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U-M wants to give freshmen a break from grades

A new pilot aims to ease the transition to college and encourage academic risk-taking.

News

Freshmen at the University of Michigan are getting a break from one of college&#x27;s biggest stressors: grades.Why it matters: The pilot program is intended to help &quot;curb the mental health crisis unfolding among college-aged individuals,&quot; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the school says" data-vars-click-url="https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/academics/lsa-first-semester-grade-covering-pilot-program.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="fb0c0ae8-796a-4b84-b41e-54f1ca3c6f45" data-vars-headline="U-M wants to give freshmen a break from grades" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://lsa.umich.edu/lsa/academics/lsa-first-semester-grade-covering-pilot-program.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">the school says</a>.

University of Michigan Health ranks among U.S. best

U.S. News also ranked the Ann Arbor hospital No. 1 in Michigan.

Health

University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor is among the top 20 highest-rated hospitals in the country, according to the latest rankings from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. News &amp; World Report" data-vars-click-url="https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings" data-vars-content-id="e20d900e-6fdd-4a5c-b775-7a7344737bd8" data-vars-headline="University of Michigan Health ranks among U.S. best" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings" target="_blank">U.S. News &amp; World Report</a>.Why it matters: Patients often consult the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rigorous annual ranking system" data-vars-click-url="https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals" data-vars-content-id="e20d900e-6fdd-4a5c-b775-7a7344737bd8" data-vars-headline="University of Michigan Health ranks among U.S. best" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals" target="_blank">rigorous annual ranking system</a> when looking for the best care for their medical needs.

Michigan's share of Trump deportations: $6B

A new online tool estimates Michigan's share of federal deportation spending.

Immigration

Michigan taxpayers would pay nearly $1,800 each for President <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="39acc1c7-aba7-483b-8eae-3bdc6c967d12" data-vars-headline="Michigan&#x27;s share of Trump deportations: $6B" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump&#x27;s</a> mass deportation push, per a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new calculator" data-vars-click-url="https://www.epi.org/deportation-calculator/" data-vars-content-id="39acc1c7-aba7-483b-8eae-3bdc6c967d12" data-vars-headline="Michigan&#x27;s share of Trump deportations: $6B" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.epi.org/deportation-calculator/" target="_blank">new calculator</a> from the Economic Policy Institute.Why it matters: The estimate fuels debate over whether billions of federal dollars devoted to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="deportations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/15/ice-deportations-us-immigration-trump-biden-2025" data-vars-content-id="39acc1c7-aba7-483b-8eae-3bdc6c967d12" data-vars-headline="Michigan&#x27;s share of Trump deportations: $6B" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/15/ice-deportations-us-immigration-trump-biden-2025" target="_self">deportations</a> should instead fund other public priorities, such as health care or housing.

Things to do in Metro Detroit this weekend: Aug. 14-16

Art, Tigers baseball and the Woodward Dream Cruise are on tap.

Things to Do

🛞 <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Woodward Dream Cruise" data-vars-click-url="https://www.woodwarddreamcruise.com/" data-vars-content-id="9cd019ba-69e8-48c2-b60b-cff8a6e509b8" data-vars-headline="Things to do in Metro Detroit this weekend: Aug. 14-16" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.woodwarddreamcruise.com/" target="_blank">Woodward Dream Cruise</a>: The summer tradition that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="everyone loves to hate" data-vars-click-url="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/woodward-dream-cruise/2025/08/10/nostalgic-or-a-nuisance-woodward-dream-cruise-turns-30/85508438007/" data-vars-content-id="9cd019ba-69e8-48c2-b60b-cff8a6e509b8" data-vars-headline="Things to do in Metro Detroit this weekend: Aug. 14-16" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/woodward-dream-cruise/2025/08/10/nostalgic-or-a-nuisance-woodward-dream-cruise-turns-30/85508438007/" target="_blank">everyone loves to hate</a> rolls up and down Woodward Avenue, from 8 Mile to Pontiac.<ul><li>The official cruise is Saturday, 9am-9pm, with community events along the route. Expect heavy traffic all weekend.</li></ul>

Michigan court sidelines Kalshi sports markets

The temporary restriction will remain while the state's lawsuit moves forward.

Kalshi, the increasingly popular <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="prediction market" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/11/coalition-for-prediction-markets-kalshi-crypto" data-vars-content-id="346c8d0a-fa5e-4066-ab9b-163944894ff0" data-vars-headline="Michigan court sidelines Kalshi sports markets" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/11/coalition-for-prediction-markets-kalshi-crypto" target="_self">prediction market</a>, has begun blocking Michigan users from making sports predictions amid an ongoing legal battle.Why it matters: Prediction markets are booming, but so are the legal fights around them.

Michigan legislators aim to ban surveillance pricing

The proposal would prohibit using personal data to raise prices for individual shoppers.

Business

Local lawmakers want to stop corporations from using your online search history and other personal data to charge more for necessary items like airline tickets or a new baby stroller.Why it matters: More leaders around Michigan and the U.S. are interested in stopping businesses from using surveillance pricing.

Detroit unveils major road repair program

Pothole-plagued roads lead to car repairs, which are getting more costly.

Some of Detroit&#x27;s most pothole-marred roads are getting repaired this summer.Why it matters: It&#x27;s an affordability issue. The cost of owning and repairing a car <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="is going up" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/06/02/car-ownership-costs-rising-loans-insurance-michigan" data-vars-content-id="cca896de-672c-4c14-bcc8-c828220fb140" data-vars-headline="Detroit unveils major road repair program" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/06/02/car-ownership-costs-rising-loans-insurance-michigan" target="_self">is going up</a>, and our region&#x27;s poor road conditions directly contribute to that burden.

Gas prices ease in Metro Detroit

Transit

Metro Detroiters are seeing a slight dip from last month&#x27;s gas price spike, though prices remain elevated.The latest: The region&#x27;s average regular unleaded gas price was about $4.30 as of Tuesday morning, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="GasBuddy data" data-vars-click-url="https://fuelinsights.gasbuddy.com/#Home/US/MI/Detroit" data-vars-content-id="dcd7e730-1f73-44f7-963b-08fe18f40f40" data-vars-headline="Gas prices ease in Metro Detroit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://fuelinsights.gasbuddy.com/#Home/US/MI/Detroit" target="_blank">GasBuddy data</a>.

Michigan drivers face soaring car costs

Higher loan payments and insurance costs are straining drivers.

Even if you put aside <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="gas prices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/05/05/metro-detroit-gas-prices-average-iran" data-vars-content-id="34b6ee1c-d91b-4d4a-857b-7aff95841926" data-vars-headline="Michigan drivers face soaring car costs" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2026/05/05/metro-detroit-gas-prices-average-iran" target="_self">gas prices</a>, car ownership has gotten a lot more expensive in recent years.Why it matters: Though Detroit and the region have sought to improve public transit options, many people still rely on cars, making rising ownership costs hard to avoid.

Sheffield's pro-business case on poverty

The mayor argues anti-poverty policy is key to the economic futures of Detroit and Michigan.

Politics

Mayor Mary Sheffield made the business case for lifting Detroit&#x27;s most impoverished residents Thursday at the Mackinac Policy Conference.Why it matters: Fighting poverty is an economic growth strategy in the best interest of corporations and the state at large, Sheffield argued in a keynote speech on Mackinac Island.

Detroit City Chatter: Cash-handling concerns and AI updates

Our regular roundup of Detroit politics and policy.

Welcome back to our regular roundup of Detroit politics and policy.🏦 Check-handling: Detroit&#x27;s auditor general office found serious &quot;weaknesses&quot; in how the city Health Department&#x27;s food safety unit handles money, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="May 1 memo" data-vars-click-url="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QgEOvICRptuRFPqyV65l91jn7xKKNzJZ/view?usp=sharing" data-vars-content-id="91f62736-8041-43bb-b880-c0e433a0736d" data-vars-headline="Detroit City Chatter: Cash-handling concerns and AI updates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QgEOvICRptuRFPqyV65l91jn7xKKNzJZ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">May 1 memo</a>.

Mapped: How Metro Detroit electric bills stack up

Energy costs are climbing, with gas prices and rate hikes adding pressure on households.

Money

Wayne County residents spend an estimated average of $131 per month on their home electric bills, per an Axios analysis of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data" data-vars-click-url="https://electricity.heatmap.news/" data-vars-content-id="22d7916e-9b84-4895-933e-ae16b13349e8" data-vars-headline="Mapped: How Metro Detroit electric bills stack up" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://electricity.heatmap.news/" target="_blank">data</a> collected and shared by climate newsroom Heatmap News.Why it matters: Tensions over rising energy bills and power-hungry AI data centers are emerging as a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="key political issue" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/05/data-centers-midterms-state-bans-bills-ai" data-vars-content-id="22d7916e-9b84-4895-933e-ae16b13349e8" data-vars-headline="Mapped: How Metro Detroit electric bills stack up" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/05/data-centers-midterms-state-bans-bills-ai" target="_self">key political issue</a> nationwide and should be a potent force in this year&#x27;s midterms.

Sheffield unveils budget with youth, wages as priorities

She wants added transit funding, youth programs and living wages for Detroit city employees.

Alleviating poverty and helping youth took top billing in Mayor Mary Sheffield&#x27;s first proposed budget, released Monday.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$1.6 billion general fund budget" data-vars-click-url="https://detroitmi.gov/departments/office-chief-financial-officer/ocfo-divisions/office-budget" data-vars-content-id="18cbe8ba-cf65-4dda-a0db-0ec151acd97c" data-vars-headline="Sheffield unveils budget with youth, wages as priorities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://detroitmi.gov/departments/office-chief-financial-officer/ocfo-divisions/office-budget" target="_blank">$1.6 billion general fund budget</a> proposal — $3 billion across all funding sources — is an early indicator of how Sheffield could use city resources to turn <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="campaign" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2025/11/05/mary-sheffield-detroit-mayor-election-2025" data-vars-content-id="18cbe8ba-cf65-4dda-a0db-0ec151acd97c" data-vars-headline="Sheffield unveils budget with youth, wages as priorities" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2025/11/05/mary-sheffield-detroit-mayor-election-2025" target="_self">campaign</a> promises into action.

Metro Detroit gas prices surge after Iran strikes

Metro Detroit drivers are now paying more than $3 per gallon on average.

Gasoline prices are jumping in Detroit and elsewhere as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="oil prices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/oil-prices-iran-trump-rubio-mitigate-costs" data-vars-content-id="b9f476d2-9744-4621-bdbd-3e7626c072e8" data-vars-headline="Metro Detroit gas prices surge after Iran strikes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/oil-prices-iran-trump-rubio-mitigate-costs" target="_self">oil prices</a> spike following the U.S. and Israel <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="strikes on Iran" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/3-us-fighter-jets-friendly-fire-kuwait" data-vars-content-id="b9f476d2-9744-4621-bdbd-3e7626c072e8" data-vars-headline="Metro Detroit gas prices surge after Iran strikes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/02/3-us-fighter-jets-friendly-fire-kuwait" target="_self">strikes on Iran</a>, reflecting market fears of extended geopolitical upheaval.Why it matters: Americans use about <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="370 million" data-vars-click-url="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=23&amp;t=10" data-vars-content-id="b9f476d2-9744-4621-bdbd-3e7626c072e8" data-vars-headline="Metro Detroit gas prices surge after Iran strikes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=23&amp;t=10" target="_blank">370 million</a> gallons of gas <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per day" data-vars-click-url="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&amp;s=mgfupus2&amp;f=m" data-vars-content-id="b9f476d2-9744-4621-bdbd-3e7626c072e8" data-vars-headline="Metro Detroit gas prices surge after Iran strikes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&amp;s=mgfupus2&amp;f=m" target="_blank">per day</a>, so price increases have an immediate effect on their pocketbooks and mood about the economy.

A line chart that tracks average monthly regular unleaded gas prices in Metro Detroit and nationally from June 2025 to June 2026. Detroit ranges from $2.85 in December 2025 to $4.687 in May 2026. National prices range from $2.821 in January 2026 to $4.479 in May 2026.