Latest news with #AnnArbor
New York Times
4 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Santa Ono Blocked From Becoming University of Florida's President
Florida officials on Tuesday rejected the candidacy of Santa Ono to lead the University of Florida, after he had been accused of leniency toward pro-Palestinian protesters while he served as president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida's board unanimously approved Mr. Ono last week, but the state's Board of Governors, which oversees the sprawling State University of System of Florida, did not ratify his selection. Republicans celebrated the unexpected move. Mr. Ono had already given notice that he would be leaving his job in Michigan. But in recent weeks he had been criticized by some conservatives in the state over his past stances on diversity and inclusion programs, although he wrote an opinion essay disavowing them. 'There's too much smoke with Santa Ono,' Representative Jimmy Patronis, a Florida Republican, wrote on social media. 'We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor.' Mr. Ono could not be immediately reached for comment. The University of Florida also did not immediately respond. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Business
- CBS News
Raising Cane's opening Ann Arbor location this summer
Months after opening its first Metro Detroit location, Raising Cane's is opening another store in the Southeast region, this time in Ann Arbor. The company says the location at 1116 S. University Ave. Unit B will open this summer, but the official date has not been announced. The restaurant opened a new location on Ford Road in Canton back in February. The only other Michigan location is in East Lansing. On Feb. 4, hundreds gathered outside the Canton location for its official opening. People waited there for hours before the 10 a.m. opening, some with lawn chairs and many of them in winter coats, given the weather. The company announced a promotion to celebrate the opening, with swag gifts for the first ones in line and a drawing for a card that provided a free combo meal three times a month. Due to the influx of people, Canton police directed traffic and alerted residents of heavy traffic that day. Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers started in 1996 in Louisiana. In 2024, the company opened a total of 118 restaurants. NOTE: The video above previously aired on Feb. 4, 2025.
Fox News
a day ago
- General
- Fox News
Historic university garden vandalized in apparent anti-Israel statement: 'Don't waste your tears'
Hundreds of the University of Michigan's iconic peonies were reportedly cut in an act of vandalism – apparently perpetrated by at least one unidentified pro-Palestinian agitator. The Ann Arbor school's W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden, located in Nichols Arboretum, is home to North America's largest collection of historic herbaceous peonies, according to The Associated Press – and it boasts about 800 plants with 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. However, about 250 – or one-third of them – were found Sunday morning with most of their flowers cut off. While no group has taken credit for the gratuitous act of destruction, according to the university's Division of Public Safety & Security (DPSS), papers found around the site outlined the apparent motive. "Plant lives don't matter. Human lives do," the papers read in part. "Stop the war. Resist Imperialism." "Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers," they continue. "Don't waste your tears on the peonies. They are not even dead and will grow again next spring." "Make no mistake, the criminal tactics used in the recent act of vandalism at Nichols Arboretum are wholly unacceptable," read a statement by the university. "We unequivocally condemn the destruction of property and any act of vandalism on our campus," the statement continued. "Damaging a beloved community space intended to foster reflection and bring hope to the whole community is counter productive. We urge all community members to channel their voices through constructive and meaningful dialogue." UMich is no stranger to acts of vandalism by anti-Israel agitators – university President Santa Ono's home and the surrounding area were spray-painted with the words "intifada" and "coward" in October. The Upjohn Garden incident also transpired on the same day as an alleged terrorist attack on a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, that left multiple people injured. The suspect, Mohamad Sabry Soliman, "stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people," according to a federal complaint. The DPSS is actively investigating the matter, which the school describes as a "criminal incident." A Public Affairs representative for the university declined to comment further on the incident when reached by Fox News Digital.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Bustling crowds and bus rides are part of the annual peony pilgrimage to Michigan
Peonies are on display at Nichols Arboretum's W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden Monday, June 2, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Mike Householder) ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It's time to peek at the peak peonies. Visitors are making the annual pilgrimage to the University of Michigan this week to see -- and smell -- one of the world's premier collections of the garden plant, featuring showy red, white and pink blooms of countless shades and varieties. Melanie Millar and her friends visited the Ann Arbor school's Nichols Arboretum on Monday to take some graduation photos. The 18-year-old Millar is set to graduate from a Detroit-area high school in a matter of days. 'I'm here with my best friends — a bunch of girls. … We just came here to get pictures since it's going to be a nice day, and the Peony Garden seemed like a nice place to go to,' Millar said. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden features the largest collection of historic — pre-1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America, 'and likely the world,' curator David Michener said. 'Once you come here to the Peony Garden, you'll be mesmerized, and you'll understand why people love peonies,' he said. 'The fragrances, the colors, the forms, it's just intoxicating.' The peony watch is a spectator sport with tens of thousands of visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the unique perennials -- so many that visitors have to be bused in. But there was a somber mood among some Monday. Vandals cut off the blooms of roughly 250 peonies a day earlier, the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said in a statement. Although no group or organization has taken credit for vandalizing the garden, some papers were left behind, DPSS said. One referenced the war in Gaza, saying: 'Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.' 'What would possess someone just to destroy nature and the beauty of it? It's just unfathomable,' visitor Linda J.K. Klenczar said Monday. 'There's no explanation. I don't know if they're going to catch someone who did this. They need to explain themselves.' It's a moving target each year as to when the peonies will reach peak bloom. And one of great interest – with scores of peony-watchers glued to the Arb's Instagram page for updates. 'What makes it so challenging to predict is they pay no attention to the calendar,' Michener said. 'They're driven totally by day and night temperatures.' The campus Peony Garden contains more than 300 historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era. The garden typically features up to 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. Their colorful blossoms draw admirers from Michigan and beyond, but the peonies' beauty is not their primary function. The garden is designed as a support mechanism for academia -- to be a research collection for students and faculty to explore genomics and social issues. Michener and his colleagues at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum work closely with their sister garden in Minsk, the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, trying to understand how ornamental peonies are related to each other and the wild, ancestral species. Michigan's Peony Garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the ancient plant's scent, Michener said it's best to show up earlier in the day or later in the evening, when the fragrances are the best. 'It's very colorful. I have a lot of peonies in my backyard, so I have a spot for them. But they're a beautiful flower,' Millar said. Mike Householder, The Associated Press
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Bustling crowds and bus rides are part of the annual peony pilgrimage to Michigan
It's time to peek at the peak peonies. Visitors are making the annual pilgrimage to the University of Michigan this week to see -- and smell -- one of the world's premier collections of the garden plant, featuring showy red, white and pink blooms of countless shades and varieties. Melanie Millar and her friends visited the Ann Arbor school's Nichols Arboretum on Monday to take some graduation photos. The 18-year-old Millar is set to graduate from a Detroit-area high school in a matter of days. 'I'm here with my best friends — a bunch of girls. … We just came here to get pictures since it's going to be a nice day, and the Peony Garden seemed like a nice place to go to,' Millar said. The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden features the largest collection of historic — pre-1950 — herbaceous peonies in North America, 'and likely the world,' curator David Michener said. 'Once you come here to the Peony Garden, you'll be mesmerized, and you'll understand why people love peonies,' he said. 'The fragrances, the colors, the forms, it's just intoxicating.' The peony watch is a spectator sport with tens of thousands of visitors arriving at The Arb each spring to behold the unique perennials -- so many that visitors have to be bused in. But there was a somber mood among some Monday. Vandals cut off the blooms of roughly 250 peonies a day earlier, the University of Michigan Division of Public Safety and Security said in a statement. Although no group or organization has taken credit for vandalizing the garden, some papers were left behind, DPSS said. One referenced the war in Gaza, saying: 'Palestinian lives deserve to be cared for. More than these flowers.' 'What would possess someone just to destroy nature and the beauty of it? It's just unfathomable,' visitor Linda J.K. Klenczar said Monday. 'There's no explanation. I don't know if they're going to catch someone who did this. They need to explain themselves.' It's a moving target each year as to when the peonies will reach peak bloom. And one of great interest – with scores of peony-watchers glued to the Arb's Instagram page for updates. 'What makes it so challenging to predict is they pay no attention to the calendar,' Michener said. 'They're driven totally by day and night temperatures.' The campus Peony Garden contains more than 300 historic cultivated varieties from the 19th and early 20th centuries, representing American, Canadian and European peonies of the era. The garden typically features up to 10,000 flowers at peak bloom. Their colorful blossoms draw admirers from Michigan and beyond, but the peonies' beauty is not their primary function. The garden is designed as a support mechanism for academia -- to be a research collection for students and faculty to explore genomics and social issues. Michener and his colleagues at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum work closely with their sister garden in Minsk, the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, trying to understand how ornamental peonies are related to each other and the wild, ancestral species. Michigan's Peony Garden is free to visit and open from sunrise to sunset. For those drawn to the ancient plant's scent, Michener said it's best to show up earlier in the day or later in the evening, when the fragrances are the best. 'It's very colorful. I have a lot of peonies in my backyard, so I have a spot for them. But they're a beautiful flower,' Millar said.
