At some point last Friday, editor-in-chief Brooke Black texted to check how I was holding up amid a wave of critical emails about the new a2view format as well as some important complaints about last week’s content. The truth was, I would have loved for it all to go much more smoothly and we did enjoy some kind compliments, but I was just delighted so many of you care enough to tell us how you feel.

We aren’t abandoning the redesign, but we have reverted to the earlier format for now while we work out the kinks. Many of you said the font was too small; others bemoaned alignment issues on certain devices. We’re going to work on this and try again soon.

There was another important concern raised – that I omitted the start of Ramadan when I ticked off a list of cultural and religious events all converging this week. I’m really sorry about that; I even participated in a discussion at a PTO meeting last week about how AAPS planned to accommodate fasting students. I just didn’t realize the dates. I hope those who are observing have a peaceful, meaningful month ahead.

Finally, we heard from a couple of folks who took issue with my cursory summary of the “sides” in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan battle which, admittedly, were not intended as a nuanced discussion of the many arguments around the legislation. Notably, though, planning commissioner Daniel Adams chimed in, saying he was writing on his own behalf and not for the board, to excoriate the use of “D-Day” – originally associated with the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 but more recently applied to all manner of events – to describe an upcoming CLUP hearing as “offensively inflammatory.” He noted the meeting won’t be the final act in the process and felt “the invocation of a bloody military operation to describe the upcoming public meeting is reckless and irresponsible.”

Whew! So, with all of that out of the way, please note Brooke will be at Two Songs Bakery, 1958 S. Industrial Hwy., suite C, on Tuesday (February 24) from 2 to 4 p.m. Come by to see her and share what you think is important for the Observer to cover, what we’re doing right, and how we can do better!

Your news is here. The Gelman plume is causing complications for the AAPS building program, the former CEO of Michigan Medicine is under fire, the big three U-M winter sports are all in remarkably great shape, and of course ex-Wolverines were TeamUSA’s ice hockey heroes.

This is last week’s most-clicked link.

– Steve Friess, editor

Corrections: We incorrectly identified the fraternity suspended in the aftermath of the death of a U-M sophomore who left their party possibly inebriated in subzero temperatures. It is Delta Tau. Also, we wrote the “South Barton Pedestrian Dam” will be replaced; it’s the South Barton Pedestrian Bridge. 

1. February Fantastic-ness: The big sports news is, of course, that U-M men’s basketball was voted No. 1 in the nation this week and then played like it with a convincing win on Tuesday over No. 7–ranked Purdue. (That’s forward Trey McKenney, who wears No. 1, above.) A high-stakes showdown tomorrow against No. 3–ranked Duke in Chapel Hill could cement U-M’s status as the overall favorite in next month’s NCAA Tournament. All that said, U-M women’s basketball is also having a banner year, ranked No. 6 nationally and projected to land its highest seed ever in the women’s tournament. Meanwhile, the men’s ice hockey team is No. 2 in the country, losing its grip on the top seed to MSU after the Spartans thumped the Wolverines in Ann Arbor on February 7. Expectations are sky high for the various strands of March Madness to come.

1.5. Two scandals: All that success is almost enough to forget about Sherrone Moore and the football debacle. The former head coach, fired for an alleged affair with a subordinate, was in court this week and scored some points with a judge who ruled Moore deserves an evidentiary hearing related to felony charges resulting from his alleged behavior on the day he was dismissed. The hearing is scheduled for March 2. And, while nowhere near the same level, the emergence of a controversial and profane YouTube video in which Wolverine basketball star Yaxel Lendeborg was caught last year trash-talking Purdue did distract a bit from the team’s triumphant arrival atop the rankings. Coach Dusty May chalked it up as a “learning lesson.”

2. Former med school dean under fire: Marschall S. Runge, who retired last year after an historic tenure during which he simultaneously led U-M’s med school and was CEO of Michigan Medicine, appears to have omitted on at least a dozen journal publications the fact that he also served on the board of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, according to an investigation published by the Michigan Daily. In addition, the student newspaper “found the payments Runge received from Lilly far exceeded the amounts most of his peers at other hospitals accepted from similar companies.” Prompted by the Daily’s inquiries, the owner of two of those journals has already added a clarification to one of Runge’s papers. Runge insists he “followed every aspect of the University of Michigan conflict of interest policy.” The piece was co-written by former a2view intern and occasional Observer contributor Anna McLean. Read more

3. Discord over U-M and Concordia: Reaction was swift and fierce to MLive‘s scoop that the university is in “preliminary” talks to buy the currently unused 187-acre campus of the recently downsized Lutheran university. Such a purchase would keep that stretch of prime real estate along the Huron River off the tax rolls, and it’s unclear what U-M needs it for given its existing, vast land holdings. Ann Arbor state rep Jason Morgan called the possible sale “outrageous” and called on U-M to “stop buying land in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County.” Morgan’s husband, city councilmember Jon Mallek, represents Ward 3, where the Concordia property lies. Former city councilmember Kirk Westphal, now executive director of the Neighborhood Institute, also took to social media to condemn the idea, writing, “I could understand a move like this if U-M were using their current properties efficiently and running out of space, but they are most definitely not.” Westphal suggested in a comment to his post that Democrats consider primarying the two Democratic regents up for reelection this year if they don’t oppose the purchase. Read more

4. Planning commission advances CLUP: The board gave a unanimous endorsement to the fourth draft of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, spending much of Wednesday night’s meeting responding to accusations that the proposal aims to replace parks and open spaces with high-rise residential development. It now moves on for approval or rejection by council in coming months. Read more

No geothermal at Slauson due to Gelman plume: That’s just the latest hiccup to hit the AAPS’s $1.44 billion school construction and renovations program, yours truly reports as I check in on where the ambitious, oft-controversial effort stands more than six years after voters approved a $1 billion bond issue. Four replacement elementary schools are under construction including two, Thurston and Logan, that ran into opposition in the run-up to their groundbreakings. The Gelman plume issue is the newest wrinkle; adding a geothermal system to provide clean power to the schools is a linchpin of the district’s sustainability goals, but the county won’t permit its installation without complex and costly measures to ensure the public is not exposed to the tainted, possibly carcinogenic groundwater. Read more

A2-based RealTruck is a major truck accessory manufacturer: The company, founded in 1998 as Truck Hero, is moving beyond its business-to-business past with the opening of a retail store in Rochester Hills, Alex Kourvo reports. The company, which rebranded in 2022, has more than 5,000 employees spread across seventy-eight facilities on four continents; about 500 employees work in the firm’s Ann Arbor headquarters. Read more

Veteran storyteller gears up for tonight’s festival at the Ark: In this month’s My Town, Patti Smith describes her lifelong passion for public speaking and why the Ann Arbor Storytellers’ Guild has meant so much to her. Read more

Former Wolverine Quinn Hughes (above left) scored the winning goal in Team USA’s thrilling overtime 2–1 win over Sweden to advance to today’s semifinal versus Slovakia. The other American goal, in the second period, was scored by another ex-Wolverine, Dylan Larkin. Read more

There will be no appeal of the controversial scoring that resulted in Ann Arbor–based husband-and-wife ice dancers Evan Bates and Madison Chock settling for silver in Milan-Cortina. Read more

The couple did, however, get grilled by that hard-hitting journalist Gretchen Whitmer in this video.

And if you hoped to start training for 2030, you should know Veterans Memorial Indoor Ice Arena is closed for the season due to a compressor failure. Read more 

That Ypsilanti Twp. building explosion on Wednesday was scary, but amazingly all three people inside are going to be OK. Read more

Also Wednesday, thirteen cars of a freight train derailed in Pittsfield Twp. near State and Payeur roads. Because nobody was hurt, it seems OK to say that the images are absolutely wild. Read more

Civil rights icon Jesse Jackson died this week. Read all about his visits to U-M here.

Congress allowed Affordable Care Act health insurance plans to become unaffordable, so it’s no surprise Marketplace enrollments have dropped sharply in Washtenaw County. Read more

Another week, another local jurisdiction – Ann Arbor Twp. this time – taking a stand against data centers. Read more

The Ypsi City Council voted this week to bar the use of city resources to help immigration and border control agents conduct enforcement activities. Ann Arbor did the same in recent weeks.

Speaking of ICE, someone at Larcom City Hall sure put a heckuva lot of effort into the design of this, huh?

Some U-M students have placed “unsanctioned benches” at bus stops around town. It’s part of what’s known as “tactical urbanism.” Either would make great band names, no? Read more

There are now four free-to-use solar-powered electric car charging stations available 24/7 in Ypsi. Read more

Blame fast-melting snow that’s releasing particulates into the air for the recent Air Quality Advisory in southeast Michigan. Read more

A U-M student is suing after she was accused, falsely, she says, of writing papers using AI. Read more

Another U-M fraternity has been suspended, this time for hazing. Read more

Even with the warmer weather, it feels a little early to be talking about baseball. Still, the 2026 college season is upon us and fourth-year coach Tracy “Skip” Smith helmed the 900th win of his career on February 14, which was also his sixtieth birthday.

Ayesha Ghazi Edwin is the second first-term city council member to announce she won’t run for re-election in 2026. Edwin, who hails from Ward 3, endorsed former Debbie Dingell political director Ashley Hall to replace her. Chuck Ream, an anti-density activist, is also running for the Democratic nomination.

Democratic socialist Dave Zeglen, a U-M lecturer, has joined the race to replace retiring councilmember Dharma Akmon in Ward 4. So far, Zeglen faces renter advocate Jeffrey Milk and AADL board member Aidan Sova in the Democratic primary.

2025 was the Ann Arbor Fire Department’s busiest year ever. Read more

Love Art Fair? Then go vote for it here.

Artist revels in Briarwood storefront: Sareka Unique Smith tells Dave Algase in this month’s Observer that her berth near JCPenney, Sareka Unique, is an outgrowth of several years displaying her vivid paintings in the mall’s once-vacant storefronts “so that it doesn’t look so drab and empty and closed down.” That drew some attention and a few sales, leading mall management to invite her into a 3,000-square-foot space for what she hopes will be longer than a temporary stay.

Sheetz grand opening set for March 3: The Pennsylvania-based convenience store and gas station’s location at 2103 W. Michigan Ave. is one of fourteen sites in Metro Detroit expected to open this year, Fox 2 Detroit writes. On Facebook, the company touted its grand opening date which includes free Sheetz bags for those who bring nonperishable food items for Food Gatherers between 9 and 11 a.m. while supplies last. The brand, well-known in the Northeast for its expansive made-to-order food options, opened its first Michigan store in Romulus in August 2024.

AC Marriott now open: The newest downtown hotel began greeting guests last week, Lodging magazine writes. The six-story building on E. Huron St. has 139 rooms, a rooftop lounge, and a solar array that can produce 50 kWh of electricity a day. On its booking site, Marriott calls A2 “a dynamic city where innovation meets Midwestern charm.”

Silent auction open to benefit synagogue: There’s an eclectic range of items on offer – some starting as low as $5 – until March 2 in Temple Beth Emeth’s annual fundraiser, including a family photo session, a Michigan-shaped cutting board, ice cream at Blank Slate with one of the rabbis, a three-pound loaf of challah, gift certificates, and more. Proceeds support the shul’s religious education programs. Click here to browse and bid. (Disclosure: I’m a TBE member.)

Polar Plunge, 5K support Special Olympics on Sunday: The fundraisers include a walk along the Border-to-Border Trail that kicks off at Erratic Ale in Dexter at 11 a.m., followed at 2 p.m. with costumed swimmers jumping into icy water at HOMES Brewery Campus in Ann Arbor. It’s $25 to do the walk; plungers must raise $100. For more information, click here.

Volunteers sought for invasive species removal on Saturday: Helpers meet here on the Trinity Health Ann Arbor campus at 10 a.m. to assist the Huron River Watershed Council with an “ecological stewardship workday.” For more information and to register, click here.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: The Ark’s Fourth Annual Liar’s Contest, where six contestants vie to tell the most entertaining 10-minute whopper. For more information, click here.

Saturday: The Lunar New Year Planetarium Show outlines the differences between lunar and solar calendars. For more information, click here.

Sunday: George Oo, aka Fishmonger Stories, performs songs and tells stories from various traditions at “The Sounds and Stories of Africa.” For more information, click here.

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

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