Ann Arbor News - Toyota Announces $50 Million Battery Lab

Morning, Ann Arbor! Top of the Park’s outdoor movie nights start this week! Here’s the lineup:

• Tuesday Night: Muppets Take Manhattan

• Wednesday Night: Everything Everywhere All At Once

• Thursday Night: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

All movies will start at 10 PM on Ingalls Mall. It’s a bring-your-own-chair-and-blanket kind of event. A real BYOCAB party.

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

🔋 Toyota Battery Plant: Last week, alongside U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Toyota North America leaders announced plans to build a $50 million battery testing lab in Washtenaw County. The electric vehicle battery testing lab will open in 2025 at the company’s North American R&D headquarters (8777 S. Platt Road - shown above) and will be staffed by current Toyota employees.

🩺 Nursing Professor Accused: Robert Stephenson has been placed on paid administrative leave from his position as director of U of M’s Center of Sexuality and Health Disparities after two former students filed sexual misconduct allegations against the tenured nursing professor. Professor Stephenson’s attorney denies the allegations and vows to sue the university.

🐕 Banning Store-Bought Pets: Under a newly proposed City Council ordinance, Ann Arbor could ban the purchase of any store-bought dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, long-lived birds, or large reptiles. Citing a Humane Society study that links large-scale commercial breeding mills with pet stores, the ordinance aims to ensure the city is not contributing to an inhumane process. If passed (City Council will vote on the ordinance on June 20), Ann Arbor would be the 7th city in Michigan to pass such a law.

🏈 Big Ten Scheduling: Last week, the Big Ten released the conference’s 2024 and 2025 football schedules. With UCLA and USC joining the Big Ten next year, Michigan’s traditional Midwest-heavy schedule will be interrupted by an annual California trip. What’s to come:

• 2024: Michigan @ USC and UCLA @ Michigan

• 2025: Michigan @ UCLA and USC @ Michigan

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

🚜 Right to Repair: Bills in the Michigan House and Senate with bipartisan support would require farm equipment manufacturers to provide customers with the necessary information to fix their purchased products. Proponents of the bills argue withholding repair information is bad for consumers and independent repair shops while opponents of the bills argue mass-sharing repair information could lead to dangerous equipment modifications.

📜 Conversion Therapy Legislature: A pair of bills moving through a House subcommittee would ban conversion therapy in the state. Proponents of the bills argue conversion therapy has devastating mental and physical health consequences on the state’s LGBTQ youth. If passed through the House and Senate and signed into law, Michigan would be the 22nd state in the country to ban the practice.

🧑‍⚖️ Pronouns in Court: The Michigan Supreme Court is considering a rule that would require all court officials and employees in the state to address anyone coming before the courts by their preferred pronouns. Proponents of the rule argue the change would make courtrooms more inclusive to transgender and nonbinary people (who must go to court to legally change their names). It’s unclear when Michigan’s Supreme Court Justices will decide on the potential rule change.

🎤 Swifties Rejoice: After much anticipation, Taylor Swift performed in front of over 60,000 fans Friday and Saturday night at Ford Field. And for the diehard Swifties that need to know, her surprise songs were “Haunted” and “I Almost Do” Friday night and “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “Breathe” Saturday night.

ON THE MARKET

2 Bed | 1 Bath | 1,080 Sqft | $375,000

2 Bed | 2 Bath | 1,067 Sqft | $615,000

3 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,574 Sqft | $939,510

That's all for now! Next Michigander comes out Thursday.

- Andrew

P. S. - If you like what you read, subscribe to get the Michigander emailed to you every Monday and Thursday.

P. P. S. - Ann Arbor is the 6th most expensive city to raise a child in

P. P. P. S. - Mason Parris, Michigan’s heavyweight national champion wrestler, wrestled Mark Consuelos on ‘Live with Kelly and Mark’

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