| October 2, 2026Can you guess what’s pictured above? Click the image to find out! |
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| | First off, thanks for the uniformly supportive response to the encounter I wrote about last week in which a female employee of a grocery store berated and threatened me for accompanying my then-four-year-old daughter to the women’s bathroom during a potty emergency.
One response really made me think, though. It was from a woman who explained that she understood my situation but wanted to note that, as a sexual assault survivor, she gets very distressed when men are in women’s spaces. She told me I hadn’t done anything wrong but opened my mind to the prospect that the strident reaction of the woman who confronted us may have stemmed from personal trauma. I’ll never know if she is correct, but I thought about the extremity and unreasonableness of the woman’s reaction to my presence and realized this is certainly possible.
Many of you wanted the name of the store so you could boycott or complain, but I declined those requests because I don’t want to escalate the matter. I probably wouldn’t have written about it at all if it hadn’t been for the fact that she made a transphobic comment that suggested to me the incident probably would’ve gone quite differently before the recent years of politically motivated potty panic.
Anyhow, happy October. And an even happier October 2 to the hundreds of Ann Arbor Public Schools teachers whose paychecks today come stuffed with a year’s worth of back pay courtesy of the retroactive raises in their new contract, union president Fred Klein tells me. (Klein says retirees and teachers who left for other jobs will get theirs at some future point.) I’d say don’t spend it all in one place, but that 1.5 percent increase actually isn’t that much money; most teachers will get back pay between $500 and $1,000.
Your news is here. U-M won’t start that pass—no credit plan next fall, a nurse is charged with helping an undocumented hospital patient escape ICE custody, AAPS scores well in vaccinations and SAT scores, and a major affordable housing project breaks ground.
This is last week’s most-clicked link.
– Steve Friess, editor
Correction: Last week, we misidentified the most accident-prone intersection in Ann Arbor. It is the roundabout at State and Ellsworth streets.
P.S. Editor in chief Brooke Black here. Thanks to Kurt, Maurita, and Isabelle for coming to chat with me during Coffee With Brooke at Socotra on Monday! |
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| | | Halloween has arrived on Fernwood Ave.! Send me shots of spooky over-the-top houses (preferably at night) and I may use them in this space this month! Credit: Steve Friess |
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| | | | | | U-M walks back no-grade plan: After weeks of ridicule from conservative media figures, the university is pausing a pilot program that would have made LSA classes pass/no credit for freshmen starting in fall 2027. President Domenico Grasso defended the idea in a statement but worried that “distorted narratives” could harm U-M’s overall academic reputation. “I worry further that our students could bear the consequences of those misperceptions, including being unfairly portrayed as coddled or unprepared for the demands of a rigorous Michigan education,” he wrote. The concept was meant to “curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals,” U-M said when it first announced the plan. U-M will “pause” it in order to “allow for further input, analysis, and discussion.” Such a pass–no credit system has long been in place at MIT, Brown, Caltech, and others without controversy. |
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| | Vax rates keep falling statewide but mostly hold here: A hearty congrats to Dicken, Logan, and Wines elementary schools where 100 percent of kindergarteners in fall 2025 had their shots, according to new statewide data. The lowest rate in Ann Arbor was 64.7 percent at Rudolf Steiner; Washtenaw Christian in Saline had 35.7 percent, the county’s lowest rate and among the lowest statewide. All but two AAPS schools – Bryant and Allen – had rates higher than 90 percent. Bridge Michigan reports that AAPS had among the lowest number of vaccination waivers at the same time the statewide kindergarten vaccination average hit a ten-year low. Experts say a 95 percent vaccination rate is the benchmark for herd immunity. |
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| | | The Big House of dorms opens: More than 2,000 students moved into the five-building Wolverine Village complex at the start of the academic year, a 25 percent expansion of on-campus housing and the first new dorms in a half-century. What does that mean for the rest of a downtown real estate ecosystem that, in recent years, has seen high-end, high-rise apartment buildings sprout like bamboo to cater to well-heeled undergrads? Drew Saunders reports.
Ann Arborite of the Month: Our October profile, written by Timothy Monger, focuses on the Berofsky Piano Quartet – Aaron Berofsky, Kathryn Votapek, and their sons Sebastian and Charles – a family of gifted musicians with impressive solo careers who perform together when they can. The parents are both strings professors at U-M; their sons are now both Julliard students. “I love playing with my family,” says Sebastian, a twenty-three-year-old cellist. “I feel like we understand each other so well, both personally and musically.”
They’re going to try defying density: The Glazier Way Neighborhood Association is fighting to thwart a $38 million Glazier Way townhouse project that would include seventy-five townhouses and fits neatly into council’s vision for more multifamily residential construction, Ben Klayman writes. The group, which formed specifically for this battle, sent a letter in August to city planning officials protesting the project’s “jarring density, height, and scale in relation to the surrounding neighborhood.” |
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| | | Congrats to Washtenaw International High School for the state’s fourth-highest composite SAT score, 1185.7, in the 2025—26 year. Pioneer High came in tenth with 1152.3; Community, Skyline, Huron, and Dexter high schools were all in the state’s top fifty along with Washtenaw Technical Middle College.
On a downer note, though, a melee broke out at the Huron-Pioneer football game last weekend. AAPS superintendent Jazz Parks says there were no guns or other weapons used, if that’s any solace.
In a story straight out of The Pitt, a nurse at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital has been charged with allegedly helping an undocumented patient escape ICE custody.
What are the odds that the week it finally dawns on me why Madonna’s 1990 best-of album is called the Immaculate Collection, there’s speculation she could play the Big House? It’s like a dream to me.
Take Your Daughter to Work Day will be every day for Kim Barnes Arico, the winningest women’s basketball coach in U-M history.
This Ann Arbor company won $425,000 at a pitch slam in Marquette.
Council passed a law last week to allow renters to organize, making Ann Arbor the first city in Michigan with such a provision.
Here’s what the city plans to do with the $14-ish million it’ll get from the sale of the Kline’s Lot.
The Wall Street Journal gave this exquisite 1923 mansion, now on the market for $3.5 million, a glossy close-up. Zillow, interestingly, says that’s the second price drop the place has seen since its original listing price of $4.35 million back in March.
U-M is one of forty-six U.S. universities accused in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and Amnesty International of conspiring with the federal government to curb pro-Palestinian student demonstrators’ free-speech rights.
MDOT hosts an open house at Wines Elementary on Tuesday (October 6) to discuss a study of M-14 noise.
The city wants you to fill out this survey to advise the future of its parks.
A Chelsea pub owner is suing his neighbor – the owner of the building that houses Jeff Daniels’ new bistro – claiming structural damage was caused during the restaurant’s construction.
Related Midwest and the Ann Arbor Housing Authority broke ground this week on the Adeline, a twenty-story high-rise downtown that will boast 330 affordable apartments.
National Geographic turns its lens on Ann Arbor which it calls “a charming college town that delivers big-city culture.” (link is free with email)
The Cleveland Orchestra, which was supposed to open UMS’s 2026–27 season last weekend, went on strike for three days and canceled the shows. Just one more thing to hold against Ohio, huh?
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| Courtesy: Michigan Marching Band YouTube |
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| | | New, familiar owners at the Earle: Wine director Caitlin Buquet and her husband, executive chef Jason Buquet, took over for Dennis Webster, the last of the four original partners who opened the venerable restaurant in 1977, Dave Algase writes in the October Observer. The two U-M grads each worked their way up to their current posts and have a combined fifty years of experience at the Earle. Diners continue to enjoy live music five nights a week, including Friday and Saturday jazz from the Rick Burgess Trio, named for its late pianist and Earle cofounder.
Wellness spa relocates to W. Stadium: Ann Arbor Holistic Health plans an October 17 launch for its expanded 3,000-square-foot space where the practice will offer a range of new treatments including full-spectrum infrared sauna, red light therapy, and lymphatic compression. The business is moving from its Collingwood berth where it opened in 2005 as the Acupuncture Center of Ann Arbor.
Batting cages attraction opens near A2 airport: Hot Shots is the brainchild of a pair of Little League dads, Matt Derry and Cass Cook, who wanted a place where folks of any ability could hit, MLive reports. Beginners and younger customers can scan a QR code, pick a pitch speed and style, and hack away in one set of cages; another, larger set is available for more experienced hitters. |
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| | | Domestic violence awareness 5K is Saturday: Women and Men Working for Change opens registration at 8:30 a.m. for its annual run and walk, which kicks off at 10:15 a.m. at Frog Island Park. The event raises money for survivors transitioning from SafeHouse to their own homes by charging $35 per registrant or $300 for a team of ten. For more information and to register, click here.
First Steps–Ann Arbor PTO Fundraiser is Saturday: All kids invited to ride their stroller, scooter, trike, or bike around the Westerman Preschool and Family Center parking lot as well as enjoy bubbles, face painting, an obstacle course, games, and refreshments. The suggested donation is $5 per child on-site or via this link. Proceeds go to scholarships for First Steps early-childhood programs. The first seventy-five kids get a free T-shirt.
Miss Kim to host all-star dinner benefit for F&B workers: Eight much-honored chefs from the Metro Detroit area will collaborate on the meal set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday (October 6) to support the nonprofit Southern Smoke Foundation, which provides grants to food and beverage employees facing financial crisis. Prepaid reservations for the event, which cost $145 per diner, can be booked here. For more information about the chefs involved, click here. |
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| | | By Jennifer Taylor
Friday: Hear a discussion about music and wellness with violinist and writer Vijay Gupta, founder of the Los Angeles nonprofit Street Symphony, which brings music into homeless shelters, jails, hospitals, and reentry programs.
Saturday: Dress up your dog and bring him or her to Pawtober at Rolling Hills, a 1.5-mile walk through the park along the paved trail, with themed stations and pet treats (no human candy) along the way.
Sunday: Pick up some yarn at Fiber Expo, a show and sale of fiber-art supplies, with demos, and breeders on hand with alpacas, sheep, and other furry animals.
Monday: Attend all or part of the U-M AI and Mental Health Conference 2026, a day of panels, talks, and interactive discussions.
Tuesday: Play improv games in a fun, relaxed, and judgment-free setting at Ypsi Improv’s Drop-in Improv Games. No experience necessary.
Wednesday: Hear journalist Eric Schmitt and free-press attorney Gabe Rottman discussing “The DOJ and Threats to the Press,” the Trump administration’s efforts to use the Justice Department to intimidate members of the press.
Thursday: See U-M Theatre Department’s Time Passes: 8 Short Plays by Samuel Beckett, written between the late 1950s and the early 1980s.
See the Observer’s online calendar for many more local events. |
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