6 to 8 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, 1016 S. State. Free. (734) 327-4200. 

Saturday: Be wowed by tiny trees at the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society’s Annual Bonsai Show, a display of more than 100 bonsai grown by club members. Also, bonsai demos, expert advice, and a sale of bonsai materials and accessories. Sat. and Sun, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro Rd. Admission $3 (age 12 & under, free). Metered parking. (734) 647–7600.

Sunday: View chimney swifts gathering at dusk and help count them at Washtenaw Bird & Nature Alliance’s annual “Swift Nights Out.” Participants choose a known roosting location, count the birds as they enter their roosts in a spectacular swirling tornado, and report back to WBNA organizers. Part of a national effort to monitor this bird species. Fri. through Sun, 8 p.m. until the last swift descends into its chimney. Various locations, preregistration required at washtenawbna.org/events. Free. 

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

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