This week, the Michigan Wolverines returned home victorious after humbling Ohio State in Columbus, while MSU received a record fine and the U-M a reprimand from the Big Ten for the tunnel incident. In Ann Arbor, a hotel worker died of carbon monoxide poisoning, and in Ypsi Township a man survived a weekend shooting.

City council leased hangar space at the municipal airport to a new company over the objections of a longtime tenant, the planning commission is mulling over a ban on new natural gas connections, and the county is looking for snowplow drivers as winter approaches. A new Mexican/Mediterranean restaurant opened in Plymouth Mall, and the city kicks off the holiday season tomorrow with a variety of shopping events around town.

—Dayton Hare, editor

The county’s Covid-19 snapshot reports 703 cases in the two weeks ending yesterday, down from 895 cases in 11/16’s snapshot. There are 88.1 cases per 100,000 residents, quite a bit down from 156.7 two weeks ago, and the test positivity rate has dropped to 10.4 percent. The CDC community level has been downgraded to “low,” and will be updated at 8 p.m. tonight.

A worker at Victory Inn was discovered dead of carbon monoxide poisoning Monday, WILX reports. The hotel was evacuated for ventilation and designated “unsafe until repairs can be made.” Ann Arbor police and Michigan OSHA are investigating the incident.

A Van Buren man was shot in Ypsi Township early Sunday morning, MLive reports. He was taken to the hospital to undergo emergency medical treatment, and police are investigating the incident.

Pioneer High was closed Tuesday after a threat was made on social media Monday, ClickOnDetroit reports. AAPS Superintendent Jeanice Swift characterized the closure as being made “out of an abundance of caution,” and stressed the importance of parents talking to their children about the seriousness of posting threats online.

The Wolverines emerged triumphant at The Game last Saturday in Columbus, the Daily reports. After a nail-biting first half, Michigan broke away in the second to crush Ohio State 45–23, ending the regular season undefeated. It’s the second year running that the Wolverines have beaten the Buckeyes, and the game set a record as FOX Sports’ most watched college game ever, with 17 million viewers. The Wolverines will face Purdue next weekend in the Big Ten championship in Indianapolis.

Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara has entered the transfer portal, ClickOnDetroit reports. Last year, McNamara helped turn the team around after a disastrous 2020 season, leading them to a win against Ohio State and a Big Ten championship. He’s missed much of this season due to a knee injury and lost a quarterback competition to J.J. McCarthy in September.

The Big Ten fined MSU $100,000 for the post-game tunnel fight, and reprimanded U-M for failing to prevent it, the Detroit Free Press reports. The amount dwarfs the $40,000 fine Michigan basketball coach Juwan Howard got for striking a rival coach last February, and sets a record as the largest fine ever issued by the conference. Last week, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office announced charges against seven MSU players.

U-M football defensive lineman Mazi Smith was arraigned today on a felony weapons charge, ClickOnDetroit reports. The charge stems from a traffic stop in Ann Arbor two months ago. Smith’s attorney, John Shea, told the station that Smith had applied for a concealed-weapons permit but had not yet received it. In a statement, AD Warde Manuel said that “Mazi was honest, forthcoming and cooperative” in the department’s investigation and would continue to participate as a member of the team while the judicial process plays out.

The city is considering a ban on natural gas connection in new buildings starting in January, MLive reports. Developers are balking at city planners’ requests for all-electric buildings, so the proposed changes to the city’s development code would make it mandatory.

A new owner wants to repurpose vacant office space in a Main St. high-rise, MLive reports. The proposed regulation changes would permit hotel uses or short-term rentals like Airbnb in the former DTE offices at 414 S. Main.

U-M produced sixteen startups and 433 inventions during the last fiscal year, ClickOnDetroit reports. Startups from the university — companies focusing on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to polymer solutions — raised a combined $760 million, and 409 U.S. patent applications were filed.

U-M’s SPARK Electric Racing Team has built an electric “superbike” that can reach 160 mph, MLive reports. That’s a vast improvement since the student team’s first bike in 2013, which only managed 65 mph, and a significant contribution to the development of EV technology.

Zingerman’s Instagram account fell prey to hackers in the days before Thanksgiving, ClickOnDetroit reports. The hackers have been posting bogus stories urging readers to make “investments” with another user. According to a spokesperson, the deli is working to regain control of the account.

East University closed between South U. and Willard today, MLive reports, as did the eastbound lane of South U. between Tappen and Church. The closures are needed to reconfigure a crane at the construction site of Vic Village South, a student-centric high-rise that has been going up all year, and are expected to last until Monday evening.

Ann Arbor opted to lease a hangar space at the city’s airport to a new company, MLive reports. The move rubbed Mark Roisen the wrong way: As the retiring owner of the Aviation Center, the hangar’s leasee of the last forty-three years, he’d hoped for the new lease to go to someone who’d continue with the same services and employees. But Beacon Aviation’s offer to put $200,000 into repairing the building proved too tempting for city council to turn down.

Ukranian scholars forced to flee the Russian invasion have found a respite in Ann Arbor, Jan Schlain reports in the November Observer. Seven applicants were chosen for a newly-created, year-long fellowship at the Weiser Center for academics displaced by the conflict.

While the pandemic may have been an obstacle to most, it was an opportunity to others, Cynthia Furlong Reynolds reports in the November Observer. Saline-based Akervall Technologies managed to re-calibrate their business model to produce face-shields for “hero facilities” around the country, rehiring furloughed employees and even taking on more than a hundred temps.

The county is short on snowplow drivers with winter fast approaching, MLive reports. They’re looking to hire seven new drivers for both seasonal and permanent work.

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival is looking for interns for next June, ClickOnDetroit reports. Recent graduates or college students with an interest in arts management or event organization can apply before Feb. 8.

The Washtenaw Rowing Center broke a world record last weekend, a reader reports. The team rowed on indoor rowing machines for forty hours and twenty minutes straight, surpassing the previous record of thirty-two hours thirteen minutes.

Radio host Martin Bandyke is giving up his morning show after more than forty years in the business, MLive reports. Bandyke has been at Ann Arbor’s 107one since 2006, and previously was the music director of Detroit’s WDET-FM. He’s hosting Food Gatherers’ “Rockin’ for the Hungry” fundraiser at the Maple Rd. Kroger through Saturday, and will continue to host his Sunday show, Fine Tunings. His last morning broadcast is on Dec. 22.

Sarah Innes recounts, and illustrates, a less-than-friendly encounter with a wild turkey in the November Observer. It turns out that turkey hens take mothering very seriously, and don’t take too kindly to intrusions by people or dogs strolling through the Arb.

Downtown kicks off the holiday shopping season Friday night. Midnight Madness in the Main St. district features live sidewalk entertainment 7–9 p.m., with deals and discounts on gifts, food & drink, and services. Dozens more places on and around State St. offer their own deals during Moonlight Madness, along with a performance by the exuberant Out Loud Chorus. The Kerrytown district’s celebrations center on Kindlefest, which takes over the Farmers Market from 5–9 p.m. with kids activities, fire pits, and live music.

Mexican/Mediterranean restaurant El Limon opened in Plymouth Mall in mid November. With a fusion menu of cuisines from different hemispheres, the restaurant offers dishes ranging from tacos and burritos to grape leaves and falafel.

Jewelers Austin & Warburton, Vedge Café, and bubble tea store ChaTime have all closed, Dave Algase reports in the November Observer. Jewelers Brenda and Craig Warburton are retiring after decades in business, while the owners of Vedge Café cite “life circumstances and the rising cost of everything” as the reason for their decision to close up shop.

ChaTime’s closing gave Cheng and Zhaojian Li a second chance at a Tower Plaza spot. In the Observer’s December issue, L. Marquette reports that the couple – who once worked together as air traffic controllers in Shanghai – opened Jasmine Bubble Tea there in October.

Q. Last week we reported that TheRide will receive federal funding for an Ann Arbor–Ypsi express route: “How [does] this funding differ from what [the millage passed in August] was for?” reader Orna Ehrlich emailed to ask. “And if it’s for the same thing is there the possibility that the millage amount will be reduced?”

A. TheRide’s new millage has significant overlap with the goals of the federal funding, but is much larger in scope. The tax is projected to raise around $22 million — compared to that, the $2.1 million grant is a drop in the bucket. And since it was promoted as a way to leverage increased federal and state funding, we don’t expect any reduction.

The Fowling Warehouse hosts a tournament to benefit Ozone House and homeless youth next Thursday, according to a press release. Teams from twenty Michigan breweries will compete for a trophy that will remain at the Fowling Warehouse all year. A suggested donation amount for attendees is $10, and people supporting the cause get free fowling regardless of whether they’re in the tournament or not.

By Jennifer Taylor

2 Friday: Catch a high-energy performance by the U-M’s Groove Performance Group, “Groove Gets Audited by the IRS.” This U-M student percussion-and-dance ensemble uses both traditional and nontraditional instruments (trash cans, propane tanks, toothbrushes, and more). 7 p.m., Michigan Theater. Tickets $8 (students, $5) in advance at the Michigan Union Ticket Office, and (if available) at the door. Facebook.com/umGroove.

3 Saturday: Pick up some original artwork at the U-M Prison Creative Arts Project 2022 Live Art Auction. Sales of work by incarcerated artists, PCAP curators, U-M faculty members, and other Michigan artists benefit the 27th Annual Exhibition of Artists in Michigan Prisons in spring 2023. The program begins with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. Also, a virtual silent auction starting Dec. 1 at 7 p.m., online at ​​pcapauction2022.ggo.bid. 7:30 p.m., Michigan Union Courtyard. Free admission. 647–6771.

4 Sunday: Hear the 175-voice University Choral Union, members of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and well-known professional soloists perform Handel’s Messiah under the direction of Scott Hanoian. The Choral Union Messiah, featuring a thunderous sing-along of the “Hallelujah” Chorus, has been an Ann Arbor tradition since 1879. 2 p.m. (also 8 p.m. on Sat. Dec. 2), Hill Auditorium. Tickets $17–$43 (students, $12–$20) in advance at tickets.ums.org, at Michigan League, by phone, and (if available) at the door. 764–2538.

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