I’ve written before about my love of public libraries, but I must do it again.

I learned through writing this newsletter that modern libraries lend all sorts of non-media items, from gardening equipment to baking tins. And so, as the snowstorms were bearing down on us two weeks ago and I anticipated a lot of time to fill at home, I borrowed a toy kit about magnets from the Ypsilanti District Library’s Superior branch.

Holy cow, it was so much fun! There were all of these magnets and magnetic materials, plus an activity guide and some books on the topic. At one point, my three-year-old had all of these things hanging off a big magnet and went to the kitchen to show my husband.

“Wow, it’s magic!” he told her.

“It’s not magic,” she replied. “It’s the library!”

Yes, YDL folks, you are welcome to copyright that. What a great promotional tagline! Reminds me of this. 

Speaking of libraries, there’s some big news here about the possible future of AADL’s downtown branch. We also have a lovely piece from MLive about the birthday of a 105-year-old Ypsi man, the re-publication of what is believed to be the nation’s first cookbook written by a Black person, and the curious case of the coyote in the trash bin.

– Steve Friess, editor

U-M braces for “significant repercussions” from federal cuts: President Santa Ono posted a bulletin yesterday announcing that virtually all new job postings “must be approved by the president or an executive vice president.” A top executive also must sign off before any job offers are made and “must review non-payroll expenditures over $50,000.” What’s more, plans for new buildings and renovations that are not already in progress “will be reexamined,” he wrote. These changes come as the university has already received word that a $15 million study funded by Social Security Administration involving U-M has been canceled, Bridge Michigan reports.

Research at risk: As Ken Garber writes in the March issue of the Observer, U-M scientists have been dreading what the new administration’s funding cuts could mean. “This is an existential crisis for research universities,” U-M rheumatologist David Fox tells Garber, “and for biomedical research in this country.” In a written statement, Arthur Lupia, U-M’s interim vice president for research and innovation, warned the administration’s 15 percent cap on research overhead “will eliminate approximately $181 million in funding, and will leave gaping holes in budgets, immediately and needlessly constraining the university’s ability to save lives through medical breakthroughs and drug discoveries.” A court temporarily stayed the cap, but Trump’s appointees quickly found a workaround: they stopped posting notices of the “study sessions” where staff review research progress. Because they’re legally required, that will effectively halt even ongoing projects.

Regents put $60M into EV research addition: U-M will expand its Transportation Research Institute by 25,000 square feet to establish an Electric Vehicle Center battery laboratory, according to an agenda document. The new space will include three battery laboratories, auxiliary support areas, a substation, and a facility for battery cell abuse testing. A state grant is covering the cost, but it remains to be seen whether this moves forward in light of Ono’s spending freeze and the Trump administration’s antagonism toward anything related to EV development. 

City could sell Library Ln. air rights to AADL for $1: It’s part of a broader vision announced this week in which the library district could build a new, mixed-use flagship branch to span the current building’s footprint and the neighboring parcel as well as offer an outdoor public open space managed by AADL, according to a press release. Upper floors of the new building would include affordable apartments, condos, and “artist spaces.” A 2018 city charter amendment requires the site to be “developed as an urban central park and civic center commons,” so the plan would require a public vote to change that, but the city says it “will not require any new taxes.” Council will weigh the idea at its meeting on Monday and the AADL board will do the same at its April 1 meeting.

Bicentennial projects stalled due to funding: A planned downtown statute of former Ann Arbor councilmember Kathy Kozachenko, who in 1974 was the nation’s first openly LGBTQ person elected to public office, is in limbo because $70,000 for the project was tied to a sculptor who pulled out, MLive writes (paywall). The city has just $10,000 of the estimated $100,000 needed to build the likeness. City administrator Milton Dohoney says they’re also $425,000 short on upgrades to Bicentennial Park, formerly Southeast Area Park, that are supposed to include adding a splash pad area and a universally accessible playground. Also, another $360,000 is needed to improve the James L. Crawford Elks Lodge on Sunset Rd.

Flu on the rise in county: Since September, 289 people have been hospitalized, with a season-high of forty-seven in the week of Feb. 15, according to data posted by the Washtenaw County Health Department. Five adults have died from the illness. The health district urges people to get vaccinated.

Public meeting tonight regarding 700 N. Main complex: The city invited residents to the Ann Arbor Senior Center in Burns Park at 6 p.m. to hear about and give feedback on a plan to build apartments on a vacant 1.2-acre parcel. The original invitation said Auburn Hills-based Trowbridge Companies was proposing a forty-two-unit, three-story building, but a correction was mailed after MLive reported (paywall) that it actually will be a sixty-four-unit, five-story structure. That’s similar to an affordable housing project approved in 2009, and a townhouse condo plan by the same developer that was approved in 2021. The land has been vacant since 2016, when the last of eight homes vacated by the developers was demolished.

$5.2M in state recreational pot money coming here: The annual distribution includes payouts to local governments of $58,200 per licensed marijuana retail store or micro business within their borders. According to state data, Washtenaw County will get more than $2.6 million, Ann Arbor gets $1.5 million, and Ypsilanti gets $756,970. Saline, Pittsfield Twp., and Northfield Twp. will get smaller sums. 

City rejects marijuana party at senior center: Cannabis activist Chuck Ream, seventy-eight, wanted to host Vapes and Crepes at the facility in Burns Park, MLive reports (paywall). City officials say they can’t sanction it because state law bans the use of marijuana in public places or city parks. “At some point, we might definitely do a civil disobedience event and see what they do,” Ream says. “Are they going to arrest a bunch of really old people in Ann Arbor for socializing?”

County close to being Michigan’s first with 100 percent broadband coverage: “All we’ve got to do is get these last few done, and we will have that distinction,” Chris Scharrer, the county’s broadband manager, told the county commission last week, according to MLive (paywall). Rural areas in Sylvan and Lima townships are at 95 percent, while Freedom and Lodi are at 50 percent. Broadband is now available throughout Dexter, Webster, and Northfield townships. 

Rumors, recriminations fly over Concordia’s land plans: After the Lutheran university announced a retreat to its Plymouth Rd. building, it seems more and more likely that developers will be invited to bid on most of the 152 acres that sprawl around Geddes and Earhart roads, Steve Friess reports in this month’s Observer. With direct access to US-23 and thousands of feet of Huron River frontage, its value is almost incalculable. Former city councilmember Linh Song says she’s heard Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan wants to buy the football stadium for Father Gabriel Richard Catholic High School. “Before I left, I did talk to the city administrator to say that once that property was on the market, please look into this, because it would be great if we could [move it onto] our tax rolls,” she says. All this upsets Concordia Ann Arbor loyalists who see the synod’s decisions to kill most liberal arts and all athletic programs on claims of financial insolvency as a pretext for selling off the land.

Public school enrollment levels out in Washtenaw: The fall count for all Washtenaw Intermediate School District schools was 43,232, down 0.28 percent after much bigger drops during the Covid shutdowns, according to state data released last week. Ann Arbor Public Schools enrollment fell by 109, or 0.6 percent, while Ypsilanti Community Schools picked up 124 students, an uptick of 3.3 percent.

Coyote in trash lights up Reddit: City officials had said the controversial image was fake, but the resident involved took to the social media site to say that he found the animal dead and frozen in front of his home. “I tried bringing it inside to thaw out so it would fit in the bin but my cats started tearing it up and sprayed all over it,” writes user Boglue19. “Wife was not pleased.” He also posted video showing a city garbage truck collecting the frozen creature. Perhaps following this online drama, the state’s Department of Natural Resources posted a primer on Facebook on how to keep urban and suburban coyotes at bay.

A2 couple buys lunch for entire Canadian restaurant as apology for Trump: The duo were at Toast in Windsor, Ontario, on Saturday when they told the owners they wanted to cover everyone’s bill to show their appreciation for Canada and anger over the president’s policies toward the U.S. neighbor, CBC News reports. The couple were identified in the report as Bill and Sara. Canada is bracing for an increase in tariffs as soon as this weekend and has repeatedly been taunted by Trump, who says he wants to annex the country to the United States. 

Dusty May inks contract extension: The new men’s basketball head coach signed a one-year addition to his original five-year deal with a $1 million raise per year and a $7.5 million buyout clause, CBS Sports writes. May has turned a team with a last-place record of 8-24 last year into a Big Ten champion contender with a 21-6 record that is certain to return to next month’s NCAA March Madness tournament after a two-year absence. The contract addition was said to head off an effort by Indiana University to poach forty-eight-year-old May, who once worked as a student manager for the Hoosiers. May this week set a record for the most conference wins for a first-year U-M coach.

U-M sets record with 115K applications: That’s how many prospective first-year and transfer students want to enroll this fall on the Ann Arbor campus, the University Record writes. It’s an 11 percent increase over 2024 and up 36 percent since 2020. The increase among prospective first-year students includes 24.5 percent more first-generation students, 11 percent more out-of-state U.S. students, and 14 percent more students of color. Transfer student applications dipped 2 percent overall.

Ono criticized for plan to address Jewish conference: The U-M president is on the docket on Monday to appear in New York at an Anti-Defamation League’s two-day event billed as “the world’s largest summit on antisemitism and hate,” the Detroit News reports. The Pro-Palestinian student Tahrir Coalition and the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations both condemned the appearance.

GOP lawmakers tell EMU to end China partnerships: Representatives John Moolenaar and Tim Walberg sent a letter to the school demanding they cut ties with Beibu Gulf and Guangxi universities to protect national security. “EMU’s GameAbove College is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency [and] receives privileged federal funding to advance U.S. cybersecurity programs,” the letter says. “However, EMU deploys GameAbove faculty on year-long appointments to the PRC, where they collaborate with Chinese counterparts while training 300 students. This arrangement effectively transfers U.S. national security resources and expertise to an adversary nation, directly contradicting the intended purpose of EMU’s federal cybersecurity funding.” U-M, following a similar letter from Moolenaar, ended its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in January.

EMU’s women’s ice hockey undefeated in first season: Made up of ten first-year students, the Eagles went 15-0-1 and were No. 1 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s rankings among Division II schools, the Ypsilanti Press reports. “We could have been so bad,” says player Kayden Burch, who came to EMU from Calgary to play. “We literally could have been so bad, and nobody would have known. But look at us now.”

Recycle Ann Arbor institutes “hard-to-recycle” fee: Starting Saturday, visitors to the nonprofit’s dropoff station will pay $5 to turn in a range of items including motor oil, certain plastics, and antifreeze, according to a press release. Electronics, appliances, tires, and other items already cost extra, but the $3 gate fee for the facility at the corner of E. Ellsworth and Platt roads will still cover dropoff of cardboard, paper, glass, cans, and textiles. “This marks the first rate increase we have implemented in 15 years and is necessary due to rising costs associated with materials handling, the influx of some challenging types of materials we receive, and to sustain the current levels of support and participation at the Drop-Off Station,” the organization says.

Ypsi parks in need of repairs: Ypsilanti director of public works Bonnie Wessler said in a memo last week that various staircases and pedestrian bridges need repair or replacement in Riverside, Peninsular, and Frog Island parks. City council approved paying contractor OHM $39,860 to design the work and prepare documents to put it out for bid.

Biracial student group made waves a century ago: The Negro-Caucasian Club fought against segregated events, fraternities, and living quarters when it was founded in December 1925 by twenty-one Black students and five whites, Dave McCormick writes in this month’s Observer. The Committee on Student Affairs only approved its creation if they watered down the constitution’s call for “abolition of discrimination against Negroes” and didn’t reference the U-M in its name. The Negro-Caucasian Club held on until 1930, then faded into oblivion as the founders moved on, but many of its alumni went on to prominence advocating for civil rights.

U-M Press revives first Black-authored American cookbook: “The Domestic Cook Book” by Malinda Russell was published in 1866 in Paw Paw and contains 260 recipes and household tips from Russell’s two decades in Southern kitchens and as a pastry chef, the Sun Times News reports. An original copy is part of U-M’s Jan Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive; the revived edition can be bought or downloaded free here. The release, which coincides with Black History Month, will be discussed at a reception and panel discussion tonight at 5:15 p.m. at AADL’s downtown branch.

Ypsi man celebrates 105th birthday: Gordon Cahours, a World War II veteran and retired principal, tells MLive the secret to a long life is to “take each moment as it comes.” Cahours still lives in the two-story house on Cross St. he and wife Virginia built in 1947. They were married for seventy-one years when she died at ninety-eight in 2016. He recalls his family’s ice box and first telephone line and homes heated by pot-bellied stoves. “This is my digs,” he says. “I’ve been here a long time. I’m happy here.”

Yemeni cafe opens in Maple Village: Qahwah House manager Ghaith Balbeisi tells Dave Algase in this month’s Observer that coffee beans from the Arabian Peninsula are considered “the gold mine” because they have lower acidity. The Ann Arbor outpost is the nineteenth store in the eight-year-old Dearborn-based coffee chain that sources its beans from founder Ibrahim Alhasbani’s eighth-generation coffee farm in Sa’fan, near the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.

New York-style bagel shop coming in March: BO’s Bagels is the brainchild of Andrew Martinez, a native New Yorker, and Ashley Dikos, a Michigan native and U-M alum, who opened their first shop in New York in 2017, the Michigan Daily writes. The Ann Arbor location will be their third. Martinez developed his bagel recipe while laid up after surgery and began selling them at farmer’s markets in New York City before opening their brick-and-mortar shops.

Raising Cane’s to open in June: The fast-growing chicken franchise announced it will add a store at 1116 South University, the second in metro Detroit after one that opened earlier this month in Canton. Founded in 1996 in Louisiana, Raising Cane’s added more than 100 stores around the country last year alone.

Arbor Hospice gets $15K grant for pediatric services: The nonprofit received the funds from the James A. & Faith Knight Foundation to support its Jo Elyn Nyman Anchors Programs for Children, according to a press release. The program offers services including specialized medical, emotional, social and spiritual care to help children deal with life-limiting conditions. In 2024, Arbor Hospice served approximately 1,220 patients of all ages with hospice and palliative care.

Clothing giveaway held for U-M students: More than 100 people turned out for the annual “Go Blue Goes Green” event hosted by the Central Student Government at the Michigan Union, the Daily writes. In the weeks leading up to the event, the CSG organizers collected more than 700 pieces of attire that other students planned to throw away. Attendees were invited to take up to three free items at the event.

Volunteers sought for Shamrocks and Shenanigans: The annual 5K run is March 9, and organizers are looking for people to manage the aid stations and other tasks listed here. The event raises money for Save A Heart, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to families with a child undergoing cardiac treatment at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. To register to run in the race, click here. 

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Enter a five-game euchre tournament at Euchre Change a Life’s 75th Tournament Celebration. Sign up with a partner or get paired with one. Proceeds benefit Haitian children via Haitian Christian Outreach. 6:30–9 p.m., 2|42 Community Center, 648 S. Wagner. $20 donation per player at the door. 

Saturday: See “Sense and Sensibility,” Paul Gordon’s 2015 pop musical version of Jane Austen’s novel about the financially strapped Dashwood sisters and their quest for suitable husbands. Thurs. to Sun., through March 16, 2 p.m. (Sat. and Sun.), 3 p.m. (Mar. 6), and 7:30 p.m. (Thurs-Sat., and March 13.) Encore Theater Main Stage, 7714 Ann Arbor St., Dexter. Tickets $44 to $61 (under age 18, $32) in advance at theencoretheatre.org and (if available) at the door. (734) 268–6200. 

Sunday: Hear the Jeremiahs, an acclaimed folk quartet from Dublin, play Irish music from sea shanties to traditional songs of hardship, love, and loss. “Great songs, poignant, emotional vocals, masterful guitar and fiddle/flute conversations that work like fine embroidery,” says NPR’s Mountain Stage host Larry Groce. 8 p.m., Stony Lake Brewing, 447 E. Michigan Ave., Saline. $25 in advance at stonylakebrewing.com and (if available) at the door. (734) 316–7919. 

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.