Midwest
Detroit Public Schools bring out the latest weapon in arsenal to fight chronic absenteeism: Laundry machines
Steep payouts, ice cream, mini-breaks and – laundry machines?
Schools are incentivizing kids to come to class as chronic absenteeism remains a major post-pandemic concern, but the lattermost – taking effect in Detroit Public Schools – might sound a bit unconventional without context.
“I have the opportunity to come to the school and wash my son’s clothes,” parent Melania Willis, whose son is a senior at a local high school where she works as a security guard, told WXYZ-TV in The Motor City.
“I do stay in an apartment and it’s hard for me sometimes to put money on the card because they close at a certain time,” she added.
6.5 MILLION STUDENTS CHRONICALLY ABSENT AFTER THE PANDEMIC, NEW STUDY SHOWS
Washing machines are being installed in public schools in Detroit to help some students from lower-income households. (iStock)
The machines found their way into local schools thanks to the help of Detroit Public Schools Foundation President Kerrie Mitchell and charitable donations and a GE Appliances investment.
Willis said installing the washers and dryers helps kids from less privileged households, including one who has no running water at home and is bullied regularly.
Though unclear if she was referencing the same student, she noted that one student who doesn’t have laundry machines at home approaches her and often asks her to take her clothes to the washing machine.
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH AMERICA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS? ENROLLMENT DROOPS AND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM TELL A DRAMATIC TALE
Classrooms have had more than a few empty seats since the COVID-19 pandemic as some districts struggle to get them back to class. (Getty Images)
“One student came to me like, ‘I don’t have a washing machine at home. Do you mind if you take my clothes to the washing machine, to the laundromat?’ So, I took it and brought it back to her,” she recalled.
In another instance, Davis Aerospace Technical High School teacher Janine Scott said she noticed a student she thought had poor hygiene actually just needed to have his hoodie washed, and the problem extends to other students, especially of younger age groups, as well.
Older age groups reportedly avoid the embarrassment by either finding ways to cover up the scent or staying out of class altogether.
Detroit Public Schools have been hit hard by the chronic absentee epidemic, with two-thirds of students falling into the category of those who miss at least 10% of the school year, according to education website Chalkbeat.
RATES OF STUDENTS SKIPPING CLASS REMAIN STUBBORNLY HIGH SINCE COVID CLOSURES: ‘THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE’
The same report said more than half of the district’s 108 schools now have the appliances installed.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts across the U.S. have struggled to get kids back into classrooms, with some taking measures to reel them back in.
Ohio lawmakers floated an idea to get kids in class – and across the graduation stage – by incentivizing their attendance with payouts, but the bill ultimately stalled.
Some Rhode Island schools incentivized good attendance with rewards like ice cream socials and extra recess time, according to Chalkbeat.
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2025 MI marijuana excise tax revenues drop for local governments
In 2025, local government retail license share dropped $4,211 from Michigan marijuana sales for the tax year. New taxes could cut it more in 2026.
Michigan municipalities and counties that allow recreational marijuana dispensaries are set to receive far less money this year than last in their annual portion of tax revenue collected from cannabis sales.
Sales declined in 2025 for the first time since legal recreational marijuana sales started in December 2019.
A total of 114 cities, 39 villages, 81 townships, 75 counties and four tribes will receive payments from the Marijuana Regulation Fund, according to a March 3 news release from Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency. They will get about $54,000 per retail store or microbusiness, based on nearly $94 million collected.
Last year, each eligible government entity received a little more than $58,000 per business based on a total of nearly $100 million in marijuana tax revenue.
Detroit, once again, will receive the most money of any municipality. There are 61 active retailer licenses in Detroit, so the city will get nearly $3.3 million in tax revenue.
State law determines how the money is split. The Michigan Transportation Fund gets 35% of the revenue, which is used for the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges, and another 35% goes to the School Aid Fund to be used for K-12 education. The other 30% is split between municipalities, counties and tribes.
The payments come from revenue collected from the 10% recreational marijuana excise tax. This tax is separate from a new 24% wholesale tax that went into effect Jan. 1. The revenue from that tax will go to fixes for local roads.
Sales at recreational marijuana dispensaries declined by 3% last year to $3.17 billion, down from $3.28 billion in 2024, according to figures from Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency, leading to the smaller payouts. More government entities also split the revenue compared with last year.
Payments to municipalities could get smaller if sales continue to decline. Recreational marijuana sales in Michigan plunged nearly 16% in January compared with December as heavy snow, cold temperatures and fears of higher prices due to the new 24% wholesale cannabis tax kept consumers at home.
While recent trends indicate a cooling period, a February report from Headset, a cannabis market intelligence firm, said the market — one of the largest in the country — has shown resilience over the last two years.
Below are the municipalities that received the most tax revenue:
- Detroit: $3.3 million
- Grand Rapids: $1.5 million
- Lansing: $1.4 million
- Ann Arbor: $1.2 million
- Kalamazoo: $1 million
- Flint: $648,000
- Traverse City, Hazel Park and Adrian all will receive $594,000.
For a full list of municipalities, counties and tribes that will receive marijuana tax revenue, go to www.michigan.gov/treasury.
Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The draft pick becomes a fifth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft if Minnesota wins two playoff rounds and Petry plays in 50 percent or more of the Wild’s playoff games during those first two rounds.
Petry, 38 (12/9/1987), owns eight assists, 22 penalty minutes and 45 shots on goal in 58 games for Florida this season. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound native of Ann Arbor, Mich., has recorded 393 points (96-297=393), 103 power-play points (24-79=103), 1,745 shots on goal and 1,616 blocked shots in 1,039 games across 16 NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (2010-15), Montreal Canadiens (2015-22), Pittsburgh Penguins (2022-23), Detroit Red Wings (2023-25) and Florida (2025-26). He has also amassed 13 points (5-8=13) and 90 shots on goal in 48 postseason games across four Stanley Cup Playoff appearances (2015, 2017, 2020, 2021), all with Montreal.
Petry skated in the 1,000th game of his NHL career with Florida on Nov. 17 vs. Vancouver after signing with the Panthers as a free agent on July 1, 2025. He served as an alternate captain for Montreal for three seasons (2019-22) and set career-high marks in goals (13), assists (33) and points (46) with the Canadiens during the 2018-19 season. Petry totaled 28 points (7-21=28) in 51 career American Hockey League (AHL) games in parts of three seasons (2009-12) with the Springfield Falcons (2009-10) and Oklahoma City Barons (2010-12), and represented the United States at the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2024 IIHF World Championships, earning a bronze medal with Team USA in 2013. He was originally selected by Edmonton in the second round (No. 45 overall) of the 2006 NHL Draft. He will wear sweater No. 2 with Minnesota.
Minnesota travels to play the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow, March 6, at 9 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.
Minnesota Wild single-game tickets are on sale now at wild.com/tickets, ticketmaster.com and at the Grand Casino Arena Box Office. Flex, 11-Game, half and full season memberships are also available for purchase. Please visittickets.wild.com or contact a Wild Ticket Sales Representative by calling or texting (651) 222-WILD (9453) for more information. Group reservations of eight or more tickets can contact [email protected] for more information. Single game suite rentals are also available, contact [email protected] for more information or book instantly at wildsuites.com.
Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.
Summary:
- Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments on constitutionality of airport property tax valuation statute.
- Case involves valuation of Marriott hotel at Kansas City International Airport.
- Platte County assessor argues statute creates special tax advantage for airport properties.
- Missouri State Tax Commission reduced hotel’s valuation from $13.45 million to about $6.14 million.
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Feb. 10 in a case challenging how a hotel at Kansas City International Airport was valued for property tax purposes and whether a state statute allowing deductions for airport property improvements is constitutional.
The dispute centers on the valuation of the Marriott Hotel located at Kansas City International Airport and whether a provision in Section 137.115.1 of state law improperly reduces the taxable value of certain airport properties.
At issue is a challenge by the Platte County assessor and the Park Hill School District to a decision by the Missouri State Tax Commission that resulted in a lower valuation for the 2016 tax year.
The assessor was represented during arguments by Stephen E. Magers, an attorney for Platte County in Platte City; Grady Hotel Investments was represented by Peter A. Corsale of McCarthy, Leonard & Kaemmerer in Town & Country.
Magers argued the statute effectively creates a special class of property that receives favorable tax treatment.
“This case concerns a truly novel item of the Missouri statutes,” he said. “It stands alone as the only statute within the entirety of the Missouri framework that gives a certain set of taxpayers a tax advantage of having real property located within an airport receive a deduction for new construction and improvements.”
The property at issue is a Marriott hotel located on land owned by Kansas City within the boundaries of Kansas City International Airport. The city leases the land to a private operator.
In 2015, Grady Hotel Investments purchased the prior operator’s interest in the property for about $8.5 million. As part of the transaction, Grady entered into an amended lease and concession agreement with the city and committed to making capital improvements to repair and renovate the property.
For the 2016 tax year, the Platte County assessor valued Grady’s interest in the hotel at approximately $13.45 million. After the county board of equalization upheld that valuation, Grady appealed to the Missouri State Tax Commission.
The commission initially set the hotel’s assessed value at zero using the “bonus value” methodology for leasehold interests, but the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District later reversed that ruling and remanded the case. On remand, the commission ultimately determined the hotel’s “true value in money” was about $6.14 million. The commission reached that figure after deducting the value of personal property included in the purchase and approximately $1.2 million in costs paid toward new construction and improvements made after 2008, as permitted under Section 137.115.1.
Magers argued that the statute operates as an unconstitutional tax break for properties located within airport boundaries.
“At its core, what the statute does is create a special kind of property that receives a reduction to its value based on new construction and improvements spent toward such possessory interests in real property,” said Magers.
He also said the provision treats airport properties differently from other commercial properties.
“A homeowner doesn’t get a reduction to their value when they get a new roof on their property,” he said. “But for property that is located within an airport boundary that undertakes new construction or improvements, there is a deduction to that value that the statute mandates.”
Corsale countered that the statute does not create a tax exemption but instead establishes a permissible method for valuing certain types of property.
“To me the answer is no. This is a method of valuation,” he said, arguing that the Missouri Constitution gives the legislature authority to determine how property is valued for tax purposes.
Judge Mary R. Russell questioned whether the deduction could potentially reduce a property’s value to zero if improvements continue over time.
“But couldn’t it be, at some point, a perpetual exemption,” she said, noting the statute allows deductions regardless of when improvement costs were incurred.
Corsale said the improvements ultimately revert to the city when the lease ends.
“What we are dealing with is a private company improving public land that eventually reverts back to the public,” he said. “At the conclusion of the lease, the public gets the benefit of whatever money they put into this property.”
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