Happy New Year, everyone! And boy is 2024 off to an exciting start between the Wolverines heading to the national championship game on Monday and all the bicentennial celebrations coming up. But who do I need to talk to around here for some real snow?

Honest question: Why isn’t U-M opening the Big House to watch the championship game on the mammoth new $41 million video screens on Monday? We have a charming essay on the Observer’s culture blog about how, back in 1998 when Michigan last won a Rose Bowl, the stadium was open to the public all the time as if it were yet another park for folks to toss a ball around in. Seems like a great way to build community, sell merch, and contain the potential celebrations that otherwise might erupt across the city. So what if it’s cold? We’re from Michigan! And if not the stadium, then maybe the Crisler Center? Neither basketball team plays that night.

Anyhow, here’s hoping your holidays were enjoyable and meaningful. Now it’s time to get back to work. Our rundown this week includes the latest on that horrific house explosion, a stunning story about a nurse whose U-M job offer was revoked because she used CBD oil for insomnia, and the passing of the world’s oldest chicken. Also, the box tree moth problem is spreading, but I’m not making any wisecracks because the last time I did that I got schooled on the beauty and mystery of the critters.

As I break out the crockpot for my annual split pea soup using our Christmas ham bone, I wish you all a comforting and cozy start to the year ahead.

–Steve Friess, editor

Four dead in Whitmore Lake house explosion: The home in rural Northfield Twp. belonged to Richard Pruden, seventy-two, whose daughter, son-in-law and two adult grandchildren, visiting for the holidays from Arkansas, perished in the blast, ClickOnDetroit reports. Pruden and a third grandchild are hospitalized with severe injuries. Investigators described the detonation, which scattered debris across two acres and could be heard nine miles away, as an “undetermined fuel-air explosion.” A vigil is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. at Whitmore Lake High School, and GoFundMe campaigns have been launched medical expenses for Pruden and his grandson, Stephen Bragg. The latter fund also will pay for family’s funeral expenses.

Wolverines head to national finals after thrilling Rose Bowl victory: Running back Blake Corum’s twisty overtime touchdown pushed Michigan past Alabama and on to face the University of Washington on Monday in Houston. A victory would be the team’s first national championship since the 1997 season and a remarkable achievement in a year of scandal and suspensions for coach Jim Harbaugh. There’s lots to read across the Internet about the team and its triumph, including this Michigan Daily recap, The New York Times’ takeout (paywall) on how the new era of big money in college sports led to this year’s success, a Wall Street Journal piece (paywall) that labels Harbaugh as an “unlikely” NCAA revolutionary, and Sports Illustrated’s bit on quarterback J.J. McCarthy’s pregame barefoot meditation routine. Also, season ticket prices are going up at the Big House for the first time since 2021. And finally, here’s a weird wrinkle: Connor Stalions, the fired staffer at the center of the sign-stealing controversy that threatened to unravel the season, watched the game from the stands, per an Instagram post by former UM linebacker Chase Winovich.

Michigan Theater host finals viewing party as A2 prepares for possible victory celebration: The cinema is selling tickets for $20 and doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the game on Monday, which starts at 7:30 p.m. A free viewing party for the Rose Bowl filled the theater to capacity, and Monday’s game, to be aired on ESPN, is certain to be a major TV event: the Rose Bowl drew 27.2 million viewers to ESPN, the biggest audience for a non-NFL live sporting event since 2018. That was good enough to be in the top ten of all time for cable broadcasts, Bleacher Report writes. Meanwhile, the city issued a press release urging safe partying and announcing some parking restrictions downtown, so check it out if you plan to be out and about on Monday.

Dingell shares pain of Trump attack in New York Times op-ed: The contretemps began when the congresswoman told CNN she thought the ex-president’s Christmas message, in which he said he hoped his political opponents “rot in hell,” was pathetic. Trump then called her a “loser” and repeated his complaints that she had been insufficiently grateful to him for the funerary honors he bestowed after her husband and congressional predecessor, John Dingell, died in 2019. In the Times essay (paywall), Dingell offers her advice on how politicians and others can “stand up to Trump,” and also wrote movingly about how Trump’s crude remarks about her late husband have exacerbated her ongoing grief. “I can deal with being called names and subjected to the standard venom that we’ve all become familiar with in Mr. Trump’s social media attacks,” she wrote. “But when he brings up John, it’s one of the things that hit me hardest. It would be easy to say his words don’t hurt, but they do. And I am sure he knows it.”

Covid uptick continues with increased hospitalizations: The Washtenaw County Health Department says sixty-eight people were admitted to hospitals for illnesses tied to the virus in the two-week period ending Dec. 27, according to public data. That moves the hospital admission level to “medium” and prompted the WCHD to recommend on Facebook that medically vulnerable people should mask indoors. 

Woman fired for CBD use at U-M: A nurse practitioner who uses a legal over-the-counter oil for insomnia recommended by her doctor lost her job offer with Michigan Medicine’s Rogel Cancer Center because it triggered a positive result for marijuana use on a drug screening, Debbie Merion writes in this month’s Observer. U-M refuses to consider an appeal even though the woman completed a move from Texas and does not actually use marijuana in any capacity. Some CBD oil products contain an insignificant amount of THC, the chemical in cannabis that causes psychotropic effects, that can trip a drug test. Critics say the policy and the situation point to the inconsistency, unfairness, and counterproductivity of the university’s employee drug screenings.

Ypsi weighs decriminalizing magic mushrooms: Councilmembers seemed inclined to do it at a meeting in December after an activist group urged them to do so in November, MLive writes. Decriminalize Nature Michigan has succeeded in persuading Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, and Hazel Park to halt police enforcement of state and federal laws prohibiting the use, growth, or possession of entheogenic plants including ayahuasca, ibogaine, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin mushrooms and other substances with hallucinogenic properties.

Peanut, the world’s oldest chicken, dead at twenty-one: The Chelsea clucker, certified as the oldest living chicken by Guinness last January at age twenty, died of natural causes on Christmas morning, according to a blog post by its owner, Marsi Parker Darwin of the no-kill farm Darwin’s Eden. In an article last year in the Observer’s Community Guide, Darwin credited her neighbor, Todd Gillihan, with bringing global attention to the hen she rescued from a cold, abandoned egg. He “pestered me,” she said, to go for the world record, resulting in coverage in publications as farflung and prestigious as the Smithsonian Magazine’s website, Washington Post (paywall), and the Times of London (paywall). A retired librarian, Darwin authored a picture book, “My Girl Peanut & Me,” which is available for $20 on the Darwin’s Eden site.

City rejects unarmed response plan, will reopen process: City administrator Milton Dohoney shot down the one pitch that came in during last summer’s request for proposals on grounds it would take five years to get up and running and would not be available after 11 p.m. or most of the weekend, according to a press release. Luna Hughson, the co-director of Care-Based Safety, the group that offered the proposal, told MLive (paywall) that Dohoney’s remarks reflected misunderstandings. The city plans to reissue the RFP early this year.

Alcohol sales at Michigan Theater to be opened to all (adult) patrons: Previously, the venerable non-profit theater could only sell to members, but a unanimous city council endorsement should prompt the state to upgrade its liquor license to remove that restriction, MLive reports. That would give the Michigan the same liquor-selling options as the State Theatre.

New no-plastic compost rules now in effect: Ann Arbor will no longer accept any form of plastic when pickup resumes on Monday, even those that claim to be compostable, because too many residents get confused and put incorrect plastics in their compost bins, the city says. The material ends up contaminating compost piles and ends up as windblown litter.  For a searchable spreadsheet of acceptable items, click here.

Free salt-sand mix available to combat ice, snow: Residents can pick up five gallons using their own shovels and buckets at 721 N. Main St. as well as at Veterans Memorial, Gallup, Allmendinger, Buhr, Burns, and Leslie parks. This set of maps shows the specific places at each location where the material is available. 

Box tree moth quarantine spreads across Michigan: The effort launched in April to contain the invasive insect with a white body and brown-trimmed wings to Lenawee, Monroe and Washtenaw counties has now expanded to nine other counties, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development says in a website update. The region where live or dead box trees are no longer permitted to be moved outside now includes Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Jackson, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. Heavy infestations can defoliate host plants and expose them to bark-eating larvae that can kill the plants.

Is Briarwood redevelopment the future of malls?: Urban redevelopment may be getting a new model with the dramatic changes underway, which include demolishing the vacant Sears and replacing it with, among other things, two four-story apartment buildings and a grocery store, Bridge Michigan writes. Among the interesting wrinkles in the Briarwood story is that the mall owner, Simon Property Group, is itself shepherding the redevelopment.

As bicentennial activities ramp up, a look at how A2 celebrated its 100th: Grace Shackman digs into the archives to tell the story of the city’s centennial for this month’s Observer, complete with charming photos of an eight-tiered cake and an assemblage of descendants of the earliest settlers. Unlike 1924’s single bash at the Michigan Union, the bicentennial will be celebrated with a year of events that starts with a kickoff on Jan. 19 for $50 a ticket at the Michigan Theater that includes a new poem by Aaron Dworkin.

Local teen competes on Food Network show: Leland Jackson, a thirteen-year-old eighth-grader at A2 STEAM, is among a dozen contestants vying for a $25,000 prize on the new season of “Kids Baking Championship.” In an interview with the AAPS District News, Jackson says it’s been tough keeping his appearance a secret since the show was taped in July of 2022 in Knoxville, Tenn. In the first episode, which is now streaming on Max, Jackson made a coffee cake with mascarpone and coffee buttercreams that was criticized by judges Valerie Bertinelli and Duff Goldman because the requisite emojis drawn on the side were messy. He was in the bottom three but was not eliminated.

Mom reminisces on what U-M’s last national football championship meant: As the team celebrates its first Rose Bowl victory since New Year’s Day 1998, writer Nancy Leon recalls how her then-three-year-old went mad for Wolverine football that year in an essay for the Observer’s culture blog. Her memories are a time capsule in more ways than one; she describes a more innocent time when locals could walk into the Big House and onto the field whenever they wanted just to have a catch. 

Fillmore Bar & Grill closes: The high-end Dexter seafood and pasta restaurant in the picturesque blue colonial-style former home shut down last weekend after six years in business, the Sun Times News reports. The decision appeared to come suddenly; there was no indication on the Fillmore’s website or Facebook feed of an impending closure until the morning of Dec. 30, the final day of operation. The owners wrote on Facebook that people holding gift cards can mail them in for refunds. 

Culantro replaces Broken Egg: Pancakes are out, ceviche is at this visible N. Main berth with the opening last month of the Peruvian eatery, Dave Algase reports in this month’s Observer. Owner Betty Shuell, who immigrated from Lima with her then-husband and kids in 2000, was a lawyer in her native country and became a registered nurse in the U.S., but her passion for food led to the opening of the first Culantro in Ferndale in 2018. 

Thrivery becomes Blue Whale Cafe: The new name comes as Christy Kaledas takes full ownership of the Lamp Post Plaza storefront and is remaking it as a vegetarian restaurant, Algase writes in the December issue of the Observer. Previously, she had co-owned the business, which focused on juices, with friends who have moved to Florida. Kaledas says she named the place after “my favorite animal on the whole entire Earth.”

Carnegie Hall-bound teen raising money via benefit show: Cellist Samantha Burgess, a ninth-grader at Rudolf Steiner High, is holding the concert at 5 p.m. on Jan. 12 at her school. Burgess was selected to perform at the famed New York City venue with high school students around the world on Feb. 10 as part of the Instrumental and High School Choral Performance. She’s launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise the $1,500 cost of the trip.

Habitat for Humanity dedicates newest home on Saturday: The Huron Valley chapter of the nonprofit will celebrate the house at 115 Campbell in Ypsi and its owners, the Castillo Enamorado family, according to a fundraising e-mail. The family of five immigrated from Honduras “due to the insecurity we felt in the country,” according to an online profile. 

Campus food pantry serves students in need: The Maize and Blue Cupboard, which turns ten this year, reopens Monday following the winter break and serves undergraduates and graduate students by appointment, MLive writes. Any student with an MCard can make an appointment to visit the pantry, which is located in the basement of Betsy Barbour Residence Hall at 420 S. State. 

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Meet animals native to South America at The Creature Conservancy’s “First Fridays: Open Hours for Adults,” including a sloth, a macaw, a red-footed tortoise, and a black-and-white tegu (a large lizard). The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m., weather permitting. Age 18 and up invited. 7 to 9 p.m., Creature Conservancy, 4950 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. $12 in advance here, $13 at the door. (734) 929–9324.

Saturday: Watch male and female wrestlers compete in Midwest Pro Wrestling Alliance bouts featuring classic storylines, props, interviews, and elaborate costumes. The action is being recorded for four half-hour broadcasts to air on the Ypsi-based MI Sports & Entertainment digital TV channel. Concessions and merchandise available for purchase. 3:30 p.m., Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, bldg. G, 5055 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Tickets are $10 (12 and under, $5) in advance here and at the door. 

Sunday: Hear retired U-M organ professor James Kibbie perform music by Bach and Mozart, along with 20th century works by Nigerian composer Fela Sowende, French composer Jehan Alain, and the late U-M music professor William Albright, on St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’s Richards, Fowkes & Co. organ. Followed at 8 p.m. by the chanted service of Compline. 7 p.m., St. Andrew’s, 306 N. Division. Free. (734) 663–0518.

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.