The conventional wisdom was that when U-M’s school year broke for the summer, so too would campus activism around Israel and Gaza. Yet this week, I took a walk through the Diag and found the sprawling encampment running like a well-oiled machine. The daily schedules included teach-ins, henna applications, and work shifts at various tables related to food, volunteering, and leafleting.

This isn’t going away any time soon, as two U-M regents discovered Wednesday morning with pre-dawn visits to their homes. And the longer it goes on, especially as other campus encampments around the U.S. are disassembled by negotiation or by force, the more eyes will be on Ann Arbor.

Also not going away soon: the fury over AAPS’s mammoth deficit and the painful decisions required to fix it. There’s more on that this week along with the rest of your news.

As I sign off, join me in welcoming an intern, U-M junior Miles Anderson, who will be helping me out over the summer. Enjoy your week.

– Steve Friess, editor

Ninety-four teachers expected to be cut in AAPS fiscal plan: In all, more than 141 employees would lose their jobs if the board approves a proposal laid out Wednesday night by superintendent Jazz Parks to cut $20.4 million from the school district’s budget, Bridge Michigan reports. The board scheduled a special meeting for Monday to vote. Parks’ package is smaller than the $25 million in cuts expected to be necessary, but she and AAPS financial advisor Marios Demetriou said it would be enough to avert the threate for a state-appointed emergency manager. The cost-cutting plan calls for the district to close middle school pools, eliminate world language instruction at most elementary schools, and close a virtual elementary school that currently has eight students. The district also reached an agreement with the teachers union for voluntary buyouts that would pay teachers with 10 or more years of experience in the district with up to $25,000 to resign. Also, in an effort to increase enrollment, AAPS is opening up a second window from May 29 to June 27 for out-of-district students interested in applying to attend Ann Arbor schools.

Protesters bring demonstrations to regents’ homes: Regent Sarah Hubbard called police to her home in Meridian Twp. around 6 a.m. as about thirty pro-Palestinian activists put three tents on her front yard along with fake corpses, bloodied stuffed animals, and a broken doll cradle, according to her social media posts. Regent Jordan Acker wrote on X that a masked protester came to his door in Huntington Woods at 4:40 a.m. to leave a list of demands. The Tahrir Coalition, a consortium of student groups demanding divestment from companies it believes are connected to the Israeli military, trumpeted the incidents, prompting a rebuke from U-M. “The tactics used today represent a significant and dangerous escalation in the protests that have been occurring on campus,” the university wrote in a statement. “Going to an individual’s private residence is intimidating behavior and, in this instance, illegal trespassing. ” Hubbard reiterated that the regents would not divest.

Gelman says Superfund designation is “unwarranted”: In a thirty-three-page filing last week with the EPA, an attorney for the medical filter manufacturer writes that the company has treated nearly 10 billion gallons of water from the aquifer beneath its former headquarters on Wagner Rd. and removed some 112,000 pounds of 1,4 dioxane. In March, the EPA proposed placing the four-mile-long underground plume of the ”probable carcinogen” on its priority list for cleanup. The filing was among more than 150 submitted during a recently closed comment period that mostly drew angry missives from local activists and officials zinging Gelman for failing to fix the still-growing problem.

City, Amtrak agree to $4.6M tunnel plan: Council unanimously approved an agreement to build a pedestrian passage under the train tracks between Bandemer Park and Barton Nature Area to connect pieces of the Border-to-Border Trail, according to city documents. It is expected to be completed next year. Ann Arbor, the county and the nonprofit Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative are splitting the cost.

Avalon Housing unveils plan for newest Maple Rd. apartments: The four-story, thirty-nine-unit structure would be the third in the nonprofit’s Hickory Way Apartments, MLive reports. Two earlier buildings already provide seventy affordable units along Maple between Liberty Rd. and Pauline Blvd. The project requires a zoning variance and annexing the site from Scio Twp.

Greenbelt gets state funds, clean-water mission: Five of eight farmland preservation programs that shared $2 million from the Agricultural Preservation Fund Board this spring are in Washtenaw County, Trilby MacDonald reports in this month’s Observer. The money is used to purchase development rights, and the city continues to expand its ambitions: city council voted in March to expand its Greenbelt with a “Bluebelt” to protect Ann Arbor’s drinking water source, expanding its scope to include all Washtenaw County townships within the Huron River watershed that are upstream of Ann Arbor.

U-M releases maps envisioning campus in 2050: The new drafts, seen here, incorporate many elements of previous campus proposals, including the 2008 master plan that called for redevelopment of the Northwood townhouses on North Campus, MLive reports. The plans don’t suggest much expansion of U-M’s land holdings, but they do imply the Mary Markley Residence Hall, which holds about 1,200 student beds, may be demolished to make way for a transit center and new academic buildings.

A culinary literary curator bolsters a legacy: Replacing the legendary Jan Longone in charge of the U-M’s special collection of food-related books and ephemera named for her is no easy task, but Juli McLoone relishes it, Cynthia Furlong Reynolds writes in this month’s Ann Arborite profile. McLoone was hired in 2015 to oversee the university’s post-1700 rare books, other special collections, and the beloved Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive, but Longone remained assistant curator until her death in 2022 at age eighty-nine. Now it’s up to McLoone to carry on a treasured effort that includes more than 20,000 items stretching back to the American Revolution. One of her personal favorites is The Woman Suffrage Cook Book, published in 1886, which lists the likes of Louisa May Alcott, Lucy Stone, and Clara Barton as contributors.

Chicago man convicted in 1982 slaying of infant daughter: Seventy-eight-year-old Isiah Williams was found guilty of felony murder and first-degree premeditated murder in Washtenaw County court this week almost forty-two years after nine-month-old Olisa Williams is believed to have been killed, according to a press release. Williams took Olisa from her mother’s arms during a fight on April 29th, 1982, in Ohio and transported her to Michigan, where she was last seen alive that summer in Williams’ custody. No corpse was ever found, but Ann Arbor police requested the Michigan attorney general’s office review the case in early 2021, which led to an open-murder charge. Williams is due to be sentenced in July.

Man sentenced to up to sixty years for slaying: Asante Wright, twenty-three, declined to speak at his sentencing this week, MLive reports. He was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of twenty-one-year-old Patricia Fowler, whose body was found in the trunk of a burned car in Detroit in 2022. 

County reviewing credit card use by equity officer amid exposé: Alize Asberry Payne used a county-issued card for a litany of questionable expenses including a $4,700 wellness retreat in the Caribbean, MLive reports. (paywall). Between 2022 and March 2024, Asberry Payne used the card for $18,186.82 in flights under her name, $25,577.97 in personal lodging charges at conferences, and $5,904.46 in Uber rides, according to the review of credit card statements. The Washtenaw County racial equity officer did not respond to multiple efforts for comment, but other county leaders said they found the spending troubling and worthy of further inquiry. “It looks excessive,” county administrator Gregory Dill told the outlet. Asberry Payne is on leave from the county, Dill said, but he would not say why. In April, the county altered its travel policies to require most trips to be approved in advance.

Judge denies AAPS motion to dismiss lawsuit from family of autistic boy: The case is heading for trial unless the district settles after federal judge George Caram Steeh found evidence supporting claims of disability discrimination, the Detroit Free Press writes. Bus aide Rochanda Jefferson served thirty days in jail after being convicted of assault, and school board member Jeff Gaynor told the Observer last fall that the delayed revelation of the 2021 incident was the “catalyst” in the ouster of former superintendent Jeanice Swift. The district’s lawyers had argued that AAPS should be immune despite allegations that personnel failed to share details of the assault with child’s mother for weeks. ​

U-M surveys faculty regarding threats, harassment: The provost’s office this week sent nearly 9,000 faculty on the Ann Arbor campus a link to a questionnaire “to gauge experiences with threats or harassment related to their academic work, teaching or research,” the University Record writes. Responses are due by June 7.

Denard Robinson out after DWI arrest: The Wolverine football legend is no longer on the athletic department staff following charges connected to an April 15 single-car crash in Ann Arbor, ESPN reports. The thirty-three-year-old, who was assistant director of player personnel, was suspended following the arrest. This was the second time this year the football team parted ways with an employee after an alleged drunken driving incident; defensive line coach Greg Scruggs resigned in March.

Michigan set to play EMU twice in football: The Wolverines announced on social media that they will host the Eagles at the Big House on Sept. 18, 2027 and Sept. 7, 2030. EMU and U-M have played one another ten times in their history, most recently in September 2011 when Michigan won 31-3, according to the Eagles’ website. EMU was blown out at every meeting and shut out six of those ten times.

Design unveiled for mural on train trestle: Treetown Murals plans to paint the rusty overpass over Huron St. between First and Third streets, according to city documents. The rendering shows a flowery design and the word “Welcome” in bright block letters. Treetown Murals has raised about $150,000 for the project, which is expected to get underway in June, but they’re still about $133,000 short of what they need to proceed with a second Ann Arbor Railroad trestle over N. Main.

Top of the Park lineup released: As usual, the entertainment for the free annual festival is a wide and eclectic array that ranges from rapper Nadim Azzam and the bluegrass of ​​Wilson Thicket to the extreme acrobatics of Cirque Kikasse’s SANTE! The festival runs from June 14 to 30. For the full TOP schedule and tickets for AASF’s two indoor events this year, folk-rocker Gregory Alan Isakof and “Professor of Juggling” Jay Gilligan, click here. A fundraiser to support the event tomorrow night includes an in-person party at the Rabbit Hole; an online silent auction that closes tomorrow is now open for bids.

Social worker retired at eight-nine after fifty years: Sandra Samons got a late start, earning her masters degree at U-M in her forties before landing a full-time job at an Adrian treatment center for teens in the juvenile justice system, MLive writes. In 1984, she founded Homestead Counseling Center and was a pioneer working with patients struggling with gender identity and sexuality.

Bill Knapp’s returns to Ann Arbor: The family-owned restaurant chain based in Battle Creek closed its last local location in 2002, but it’s making a retail comeback here with Bill Knapp’s Bakery Outlet in Airport Plaza, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. The brand is now owned by Marty Carrier, who sells Knapp’s baked good products in supermarkets in thirty states and through mail order. 

Wings coming to Michigan Union: Detroit-based Wing Snob has more than fifty locations across the country, but this will be the first on a college campus, ClickOnDetroit reports. It won’t be the last: “This new endeavor will open the door to many more restaurants,” chain co-founder Jack Mashini said.

Dollar Tree opens in Oak Valley Centre: Despite reporting a loss of $1.7 billion and announcing a plan to close about 1,000 stores, the Virginia-based discount retailer has moved into the former Chuck E. Cheese, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. The prices, despite the name, aren’t just a dollar anymore; most items have cost $1.25 since 2021 and they’re inching up to $1.50.

Friends of YDL book sale this weekend: The special discount event at the Ypsilanti District Library’s Whittaker Rd. branch features hardcover books for $1 and paperbacks for fifty cents. On Sunday, unsold books will be on sale at $5 a bag. The sale starts tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. with a preview for Friends members and opens to the general public tomorrow. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos raise $750,000 for women’s research: The married co-stars of the eponymous long-running ABC morning talk show appeared at a May 2 fundraiser at Franklin Hills Country Club in Oakland County, MLive writes. Luanne Thomas Ewald, COO of C.S. Mott Children’s and Von Voigtlander Women’s hospitals, says the money will go to research areas such as prenatal care and music therapy. Joaquin Consuelos, the couple’s son, is a U-M undergrad.

Fix-It Fridays offers free repairs tomorrow: The handy members of Maker Works gather on the third Friday of every month in their workshop at 3765 Plaza Dr. to try to mend “broken furniture, upholstery, toys, lights and more,” the Detroit Free Press writes (paywall). Hours are 4 to 6 p.m.; for more information, click here.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: See the Appleseed Collective, a local acoustic quartet, perform its enchanting blend of folk-rock, Dixieland, and gypsy jazz rhythms and harmonies. BYOB and a chair. 7:30 p.m., Rancho Tranquilico barn, 11300 Island Lake Rd., Dexter. Parking is in neighboring Ruhlig’s Country Market driveway. $30 payable at tinyurl.com/may17rancho. Preregistration required, space limited. (734) 223–2321. 

Saturday: Join about 300 local dogs (with their humans) on a one-mile walk to raise funds for the Humane Society of Huron Valley at the “45th Annual Walk & Wag & Run.” Also, a 5K run, kid- and dog-friendly activities, a photo booth, pet trick contests, prizes, crafts, and more. Food available. 8 a.m.–1 p.m., Rolling Hills County Park, 7660 Stony Creek Rd., Ypsi. $50 suggested minimum donation. Registration required at hshv.org/walkandwag. (734) 662–5585. 

Sunday: Attend Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation’s Annual Huron River Day, a festival featuring children’s art and science activities, half-hour guided nature walks, and a display of animals from the Leslie Science and Nature Center. Live music starts at noon with Hullabaloo, a local nine-piece collective, followed by the bluegrass quartet Pontiac Trail Blazers at 1:20 p.m., the Huron River Flute Circle at 2:45 p.m., and acoustic duo Gemini at 3 p.m. Food trucks. Noon to 4 p.m., Island Park, 1420 Island Dr. (parking at Fuller Park, 1519 Fuller). Free admission. (734) 794–6240.

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

Tell a friend about a2view

For Sponsorship and Advertising information 
Email:  a2view@aaobserver.com

Did this email get forwarded to you? 
Sign up to receive a2view direct to your inbox.