In Superior Twp., we don’t have power outages in bad weather. A foot of snow? Hail? High winds? Nah. A light breeze and clear skies? Yeah. That’s us. And so it was yesterday for four hours, reigniting our distaste for DTE. That grueling afternoon might have been more palatable if we could depend on the information on the outage maps, which promise but do not deliver updates every 10 minutes.

I’m probably preaching to the choir here, since I’ve never met anyone who spoke highly of any utility company. But I’ve lived in seven states, and only here have I ever contended with the constant threat of random blackouts. We can’t afford a generator, and we shouldn’t need one. Our house isn’t even twenty years old; there’s no excuse for fussy power lines built in this millennium. They shouldn’t even be above ground.

So that’s my mood at the moment, and it’s not made any better by the news item about the repeated desecration of two churches’ LGBTQ+ flags on Plymouth Rd. Heck, I’m proud of our state representative for pushing to enshrine marriage equality into the Michigan constitution, but on the other hand it’s already the law of the land so I wish we could all spend that energy on other matters. Same goes for removing racist language in ancient property deeds. Alas, the flag incidents and other recent news suggest in this particular Pride Month that we aren’t there yet.

There’s plenty more news below, but we also have a request. The Observer’s brilliant Trilby MacDonald is working on an upcoming piece about mail theft and wants to hear from you if you’ll go on the record about having had checks stolen out of your mailbox. E-mail her and tell your story.

As I try to shake my grumpiness by feeling elated by this lovely thing some fine folks from the Superior Twp. Fire Department did for us this afternoon, I wish you a clean, well-lighted week ahead.

–Steve Friess, editor

Man charged in rock attack that caused skull fracture: Ryan Osborn, thirty-seven, is accused of assault with intent to murder after surveillance footage captured a parking lot fight Friday night in the 300 block of S. Maple Ave., according to a police post on Facebook. Police say Osborn intentionally threw a large rock at the head of a thirty-eight-year-old who is hospitalized in critical condition. Osborn is being held on $500,000 cash bond.

North Campus sexual assault suspect arrested: U-M police canceled their crime alert this week after arresting a man in connection with a series of sexual incidents last month. His identity is being withheld until arraignment. Three women reported encounters with a man within about an hour, including one who says she was groped and two who say he exposed himself to them.

Man arrested in deadly shooting in Ypsilanti Twp.: Jermaine McClendon Denzmore, thirty-nine, of Ecorse was killed early Sunday, MLive reports. Martez Robinson of Ypsilanti Twp., thirty-five, is charged with open murder, fleeing a police officer, and carrying a concealed weapon. He was taken into custody after a brief chase.

Jury convicts pot grower of manslaughter: Kent Charles Hyne, sixty-one, of Lodi Twp., was found guilty of shooting twenty-seven-year-old Kyle Luark to death in February 2020 and burning his body, MLive reports. Luark and another man attempted to steal 10 pounds of marijuana, spurring a chase across Hyne’s forty-nine-acre property, prosecutors said. Hyne, whose $850,000 bail has been revoked, is expected to be sentenced next month.

AAPD may soon be barred from pulling over motorists for minor infractions: Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance that would stop cops from making traffic stops for broken tail lights, cracked windshields, tinted windows, or other small-bore issues. The measure aims to reduce stops that historically have unfairly impacted drivers of color, councilwoman Cythia Harrison says, according to WEMU. Harrison dubs the measure the “driving equality ordinance.”

Council moves to remove racist covenants from park deeds: They’ve long since been invalidated by court decisions and legislation, but some of the old redlining language prohibiting “persons other than of the Caucasian race” from owning property remains in the documentation behind some parcels that make up Allmendinger Park, MLive reports (paywall). The eight-acre park off Pauline Blvd. is named for a former councilman who donated the original property; the racist covenants, which barred Blacks, Asians, and Jews, were in deeds for property the city bought to add to the park.

Civil assets forfeitures are way down: A decade after state legislator Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor began his crusade to reduce the seizure of money, cars, real estate and other property from people suspected (but not convicted) of crimes, the system has been reformed, James Leonard writes in the June Observer. In 2014, $20 million in cash and assets were seized by state and local agencies, but that figure was down to $12 million in 2021. These days, the city of Ann Arbor “doesn’t do” civil asset forfeiture, says deputy court administrator Jim Bauer.

Churches’ Pride flag vandalized again: This time, it was broken off its pole and tossed into a nearby wooded area, MLive reports. It’s the third such act since April, but St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and Northside Presbyterian Church, which share a building at 1679 Broadway, vow to continue the display and have put out small LGBTQ+ flags for anyone who wants one.

A2 representative Jason Morgan sponsors marriage equality bill: The U.S. Supreme Court struck down bans on same-sex marriage eight years ago, but the gay first-term lawmaker is working to remove a passage in the Michigan Constitution that still defines it as between one man and one woman. Morgan’s bill requires support of two-thirds of the House and Senate and then a majority in a statewide ballot initiative, so it’s far from a fait accompli.

Cop fired after saying she was too drunk to recall sexual incident: Lt. Colleen McCarthy was let go in late May after she said she couldn’t remember being in the backseat of a subordinate officer’s car, MLive reports (paywall). According to her termination letter, the pair was spotted in the middle of the night by an Oakland County cop, to whom McCarthy gave a false name and refused to show ID. The letter also charged she’d sent expletive-filled texts to other officers. McCarthy was an Ann Arbor police officer for 23 years.

Regents expand free in-state tuition: Students from families with income and assets up to $75,000 will be eligible in 2023-24, up from a maximum of $65,000 for income and $50,000 for assets, the University Record writes. That means another 450 students in Michigan will be eligible, U-M says. The move came as the regents approved a $2.79 billion general fund budget for the Ann Arbor campus that includes a 2.9 percent increase for in-state students  and a 4.9 percent increase for grad students and out-of-state undergrads.

House Officers Association ratifies four-year contract with Michigan Medicine: The 1,300 doctors and dentists in training will receive an average 6.6 percent wage increase in the first year, the Record reports. After the first year, all members will get 3.25 percent increases each year on top of the 4 percent they get for advancing to the next level.

U-M to deploy first all-electric bus: The university took delivery last week on the first of the four e-buses it expects to put on the road this year, MLive reports. ”The new electric bus is similar in appearance to the existing fleet,” the paper reports, “but is marked as an electric vehicle with a ‘plugged in for our planet’ decal.”

TheRide is free on weekends this summer: Every Saturday and Sunday until August 28, passengers with library cards for Ann Arbor and Ypsi libraries can board for no fare, according to the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority. The bus system also is taking part in the AADL Summer Game and YDL Summer Challenge, contests aimed at keeping kids’ minds active over the long break.

Dingell holds dioxane forum: The congresswoman hosts a public meeting on Wednesday to give an update on efforts to contain and clean up the likely carcinogen that’s spreading in the region’s groundwater. Representatives from the EPA, the state attorney general’s office, and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will field questions from the public, according to Dingell’s Twitter feed, which also includes details on how to attend.  In related news, the Scio Twp. Planning Commission rejected a proposed $21.2 million housing project out of fears that the project would widen the dioxane plume and impact nearby drinking water wells, MLive reports.

Tickle the Wire: That’s what FBI agents call it when investigators try to spur a suspect to make incriminating statements that can be captured by a bug or wiretap. Greg Stejskal, senior resident agent at the Ann Arbor FBI office from 1995-2006, explains how it worked in the takedown of James Tanceusz, a one-time U-M football player and bigtime cocaine dealer, in this month’s Observer. Originally published in a federal law enforcement blog of the same name, it also appears in Stejskal’s 2021 collection FBI Case Files Michigan. 

Longtime State Street District leader moves to foundation: Frances Todoro-Hargreaves’ last day is August 4, capping seven years at the helm of the business association behind the State Street District Art Fair, MLive reports (paywall).Todoro-Hargreaves is taking a job as impact investing manager for the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation.

AAPD warns about counterfeit money: Four local businesses reported people attempting to pass off fake $100 bills last week, prompting police to post on Facebook asking clerks and others to be on alert. The businesses spanned the city, from Briarwood to Jackson Ave. Anyone with information should call (734) 794-6920 or email the tip line at [email protected].

Bonsai collection at Matthaei renamed for donor: U-M alum Melyvn C. Goldstein gifted 125 trees, prompting the botanical gardens to honor him in a ceremony attended by university president Santa Ono, according to a press release. Goldstein, a lifelong enthusiast of the carefully manicured miniature Japanese trees, is an expert in the Satsuki and Shohin varieties of the craft. 

Dexter man is a win away from Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions: U-M alum Ben Goldstein, a content marketing specialist, goes for his fifth win tonight, which would clinch him a berth in the quiz show’s annual championship. Goldstein has won $37,293 in his four victories, including a $16,000 runaway win on Wednesday night that followed a series of low-scoring victories. Jeopardy! airs locally on WDIV Channel 4 at 7:30 p.m. weeknights. 

Sweetwaters celebrates 30th anniversary Friday with party: The festivities start at 1 p.m. at the flagship location at 123 W. Washington St., with chalk drawings by “fairyologist” Jonathan Wright and runs to 10 p.m. with a photo booth, dancing, live music, free samples and gift bags, ClickOnDetroit reports. The local chain is also hosting a summer-long giveaway that will offer a free franchise agreement and $10,000 worth of prizes to the winner.

Bustaurant rolls on to new location: The double-decker mobile eatery 1923 now serves its gluten-free tacos at 552 S. Main St. after seven months in a parking lot at Miller and First, Dave Algase reports for this month’s Observer. Diners can still eat meals atop the bus, but there’s also seating for fifty and restrooms in a renovated house on the new lot. Owners Aaron and Miriam Orr say they hope to have a liquor license soon.

Dom Bakeries ranked among best donut shops in America: Yelp put the Ypsi institution seventy-second on its 2023 list of the top 100 based on customer reviews. Owned by the Chov family since 1996, it’s one of just two shops in the state on the list, along with Avon Donuts in Pontiac.

Get dirty to support day care on Saturday: Apple Playschools hosts Mid Day Mayhem, an effort to raise money for equitable access to child care, at the Leslie Science and Nature Center, 1831 Traver Rd. For $10 per person or $35 per family, children can play in a mud pit and make mud sculptures and pies from 10 a.m. to noon. Preregistration is required. Proceeds provide scholarships for childcare.

Toyota gives $10M to efforts to beef up STEM education: EMU will use the money to develop an institute that will create programs for students of Ypsilanti Community Schools and Lincoln Consolidated Schools focused on science, technology, engineering, and math, according to a press release.  The five-year grant was announced on the same day as the automaker revealed it is building a $47 million battery lab in York Twp.

U-M awards more than $500,000 in arts and humanities grants: Recipients of the funding from the Office of the Vice President for Research include a project to preserve Black urban histories by surveying a park in Detroit where Camp Ward, home of Michigan’s first Black infantry, and Black Bottom, a predominately African American community, once stood. Another will finance recording projects that focus on composers from marginalized groups.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Catch Theatre Nova’s pandemic-delayed premiere of “Arabic to English,” David Wells’ 2020 drama about a high-stakes immigration case in which an Arab American interpreter, engaged to a White American lawyer, falls in love with her fiancé’s Arab American client. 8 p.m. (Thurs. to Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sun.). Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $22 in advance at the door. (734) 635–8450.

Saturday: At Midwest Pro Wrestling Alliance’s “Collision,” watch pro wrestlers from the Impact Wrestling, AEW, and WWE circuits, as well as local wrestlers and extras, compete in nine bouts featuring classic pro-wrestling storylines, props, interviews, and elaborate costumes. Concessions and merchandise available. 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.), Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, 5055 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Tickets $12 (12 & under, $7) in advance and $15 (12 & under, $10) at the door.

Sunday: Check out Waterloo Farm Museum’s “Blacksmiths, Soldiers, and Log Cabin Weekend,” a weekend of historical reenactments, featuring a blacksmith festival, a Civil War encampment, and guided tours of the ten-room farmhouse. Concessions. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat. and Sun. Waterloo Farm Museum, 13493 Waterloo-Munith Rd., Chelsea. $5 (seniors, $4; kids ages 5 to 12, $2; kids age 4 & under and members, free). (517) 596–2254.

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

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