Gold medals, viral nuns, and the best bagel in Ann Arbor

Morning, Ann Arbor! Lot of new Michiganders. Welcome. You picked a good one. It’s spring break this week, enjoy the open roads while you can.

🌡️ Weather: 36° and sunny today. Rain moves in Wednesday through Friday. But the weekend warms up near 60 and that's basically spring in Michigan. Almost there.

Read Time: 5 minutes

Reader Count: 4,091 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 3.31%

🏀 Michigan Clinches Big Ten Title The Wolverines clinched at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown with a win over Minnesota Monday night, then went to Illinois Friday and won 84-70 to clinch it outright. Morez Johnson Jr. put up 19 and 11 against his former team while getting booed the entire game. Record: 27-2 overall, 17-1 in conference. Up next: Iowa on 3/5, then Michigan State on 3/8 for a sold-out Maize Out. ESPN

🏀 Women's Basketball: The Comeback of the Year #8 Michigan trailed #13 Ohio State by 8 with 1:36 left in overtime. Then they scored the final 10 points to win 88-86. Macy Brown hit back-to-back threes to spark the run. Olivia Olson dropped a career-high 31 and hit the game-winning layup with three seconds left. Recap here (3 min). Saturday they beat #14 Maryland 87-69 on Senior Day to close out the regular season 24-5, 15-3 in the Big Ten. Up next: Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis starting 3/6. MGoBlue

📚 A New Vision for the Downtown Library A 77-page report lays out a plan to transform the downtown Ann Arbor library at 343 S. Fifth Ave. The new building would include a cafe, an auditorium, and housing above it at the Library Lane site. Think artist spaces, affordable units, and market-rate condos on top. AADL will put out a public RFP to find a developer. MLive

🏠 Dunbar Tower Welcomes Its First Residents Dunbar Tower in Kerrytown is finally filling up. The 63-unit building sits on what was historically Ann Arbor's Black Business District. Half the units are supportive housing, 34 are reserved for income-qualifying artists, and the ground floor is a community space designed by local Black residents. The artist one-bedrooms are listed at $650 to $900 a month, and residents pay 30% of their income toward rent with HUD covering the rest. The city needs all units filled by May or they lose the tax credits. mLive

🎓 115,125 Applications. A New Record. 

U-M received 115,125 applications for fall 2026. That's a 29% jump over five years. This year also brought a new Early Decision option for the first time. If you think parking is bad now, just wait. U-M Record

📱 Local Nuns Go Viral on TikTok

The Dominican Sisters of Mary on Joy Road (just south of town) posted a video about their Ultimate Frisbee strategy. It hit 1.5 million views and 191K likes. The secret play? Chat up Sisters on the other team to keep them distracted during the game. The comments section is pure gold. TikTok 

Shoutout to Paul D for the tip ❤️

🏛️ Whitmer's Final State of the State

Big priorities: literacy, housing, and healthcare. Michigan is 44th in 4th grade reading, which is bad. She's proposing $21.4 billion for K-12, a $100 million tutoring program, and $10,300 per-pupil funding. For homebuyers, up to $10K in down-payment help (and $25K for first-generation buyers). She called literacy "an ordinary superpower that every child deserves” and closed it out with “Big Gretch Out." Detroit News

🏅 Michigan Athletes Bring Home Olympic Gold 

Fifteen Michigan athletes competed in the 2026 Winter Olympics. Both hockey teams won gold. Ann Arbor's Evan Bates took gold in rhythm dance and carried the flag at the closing ceremony. But the real story: every single player on the ice when the US won its first men's hockey gold in 46 years was from Michigan. Hughes (Canton), Werenski (Grosse Pointe Woods), Larkin (Waterford), Hellebuyck (Commerce). All four. You're welcome, America. Michigan Independent

❣️Local Love (not sponsored, we just love them) 

🍯 Bløm Mead + Cider: Bløm (pronounced "bloom") on S. 4th Ave is one of the most underrated spots in town. Owners Lauren and Matt Ritchey make dry, sparkling session meads and ciders sourced entirely from Michigan. Gluten-free, crazy light, and nothing like the sweet Viking stuff you're imagining. But it's the space that makes Bløm special. Yoga, trivia, board game nights, you name it. If you want to guarantee yourself a good time, check out their upcoming events. 

100 S. 4th Ave | drinkblom.com | @drinkblom

Insider tip: ask for the aperitivo. Born from a trip to Spain, it’s one of the best things on the menu.

🥯 Batch House Bagels: This one's different. Batch House isn't a shop yet. It's one guy, Steven Kovanda, making the best handmade bagels in Ann Arbor out of his kitchen. 42-hour fermentation, boiled and stone-baked, water matched to NYC's. The Observer wrote him up in January and orders have been climbing since. We reached out to Steven directly: he just upgraded to commercial equipment, his first pop-up is at Hear.Say Brewing (3/14 at 9am), and house-made cream cheese is coming. You're getting in on the ground floor. Or as Steven might say, the first batch.

Give him a follow & place an order by sliding into his DMs on IG @batchhousebagels or via email at [email protected]

Shoutout to Rachael F & Alex D for the tips. ❤️

Do you know a local spot that deserves more love? Tell us. We'll do the taste testing and report back (somebody's gotta do it).

📸 Only in Ann Arbor

There's a mini print vending machine inside University Flower Shop in Nickels Arcade. Four quarters, one surprise print. Grab a bouquet (or a house plant) while you're at it.

🏡 On the Market

616 S Ashley St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 — $525,000 3 bed | 2 bath | 1,138 sqft Historic Old West Side home just listed on Friday. Built in 1901 with wood floors, a remodeled kitchen, and a front porch close enough to Washtenaw Dairy to smell the donuts. Last sold in 2014 for $180K.

1002 W Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 — $849,000 4 bed | 2 bath | 2,019 sqft 1901 Victorian on the Old West Side. Stained glass reading nook, original staircase, front porch that gets more use than the living room. Arguably the best neighborhood in the city. Last sold in 2021 for $750K.

2770 Byington Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105 — $1,095,000 5 bed | 3.5 bath | 3,240 sqft Renovated colonial sitting on a wooded acre near the Huron River. First of all, that tile. Is it blue? Is it green? We honestly don't know but it works. Also this place has a full guest suite on the main level with its own kitchenette and bathroom. Your in-laws can visit and you can still like them when they leave. Last sold in 2021 for $955K.

That's all for now! Enjoy March, Ann Arbor.

— Ryan & James

P.S. Know someone who'd like this? Forward it. They can subscribe here.

P.P.S. Judy Collins is playing The Ark this Friday at 8pm. She's 86, still touring, and has been performing since 1959. Badass. Tickets are $56.50.  The Ark

P.P.P.S. U-M student Brendan LaFrenier is running 200 miles across Michigan next week for homeless shelters. I drove that to Traverse City and needed a nap afterwards. Two local shelters benefit, including Ozone House. Goal is $100K, they’ve raised $14K so far. More info

P.P.P.P.S. We finally checked out Dozer Coffee. You were right. Got the Devil's Mess Hash special and a cinnamon honey latte. They were out of almond milk so I went whole. Zero regrets. 

P.P.P.P.P.S. Yeah, this PS thing is getting out of hand but there are no rules here. Tree Town Comedy Festival runs this week 3/4-3/7. The world needs more laughter right now.