I’ve been staring at this screen for a while now and I really just don’t have anything special or thoughtful to share. Some weeks are like that, so why force it? The news is here as usual. Have a terrific week.

– Steve Friess, editor

ICE contacts A2 restaurant: There have been neither any raids nor arrests here, police chief Andre Anderson said in a statement responding to incorrect social media rumors that four businesses had been visited and one temporarily closed, Micheline Maynard reports for the Observer. Still, Anderson confirmed that a downtown restaurant was contacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “We understand there is a lot of fear and anxiety in our community regarding immigration-related enforcement,” he said. “The AAPD remains committed to fair and equitable policing for everyone in this community, regardless of immigration status.”

Trump’s aborted funding pause rattles region: The president’s executive order temporarily freezing all federal funding was blocked by a federal judge Tuesday before it went into effect and rescinded by the White House yesterday. It had created uncertainty across organizations and government entities that rely on the money, the Detroit Free Press writes, and the U-M, which received more than $1 billion in research grants last year, set up a dedicated website to track developments. Ann Arbor congresswoman Debbie Dingell called the executive order illegal on social media and wrote, “I am talking with local agencies that have been cut off from federal funding and am exploring every option to fight back.”

Local figure skaters shaken by deadly plane crash: The American Airlines flight from Wichita to D.C. that collided with a military helicopter on Wednesday night near Reagan Airport carried fourteen figure skaters who had just participated in the U.S. Championships competition, the Associated Press reports. With the names of those who perished still undisclosed, skaters at the Bigby Coffee Ice Cube in Ann Arbor today told MLive they’re worried about friends and in shock over the loss of “really talented people on that flight.” In all, sixty-seven people are believed to have died in the crash. 

Ypsi library says reopening held “hostage” by subcontractor: The Michigan Ave. branch, closed since a catastrophic flood in the summer of 2023, is “basically ready to go but it still does not have a usable front entrance,” writes YDL director Lisa Hoenig in an online update. Hoenig writes that C.A.N. Art Handworks, the specialty metal work artisan hired to rework the vestibule “has not followed through on a series of promised return dates.” The construction project manager told the subcontractor “they will be back-charged a financial penalty for every day the vestibule remains incomplete.” Once that work is done, Hoenig says, it would be about three weeks until the library reopens.

U-M hoovers up more real estate: Last month, the school dropped $2.9 million for 116, 144, and 146 E. Hoover, which back up to the Michigan Stadium complex, Steve Friess reports in this month’s Observer. The acquisition of those student rental houses means U-M owns the entire south side of the 100 block of E. Hoover except Hoover Street Auto Repair at 142 and one rental owned by Dan’s Houses at 110. It’s unclear why the car shop is still in play; the regents approved $5.7 million to buy it along with 144 and 146 at December’s meeting. The purchases are believed to be part of a plan to build a Big House-adjacent fan zone with a lawn to watch TV broadcasts of games. In other real estate news this month, U-M football legend Desmond Howard, his wife, and their two U-M freshman sons are now the owners of an $800,000 Liberty Lofts condo. Des Jr. told a reporter in August that the twins are living in the same dorm, South Quad, that their 1991 Heisman–winning dad did. Now their visiting parents, who live in Miami, will have sweeter digs.

NCAA accused of “grossly overreaching” in sign-stealing probe: Yahoo! Sports obtained part of a 137-page response from the university to the league sent earlier this month that also “makes clear that it will not enter into a negotiated resolution with the NCAA over the alleged wrongdoing.” U-M defends ex-coach Jim Harbaugh, current coach Sherrone Moore, and “even [Connor] Stalions, the low-level assistant who orchestrated one of the most elaborate sign-stealing systems in college football history on the way to the school winning the 2023 national championship,” according to Yahoo!. The school asserts that the sign-stealing system offered “minimal relevance to competition,” was not credibly proven by NCAA investigators, and should be treated as a minor violation.

Ypsi to begin Water St. remediation next month: The long-abandoned thirty-eight acre site, which was heavily contaminated over the course of 150 years, begins its makeover in February with the clearing of brush and trees, according to a city press release. In March, the city plans to field bids to excavate 3,500 tons of hazardous waste soil and 7,000 tons of non-hazardous waste from a two-acre section once used as a storage yard for the Detroit United Railway. The Water St. Redevelopment Area work will be paid for by more than $7.3 million in state and federal grants. Ypsilanti is awaiting word on an application for another $4 million to remediate other portions of the site.

Two downtown restaurants in Beard semifinals again: It’s the fifth straight year that Ji Hye Kim, of Miss Kim Korean Restaurant, made it this far in the prestigious competition’s Best Chef in the Great Lakes region category, according to the James Beard Foundation site. Spencer Ann Arbor has made it to the semifinals for the third straight year in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category; it advanced to be a finalist in 2023. It’s been a big month for Miss Kim, which also has been serving its food in Delta Air Lines’ Sky Club lounge at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, according to the restaurant’s Instagram post.

Driver, children hurt in overturned school bus: A dozen of the thirty Lincoln Consolidated Schools elementary students suffered minor injuries and the driver was taken to a hospital with back pain after the vehicle skidded off icy Talladay Road in Augusta Twp., ClickOnDetroit reports. Police said the driver was accelerating to about 10 mph after dropping off a student in the southern edge of the county. The worst student injury was a broken nose, Augusta Twp. fire chief Dave Music said.

Superior Twp. freezes hiring: Facing a $60,000 budget deficit, the board voted 5-1 for a four-month moratorium on hiring excluding fire and law enforcement, MLive reports (paywall). The township had already dropped planned 4 percent raises for staff to 2 percent. The freeze blocked the expected hiring of a billing specialist for the utility department that was up for a vote this week.

Ypsi school opens classroom for kids under three: The five-year pilot program at Beatty Early Learning Center in Superior Twp. is funded by a $5.6 million federal grant, MLive reports (paywall). The class has eight students and two teachers and is one of two such classrooms, along with one at Gretchen’s House High Point in Ann Arbor. 

Consultant says A2-Detroit ties key to economic prosperity: “The time has come for a Detroit-Ann Arbor Innovation Corridor,” writes urban planning expert Richard Florida in the opening of an eighteen-page report envisioning ways the two cities can team up to be more competitive at retaining high-tech talent for the state. Florida, commissioned to write the study by U-M and the Detroit Regional Chamber, notes that U-M is one of the “world’s leaders in computer science, software, electrical and chemical engineering, and artificial intelligence” but “too much of this crucial talent leaves the region.” 

City to replace two park bridges: Council approved a $700,000 contract with C.A. Hull Co. to fix up bridges damaged by salt corrosion at the Leslie Park Golf Course and Sylvan Park, WEMU reports. The money pays for a new bridge at Sylvan Park and to replace Leslie Park’s bridge with a refurbished one taken from Argo Park.

Saline Middle School teacher gets top honor: science department chair Leigh Ann Roehm received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching earlier this month, the Sun Times News writes. Roehm was nominated by Saline Schools board president Michael McVey and will receive a trip to Washington D.C. for honoree events as well as a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. 

Hotdog stand reopens Saturday: The venerable Bill’s Drive-In, a quirky institution at 1294 E. Michigan Ave. in Ypsi, will once again serve up frankfurters with or without chili and homemade rootbeer after a three-month winter break, according to a sign outside the little yellow building. As usual, its carhops will only take cash. 

Brothers plan bistro, music venue for Bobcat Bonnie’s spot: Moonwinks co-owners Brian and Kevin Cox tell the Eastern Echo they aim by summer to open Bella Vita Bistro on the vacant building’s main floor on W. Michigan Ave. in Ypsi. After that, they say, they will transform the lower level into a speakeasy-style jazz and blues club. Bobcat Bonnie’s closed last fall after a labor dispute.

16 Hands to close in April: The shop selling handcrafted items and jewelry had operated in Ann Arbor for a half-century, but owner Jill Damon is retiring to “get back to creating her own work,” according to a Facebook post. The last day for 16 Hands, currently at 407 N. 5th Ave in Kerrytown, will be April 19. “Please stop by ~ share memories, enter some fun drawings, and pick up a few pieces you’ve had your eye on, now at deeply discounted prices,” the post says. There’s a bit about the shop’s interesting history in this month’s Observer.

Volunteers needed for Snow Ball: Organizers of the Feb. 8 dance at the Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center have posted an online sign-up sheet for helpers willing to set up from 1 to 5 p.m. or oversee the event itself from 5 to 9 p.m. Pre-registration is required and volunteers must be at least eleven years old. For more information, email here.

Sisterhood knits thousands of scarves for St. Andrew’s diners: Martha Buhr Grimes writes in this month’s Observer about her experience as part of a circle of women organized by the late Maureen Voorhees who craft winter accessories for folks who come to the church for the free morning breakfasts. Voorhees recruited the Philanthropic Educational Organization, a women’s service group, to come to her home and knit scarves; some now make hats and mittens, too.

U-M Credit Union gives $70K to ten causes: To honor its seventieth anniversary, UMCU donated $7,000 at the end of 2024 to six Washtenaw County non-profits as well as two in Detroit, one in Flint, and one in Dearborn. Locally, the recipients were the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, the EMU Foundation, UMMA, SafeHouse Center, T. Wall Foundation, and SOS Community Services, according to a press release. 

Friday: See the American-Romanian Festival Players, a string quartet made up of Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians, present an evening of works on death, including “Remembering Ţăranu,” a piece by Swedish synth-pop duo Ionica Pop that honors Romanian composer Cornel Ţăranu, and Schubert’s 1824 string quartet Death and the Maiden, in which he came to terms with his own illness and impending death. 7:30 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $29 to $40 (students, $18 to $30) in advance here and at the door. (734) 769–2999.

Saturday: Catch the Lunar New Year Planetarium Show at the U-M Museum of Natural History, sponsored by the U-M Center for Chinese Studies. It explores the differences between lunar and solar calendars, and members of the local Chinese and Taiwanese communities discuss how their families celebrate the new year. Saturday and Feb. 8, noon, 1, 2, and 3 p.m., U-M MNH, 1105 North University. Tickets $8 in the gift shop. Limited capacity. (734) 764–0478.

Sunday: See “Extra Credit,” Hear.Say Brewing + Theater’s improv performance that blends academic research and improv comedy. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Hear.Say Brewing + Theater, 2350 W. Liberty. $15 in advance here and (if available) at the door.

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

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