Happy Mother’s Day weekend, everyone! I remain in regular contact with the women who gave birth to our children, and this holiday reminds me once again of the mind-bending sacrifice our kids’ moms made to allow us to be a family. Years from now, Nevada and Claire will learn why Jasmine and Samantha did this, and we’ll be successful fathers if we teach them to appreciate and show gratitude to them for the lives we have.

I hope you appreciate that I’ve assembled your week’s news below. There’s a bunch of it – commencement, high-rise development, another Big Ten title, even a byline in the print edition of Observer by yours truly – so dig in at your leisure.

As I huddle last-minute with my sisters to figure out what we’re doing for our mom, I wish you a lovely week ahead full of appreciation and gratitude.

– Steve Friess, editor

Teachers rally against layoffs amid budget hole: More than 100 educators picketed outside Huron High on Wednesday night as the Ann Arbor school board met for the first time since its 4-3 vote to authorize job cuts for teachers as part of its effort to fix a projected $25 million operating deficit for the coming school year, WXYZ reports. Dozens also signed up to express their fears and anger to the board during the public comment period. The board did not make any decisions on the budget problem at the meeting. A source at Mitchell Elementary told a2view she has been told enrichment programs, such as the school’s international baccalaureate program, will face the axe.

AAPS board president pens op-ed vowing to fix $25M gap: Torchio Feaster writes in the Detroit Free Press that despite the recent negative publicity, it is worthwhile remembering that four district high schools are “among the top 10%” in the nation. Feaster, appointed to the board in October after a resignation, said some 4,000 people completed the district’s survey seeking advice on what to do and 3,000 participated in a recent virtual town hall. He promised the board is committed to becoming “better stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Commencement interrupted briefly by pro-Palestinian demonstrators: About 100 protesters stood with banners and flags on Saturday as Navy secretary Carlos Del Toro commissioned ROTC graduates, the Michigan Daily writes. The Daily also reported that the night before, some 200 protesters in the anti-Israel encampment on the Diag were met with police force when they attempted to swarm regent Paul Brown as he left a graduation-related dinner at UMMA. One person was arrested, MLive writes. Earlier Friday, demonstrators picketed outside Rackham Auditorium as the graduate school commencement ceremony took place. Mediaite writes of the disruption at the Big House that “the crowd wildly cheered” as the protesters were escorted to the back of the stadium. Overhead, banners towed by planes offered competing messages, one demanding divestment from Israel and the other reading “Jewish lives matter” rated a mention in the New York Times (paywall).

Demonstrators celebrate vandalism, confront Whitmer: Earlier last week, someone defaced the “Michigan Union” sign on State St., covering “Union” with the word “KILLS” in red paint. An image of the vandalism was posted alongside a photo of the protest at the commencement on X by @Tahrirumich, the account for the coalition of student groups protesting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. “We are protesting not just a genocide, but a scholasticide as well while our university refuses to acknowledge our Palestinian peers,” the group tweeted. Meanwhile, in Ypsilanti, governor Gretchen Whitmer was confronted about Gaza during a meal at Bobcat Bonnie’s in a video posted social media.

Santa Ono asked to submit to interview for U.S. House: Michigan’s president originally was asked to testify live at a May 23 hearing of the Committee on Education and the Workforce focused on the widespread anti-Israel protests on campuses around the nation, the Detroit News reports. That request was modified this week to a “transcribed interview” that Ono would give at a later date after the hearing. U-M says it will respond to the Congressional request this week.

Council OK’s high-rise at 711 Church St.: Bucking the planning commission’s recommendation to reject it, a unanimous council approved the plan for a seventeen-story, 273-unit apartment tower in hopes that more student housing will rein in burgeoning rents, according to city records. A petition signed by more than 200 residents urged councilmembers, to no avail, to reject the project as out of scale and character for the area. Last year, the Observer wrote that approval of this and other plans that override existing height limits was likely to “presage even more seismic changes in the upcoming revision of the city’s comprehensive plan.” 

Domino’s owner threatens lawsuit if Five Corners high-rise is approved: A lawyer for the pizza shop at 716 Packard St. told council on Monday that the impact to his client’s business “will be catastrophic,” MLive reports. Plans call for the fifteen-story complex to rise on a 1.3-acre site next to the Domino’s that would contain 376 apartments intended for student rentals. Council voted unanimously to advance the proposal, which is up for a second reading on June 3.

Voters to be asked if they want a city-owned utility company: The proposed Sustainable Energy Utility would focus on accelerating renewable energy sources and would supplement DTE; Michael Betzold looked ahead at the novel idea in a 2021 Observer article. Ann Arbor for Public Power executive director Brian Geiringer told WEMU that the group hopes the SEU would be a step toward its goal of replacing the private utility entirely. 

City offering free home energy assessments: The A2ZERO Home Energy Advisor program will provide A2 residents with evaluations of the “health, safety and energy efficiency” of their houses and offer recommendations, according to a press release. To sign out and find out more information, visit a2zerohea.org.

Desirae Simmons narrowly fends off recall: By thirty-eight votes over challenger Rod Johnson, the Ypsi city councilmember held on to her seat in a special election on Tuesday, according to unofficial results on the county’s elections website. Johnson, running as an independent, led the incumbent by eighty-two votes in the absentee balloting, but Simmons, a Democrat, outpolled him on Election Day by 120 votes. The Ward 3 council member was targeted by a group led by former mayor Cheryl Farmer after Simmons voted to purchase an expensive new public services yard and then abstained from the vote to rescind that purchase. Simmons extended an olive branch in her victory post on Facebook, writing, “For those disappointed by the results of today’s special election, let’s do the hard work of moving forward.”

Georgia-Pacific shutting Milan plant, “impacting” 119 jobs: In an emailed announcement, the paper-goods conglomerate said it will close the facility, which makes corrugated products, on July 6. The company promised to help employees by offering them “potential opportunities within Georgia-Pacific and other Koch companies” among other assistance. GP is owned by Koch Industries. The decision was made “based on our ability to be competitive at this location in the long-term,” the company wrote.

Michigan Medicine CEO publishes thriller: Marschall Runge’s “Coded To Kill” came out last year, and Eve Silberman caught up with him to ask why he wrote it – and how he found the time. The answers are in the June Observer: he’s always loved the genre, and it took fifteen years. The plot, in which hackers commandeer a new electronic health records system to murder people, is “theoretically possible but highly improbable,” he told an audience at Schuler Books. “This is fiction to entertain you,” he emphasized. “A beach read.”

Police win extreme-risk orders using red-flag gun law: Michigan’s Extreme Risk Protection Order Act went into effect in mid-February, and as of mid-April, judges had granted two requests to prevent people deemed dangerous to themselves or others from keeping their firearms, Steve Friess reports in this month’s Observer. In both cases, law enforcement had seized weapons from people in the midst of violent mental health crises. A judge rejected a third petition, filed by a local man who wanted his wife’s Glock seized despite admitting she hadn’t used it or threatened him with it. 

Ypsi teen accused in homicide sought by U.S. Marshals: Daniel Lamar Franklin is wanted by the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office in connection with a shooting death of twenty-two-year-old Alonzo Hollie of Belleville on March 26 near W. Michigan Ave. and W. Warner St. in Ypsi, according to a press release. Franklin, eighteen, is described as a Black male, around 5 feet 8 inches tall, and weighing about 175 pounds. He has “a history of weapons offenses and is believed to be armed and dangerous” according to the notice. Anyone with information can call the tip line at (866) 865-8477 or submit a tip online via the USMS Tips App.

Dearborn man charged in garage sexual assault: Ahmad Ali Beydoun, twenty-two, was arraigned last week on two counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct, as well as on charges of unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to do great bodily harm, MLive reports. Beydoun is accused of attacking a woman in his car at the U-M’s Glen St. parking structure after they met on a dating app on April 28.

Nobody injured in drive-by shooting: Five people were in a home in the 1500 block of Marlborough Dr. when shots were fired at around 1 a.m. on Monday, Ann Arbor police said in a social media post. Officers believe the incident was not random, but other homes on the block were also hit. Anyone with information can call (734) 794-6920 or email the tip line.

Motorcyclist’s death due to speed, police say: Anthony Parker, twenty-seven, died in an April 5 collision with a pickup truck on Packard Rd. MLive reports the investigation found Parker and another motorcyclist were speeding when they slammed into the pickup, which was turning left onto Fernwood Ave. The other biker survived. A GoFundMe campaign, launched by the general manager at Parker’s employer, Fischer Honda, has raised $1,999 to help the family with funeral costs.

$20K in merch stolen from soon-to-open smoke shop: Owner Mohamad Nawwas of Corner Buzz in Ypsi found smashed windows and missing bongs on April 26, five days before the store was due to open, MLive reports. Nawwas, a former Detroit police officer, says surveillance video shows a group of thieves taking ninety minutes to clean out the shop of hookah pipes, tobacco bongs, and glass pipes. The store opened on May 1 as planned.

U-M lands $36M in federal grants for health research: The sum includes $3.4 million for cancer treatment research, $2.7 million for research into arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases, $2.9 million to focus on heart and vascular diseases, and $1.5 million for mental health research, according to a list of more than fifty grants published by Democratic representative Debbie Dingell. 

Former U-M basketball star dies at thirty-three: Darius Morris, who played as a Wolverine from 2009 to 2011, was found dead in Los Angeles on May 2, TMZ reports. The cause of death has not been released. Morris played four years in the NBA and later in a pro league in France; the L.A. Lakers were among those posting condolences on social media. 

U-M men’s lacrosse wins another Big Ten title: The team beat Penn State 16-4 last weekend for the squad’s second straight championship, MGoBlue writes. Next up is a faceoff with University of Denver at 3 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 

Not-So-Big Boxes: HomeGoods reopened last week in half of the space at Arborland vacated by Bed Bath & Beyond. At 20,000 square feet, it’s a third of its prior perch in Carpenter Plaza. By summer, Marshalls will also shrink, giving up its big Arborland storefront to take up the other half of the BB&B store. Many chains whose stores once took up oceans of space are reconsidering the need for so much real estate, Dave Algase reports in this month’s Observer. HomeGoods and Marshalls are owned by TJX Companies, whose namesake T.J. Maxx remains in Carpenter Plaza.

Dibella’s Subs reopening two years after fire: The chain’s Ann Arbor location will resume serving up sandwiches on May 15 after closing following the February 2022 blaze that swept through part of Cranbrook Shopping Plaza, according to a press release. When it reopens at 10 a.m. that morning, the first thirty customers in line will receive free subs for a year – fifty-two five-inch sub coupons valid at any DiBella’s location – and the first 100 customers will receive a special edition red velvet cookie.

Last call at Chelsea Alehouse is Friday: The S. Main St. brewery will shut down tomorrow, according to a notice on the business’s website. Last month, the owners announced via an Instagram post that they were closing because “the financial challenges post-pandemic are too much to continue.”

Put out nonperishables for letter carriers on Saturday: During Stamp Out Hunger, a national event that takes place the Saturday before Mother’s Day each year, postal employees collect donated food as they make their rounds with the mail. In Washtenaw County, the beneficiary is Food Gatherers. Donors can use the bags dropped off earlier in the week by the letter carriers or just leave a box or bag near their mailbox before their mail delivery. 

Mother’s Day Time to Teal Run is Sunday: The thirteenth annual fundraiser for the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance winds through downtown with a competitive 5K and a 1K fun run starting at 8 a.m. The event kicks off outside Ann Arbor Running Co., 209 S. Ashley St., and tickets for the 5K cost $40 in advance here or $45 day-of. The fun run costs $15 per participant and includes a free ice cream from Washtenaw Dairy. For more information, email here.

Ele’s Place Ann Arbor raises record-breaking $480,000: The group sold 450 tickets to watch and celebrate the Kentucky Derby at its Derby Day soiree at Revel Run in Chelsea, according to a press release. Ele’s Place provides free peer grief support groups and in-school programming to children, teens, young adults and families coping with the death of a parent.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Hear stories at Student Advocacy Center of Michigan’s annual fundraiser, “Telling Tales Out of School,” featuring tales from area high school students and one grandmother. Also, a performance by Aint Afraid, a Detroit twin-sister duo whose music mixes hip-hop, pop, and soul. Light refreshments. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. 6:45 p.m., Huron High School, 2727 Fuller. $30 (students with ID, $10) at tinyurl.com/sactt24 and at the door. 

Saturday: Commune with companion animals today at two events. For dog people, there’s Ann Arbor Kennel Club’s All Breed Agility Trials, where dog trainers from throughout the Midwest and Canada lead their animals through an obstacle course and jumps of various heights. Sat. and Sun., 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ann Arbor Dog Training Club, 1575 E. North Territorial, Whitmore Lake. Free to spectators. For cat people, Anthony Wayne Cat Fanciers hold the 47th Annual Allbreed Cat Show, where hundreds of cats, ranging from local house pets to exotic and rare purebreds representing more than twenty-five breeds, compete. 9 a.m.–3 p.m., WCC Towsley Auditorium (Morris Lawrence Bldg.), 4800 E. Huron River Dr. Spectators $8 (students & seniors, $5; kids age 6 and under, free; families, $20) at the door. (734) 434–8588. 

Sunday (Mother’s Day): Take mom to the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre’s production of “Marvin’s Room,” Scott McPherson’s mordantly funny 1990 comic drama about two estranged adult sisters confronting multiple family crises. 8 p.m. (Fri. and Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sun.), Civic Theatre, 322 W. Ann. Tickets $15 (students, $10) at a2ct.org and (if available) at the door. (734) 223–7157. 

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

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