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U-M warns parents of potential protest disruptions at commencement: Provost Laurie McCauley and Martino Harmon, vice president for student life, sent an email that said, in part, “Given events around the nation and world, our commencement ceremonies, too, will likely be the site of various student expressions, including possible demonstrations. … If a program is significantly impeded, we will ask for your patience as we take steps to de-escalate and address the situation.” U-M has solicited staff volunteers to serve as “protest and disruption response teams,” Michigan Public reports. Graduations are Friday and Saturday.
GEO members accuse U-M of suppressing pro-Palestinian speech: The union is gathering complaints from graduate students who believe the school is punishing them for even referencing the Israel-Hamas conflict in class, the Michigan Daily reports. In one incident, a graduate student instructor says she was warned not to make political statements in class after she talked about the Gaza war during a discussion of activism through art.
The strange path AAPS took to its $25M budget hole: The Observer’s James Leonard lays out some answers to the biggest questions surrounding the seemingly sudden crisis that erupted when the state told Ann Arbor Public Schools its fund balance had sunk too low. While the extent of the financial crunch took many by surprise, now-former superintendent Jeanice Swift told the Observer a year ago that the end of the Covid money spigot would require significant cutbacks. At the time, teachers’ union president Fred Klein hoped that staff reductions could be made gradually, through attrition–but that hope vanished with the revelation that a $14 million clerical error had grossly exaggerated the district’s financial cushion. Now the district is weighing layoffs on every level to cut $25 million from the 2024-25 budget; 81 percent of it goes to staff salaries and benefits, and Klein says teachers are “devastated” to be “asked to make the ultimate sacrifice for all these mistakes that this district made.” Board president Torchio Feaster says he’s determined to make the cut this year, and then “start coming back stronger next year.”
Downtown road closure to snarl traffic over graduation weekend: The city says E. William St. between Thompson and Maynard streets will be closed starting Friday morning until Tuesday afternoon. The disruption is being caused by Ingersoll Mechanical placing a crane and trucks on the block with equipment to replace HVAC units in Tower Plaza.
Dem leaders slam treasurer, water commissioner for “premeditated election engineering”: The county party is furious with two long-serving Democratic officials who timed their departures so they could hand-pick their successors, MLive reports. Because treasurer Catherine McClary and water resources commissioner Evan Pratt filed for re-election long before the April 23 filing deadline, they received no challengers from within their party. Each withdrew from the ballot just before the deadline, clearing the way for their endorsed candidates, Latitia Lamelle-Sharp and Gretchen Driskell. Both officeholders defended their actions as lawful and in the best interest of the county.
Only one councilmember faces primary: Ward 4’s Jen Eyer, a first-term Democrat, is being challenged by Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, according to county records, leaving four other council members without opponents in the August election. Jon Mallek, husband of state representative Jason Morgan, is the only Democrat who filed in the Ward 2 primary to replace retiring incumbent Linh Song. Just four years ago, the growth-wary Democratic faction that blogger Sam Firke dubbed the “Protectors” held a narrow council majority, but after crushing losses in 2020 and 2022, they aren’t running a single candidate this year. It’s been more than twenty years since the city elected a Republican.
Ypsi holds recall election on Tuesday: Democrat Desirae Simmons is fighting to keep her Ward 3 city council seat against independent Rod Johnson, WEMU reports. The station previously reported that the recall effort was organized by former mayor Cheryl Farmer after Simmons voted to purchase an expensive new public services yard and then abstained from the vote to rescind that purchase.
New high-rise means so long to “onion dome” house: The distinctive house with an octagonal flourish on Willard Ave. was built in 1900 and has spent its entire existence as a student rental, MLive writes. A seventeen-story apartment tower using the address 711 Church is expected to replace it once council gives the project its final OK next week.
Lecturers’ Employee Organization voting on new contract: The union and U-M agreed April 26 to salary increases of 8, 6, 6, and 5 percent over the next four years for Ann Arbor campus instructors and 3 percent per year for instructors at U-M Flint and U-M Dearborn, the University Record writes. LEO’s 1,800 members will have to ratify the deal in a vote that could take two weeks, but the organization president Kirsten Herold said she was “very happy” with the outcome, particularly for A2 members.
Concordia firing six in A2 in cost-cutting move: The private Lutheran university administered by its parent school in Mequon, WI, revealed the decision in a letter to Michigan’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity last month. The schools face a budget deficit that may require it to sell off land as well. In mid-April, the Michigan District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $5 million to support the Ann Arbor campus, an effort that has brought in nearly $4 million so far.
Affordable apartment complex opening in Ypsi: Huron Vista, at 945 W. Clark near EMU, starts moving in tenants next week into some of its 156 units, MLive reports. Another 156-unit complex dedicated to seniors on the same street is expected to open by fall.
Farmers market office to be demolished: The building at 315 Detroit St., which opened in 1984, has structural problems in the foundation, ClickOnDetroit reports. No changes will be made to the farmers market schedule or operations, the city says. “While the demolition of the market office is unfortunate and unplanned, the community has been presented with a unique opportunity to re-envision the future of the farmers market,” according to a post on the city’s website.
Turkey plays chicken with an SUV: A full-grown tom moseyed into traffic on Carpenter Rd. outside Home Depot and Aldi in April, Kati Shanks writes in this month’s Observer. Good news is that the SUV stopped for him and he was uninjured; the bad news was he brought the busy stretch of road to a standstill, much to the bleating of motorists. Turkeys do that around here from time to time; in 2015, one hung around North Campus harassing students getting on and off the bus, and occasionally tried to board one himself. Another in 2017 in Ypsilanti Township became a local folk hero before challenging one motor vehicle too many.
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