2014 January

Doing it the Hard Way

Last fall, an Ann Arborite noticed that the city was using a rented truck to pick up compost in his neighborhood. Moreover, he noted, it was an older-style rear-loading truck with a crew of three–while the city’s...

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J. Jill and Vie Fitness & Spa

The final ground-level retail store to open at Arbor Hills Crossing was J. Jill, a women’s retailer. Like many national brands, J. Jill struggles to find its niche in the huge retail ocean of mid-priced clothing for women....

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Tati Takes a Break

“My nephew is always saying, ‘Tati, you need to take a break.’ And I finally said, ‘Hmmm, that could be fun.’ But I’m not retiring. I don’t like the idea yet,” says Mathilde...

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Bigalora Opens

Bigalora, which just opened in Arbor Hills Crossing, is new to Ann Arbor, but then, it’s new everywhere: it’s a rebranding of the former Pizzeria Biga. There are two others in the Detroit area, and all three are...

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The Schools’ Unhappy New Year

“Our fingers are crossed that we won’t have to borrow [to meet] December payroll,” says Ann Arbor school board president Deb Mexicotte.Ten years ago, the public schools had a $40 million savings account. But as...

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Hawk Hunting

On a gray day, consider hunting for hawks. We’ve seen more hawks in Ann Arbor on overcast winter days than at any other time.There may be several reasons for this. When there is no glare from the sun, spotting the hawks is...

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Sava’s Aventura Opens

Sava Lelcaj’s spacious new restaurant/bar on Washington opened in late November. A gracefully scripted neon sign over the door says Aventura, but it may become better known as “TAPAS,” after its other sign, the...

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Thirty-Six Exam Prep Services

There’s something to be said for adding a new topic to our cultural dialogue. Such was the case for our little contest in December.We received 129 entries correctly identifying the Fake Ad for Thirty-Six Exam Prep Services...

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The Tines of the Fork

“I Spy Eat … on Packard.” writes Sterling C. Sherman of Detroit. Elleanor Crown sees “the tines of the fork …impaling the ‘e’ of Eat”–the establishment featured in December...

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From a Class of One to 640

After greeting my older brothers when they came home from Popkins School, I could hardly wait to start kindergarten. The red brick one-room elementary school was on the corner of Plymouth and Earhart roads in Ann Arbor Township....

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Surviving the Sequester

When Congress couldn’t reach a budget deal at the end of 2011, it triggered an automatic 5.1 percent across-the-board spending cut. Local governments worked hard to blunt the impact of “sequestration” on human...

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Tim Haldeman

The Elks Lodge on Sunset is an imposing house perched on a hill overlooking the northern entrance to the city. Built as a private home over a century ago, it has since 1944 been the home of the Ann Arbor chapter of the Improved...

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