I know we are living the best years of our lives with our kids so small and cute and that we’ll miss this very much some day, but weeks like this put us through the mill. After a couple days of snot and whimpering, I took the boy to the doctor thinking I was jumping the gun only to hear, “It’s a good thing you brought him in. This wasn’t going to go away on its own.”

This is how I came to write some of this week’s missive with a sad little blond head in my lap and the incessant blare of Cocomelon from the TV. I assume it’s a matter of time before my husband, our daughter, and I feel as wretched as he does.

There are very, very smart people reading this newsletter, so I wonder: Is there any research going on into the impact of Covid isolation on developing immune systems? This kid was just five months old when the pandemic came, and spent two years out of contact with pretty much anyone. Since then, he’s hosted every pathogen with the opportunity to meet him. He gets sicker and stays sicker longer than his 22-month-old sister, who has never been quarantined or locked down. If you’re looking into this, contact me. I want to write about it.

The news this week is pretty glum, too. Usually there are plenty of lighthearted items to offset the mayhem, but even the oddest story of the week – an eighty-four-year-old allegedly ducking through a parking lot to flee the scene of an accident – involves broken bones. But hey, the Ann Arbor Art Fair is coming, and that’s exciting!

As I load up the syringe with another dose of amoxicillin and offer my gratitude to modern medicine for making my sick-kid problems far less traumatic than parents faced in other eras, I wish you all a snot- and Cocomelon-free week ahead.

– Steve Friess, editor

As art fair arrives, participants tell their tales: Painter Betsy Best started doing linocuts on her kitchen counter forty years ago to keep her work out of reach of her toddler twins. She found she loved the medium and has been doing it ever since, she tells Jan Schlain in this month’s Observer. Schlain also writes about second-generation metal sculptor Boris Kramer, abstract expressionist Lisa Burge, self-taught painter Anusree Sattaluri, and more. In related news, ClickOnDetroit provides a handy guide to parking for the three concurrent fairs, which take over downtown streets next Thursday through Saturday. 

U-M student on e-scooter killed in crash: Rising LSA senior Seth Sugar, twenty-one, died from head injuries following a head-on collision with a car late Saturday at the intersection of Hill St. and Oakland Ave., the Michigan Daily reports. A police press release says Sugar crossed over the center lane and was hit by an oncoming vehicle. The driver, a seventy-seven-year-old A2 man, was not injured and stayed with Sugar while waiting for police to come.

Woman raped at robotics lab: The assailant banged on a locked exterior door, was admitted by a person inside the building, then followed that person into a room to attack her, U-M police say. The incident occurred late on July 7 at the Ford Motor Company Robotics Building on North Campus. Anyone with information should call (734) 763-1131 or email police.

Arrests made in stabbing deaths: Amira Oneill, forty-four, was killed last week in an attack that led to an hours-long standoff at an apartment in Ypsilanti Township. Sheriff’s department crisis negotiators eventually persuaded the suspect to lay down a gun and come out,  MLive reports (paywall). Separately, James Lee Trussell was charged in the stabbing death of roommate Ari Clarke, twenty-two, according to an Ypsilanti Police Department press release. The Livingston Post reports that Clarke was a 2018 Howell High graduate and a musician who performed under the name YoungRilla. “He was so funny and kind. Just such an all around amazing guy,” a cousin says. Police are also seeking a second suspect in Clarke’s killing, nineteen-year-old Kyrah Tate. Anyone with information should call (734) 292-5429.

Probe opened in suspicious death in Ypsi: A woman was found dead early Tuesday when police responded to a disturbance in the area of N. River and North streets, according to an Ypsilanti Police Facebook post. Her husband was found inebriated. Anyone with information about the incident should call (734) 292-5429.

Ypsi man drowns in Huron River: Thirty-four-year-old Milton Page II went under the water near a dock at Bandemer Park on July 4 and was submerged until bystanders pulled him minutes later, police said. In his obituary, the 2007 Milan High graduate was described as an avid physical fitness buff with a “heart of gold and generous spirit.”

Eighty-four-year-old arrested in Saline hit-and-run: Police say the woman turned in front of an oncoming motorcyclist, who hit her vehicle and suffered several broken bones, MLive reports. She allegedly fled the scene of the July 7 collision by cutting through a nearby parking lot before police caught up with her.

U-M prof on leave amid sexual harassment claims fights back: Robert Stephenson, a nursing professor and former director of the university’s Center for Sexuality and Health Disparities, filed a discrimination complaint accusing the dean, Patricia Hurn, of homophobia, MLive reports (paywall). Stephenson, forty-eight, has been on leave since May following a lengthy investigation into a grad student’s allegations of sexual misconduct, detailed in a June Michigan Daily article. 

Holding A2 cops accountable for minor traffic stops: The city’s new “driving equity law,” a response to data that Black drivers are much more likely to be stopped for vehicle violations, took effect on July 6. People who think they were stopped improperly for cracked windshields, objects hanging from rearview mirrors, or issues with registration stickers can file online complaints with the Independent Community Police Oversight Commission, MLive reports,  or directly to  the AAPD’s professional standards division. Complaints also can be emailed or called in to (734) 794-6291 extension 42901.

The rise and fall of Westside BBQ: Petra Bartosiewicz, an international war journalist who came to town on a mid-career U-M fellowship, thought she was fulfilling a dream when she agreed to help open the bright-red barbecue stand on E. Madison. Instead, Jordan Scenna writes in this month’s Observer  she stepped into a complicated web of financial deceit. “He was a great salesman, very charismatic, funny, and smart,” she says of Matteo Meloni, her partner and the BBQ stand’s chef. Melosi now is serving an eight-month sentence at the  federal prison in Milan.

Undergrads living in dorms no longer required to have Covid vaccine: Students residing in U-M housing still must provide their vaccination status along with other routine vaccination information, the University Record writes. “Having students’ immunization histories significantly improves our ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks,” says Robert Ernst, U-M’s chief health officer. Ernst also notes that community COVID-19 levels are at their lowest points since summer 2021. 

U-M Hospital respiratory therapists, technicians form union: Some 300 workers now have a bargaining group under the banner of SEIU Healthcare Michigan, according to a press release.  Respiratory therapist Sabrina Wells says they  intend to “advocate for safe staffing, workplace safety standards, and work-life balance scheduling.”

Council approves $3.5M for Earhart Rd. construction: The effort is expected to get underway on Monday and run through November, according to the city. Cadillac Asphalt will resurface the road, eliminate one vehicle lane, and add bike lanes and three mini roundabouts.

A2, feds begin four-year, $4.75M traffic safety study: The joint effort includes installing smart cameras at certain locations to identify dangerous traffic conditions and doing near-miss evaluations to prepare for eventual “quick-build” safety improvements to advance the city’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths, MLive reports (paywall). The city’s $950,000 share will be paid out of climate-action millage funds.

E-filing required starting today for some civil lawsuits: The 15th District Court will only accept general civil, landlord-tenant, and small claims cases online, according to an announcement on the court’s website. The new system is available to attorneys and self-representing litigants alike but people representing themselves still file in person. 

State representative Rheingans re-files health-care bill: The measure, first introduced last year by then-state representative Yousef Rabhi, would create a publicly funded statewide health care system, the Michigan Advance reports. The publicly-funded plan would use a mix of private and public providers to offer comprehensive physical, dental, and mental health care without deductibles, copays, or premiums.

Dexter gets $8.5M for multigenerational community center in state budget: The effort was spearheaded by state senator Sue Shink along with reps Rheingans and Jennifer Conlin, according to a press release. The new center would replace the Dexter Senior Center and broaden its mission to include services and facilities for people of all ages, the Sun Times News reports.

New A2 service launches elder in-home care using UM students: Aspiring to be the “Uber of caregiving,” local entrepreneur Neil Shah has started CareYaya to provide help for as little as $15 per hour, WXYZ-TV reports. Shah says his platform is currently only for Ann Arbor residents and uses U-M undergrads as caregivers.

JLC Book Sale runs through Saturday: The homespun business run by Todd Whalen and his family holds the first of two annual sales at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds featuring some 25,000 books, 5,000 DVDs, video games, puzzles, and board games, according to the JLC Facebook page. It’s a great opportunity to stock up at bargain-basement prices and to go back and re-read Jan Schlain’s piece in the June 2022 issue of the Observer about Whalen and his backyard enterprise that blew up into a phenomenon. The sale is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, Building E. Teachers and homeschool families get an extra 10 percent discount, and unsold books are donated to schools and teachers.

Nurse practitioner pilots Treat Truck as “side hustle”: Katherine McKowell began the business after falling in love with Dole Whip, the plant-based, dairy-free soft-serve frozen treat, on a South Carolina vacation last year, writes Sandor Slomovits for this month’s Observer.  Until recently, it was only available at Disney parks and the Dole plantation, but now McKowell is dishing it out from a pink 1997 Chevy P30 step van she bought on ebay for $20,000.  With staffing help from her family and friends, TheTreatTruckMI is popping up around town a few times a month. Her calendar is on the site.

Food truck rallies return to A2 Farmers Market this Wednesday: Speaking of vehicle-based food businesses, McKowell’s and twenty-two others are due to converge at 315 Detroit St. from 5 to 8 p.m. every third Wednesday through October, ClickOnDetroit reports. Vegano Italiano, Pilar’s Tamales, Shimmy Shack, Impasto Detroit, and Simply Spanish are also among the food trucks expected.

CAN seeks donations in Back to School Drive: The Community Action Network hopes people will buy backpacks, binders, crayons and other items through an Amazon gift registry to distribute to local students who need them. CAN hopes to receive all gifts by Aug. 4 so there’s time to give them out before the new school year begins. Last year, the nonprofit provided more than 530 backpacks full of supplies to children around the county. Anyone with questions can send CAN an e-mail or call (734) 994-2985 ext. 124.

City backs group effort to providing free vegan food: Council approved $135,000 for to go to VegMichigan, a nonprofit advocacy group pushing wider adoption of a plant-forward diet, MLive reports. The grant will enable the organization to hand out 700 bags of plant-based foodstuff to residents. as well as to offer up a variety of events and educational efforts over the coming three years.

Volunteer opportunities next month for Natural Area Preservation: The city is putting out the call for help on three days in August for folks willing to remove non-native plants in public spaces. The events take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Olson Nature Area on Aug. 5, Kuebler Langford Nature Area on Aug. 20, and Gallup Park Wet Prairie on Aug. 26. Preregistration is requested for each day via the links above.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Cool off by running through water hose streams and spray real fire hoses yourself at the AAFD’s Firefighter’s Spray Park. Also, a demonstration of firefighting tools by local firefighters. 10:30–11:30 a.m. On Maynard St. at E. William St. Free. 

Saturday: Witness the Monster Truck Rally featuring seven mechanical beasts, each weighing up to 15,000 pounds with 2,000 horsepower, competing against each other on a dirt track, crushing cars, and performing aerial stunts. Also, a human cannonball, and jumps up to thirty-five-feet high by the Extreme Motocross Team. A pre-rally Pit Party beginning two hours before each show offers a chance to ride in a monster truck and meet the drivers. July 14 to 16. 7 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sat. and Sun.), Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Tickets $30 (active duty military, $26; students ages 13 to 17, $20; kids 12 and under, $15) here and at the gate. Parking $15/per vehicle. 

Sunday: Be there or be square at the Townie Street Party, the popular pre-Art Fair dance party, which returns for the first time since 2019 and features sets by members of the recently reunited local hip-hop collective The Athletic Mic League accompanied by DJ Tres Styles (10 a.m. and 3 p.m.), veteran local rockabilly Americana band Delta 88 (3 to 4 p.m.), and aa band led by veteran Michigan-based folk-rock singer-guitarist Joshua Davis (4 and 6 p.m.); Davis, a 2015 finalist on The Voice,  blends elements of American roots music with gritty rock ’n’ roll and vintage soul. Also, a family-oriented art activity zone, a beer garden offering craft beers and mimosas, and a one-mile race (9:30 a.m.; $30 in advance here and at the race; $15 for kids age 12 & under). 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., E. Washington between Thayer & Fletcher and Ingalls Mall. Free. (734) 994-5260. 

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

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