Student instructors strike deal with U; Big Ten reinstates season; absent voter ballots around corner

Happy Friday!

It’s been a few months since my last newsletter. My husband and I welcomed our second daughter, Aya, on Father’s Day. As all parents know, the last few months were filled with sleepless nights, tears (sometimes theirs and sometimes ours), cold coffee and endless laundry. Needless to say, it’s great to be back!

I also want to thank A4′s all-star AP Sarah Parlette who did a phenomenal job curating this newsletter while I was away. 👏

It’s been a busy week here in Ann Arbor -- with some stories entering the national spotlight -- so let’s get right to it.

Have a great weekend and may our readers celebrating Rosh Hashanah have a sweet and healthy new year.

- Meredith (@meredith_A4)

What’s been happening:

🗣 Graduate student instructors at the University of Michigan have ended their strike after accepting an offer from the university that addressed some of the group’s demands, including better health protections on campus. The move came days after university president Mark Schlissel announced legal action against the group. (A4)

✍ Meanwhile, U-M’s regents have issued a statement expressing support for Schlissel after the school’s faculty senate was nearly split down the middle this week on a vote of no confidence on the president and his reopening plan during the coronavirus pandemic. (MLive)

🏈 The Big Ten conference announced this week that its fall football season is back on. Conference leadership voted unanimously to reverse their August decision to halt playing over health concerns. Games will begin at the end of October. (A4)

🛏 A student went viral this week after he took to TikTok to share his experience with U-M’s quarantine housing for students who test positive for COVID-19. He said the university is failing to provide students with food, bed sheets, toiletries and more. (A4)

🤒 U-M’s dance building has closed after 10% of the department went into quarantine. (MLive)

🗳 City clerks will begin mailing absent voter ballots next Thursday. Here’s everything you need to know about mail-in voting in the 2020 General Election. (ClickOnDetroit)

☎️ Have you heard of ‘swatting’? It’s when someone reports a serious crime by an unsuspecting victim in order to elicit a response from local police and SWAT teams. Two recent incidents in Washtenaw County are now under investigation and officials are saying online gaming is to blame. (A4)

☑️ Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously to appoint Tom Crawford as the new city administrator. (A4)

Good to know:

🧪️ The Washtenaw County Health Department is offering free testing in Ypsilanti over the next two Saturdays. Here’s where you can get tested. (A4)

🧸️ Parents, listen up! Just Between Friends Ann Arbor is back next week. We caught up with the organizers of the consignment sale who told us how the event is changing during the pandemic. (A4)

🖼 The University of Michigan Museum of Art has transformed its famous two-story apse into a study space unlike any other. (A4)

🧶 Have little kids? Like yarn and fabric scraps? Wine corks? I swear this is going somewhere. Check out Scrap Creative Reuse art supply store which repurposes donated materials to make your crafting dreams come true. (Live in the D)

Feature interview of the week:

“To date, we have had no reported COVID cases from customers or staff. We heard from many customers that the system we put in place made them feel safe.”

- Gayle Hurn, Fuller Park Pool’s recreation supervisor

✉️ Have something to share? Write me anytime at mbruckner@wdiv.com.

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