Yesterday, my daughter and I had ice cream at the Washtenaw Dairy with Kathy Kozachenko, the first gay American to be elected to public office while already out of the closet. She was back in town to speak at the unveiling of a historical marker outside City Hall commemorating her landmark election to council in 1974 as well as the service of two other Human Rights Party councilmembers who came out after they were elected. You can see the big unveiling moment here.

The Dairy regulars saw nothing particularly interesting – an older woman, a middle-aged man, and a fidgety pre-kindergartner having a late afternoon treat. But everything about our lives would have been shocking and revolutionary fifty years ago. Kathy, now a widow, raised a son and lived a quiet life in Pittsburgh after her activist twenties. For my part, here I was, a legally married gay man with two adopted children. So much of that was unimaginable back in the day.

I met Kathy a decade ago while writing a long profile for Bloomberg Politics (paywall). It was the first in-depth piece about her in the mainstream national media – at least so far as I could tell, and I looked everywhere – and she admitted to feeling forgotten by those who keep and honor LGBTQ history. Now, at long last, she gets her due. All we have to do now is raise the rest of the money for that statue of her and the city will have, in my humble opinion, done right by her.

I’ll have more to say about Kathy’s A2 homecoming in the October issue of the Observer. In the meantime, your news is here. AAPS will halt universal free breakfast and lunch on Oct. 1 if the state can’t pass a budget, a regent is piping mad about Michigan Medicine’s decision to stop providing gender-affirming care to trans minors, and the Brown Jug is in court defending its right to call something “Buckeye Tears.” 

This was the most-clicked link last week.

– Steve Friess, editor

Jazz Parks warns of curbs on free school meals: If the state’s divided legislature can’t pass a budget by Oct. 1, AAPS will not be able to provide universal breakfast and lunch, the superintendent wrote in a letter to the school community. Students who qualify under the federal free- and reduced-cost lunch program would continue to be fed at no charge, but others may have to bring their own meals. So far, AAPS is the only district in the county to issue this warning.

Historical marker honors national LGBTQ pioneers: Former Ann Arbor city councilmember Kathy Kozachenko, the first openly gay American to be elected to public office, and ex-councilmember Jerry DeGrieck, who with Nancy Wechsler came out post-election, reunited for a ceremony unveiling the state historic marker outside City Hall this morning, a2view reports. (Wechsler was unable to attend.) The marker acknowledges the groundbreaking service of all three as well as legislative accomplishments. including working with the late Jim Toy to write and pass the country’s first gay pride week resolution and laws barring housing and employment discrimination against gays and lesbians. Kozachenko, DeGrieck, and councilmember Travis Radina, who is also openly gay, spoke at the ceremony about the recent push to roll back LGBTQ progress and acceptance, notably pointing a finger at the halt to DEI programs at U-M and Michigan Medicine’s end to providing gender-affirming care to patients under age nineteen.

Regent lambastes Michigan Medicine for trans care change: In a post on Facebook, Democrat Paul Brown assailed the health system’s announcement last week that it would stop providing gender-affirming care to patients under nineteen amid legal threats from the Trump administration. Writing as a regent, “an alumnus, a community member, and also as a family member to a transgender individual who is benefitting from gender-affirming care,” Brown warned that the decision “will cost kids’ lives.” MLive reports on similar fury and heartbreak among families of trans youth, including a ten-year-old whose doctors were preparing to put them on puberty blockers.

Ten U-M economists sign letter supporting Cook: They’re among the nearly 600 academics whose names are on an open letter warning that the Trump administration’s efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook threatens the agency’s independence. Trump is trying to fire Cook, a longtime Ann Arbor resident, after she was accused of mortgage fraud related to loans on her homes here and in Atlanta. Cook has sued to keep her post and rejects the notion that she did anything wrong, Politico reports. According to the signers, the attempt to remove Cook “threatens the fundamental principle of central bank independence and undermines trust in one of America’s most important institutions. … We urge all branches of government to uphold the law and the norms that protect U.S. economic stewardship.”

Washtenaw Technical Middle College among top ten in teacher pay: An early college high school on the WCC campus with 860 students and twenty-one teachers, WTMC came in ninth among public school districts in Michigan for the 2023-24 school year with an average salary of $85,741, according to data obtained by MLive. AAPS paid its 982 teachers an average $76,416, second-highest in the county and No. 45 statewide; Ypsilanti Community Schools came in last countywide and No. 412 in the state out of 467 districts by paying its 193 teachers an average salary of $53,363. Utica Community Schools in Macomb County topped the list with an average salary of $87,259 for its 1,100 teachers.

Report finds no county housing “crisis” but some challenges: A new 120-page study published by the Arbor Area Community Foundation, the Song Foundation, and the Herrick Foundation examined the affordability and availability in all twenty-seven jurisdictions to conclude that “most renters are able to secure quality homes for reasonable income to rent ratios.” Still, while “roughly 85 percent of the county’s households … are either current owners or renters paying less than 30 percent of their income toward rent,” those with incomes below $50,000 are “in very severe straits.” While there is an adequate supply of housing for lower-income households, “the locations of a large percentage of subsidized supplies are problematic.” The City of Ypsilanti, for example, has 12.6 percent of all the county’s subsidized housing units but just 5.4% of the county’s population.

Pro-density groups host week of events promoting “new urbanism”: The Neighborhood Institute, Neighbors for More Neighbors A2, and the U-M’s Urbanism Club are offering a series of lectures, public meetings, and social events from Sept. 14-20 to “spotlight how community members can shape a more inclusive, sustainable, and connected Ann Arbor,” according to a press release. The schedule, found here, includes a pre-City Council meeting meet-up, a happy hour at Bløm Mead + Cider, and presentations in the Rackham Amphitheater. Participants are invited to speak or “cheer on” others supporting the proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan at planning commission and city council to counter the activism of residents who oppose the increased density and high-rise construction it would promote. 

Anti-DTE advocates announce drive for 2026 ballot proposal: Ann Arbor for Public Power announced on its website that it hopes to collect more than 5,000 signatures to ask voters to establish a public electric utility board. The group says that its passage would not commit the city to taking over DTE’s infrastructure, but would position the city to do so at some point. “Creating the board will cost the people of Ann Arbor zero dollars, and it will put the process of dumping DTE in motion,” A2P2 executive director Brian Geiringer writes.

Campus surveillance worries civil rights advocates: A posting seeking bids for new security technology reveals that the U-M was willing to pay as much as $15 million to upgrade cameras at the entrances and exits of all campus buildings and the medical center, the Detroit Free Press reports (paywall). At EMU, 1,700 cameras are monitored by artificial intelligence trained to identify guns. While the U-M and other schools around the state argue that the cameras are necessary for safety, law professor Michael Steinberg, who runs the school’s Civil Rights Litigation Initiative, warns that the U-M is “conditioning students to live in a surveillance society where their every move is monitored.” The cameras trained on the Law Quad, for instance, have infrared capability to improve night images and a forty-times zoom function, meaning “they can see right into the dormitories of law students,” third-year law student Nithya Arun says. “What protections are there from abuse of these cameras?”

Summer Game shatters record: The library district’s scavenger hunt for codes became a public preoccupation, drawing 17,415 players – up 17 percent from last year’s record, AADL spokesperson Rich Retyi tells a2view. More than 3,550 lawn and library codes were generated, up 65 percent from the prior year, and more than 583 million points were earned, up nearly 50 percent. The Summer Game drew national attention from NPR’s “Morning Edition,” which called it “a triumph for the public library that runs it.” The most popular code was the one plastered on the side of TheRide buses. A player called EnderisaCat won bragging rights by topping the leaderboard with 475,328 points.

Superior Twp. estate sells for record-shattering $12.8M: The 15,000-square-foot house at 4000 Vorhies Rd. on sixteen acres became by far the most expensive piece of residential real estate ever sold within AAPS boundaries, according to data compiled by Observer real estate consultant Sue Maguire. The property closed on Aug. 29 for 42 percent over the asking price of $8.995 million because the buyer added additional, unlisted property including a cattle ranch and a sheep barn, Homes.com reports. Even at the lower price, it would have been more than double the previous record sale of $3.5 million in 2022 for a home on Belmont Rd. The Vorhies property has four bedrooms and 7.3 baths, a gated entrance, heated brick driveway, six-car heated garage, a Harley-themed commercial bar and game room, a sixteen-seat theater, copper roofs, a blueberry farm, a 3,703-bottle wine cellar, and an 11-foot infinity pool. It was built in 1994 by the late Louis P. Ferris Jr., whose many businesses included the Great Lakes Central Railroad. The buyer is a local family who intend to take over farming and raise their children on the spread, the real estate agent says.

Viral video shows employees beating customer at Ypsi party store: Two men are seen in footage taken Sunday at the Beer Cooler punching, slapping, and dragging a woman to the ground in an apparent dispute over an unpaid item, WXYZ reports. Ypsi police are investigating the incident, store owner Sukhvir Singh apologized to the community on social media, and mayor Nicole Brown wrote on Facebook, “Right or wrong, we do not resolve issues with violence.” Singh closed the store indefinitely after the video circulated online. The woman reportedly suffered a concussion in the fight.

Crash involving semi, boat leaves I-94 soaked in sparkling grape juice: The bizarre chain-reaction accident shut down the interstate in both directions for four hours in the vicinity of the Jackson Ave. exit, MLive reports (paywall). First, a Honda Fit struck the semi as it entered I-94 on the eastbound ramp, causing the semi driver to veer into the left lane where it collided with a Ford F-150 hauling a motorboat, police said. The pickup truck slammed into the median and overturned onto the westbound side of the highway. The semi also struck the median, causing its load of sparkling grape juice to spill onto the roadway. None of the drivers were seriously injured.

More Black drivers pulled over despite new policy: The city in 2023 directed AAPD to ease up on making traffic stops over equipment violations like broken taillights, but MLive reports the new data shows motorists of color are being pulled over in higher numbers than before. Equipment stops have dropped – they were 11 percent of stops in 2024, down from 22 percent in 2022 – but overall traffic stops rose 24 percent and stops of non-white drivers increased from 45.3 to 47.5 percent. The share of Black drivers was down slightly but because there were so many more stops, the actual number pulled over was up 14.7 percent. While councilwoman Cynthia Harrison tells MLive she believes the “previous leadership” didn’t take the ordinance’s mandate seriously enough, current chief Andre Anderson presided over the department for almost all of 2024. He says a focus on preventing deadly crashes explains the uptick in stops.

New policy makes all U-M employees mandated reporters: Previously, only a select group of supervisors, faculty, and staff were required to report alleged discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or sexual misconduct learned in the scope of their employment to the Equity, Civil Rights and Title IX Office within 48 hours, the Michigan Daily reports. The expansion matches similar moves by EMU, MSU, and NMU.

Lunch program for seniors reopens after five year closure: Lincoln Golden Ages’ Senior Café is once again providing free communal lunches three days a week at Brick Elementary School in Ypsi for people over sixty, according to a press release. The service was discontinued in 2020, but since then the group, part of the Lincoln Consolidated Schools, has engaged many more seniors in an array of activities including chair yoga and bingo. County commissioner Justin Hodge hailed the reopening as “a powerful reminder that funding from the Older Persons Services Millage is making a real difference in the lives of our older adults.” Guests over sixty can eat for free but are asked for a donation if they can afford it; anyone under sixty pays $5.50. The cafe at Brick serves lunch from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Budtenders strike in effort to unionize: Employees of the pot shop Exclusive Ann Arbor began picketing last week as they attempt to join United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 876, according to a social media post. Days before striking, the UFCW filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging the company was interfering with the workers’ rights to organize, Crain’s Detroit Business writes (paywall).

Shrooms festival seeks alternative site as lawsuit pends: Organizers of the Entheofest wrote on Facebook on Wednesday that their case challenging U-M’s refusal to issue a permit to hold the Sept. 21 event on the Diag was transferred to the state Court of Claims. It’s unclear whether the matter will be resolved in time for the annual gathering that advocates for the legalization of psychedelic plants and mushrooms, so the sponsors are actively seeking a backup site. The lawsuit was filed by the Student Association for Psychedelic Studies; the university rejected the application for public safety reasons, citing the sale of illegal substances.

U-M breaks record for invention reports: Researchers and faculty generated 673 invention reports in the 2025 fiscal year, topping the previous record of 615 set last fiscal year, the University Record writes. They also signed 326 new license and option agreements, a jump of more than fifty from the previous year. Thirty-one startup companies were launched to support the commercialization of U-M research discoveries. The inventions include cutting-edge solutions in areas such as diabetes management, digital security, athletic performance, and early childhood education.

Wolverines season launches with high hopes for Belleville High phenom: Freshman Bryce Underwood’s first outing, a 34-17 win over New Mexico, gave a glimpse of the potential that Craig Ross writes about in his preview of the 2025 football season in this month’s Observer. Ross notes that the 2024 squad overachieved after losing several key players from its 2023 national championship year, but thanks to deep-pocketed donors helping to recruit top prospect Underwood, he predicts, “Michigan will lose a game or two but should make the NCAA playoffs this year.”

Michigan Marching Band reflects on heady European summer tour: It took three airlines to ferry the 300 members, their instruments, and staff members across the Atlantic and then six buses and a semitruck to transport them around Austria, France, and Germany, Micheline Maynard reports in this month’s Observer. The group filled town squares and concert halls in seven cities over eighteen days, and might return next year if the football team achieves its goal of opening the 2026 season in Frankfurt. Band members paid for their travel this summer to the tune of $5,500 each following years of fundraising. Some twenty German-speaking band members helped staff and fellow students navigate language barriers.

Ohio State challenges “Buckeye Tears” trademark application: The Brown Jug applied for the trademark last year for use with various alcohol products, but the university says allowing its use would confuse the public and dilute the strength of the brand, according to CBS Detroit. OSU says the Buckeye licensing program generated more than $145 million in royalties and $2.2 billion in retail sales over the past decade. The Brown Jug has until next month to respond.

Covid, road changes doomed Downtown Home & Garden: Owner Kelly Vore describes for Dave Algase in this month’s Observer the elements that led to the announcement that the iconic business would shut down on Christmas Eve. Business took a prolonged hit from the pandemic and its aftermath, which included supply chain problems, and from conversion of S. Ashley to two-way traffic – making it harder for customers to access the parking lot. DH&G founder Mark Hodesh, who sold the business to Vore but retained ownership of the real estate, tells Algase he feared his property might get tied up if DH&G went bankrupt, so with the current five-year lease expiring he offered a one-year renewal with possible extensions that raised the rent by 26 percent as of June. Vore opted to close instead. Hodesh promises whatever goes into the space next will be “a destination. It’s going to be fun.”

Stubborn Brothers Pizza coming to The Standard: The Toledo-based restaurant hopes to open on the ground floor of the ten-story S. Main apartment building by year’s end, MLive reports (paywall). Logos for the pizzeria already line the ground floor of The Standard along with the logo for Barstool Sports, whose owner, U-M alum Dave Portnoy, in 2022 deemed their offerings “the best college pizza I’ve ever had.” The building’s street-level commercial space has been vacant since construction was completed in 2022.

Raising Cane’s to open Sept. 16: The South University location will be the fast-growing Louisiana-based chicken chain’s second in Metro Detroit and third in Michigan, WXYZ reports. Raising Cane’s, which has more than 900 stores worldwide, is hiring about 140 employees for the Ann Arbor site.

City seeks about $400K to finish splash pad: The project at Bicentennial Park on Ellsworth is under construction but needs contributions to complete “this one-of-a-kind amenity as soon as possible,” according to a parks department social media post. A universal-access splash pad is a marquee element of the transformation of the former Southeast Area Park promised during the city’s 200th anniversary festivities last year. To help out, click here. 

Zingerman’s sandwich, Sept. 14 walk to benefit Ele’s Place: The nonprofit that provides counseling services for grieving children, teens, young adults, and their families will get $2 this month from the sale of each G.O.A.T., a ham, bacon, goat cream cheese, and fig jam concoction. The deli’s “longtime fans (and now, local legends), Bill and Freddie R.” won the right to create the sandwich at a fundraising auction. In addition, Ele’s Place’s annual Healing Hearts Family Walk, a 5K and a mile, kicks off from the Thomson Reuters building at 6300 Interfirst Dr. in Saline at 11 a.m. on Sept. 14. Tickets, which are $40 per person, are on sale here; that event is preceded by a kids dash for children ages three to six at 10:40 a.m. 

Golf outings benefit EMU golfers, Pioneer High hockey: The GameAbove Eagle Golf Classic tees off at 8 a.m on Sept. 12 at Eagle Crest. Registration, which can be done here, is $250 per player and includes eighteen holes of golf, range balls, a golf cart, breakfast and lunch, a post-outing program with a silent auction, and tee gifts. Pioneer men’s hockey hosts its eighteen-hole outing at Lake Forest Golf Club starting at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 14 for $125 per golfer. Registration, found here, includes breakfast and lunch, range balls, and a buffet banquet with prizes and raffles.

By Jennifer Taylor

Friday: Hear U-M tuba professor David Zerkel and pianist Liz Ames perform “Animal Ditties,” a family-friendly program of animal-themed music highlighted by the premiere of contemporary American composer Jim Stephenson’s tuba suite The Further Adventures of Effie the Elephant. With narration by Jason Fettig and projected original illustrations by Tim Zerkel. 8 p.m., U-M Moore Bldg. Britton Recital Hall, 1100 Baits, North Campus. Free. (734) 764–0583. 

Saturday: Join members of the U-M Entomology Club and the Washtenaw Bird & Nature Alliance in “Moth Night at The Arb,” attracting and studying different moth species. Trails are uneven, so bring a flashlight if you have one, and please wear dark clothing. 8 to 11 p.m., Nichols Arboretum, Dow Prairie entrance. Free.

Sunday: At “Indian Classical Music,” catch local Hindustani classical vocalist Sugata Chatterjee, accompanied by percussionist Amit Chatterjee, as they sing and discuss a variety of melodious evening ragas. 6–7 p.m., Ann Arbor District Library Downtown, lower level. Free. (734) 327–4200. 

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

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