I have a niece and nephew-in-law visiting Israel for the High Holidays and now aren’t sure if they can get home, so naturally I’m on edge about the explosion of violence in that part of the world. It’s a difficult moment, and all I can hope for is some peace and sanity to resurface. The situation is on the minds of many, as reflected by this week’s news of vigils and public statements.

In other headlines, the school district has a full board again, the FDA has approved a very promising U-M-pioneered liver disease treatment, and Pittsfield has gone pot-crazy.

As I wait anxiously for more news on my family and friends in dangerous parts of the world, I wish you all a peaceful and safe week ahead.

–Steve Friess, editor

Torchio Feaster sworn in to fill school board vacancy: On the second round of balloting, the assistant public defender garnered the four votes needed to finish the unexpired term of former board member Jacinda Townsend Gides, WEMU reports. Feaster was one of eleven applicants, ten of whom were interviewed at a special meeting on Wednesday night. Former principal Chuck Hatt received two votes in both rounds of balloting.

Jazz Parks appointed interim superintendent: The board elevated the assistant superintendent while it conducts a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Jeanice Swift, who was recently forced out, per WEMU. Parks’ start date has not been set. Also, Marianne Fidishin, executive director of the AAPS Office of Special Education, quit last week after criticism of her office’s work in the wake of a lawsuit over a 2021 incident in which an autistic boy was assaulted by a bus aide, MLive writes.

Horror in Israel hits home for local Jews: Many have friends and loved ones there and have been keeping close tabs on the war that erupted after Hamas staged bloody surprise attacks and kidnappings over the weekend, CBS Detroit reports. More than 1,000 people attended a vigil for victims on U-M’s Diag on Monday, according to the Michigan Daily, and president Santa Ono sent an email to the university community that encouraged  “students to be conscious, kind and compassionate to their peers during this difficult time.”

Judge halts work at mine amid furor over dry wells: Mid Michigan Materials’ Vella Pit on Earhart Rd. in Ann Arbor Twp. is accused of changing their mining process to include pumping and discharging millions of gallons of groundwater, MLive reports. In his ruling, county trial court judge Timothy Connors castigated the company, writing that  “Your violating your word has affected [township residents] dramatically.” 

State supreme court weighing refunds for Covid-era college expenses: A lawsuit from students at EMU, Central Michigan, and Lake Superior State argues that the schools owe them money back on living expenses and tuition because they had to attend class virtually, Newsweek reports. As many as 220,000 students at colleges around Michigan could benefit if the court sides with the plaintiffs.

Report shows campus sexual assault, crime up: The U-M’s annual Security and Fire Safety Report counted twenty-nine reports of rape last year, up from seventeen in 2021. Stalking incidents more than doubled, to fifty-nine from twenty-seven, the report says. Additionally, scores of rape and fondling reports were made retroactively by victims of U-M doctor Robert Andersion, who died in 2009. 

New interim police chief named: As a nationwide search continues for a permanent head to the AAPD, deputy chief Patrick Maguire is expected to step in on Oct. 21, pending his appointment Monday by council, according to a city press release. Maguire, a twenty-three-year veteran of the force in multiple roles, including K9 handler, replaces interim chief Aimee Metzer, who is retiring next week to take a job at U-M. Metzer stepped in last year, after Mike Cox left to become police commissioner in Boston. Four finalists for the job were interviewed this summer, but city administrator Milton Dohoney recommended that council not to hire any of them and instead continue its search.

Two cyclists hit by cars on same day at same intersection: The riders were in bike lanes on Packard near Stadium when turning cars hit them, police said of the incidents, which occurred three hours apart. Both riders suffered minor injuries but chose not to go to seek medical attention, and both drivers were ticketed for failure to yield, MLive reports (paywall).

Student apprehended for bringing gun to pep rally: Ypsi police and county sheriff’s deputies responded to the Oct. 6 incident at Ypsilanti Community High School, MLive reports. Nobody was threatened or injured; the type of gun was not disclosed.

Officer injured in four-vehicle crash: An eighty-year-old driver heading east on Michigan Ave. in Pittsfield Twp. crashed into two police cruisers and a third vehicle while the police were conducting a traffic stop, ClickOnDetroit reports.  An officer knocked down when a patrol car was pushed into him was treated and released from the hospital with minor injuries. The driver was hospitalized with critical injuries; police say they believe alcohol was a factor.

State-Ellsworth roundabout is a training spot for self-driving cars: The ongoing traffic mess there is so confusing that researchers at Mcity think it may hold important lessons to teach autonomous vehicles about navigating human behavior, James Leonard writes in this month’s Observer. According to state records, the intersection averaged nineteen crashes annually before the roundabout went in ten years ago and 111 annually after—and that includes the 2020 pandemic year’s atypically low sixty-nine. 

Harbaugh wants a new contract: The football coach, who accepted a pay cut after the disastrous 2020 season, has now led the team to two consecutive victories over Ohio State and Big Ten titles, not to mention the 6-0 start to this season. At a recent press appearance covered by Maize and Brew, he confirmed that talks are underway to revisit his salary – his $7.3 million this year is third in the Big Ten. On X (FKA Twitter), John U. Bacon shared a message from “two high-ranking U-M officials” that “the Regents, Warde Manuel, and President Ono are all in alignment that Jim (Harbaugh) should have an extension within the next month that makes him the highest paid coach in the conference.”

FDA approves new U-M-pioneered liver disease treatment: “Histotripsy” uses targeted ultrasound waves to form microbubbles that can kill tumor cells while leaving the debris to be cleaned up by the immune system, the University Record writes. It holds promise as an alternative to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. HistoSonics, a company founded by U-M engineers in 2009, can now market and sell its histotripsy delivery platform, called Edison, to hospitals and medical professionals.

Local Democrats to introduce bill on polluter accountability: State representative Jason Morgan and senator Jeff Irwin, both for Ann Arbor, tell Michigan Advance their legislative package to restore so-called “polluter pay” requirements is coming this fall. The lawmakers say they expect headwinds from industry but that the state’s taxpayers shouldn’t be shouldering the burden for cleanups.

Taco Bell coming despite misgivings: Ann Arbor’s planning commission unanimously approved a plan to demolish a long-vacant Wendy’s on Plymouth Rd. and make way for the 2,500-square-foot restaurant and drive-thru, MLive reports. Some commissioners bemoaned the missed opportunity for a mixed-use or other more dense development, but the Taco Bell plan adheres to the land’s current zoning.

Pittsfield area becoming marijuana dispensary row: A proposal is now before the township to turn an industrial building at 760 State Cir. near I-94 into a STIIIZY pot shop, which would make it the third such business on the block, MLive reports (paywall). The township opened itself to marijuana development last year.

Tower at Huron Hills Golf Course tracks wildlife: Located near hole six, the Motus Wildlife Tracking Tower detects tagged wildlife within antenna range and sends collected migration data to researchers, ClickOnDetroit reports. It’s one of nineteen such towers around the state and was installed through a partnership between Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation, the Kalamazoo Nature Center, and the Kalamazoo Valley Bird Observatory. Since its activation on Sept. 22, it has observed the passage of one state-threatened bird species, an Eastern Whip-poor-will, and one state-endangered species, a Kirtland’s Warbler.

Ypsilanti Twp. opts out of county early voting plan: The township’s clerk urged the board to collaborate with more than twenty communities to set up a network of six regional sites to cast ballots, MLive reports. Nonetheless, the board of the county’s second-largest municipality chose to go it alone on grounds that doing so would provide local control, less confusion, and better customer service. Ann Arbor and Milan also are not participating in the county’s network.

$5M awarded for U-M climate change research center: The National Science Foundation money goes to the School for Environment and Sustainability to study the impact of climate change on the Great Lakes, the Daily reports, particularly those shared by the U.S. and Canada.
 

Men’s group leaves building in Ypsilanti Twp.: The township sued Men Like Us, a nonprofit mentoring organization, to force it to vacate 3011 E. Michigan Ave. on grounds its activities had drawn violence, MLive reports (paywall). The lawsuit has been paused after the group agreed to voluntarily move.

Nearly 2,000 controversial books given away at U-M: The three-day event last week outside Hatcher Graduate Library commemorated Banned Books Week, the Daily reports. Some of the titles being given away included Gender Queer: A Memoir, Milk and Honey, and The 1619 Project, all of which have been banned in various libraries and schools around the country. A grant from the LSA Arts Initiative paid for the books.

Sixty-four years of tailgating and friendship: As the undefeated, No. 2-ranked Wolverines return home this weekend to take on the Indiana Hoosiers, writer Mike Sinelli offers a lovely dose of nostalgia in this month’s Observer about his lifelong passion. He remembers a pre-Bo time when Michigan Stadium was half empty, waxes philosophic about the importance of Washtenaw Dairy donuts, and, of course, describes the years of heckling Ohio State fans in town for The Game.

Downtown Starbucks to shutter: The shop at the corner of Liberty and Main St. has been serving lattes for nearly twenty years, but the chain says its operational and performance challenges mean it’s closing time, WEMU reports. The store was one of four in the area that voted to unionize last year; the company says that didn’t factor into the decision.

Pizza in, cigars out: That radical change in product offering may be just the ticket for entrepreneurs Nick Habbert and Justin Smith as they opened Detroit Pizza Pub last month in the place of Havana, a cigar lounge, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. The location, on the Main St. block that includes the Heidelberg Restaurant, Chapala Mexican Restaurant, and the Main Street Party Store, boasts sixty beers on tap and seating for 125.

Original Cottage Inn Pizza building for sale or lease: The 11,200-square-foot spot at 512 E. William is listed for $3.4 million to buy or $23,000 a month to rent, MLive reports. Owner Jim Michos says he’s not in a rush to get out but he is considering retirement. Original Cottage Inn Pizza opened there in 1948 and operates separately from the Cottage Inn takeout-and-delivery chain.

Campus group sells stickers to promote environmentalism: GlobalMarks is working with the Undergraduate Erb Institute to design and sell adornments for water bottles and laptops, the Daily writes. In what GlobalMarks founder, LSA senior Prisha Grover, calls “small-step advocacy,” the proceeds are going to Rare, a climate-change nonprofit. To stickers, which cost $1, $3, and $3.50, are available here.

GoFundMe launched for late U-M grad’s family: Debing Su, who earned her MBA at the Ross School of Business in 2021 and worked as a publicist at Michigan News, fell to her death earlier this month in a canyon at the foot of a volcano in Ecuador. As of Thursday, about $9,000 of the $50,000 crowdfunding goal had been reached. The money is intended to support Debing’s family in China in their effort to come to the U.S. for her funeral. Click here to help. 

Ypsi non-profit brings free sports to underprivileged youth: CLR Academy, founded as an effort to provide activities during the Covid shutdowns, is growing, MLive reports. Buses transport kids from Ypsi-area neighborhoods and some Ann Arbor affordable housing complexes each Saturday to South Pointe Academy in Superior Twp. for activities and mentoring from volunteers who have included football players from U-M and EMU.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Hear Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s “Brahms Symphony No. 4” with guest conductor Joshua Gersen, a former assistant conductor of both the New York Philharmonic and the New World Symphony. Also, composer Angélica Negrón’s idiosyncratic 2021 orchestral piece, “En otra noche, en otro mundo” (“On Another Night, In Another World”), and composer JP Jofre, a lauded master of the bandoneon (a type of concertina), is featured in his own Concerto for Cello and Bandoneon. 8 p.m., Michigan Theater. Pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. Tickets $15–$90 in advance here and the AASO office, 35 Research Dr., ste. 100, as well as at the door. (734) 994–4801. 

Saturday: Catch improvised paranormal and horror-themed comedy at Whatabout Theatre’s “It’s a Scream!”. Openers: the improv troupe Listen Stupid (early show) and an audience costume contest (late show). 8 and 10 p.m., Dreamland Theater, 26 N. Washington, Ypsi. $15 single show (both shows, $22.50), online here and at the door. 

Sunday: Enjoy fall colors and get all sugared up at Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation’s annual “Trick or Treat on the River.” All are invited to paddle Gallup Pond to gather candy from costumed characters at stops along the way. Paddlers are encouraged to come in costume and bring a collection bag. Kids must be at least a year old. Also, lawn games in the park. Call ahead if rain is forecasted. Noon to 4 p.m., Gallup Park canoe livery, 3000 Fuller Rd. $22 per boat. No preregistration required. (734) 794–6240.

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

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