Happy 2026, everyone!

Hopefully you had pleasant holidays and, perhaps, even a little time off. Like many families, we endured a rough stretch of the flu that worked its way through each of us one by one. Then, when we thought we were out of the woods, a painful ear infection sent our four-year-old (with me!) to the ER on Christmas Eve. (Santa texted around midnight to say he’d gladly reschedule his visit for the 26th. “Is he sure?” Claire anxiously asked. “Let me check,” I told her. Then: “Oh! He says he can use the extra time, so it’s all good!”)

She recovered pretty quickly, as kids do. We were able to enjoy a playdate at Dinoland, a super-cool program on owls at AADL’s downtown branch, and our first Kwanzaa celebration at the county’s African American Cultural and Historical Museum. 

Michigan’s football program likely will take much longer to recover from all the bombshells of the final weeks of 2025. The man to oversee all of that is new head coach Kyle Whittingham, previously at University of Utah and – imagine this! – a person without a whiff of scandal.

He’s also the farthest thing from a “Michigan Man” that exists; my Observer colleague Micki Maynard says he signed on having been in Ann Arbor only a handful of brief times in his life.

Nonetheless, we’re a welcoming community, right? Let’s greet Coach Whitt and his wife with some solid A2 advice! From what I gather, they’re sixty-something empty nesters with eleven grandchildren who enjoy the outdoors and sports and are accustomed to chilly weather, so they should fit right in.

Send us your suggestions and thoughts on what to do, where to go, and what to know as this new BMOC takes charge. (Assume they know all about Zingerman’s and the farmers market, because who doesn’t?)

Your news is here. It’s been three weeks since our last a2view and I’m not planning to fill you in on every last item, but there are developments in the battle between the sheriff and the county commission, a surprising sanction related to the possible trans volleyball player at Skyline, and some good news on the violent crime front.

This was the most-clicked link from the last newsletter. 

– Steve Friess, editor

P.S. Curious about our writers? This month, we begin providing bios of contributors. Check them out.

1. Moving on from Moore: U-M wasted little time trying to put the former football head coach’s lurid scandal aside in the speedy hire of longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham (above) to take over the storied but beleaguered program. He, in turn, raced to overhaul the coaching staff, bringing four coaches with him from Utah including his brother, Freddie, his son, Alex, among other hires. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working to calm jitters; QB Bryce Underwood said this week he’ll stick around, as did two key offensive linemen and cornerback Zeke Berry, who entered the transfer portal for a few days before changing his mind. All of this, of course, overshadowed the Wolverines’ dismal loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve. As for Sherrone Moore, he’s due in court on Jan. 22 for a probable cause hearing, and the university is proceeding with its external probe into how Moore’s alleged affair with a staffer persisted for so long.

2. Empathy is trans…gressive? The athletic director at Monroe Public Schools was placed on administrative leave after (checks notes) speaking compassionately about the immense pressure a Skyline High volleyball player must be under amid the controversy swirling around whether transgender girls should be allowed to compete. The comments and suspension came after the father of a girl on the Monroe team filed a complaint against both Monroe and Ann Arbor Public Schools, as well as the Michigan High School Athletic Association over the Skyline player’s eligibility, although it must be noted that there is no official confirmation from the school, district, or athlete that they actually are trans. In related news, Michigan and eighteen other states are suing the Trump administration over a December 18 declaration that included proposed new regulations to limit hospitals in providing gender-affirming care including puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical operations. That’s the health care that Michigan Medicine decided last year it would no longer provide minors.

3. Sheriff v. County Commission: As seemed almost inevitable, Alyshia Dyer has filed a lawsuit asserting the commission’s move last month to take control of the sheriff’s office’s human resources operations is a violation of the state constitution. The commission voted to do so on December 3 amid reports of misconduct and violations of the County’s workplace standards, intimidation, retaliation, and diminishing employee confidence. Dyer, in the lawsuit, rejects these allegations as a power grab and points to external investigations into two of the claims that concluded “neither the Sheriff nor any of her personnel acted inappropriately.” Since her inauguration, Dyer’s attorneys write in the lawsuit, she’s “faced extraordinary resistance and scrutiny from several county commissioners who have communicated with the Sheriff in a subordinate and condescending manner.”

4. Fourth time may be the charm: Yet another draft of the proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan is due out by February after the planning commission made this week and discussed “everything from short-term rental regulations to language around sustainability goals and whether the proposed titles of different districts are too confusing.” The commission wants to vote on it in mid-February and send it to council in March. Read more 

Michigan Stadium’s music makeover: With one blockbuster concert in the rearview and another scheduled for 2026, the Big House is setting attendance records, rewriting its image, and creating new revenue streams – although not as big as one might imagine – for U-M and Ann Arbor. This month, Micki Maynard goes inside the broader impacts of occasionally turning the country’s largest football stadium into its biggest concert venue. Read more

Workers can’t afford to live in A2: New data showing the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,551 and the average home price is $504,072 reinforces the longstanding alarm over housing affordability, Trilby MacDonald writes in this month’s issue. The 2025 Washtenaw County Housing Study says those making less than $50,000 a year face ”middling options in the rental market, at best, and [have] no chance at homeownership.” Phillis Engelbert, owner of Detroit Street Filling Station, the Lunch Room Bakery & Cafe, and North Star Lounge, calls it “an existential question about the soul of our city.” Read more

Five rebuilds, a Veridian resale, and a Montgomery Ward kit home: Steve Friess digs out those nuggets from the November residential real estate sales that appear on this month’s real estate map. Read more

Former U-M president Lee Bollinger (above) is extremely alarmed by the federal attacks on America’s universities, as he explains in this essay for the Chronicle of Higher Education adapted from his forthcoming book.

Neighbors are raising alarms about the Washtenaw County sheriff’s office handling of a man with a sword arrested after a thirty-hour standoff at a home in this week. Read more

Homicides dropped again in 2025, to just seven countywide. In 2023, there were a record twenty-two. Read more

Council OK’d the development of thirty-five single-family condos on a plot on Packard St. between Platt Rd. and Eisenhower Pkwy. with stipulations to protect “landmark trees.” Read more

Speaking of (for?) the trees, the city explained why it chopped down a bunch of old ones in Liberty Plaza. 

Lodi Twp. is the latest jurisdiction in the region to weigh a moratorium on data center proposals even as none are pending.

Are all of your kids specifically listed in your auto insurance policy? Read this and then check.

It only came out in October, but Ann Arbor author John U. Bacon’s bestseller about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald was No. 5 on last year’s top nonfiction books borrowed from the Ann Arbor Library District in 2025. Check out all the various top-20 lists assembled by AADL for the year that was.

One of the country’s first “brain-computer interface clinics” opened last month at U-M. Read more

Do you recognize the cretin mistreating this dog on this video from a home in Ypsi last month? If so, tell the Humane Society of Huron Valley as soon as possible by calling (734) 661-3512 or clicking here.

The governor gave Ann Arbor a new judge for the new year. Tamara Garwood will finish the term of recently retired jurist Karen Valvo.

The undefeated, No. 2-ranked U-M men’s basketball squad set a record in its 112–71 win over McNeese on December 29 – it was the sixth victory by forty points or more in a season in Big Ten history. Dusty May’s team came within one point of the No. 1 ranking in this week’s Associated Press, too.

Arbor One tenants in condemned apartments have until the end of the month to move out. Read more

According to WEMU, the city’s first dedicated bus lane is “getting rave reviews.” They didn’t interview anyone stuck in the traffic next to it, though. Read more

There’s a downtown penthouse on the market for $7 million, which would be a record for residential real estate in the city. Here’s the Zillow listing.

Ross alum opens Chick-fil-A: Joyce Mueller (above), who worked at the chain as a high school and college student in Marietta, GA, is the owner-operator of the new restaurant that replaced the Denny’s on Washtenaw Ave., Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. She says the company, which closes on Sundays, is “faith forward” – which she says “is just a way to do business well. Caring is a big part of it, but also just operating with integrity.” The site is the only freestanding Chick-fil-A in Michigan without a drive-thru, so it has eighteen spots labelled for curbside pickup instead.

Bar-restaurant may replace Downtown Home & Garden: With the century-plus shop closing its doors on Christmas Eve amid rising rent and other market pressures, longtime property owner Mark Hodesh tells MLive he’s sifting through three proposals for eateries.

Bev’s Bagels coming downtown: The owner of the popular breakfast spot in Detroit’s Core City plans to open an Ann Arbor location by fall in a 1,500-square-foot space at 115 E. Liberty St., Detroit Metro Times reports. The brand launched as a pop-up in Ann Arbor in 2020. Its new location would replace Robot Supply & Repair and the former home of the literacy nonprofit 826michigan.

Crowdfunding effort launched for Saline evictees: The Thorncrest Residents Assistance Fund is collecting money to support apartment residents who are being displaced because the complex owners are not renewing month-to-month leases amid complaints the buildings are in disrepair. The push is being coordinated by the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, the City of Saline and the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. To give, click here.

MSP officers drive from U.P. to A2 to deliver gifts: The troopers performed a relay that started 600 miles away in Ironwood to get more than fifty presents to a two-year-old girl with cancer being treated at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, WNEM reports. An officer passed along the gifts, donated by members of Vialah White’s community, in St. Ignace who then passed them to an officer in Flint who brought them to Ann Arbor.

Snow Match needs volunteers in northeast: The program, operated through the city, pairs up helpers with economically disadvantaged residents over age fifty-five who self-identify as disabled who need assistance with snow removal. A Parks and Recreation official tells WEMU that they’re in need of volunteers in the Plymouth Rd. area. To help, email [email protected].

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Experience a unique theatrical experience at “Dimanche,” in which Belgian performers use humor, video, puppets, and dance to explore climate change. Our reviewer writes that it has “fun to spare” along with its environmental messages. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sat. and Sun.), Power Center. Tickets $44 in advance online ($15 to $20, students) and by phone, and (if available) at the door. (734) 764–2538. 

Saturday: Escape to “Summer Camp in January,” an evening of arts and crafts, writing letters home, summer camp songs, and ritual led by members of the Stubborn Joy Society, a local collective committed to joy as an act of survival. 7 and 9 p.m., Cluster Museum, 307 N. Main. $3 to $10 suggested donation.

Sunday: See “The Right Track,” a documentary featuring interviews with survivors of human trafficking followed by a Q&A with one of the featured interviewees. Hosted by Michigan Anti-trafficking Project Ann Arbor Community Group. 2:30 p.m., WCC Towsley Auditorium, 4800 E. Huron River Dr. $10 in advance and at the door.

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

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