Home > 🏈 The clock hit zero. Then it didn't.

🏈 The clock hit zero. Then it didn't.

Plus: new food at the stadium, Thursday's storm, and the Kline's lot vote

The Michigander
Monday, September 7, 2026
🏈 The clock hit zero. Then it didn't.

Morning, Ann Arbor! Michigan opened the season with a one-second finish that had the whole Big House holding its breath, and the week ahead is jam-packed: a rebuilt stadium menu, an ambulance painted like a Michigan helmet, and fall arriving all at once. As always, you're hearing it here first, so you can be the friend who actually knows what's going on around town. Let's roll!

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JJ Buchanan made the game winning catch to seal the victory for the Wolverines

🏈 Michigan Wins on a Hail Mary as Time Expires

The game was over. Then it wasn't. Michigan trailed Western Michigan 12-7 with 35 seconds left and looked cooked. On what seemed like the final play, Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary sailed out of the end zone as the clock hit zero, until officials put one second back on the board. Underwood's next heave found JJ Buchanan for a 45-yard touchdown and an improbable 13-12 win. ESPN

Big House Nachos, a new addition to the menu

🌭 The Stadium Food Got A Full Rebuild

The Big House switched to Levy Restaurants and put new cooking gear in every concession stand. The one to try is the Jalapeno Popper Dog, a Dearborn all-beef dog under cheddar whipped cream cheese, bacon crumbles and charred jalapeno relish. There is a pit beef sandwich sold only in Section 17, and club level gets an M-shaped pretzel with Zingerman's pimento cheese. Yahoo Sports

Maize-And-Blue Ambulance

πŸš‘ There Is A Maize-And-Blue Ambulance On The Road Now

The fire department put a new ambulance into service Thursday, painted like a Michigan helmet, and U-M covered the $346,000. It is the city's third in about as many years. It runs all year, not just game days. City of Ann Arbor

Aventura, 216 E Washington St

πŸ₯˜ Aventura Is Cooking Paella Over Fire On The Patio

Aventura (216 E Washington St) is running a World Paella Day afternoon with the kitchen cooking paella live over the fire out on the patio. A ticket gets you a glass of cava and a scoop straight off the pan, with Spanish drinks and happy hour bites available after. Sept 20, $20/person. Buy a ticket

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Support Ann Arbor Teachers

🍎 Ann Arbor Teachers Ratify a New Contract

After more than eight months of stalemate, Ann Arbor teachers have a deal. The Ann Arbor Education Association ratified the agreement this week, 524 to 377, ending an impasse that had dragged on since the last contract expired in late 2025. Union president Fred Klein called it a shorter-term deal (running through December 2027) that "put some money in people's pockets right away," but made clear the fight for competitive pay isn't over. CBS News

Kline’s Lot, 309 S Ashley St

πŸ›οΈ Council Votes Tuesday On The Kline's Lot

The sale of the city-owned Kline's lot on Ashley to developer Hines is item CA-21 on Tuesday's agenda and needs eight votes. City documents put the proceeds near $17.4 million for a two-phase project with more than 500 apartments and ground-floor retail. The Ark, whose back door opens onto that block, wants it pulled from the consent agenda for its own discussion, saying exhibits referenced in the agreement are missing from the packet. The Ark

The Rambler, 701 Church St

πŸ—οΈ What Actually Happened At The Rambler

If you saw the video of floors appearing to fall at 701 Church St, here is the explanation. A crane was moving aluminum scaffolding on Aug 31 when it struck another section, which bent and came to rest against the guardrail. City officials said it "was not a structural failure or partial collapse of the building," and a tether kept it off the street. The 17-story student building still opens in 2027. WXYZ

πŸ”Œ Nearly 20,000 In The County Lost Power

The same storm cut power to about 19,900 people in Washtenaw by 5pm Thursday, a little over ten percent of the county, spread across roughly 340 separate outages. Wind damage caused most of them, and DTE expected eighty percent back by that evening. As of this writing, 98% had their power back. If you're in the last 2%, you're probably not reading this anyway, but we're rooting for you. Outage Map

β€˜

416 Fourth St in the Old West Side

🍺 The Roofless Brewery On Fourth Street Is Staying Dry

Speaking of tornado’s, the old brewery at 416 Fourth St is still missing a chunk of its roof four and a half months after the April tornado, and you can see sky through the fourth-floor windows. It apparently looks worse than it is. An engineer built a waterproof structure inside that channels rain to a drain. The building is still under agreement to be sold and rumored to be converted into condominiums. MLive

🏑 An Ann Arbor Ranch Home Got A Bold Makeover

Sarah and Jay Finnane's 1950s ranch looks unassuming from the street and hides a soaring, glass-walled family room inside. It just landed in Better Homes & Gardens for a remodel packed with navy cabinets, jungle-print wallpaper and deep emerald walls, with local builder, Meadowlark reworking the layout around it. Their favorite β€œrisk” was the blue cabinets, and as Sarah put it, if there is one town where blue never goes out of style, it is Ann Arbor. Midwest Living

πŸ•ŠοΈ Remembering Tommy York

Ann Arbor has lost one of its own. Tommy York, the founding partner of YORK Food + Drink and its owner-operator for nearly three decades, passed away at home this week. A longtime resident, he poured himself into this community, coaching youth archery, hosting fundraisers for local food pantries, and giving to countless nonprofits. Under his vision, YORK grew from a small artisan shop into a beloved destination with a full bar, the YORK Yard, and live music. Above all, he was a devoted father, husband, and friend. The family has asked for privacy as they grieve. Rest in peace, Tommy. YORK

On the Market

121 Kenwood Ave

121 Kenwood Ave β€” $530,000 2 bed | 1 bath | 1,296 sqft - A 1924 west-side home in the Eberwhite neighborhood with original maple and oak floors, an updated kitchen and bath, a heated front porch and a backyard filled with mature landscaping and flower gardens.

530 N Division St

530 N Division St β€” $1,875,000 3 bed | 4 bath | 2,481 sqft - The Bridge is a custom-built condo flat right in Kerrytown, aiming to be one of the most sustainable buildings in the world (it's designed to be the first Zero-Energy Passive-certified condo in Michigan). TheBridgeA2.com 

544 Detroit

544 Detroit St #201β€” $2,895,000 3 bed | 4 bath | 3,196 sqft - If you've always wondered what the inside of this building looked like, us too. The Flatiron at 544 Detroit St is a true one-of-a-kind: a freestanding Kerrytown corner home with a private four-stop elevator, three light-filled floors, a chef's kitchen with 270-degree skyline views, a rooftop deck, and a basement gym, all steps from the farmers market and downtown.

Adoptable Humane Society Pets

Cyn

Cyn β€” 6 years 6 months | Spayed Female | Bulldog / Beagle A medium-sized brown-and-white pup with a shy, gentle personality. Meet Cyn. 

Cadence

Cadence β€” 3 years 7 months | Spayed Female | Cat A medium-sized brown-and-orange cat with a friendly, charming personality. Meet Cadence

Daisy Mae

Daisy Mae β€” 2 years 1 month | Spayed Female | Pit Bull Terrier Mix A medium-sized brown-and-white pup with a friendly, spunky personality and lots of love to give. Meet Daisy Mae.

That's all for now! Have a great week in Tree Town!

β€” Ryan, James, and the Michigander Team

P.S. - Following us on Instagram is scientifically proven to make you 40% cooler.* β†’ @michigandernews
*Not scientifically proven (yet).

P.P.S. - Bills Beer Garden opens at 8am this Saturday (first time ever) for a tailgate so you can start the Oklahoma game with a drink before kickoff, pouring until noon and reopening at 3:30pm for whatever mood the result puts everyone in. β†’ Instagram

P.P.P.S. β€” Orijin Bakery just dropped its September menu, with new pastries like the Tomato Danish, Maple Cheddar Scone, and the Banoffee Cruffin. Open every day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (or until sold out). Haven't been yet? Consider this your sign. Orijin Bakery

P.P.P.P.S. β€” And if you're wondering what on earth a banoffee cruffin is, allow us: a flaky, muffin-shaped pastry of laminated croissant dough filled with banana pastry cream, dulce de leche, and toffee or graham cracker crumbs. You're welcome.

 P.P.P.P.P.S. - U-M is introducing the "Wolverine Walk," a new pregame ritual where the team walks about 100 yards from Crisler's northeast entrance to the stadium tunnel. It replaces the old setup where buses dropped players right at the tunnel, so now a lot more fans get to line the route and cheer the Wolverines in. Michigan Football

P.P.P.P.P.P.S. - Doggy Dip hands the Rolling Hills pool over to dogs on Saturday before it closes for the season, five dollars a dog, with separate entry windows for the little ones and the big ones so nobody gets flattened. β†’ Doggy Dip

P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. - Consider this your official invitation to the grand opening of Aperitivo this Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. (200 S. Ashley). Expect wine, spritzes, negronis, and meats, cheeses, and olives aplenty, an evening of Italian culture to toast the new spot. Complimentary toast and charcuterie, with drinks available for purchase. Cin cin! Aperitivo

🐻 Michigander Things

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