Question Corner | June 2025
While we navigated through several streets with reduced lanes on the way to a concert at Hill, we wondered: do companies have to pay the city when they close streets to make room for construction?
Read MoreAnn Arbor
Jennifer Jean Hein
Jennifer Jean Hein, 66, passed away unexpectedly on April 28, 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The eldest child of Peggy and Charlie Hein, she was born on July 7, 1958 in Lincoln, Nebraska. She was proud to follow in the footsteps of her parents with a strong commitment to education and public service.
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Target: The Arts
Without waiting for Congress to act, his appointees cancelled NEA grants that had already been approved—including $30,000 for the Ann Arbor Film Festival. The 2025 festival was in March, and “I had already submitted our final report and payment request,” says executive director Leslie Raymond.
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Warriors and Caregivers
A Vietnam veteran and Ford Motor Company retiree, Kinzinger has been helping other veterans for around thirty-five years, including raising money for the Washtenaw County Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. Now his focus is on Warriors and Caregivers United (WACU), a nonprofit that prioritizes supporting returning veterans, their caregivers, and their families.
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Concours de Médiocrité
“The most obvious giveaway is the date of June 31—it ain’t happening. Much more interesting, though, are the (at least in some way self-contradictory) instances of wordplay. ‘Competition in Mediocrity’—chef kiss left! ‘Pedestrian automobiles’—chef kiss right! … The nod to the previous month’s winner (Merry Muilenberg) is the 1926 Muilenberg Model X.”
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Red Hawk Bar & Grille
“RIP Red Hawk,” says Elise McCoy. “You were my family’s favorite.”
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Bill Zimmerman
After Professor Bill Zimmerman presented his research to the Dalai Lama at a 1994 seminar on conflict resolution, the panel moderator moved to wrap up the session; the Dalai Lama, however, leaned in toward Bill to ask more questions about Bill’s research. For the many people who have sought Bill’s advice on either political or ethical matters over the years, this anecdote will not be a surprise.
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Dr. Milton Andrews Chace
Longtime Ann Arbor resident, Milton Chace, died March 29, 2025 at the U of M Hospital, of a respiratory infection. His passing was peaceful, attended by family and devoted caregivers.
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Return to Arrowwood
It’s hard for me to grasp that I’ve now lived with my wife, Mary, at Arrowwood Hills Cooperative for five years. It’s been a circuitous and fortuitous journey.
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Louie’s Back
When he grew up, Louie partnered with Mama Dux—a brown mallard—and together they raised twelve ducklings: nine were brown, and three were yellow, soon to turn white. Louie was an attentive father.
Read MoreA Pioneering Downtown Loft, Puzzling Exits on Primrose, and a Mayoral Legacy
A two-floor, 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath spread in the Heinrich Building at 111 S. Fourth Ave. changed hands last month for $1.75 million.
Read MoreBlack Pearl Now Has Windows on Liberty St.
At the end of an interview about the recently unveiled expansion of his Main St. seafood and cocktail venue Black Pearl, co-owner Harry Cohen suggests, “Write something beautiful!”
Read MoreQuestion Corner | May 2025
Q. The old Washtenaw County Garage (I think) across the street from the YMCA has been demolished except for the chimney which is home to chimney swifts. It is beloved by Ann Arbor birders. Is the chimney being preserved and, I hope, being incorporated into whatever future development might occur?
Read MoreRed Hawk Bows Out
Within its exposed brick walls, character-rich wood flooring, and high-backed booths, Red Hawk consistently served what became a loyal clientele of locals and university faculty and staff.
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Runway Reconsideration
Since city council decided not to expand the primary runway at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport last December, some are asking questions about the future of the property.
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Vyshyvanka Day
It’s not easy planning a “cheerful” Ukrainian celebration these days, but U-M statistician Iryna Bondarenko is determined to do just that. The observance of Vyshyvanka Day on May 15 “will not focus on the war,” she says. “ It’s something for people to enjoy.”
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Styrofoam Home
Al Gallup is ninety-eight and has lived in Ann Arbor all his life. However, the retired school administrator has never seen anything like the building now under construction near his home on Bydding Rd. “They’re building a house with a method I’ve never seen—Styrofoam—a lot of concrete work, [and] now more Styrofoam blocks came in,” says Gallup.
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Little Break
“When I said that to a random mom one time, she started crying,” the U-M Stamps grad continues. “She was like, ‘How am I doing? No one’s asked me that!’ And that’s what Mamas Network is about.”
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August Election
City council voted unanimously in March to hold a special election on August 5 to consider two city charter amendments. Together, they’d enable construction of a new downtown library in a high-rise spanning the existing library parcel and the “Library Lot” above the underground parking structure.
Read MoreTarget: DEI
Schools throughout the country responded, some by shuttering diversity programs, some by renaming webpages to make their pursuit of DEI less obvious, and some by resisting.
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