Oshtemo Township has picked a new supervisor. And its a familiar, local face. Also: The Kalamazoo Public Library is going back to the drawing board after its pick for executive director turned down the job. And Gov. Whitmer says abortion pills are still legal in Michigan despite a controversial ruling from a Texas judge.
News You Need To Know
Oshtemo picks new leader
A familiar face will take over the top leadership position in Oshtemo Township May 1. During a special meeting last week, the township board voted to pick Trustee Cheri Bell to be township supervisor. She will replace Libby Heiny-Cogswell, who announced her retirement in February. Bell will serve the remainder of Heiny-Cogswell’s term, which runs through 2024.
Bell has been a township trustee since 2020 and served on the township’s parks committee beginning in 2009. “To the residents of Oshtemo, I pledge to you that when I step into this role formally, that I will work hard for the township,” she said. [MLive]
Library to reinterview director candidates after finalist drops out
The Kalamazoo Public Library is rebooting its search for a new executive director after its previous finalist turned down the job. After a search and interviews with several candidates earlier this year, KPL offered the top job to Kendra Jones of Tumwater, Wash. She declined the position late last month. Rather than starting over from scratch, library leaders decided to go back to others it has already interviewed.
The firm helping conduct the search is Bradbury Miller Associates. Its president, Karen Miller, recommended the board reconsider four candidates it previously interviewed. They are Tammy Sayles, deputy chief librarian at Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Wendy Crutcher, library administrator at LA County Library in Los Angeles; Kristen Edson, deputy library director of East Baton Rouge Parish Libraries in Baton Rouge; and Tracy Glass, assistant library director for Lincoln City Libraries of Lincoln, Neb. [MLive]
Whitmer: Abortion pill will remain legal in Michigan
For the time being, medication abortions will continue to be legal in Michigan despite a ruling by a Texas judge last week that puts the practice in question. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk halted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, stating that the agency broke a rule when it approved the drug more than two decades ago. He also decided to stay his order for seven days to give the agency time to appeal. In a statement, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that doesn’t change anything in Michigan. “Despite this ruling, I want to be clear: abortion, including medication abortion, remains safe and legal in the state of Michigan,” she wrote.
Mifepristone is used in more than half of all abortions in Michigan. Kacsmaryk’s ruling could bring those services to an end throughout the country. That’s even after Michigan voters elected to enshrine abortion protections in the state’s constitution last fall. Experts say the ruling is likely to go before the Supreme Court. [Bridge Michigan]
Things To Do In Kalamazoo
Parchment Book Group: What the Fireflies Knew – Parchment Community Library
6:00PM 4/10
Shut Up & Write! – this is a bookstore | Bookbug
6:00PM 4/10
Does Truth Even Matter Anymore? – Public Media Network
6:30PM 4/10
Texas Township Business Townhall – Southwest Michigan First
8:30AM 4/11
KSO Musical Storybooks: Because – Kalamazoo Public Library, Central
10:30AM 4/11
KSO Musical Storybooks: Because – Kalamazoo Public Library, Central
11:30AM 4/11
Hays Park Cleanup Night – Kalamazoo Rotary Satellite Club
5:00PM 4/11
GLAMA Slow Jam – Kalamazoo Public Library, Central
5:30PM 4/11
Jazz with Barry Ross, Violin, and Terry Lower, Jazz Piano – Martell’s
5:30PM 4/11
Team Game Night: Family Feud – Richland Community Library
6:00PM 4/11
Sally Sexton Kalmbach, Historian – Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
10:00AM 4/12
Meet Author, Austin Channing Brown – Kalamazoo Public Library, Central
12:30PM 4/12
3 of a Kind – Hilton Garden Inn
7:00PM 4/12
Austin Channing Brown Presents: I’m Still Here, YA edition – this is a bookstore | Bookbug
7:00PM 4/12
Calvin Hinds Live – Maestro’s Pizza
7:00PM 4/12
Dooley and friends live – O’Duffy’s Pub
7:00PM 4/12
Jasen Magic – Portage Zhang Senior Center
8:30PM 4/12
See more upcoming events here.
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