EXCHANGE-TRAIN STATION TOUR

WWII vet gets nostalgic with Detroit train station tour

DETROIT (AP) — The last time Joe England walked the halls of Michigan Central Station, it was 1945. His train had just steamed into the station, returning him safely from World War II. More than 75 years later, England on Sept. 25 found himself standing in the train hall for a different kind of homecoming. Wearing a hard hat and a neon safety vest, the 97-year-old from Westland marveled at the ornate tiles and vaulted ceiling through a web of scaffolding. Ford Motor Co. has spent the last few years restoring the century-old, once-abandoned train station, seeking to transform it into a centerpiece of its new innovation campus in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MSU VACCINATIONS

MSU: Nearly 90% of students, staff vaccinated for COVID-19

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Officials with Michigan State University say nearly 90% of students, faculty and staff have been vaccinated for COVID-19. The school issued a mandate in July for everyone expected on campus must be vaccinated by the end of August. The university says it has received 4,339 requests for vaccine exemptions, of which 3,138 were approved and 224 were denied. Another 98 were denied but filed appeals. MSU leaders have said that the university would offer few religious and medical exemptions.

MICHIGAN STATE-FOOTBALL PLAYER LAWSUIT

Michigan State football player sues over ongoing suspension

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan State University football player has filed a lawsuit alleging the school was wrong to suspend him from the team indefinitely while it investigates sexual assault allegations from January. The federal lawsuit filed Friday identifies the player only as John Doe. It alleges Michigan State has been unresponsive to his demands for reinstatement while the school’s investigation and grievance process under federal Title IX rules are completed. The suit alleges that the university breached its contractual obligations to the sophomore who’s on a full scholarship and discriminated against him because of his gender. A Michigan State spokesman declined to comment.

HIGHWAY MEMORIAL

Part of I-94 in SW Michigan named for worker killed on road

BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A portion of Interstate 94 in southwestern Michigan will be named for a state road employee who was killed by stray tires in 2019. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to honor Kevin White. The maintenance worker was killed when tires fell off a passing semi-truck. Authorities at the time called it a “freak accident.” A portion of I-94 in Benton Township in Berrien County will be named for White. He was active in his community and served in township government. White worked for the Transportation Department for about 10 years.

INSTRUMENT COLLECTION-DETROIT SYMPHONY

Symphony leads drive to collect instruments for students

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, community groups and local businesses are hoping to collect 2,500 new and used instruments for kindergarten through 12th grade students in Detroit. The DSO says the effort runs through the end of October and supports its Detroit Harmony program. Used instruments collected will be refurbished before going to students. Michigan State University’s Spartan Marching Band and the University of Michigan’s Michigan Marching Band are joining the effort. The DSO says Detroit Harmony is being built through a citywide collaboration with music educators, performing artists, Detroit residents, civic leaders, and non-profit music education providers.

MICHIGAN REDISTRICTING

Michigan redistricting commission to vote on draft maps

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — After seven weeks of mapping, Michigan’s new redistricting commission is starting to vote on much-anticipated draft congressional and legislative plans. The maps, while not final and subject to future revisions, will give early indications of the panel’s approach after voters empowered it — and not lawmakers — to draw lines to minimize partisan gerrymandering. The commission is under a crunch because of an unprecedented four-month-plus delay in census data needed for the once-a-decade redistricting process. Once multiple drafts of congressional and legislative maps are approved in coming days, the public will be able to give feedback at five hearings.

BARBERSHOP CHALLENGE-DETROIT

Detroit museum hosting exhibit on narrative of Black men

DETROIT (AP) — An exhibit that advances the narrative of Black men through art, photographs and stories is coming to Detroit. The public opening of the “Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth.” exhibition is scheduled Sunday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. It is part of an exhibition tour created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The Ford Motor Co. Fund also is involved in two community initiatives -- the Men of Courage Leadership Forum and Men of Courage Barbershop Challenge -- connected to the exhibit. The barbershop challenge is an expansion of the Men of Courage grassroots program that launched in 2015.

ORCHARD PLANS-DNR

DNR to discuss plans for tree seed orchard at public meeting

GENOA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Plans to reclaim two parcels of land in Livingston County’s Genoa Township for use as a tree seed orchard will be the subject of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources public meeting. The meeting is scheduled Tuesday at Brighton High School. The 50-acre and 77-acre parcels are near the DNR’s Tree Improvement Center. Both were listed as surplus and destined for auction. The DNR says steps include completing a timber sale that is in progress, contouring the land through a mineral lease, and then planting and maintaining trees on the property.

DEER FOREST-SALE

Site of popular amusement park for sale in SW Michigan

COLOMA, Mich. (AP) — A rural amusement park popular for decades in southwestern Michigan is on the auction block. Visitors could pet animals, ride a Ferris wheel or train and listen to music at Deer Forest in Coloma. The 25-acre site in Berrien County is for sale, along with many buildings that are in rough shape but still standing. Rick Levin of Rick Levin & Associates says many people have called him with fond memories of Deer Forest. He says it might be a good spot for new homes. The suggested opening bid is $450,000, though the property had been valued at $3.2 million. The deadline for the sealed bid auction is Oct. 14.

EXCHANGE-SUMMER TOURISM

Traverse City tourism strong during 2021 vacation season

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Tourists flowed through Traverse City at a strong pace during vacation season 2021. But the hospitality industry still had to deal with a bumpy road as the COVID-19 pandemic lingered. Traverse City Tourism CEO Trevor Tkach says that toward the end of summer, the area started to see occupancy numbers similar to 2019, "which was a relief ... because it was a fairly underwhelming start in 2021, consistent with what we’d been experiencing in 2020 with the pandemic.” Pre-pandemic hotel room occupancy in 2019 was strong. Numbers in 2020 were depressed because of travel and meeting restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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