Happy Halloween everyone! I’m taking advantage of the fact that my daughter is two and not yet fully devoted to princesses and frilly things to plot out a fun costume plan for her, our son, and me. If all goes well, I’ll link pictures on Instagram next week. It involves sewing buttons and I haven’t sewed a thing since Home Ec class some thirty-five years ago, so I’ll be boning up on YouTube tutorials as they did in days of old.

If, like me, you can never quite remember what the rules are for trick or treating, click here for a handy guide to hours across the county.

It was another busy week, with the Israel-Hamas conflict continuing to generate emotions and demonstrations. Both the summer cyberattack and the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal are looking worse and more damaging than ever. And there’s a piece about 30,000 pickled snake cadavers near the end.

As the kids and I finally get around to carving pumpkins and roasting their seeds, I wish you all a safely spooky week ahead.

– Steve Friess, editor

U-M warns of data compromise in August cyberattack: The incident, which prompted a four-day shutdown of online services, involved an “unauthorized third party” that accessed “personal information relating to certain students and applicants, alumni and donors, employees and contractors, University Health Service and School of Dentistry patients, and research study participants,” according to a press release. That may have included Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, credit card information and health data. U-M says it’s mailed anyone who may have been impacted offering “complimentary credit monitoring services” and established a toll-free hotline, (888) 998-7088, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., to answer questions from people who believe they’ve been victimized.

Sign-stealing probe deepens despite Harbaugh’s blanket denial: ESPN reports that NCAA investigators allege a now-suspended staffer, Connor Stalions, bought tickets in his own name for games at eleven Big Ten schools. The seats were strategically located to observe coach signals to players on teams the Wolverines would be playing in the coming weeks in a plot to decode them, the report says – a violation of NCAA rules. Stalions is alleged to have forwarded the tickets to people around the country to attend the games for him.  Head coach Jim Harbaugh said last week he had “no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.” The Detroit News reports (paywall) that NCAA investigators now have access to the phones and tablets of U-M coaches.

Protests, vigils amid violence between Israel and Hamas: Thousands of U-M students walked out of class yesterday to protest treatment of the Palestinians as part of a nationwide action and gathered on the Diag, where some argued with a small group of pro-Israel demonstrators, Fox 2 reports. That follows a pro-Palestinian vigil outside Angell Hall last week that the Michigan Daily estimates drew 1,000 people, and a demonstration on Monday by 100 pro-Palestininan protesters outside the Ann Arbor office of Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell. Dingell has issued statements condemning Hamas and pledging support for Israel. Meanwhile, about 200 people turned out at Ann Arbor City Hall Plaza on Sunday evening for a pro-Israel gathering organized by the Greater Ann Arbor Jewish Community focused on urging the release of hostages held captive in Gaza by Hamas. 

Ten lose jobs at Ford’s Ypsi Twp. plant amid UAW strike: The company said the layoffs at the Rawsonville Components Plant reflect  reduced production brought on by walkouts at various car assembly plants, the Detroit Free Press writes. It is unclear when workers will be rehired now that the UAW has announced that the union has reached a deal to end its strike against Ford.

Mayor launches PAC to support local candidates: Ann Arbor For Everyone was formed in March but only began raising money and launching its website this month, MLive reports. Mayor Christopher Taylor and former council member Joan Lowenstein are the co-founders. Ex-council member Elizabeth Nelson, who was ousted by one of Taylor’s allies last year, criticized the PAC for encouraging even more money in local politics and, with that, greater influence for wealthy donors.

City to extend Miller Ave. bikeway: Rather than one-way lanes on each side of the street, both directions will be served by a two-way protected bikeway on the south side of the street from First St. to Maple Rd., MLive reports (paywall). The work will take place next year when Miller is due to be repaved. The aim would be to expand the bikeway network beyond downtown while also trying to improve safety.

State provides $5M for city solar project: The 16-megawatt array on the former Ann Arbor city landfill in Pittsfield Twp. is expected to be built next year in partnership with DTE Energy, MLive writes. The project is expected to generate power for thousands of homes, but is 20 percent smaller than originally planned because of rising prices for photovoltaic equipment.

Council approves six early-voting locations for 2024: For the presidential primaries, Ann Arbor voters will be able to cast ballots at the U-M Museum of Art and Pierpont Commons and Larcom City Hall, city documents show. In addition, Ward 1 and 2 voters will be able to go to the Traverwood branch of the Ann Arbor District Library, Ward 3 and 4 residents can vote at AADL’s Malletts Creek branch, and Ward 5 voters can go to the Westgate library.

Washtenaw mulls additional affordable housing strategies: Among the ideas is leasing apartments for the unhoused, establishing a dedicated court for eviction cases, and creating a guaranteed basic income program, MLive writes. These thoughts were included in a presentation by county administrator Greg Dill last week amid rising homelessness across the region.  

County, state working to stem tide of suicide: Celeste Kanpurwala, a facilitator for the anti-suicide group Washtenaw Alive, tells James Leonard in this month’s Observer about the organization’s work trying to reduce the increasing number of deaths. A recently released report shows that while Washtenaw County has historically seen fewer suicides than both the state and the nation, the gap is narrowing. Sixty percent of gun deaths in Michigan are suicides, but state senator Jeff Irwin is hopeful that a package of bills passed last spring, including a “red flag law” allowing temporary removal of firearms from at-risk individuals, will reduce that number.

U-M files for liquor licenses for Big House, Crisler, Yost: Months after the state legislature passed a law permitting alcohol sales at major college sporting events, the board voted last week to move ahead, the University Record writes. The plan is to offer booze at basketball and hockey games as soon as possible but to hold off on selling it at Michigan Stadium for football games pending “careful consideration and review of data and the experiences at the other two venues.”

Regents OK $14.6M for two land buys: The university is purchasing 8.6 acres at 3520 Green Ct. in Ann Arbor for $6.65 million and fifty-one acres on N. Dixboro Rd. in the Ann Arbor Tech Park in Ann Arbor Twp. for $8 million. The Record writes that property “will provide significant space for key activities of the College of Engineering” that include research by Michigan Mobility.

U-M spends a record $1.86B on research in fiscal 2023: That’s an 8.1 percent increase from the prior year and includes a record $1 billion from federal sources, the Daily writes. An annual report indicates the U-M saw a record 580 inventions and 145 patents in the year ending in June and facilitated twenty-five start-up companies. The medical school continues to be the biggest single recipient: its researchers spent $806 million, more than 40 percent of the total. 

Judge provides roadmap for reopening of Vella Pit: The sand and gravel mine in Ann Arbor Twp. that nearby neighbors say has dried out their wells can resume operations if it no longer discharges wastewater or groundwater from a pipe at the mine or otherwise causes “a net loss of groundwater from the site,” MLive reports (paywall). The conditions appear to be the result of a negotiation between Mid-Michigan Materials, which operates the site, and the township as overseen by Washtenaw County trial court judge Tim Connors. The mining firm must also provide daily measurements of the elevation of a pond at the pit. Connors shut down operations earlier this month.

Chelsea Hospital to spend $10M for in-patient rehab unit expansion: By summer 2024, the facility will have another sixteen beds in its remodeled Courtyard West unit in a collaboration with Michigan Medicine, according to a press release. The news comes six months after the hospital announced it was shutting down its inpatient behavioral health ward, much to the alarm of mental health and suicide prevention advocates.

Library innovates amid flood-forced shutdown: The Michigan Ave. branch of the Ypsilanti District Library will be closed through the end of this year after being slammed by water damage this summer, but YDL leaders are putting a variety of measures in place, Concentrate reports. A bookmobile is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Fridays to give folks a chance to browse and check out material, books can be requested for pickup at lockers at the library, and some programming is being moved outside, including the annual Halloween celebration. An effort to persuade the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority to make free rides more available for patrons to go to other branches has been less successful so far, YDL says.

Emergency manhole repair shuts block of Washtenaw Ave. in Ypsi: The work began Monday and is expected to take two weeks, forcing detours on Washtenaw between Washington and Huron streets, according to a city notice. Businesses and residents on the block will have access throughout the effort.

30,000 snake carcasses arrive at Museum of Zoology: The U-M acquired a cache of reptile and amphibian specimens in a donation from Oregon State University to bolster what is believed to be the largest such collection of any research institution in the United States including the Smithsonian, ClickonDetroit reports. In all, the OSU donation included as many as 70,000 specimens, among them woodland salamanders, dusky salamanders and other species. 

A daughter of the Manhattan Project remembers:  For retired VA employee Christy Klim, the movie Oppenheimer brought back memories of her father’s role in building the first atomic weapons, she writes in this month’s Observer. After working as an engineer on the Manhattan Project, Richard Wilson joined the World Federalist Movement in hopes of averting future nuclear conflicts – a legacy passed on to Klim, a lifelong peace and anti-nuclear activist. 

Acclaimed restaurateur returns with cross-cultural eatery: Brad Greenhil opened Speido last month in the same small space on S. Fifth Ave  where he previously operated the pop-up Katoi in Exile, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. A U-M engineering grad, Greenhill launched his cooking career with a series of clandestine dinners in Ann Arbor, then earned a James Beard nomination at Katoi in Corktown – later rechristened Takoi when it reopened after a 2016  arson fire. He honed Speido’s mostly-Mediterranean menu of flatbread sandwiches and seasonal sides at what was then Root on S. First St.; it will evolve and rotate under the daily hand of chef Mike Goldberg. 

Unicorn Feed and Supply going all-online: The five-year-old shop that specializes in an eclectic array of fanciful and quirky animal-centric ephemera and gifts is closing its brick-and-mortar location on Michigan Ave. in Ypsi on Dec. 24, the Eastern Echo reports. Owner Jennifer Eastridge says she’ll move to e-commerce in January and is in the process of building out the online infrastructure.

Remodelers Home Tour set for this weekend: A  $10 ticket gives access to thirteen houses around town to see how they’ve been redone and talk to the designers. The event, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, is put on by the Builders & Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor.  For more information including the full list of homes and to buy tickets, click here.

Coat drive kicks off Wednesday: Reinhart Realtors is collecting new and gently used jackets at their sales offices in Ann Arbor, Saline, and Chelsea as well as at their Sunday open houses throughout November, according to a press release. Now in its twenty-seventh year, the drive has gifted a cumulative 27,000 coats to local nonprofit organizations, according to the company’s blog post. There’s a particular need for outerwear for children and plus-sized adults.

Sign-ups for snow removal help program open Sunday: Snow Match is a city-run effort that connects volunteers with residents who struggle to clear their sidewalks and driveways after a storm. Recipients must be at least fifty-five, have a disability, and can’t afford to hire a service. Volunteers must be eighteen and available within twenty-four hours of snowfall. For more information and to sign up to receive or provide assistance, click here.

Tour Ele’s Place on Nov. 2: The local nonprofit that helps grieving children and teens and their families cope with loss and trauma is opening its doors to the public for walk-abouts at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to encourage people to donate. To register to see the facility at 5665 Hines Dr., click here. The morning tour includes a continental breakfast and the evening version will include light appetizers and adult beverages. If you can’t go and want to help anyway, click here.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Take a “Self-Guided Fall Color and Sandhill Crane Tour” by picking up a free map at the Eddy Discovery center or finding it here. The map shows the best fall color routes and crane viewing areas around the Waterloo Recreation Area. Large numbers of sandhill cranes can be seen through late November, and they are magnificent to see and hear—especially as they fly into marshes at dusk to spend the night. Tues. to Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sun. 12 to 5 p.m., Eddy Discovery Center, 17030 Bush Rd., Chelsea. $13 Michigan recreation passport ($18 at the gate) required to park. 

Saturday: Celebrate Halloween at Hudson Mills Metropark’s “Thrills at the Mills.” Bring your kids for trunk-or-treating (4 to 6 p.m.) at official park vehicles, including a dump truck, police car, and tractor. All invited to participate with a decorated car trunk and treats to hand out. Also, a dance party (4 to 6 p.m.) to Halloween and other family-friendly pop dance songs, with a large LED screen playing “Just Dance” clips so kids can follow along. Bring your dog (on a six-foot leash) for dog activities TBA (5 to 7 p.m.) and a dog costume contest (winners announced at 7 p.m.). 4 to 7 p.m., Hudson Mills Metropark Activity Center, 8801 North Territorial Rd., Dexter. Pre-registration required here for dogs, trunks, and trunk or treaters. $10 vehicle entrance fee. (734) 426–8211. 

Sunday: Check out the art at the Guild of Artists & Artisans’ “A2 Artoberfest,” a juried art fair displaying the works of about 100 regional artists ranging from jewelry and glass to ceramics and fiber. Related events include family-friendly art activities and live music. Snacks and drinks available for purchase. 10 a.m.–7 p.m. (Sat.) & 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Sun.) Oct. 28 and 29, Downtown Ann Arbor on N. Fourth (between Huron & Catherine) and Ann St. (between Main & Fifth). Free admission. 

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

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