There are weeks like this when the news just hits really close to home. A close friend’s daughter will probably have to drop out of U-M because the alumni association pulled the plug on a major scholarship program to assist kids of color. I understand the alumni association’s fear of Trump’s wrath for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, but am sorry this is what it’s come to.

I see all of this in a new light, too, because of our autistic son. His elementary school, Mitchell, has not had a speech therapist all year. I started pushing for compensatory services for him in January; it’s almost April and the district is still dithering about whether to hire the therapist I have chosen. Yet there’s little recourse anyway. The anti-DEI push in Washington also means the Department of Education is no longer pursuing enforcement of laws that require services for kids with disabilities. All the laws in the world don’t matter if the federal government chooses not to back them up.

I still have faith in AAPS to do the right thing because it is supported by a community that cares deeply about diversity, equity, and inclusion. I worry, though, about the millions of kids in less progressive places.

Your news is here. My favorite this week is the item about the success of Ann Arbor-raised opera baritone Samuel Kidd. Enjoy three minutes of his dazzling voice in this video.

– Steve Friess, editor

Developer and political donor has record of financial crimes: The Michigan Daily reports that Heidi Poscher was convicted of wire fraud in 1987 and conspiracy to commit money laundering in 2009. An Ann Arbor native, Poscher and her wife, Marge Poscher, met and married in San Francisco, began investing in Ann Arbor real estate in 2012, and moved here to manage their growing holdings in 2020. Poscher first piqued the newspaper’s interest that same year, when reporters learned that the FBI had interviewed city officials after then-city councilmember Elizabeth Nelson posted on her blog that an unnamed investor in short-term rentals (STRs) promised to “make it up to you. I don’t mean a bribe” if she supported a law that benefited existing owners. The law passed and it appears that nothing came of the FBI investigation; in an email, Poscher wrote that “It is totally irresponsible for the Daily to consider repeating false and baseless claims based on lies and hearsay and not one shred of evidence.” However, mayor Christopher Taylor told the paper that when he became aware of her criminal record last summer, he regifted a $5,000 contribution she’d made to his political action committee to the Jim Toy Community Center – shortly before voting to approve a rezoning for Southtown, the couple’s proposed 216-apartment mixed-use complex along State St. He told the Daily that “we consider the issue on the merits, without discrimination or consideration of the person’s political affiliations, for or against, or their history, laudatory or otherwise.” 

Ex-coach pleads not guilty in massive cyberfraud case: Matt Weiss, a former assistant U-M football coach, faces twenty-four counts of unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft, ESPN reports. Prosecutors allege that Weiss, forty-two, ran a vast, multiyear effort to access the personal accounts of thousands of NCAA student-athletes, generally targeting specific female athletes to access personal and intimate photographs and videos. In addition to criminal charges, Weiss, the U-M, and the software provider also face a potential class-action lawsuit led by two former U-M athletes, NBC News writes. U-M fired Weiss in January 2023 after a school investigation revealed he had “inappropriately accessed” computer accounts in December 2022 while inside Schembechler Hall. 

Men head to Sweet Sixteen, women head home: Both Wolverines squads won their first games in their respective March Madness tournaments, but only the men remain in contention after winning handily over Texas A&M in their second round. They play No. 1-seeded Auburn on Friday night in their sixth Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2017. The women exited the tournament after being routed by Notre Dame on Sunday. The Wolverines’ roster will controversially have one less player, freshman guard Justin Pippen, who became ineligible when he entered the transfer portal this week, ClickOnDetroit reports. The move sparked ire across the NCAA – even MSU coach Tom Izzo is “disgusted” – among those who believe the transfer portal should not open until the season ends.

LEAD scholarships discontinued: The U-M Alumni Association is halting the program, which focused on supporting minority undergraduate students, the Michigan Daily writes. The association told recipients it was doing so to “comply with all applicable laws.” Since no applicable laws have changed, the halt to the $30 million program is evidently a response to the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to cut off funding to anything connected with DEI.

$10M for Bryant geothermal system up in the air: It’s one of several major grants awarded by the federal government for sustainability projects around Ann Arbor that could be lost in the Trump administration’s efforts to defund efforts associated with climate change, MLive reports (paywall). In all, $32 million in commitments are at risk, city sustainability and innovations office chief Missy Stults told council last week. Some of that should come through because there are signed contracts in place, but the effort to transition the low-income Bryant neighborhood from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources was only announced by the Department of Energy in December. 

Council approves $19M for Pittsfield Village infrastructure: Roughly three miles of neighborhood streets will be repaved this summer and a bike corridor added to Pittsfield Blvd. from Washtenaw Ave. to Edgewood Dr., according to city records. Pittsfield Blvd. also is getting speed tables and curb bumpouts to help prevent speeding. The project also includes a major overhaul in the area’s stormwater management system.

Public input sought for Fuller Park’s Mixer Playground: The city is asking people to fill out a survey here by Monday to express views on the park’s castle-like wooden play structure as it plots out a “full replacement.” The playground was built through a community effort in 1988 and dedicated to Scott and Sally Mixer, an Ann Arbor father and daughter killed by a drunken driver. 

Huron High mascot gets a name: Rio the River Rat is now the anthropomorphic symbol for the school following a vote of the students, MLive writes. Rio, which means “river” in Spanish, received 28.2 percent of the vote, followed by Archy with 16.3 percent, Ratthew at 16 percent, Hugh Ron with 14.5 percent, Cheddar with 14 percent, and Ratsby with 11 percent. The mascot never had a name. Last year, the costume was redesigned.

Pitbull abandoned in dumpster: The dog, which wasn’t wearing a collar and had no microchip, was found Tuesday in the trash off Wolverine Dr. near Platt Rd., according to a Facebook post from Ann Arbor police. He was taken to the Humane Society of Huron Valley, where he is being evaluated and treated for a large abscess or tumor on his ribs. HSHV issued a statement saying, in part, “Please know that, regardless of how he ended up in the dumpster, the majority of our community is filled with compassionate people like all of you — that always gives us hope, and we hope it does for you as well!” The group has an online fundraiser to pay for his care. Anyone who recognizes the dog or has information about his owner can call the AAPD at (734) 794-6920 or email tips@a2gov.org. 

Prosecutors drop murder charge in vehicular death: Nicholas Elka still faces a charge of operating while intoxicated causing death in the incident in which his wife, Teea Ann Elka, was run over in Augusta Twp. in September, MLive reports (paywall). But county prosecutors say they can’t prove Elka intended to kill his wife when he attempted to speed off after she caught him in the vehicle engaging in sexual acts with another woman.

Ypsi bridge deteriorating at worrisome pace: The span over the Conrail train tracks on Prospect Rd. north of Michigan Ave. is in serious disrepair, engineers told council earlier this month. Council voted to spend $41,000 to study a replacement plan. 

New sheriff working to restore in-person jail visits: In recent years the jail has allowed only video and phone visits, but Alyshia Dyer tells the Daily they’ve recently run pilot sessions such as last week’s mom-and-child movie night, where children of inmates came to watch a film with their mothers. Dyer says that studies show that in-person visits can help reduce recidivism, so if the department can hire the necessary staff, she plans to make the program widely available in May.

AAFD response times may lag in southeast during station rebuild: The firehouse at Platt Rd. and Huron Pkwy. is due to be demolished this spring but a new one won’t be online until late 2026, MLive reports (paywall). The station’s crew will operate out of the downtown station during construction, but its region could wait longer for fire response until the new station is complete, chief Mike Kennedy says. 

Greenhills to absorb Summers-Knoll: The private schools are merging as Summers-Knoll faces “insurmountable enrollment and financial challenges,” according to a press release. Summers-Knoll will become the elementary campus while Greenhills will remain sixth through twelfth grades. “This is both a transformative moment and a natural evolution for Greenhills,” Greenhills board chair Neda Mirafzali Ryan writes. “Together, we’re strengthening the independent school landscape in Ann Arbor.”

Georgetown associate dean picked to lead U-M Law: The regents hired Neel U. Sukhatme for a five-year contract as successor to Mark West, the University Record writes. Sukhatme has been associate dean for research and academic programs at Georgetown University Law Center since 2023 and holds both a Harvard law degree and a doctorate in economics from Princeton.

School of Nursing gets $2M grant: The gift from Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF will provide scholarships to more than 140 undergraduate students, the University Record writes. It establishes the Bill and Joanne Conway EPIC Scholarship named for Carlyle Group co-founder Bill Conway Jr. and his late wife, Joanne. “The United States needs nurses too much to allow finances to be an impediment to getting a high-quality nursing education, and I am lucky enough to be in the position to help,” Conway says.

How U-M powers its generative AI tool: The school uses Microsoft’s Azure Cloud service to avoid having to use locally generated electricity for a task that is very power-intensive, Brooke Black writes in this month’s Observer. Chief information officer Ravi Pendse says Microsoft is U-M’s choice because it is carbon-neutral, but Black notes that the claim is based on selective energy-usage data.

Pioneer High alum wins $10K in Met Opera competition: Samuel Kidd, who graduated in 2014, was one of nine finalists chosen from 1,500 entrants for the Laffont Competition, according to Playbill.com. Kidd, who performs with the San Francisco Opera, missed out on the competition’s top $20,000 prize, which went to five of the nine who performed on March 16. This June, he debuts as Schaunard in Puccini’s La Boheme with the SFO. Kidd’s mother, Bonnie Kidd, taught choir at Tappan Middle School and Huron High for more than twenty-eight years, the school district writes.

Red Hawk to close May 3, citing pandemic: In a notice on the downtown restaurant’s website and on social media, the owners say they are shutting down after thirty-three years. “The pandemic, coupled with rising food costs has made it increasingly difficult to continue operating in the way we had always hoped,” the note reads. “The past few years have tested us in all the ways we never anticipated, and while we’ve fought to overcome these challenges, the financial strain has become insurmountable.” The State St. restaurant “held a special place for me and my family, not only physically but emotionally,” Michelline Maynard recalls in an Observer blog post. 

Popular Saline cafe for sale for $550K: Brewed Awakenings owner Kim Kaster announced on Facebook that she’s putting the business on the market after fourteen years. Kaster, fresh off of winning a battle to prevent a Starbucks from being built on the strip mall’s outlot, says she recently signed a lease requiring the landlord to provide Brewed with “coffee exclusivity.” The listing for the business says the lease runs until 2031 with options to renew.

Amadeus reopens April 1: The high-end downtown restaurant specializing in central European cuisine has been closed for months while the owner, Pawel Strozynski, recovered from an illness. A brief note on the eatery’s site reads: “After a brief intermission during late winter, we are happy to announce that our doors will be open again on April 1st. We look forward to welcoming and serving you.”

Standard Printing doubling food bank donations through Monday: The Ypsi-based print shop has pledged up to match up to $5,000 to SOS Community Services via this Network for Good site. SOS says each $25, with the match, feeds four families. So far, the campaign has raised $925 with five days to go.

GoFundMe launched to benefit musician Mr. B: Mark Braun suffered significant muscle damage to his left hand on February 9 when it was impaled by a piece of wood while using a table saw, according to the fundraising campaign hosted by Ann Arbor Street Art Fair executive director Angela Kline. Mr. B, a local favorite for his annual piano performances at the fair, is expected to make a full recovery, Kline writes, but in the meantime, he’s had to cancel twenty concert bookings including six in Europe. As of Wednesday night, the campaign had raised almost $9,000 of its $16,000 goal.

U-M raises $4.7M on Giving Blueday: The annual spring fund drive, this year held March 19, attracted more than 11,000 donors, according to a press release. LSA received the most gifts through the Giving Blueday website, while the student organization that received the most gifts was Women’s Ultimate Frisbee. The total was down from 2023 and 2024; $5.3 million came in during both of those years.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Have a splash at U-M Museum of Natural History’s “Stream Table Day,” a day of interactive programming about rivers and watersheds that includes a ten-foot stream table and hands-on science demos. For age 5+. 11 a.m.–3 p.m, U-M MNH, 1105 North University. Free. (734) 764–0478. 

Saturday: Enter the Lynchian world of twenty-five-year-old Belgian dance company Peeping Tom as it performs “Triptych,” a narrative that begins and then abandons one story after another, from romantic to unsettling to nightmarish. Fri. and Sat., 7:30 p.m., Power Center. Tickets $36 to $67 (students, $15 to $20) in advance at ums.org, by phone, and (if available) at the door. (734) 764–2538. 

Sunday: See winning films of the 63rd Annual Ann Arbor Film Festival at its “Awards 1” (6 p.m.) or “Awards 2 (8 p.m.)” screenings. One of the oldest avant-garde/experimental film festivals in North America, the five-day screening ends tonight. $14 (seniors, $10; students, $9) in advance here or at the Michigan Theater box office.

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

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