The News...briefly
Ann Arbor plans to create an unarmed crisis response team. On Monday, city council voted unanimously to direct city administrator Tom Crawford to work with the county sheriff’s office to develop plans for a program that would deploy mental health professionals and social service experts to respond to 911 calls that don’t involve suspected criminal activity or imminent danger to others. MLive
Landlords banned from ordering criminal background checks. To prevent discrimination against formerly incarcerated people, city council voted unanimously on Monday to ban criminal background checks for renters as part of the new Fair Chance Access Housing ordinance. MLive
Ann Arbor City Council’s activist majority is blazing ahead with plans to expand the city’s housing stock. New affordable housing projects are planned for downtown parking lots, homeowners could build accessory dwelling units to create additional housing in single-family neighborhoods, and a transit-oriented zoning ordinance would promote development along busy corridors. The Observer’s James Leonard has our story.
Former Sidetrack Bar & Grill employees file lawsuit. The suit accuses sidetrack management of illegal labor practices such as pooling tips and making employees work off the clock. “We will absolutely look forward to fighting this in court, ” said Sidetrack owner Linda French. Detroit Free Press
Eastern Michigan University plans a “more traditional” fall semester. Small classes will meet in-person, and students will find a new engineering and technology campus, renovated recreation center, in-person athletics events, and discounted single rooms in residence halls. EMU
Three women stabbed in Ann Arbor hotel. Madron Aldonijah was arrested and arraigned for allegedly stabbing three women at 1:30 a.m. Sunday at Sonesta Suites. Drugs and an argument over money played a role in the stabbing, police said. Anyone with information should call Detective Renee Bondy at 734-794-6930 extension 49329, or email at tips@a2gov.org.
Billions of cicadas will soon emerge after seventeen years sucking sap underground. They’ll shed their skins, unfurl new wings, and fill the summer sky with the raucous sound of buzz saws on holiday. In the span of a few weeks the cicadas will mate, lay eggs in tree branches, and die. Cicada grubs later hatch and rain to the ground where they’ll burrow and remain for another seventeen years. The Parks Dept. will postpone spring tree planting until after the cicadas have passed. a2gov.org
U-M Museum of Natural History launches a 3-D digital gallery exploring how whales came to be. “Whale Evolution: From Land to Sea” delves into the peculiar evolutionary genius of whales on a virtual platform that viewers can navigate like a videogame. U-M Museum of Natural History
Environmental Protection Agency awards a $100,000 small business innovation research award to Purafide, LLC, an Ann Arbor company, to develop a Plasma Water Reactor to remove PFAS from drinking water. EPA
The Love Train is helping the Humane Society of Huron Valley power through the pandemic. Twice a month, HSHV staff and volunteers bring abandoned pets from overflowing shelters in Southern states up to Michigan where they are quickly adopted. Even elderly cats don’t stay in shelter for long. The Observer’s James Leonard has our story.
Is the U-M’s Griffin Mazur “the best catcher in college baseball”? U-M pitcher Joe Pace says there’s no doubt about it. The Michigan Daily’s Jack Whitten writes that a reprieve for spring athletes who lost their seasons last year gave Mazur a fresh start at Michigan, where he’s batting .492 and getting attention from major-league scouts.
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