A woman identifying herself as Osprey locked herself to a large mulching machine on the Concord Pines development site at 660 Earhart Road in northeast Ann Arbor early Friday morning, March 25, to prevent tree-clearing work from continuing.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
Cities change. That’s the only thing that remains a constant.
Last Sunday, we wrote about how Braun Court in Kerrytown isn’t the LGBTQ hub it used to be, with many building vacancies and an uncertain future.
And on Thursday, we reported fan-favorite restaurant, Denny’s on Washtenaw, is closing.
But as much as things change, some things stay the same.
Last Sunday, Jordyn Pair wrote a lovely feature on Carpenter Bros. Hardware Store, a staple of its north side neighborhood for 50 years.
This means the hardware shop started the same year as Hash Bash, that little slice of “old Ann Arbor” that’s also going 50 years strong.
Ann Arbor is a little different than it was in 1972, when folks first took to University of Michigan’s campus to smoke down in defiance of marijuana laws.
The rents in Ann Arbor are surely steeper now than they were in 1972, but perhaps the biggest change is that marijuana – the possession of which got counterculture icon John Sinclair sentenced to 10 years in the federal pen back in 1969 – is legal for recreational use in Michigan.
But that’s not going to stop thousands from descending on the Diag at high noon Saturday, April 2 where 80-year-old Sinclair is scheduled to speak, among many others.
Activism was on display earlier in the week, too. Last Friday, a protester chained herself to mulching machines at the Concord Pines development site to halt developer’s plans to cut down hundreds of trees to build a high-end neighborhood.
“I want people to feel empowered to defend the forest,” the woman told reporter Ryan Stanton.
Two protesters were chained to the machines Monday morning when the fire department and police were called to the area. Firefighters cut the chains and police arrested them, Sam Dodge reported.
Read all about those stories and many others.
Get ready for Hash Bash! Treasure hunt to benefit record expungement part of the fun
The 50th anniversary of the Hash Bash marijuana festival in Ann Arbor is here.
The cannabis celebration that started in 1972 and attracts thousands of visitors while creating clouds of smoke is scheduled for high noon April 2 on the University of Michigan Diag, coinciding with a return of the Monroe Street Fair.
Cannabis enthusiasts can explore Ann Arbor’s marijuana businesses — and raise money for record expungement — with a scavenger hunt.
Woman locks herself to machine to protest cutting trees for luxury homes in Ann Arbor
2 protesters arrested after locking themselves to machinery cutting trees for Ann Arbor luxury homes
Self-described forest defenders took action to oppose a developer’s plan to cut down hundreds of landmark trees and build a 57-home luxury subdivision.
A woman locked herself to a large mulching machine on the Concord Pines development site at 660 Earhart Road in northeast Ann Arbor early Friday morning, March 25, to prevent tree-clearing work from continuing.
Then on Monday, police arrested a pair of protesters who locked themselves to the mulcher and responding to a trespassing report, said Ann Arbor Police Lt. Mike Scherba.
The two protesters sat locked to a mulching machine for a few hours awaiting Ann Arbor firefighters to cut them loose prior to being arrested by police. It was a continuation of last Friday’s resistance to the removal of landmark trees at the upcoming Concord Pines development site.
Ann Arbor Denny’s restaurant closes its doors for good
“Closed” reads the handwritten note in blue marker on a piece of printer paper taped to the inside of the glass door of Ann Arbor’s Denny’s restaurant on Washtenaw Avenue.
The local franchise of the national diner-style chain known for its late-night hours and Grand Slam breakfasts shut its doors for good on Wednesday, March 30, a customer service representative for the restaurant chain confirmed in a Facebook message.
Ann Arbor’s north side has ‘claimed’ this local hardware store for 50 years
For Armando and Ita Reyes, owning a successful hardware store is more about forming relationships than it is the tools they carry.
Armando Reyes first began working at Carpenter Bros. Hardware Store & Rental, 2753 Plymouth Road in Ann Arbor, when he was 16 years old. After working his way through the ranks, he bought the store in 2008 after serving as manager for two years.
“I’ve been coming to this store as a girlfriend, fiancée, wife, boss lady,” Ita Reyes said. “The kids have grown here. We’ve known these people for a long, long time.”
University of Michigan regents OK $52M project at former Dexter book manufacturing building
A longtime Dexter book manufacturing facility could see new life as a part of University of Michigan Health’s pharmacy program under a multi-million dollar plan given the green light by the university’s Board of Regents.
On Thursday, March 24, the regents unanimously approved the purchase of the building at 7300 West Joy Road for $6 million, pending final due diligence, and a $52-million development plan for the facility that once housed Thomson-Shore, Inc.
That company, founded in 1972, provided manufacturing, printing, publishing and distribution services before filing for bankruptcy protection three years ago. While being acquired by Minnesota-based CJK Group, Inc., the firm, now falling under the brand Sheridan, announced layoffs for at least 80 workers.
150-year-old Washtenaw County farmhouse being restored, given new purpose
A rural farmhouse that has stood for a century and a half some 10 miles outside downtown Ann Arbor is set to turn a new page.
For more than 150 years, the unassuming two-story home served as the homestead for a family descended from German immigrants, and who exemplified Washtenaw County’s agricultural roots.
Donald Staebler moved into the home on Plymouth Road in Superior Township just shy of his second birthday in 1912, before it had any running water, plumbing or electricity.
Now, five years after Staebler’s death at age 106, officials hope his homestead will remind generations to come of the way he and his family lived.
They’re gearing up for an exacting rehabilitation of the farmhouse, restoring it to its 1920s state, for use in park programming and instruction in traditional arts, crafts and other skills by the Michigan Folk School.
Last call for Ann Arbor’s Braun Court? Bar among last businesses standing
There isn’t much left of what used to be Ann Arbor’s Braun Court these days.
Gone are the Aut Bar, Siam Cuisine Thai restaurant, Common Language Bookstore and Jim Toy Community Center.
The rainbow-colored decorations and the tables and chairs that filled the middle of the once-lively courtyard are no more.
Some windows are papered over and shuttered, signs taken down. Some properties have fallen into disrepair.
Four of the seven houses that make up the commercial courtyard in the Kerrytown district now sit empty, leaving the fate of the once-vibrant downtown destination in question.
Motorist’s mishap leaves car stuck blocking new downtown Ann Arbor bikeway
A motorist’s mishap left a car stuck blocking a new downtown Ann Arbor bikeway.
Ann Arbor police said they were called to the scene at about 10 a.m. Friday, March 25.
A man driving a white Chevrolet Cruze said he was in a hurry and trying to turn from Huron Street onto First Street heading north and didn’t realize he was turning into a two-way bikeway marked with green pavement until it was too late. His attempt to maneuver left the front left wheel of his car firmly lodged in the landscaped median separating bicycle and automobile traffic and the rest of the car blocking the southbound bikeway lane.
‘You would have been bankrupt’: Scio Township hears dire warnings over finances
Elected leaders in Scio Township heard a series of dire warnings about the state of their local government’s finances on March 22 as they began to mull the coming fiscal year’s budget, allocating some $18.8 million in taxes and other revenue.
Multiple key pots of public money, including the township’s general fund and water, sewer and fire funds are in the red, the deputy treasurer said. Auditors have dinged the township for errors and failure to follow regulations.
Ann Arbor charter school in legal battle with management firm it alleges gave fraudulent student count
An Ann Arbor charter school is facing possible closure after losing its authorization while in the midst of a legal battle with its former management company, which is alleging the school failed to pay hundreds of thousands in fees.
The lawsuit, filed by Global Education Excellence in October 2021 in Washtenaw County Circuit Court, alleges Ann Arbor Learning Community charter school owes it payment for two months of fees totaling $256,972.40 for July and August 2021, after informing GEE its board of directors voted to not renew the service agreement it had with the company in June 2021.
Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next Friday with another set of headlines.
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John Counts is the News Leader for MLive in Ann Arbor. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com.
Hello, Ann Arbor: Saline bar featured in TV show; Michigan Stadium’s $41M scoreboard project
Hello, Ann Arbor: Common Grill to stay open; the Dexter tornado 10 years later
Hello, Ann Arbor: Hash Bash plans for 50th; Dimo’s could be yours for $1M
School board finally meets; Michigan football benefactor dies: Ann Arbor headlines Feb. 25-March 3
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