A funny thing about being the fifty-year-old dad of two kids under four is that this month my Facebook feed is full of heartsick-but-proud friends my age dropping their kids off at college and heartsick-but-proud parents of kids my kids’ ages showing off toothy grins and Bluey backpacks for adorable first-day-of-school snaps.

It’s very strange to be at the start of this parenting journey when my peers are at the end. It won’t be long before they’re grandparents – and I’ll be mistaken for my kids’ grandfather, too. Life’s so weird.

The news is a little weird, too. One person crashing a car into a store would be enough for a month, but two in a week? And somehow two very alarming national health stories – the detection of a new Covid strain and a death by TB-tainted bone graft material – happened here. And am I the only one who finds it strange that DTE officials said, out loud, that our area can expect a reliable power grid by, uh, late in the 2030s?

As I brace for many of your emails reminding me that the parenting journey never ends, I wish you all a fine U-M move-in week ahead. 

– Steve Friess, editor

Clean-up underway after what NOAA calls “500-year” rainfall: The deluge last night left road-closing floods and tree damage across the region and challenged the county’s drainage system after nearly five inches fell in a three-hour period, the Water Resources Commission says. Anyone still facing problems can call (734) 222-6860, send an email, or click here.

GEO authorizes negotiators to sign tentative agreement: In response to the university’s final offer, the union’s members authorized their bargaining team to  accept a new contract and to move toward a ratification vote, the Michigan Daily reports. That vote is expected to conclude tonight, sealing a new agreement that includes a 20 percent raise for Ann Arbor grad students over three years, a $1,000 bonus for all employees, and changes to health care that includes expanded gender-affirming benefits. The breakthrough comes after a five-month strike and days before classes start for the fall semester.

TB-tainted bone graft kills woman after procedure at U-M: Fifty-seven-year-old Shandra Eisenga of Osceola County received the material during a spinal procedure in April and died of tuberculosis complications this month, the Detroit News reports. The CDC said thirty-six patients across the nation received contaminated bone tissue product from Maryland-based Aziyo Biologics during procedures, and two have died. The same company was involved in the outbreak of TB in 2021 in which eight people died and at least eighty-seven developed a TB infection.

Nation’s first case of  new Covid strain found in Washtenaw County: It’s unknown how severe the variant, BA.2.86, is or whether it can evade existing vaccine formulations, Bridge Michigan reports. The state said the strain, which has also been detected in Denmark, Israel and the U.K., was found in an older person who is not hospitalized. This news comes as Michigan experiences a modest Covid resurgence; 201 people were hospitalized across the state as of last Friday, about double the number earlier in August. It’s still a fraction of the nearly 1,300 who were hospitalized this time last year.

Michigan Medicine drops Covid vaccine rule for employees: University Health Service and the School of Dentistry are also revising their policies in a similar way, the University Record writes. Workers will no longer be required to be vaccinated or to provide proof of an approved exemption.

Parent company of Victory Inn fined $155,600 following worker’s death: A criminal probe is also underway after maintenance worker Charles Suire, forty-nine, of Ann Arbor was found dead in the boiler room of the hotel on Washtenaw Ave. from carbon monoxide poisoning in November, according to a press release from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. US 23 Lodge LLC, owner of the property, was fined as a “severe violator” for multiple failures to ensure safety of equipment.

City expects $194,000 from Walgreens opioid settlement: Council unanimously approved a measure to receive its share of a $4.95 billion agreement to compensate communities for deaths and addiction connected to its sales of opioid  pain medications. Walgreens has admitted no wrongdoing under the national settlement. Ann Arbor will receive the money over fifteen years and must use 85 percent of it to combat opioid addiction.

Man dies by suicide after shooting woman: The thirty-nine-year-old woman survived multiple gunshot wounds to call police early Tuesday after her alleged assailant turned the gun on himself, MLive reports. Their  one-year-old child was in the home in Superior Twp. but was unharmed, according to the Washtenaw County  Sheriff’s Office.

Detroit man gets 8.5 years for T-Mobile armed robbery: Deon Bell, twenty-seven, stuck up the downtown phone shop last October, making off with $9,000 in merchandise and $381 in cash, according to a press release from the U.S. attorney’s office. He was caught because employees gave him a tracker phone that helped police follow him. 

Vehicles plow into buildings in unrelated crashes: The first incident came on Sunday night when a motorist drove into Fortney Eyecare Associates in downtown Ypsi and then ran away on foot, MLive reports. Then, on Monday, an eighty-six-year-old woman drove her car into the front of the Subway sandwich shop on W. Stadium Blvd. She was taken to the hospital as a precaution but police say nobody was injured. 

More offensive graffiti under investigation: The sidewalk outside U-M’s Jewish Resource Center was tagged with homophobic slurs and a racial slur and threat was found on the side of an apartment building on South University Ave. on Tuesday, according to a Facebook post from the AAPD. In July, similar vandalism struck two off-campus fraternity houses. Anyone with information should call (734) 794-6920 or email the AAPD.

Bus, train ridership struggles to hit pre-Covid levels: TheRide hopes to recover 80 percent of its prepandemic ridership this fall, but the service has a long way to go to reach the levels the city aspires to in the city’s A2Zero carbon-neutrality plan, Antonio Cooper writes in this month’s Observer. Amtrak is back up to about 85 percent of its pre-Covid levels. Transit systems are “trying to adjust to the new normal,” including remote work, changing travel patterns, and people who relocated during the pandemic, MDOT official Jean Ruestman said.

City lagging in achieving decarbonization goals by 2030: Greenhouse gas releases are up for the second year in a row after a big pandemic dip, and new housing due to come online with gas lines are likely to slow progress further, MLive reports. The A2Zero plan, adopted in 2020, anticipates dramatic changes in car use and electrification that don’t seem to be happening, climate activists say.

Angry board meeting leaves superintendent’s departure unresolved: Moved to Skyline High to accommodate hundreds of parents and dozens of speakers, the four-hour session on Wednesday recapped many arguments heard two weeks earlier, when members voted 4-3 to send superintendent Jeanice Swift a notice of intent to terminate her employment and, separately, to authorize negotiations for her voluntary departure. Although Swift’s walking papers indicate she’s being removed “without cause,” MLive reports that president Rima Mohammad called on everyone at this week’s meeting to “focus on the little boy who was assaulted on the bus.” That’s a reference to a belated investigation into a December 2021 incident in which a school bus aide hit an autistic boy. MLive also reports that Carpenter Elementary principal Michael Johnson has been placed on leave amid a lawsuit by the child’s mother, who alleges the school waited five weeks to to review surveillance footage of the incident.

Harbaugh suspended for three non-Big Ten games: In an effort to get ahead of potential sanctions from the NCAA over allegations U-M football’s head coach misled investigators about pandemic-era recruiting practices, the school says it will keep him off the sidelines for the first three matches of the season. The move comes days after a deal for a four-game suspension fell through and the NCAA said it would hold hearings on the alleged infractions next year.

Tax breaks granted for 164-unit affordable housing complex: The plan, which would transform the former Chrysler dealership on W. Stadium Blvd., is one step closer to reality after council unanimously approved a property tax exemption, MLive reports (paywall). The Annex Group has yet to purchase the 2.32-acre lot, which is on the market for $3.95 million. The same company is also working on a 252-unit affordable complex nearby on Commerce Dr., as Trilby MacDonald wrote in the June issue of the Observer.

Council poised to extend hours for cannabis shops: Members voted unanimously on first reading on Monday to allow dispensaries to remain open until midnight, three hours longer than their current 9 p.m. closing times, according to the city’s website. The second reading on Sept. 5 will include public comment.

Interest high for A2 pot tour, bingo night, “Virginia Slims” of doobies: Marketing veteran Sarah O’Leary moved here just before the pandemic and realized the city’s long history of marijuana tolerance and its robust collection of cannabis dispensaries presented myriad entrepreneurial opportunities, Jan Schlain writes in this month’s Observer.  Her company, Jelly Brands, has since launched the $25, two-hour Wacky Weed Tour, the weekly Original Baked Bingo events on Sundays at the Circ bar, and a thin-rolled joint called Gal Pals Minis aimed at women tokers. 

Council wants to ban flavored tobacco products: The city can’t do it on their own, so it passed a resolution demanding the state legislature either do it statewide or give municipalities the ability to do so within their borders. The Washtenaw County Board of Health and the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners have also called on the state to do so.

DTE says it will solve area’s power problems by 2038: An engineer for the electric company, under fire for repeated widespread outages, told the Ann Arbor Energy Commission that multimillion-dollar upgrades to the grid expected to be completed in the next ten to fifteen years will improve reliability, MLive reports (paywall). By then, “Ann Arbor is probably going to have one of the newest distribution systems in the country,” he says. 

FoolMoon, YpsiGLOW may end: The folks behind the nonprofit, Assembli, that put on both annual events is looking for new partners to take over, MLive reports. Board president Jeri Rosenberg says the group can’t afford to do it anymore, possibly putting an end to two of the more colorful and zany public events on the local calendar. YpsiGLOW, which occurs around Halloween, is no longer scheduled this year.

Ypsi Twp. under fire over use of $9.4M in Covid relief: The Washtenaw County Democratic Party passed a resolution this summer calling on board members to revise a May plan to fund fifteen public-works projects using the disbursement from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The party’s executive committee wants the township to use the money for “sustainable youth programming and neighborhood-specific infrastructure” and claimed the process of deciding how to spend it was not transparent.

EMU touts most successful fundraising campaign: The school raised $119 million, more than its $100 million goal, in its two-year Give Rise effort, according to a press release. EMU received 84,000 gifts or pledges from more than 21,000 donors for a slate of plans that include additional scholarships and upgraded labs and classrooms.

Scio Twp. discount shop offers deals on brand-name items: Bin & Pallet Co. near the Menard’s on Jackson Rd. is the company’s fourth location in Michigan, MLive reports. Among the wares, the store has liquidation items from the likes of Under Armour, Hurley, Sam’s Club, Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Wayfair.

Briarwood uniform shop focuses on health-care workers: Scrubs Boutique and More, the twelfth outpost of the San Antonio, Texas-based chain, offers an assortment of  largely monochromatic garments for men, women, unisex, and maternity line the aisles, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. 

County’s largest dog daycare center opens in Ypsi: Pup City, with more than 10,000 square feet, is the brainchild of former real estate agent Matthew Golowic, who decided as the Covid pandemic was lifting that he wanted a job where he could hang out with his pets, ClickOnDetroit reports. The facility, on Carpenter Rd. across the street from the Cinemark movie theater, offers custom multi-story play structures, indoor-and-outdoor spaces, glass-door kennels, privacy fences, artificial grass, and rubber flooring.

Garrett’s Space silent auction ends Friday: Bids for dozens of items from, gift cards for popular spots like Blank Slate Creamery and Jerusalem Garden to weekends away at cottages up north, must be in by 9 p.m. Friday. All proceeds benefit the planned center in Superior Twp. for young adults struggling with mental health crises. To browse the offerings and bid, click here.

Soiree to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters: The mentoring program holds “A Fall Evening”, a fundraiser at the historic Inglis House, at 6:30 p.m. on September 10, with cocktails from The Last Word, hors d’oeuvres from The Moveable Feast, a live auction, and a performance by the Djangophonique Trio.  Tickets range from $100 to $275 per person and must be purchased here by Sept. 6.

New non-profit consortium focuses on young males of color: The Washtenaw Community Coalition to Improve the Behavioral Health of Young Black Men and Boys is an effort to pool resources and provide funding for a panoply of groups, Concentrate reports. Among early recipients are Underdawg Nation and Washtenaw My Brother’s Keeper.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Visit the Annual Chelsea Community Fair (through Saturday), with its rides and concessions, livestock shows, truck and tractor pulls, an exhibits of baking, floriculture, arts and hobbies. Complete schedule and tickets available here. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Chelsea Fairgrounds, Old U.S. 12 at Old Manchester Rd., Chelsea. $10 daily admission; kids age 10 and under, free. (734) 475–1270.

Saturday: Grab your dog and head out to Hudson Mills Metropark’s “MetroBarks: Dog Days of Summer.” Well-behaved, vaccinated, and on-leash dogs and their accompanying humans can socialize, play in the water, try an agility course, and explore an off-leash area. Human food truck and beer tent. 5 to 7 p.m., Hudson Mills Metropark Activity Center, 8801 North Territorial Rd., Dexter. Free, but registration required here by 4 p.m. Friday. $10 vehicle entrance fee. (734) 426–8211. 

Sunday: Admire amazing little trees of 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. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens, 1800 N. Dixboro. Admission $3 (age 12 and under, free) at the door. Metered parking. (734) 647–7600. 

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

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