As the minimum age to
purchase
tobacco
products
and e-cigarettes in Ann Arbor
changes from 18 to 21 with
the turn of the new year, the
community reacts with mixed
opinions.
The resolution, introduced
by Ann Arbor Councilmember
Julie Grand (D–Ward 3), passed
its initial read July 18, before
being officially approved Aug. 4
by a City Council vote of 9-2.
Ann Arbor is the first city
in Michigan to implement the
measure as part of the Tobacco
21 national movement. This
proactive effort, led by the
Preventing Tobacco Addiction
Foundation
when
aims
to
reduce smoking and tobacco-
related health problems.
The Saint Joseph Mercy
Health
System
in
Canton,
Michigan—
working
in
collaboration with community
members and local officials —
funded signs for retailers to
post in their stores with the
new legal tobacco purchase age
as well as the city press release
explaining the measure.
As of right now, there is no
developed plan to educate local
tobacco
retailers.
However,
Grand said there may be further
action if the ordinance poses
complications.
“If we feel like something
else needs to be done, we’ll
Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian
Calley signed a bill on last week
banning local governments from
regulating plastic shopping bags
in the state. The legislation
supersedes
Washtenaw
County’s fee on plastic bags, the
first regulation of its kind in the
state.
Senate Bill 853 prohibits
municipalities from banning
or placing fees on “auxiliary
containers,”
which
include
plastic single-use bags and other
disposable packaging. The bill
will go into effect on March 6.
The 10-cent fee adopted by
the Washtenaw County Board
of Commissioners in June was
scheduled to take effect this
April.
The
Republican-sponsored
bill passed on almost completely
partisan lines in both houses of
state legislature, 62-46 in the
House of Representatives and
25-12 in the Senate.
State Rep. Adam Zemke (D–
Ann Arbor) criticized the bill
for attacking local governments’
autonomy.
“This is largely a local issue
and I thought it was a really
big infringement on what the
local government had decided
for itself,” Zemke said. “The
state already has a really nasty
precedent set of limiting local
control. It’s overreach.”
Supporters of the bill argue
that
the
implementation
of
“patchwork
legislation”
hinders the ability of national
businesses to adhere to all
county regulations and adds
unnecessary complexities and
costs.
Robert
O’Meara,
the
Michigan
Restaurant
Association’s
vice
president
of government affairs, said in
a statement business will be
hindered
with
“patchwork
legislation”
in
place,
and
supported
the
bill
as
it
reduced restrictions for chain
restaurants.
“With many of our members
owning and operating locations
across the state, preventing
a
patchwork
approach
of
additional
regulations
is
imperative
to
avoid
added
complexities as it related to day-
to-day
business
operations,”
O’Meara said.
State
Sen.
Jim
Stamas
(R–Midland)
also
called
for consistency in business
regulations when he introduced
the bill in April, according to
MLive.
“This simply provides that
you’re not putting different
regulations across the state on
the containers,” he said.
Zemke pushed back against
claims of inconsistency.
“You’re talking about one
community that charges for a
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — On a
night when Jourdan Lewis became
Michigan’s all-time record holder
for career pass breakups, further
cementing his status as one of
the best cornerbacks in program
history, the senior All-American
lined up to make a play he makes
all the time.
He
has
haunted
opposing
receivers on those plays for most of
his career. He gets his hands on the
ball almost as often as they do, and
opponents have simply stopped
throwing at him. Entering Friday’s
Orange Bowl, receivers had just 10
catches against him, while Lewis
had eight pass breakups and two
interceptions.
With 42 seconds left in the
game Friday, Lewis lined up in the
slot against Florida State receiver
Nyqwan Murray. On 3rd-and-9
from the Michigan 12-yard line —
with the Wolverines up by a field
goal — if Lewis could just break
up one more pass, he could at least
force overtime. But the Seminoles
had one more highlight in them.
“He snatched the ball out of the
air,” Lewis said after the game. “I
turned my head around a tad bit
michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 1
©2016 The Michigan Daily
N E WS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
O PI N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
See TOBACCO, Page 2
AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor speaks at the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
Ann Arbor residents who are
hearing-impaired may soon be
able to enjoy closed captioning in
television sets in public areas.
During their first meeting of
the year, City Council discussed
a new city ordinance mandating
that any television set compatible
with closed captioning in “places
of
public
accommodation”
–
such as businesses, schools, and
restaurants – must activate the
feature to accommodate those
residents
with
hearing
loss
problems. Television sets unable
to provide closed captioning are
exempt from the requirement.
The council did not vote on
the
ordinance
this
meeting.
Councilmember Kirk Westphal
(D-Ward 2) said because he
is waiting for responses from
members
of
the
business
community in an A2 Open City
Hall survey, he is postponing the
vote until the first meeting in
February.
Westphal, who sponsored the
ordinance, said similar measures
in
Portland,
Oregon
were
implemented last December with
only one compliant. Westphal
reasoned the process in Ann Arbor
should not be complicated to
implement if similiar to Portland.
Currently, only meetings of the
See ORANGE BOWL, Page 3
MAX KUANG/Daily
Estabrook Learning Community students Christian Benitez-Reyes and Shanese Saines perform in PUNCH: A Bully
Play at the Walgreen Drama Center on December 9th, 2016.
Just not enough
Despite a fourth-quarter
comeback that gave Michi-
gan its first lead of the
game, the Wolverines lost to
Florida State in the Orange
Bowl. » Page 1B
michigandaily.com
For more stories and coverage, visit
See PLASTIC BAG, Page 3
See CITY COUNCIL, Page 3
Ford
CEO
Mark
Fields
announced plans to invest $700
million into Michigan while
cancelling a $1.6 billion plant in
San Luis Potosi, Mexico in a press
conference Tuesday morning.
According
to
Fields,
the
new Michigan investment will
involve a transformation of a
facility in Flat Rock into a new
manufacturing and innovation
center, which will in turn create
700 jobs.
“We are today announcing
that we are investing $700
million to transform Flat Rock
into a new manufacturing and
innovation center,” Fields said.
Ford does still plan to build
the next generation of its Focus
in Hermosillo, Mexico in order to
maintain profitability.
The
announcement
also
included information about a
new initiative towards electric
vehicles. Fields said Ford will
launch 13 new hybrid and electric
vehicles including the F-150 and
Mustang, some of the company’s
best selling vehicles, over the
next five years as part of a $4.5
billion investment.
See FORD, Page 3
ACTING AGAINST BULLYING
Local retailors
express their
concerns on business
effects of new tobacco
ordinance
City Council proposes captioning
on TVs in businesses, restaurants
ANN ARBOR
Tobacco purchasing age raised from 18
to 21 leads to community disagreement
If passed, ordinance would provide funds for captioned programming in public spaces
ISHI MORI
Daily Staff Reporter
Michigan
falls 32-33
in Orange
Bowl game
SPORTS
Wolverines’ fourth-
quarter effort not enough
to defeat Seminoles
JAKE LOURIM
Daily Sports Writer
New bill banning plastic bag regulation
supercedes county’s previous fee
Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signs legislation preventing local shopping bag ordinances
CARLY RYAN
Daily Staff Reporter
Ford plans
local plant
investment
of $700M
BUSINESS
CEO Mark Fields also
announced cancellation
of planned Mexico facility
LYDIA MURRAY
Daily News Editor
JENNIFER MEER
Daily Staff Reporter