Just as the temperatures appear to be moderating around here, my daughter and I are off to Arizona to see family. Enjoy those highs in the 70s and think of us in the triple-digit heat of Phoenix. Yes, it’s dry out there, but that doesn’t change the fact that the playground equipment can give you heat blisters this time of year.

Because today is a travel day, I’ll keep this short and sweet.

The Gelman plume keeps pluming, the city is tying up leftovers from its bicentennial celebration, U-M is adding lots of security cameras but not a lot of transparency about them, and the athletic department may rob local businesses of a home game in order to play in Germany. Also, our brilliant intern Anna McLean offers a lovely essay about what she’s learned from her summer as a townie.

This was last week’s most-clicked link.

– Steve Friess, editor
…with help from Anna McLean

P.S. Looking for a good cause? Support my bestie Jenna Dawson’s efforts to raise $1,000 for Friends In Deed so she can rappel down Hill Tower at EMU next month.

Security cameras coming to more U-M building entrances: Since May, cameras have been installed on the Diag and Law Quadrangle, adding to existing cameras in residence hall entrances, libraries and athletic facilities, the Daily reports. This week, contractor i2G Systems will begin work in the Angell Hall complex. DPSS says the new cameras will help deter crime and assist with emergency response, and “are not placed in areas with a reasonable expectation of privacy.” In a related article, the Daily also reports that the U-M has a campus surveillance oversight committee that is required to meet and document its proceedings at least once annually. When the paper filed a Freedom of Information Act request for those documents, however, it was told that none existed. 

Michigan Medicine tackles emergency department overcrowding: The health system is confronting the nationwide crisis with initiatives including “advanced triage,” a short-stay unit, and collaborations with engineers to reduce bottlenecks in imaging and consultations, the Michigan Daily reports. Staff shortages, limited inpatient beds, and growing reliance on emergency rooms for primary care have extended wait times at the University Hospital. A hospital spokesperson declined to specify just how long patients are waiting for care, writing that “the wait time is highly variable depending on several factors and so having just a numerical average would not capture that nuance.” 

New detections of Gelman plume in Scio Twp.: State tests detected dioxane in six residential wells, MLive reports (paywall), in concentrations ranging from 0.33 to 0.86 parts per billion. Five of the six reflect a new, lower reporting threshold of .2 ppb. The state’s drinking water limit is 7.2 parts ppb, but the EPA is considering imposing a much lower standard of .35 ppb. Experts are divided on whether the findings reflect new migration of the plume from the former Gelman Sciences site on Wagner Rd., but officials say they will continue monitoring and evaluating risks as the plume edges toward the Huron River. 

Federal cuts freeze epidemiology doctorate program: The U-M School of Public Health canceled its application process for the 2026-27 academic year because of the loss of grant money, the Daily reports. Epidemiology chair Belinda Needham says her department “is experiencing unusual financial hardships as a result of the unexpected cancellation of current funding (including multiple terminated grants and diversity supplements that were funding PhD students) and discontinuation of several key programs that support the research portfolio of our faculty and students.” She hopes admissions will resume in the fall of 2027.

Huron span repairs become complicated: The 150-year-old Foster Bridge on N. Maple Rd. has been closed since June 9 after a steel cable broke, according to Washtenaw County Road Commission. Last week, the commission announced the bridge’s post-tensioning system must be removed, a process that could take up to six weeks just to plan. There’s no timetable for the completion of the repairs, but WCRC anticipates that the “bridge will reopen with a new, lower weight restriction” once the tensioning system is removed.

Wolverines may play season opener in Europe: The football team is in talks to play its Sept. 5 home game against Western Michigan in Frankfurt, Germany, at Deutsche Bank Park on Aug. 29, according to MGoBlue. Although the team has traveled in the past to Italy, France, and South Africa, this would be the first time it has played outside North America. Athletic director Warde Manuel called the idea a “first-of-its-kind opportunity” to expand U-M’s global brand, while head coach Sherrone Moore emphasized the educational and cultural value for student-athletes.

City fundraising for LGBTQ pioneer’s statue: The plan to place a life-sized likeness of Kathy Kozachenko outside City Hall was among the unfunded projects left over from last year’s bicentennial celebration. Now the city is asking the public to help raise $100,000 to honor Kozachenko, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in the U.S. when she won an Ann Arbor City Council seat in 1974. The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor is hosting the online donation site. Last week, the city that announced a historical marker recognizing Kozachenko’s election and other significant LGBTQ milestones will be unveiled in September.

Bicentennial Park finally to get splash pad – by December: The attraction, another leftover project from last year’s 200th birthday celebration, will be A2’s first universal-access splash pad, according to a press release. Other enhancements to be completed by year’s end include the city’s first solar-powered playground and restrooms as well as repaved roads and pathways within what was formerly known as Southeast Area Park. The interior playground, pavilion, and restrooms will be closed during construction, while ballfields and courts along Ellsworth Rd. remain open.

Police seek help identifying body in river: The man was found dead in the waters off Gallup Park near the US-23 overpass on Tuesday evening, MLive reports (paywall). He had no ID on him and is of unknown ethnicity, police said. He was wearing shoes, swim trunks and a zippered hoodie. Anyone with information can call the sheriff’s office at (734) 994-2911 or (734) 973-7711.

Emaciated dog prompts animal cruelty investigation: Weighing only twenty-eight pounds – half her expected weight for her size – the female bulldog mix, now named Chickadee, was discovered near Arborland covered in urine and feces and brought to the Humane Society of Huron Valley on Sunday, according to a press release. Shelter officials believe Chickadee, who is now receiving urgent medical care and a monitored feeding plan, may have been used for breeding before being dumped. Anyone with information about the case can call HSHV’s cruelty investigation hotline at (734) 661-3512. 

Woman sues Residence Inn after MRSA infection: Twenty-three-year-old Alexis Williams of Genesee County says she fell ill in June after scraping her leg in the downtown Ann Arbor hotel’s pool, MLive reports (paywall). She developed a life-threatening staph infection, required three surgeries, and remains on an IV line of antibiotics. The hotel staff, the lawsuit asserts, knew the pool had a dangerous level of bacteria in it because they had been told so weeks earlier by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and that “unsafe conditions” were also found in two tests in the week after Williams’ exposure.

Ex-Ypsi city manager pleads no contest in embezzlement case: Frances McMullan, fifty-seven, admitted in 2020 to using a city credit card for personal expenses in 2018 and repaid the city over $14,600, MLive reports (paywall). This month, she pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of using public funds for personal purchases, which carries a maximum penalty of ninety days in jail or a $500 fine. Four felony charges related to embezzlement and misuse of a financial transaction device were dismissed in the plea deal. She stepped down from the job in 2023 after four years at the helm.

EMU College in Prison program holds first commencement: Twelve students at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility earned Bachelor of General Studies degrees with an average GPA of 3.93, according to a press release. The graduation, held yesterday, is the first since the program launched in 2023. Now serving seventy-five students, College in Prison offers in-person EMU faculty instruction, academic support, and reentry planning. Graduates say they plan to pursue advanced degrees and careers in fields like social work, business, and nonprofit advocacy. 

AAFD trains on fighting fires in high-rises: With the city sprouting so many new apartment towers, the department spent last week running drills on how to put out the inevitable blazes or rescues, according to a social media post. The training took place on a rooftop at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. In May, firefighters confronted logistical and equipment challenges when two workers got stuck for hours nine stories up in a malfunctioning boom.

$30M affordable housing project planned in Chelsea: The city has chosen Ohio-based Spire Development to build on a vacant 2.75-acre plot across from the fairgrounds, MLive reports. Spire is buying the land from the city for $300,000 and envisions ninety-two affordable rental units in a development it will call Manchester Crossing. The company says it hopes to complete the project by 2027.

Ann Arbor businesses take travelers abroad: Miss Kim owner Ji Hye Kim recently led a sold-out, $12,500 Zingerman’s Food Tour through South Korea, marking her debut as a culinary guide, Micheline Maynard writes in this month’s Observer. The trip is part of a trend of local businesses offering specialized travel experiences. Literati is launching its first literary tour to Paris this October, while Michigan Public hosts up to ten member trips annually, offering destinations like Washington D.C. and Costa Rica. Though pricey, these curated tours continue to attract adventurers seeking meaningful travel with local guides.

A rising junior revels in life as a summer townie: Opting to stick around to work for a2view and the Michigan Daily, LSA undergrad Anna McLean writes in this month’s Observer about her appreciation for “the calm that settles in when classes let out.” Among her discoveries, the Spring Lake, MI native writes, “I’ve learned that Bandemer Park’s rowing docks on Argo Pond are an OK substitute for Lake Michigan’s beaches, and that Madras Masala will give you free cakes if you sit down before rush hour. It’s true that I no longer have to fight for a table on the third floor of the undergraduate library when I want a quiet place to work, but life hasn’t ceased to bustle just because the U-M students depart.”

Metro Detroit shrooms entrepreneur opens A2 spot: Spores Cafe took over the storefront vacated by Pizza Bob’s on S. State St. for a grab-and-go business offering both psychedelics and coffee, Dave Algase reports in the August issue of the Observer. It’s the second outlet for the two-year-old brand; the owners, four West Bloomfield friends, opened the first site in Detroit two years ago. 

Mammoth book sale returns Aug. 6-9: The second of three JLC’s Low Cost Community Book Sale events scheduled for 2025 takes place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day in Building A at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. Thousands of used books, games, DVDs, and more are on sale. Teachers get one free book and 10 percent off their purchases. 

Once Upon a Grill closes: Known for its authentic kati rolls and biryani dishes, the largely one-person take-out operation is leaving its Packard spot after nine years, Algase writes in the July Observer. Furrokh Khan, a Pakistani native, had also managed the former Eastern Flame on S. Ashley. 

Friends In Deed to hold Over the Edge on Aug. 8-9: The Ypsi-based nonprofit hopes to raise $150,000 as it returns to EMU for a third summer to give people who raise $1,000 or more a chance to rappel down the side of Hill Tower. To participate or to support someone who is participating, click here for more information. At the time of this writing, retired Pioneer High athletic director Lorin Cartwright is leading all participants with more than $10,000 raised.

Volunteers sought for Aug. 16 “ecological stewardship” event: Trinity Health and the Huron River Watershed Council will lead a group spending three hours removing invasive woody shrubs from a 103-acre riverside area at the Ann Arbor hospital. Tools and equipment provided along with snacks and water. Beginners welcome! For further information and to register, click here.

A2Zero clothing swap coming Aug. 21: The city’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations in July launched a monthly event – scheduled for the third Thursday of the month – for residents to drop off up to five clean, gently used items of clothing or accessories in exchange for taking new-to-them pieces for free. This month, VegMichigan will be on hand to serve plant-based food samples, distribute literature on plant-based eating, and sign up ten participants for their thirty-day Plant-Based Pledge, which includes a free starter pack of plant-based food. The swaps take place at City Hall. RSVP here.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Be wowed by Cirque Italia’s Paranormal Cirque, a racy circus/cabaret show of contortionists, aerialists, jugglers, and acrobats under a big tent. Age thirteen and up admitted; under seventeen requires an accompanying adult. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. and Mon.), 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. (Sat.), and 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. (Sun.), Briarwood Mall parking lot, 100 Briarwood Cir. Tickets $20 to $65 in advance online or at the gate.

Saturday: Dip into Ann Arbor Pride, the annual LGBTQ community celebration downtown. Headliners are drag performers Detox and Lucky Starzzz, both one-time competitors on RuPaul’s Drag Race. With local drag, burlesque, and musical performers, and a drag story time. Food vendors. Noon to 9 p.m., intersection of Main St. and Liberty St. Free. 

Sunday: Take a “Walking History Tour of Downtown Ann Arbor” with local historian Patti Smith, author of Images of America: Downtown Ann Arbor. Sponsored by Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation, the tour includes discussion of the “red light district” on Fourth Ave., the old fire station, and more. Rain date Aug. 6. 1–2:30 p.m., meet in front of the State Theatre. $25; preregistration required here.

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

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