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Today would have been my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary had Dad not died in 2016. Mom arrived yesterday from Florida to travel with us to my nephew’s wedding on Saturday, and I wish I’d planned something fun to commemorate her would-be milestone. I’m all ears if anyone has really, really last-minute suggestions. Otherwise, Japanese from Yotsuba and ice cream and sorbet from Blank Slate it is!
The news didn’t take a holiday. The Supreme Court started the long weekend off with fireworks of its own, we saw more troubling gun and sexual violence, the city is serious about shutting down the 200 block of E. Liberty, and the Ypsi time capsule was a big yawn. Also, we got goats.
As I cross my fingers and hope our 3-year-old doesn’t run the wrong way with the wedding ring he has been asked to bear, I wish you all a joyous week ahead.
– Steve Friess, editor
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David Di Rita dedicated half of the fourteen-acre site to the newly created Lower Town Riverfront Conservancy and recruited former Ann Arbor Art Center CEO Marie Klopf to run it. A state “enhancement grant” kickstarted work this spring. Credit: J. Adrian Wylie.
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Supreme Court rulings on student debt, affirmative action reverberate: Michigan’s voters in 2006 banned race as a consideration in college admissions, so the high court’s 6-3 decision to prohibit that practice won’t change who gets into the U-M. Still, the university said the ruling left it “deeply disheartened” for people who believe in the value of student body diversity and others told the Michigan Daily they had significant misgivings. Meanwhile, the decision to toss the White House plan to forgive between $10,000 and $20,000 of existing loans impacted some 800,000 borrowers in the state, Bridge Michigan reports. The decision could send more grads to a U-M Ross alum whose debt-management company was profiled in the Observer in 2019 by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds.
Man shot to death in Superior Twp.: Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of gunfire late on June 28 in the 9000 block of MacArthur Blvd. to find the body of Darian Taylor, thirty, MLive reports. WCSO posted on Facebook on Saturday that they had arrested a thirty-four-year-old Superior Twp. man in connection with the homicide.
Arrest made in double homicide in Ypsilanti Twp: Tamar Louis Lorenzo Young, nineteen, “has a history of weapons offenses” according to a statement by U.S. marshals, the Detroit News reports. Young is accused of fatally shooting in a twenty-year-old and sixteen-year-old on June 22, and wounding the teen’s fourteen-year-old and nineteen-year-old brothers.
Stabbing leaves one dead in Ypsilanti Twp.: A twenty-seven-year-old man accused of stabbing a forty-four-year-old to death was barricaded in an apartment for much of Thursday holding police off with a gun, the Detroit News reports. The standoff began early Thursday in the 2000 block of International Drive. A second person inside the apartment was evacuated at 10 a.m.
Unrelated sexual assaults near EMU, U-M: Andrew Najib Jimenes Vasquez, eightteen, of Ann Arbor was arrested Monday and accused of raping and robbing a woman on June 25 in the 1100 block of Washtenaw in Ypsi, Fox 2 Detroit reports. In an unrelated incident, A2 police are investigating an alleged sexual assault in the 800 block of S. Forest in which an unknown man grabbed a woman from behind and sexually assaulted her, U-M police say. The woman freed herself and ran away. Anyone with information about that incident should call (734) 763-1131 or (734) 794-6939.
The lawyer who traded the court for a cash register: Josh Gordon, a former Detroit criminal defense attorney, tells Eve Silberman in this month’s Observer about his journey from a challenging childhood to U-M Law, from addiction to recovery, and from his high-stress professional career to his more chill job at the People’s Food Co-op. “I’m not chasing anything,” he says. “Eight hours a day at that register is a gift that was given to me.”
U-M, Superior Twp., A2 receive notable shares of record state budget: The $82 billion measure signed by the governor includes $356.6 million, a 5.1 percent increase, for U-M’s Ann Arbor campus. Also in the budget is a critical $15 million to buy land at Cheney Elementary School in Superior’s MacArthur Blvd. neighborhood and build a community and recreation center for eastern Washtenaw County, WEMU reports. And in A2, the city is touting $5 million for the Wheeler Center Solar Park, $1 million for a splash pad at Bicentennial Park (the new name for Southeast Area Park), $500,000 for the city’s unarmed crisis response program, and $800,000 for affordable housing development.
Controversial grant funds new A2 park: Seven of the fourteen acres between the river, the Broadway bridges and the train tracks are being remade as Broadway Park West by the Lower Town Riverfront Conservancy, a nonprofit established by David Di Rita’s Roxbury Group, Jan Schlain reports in this month’s Observer. Roxbury is the developer of the other half of the former DTE parcel, but says just who slipped $20 million for the project into last year’s state budget is “definitely above my pay grade.” The new park will include 1,200 feet of riverfront; a pavilion and lawn for dining and shows, and an “ice skating ribbon” that turns into a “family-friendly water amenity” in the summer.
Curbside giveaways now legal in A2: Leaving household items out for anyone who wants them won’t be a ticketable offense in A2 for long. Council voted unanimously to allow people to leave objects labeled “free” outside for up to 48 hours once per week; the second reading is expected tonight. Permissible items include books, toys, clothes, electronics and gardening tools. Not allowed: freezers, mattresses, refrigerators, upholstered furniture, water heaters, cleaning agents, gasoline, paint, toxic or hazardous materials, commercial waste, and construction or demolition waste.
Abandoned bikes to go to local nonprofits: In the past, police have sold them and they’ve often been shipped out of state, but council voted to allow them to be given instead to groups like Common Cycle, MLive reports. That group fixes bicycles and gives them to people who can’t afford one.
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The 94th annual Ypsilanti Fourth of July Parade, the longest running in the state, was great fun and well-attended, but the much-touted opening of a time capsule buried fifty years ago at Riverside Park was a bit of a dud. Credit: Steve Friess.
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Council considers making part of E. Liberty a pedestrian mall: As the federal government is redeveloping the area outside the post office and courthouse, the city wants planners to take a look at shutting the 200 block down to build out a bigger plaza, MLive reports. Councilmember Jenn Cornell, in the minority of a 7-2 vote, says she believes closing the road would harm businesses.
Uptick of Lyme disease prompts health department alert: The county says twenty-five cases were reported last month, suggesting 2023 will see a continuation of the increases that made 2022 a record year, MLive reports. The culprit is a rise in the population of deer ticks, so the county urges people to check for ticks, shower after being outdoors, and use bug spray with DEET or permethrin. For other tips, see the alert on the Washtenaw County Health Department’s Facebook page.
The Point lists rents from $2,400 to $7,200: The high end gets you a four-bedroom unit at the five-story S. Main St. apartment building, according to its newly launched website. The twenty units at the corner of Madison add up to sixty beds, which are expected to be available by U-M’s fall semester. In related news, the city says the block of W. Madison between Ashley and Main is closed to cars until Tuesday night so a contractor can install an underground electrical conductor for the new apartments.
Ypsi’s Forest Ave. bridge shut down for three months: The Huron River crossing, rated in “poor condition” by the state, is getting an extensive fix that will take at least 90 days, according to the city. The work includes pier cap replacement, guardrail replacement, slope paving repairs, and sidewalk widening to accommodate the Border-to-Border Trail.
Contents of Ypsi’s time capsule underwhelm: As part of the city’s bicentennial celebration, the cement box sealed fifty years ago was opened to great fanfare during the festival at Riverside Park after the Fourth of July Parade. MLive inventoried what was inside thusly: “Girl Scout patches, a menu from Nicky’s Place and someone’s bank ID card. The time capsule’s contents were mostly paper items like mail and newspaper articles.”
AAFD acquires new product for fires in solar-powered homes: PVStop is a spray that coats solar panels with a film that stops the photovoltaic cells from producing electricity, MLive reports. After the fire is doused, the film can be peeled off without damaging panels. AAFD is the first department in Michigan to use PVStop. Previously, the department covered the panels with tarps.
Gravel pit transformed into RV resort: Hidden Lakes, about twenty miles south of A2 in Manchester, opened last month with fifty-one sites that overlook twin lakes once dredged for sand used in concrete, MLive reports. The RV park, which boasts a clubhouse, swimming area, and play structure as well as a soon-to-be-installed heated pool, is the brainchild of the concrete maker Doan Companies. Doan stopped extracting material from the plot in 2005 and, after other ideas fizzled, settled on developing the resort.
Hungry goats to clean up Gallup Park: In a continuation of the “goatscaping” program that began in 2019, the ungulates are dropped off in groups for a minimum of a week and checked on every two days, CBS Detroit reports. They eat buckthorn, honeysuckle, and poison ivy, among other invasive plants. The locally sourced animals come from Twin Willow Ranch in Milan.
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Co-owner David Becker, head brewer Alexis Jorgensen, and co-owner Noah Kaplan celebrate Mothfire’s new custom König brewing system. After a pandemic-subdued start on S. Industrial, they’re hoping to make the much larger space on Ellsworth a conspicuous piece of a growing creative presence on the generic commercial corridor. Credit: J. Adrian Wylie.
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Craft beer and culture on menu as Mothfire Brewing moves: Co-founder Noah Kaplan tells Dave Algase in this month’s Observer that the new 6,000-square-foot microbrewery and taproom at 713 W. Ellsworth will “encompass projection mapping, sound, live art, live painting, live music.” The brewery launched on S. Industrial at the height of the pandemic and previously sold its products mainly at stores, bars, and restaurants.
Acai bowls coming to Ulrich’s former spot: The venerable U-M bookstore’s last location at Church and South U is giving way to a Playa Bowls franchise, MLive reports (paywall). The restaurant, whose fare will include acai bowls, smoothies, cold brews and juices, is due to open in September.
Four A2 restaurants win Wine Spectator honors: Blue LLama Jazz Club, The Earle, Weber’s Restaurant, and Paesano’s Restaurant and Wine Bar were all recognized by the magazine. It wasn’t the first time for any of the four; Weber’s has enjoyed an Award of Excellence since 1984. The Blue Llama and Paesano’s are the newest additions, having first been recognized in 2020.
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Chelsea State Bank employees raise money for dogs for vets: The workers, who donated $3 per person per week, gave $1,618.16 to Blue Star Service Dogs, a nonprofit that turns shelter dogs into helpers for combat veterans. Bank employees contribute to what they call the Blue Jean for Charity Fund and vote at the start of each year on what group should receive the gift.
Kids can read to rescue animals at Humane Society: Children ages six to eleven can practice their skills by reading furry friends their favorite books every Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The program, which costs $10 per child, also includes a group read-aloud and a dog meet-and-greet. Preregister here.
Help remove invasive plants from Nelson Meade County Farm Park: Neighborhood Nature Restoration Days, in which the public is invited to pick pest plants like honeysuckle from the Britton Woods Nature Area, are Friday as well as July 15 and 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required here, and participants get free gloves, snacks and water.
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By Jennifer Taylor
Friday: See Northern Town Parodies’ production of an original action sci-fi musical comedy, “Space Quest,” a space opera about an ordinary couple thrust into the middle of galactic conflict when their ship is stolen by a pair of smugglers and a wizard. 7:30 p.m Thursday through Saturday and 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron, Ypsi. Tickets range $20 to $25 in advance here & at the door.
Saturday: Catch the Annual Saline Celtic Festival, Saline’s celebration of sister city Brecon, Wales. The festival hosts the Celtic 500 corgi races, Highland athletics and dance competitions, jousting tournaments with knights on horseback, and sheep herding demos. See the full schedule here. No pets. 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. $18 (seniors age 65 and over, $10; youth ages 6 to 17, $5; kids age 5 and under and active military, free) at the gate. (734) 944–2810.
Sunday: Make some art at Bløm Meadworks’ “Crafternoon with SCRAP Creative Reuse.” All invited to create their own collages, with materials provided by SCRAP. 4 to 6 p.m., Bløm, 100 S. Fourth Ave. Free; donations accepted. (734) 548–9729.
See the Observer’s online calendar for many more local events.
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