New Brunch Restaurant, Toastique, To Open Downtown

Morning, Ann Arbor! There’s (some) snow on the ground, The Michigander is in your inbox, and U of M is playing in the National Championship tonight. All is right.

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

🥯 New Brunch Spot: Toastique, a health-focused brunch franchise, is set to open its first Michigan location this spring in downtown Ann Arbor. The restaurant will be located at 200 E Washington St. (the old T-Mobile location) and will serve gourmet toasts, bowls, smoothies, and fresh cold-pressed juices.

🏠 Home Explosion: Four members of the Bragg family passed away and two more were hospitalized when their Northfield Township home exploded on December 30. Over $80,000 has been raised for the survivors’ (Richard and Stephen) medical expenses and the family’s funeral expenses. While an investigation into the exact cause of the explosion is ongoing, authorities do not suspect any foul play.

💡 LED Street Lights: After receiving a Carbon Reduction Grant from SEMCOG, Ann Arbor is transitioning its streetlights to LEDs and asking residents for feedback on the color temperature and wattage of the new lights. With demo lights installed at Easy Street and Packard, and West Liberty and Eberwhite Boulevard, the city has posted QR codes linking to online surveys for residents to cast votes. The options include 29w/2700K, 29w/3000K, 58w/2700K, and 58w/3000K lights.

🎄 Christmas Tree Drop Off: This week is the last week residents can drop off Christmas trees to the city. Undecorated trees can be dropped off at Bicentennial Park, West Park, Gallup Boat Launch, and Olson Park from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dropped-off trees will be chipped for mulch or composted.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

👮‍♂️ Detroit’s Crime Drop: Detroit reported 252 homicides in 2023, an 18% decrease from 2022 and the lowest annual count since 1966. Additionally, in 2023, Detroit’s nonfatal shootings fell by 16% and carjackings fell by 34%, but larceny increased by 11%.

🛒 mPerks Fraud: A Grand Haven man, Nicholas Mui, 22, faces charges including identity theft and conducting a criminal enterprise after allegedly stealing $1 million in Meijer mPerks rewards. Mui is accused of compromising Meijer customers' accounts and using their points. Following customer complaints and an investigation, authorities seized $400,000 in cash and cryptocurrency. Meijer reimbursed affected customers, with hundreds impacted. The Michigan Attorney General emphasized the importance of secure passwords to prevent such fraud.

🎵 Music Videos in Lansing: In November, Rep. Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) was named the “most conservative” lawmaker in Michigan. Last week, the first-term legislator created a music video responding to the title. This is the second music video the lawmaker has released, here is the first.

ON THE MARKET

5 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,742 Sqft | $350,000

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,860 Sqft | $523,900

5 Bed | 6 Bath | 5,470 Sqft | $869,900

ADOPTABLE HUMANE SOCIETY PETS

Sweet Pea | 1 year | Terrier/Pit Bull

Sweet Willy | 14 years | Domestic Longhair

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

- Andrew

P. P. S. - The Fillmore in Dexter closed.

P. P. P. S - A couple got engaged at CMU’s December graduation.

P. P. P. P. S. - For January, February, and March, the city transitions from weekly compost pick-up to monthly compost pick-up. This week is January’s pick-up. Bins out, people.