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Pita Way, A Mediterranean Chain, To Open Two Locations In Ann Arbor

Pita Way, A Mediterranean Chain, To Open Two Locations In Ann Arbor

Tuesday, March 5: This Spring, Pita Way, a Michigan-based Mediterranean chain, is set to open two new restaurants in Ann Arbor:

Morning, Ann Arbor! In honor of Ann Arbor turning 200 this year, the Ann Arbor District Library created a twenty-decade scavenger hunt. The below building was built in the 1830s, do you know what it is?

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The answer will be at the bottom of the newsletter.

Read Time: 3 minutes

Reader Count: 1,831 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 1.53%

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

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🥙 New Mediterranean Cusine: This Spring, Pita Way, a Michigan-based Mediterranean chain, is set to open two new restaurants in Ann Arbor: one at 500 E. William St. (the old Neo Papalis Pizza location) and one at 5609 Jackson Road. The rapidly expanding chain was founded in Clarkston, Michigan in 2010 and has already expanded to 27 locations with 9 more coming soon. For any Mediterranean foodies, here’s their Instagram.

🚲 Bicycle Film Festival: This Saturday night, State Theater will host the 24th Annual Bicycle Film Festival. In 2001 Brendt Barbour created the Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) after he was hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York City. Determined to turn his negative experience into a positive one, Barbour founded BFF, an independent film festival that celebrates bicycles. You can buy tickets to the 8:30 showing here (the 6:30 time slot has already sold out).

🦠 Measles Case: On Friday, the Washtenaw County Health Department reported a case of measles at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital (5301 McAuley Dr, Ypsilanti, MI 48197). While officials have contained the local patient, the case is Michigan’s 2nd this year - previously the state hasn’t had a measles case since 2019. Health officials are advising all Michiganders to get the measles vaccine - with one dose the vaccine is 93% effective and with two doses the vaccine is 97% effective. If you’re unsure of your vaccination history, you can use this link from the state to check your records.

📚 Concordia University: Despite recent financial challenges, Concordia University Ann Arbor will remain open for the 2024-2025 academic year. More details about future cost reductions and staff cuts will come in the following weeks, but for now, students have clarity about the next school year.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

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🇺🇸 Presidential Primary Results: Unsurprisingly (and in keeping with national trends), Joe Biden and Donald Trump won last week’s Michigan presidential primary. Biden received 81% of the Democratic vote (with 13% of Democratic voters voting “uncommitted” - a sign of protest against the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war) and Trump received 68% of the Republican vote (Washtenaw County was the only county in the state where Trump received less than 50% of the Republican vote). How Washtenaw County voted:

Washtenaw County Republicans:
- 49.9% - Donald Trump
- 44.7% - Nikki Haley
- 5.4% - Other
Washtenaw County Democrats:
- 77.9% - Joe Biden
- 17.3% - "Uncommitted”
- 4.8% - Other

🐻 Black Bear Population: Michigan’s black bear population has increased by 25% over the past decade (with a 21% uptick in the Upper Peninsula and a 55% uptick in the Lower Peninsula). With over 12,000 bears now in the state, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has also reported a 4x increase in black bear nuisance complaints, leading the department to revisit state hunting quotas to keep the population in balance.

⛳️ Top Public Golf Courses: Six Michigan golf courses made GolfPass’s 2024 list of “Top 25 Public Courses for Best Conditions”. The impeccably maintained mitten courses are: