Well, that was quite a year, wasn’t it?

This is our final a2view for 2023, a tumultuous year for the school district, police department, U-M’s football and basketball teams, and many other local institutions and groups. Labor asserted itself with successful strikes, the city made decisions that will bring ever more vertical and mixed-use development, the summer saw a troubling spike in murders, and there was lots and lots and lots of roadwork.

It’s been my pleasure to bring you the news this year, and I’m excited to see what 2024 brings. We’ll have a bicentennial, we’ll elect a new U.S. senator, we’ll inaugurate a new police chief and – hey, I’m just guessing – there’ll be lots and lots and lots of roadwork.

Have a wonderful, safe, holiday-filled fortnight, and I’ll catch you all right here again on Jan. 4.

– Steve Friess, editor

Arizona assistant chief confirmed as A2’s top cop: Andre Anderson will be the department’s first permanent chief since 2022 when he takes over early next year, according to a city press release. Anderson’s hire ends a lengthy search that included the city passing on four previous finalists. In addition to Tempe, Ariz., he’s held leadership posts in Rochester, N.Y., and Glendale, Arizona. In 2015, he served for six months as interim chief in Ferguson, Mo., while the Department of Justice investigated civil rights violations there following the police-involved shooting death of Michael Brown.

Victim of 1980s murder identified via forensic DNA: The body of Cheryl Coates of Detroit, who was about twenty-five when she died, was a longstanding mystery to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office until recent scientific developments solved it, according a Facebook post from the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office. Coates was found shot to death in a shallow grave in Superior Twp. in January 1985, but she may have been there as long as a year, police say. The effort to find genetic relatives yielded one surprising twist; her biological mother worked at the Pentagon and died there in the 9/11 attacks. Anyone with information should send an email or call (734) 973-7711.

Police seek leads in Chase Bank robbery: The incident occurred on Friday morning when a white man believed to be in his 50s slipped a note to a teller at the branch at 3500 Plymouth Road that implied he had a weapon and demanded cash, Fox2 reports. The man suspect was last seen wearing a black coat, gray hat, dark gloves and a face covering. Anyone with information can (734) 794-6939 or send police an email.

Planners OK high-rise next to library without affordable units: The sixteen-story, 202-unit apartment building at 333 E. William is moving ahead, MLive writes (paywall). Developer Core Space originally agreed to subsidize some units to take advantage of city incentives, but that’s no longer required after a council vote earlier this month. Amenities at the 645-bed building will include a fifteenth-floor pool terrace.

Historic District Commission approve Main St. expansion on third try: After twice failing to get the panel’s blessing to add two stories to a three-story Italianate brick building that dates back to 1866, developer Reza Rahmani agreed to move the top story’s facade back farther from the street, MLive writes (paywall). Rahmani’s many downtown buildings include a similarly set back design a block south. Drawings of the new plans can be seen here.

Gas leaf blowers to be banned by 2028: Council unanimously approved the move, which is aimed to reduce carbon emissions and noise pollution, according to city records. The penalty for a first offense is $100, rising to $250 for any additional offenses. Ann Arbor appears to be the first city in Michigan to do this, but LAist notes Beverly Hills, Calif., has prohibited them since 1976. Other places they’re banned include Washington D.C., Miami Beach, Florida, and Evanston, Illinois, according to Route Fifty.

City touts busiest year for solar installations: More than 200 new residential systems went up in 2023 adding more than 1.8 megawatts of photovoltaic power, according to a press release. Most of the residential arrays were bought through the Solarize program, which provides discounts via a communitywide bulk purchase. The city also added five new solar arrays at city facilities.

Global automakers invest $149 million: The area is a hotbed for global automakers’ U.S. emissions labs – Mercedes and Mitsubishi both have facilities on the south side – and Toyota and Hyundai-Kia have built full-fledged R&D operations. Now both are growing, Antonio Cooper writes in this month’s Observer. Toyota is pursuing a better EV battery with a new, $48 million lab at its sprawling site in York Twp., while Hyundai-Kia just dedicated a $51 million safety center at its spread in Superior Twp. and announced a $50 million grant to EMU to develop STEM programs at area schools.

Synagogue receives bomb threat: Temple Beth Emeth was one of hundreds of Jewish houses of worship to receive the email threats over the weekend, USA Today writes. Ann Arbor police found no explosives or suspicious material when they searched the Genesis of Ann Arbor building, which also houses St. Clare’s Episcopal Church, on Sunday.

Muslim group lodges discrimination complaint against AAPS: An eighth-grader of Palestinian descent at Tappan Middle School alleges that a counselor referred to him as a “terrorist,” CBS Detroit writes. The boy’s family turned to the Michigan chapter of the Council on Islamic-American Relations after they say their concerns were dismissed by school district personnel. Now CAIR-MI has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. The school district declined to comment.

Superior Twp. trustees more than double their pay: The base pay for township trustees rose from $4,500 to $10,000 per year, MLive reports, matching what trustees in Scio Twp. make after approving their own pay raise last summer. Starting in January, the full-time clerk and treasurer will also get 14 percent raises.

Council approves $1.3M contract to pave path to Barton Dam: The work on a 0.6-acre stretch of the main trail is aimed at making it accessible to walkers and bikers and fill “a critical gap [of the] Border-to-Border Trail, according to city records. It’ll be completed in 2024.

Used book shops overwhelmed by inventory: When booklovers need to part with their libraries, they want their tomes to go to good homes – but now resellers are overwhelmed, Jeff Mortimer reports in this month’s Observer. The fundamental driver of the surge seems to be Baby Boomers growing old and needing to downsize. Rachel Pastiva, director of the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library and its book shop, says she’s seeing “huge collections that you could tell people saved for decades.” But the glut is driving down prices: “I have some books on my sale table for two or three dollars that, a couple of years ago, might have been six or seven and on a shelf,” says Gene Alloway, owner of Motte & Bailey Booksellers.

Ohio photographer credits Michigan with saving his life: Aaron Josefczyk, who suffered a heart attack shortly after The Game at the Big House on Nov. 25, expressed gratitude for top-notch medical attention he received, MLive writes. Josefczyk, fifty-four, a freelance sports photographer, was taken to the stadium’s medical station and then to U-M Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center. He had a 90 percent blockage of the right coronary artery.

Four parks open to accept cast-off Christmas trees: The city will compost them if you leave them in the dirt lot north of the basketball courts at Bicentennial Park or in the parking lot at West Park, the Gallup Park boat launch, and Olson Park, ClickonDetroit writes. Trees can be left between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. until Jan. 15, but they can’t have any decorations on them. Wreaths, metal wiring and tree stands will not be accepted either.

Madras Masala reopens, plans second location: Owner Gopal Ramanujam tells Dave Algase in this month’s Observer that he couldn’t find a space downtown after his Maynard St. building burned down in January, so he moved to the space on Packard vacated last summer by Chia Shiang. Ramanujam also hopes to open a second location in the revitalizing Lower Town business district by March.

Mochi donut franchise opens first location in Michigan: Mochinut specializes in the Japanese-style pastries as well as boba and Korean-style hot dogs, Algase writes this month. It’s a hot new national chain that debuted in 2020 and now has more than 160 locations in the U.S., South Korea, and Thailand. The Ann Arbor location on Plymouth Rd. near North Campus opened earlier this month. In 2020, upon Mochinut’s arrival in Los Angeles, Thrillist raved that mochi donuts were the latest hybrid pastry sensation.

KouZina Greek Street Food shuts down: Owner Bobby Laskaris told MLive he vacated the space on S. Main at the end of their lease, but a court last month ruled that the business owes the landlord more than $39,000 in overdue rent and unpaid utility bills. Laskaris, who owns another KouZina in Royal Oak, said he hopes to reopen in a new location in Ann Arbor.

Teen cancer patient’s third annual toy drive her biggest yet: Thirteen-year-old Harper Mathis, who has battled a brain tumor for three years, tells ClickOnDetroit that the effort has brought in between 2,000 and 3,000 items for kids undergoing treatment at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Mathis has a lot of help in collecting the gifts from the Ann Arbor Police Department where her mother, Shellie, is a 24-year veteran of the force.

Radio campaign draws 1M meals for Food Gatherers: “Rockin’ for the Hungry,” an annual five-day broadcast on 107one from outside the Kroger on S. Maple Rd., brought in the equivalent of 1,077,814 meals in nonperishable food donations as well as financial gifts, the organization announced on its website. The fundraiser’s biggest single donation came from Community High School, where students raised $71,351. 

Maker Works seeks $50,000 in donations: The nonprofit community workshop so far has received $17,006 from forty-nine donors toward that goal via its online crowdfunding campaign, including a $10,000 gift from Zingerman’s Mail Order. Maker Works uses the funding to help local people learn new skills from upholstery to glass etching. The campaign will continue at least until Jan. 14.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Cheer for the U-M Women’s Basketball team, which snagged its best postseason performance ever in 2022 when it advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. The team plays Florida A&M at Crisler Center. 2 p.m., $8 reserved seating and $6 general admission in advance here. (734) 764–0247. 

Saturday: See “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Michigan Theater’s big screen. Frank Capra’s 1946 sentimental classic about a man who gets a second chance at life on Christmas Eve stars James Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore. 7:30 p.m. (Fri.) and 1:30 p.m. (Sat.). 

Christmas Eve: Visit the First Congregational Church’s annual outdoor Living Nativity with sheep, a camel, and other live animals along with actors dressed as Mary and Joseph. Followed by a family Christmas pageant (5:30 p.m.) and a candlelight service (8 p.m.). 4 p.m., First Congregational Church, 608 E William. Free. (734) 662–1679.

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

Tell a friend about a2view

For Sponsorship and Advertising information 
Email:  a2view@aaobserver.com

Did this email get forwarded to you? 
Sign up to receive a2view direct to your inbox.