Hello Ann Arbor! 

Steve Friess has the week’s news for you below as usual, but first, he’s lent me his space to introduce myself as a new contributor to the Ann Arbor Observer, and your soon-to-be resident advice columnist. I’m Bree Stilwell, a local writer and small business owner, and What She Said will be your opportunity to ask me, along with occasional local experts, your burning questions about life in our community.

Need recommendations on a night out with visiting friends or family, but have option fatigue from browsing all the event listings? Dream about selling your rhubarb jam at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market but need to know if it’s even worth your time? New in town and wondering why everyone’s so suspiciously friendly? (And P.S.: what’s this “Ope!” everyone keeps throwing at me?)

Part fact-finding guide, part personal advice, What She Said is your opportunity to get a unique take from a local on just about anything Ann Arbor-ish.

Some bits and bobs about me: Born in East Lansing and raised in Ypsilanti, I’ve lived in and around Ann Arbor for most of my life. After spending fifteen of my post-college years in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Northern California, I finally relented and returned to the city that at some point calls us all back… if we ever left.

During that time and since, I’ve studied poetry in Prague, worn every possible hat in the Napa Valley wine industry, rehabbed a brewery loft in Detroit’s Eastern Market, and was the project manager for the restoration of The Dixboro Project. I’m a creative entrepreneurship mentor by day, and by night the author of Caravan – a Substack newsletter about culture, art-making, and the evolving human experience. I live with my husband, son, stepsons, and too many pets on the northwest side, and can be found at just about any AADL event, nursing my oat flat while working remotely at York, or enjoying all four glorious seasons on the B2B Trail.

Stay tuned for next week’s inaugural column, right here in a2view, where I’ll answer this reader’s question: “On October 8, my husband and I are celebrating our third wedding anniversary. We love biking, hiking, kayaking — pretty much anything outdoors — followed by a good meal and a cold beer. Got any advice for an unforgettable Ann Arbor date night?”

Need advice about something Ann Arbor-ish? Email [email protected].

– Bree Stilwell…
…with thanks to Steve Friess, editor

P.S from Steve: This was last week’s most-clicked link.

Dad detained by ICE after Lakewood Elementary dropoff: Thirty-one-year-old Rodrigo Osorio, who came to the U.S. at age seven and is protected from deportation under the DACA program, was held for eight hours before his release, MLive reports. Immigration police apprehended him as he left the school grounds, and ICE insists no children saw Osorio being arrested, but the U-M custodian says his eight-year-old son was “pretty traumatized” by his detainment and fearful it could happen again. “I was chained. I had cuffs on my hands, on my feet, on my waist,” he said. “If you wouldn’t have known me, you’d assume I killed somebody.” Osorio says he resisted repeated demands from ICE agents to “self-deport,” but he was never told why he was picked up or why he was released.

126 abused, neglected animals rescued from “traveling zoo”: The Humane Society of Huron Valley seized the menagerie of dogs, cats, horses, ponies, a donkey, goats, sheep, a rabbit, snakes, iguanas, frogs, tarantulas, and more when the roaming attraction visited Plymouth, MLive reports. They were in possession of Christine Thompson, who has two felony animal cruelty charges pending in northern Michigan and a warrant for failure to appear in court. That warrant also authorized the seizure of the animals, which HSHV says were found in poor health and unsafe conditions. The shelter is seeking help to care for the “sheer number and diversity of animals” rescued, including volunteers to help out on site or to foster them at home.

Judge rules Lisa Cook can remain on Fed board: The economist, whose mortgage on her longtime Ann Arbor home is the subject of a federal investigation, will continue to serve while fighting President Trump’s attempt to fire her, the Associated Press reports. U.S. District Court judge Jia Cobb says she believes Cook will prevail in her argument that the Fed is an independent body not subject to control by the White House. Trump wants the Fed to lower interest rates and has also floated the idea of firing chairman Jerome Powell. He’s accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud by allegedly claiming two properties, one in Ann Arbor and another in Atlanta, as primary residences. Her attorney has argued the mortgages were not illegal and were made before Cook’s appointment to the board, and so cannot be used to impugn her work as a governor.

U-M doc building pro-vaccine coalition to counter RFK Jr.: Domino’s Farms Family Medicine director Pamela Rockwell, alarmed by the Health and Human Services secretary’s moves to undermine confidence in childhood vaccines and limit access for adults, tells the Detroit Free Press (paywall) she’s working with the heads of local and state medical groups to “establish our own evidence-based [vaccine] recommendations.” Rockwell, a former member of the CDC’s advisory committee on immunizations, calls the restrictions “dire” and says that Kennedy “has proven himself a liar about everything he said when he was confirmed,” when he told senators that he wouldn’t limit access to vaccines. 

Ann Arbor could sell Kline’s lot to developer for $17.5M: City administrator Milton Dohoney is recommending the sale to global investment firm Hines, WEMU reports. Hines and partner BaseBld are proposing to build two 180-foot towers with 277 apartments and 5,000 square feet of retail in each on S. Ashley St. north of W. William. Council will consider the proposal next week.

DDA pitches smaller expansion under new plan: The April draft would have broadened the boundaries of the Downtown Development Authority both north and south, but a revision now only adds territory to the north of its current borders, MLive reports. New regions of interest include the North Main Street corridor and the Broadway/Division interchange, but the altered proposal drops efforts to expand the DDA’s tax-capture zone to areas to the south. 

Lawsuits seeking to stop school rebuilds tossed: Judge Patrick Conlin dismissed the effort to halt construction of new Thurston and Logan Elementary schools and rejected the plaintiffs’ arguments that the district failed to obtain enough resident input, MLive reports. “The bond was approved by voters and construction is underway,” Conlin said. “Plaintiffs’ disagreement with the planning process is not a (recognizable) legal controversy.”

“Mousetales” TikTokker and rodent savior: Julie Kobylarz “rescues, rehabs, and returns to the wild injured or vulnerable mice, voles, chipmunks, shrews, and baby squirrels,” Anita LeBlanc writes in this month’s Observer. Kobylarz’ videos about her exploits delight her 6 million social media followers, with more than 50 million views on TikTok alone; viewer donations and ad revenue help pay for the work she does nursing all those furry friends. But she never adopts her rescues – it’s not good for them, and it’s against the law.

“Fake electors” case against Ypsilanti Twp. man, fourteen others tossed: Longtime GOP activist Timothy King was one of sixteen people who signed certificates falsely claiming Donald Trump won Michigan in the 2020, but on Tuesday, a judge ruled that the state could not prove criminal intent in its charges of election fraud, NPR reports. Attorney general Dana Nessel says she will weigh an appeal. King has repeatedly won election as a GOP precinct delegate but lost campaigns for the county commission and parks commission, according to county records. Nessel initially charged all sixteen signers but later dropped charges against one who agreed to testify for the prosecution.

Ypsi woman ​​charged with smuggling undocumented immigrants: Fifty-three-year-old Norma Linda Lozano is accused of taking part in an effort to bring people from Central America across the northern border by foot and to help them evade immigration authorities, according to a Department of Justice press release. Lozano, who faces seven felony charges, allegedly charged immigrants for her help crossing the border in Vermont, where she picked them up and “delivered them to businesses, houses, or airports” between February and November last year, the DoJ says.

Crashes reignite discussion about Jackson Rd. ramps: Two large semi-truck accidents in two days that both shut down I-94 for hours last week are bringing renewed focus to the danger of the entrances where some 200 incidents occur each year, WEMU reports. In one, a car entering the eastbound highway hit a semi which crashed into a pickup truck hauling a boat and dumped its load of sparkling grape juice on the roadway, the AAFD wrote on Facebook. The next day, a tractor-trailer lost its load of steel coils as it jackknifed near the same onramp, according to another AAFD post. One Facebook user expressed doubt about the post’s claim that “no other vehicles were involved,” writing, “I can almost bet you the cause of this was some car getting on the highway from that tight on ramp coming around the corner.”

Report says A2 roads cost motorists $1,506 a year: The Washington D.C.-based transportation research nonprofit TRIP calculated the “accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear” of roads and bridges in disrepair in nine urban areas around Michigan. The group estimates that Ann Arbor-area car owners spend an average of $484 on fuel while idling in traffic, $672 on car wear and tear caused by roads needing repair, and about $350 from crashes caused by “a lack of adequate roadway safety features.” Still, Ann Arbor’s estimate was the lowest of the nine regions; TRIP figures that bad roads are costing Detroit-area drivers a state-high $2,921.

Tropolis Insurance buys eight companies: The two-year-old “technology-enabled insurance brokerage” based in Ann Arbor acquired two firms each in Texas and Louisiana as well as three in metro Detroit and one in Iron Mountain, MI, Crain’s Detroit Business reports (paywall). Backed by private equity, Tropolis has been on a buying spree, picking up twelve firms since late 2024, mostly in Michigan, where it now has eleven sites and nearly 300 employees.

Deer diagnosed with deadly EHD in Washtenaw County: The epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus typically sickens white-tailed deer and is spread by infected midges or flies, according to a post from the Department of Natural Resources. So far this year, infected deer have been found in Washtenaw, Eaton, Jackson, Van Buren, Calhoun and Cass counties. “Because of its very high mortality rate, EHD can have a significant effect upon the deer population in a given area, reducing numbers drastically,” the agency warns.

Where does castoff restaurant cooking oil go?: In this month’s Observer, Antonio Cooper examines the “near-territorial system” in which three companies, Evergreen Grease, G.A. Wintzer & Son Co., and Buffalo Biodiesel, have contracts to collect it locally. The collected oil—called “sludge”—goes into a digester to produce “methane gas that is then recycled either with the creation of renewable natural gas, or they just burn it off and run electrical generators and put power back on the grid,” says Buffalo owner Sumit Majumdar. “The remaining, which is 70 percent of that product, we refine it down to 1 percent moisture, and then we ship it off to a refinery that will then convert, typically, into sustainable aviation fuel.” But not everyone is happy with the arrangement: “According to a worker at Ypsilanti’s Encuentro Latino, the restaurant was hit with complaints from city officials last year when their oil wasn’t picked up and the container overflowed.” When the restaurant tried to terminate their contract Buffalo threatened to sue, backing off only after the Ypsilanti city attorney got involved.

Trademark feud spurs sales of Buckeye Tears beer: The Brown Jug had offered the light wheat brew with the Ohio State-mocking name for about a year, but customers started seeking it out in droves after news broke that the university is challenging the bar’s attempt to trademark the product, MLive reports (paywall). OSU says the use of the name could cause confusion and “dilute the distinctiveness” of its brand, according to the school’s filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Niko Porikos, son of the Brown Jug’s owner, says they’re seeking a trademark because they may want to can and distribute the brew.

Is Ann Arbor “reinventing the power company?”: That’s what the national business magazine Fast Company posits as it delves into the plans for a city-owned Sustainable Energy Utility made up of solar microgrids and geothermal energy. The SEU is unusual for its emphasis on diverse approaches to power generation–other cities’ efforts have involved building large-scale solar or wind facilities that are costly and take a lot of time. “It will help the city move much faster toward zero-carbon power,” the magazine asserts.

Dos Hermanos Express adds paletería: La Michoacana Express in Scio Twp. now offers a colorful array of ice creams, aguas frescas, popsicles, yogurts, and other desserts, Dave Algase writes in this month’s Observer. It’s the latest offering from the Arreola brothers, whose father and uncle founded the Ypsi-based Dos Hermanos Mexican grill and markets. La Michoacana is a California-based brand that distributes to thousands of stores, eateries, and independent shops.

Clay + Code opens Sept. 20 in Saline: The arts space will offer ceramics classes by co-owner Tara Joshi as well as computer coding lessons from her husband, Hardik, the Sun Times News reports.

Saline family launches Halloween porch decor business: For anywhere from $350 on up, Pumpkin Doorstep Design will plan and install an autumnal tableau for residents, owner Bob Kelley tells a2view. ““Our designers will select and deliver pumpkins and gourds of varying colors and sizes sourced from local farms,” Kelley writes, “and decorate their home’s porch or entry.”

Field day Sunday to benefit Ronald McDonald House: Attendees at the Home Run for the House can run the bases and play catch with U-M baseball players, enjoy crafts, a bounce house, and live music, and meet the team mascot at Ray Fisher Stadium from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults or $10 for kids and can be purchased online or at the gate. The nonprofit provides lodging for families whose children are being treated at area hospitals.

Cocktail soiree supports Planned Parenthood of Michigan: Ann Arbor activists host appetizers and drinks at HOMES Campus alongside speeches about the importance of reproductive rights from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 28. Tickets, which start at $50 for guests forty and under and $100 for other adults, can be purchased here. Registrants also receive access to an online silent auction.

Donors give $886M to U-M in fiscal 2025: That’s up 13 percent from the prior year and the second-highest annual total ever, the University Record writes. Forty percent of that total went to Michigan Medicine, which enjoyed a record-setting year that included three eight-figure gifts. Also spurring increased giving was the “Look to Michigan” capital campaign; launched last October; its $7 billion goal makes it the “most ambitious campaign in public higher education,” the Record writes. Including donations prior to the public launch, more than 230,000 donors had given more than $4 billion by the end of the fiscal year in June. 

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: See Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra conductor Earl Lee open the season with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 featuring magnetic young English pianist Martin James Bartlett. Also, Olivier Messiaen’s devotional Les Offrandes oubliées, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 and his passionate Boléro. Preconcert talk at 6:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m., Hill Auditorium. $15 to $110 in advance online and (if available) at the door. (734) 994–4801.

Saturday: Catch a reading of Detroit playwright Andrew Morton’s new drama Blue Star Highway about the wife and children of a closeted gay high school teacher who confront the truth thirty years after he abandoned them. 8 p.m., part of Theatre Nova’s 2025 Michigan Playwrights Festival, 410 W. Huron. $10 (festival pass, $30) in advance online or at the door. (734) 635–8450.

Sunday: Get bubbly with a bubble machine, a bubble performer, and bubble blowing for kids at Broadway Park West’s opening weekend Bubble Fest. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 841 Broadway St. Free.

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

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