|
|
|
|
|
️Go vote. ️
If you have already, good for you and democracy. If you haven’t, go before early voting ends on Sunday or show up on Election Day. Don’t know where to go? Click here.
Also, Happy Halloween!
I was overwhelmed with suggestions for streets to visit to sate our daughter’s obsession with decorations. We did get out to Burns Park and, as advertised, Granger Ave. is something to behold. Here are a few more we’ve put on our list, assuming people don’t take their stuff down promptly, with credit to the recommender:
- Dexter Ann Arbor Rd. west of Zeeb Rd.. (Sheila Rice)
- Heatheridge St. (Nancy Margolis)
- Patricia Ct. (Bonnie Wylo)
- Winsted Rd. (Marc Ressler)
- Two of the corners of Oak Dr. and Sunnydale Ave. (Betsy Mark)
- Wildwood Ave., Arborview Blvd., Harbrooke Ave., and Linwood Ave. (Victoria Neff)
It’s interesting how many are concentrated on the west side. My plan is to take a drive Sunday after Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend. That way it’ll be dark earlier and we don’t have to keep the kids out too late in order to enjoy the full effects.
Your news is here and, of course, the election is the big thing. I have not seen anyone say whether the Harris-Walz rally in Burns Park was an historic first for Ann Arbor, but probably? Has the whole ticket ever campaigned here like that?
I have a theory, which I discuss during my weekly appearance on the Daily Detroit podcast, that the decision to come to ultra-blue A2 was as much about motivating students to vote and volunteer as it was to reach their parents in the swing counties around Detroit, Lansing, and Grand Rapids. Imagine being a swing voter and seeing on InstaTikBook how excited your kids are about this ticket? That’s gotta have an impact, right?
We’ll know by next week, hopefully. And then it’ll be on to getting the kids excited about the “Wicked” movie and Christmas/Chanukah Houses. Or plotting our move to Canada. One or the other.
Go vote.
– Steve Friess, editor
|
|
|
|
In this screen grab, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris addresses to more than 10,000 supporters in Burns Park on Monday. The vice president appeared along with her running mate, Minnesota governor Tim Walz. Courtesy: PBS.
|
|
Harris praises Gen Z in Burns Park rally: The vice president and her running mate, Tim Walz, addressed more than 10,000 people in the heart of Ann Arbor on Monday night. Watch the event here via PBS. Speaking to U-M students, the Democratic presidential nominee said, “You are rightly impatient for change. You have only known the climate crisis, and are leading the charge to protect our planet and our future. … You, who now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers, are standing up for reproductive freedom.” She was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters, whom she acknowledged and told she hoped to end the Gaza war, the Michigan Daily reports. Burns Park Elementary students probably were excited about the rally, too; they got an unexpected half-day to reduce traffic in the area on Monday afternoon.
40.7 percent already cast ballots in Washtenaw County: That’s the share of registered voters who have either returned absentee ballots or gone to early voting sites as of this morning, according to the Secretary of State’s website. Among municipalities in our readership area, 44.3 percent of registered voters in the city of Ann Arbor have already cast their ballots. Ann Arbor Twp. leads the region at 53.1 percent, followed by 49.7 percent in Scio Twp.; 43.4 in Pittsfield Twp.; 38.5 percent in Lodi Twp.; 36.8 percent in Superior Twp.; 34.4 in Ypsilanti Twp.; and 28.9 percent in the city of Ypsilanti. Countywide, 81,547 absentee ballots have been returned, which was 74 percent of those requested, and 26,122 people voted at early voting sites. Washtenaw’s average was significantly ahead of the state’s 33.1 percent and among just seven counties with turnout over 40 percent so far. Neighboring Wayne County, the most populous in the state, has had 29.7 percent turnout thus far.
$385K poured into contentious Props C, D battle: Campaign finance reports indicate supporters of the two citizen initiatives spent $211,000 to opponents’ $174,000 – not including independent groups that has paid for other advertisements, MLive reports (paywall). Prop C would make Ann Arbor elections nonpartisan, dropping party labels for mayor and council candidates, while Prop D calls for public financing of mayor and council campaigns. Among supporters, the biggest spender was Michael Watts, CEO of the Hooks ad agency, who put $50,000 in cash and $38,000 in donated media and marketing services behind the two proposals. On the opposing side, Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility, the mayor-backed group fighting Prop D raised nearly $41,000, plus about $10,000 worth of in-kind contributions, while spending about $35,000. The other opposition group, Democrats for Ann Arbor, raised more than $118,000, mostly from two labor union PACs.
Al Sharpton, two of “exonerated five” urge Black students to vote: The civil rights activist-turned-MSNBC personality appeared alongside two men wrongfully convicted and later proven innocent in the 1989 rape of a jogger in New York’s Central Park during a stop at U-M on the “Wheels of Justice” bus tour, the Daily writes. Also at the event was Terrance Floyd, brother of George Floyd, whose murder by Minneapolis police in 2020 set off a summer of Black Lives Matter protests, as well as Michigan lieutenant governor Garlin Gilchrist and Ann Arbor congresswoman Debbie Dingell. “This election will determine where your life is going to go,” Sharpton said.
Chinese student charged with voter fraud, perjury: The nineteen-year-old U-M undergrad, who is not a U.S. citizen, is accused of two felonies after he registered and voted Sunday at an early voting location, CNN reports. He was caught when he contacted the polling place to ask for his ballot back, a source told the news outlet. The vote cannot be canceled and will be counted because it was fed into the tabulator and there’s now no way to work out which votes were his, county clerk Larry Kestenbaum said. The student used his student ID and other means of confirming his address and signed an affidavit attesting to being a citizen.
U-M grad posts anti-Trump ads on adult sites: Democratic activist Wally Nowinski spent $15,000 through his political action committee to stream ten-second spots warning viewers, “Trump’s Project 2025 will ban porn. Enjoy while you can,” the Michigan Advance reports. Project 2025 is a 922-page outline from the conservative Heritage Foundation of what a second term of former president Donald Trump might entail. Trump has disavowed the controversial plan, which was written by many figures who served in his first term. Nowinski, who lives in California, says he’s “targeting guys who don’t find the last twelve years of anti-Trump messaging from Democrats particularly persuasive.”
Survey says A2 homeowners are among most irked by political yard signs: Ann Arbor is No. 9 among 175 cities for residents who said other people’s signs bother them in an online poll of 3,000 people conducted by Geek Nexus. No. 1 on the list is Fort Lauderdale; Sterling Heights chimes in at No. 25; and Detroit was No. 54.
Free cake on Election Day: Zingerman’s Bakehouse is continuing its tradition of giving away pieces of chocolate buttermilk cake to celebrate democracy, MLive reports. Just like the vote itself, it’s limited to one per person – but no proof of having voted is necessary. Just come to 3711 Plaza Dr. until they run out.
|
|
|
|
Quarterback Jack Tuttle runs the football during Michigan’s loss to Illinois on Oct. 19. He announced his retirement this week, citing a career full of injuries including five concussions. Courtesy: MGoBlue.
|
|
New A2 comprehensive plan emphasizes density: The city unveiled its vision last week at a public meeting, and MLive reports (paywall) that it would make “sweeping changes to divide most of the city into three broad zoning categories: a low-rise residential zone, a mixed-use transition zone and a mixed-use hub zone.” A consultant said the current thirty-four zoning categories need to be collapsed in order to make the city more walkable and less reliant on cars. It would also increase the maximum building height to more than 300 feet. Council is expected to decide on the plan next year.
U-M launches $7B fundraising push: The Look to Michigan campaign will help the school “live out its mission of serving the public good by making an impact in four areas where Michigan is uniquely positioned to impact global challenges,” the University Record writes: education, health, civil and global engagement, and sustainability. The last capital campaign, Victors for Michigan, raised $5.3 billion over five years. U-M has already received gifts totaling $3.3 billion during the silent phase of the campaign, including $50 million from Richard and Susan Rogel to create the Rogel and Blondy Center for Pancreatic Cancer within the Rogel Cancer Center at U-M Hospital.
Last holdout on S. Division gives up: Julie Welch, who in 2023 told MLive she hoped never to sell her 1,064-square-foot Cape Cod, accepted $1.5 million for it in late August to give U-M the final piece it needed for its planned future dorm, Steve Friess reports in this month’s Observer. The university now owns every square inch between E. Madison and Hill streets between S. Fifth Ave. and S. Division St. Most of the land was acquired through two big deals, the 2018 purchase of the Fingerle Lumber property, about 6.5 acres for $24 million, and a $75 million, forty-nine-parcel package assembled by regent Ron Weiser’s McKinley Associates and resold to U-M at cost.
City warns against putting fats, oils, grease in drains amid spill: About 450 gallons of sewage burbled out of a blocked pipe near the school district’s bus garage onto a grassy area on Tuesday, according to a press release. The spill was cleaned up and the pipe cleared, but the public works department is reminding people to dispose of household and industrial products in the trash, not the sink. That includes lard, cooking oil, butter, sauces, and general food waste.
Teachers alarmed by possible health care cost increases: Ann Arbor Education Association president Fred Klein tells WXYZ his members could face an increase of $3,300 a year for the HMO and another $4,000 for the PPO under proposals in a new contract under negotiation. The district says it’s premature to say because bargaining is ongoing. Talks resume tomorrow.
QB retires after fifth concussion: “I need to start prioritizing my health,” Jack Tuttle wrote on social media this week after quitting college football three weeks after winning the starting quarterback slot for the Wolverines. Tuttle, who transferred to U-M from Indiana in 2023 to backup star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, referenced his repeated head injuries as well as an injury to his throwing arm that “I didn’t fully recover from” despite surgery. After losing to Illinois in his one start, the twenty-five-year-old did not play against Michigan State last weekend.
Concordia secures transfer deals with two schools: Students at the Lutheran university’s Ann Arbor campus, which is eliminating most of its academic programs next fall, can move on to either Madonna University in Livonia or Lourdes University in Sylvania, OH, according to a Concordia post on Instagram. Transferees would pay the same tuition and continue on the same timeline towards their degrees.
Saline Schools punishes perpetrators of hate-speech acts: In a public letter, superintendent Stephen Laatsch says the students responsible for racist, antisemitic, and indecent images and words that were drawn in dirt on cars belonging to high school students have been held “accountable consistent with the Saline High School student code of conduct.” According to the Sun Times News, Laatsch wrote that “These incidents emphasize the need to continue our work to ensure that our schools are welcoming places for all students.”
County warns whooping cough is rampant: Also known as pertussis, 146 cases had been reported this year as of mid-October, a sharp uptick from the past three years, according to data from the Washtenaw County Health Department. The Ann Arbor Public Schools also issued a warning in this week’s e-mail update. Few hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported, but diagnosed individuals should stay away from others until they have completed at least 5 days of antibiotics, the WCHD says.
Ypsi cops increase downtown patrols despite objections: Officers are now required to spend 15 minutes in the troubled area per shift until Nov. 11, MLive reports (paywall). Business owners concerned about a spike in disorderly conduct and other crime in the area prevailed over opponents who argued instead for more supportive services and a permanent homeless shelter to the city.
Scio Twp. to pay $92K in legal fees for accused trustee: The board unanimously voted to reimburse fellow trustee Jillian Kerry, who is now running unopposed for township supervisor, for costs of defending herself against charges of computer fraud that allegedly occurred during the scope of her duties, MLive writes. Kerry, accused of two felonies related to having sent an email from the account of outgoing supervisor Will Hathaway in 2022, denies the allegations. A probable cause hearing set for today was postponed to late November.
Public opinion won ex-teacher her dog: Lexi Fata raised a big hullabaloo when the administration claimed ownership of the Wines Elementary Schools therapy Bernadoodle, Gracie, that she had cared for for years. The dog was taken after Fata announced she was leaving the school back in April, Cynthia Furlong Reynolds reports in this month’s Observer, but Fata and her attorney built up public pressure via a GoFundMe campaign and letters to parents. In August, the district and Fata settled the case with Fata regaining custody of the dog.
|
|
Downtown Home & Garden to shrink in 2025: The garden-supplies and housewares retailer is giving up its space at 208 S. Ashley St and will only operate from 210 S. Ashley next year, MLive reports (paywall). The business, started in 1906 by the Hertler family, expanded in 2019 under current owner Kelly Vore but has found the post-pandemic business climate more challenging. Vore says downtown street closures and traffic changes have also been difficult to weather.
Jack’s Hardware, Sushi Town shut down as building closes: Both were located in 740 Packard, which is soon to be replaced by a fourteen-story mixed-use tower, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. Jack’s has relocated temporarily to 2401 S. Industrial while owner Marty Nyrkkanen looks for a new permanent spot. Sushi Town, which opened on Packard eighteen years ago, is seeking donations via GoFundMe to help finance a relocation. They’ve raised $6,302 of the $30,000 goal as of today.
Friday Soft Goods opens in Depot Town: The shop sells a wide, eclectic variety of items, from DVDs to Army surplus clothes to artwork by local creators, according to the store’s Instagram page. Every final Friday of the month, the store at 21 E. Cross St. in Ypsi will host special events and movie nights.
|
|
|
|
C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital published a series of photos of babies adorned by Halloween costumes made by their families. See them all here via ClickOnDetroit. Courtesy: U-M Health Creative Services.
|
|
Junior League of Ann Arbor holds poinsettia sale fundraiser: The women’s organization is taking orders through Nov. 13 for the popular Christmastime plants and will use the proceeds to pay for youth cooking workshops and school-based literacy programs. To order a plant for yourself or your business or to donate to Ann Arbor Meals on Wheels recipients or Arbor Hospice residents, click here. The poinsettias, from Turner’s Garden Center, come in pink, white, burgundy, and marbled shades and cost $8 to $48 depending on the size. They’ll be available in early December.
Group assists in post-prison life: The nonprofit Life After Incarceration: Transition and Reentry is working with Ypsilanti Twp. to provide paid work to “returning citizens,” Concentrate reports. Supportive Hands in Neighborhood Enhancement is a pilot program that reinstates a work program the township offered before the pandemic; it currently employs five people with jobs “beautifying public spaces and neighborhoods.”
Michigan Flight Museum seeks volunteers: The Belleville nonprofit needs gift shop attendants willing to work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays or 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays, according to an email announcement. For more information, email Tom Carroll at volunteers@miflightmuseum.org.
|
|
By Jennifer Taylor
Friday: Come out to hear saxophonist and trumpeter Caleb Wheeler Curtis, a Community High alum and NYC jazz-scene fixture, lead his trio in “Raise Four: Monk the Minimalist,” a concert of Thelonious Monk’s lesser-known minimalist songs. 7:30 p.m., Kerrytown Concert House, 415 N. Fourth Ave. Tickets $29 to $40 (students, $18 to $30) in advance online and at the door. (734) 769–2999.
Saturday: See local actors in the world premiere of Kalamazoo-based Amber Palmer’s comedy-drama, “In Search of the Mothman,” about two young-adult sisters navigating life after an unexpected tragedy. The Observer has a review of the play this month. Thurs. to Sun. through Nov. 10. 8 p.m. (Thurs. to Sat.) and 2 p.m. (Sun.), Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $30 in advance online and at the door. (734) 635–8450.
Sunday: Join local sandhill crane enthusiast Bill Wells for a discussion and short documentary about these fascinating birds, and then take a self-guided driving “Sandhill Crane Tour” to view cranes in the fields nearby. Bring binoculars and cameras. 2 p.m., Eddy Discovery Center, 17030 Bush Rd., Chelsea. $2 (families, $5); preregistration required at (734) 475–3170 (space limited). $14 Michigan recreation passport ($19 at the gate) required.
See the Observer’s online calendar for many more local events.
|
|
|
Question, comment, or tip? Email us at a2view@aaobserver.com
For Sponsorship and Advertising information
Email: a2view@aaobserver.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
