The Three-Part Local Coyote Mystery Fascinating Ann Arbor

Morning, Ann Arbor! With highs every day above freezing, expect a muddy week. But with temperatures almost touching 50, you may not need to break out the sunlamp. Not a bad silver lining.

Read Time: 3 minutes

Reader Count: 3,689 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 3.07%

🐺 The Coyote Trilogy: Pour yourself a second cup of coffee, we’ve got a doozy of a coyote story to unpack.

Part 1: On Thursday, a local Redditor posted “Is this a coyote?” with an attached image of a coyote sticking out of a residential trashcan. No background, no context, just a coyote in a trashcan. Fangs out and all. The post immediately blows up with 400+ comments ranging from “Used to be.” to “Pure Michigan”. But still, no background info.

Part 2: On Friday, MLive picked up the story and asked city officials to weigh in. A spokesman from the city public works stated their staff believes the image is fake and most likely AI-generated. “I also don’t imagine someone who put a dead animal in a cart would leave it out posed like that,” the spokesman said.

Part 3: Later on Friday, a different Redditor posted “Yes, it’s a coyote” with a POV video of the coyote trashcan being picked up by a city garbage truck and some much-needed background context. The post stated, “This was hit in front of my house last weekend and blew guts all over my driveway, was frozen when I found it. I tried bringing it inside to thaw out so it would fit in the bin but my cats started tearing it up and sprayed all over it. Wife was not pleased. Might have tried skinning it if it didn’t smell like rot or potentially carry rabies. Flees? Halfway through digging a hole with my pick ax the handle cracked so the trash was the next best option. I would have composted it but last pick up was Dec 13th.”

While throwing the coyote away in a city bin may not have been the move, I won’t be criticizing any local who went as far as bringing a dead, frozen coyote inside to thaw out to better care for it. Can’t believe your wife wasn’t cool with that.

🧱 Harris Hall: U of M is set to purchase Harris Hall for $4.1 million. Located at 617 E. Huron Street, the building is next to the Graduate Hotel and kiddy corner from North Quad. Built in 1886 for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Harris Hall was commissioned by Reverend Samuel Smith Harris in response to the then-new theory of evolution. Harris, the second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, wanted to construct a building for discussions about the compatibility of Christianity and science and selected Ann Arbor for such discussions as it was home to the state’s oldest and largest university.

🚧 Development Watch: Last week at a city council meeting, officials voted 11-0 to hire CBRE for $700,000 to help sell two downtown lots. One of the lots, 415 W. Washington Street, sits across from the YMCA and extends all the way down to Blank Slate. The other lot is the Kline parking lot on the corner of Ashley and William. Last year, developers proposed converting the Kline lot into a Sports Illustrated resort but rescinded their proposal after an immense amount of public opposition.

TODAY’S SPONSOR: People's Food Co-op

🥕 People's Food Co-op in Ann Arbor: A community-owned, full-service grocery store located in the heart of Ann Arbor's Kerrytown District, committed to supporting local farmers and sustainable producers. Proudly offering natural and organic foods, with a focus on local and eco-friendly options. Explore our offerings and learn more about how you can be part of our community at PeoplesFood.coop.

🏀 Contract Extension: After seemingly turning around the Michigan Men’s Basketball program in just one year, head coach Dusty May and U of M have agreed to a new, multi-year contract extension. The new contract adds one year to his original deal (which now runs through the spring of 2030) and a $1 million annual increase. May took over a team that finished last in the Big Ten last year (with an 8-24 overall record) and now sits second in the Big Ten with a 20-6 record. May was recently named to the prestigious Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year watch list.

🥛 Oat Milk For All: MDining has updated its default milk option to oat milk. That means unless a student or faculty specifies they’d like dairy milk, they’ll be served oat milk. The switch is due to MDining’s larger sustainability initiatives, stating, “Choosing oat milk versus (the) dairy option has less of a carbon impact, so that’s what drove our decision.” MDining Marketing Kelly Guralewski said this will not impact the price at MDining locations.

🧊 Detroit Freeze: Around 3 AM last Monday, a water main broke on Beard Street in Southwest Detroit, pouring around 5 feet of water into the neighborhood and impacting 400 houses. The water flooded the streets, then froze, completely encasing cars in a full street ice rink. Mayor Mike Duggan said, “the city and the Great Lakes Water Authority will cover the cost of damages and pay for anything insurance will not cover.”

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

- Andrew

P. P. S. - The new Ann Arbor Vanguard Hotel will open this April or May.

P. P. P. S. - Before Michigan and MSU’s basketball teams faced off Friday night, their team managers played Thursday night. You’ve got to watch this game-winning shot by Michigan.

P. P. P. P. S. - Thanks to People’s Food Co-op for sponsoring this week’s Michigander.

Interested in advertising in the Michigander? Click here for pricing. Bulk discounting available.