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Ann Arbor News - Local Jeopardy! Champion

Ann Arbor News - Local Jeopardy! Champion

Monday, June 19: U of M alum and Dexter resident wins Jeopardy!, police lieutenant fired, U of M tuition rises, and Miss Michigan is crowned

Morning, Ann Arbor! Sometimes state and local news is feast or famine. While last week felt slow, this week is full speed ahead. Between a local Jeopardy champion, new downtown tenants, Miss Michigan being crowned, and two Ann Arbor homes priced below $300k, we’re eating well this morning.

Read Time: 3 minutes

Reader Count: 809 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 0.673%

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

Jeopardy!

📚 Local Jeopardy Champ: Ben Goldstein, a U of M alum and current Dexter resident, won Jeopardy Friday night. Goldstein secured the win by wagering $0 on the final Jeopardy question - vaulting him from 2nd to 1st when no contestant got the question right. He celebrated with Mike Tyson’s signature uppercut. Goldstein returns tonight to defend his title.

Ben, if you’re reading this, consider this an open invite to join our Haymaker’s trivia team.

🚔 Police Lieutenant Fired: Ann Arbor police lieutenant Colleen McCarthy was fired after an internal investigation revealed she was lying about a personal relationship with a subordinate. McCarthy had been with the Ann Arbor police force for 23 years.

📈 Board of Regent Meeting: U of M’s Board of Regents approved a spending plan last week that would increase in-state and out-of-state tuition rates and expand the university’s free-tuition program (Go Blue Guarantee). In-state tuition will increase 2.9% (up to $17,228 annually) and out-of-state tuition will increase 4.9% (up to $58,072 annually). Additionally, the family income threshold to qualify for Michigan’s Go Blue Guarantee has increased from $65,000 to $75,000.

📍 Washtington St. Tenants: Footprints and Sandy’s Boutique will move into Ann Arbor Brewing Company’s former space on E. Washington Street. While Footprints is no stranger to downtown Ann Arbor (the business closed its 26-year-old Main Street location in April), Sandy’s Boutique is a new downtown tenant.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

MissMichigan.org

👗 Miss Michigan 2023: Dressed in an emerald green gown, 22-year-old Maya Schuhknecht was crowned Miss Michigan 2023. Schuhknecht won the top prize by impressing the audience with her speed painting talent, love for Michigan arts, and passion for giving back to the community. Schuhknecht will represent the state in the Miss America 2024 competition.

💵 Michigan IPO: Acrisure LLC, a Grand Rapids-based insurance broker and fintech company, may be taking preliminary steps to go public. Founded in 2005, the West Michigan insurance giant has grown by aggressively acquiring smaller independent insurance brokerages (from 2018 to 2022, Acrisure closed 536 deals). According to a Bloomberg report, an IPO could value the company at $20 billion.

🏀 Student-Athlete Union: Under a newly introduced House bill, college athletes in Michigan would be recognized as university employees and given the right to unionize. Supporters of the bill argue universities make substantial profits off college sports but the student-athletes are unable to demand better working conditions. Opponents argue student-athletes already receive scholarships and other means of preferential treatment.

💼 State Unemployment: With a net gain of 26,000 jobs in May, Michigan’s unemployment rate has dropped to 3.7% - tying the national average. With unemployment dropping for seven consecutive months, Michigan remains a strong labor market. Time will tell if the state’s unemployment can reach 3.2% - its all-time low unemployment rate set in February 2000.