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Ann Arbor News - Thursday, May 11

Ann Arbor News - Thursday, May 11

New data about the price of median single-family homes in the county, Michigan Lacrosse are Big Ten champs, new satellite to map the Great Lakes, and proposed new seat belt laws

Morning, Ann Arbor! Despite it only being May, names.org has already released its prediction for the most popular Michigan baby names for 2023. The top 5 for boys and girls:

Oliver | Charlotte
Noah | Amelia
Henry | Olivia
Liam | Ava
Elijah | Evelyn

Get used to the above names. All but Evelyn were also in the top 5 in 2022.

Read Time: 3 minutes

Reader Count: 505 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 0.421%

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

Shutterstock | AABOR

🏠 Ann Arbor Housing Prices: According to new data released by the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors, the average price for a single-family home last month in the Ann Arbor School District cost $683,068. However, the sale median price was $120,000 less. Average and median home prices across the county last month:

Ann Arbor | $683,068 | $559,000
Saline | $598,506 | $495,000
Dexter | $502,557 | $470,000
Chelsea | $460,138 | $445,000
Ypsilanti | $253,347 | $249,500

🚲 Bicyclist Killed: A 25-year-old man riding along 8 Mile Road was struck and killed by a car this week. The 28-year-old truck driver was traveling in the same direction as the rider at the time of the crash. The driver was held at the scene for questioning before being released. The incident is under further investigation.

🩺 Ovarian Cancer Awareness Race: Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance is hosting its 12th annual Time for Teal 5K race in downtown Ann Arbor on Sunday. The Mother’s Day charity event was founded in 2011 to bring awareness to ovarian cancer and recognize survivors of the disease. The race begins at 8 am at 209 S. Ashley St. with pre-race festivities beginning at 7 am. You can register here.

🥍 Big Ten Champs: U of M’s lacrosse team (No. 15 in the country) beat Maryland (No. 7 in the country and defending conference and national champions) 14 - 5 to secure the program’s first Big Ten Championship. With the title, Michigan earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament - another first for the program.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

NASA

🛰 New Satellite To Map Great Lakes: Scientists are hopeful NASA’s new satellite, SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography), will lead to a better understanding of water currents in the Great Lakes. After 20 years of development, the satellite launched last December and its data is scheduled to be published this summer. SWOT is capable of measuring surface water with 5x the precision of previous satellites and its data will be used to better understand pollution pathways and recommend more efficient boating routes.

📚 Dropping A - F School Grading System: Michigan Senators voted along party lines (20 Democrats vs 18 Republicans) to drop the state’s A - F school quality ranking system. Republicans argued the report card system was easy for parents to understand while Democrats argue the system was confusing and a poor alternative to the Department of Education's Parent Dashboard for School Transparency.

🎒 Backpack Ban: After confiscating a loaded handgun from a third-grader, Grand Rapids Public School (GRPS) announced an immediate ban on backpacks. The gun is the fourth the district has confiscated this school year. GRPS urged gun-owning parents to securely lock up and keep their firearms away from children.

🚙 Updating State Car Seat Laws: House Democrats introduced a package of bills that would update Michigan car seat laws to more align with federal standards. Current state laws require children under 8 to use a booster seat and children under 4 to use a five-point harness car seat. The proposed bills enhance the requirements with the following: