English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Ann Arbor, MI

ANN ARBOR, MI — Eighth Street resident Conan Smith said he looked out his window one December morning and his first thought was, “Oh, look, it snowed.”

“And then I was like, wait a minute, it’s like 40 degrees or something. It was too warm for snow,” he said, recalling it rained.

“I said what’s going on?”

The white stuff on the ground was actually a mysterious foamy substance spilling out of the storm sewer in the street near Ann Arbor’s Slauson Middle School and Waterworks Park.

Smith said he reported it to the city and talked with someone from the fire department who responded. He recalls being told the foam was coming from the Zion Lutheran Church property nearby on Liberty Street.

“It apparently flowed all the way down because I’m at the bottom of the hill,” Smith said.

He had wondered if it was something coming from construction happening at Slauson and if it was harmful.

The city revealed in its water newsletter Jan. 6 the mystery has been solved, with test results confirming the city’s theory it’s a far less alarming and surprisingly fascinating culprit: low-level surfactants from seed pods.

“The bubbles appear to be saponins, natural compounds released from the seed pods of the many honey locust trees lining the corridor,” the newsletter states. “When the pods or leaves get soaked and agitated (say, after a rainstorm), they can foam up in a way that looks straight out of a car wash.”

The city noted the Asian relative of the honey locust, gleditsia sinensis, is sometimes called the “soap pod” tree because its bark and seeds have been used as a natural cleanser.

“So, while it’s not exactly a new cleaning product on the market, nature seems to be creating a street-based bubble bath,” the newsletter states.

The newsletter includes Smith’s photo of the foamy substance on Eighth Street, though it describes the city having responded to reports along Liberty Street near the church.

“Out of an abundance of caution, city crews placed absorbent booms to capture any possible contaminants and collected samples of the sudsy substance for testing,” it states.

Smith said he loves this week’s big reveal that it was just nature being nature.

“That is pretty wild,” he said.

Smith, a former Washtenaw County commissioner and head of the Michigan Environmental Council, said it’s the first time he’s ever witnessed the phenomenon.

“It was very unusual,” he said.

Because he hadn’t known what it was initially, he collected a water sample and contacted the city and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy in case they wanted to test it, but he never heard back, he said. He left a jar of it on his porch for days and eventually got rid of it, he said.

Jennifer Lawson, the city’s water quality manager, said the city did not test for harmful chemicals like dioxane or PFAS. The city was focused on tracking a potential “suds/soap illegal dumping” in the street, she said.

Dioxane believed to be from the Gelman plume has been detected in shallow groundwater in the area in the past.

ANN ARBOR, MI — A national fitness studio franchise will bring “fun, unique and challenging” workouts to Ann Arbor.

Tremble, 417 E. Liberty St., will open a location this winter semester, pending construction plans, according to studio leader Olivia Quinn.

Presales will begin middle-to-late January, she said.

“This really would be something I could bring to the Ann Arbor campus community specifically and something that I wish that we had on campus back when I was a student,” Quinn, 34, said.

Quinn, a certified personal trainer and University of Michigan alumna, promises that the studio will bring elements of strength training, cardio and Pilates into its high-intensity, low-impact workouts.

Although the workouts will be “really challenging,” Quinn said Tremble is for everybody, both professional athletes and newcomers, and provides rewarding workouts to clients.

“You have the ability as the client to challenge yourself in different ways in the class, whether that is adding more resistance to your machine through our springs or staying in each exercise a little bit longer,” Quinn said.

Classes will have about 13 clients each and instructors can bring their own personality and teaching style to their classes, Quinn said.

She also said Tremble will be different from other fitness studios in Ann Arbor because of the mixed-element workouts and how personal the studio will be.

“What I want to do is to create this environment where people would want to not just hop in, take their workout and leave ... but where it could also be fun and nice to hang out a little bit before and after class,” Quinn said.

She hopes the studio lobby can have pop-ups featuring local businesses, which can allow clients to make new friends.

The location is optimal for University of Michigan students in Ann Arbor and students can fit a workout in before or after a class, she said.

Drake Filippis, associate broker at Signature Associates, represents the forthcoming Tremble location and said they looked at several locations across Ann Arbor before selecting the East Liberty Street spot.

He said they chose the East Liberty Street spot due to its close proximity to student life. He also cited the location’s proximity to a parking garage across the street as a factor.

Once the Ann Arbor studio begins presales, clients can book a class through the Tremble app.

Quinn received her bachelor’s degree from the UM Ross School of Business in 2013 and worked as a business consultant for 10 years in Chicago.

She then moved back to Michigan because of her husband’s job and wanted to pursue a career she was more passionate about, which led to her receiving a certification in personal training.

Quinn described finding out about Tremble as a “happy accident.” She was in Dallas for a friend’s engagement party in 2025 and searched for fitness reformers nearby. She then found a newly opened Tremble location.

“I just fell in love with the workout from class No. 1,” Quinn said.

After researching Tremble, she learned it was a franchise and decided to open a location in Ann Arbor.

Tremble has over 30 current and forthcoming locations, including one soon to be opened near the Ohio State University campus, according to the franchise’s website.

A leasing office previously held the East Liberty Street spot, Filippis said.

Encore Records, previously called Liberty Music Shop, held the space for about 60 years before it moved to Kerrytown.

Trinity Health Ann Arbor has completed Michigan’s first implant of the world’s smallest device designed to help treat dangerous heart rhythm disorders.

The defibrillation lead is a thin wire that connects an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to the heart. The connection allows the ICD to monitor heart rhythms and deliver gentle pacing or a life-saving shock if a patient’s heart beats dangerously fast or stops suddenly.

At just under 1.6 millimeters wide, the FDA-approved OmniaSecure defibrillation lead from Medtronic is guided through a vein and placed in the heart’s right ventricle using a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure.

The lead is used to treat conditions such as ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and sudden cardiac arrest, and it can also provide pacing support if a patient’s heart beats too slowly.

“This advancement underscores our commitment to delivering world-class cardiovascular care to the communities we serve, ensuring patients have access to the latest innovative treatments that promote their health and well-being,” says Alonzo Lewis, president of Trinity Health Ann Arbor, Livingston, Livonia, and Oakland.

“Our heart care team is second to none and continues to set the bar for excellence, achieving outstanding outcomes and improving the quality of life for patients throughout the region.”

Trinity Health Ann Arbor has been a nationally recognized leader in comprehensive cardiovascular care for more than 50 years. Led by a dedicated team of cardiologists covering all subspecialties of cardiovascular medicine, the hospital works to introduce innovative solutions to improve the lives of patients living with heart-related health conditions.

“The advancement elevates the quality of care we provide due to the device’s small size (~65% smaller than existing defibrillation leads) and the catheter-based delivery method we employ, which taken together reduce complications, improve placement accuracy, and support the long-term reliability of the cardioverter defibrillator system, all critical factors for patients at risk of sudden cardiac arrest or other serious rhythm disorders,” says Dr. Mohammad-Ali Jazayeri, an electrophysiologist and medical director of the Cardiac Device Clinic at Trinity Health Ann Arbor.

“Our team is committed to introducing innovations like this that enhance safety, improve outcomes, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of our patients.”

Trinity Health Michigan is one of the state’s largest employers. With more than 24,000 full-time employees serving 29 counties, Trinity Health Michigan is composed of nine hospitals located in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Howell, Livonia, Muskegon, Oakland Township, and Shelby Township, and two medical groups.

The health system has 2,314 beds and 5,446 physicians and advanced practice providers. With operating revenues of $4.16 billion, Trinity Health Michigan returns $184 million back to their local communities each year.

Together with numerous ambulatory care locations, home health and hospice agencies and 23 senior living communities owned and/or operated by Trinity Health, Trinity Health Michigan provides the full continuum of care for Michigan residents.

In Related News, Trinity Health announced it delivered $2.9 billion in programs and services during fiscal year 2025, despite what it calls significant pressures facing the health care industry.

Investments made across Trinity Health’s 25-state footprint include covering $310 million in care costs helping nearly 450,000 patients receive necessary routine and emergency care; completing more than 1 million screenings to identify patients’ food, housing and other social needs affecting their health; and generating $1.18 billion in investments in affordable housing, food access, education and employment since 2018.

Trinity Health is embeds health-related social needs screening and Community Health Workers (CHWs) into care across its national footprint:

“Improving health outcomes requires us to see and respond to the full context of our patients’ lives,” says Dr. Daniel J. Roth, executive vice president and CFO of Trinity Health. “By integrating social care into our clinical workflows, we are helping people avoid preventable hospitalizations, manage chronic conditions, and experience care that is dignified, culturally responsive and truly person-centered.”

Trinity Health’s FY2025 Community Impact: Working with Partners to Create ChangeSelect highlights from Trinity Health’s FY2025 Community Impact report include:

“From street medicine and housing outreach to food recovery, transportation and workforce training, we are working with communities to build a healthier future for everyone,” Slubowski adds.

Click to access the full report.

Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 133,000 colleagues and more than 38,900 physicians and clinicians caring for communities across 25 states.

The system includes 92 hospitals, 101 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country as well as many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2025, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $2.9 billion in its communities in the form of charity care, community benefits, and other programs and services.

For more information, visit at .

ANN ARBOR, MI -- One of the first brain-computer interface clinics in the country has opened in Ann Arbor.

University of Michigan Health opened its clinic to patients with severe motor and speech impairments on Tuesday, Dec. 16, Dr. Matthew Willsey, professor of neurosurgery and biomedical engineer at UM and clinic lead, said.

Willsey said the purpose of the clinic is to bring together a “multidisciplinary set of clinicians” who can cater to patients’ needs, tell them of the technology and their eligible clinical trials and inform them of other centers.

“This technology has developed rapidly, I would say, over the last 20 years through research groups in academia but is also now being commercialized,” Willsey said. “We’re at a point in the field where probably in the next five to 10 years, these devices will be available.”

Brain-computer interfaces decode brain signals and translate them into commands that control devices or restore communication.

The UM clinic is focused on implantable devices that interface with the nervous system, Willsey said.

“At the University of Michigan, we want to be focused on not just for our specific patients but for people in Michigan,” Willsey said. “We want to be focused on bringing people the most up to date clinical trials, the latest technology, so that it can be available to people.”

Once the clinic completes a comprehensive evaluation of a patient, the doctor will inform the patient about implantable devices or clinical trials that they can be a candidate for.

Patients are currently required to have a referral from their primary care physician to make an appointment at the clinic.

“Research into implantable BCIs is accelerating at breakneck speed,” Dr. Aditya Pandey, chair of the neurosurgery department at UM, said in a Dec. 17 press release. “Our teams will ensure that patients will be given as much detail as possible about the potential to receive recently approved neural interfaces, like vagus nerve stimulators, and participate in cutting-edge clinical trials for the newest BCI technology to treat their functional deficits.”

In June, Willsey led the first in-human recording from a new wireless brain-computer interface temporarily implanted during a temporal lobectomy for epilepsy, according to the press release.

Willsey is also a site principal investigator at UM for an upcoming Connect-One clinical study of a device from the neurotechnology company Paradromics Inc. The study gained approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in November, the press release states.

“We’re looking forward to bringing this technology to people in the area so that people here locally have some of the most latest options in implantable devices to help either rehab or potentially soon one day restore function through these devices,” Willsey said.

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Tony Garcia

The new Michigan football coaching staff for 2026 is coming together quickly.

Newly hired coach Kyle Whittingham has identified the vast majority of his new staff, with just a few decisions left to make as of Friday, Jan. 2. Here are the new additions, the holdovers and leaders of the Wolverines ahead of spring practice in just a couple of months.

Whittingham arrives from Utah after 32 years in Salt Lake City – the past 21 as coach of the Utes – and much of his staff is also on the way from the Beehive State, along with a few other additions from around the country.

Offensive coordinator: Jason Beck (from Utah)

In 2025 at Utah, Beck led an offense that ranked among the best in the nation. Utah was second in FBS in rushing offense (266.3 yards per game), fourth in total offense (482.9 yards) and fifth in scoring offense (41.2 points per game). Utah was also third in the NCAA in third-down conversion rate (52.6%) and total first downs (331) and 12th in red-zone scoring percentage. Utah had five players earn All-Big 12 honors, led by All-American and Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year Spencer Fano.

“It is an honor to join Coach Whittingham at the University of Michigan,” Beck said in a statement released Friday. “I am eager to work with this exceptional offensive staff as we work together to build, develop, and support our student-athletes. My family and I are excited about this opportunity to become part of the Michigan community and the Wolverine family. Go Blue!”

Defensive coordinator: Jay Hill (from BYU)

Hill came from BYU, where he led a top-25 scoring defense each of the past two seasons. In 2024, the Cougars led the nation with 22 interceptions. In 2025, BYU finished in the top 25 in seven categories: No. 5 in red-zone scoring defense (70.4%), No. 7 in interceptions (17), No. 10 in defensive TDs (three), No. 14 in turnovers forced (24), No. 19 in third-down conversion percentage (33%), No. 21 in scoring defense and No. 25 in passer rating allowed (116.97). Hill also has head coaching experience, leading FCS Weber State for nine seasons (2014-22) where he guided the Wildcats to a 68-39 overall record during that time, leading the program to four Big Sky championships.

“It is an absolute honor for me and my family to join the Michigan Wolverines!” Hill said in a statement released Friday. “We are so excited to join Coach Whittingham, his staff and look forward to building relationships with these great players. The Michigan program is deep with history and tradition that I look forward to honoring. The opportunity to develop great young men on and off the field and ultimately win championships at Michigan is something we are dedicated to do. I can’t wait to get started! Go Blue!”

Running backs coach: Tony Alford (retained)

Alford led the Wolverines running back room the past two years and is staying on under Whittingham. Alford is one of U-M's ace recruiters, having landed five-star running back Savion Hitere, the top back in the nation, in the most recent cycle. He has also helped land and develop several star backs, including Kalel Mullings, Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall.

Wide receivers coach: Micah Simon (from Utah)

Simon comes to Michigan to coach wide receivers – his fourth program in as many seasons. A former wideout at BYU (2015-19), Simon joined Syracuse's staff in 2022 as an offensive analyst, where he first connected with Beck. He then went to Northern Colorado (2023) and New Mexico (2024) to lead the wide receivers (also under Beck) before he joined Utah's staff last season.

Tight ends coach: Freddie Whittingham (from Utah)

Kyle's brother joins U-M after spending the past 10 seasons as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. Before that, he was the Utes' director of player personnel for four seasons. Tight ends have starred for Utah for several seasons, including Brant Kiuthe, a four-time all-conference honoree and Dalton Kincaid, who became a first-round NFL draft pick and is now a standout for the Buffalo Bills.

Offensive line coach: Jim Harding (from Utah)

Harding has been one of the most consistent offensive line coaches in the nation and joins U-M after leading Utah the past dozen years. In 2025, he coached a pair of first-team All-Big 12 offensive linemen in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, both of whom are projected to be 2026 first-round draft picks. He has ties to the Midwest, too, growing up in Maumee, Ohio, starring at Toledo and coaching at Troy Athens High School (2005-08).

Defensive line coaches: Lou Esposito (retained), Lewis Powell (from Utah)

Michigan retained defensive line coach Lou Esposito to the same position – like Alford, he has led one of the most productive units on the team and also been an elite recruiter, including this past cycle where he landed Michigan's most renowned group. Michigan is also reportedly bringing in Lewis Powell, Utah's defensive line coach who will focus on the EDGEs in Ann Arbor and serve as run game coordinator, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. Powell spent 11 years in Utah, including 10 as defensive line coach.

Linebackers coach: TBD

Secondary coach: TBD

Special teams coordinator: Kerry Coombs

Coombs was hired by former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore less than a week before his own firing. He coached the Wolverines in their Cheez-It Citrus Bowl loss to Texas on Dec. 31, and his unit looked exceptional. True freshman Andrew Marsh had 155 total return yards, more than U-M had in any two games combined this past season. Whittingham said he anticipated keeping "two or three" staffers on board from the previous regime and those three appear to be set now.

Positional assistant coaches

Michigan brought in Koy Detmer Jr. (Utah) to coach quarterbacks and Marques Hagans (Penn State) to help with wide receivers. There could be a few more assistants and analysts added to the mix in the coming days.

This story will be updated as more coaches are hired and official announcements are made by the program.