This week marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of a2view. It came out at a conspicuously difficult moment, yet its first editor, Trilby MacDonald, says now that debuting on June 4, 2020 in the teeth of the pandemic’s first wave “was actually a good time because it gave people a way to feel connected to the community and learn about ways they could help.”

We hope that’s still the case. These missives certainly give me a way to feel connected to all of you. Kudos and thanks to Trilby and my other predecessors, Dayton Hare, Micheline Maynard, and Jim Manheim. And we owe a great debt of gratitude to the fine local journalists whose work we digest here every week.

On another front, my family was all set to see the peonies at the Arb on Sunday before I threw my back out horseplaying with the kids. We probably would have canceled anyway given the news of the vandalism there the night before – the initial video message from Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum director Anthony Kolenic left the impression there was no longer much to see. Happily, two-thirds of the plants were untouched, and two-thirds of one of the nation’s largest peony gardens is still quite a display! I hope we’re not too late when we stop by this Saturday.

That story and more are here – and we’ve got some doozies this week. A pair of Chinese nationals are accused of trying to smuggle a potential biological weapon into a U-M lab. Ann Arbor and Washtenaw made a federal “sanctuary jurisdictions” list that then got withdrawn. And Santa Ono gave up one of the most prestigious jobs in academia for … absolutely nothing. Bummer for him.

– Steve Friess…
…with help from Anna McLean

Florida board rejects Santa Ono bid for UF presidency: The former U-M president’s vocal renunciation of his longstanding support for diversity, equity, and inclusion failed to impress the state’s Board of Governors this week as it voted 10-6 against his hire, the New York Times reports. Ono abruptly left his post last month after being named the sole finalist for the presidency of the Gainesville school and was unanimously supported last week by UF’s board of trustees. But DEI-hunter Chris Rufo opposed the nomination from the start, and was echoed last week by Donald Trump Jr. citing Ono’s support of DEI as recently as 2023. It’s unclear what Ono will do now; he still owns a 4,000-square-foot home in West Bloomfield Twp. bought in May 2023. On social media, many prominent figures mocked Ono’s fate. His was the shortest U-M presidency in the school’s history.

Chinese couple charged with trying to smuggle pathogen to U-M lab: Zunyong Liu, thirty-four, is alleged to have stashed the toxic fungus Fusarium graminearum in his backpack as he entered the U.S. last year, the Associated Press reports. Liu’s girlfriend, thirty-three-year-old Yunqing Jian, worked at a U-M lab; Liu was sent back to China after being interrogated at Detroit Metro Airport. The indictment indicates the FBI had text messages between the two discussing bringing the pathogen, which is known to attack a variety of crops and livestock and can sicken humans, into Jian’s lab. She was arrested this week and is awaiting a bail hearing; Liu is unlikely to stand trial because the U.S. and China do not have an extradition treaty. Both are charged with conspiracy, smuggling, making false statements, and visa fraud.

Vandals chop up swath of Peony Garden: U-M police say the overnight destruction this weekend of a third of the flowers at peak bloom in the Arb’s famous display appear to have been the work of pro-Palestinian demonstrators. While no one has taken responsibility or been named as a suspect, dozens of signs expressing anger over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza were found in the vicinity. (The headline was “Plant lives don’t matter. Human lives do.”) On Tuesday, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum posted on Instagram: “While the damage was painful to see, we’ve assessed the garden and are heartened to share that over two-thirds of the blooms remain and they are as stunning as ever!” The garden, originally gifted to the university in 1922 by Kalamazoo pharmaceutical entrepreneur W. E. Upjohn, boasts 800 plants and some 10,000 flowers; the attack damaged flowers but not the plants themselves.

Ann Arbor, Washtenaw appear on short-lived “sanctuary” list: The Department of Homeland Security published – and then withdrew – a list of more than 500 jurisdictions across thirty-seven states it claimed are “undermining rule of law and endangering lives of Americans and law enforcement,” WXYZ reports. The posting, which prompted an outcry from the National Sheriffs Association and leaders of several cities and counties mentioned, went up on May 30 and disappeared from the DHS website without explanation on June 2, Yahoo! News reports. Mayor Christopher Taylor disputed Ann Arbor’s inclusion, saying the city complies with all federal laws.

County health officer pushes back on new Covid vaccine guidance: The FDA last week said it would no longer recommend the shots for children or pregnant women, a move that Jimena Loveluck tells WEMU is worrisome. “The process by which the recommendations have been made has not followed the usual evidence and science-based process that is in place,” she says. Loveluck is alarmed because the guidance may limit the availability of the vaccine to these populations, pending an upcoming meeting of a CDC committee that could also weigh in on the FDA decision.

NEA cuts hit A2 arts orgs: The Trump administration canceled several previously approved grants, Davi Napoleon writes in this month’s Observer. The University Musical Society lost a $20,000 grant for its upcoming concert season, and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council has paused grantmaking as they figure out whether they will receive the NEA funds they distribute. The Ann Arbor Film Festival got a reprieve – it was notified that a $30,000 grant for the March event had been canceled retroactively, only to receive the funds after the Observer article went to press – but local arts leaders warn that without this funding, programming, staffing, and future seasons are at risk.

New campus high-rise the last to include affordable housing: Georgia-based Landmark properties will include nineteen reduced-rate units in the nineteen-story Legacy high-rise on E. Washington, according to city records. Thirteen of the apartments will have rents set at levels deemed affordable for households with incomes up to 80 percent of the area median, and six for those up to 60 percent of the area median. The city has since changed its strategy: after an abortive attempt to require more affordable units in market-rate buildings, it’s instead negotiating contributions to its own affordable housing projects. 

Spin scooter, e-bike users may face sobriety tests: Council unanimously approved a renewed agreement with Spin’s parent company, Pheenix, that requires late-night renters to pass in-app safety checks such as entering a keyword correctly to confirm riders’ sobriety, according to city records. The agreement follows a fatal Spin scooter crash last year. The new contract takes effect next month and also mandates rider education events, helmet discounts, and faster response to complaints about abandoned or improperly parked vehicles. 

City to make drone policy amid privacy concerns: Council amended its 2026 fiscal year budget to bar the city from buying unmanned aerial devices until rules for their use are approved, according to city records. The resolution came as some council members and members of the public expressed concerns that their use might violate residents’ privacy and civil rights.

Downtown library rezoned for high-rise: No development plans exist for the 1.2-acre property, but council members embraced the potential for a mixed-use development with housing above a new library, MLive reports (paywall). At the meeting, some residents expressed fear that a high-rise on just the library site would have less space for the library than it currently has; AADL director Eli Nieburger explained the goal is a larger building that includes the air rights over the adjoining Library Lane parking structure, if voters approve a pair of city charter amendments in the Aug. 5 election.

Fifteen sites lauded with historic preservation awards: Among the honorees, the city’s Historic District Commission celebrated the Huron Hills Golf Course Clubhouse, Burns Park Elementary School, and the Phi Delta Phi Law Fraternity, MLive reports (paywall). Among the notable homes receiving recognition are a Tudor revival at 520 N. State St. built in 1932; an Arts and Craft house at 1023 S. Forest Ave. built around 1916; and a rainbow-hued Queen Anne cottage at 1622 Pontiac Tr.

Chinese voter fraud suspect fled U.S.: Nineteen-year-old U-M student Haoxiang Gao surrendered his passport and put up a $5,000 bond but then obtained another passport and flew to Shanghai in January, federal prosecutors said in a press release. Gao allegedly cast a vote in Ann Arbor in the 2024 election despite not being a U.S. citizen, prompting two state-level felony charges. He now faces a federal charge of flight to avoid prosecution. The U.S. has no extradition treaty with China but can have him arrested and returned here if he visits any country that does.

Opioid-related deaths fall to lowest level in nine years: Forty-two people died from overdoses in Washtenaw County in 2024, a precipitous drop from eighty in 2022 and fifty-six in 2023, according to newly released health data. Non-opioid-related overdose deaths also fell, although the change was less dramatic; there were twenty-four last year versus twenty-nine in 2022 and thirty-two in 2023.

Four arraigned in January home invasion: Twenty-eight-year-old Jermond Matthews of Detroit, twenty-seven-year-old Devin Javon Gates of Roseville, forty-eight-year-old Myran Deshawn Couch of Romulus, and forty-four-year-old Kristi Lee Couch of Romulus are charged in the attack and robbery at a home in Augusta Twp., the Detroit News reports (paywall). A man, woman, and three-year-old were present at the time and were allegedly tied up and pistol-whipped, MSP says. Several firearms, one stolen, were found during the investigation that led to the arrests.

Activists disrupt AI talk at Rackham: Three protesters received a formal trespassing warning after being removed by authorities from a lecture by Alex Gorodetsky, a U-M professor and researcher involved in the university’s partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, MLive reports (paywall). Demonstrators from a group called Stop the Data Center interrupted the talk from the audience and circulated flyers listing concerns about a $1.2 billion plan to build a pair of large data centers in Ypsilanti Twp. to support public and classified artificial intelligence applications. Video of protesters being removed from the auditorium was posted on Instagram by the opposing group.

Planning board opposes massive rural data farm: Residents of Augusta Twp. in the southeast corner of Washtenaw County voiced alarm over a plan by New York-based Thor Equities to build a massive computer server center, ClickOnDetroit reports. Planning commissioners voted 5-1 on May 28 to recommend denial of the project, which would require rezoning 522 acres of farmland. In a statement, Thor said it would only use about 100 of the rezoned acres, but residents say they don’t trust the company to stick to that if they win rezoning of the entire spread. Locals say other recent developments, including a solar farm under construction, make them wary. The trustees are expected to take up the matter on June 24.

Court gives Arbor One tenants permission to relocate: Residents living in deteriorated and, in some cases, condemned apartments in the Ypsi complex can move to habitable units or break their leases and move out without penalty, WXYZ reports. The order from judge Carol Kuhnke requires the owners to relocate tenants and prohibits them from collecting rent until apartments are up to code. If tenants choose to break their lease, their rent dating back to September 2024 must be returned.

AAPS to spend $2.7M on six electric buses: The board is expected at its next meeting to approve the purchase,” MLive reports (paywall). A state grant is covering $2.1 million of the cost for the four conventional school buses and two adapted to accommodate students with mobility issues. The district will also spend about $200,000 installing three EV charging stations.

K-8 Spanish immersion school coming to Ypsi: The district is repurposing the former Ypsilanti Community Middle School building on Emerick St. to house the dual-language program, MLive reports. Launched at Ford Early Learning Center and Estabrook Elementary School in 2021 with a kindergarten class, it has added a new class each year as students advance, and this fall will start in the new building serving kindergarten through fourth grade. It will add a grade each year until it stretches through middle school, eventually aiming to enroll between 500 and 600 students. Most instruction is done in Spanish in early grades, shifting to English over time. It will be a school of choice and YCS hopes to draw students from outside the district.

Greenhills takes over Summers-Knoll amid shrinking enrollment: The struggling private, progressive elementary school is being kept open for the coming school with financial support from Greenhills School, Jan Schlain writes in this month’s Observer. Greenhills head Peter Fayroian says they’ve assumed Summers-Knoll’s debts and prepares to roll out their own lower-school program at the Summers-Knoll campus on Platt in the 2026-27 school year.

A2, Ypsi library cards double as free bus passes on summer weekends: Starting Saturday and running through Aug. 24, cardholders from both districts can hop aboard any local fixed route of TheRide on weekends for free, according to a press release. Riders also can scan codes inside the buses for points good toward each library district’s summer contest.

Ypsi neighbor decorates sinkhole barrel: Breck Crandell tired of seeing the orange barrel, which has stood at the center of the intersection of Roosevelt St. and Cornell Rd. for two years, so he took to adorning it in holiday themes, WXYZ reports. Most recently, Crandell dressed up the barrel in American flags for Memorial Day. City public works director Bonnie Wessler says the holdup was a lack of funding, but the sinkhole should be fixed this summer. 

Coratti’s to debut June 23 in place of Original Cottage Inn: The Italian restaurant that boasts two bocce courts took a year to open because the seventy-five-year-old building on E. William St. required extensive renovations, Anthony Coratti tells Dave Algase in this month’s Observer. Coratti, his uncle, and his cousin are partners in the venture, which adds a second location to their original Howell site. The Ann Arbor restaurant will also feature Pietro’s, a connected carry-out store with a separate entrance, where they will sell ready-to-eat foods as well as gelato and grocery items.

Black Pearl expands to Liberty St.: The popular seafood and cocktail spot on Main St. has grown into the corner space vacated by Starbucks, Algase writes in this month’s Observer. The refreshed venue brings bright new windows, a wood-accented bar, and a sushi bar headed by chef Jae Myoung. Co-owner Harry Cohen says the goal is a “welcoming space” that keeps the Pearl’s vibe “humming” for years to come.

Mi Rancho Boots opens in Ypsi: The Michigan Ave. shop features handmade leather boots and western wear in a downtown space previously occupied by a different boot shop, MLive reports. Owner Ariel Arreola says the store honors his late grandfather Roberto Arreola, a Mexican immigrant who became the patriarch of a family of successful entrepreneurs: Dos Hermanos Market and Grill next door are owned Ariel’s father and uncle.

Event raises $368K for animal shelter: The annual Walk & Wag fundraiser on May 17 raised an impressive sum for the Humane Society of Huron Valley, according to a press release. Major gifts included $25,000 from Subaru of Ann Arbor, $10,000 from the Jack & Ginny Sinn Family Fund, and $32,740 raised by attorney Susan Kornfield. 

​​Tickets available for Shelter Association’s golf soiree: The nonprofit’s annual summer fundraiser at the Barton Hills Country Club is June 23. Attendees can pay $175 just to attend the evening dinner and reception or $375 to also play nine holes of golf earlier in the day. A group of four can pay $1,500 to play and attend the dinner together. Proceeds go to the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, which runs a variety of programs for people experiencing homelessness. To register, click here. 

Safari Run to raise money for Ugandan hospital: A2-based nonprofit Building Up invites participants to dress as their favorite African animal for a tot trot, fun run, or 5K at County Farm Park on June 14. Proceeds go to supplies and staff for Tsiyon (Zion) Family Hospital in Sayyi, Uganda. The tot trot is free; older kids are $15 and adults $40 in advance here. The event also includes face-painting, balloons, donuts, and a costume contest.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Hear Detroit’s “space-age swing band,” the Planet D Nonet, play “The Music of Duke Ellington” in an album-release party that pays tribute to the Cotton Club king. 7:30 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $29 to $50 (students, $18 to $30) in advance online or at the door.

Saturday: Get festive at the Ann Arbor African American Downtown Festival, an all-ages celebration featuring food, art, and kids activities (11 a.m. to 5 p.m.) including crafts, games, an exotic animal mobile zoo (noon to 1:30 p.m.), and bounce houses. Live entertainment from dance to gospel singers includes R&B and soul by the Melvin Chisholm & Clockwork Band (3:30 p.m.), and more. 9 a.m.–8 p.m., N. Fourth Ave. and E. Ann. Free.

Sunday: Watch races between U-M Sailing Club members and anyone who wants to enter (free) in their own Laser dinghy at the club’s Spring Laser Regatta. Bring a chair or blanket. 11 a.m., Baseline Lake, 8010 Strawberry Lake Rd., left from Mast off North Territorial. Free. Preregistration required online. 

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

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