UAW's razor-thin ratification vote • Group meets with lawyer after bus company stranding • More pot licenses

THURSDAY NEWS HIT - It looked questionable at first, but union members are expected to narrowly approve a tentative agreement between the UAW and General Motors. 

As voting totals from local union groups rolled in Tuesday and Wednesday, it appeared the vote would come down to the wire after several of GM's largest factories rejected the proposed deal negotiated by the union's leadership.

A rejection of the deal would be a step-back for many, not just GM. It could further hurt the company's supply chain, prolong the strike against the automaker, while potentially slowing the momentum that UAW President Shawn Fain hoped to leverage as he seeks to expand the UAW's membership.

A simple majority is needed for the contract to be approved. 

But at plants like the Flint Truck, Spring Hill in Tennessee, Fort Wayne Assembly, and Wentzville Assembly - facilities that employ thousands of UAW members - all voted against the deal, and not by a small margin.

But the winds changed when Aringling Assembly, the company's biggest plant and one of its profit centers in Texas, overwhelmingly approved the deal. 

As it stands, 53.9% have approved it and 46.1% have rejected it. Members have until Thursday to vote and the results will be published Friday.

Ford and Stellantis votes aren't as close with both companies appearing to secure wider margins of approval.

Federation meeting with lawyers after bus company stranding

The group that helped organize travel from Michigan to a large pro-Israel rally in Washington D.C. says it is discussing next steps with its attorneys after the bus company hired to transport people failed to show up.

The Jewish Federation of Detroit claimed the bus drivers deliberately didn't show up after learning what the event they would be transporting people to was for. With some calling it a "deliberate and malicious" act in the hours after the company's failure to show up, the federation says it is "assessing future steps with our professional counsel regarding these issues."

In a post on Facebook, the federation said participants who had hoped to join the "March for Israel" rally last Tuesday experienced "significant delays and inconveniences" on the trip. "As you have heard, many drivers from the bus company in DC failed to fulfill their obligation to take our travelers to the National Mall," it wrote online.

Close to a thousand Jewish Detroiters had planned on attending the rally, where several leaders spoke out in support of Israel. The country is currently embroiled in a brutal conflict with the extremist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Detroit hands out more marijuana licenses

Another 37 licenses were handed out to mostly adult-use recreational marijuana dispensaries in Detroit, the city's entrepreneurship office said. The second round of winners include 13 Black-owned retailers and five women-owned businesses.

Twenty-one of the retailers are residents of Detroit. "Of those newly licensed business owners in 'Round One', 16 are African American. Today, we continue the progressive expansion of our cannabis industry with the announcement of 'Round Two' awardees," said City Council President Pro Temp James Tate.

Half of the licenses that were handed out in the first round went to Detroit residents. Detroit has strived to make equitable access to the marijuana industry for locals, hoping to give residents the chance of capitalizing on the industry before being pushed out by larger out-of-city companies.

Most of the businesses are retailers. 

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum faces demo

A historic arcade and museum in Farmington Hills, Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, could be demolished – as the city is considering a proposed development that would build a Meijer in the area.

Marvin's owners and fans are asking for help in saving the attraction by signing a petition on Change.org. As of Wednesday, the petition has garnered close to 12,000 signatures. "This place seems to resonate with everybody in the Metro Detroit area and abroad," said General Manager Andrew Rosenfeld. "We've been a part of the city of Farmington Hills for a long, long time."

Marvin's was founded in the 1980s by Marvin Yagoda. Today, his son Jeremy Yagoda oversees the arcade's operations. Decked in vintage games, posters, and memorabilia, Marvin's would be missed by many if it is torn down. 

According to the city, RPT Realty, L.P., the owner and developer, is following a standard procedure for any planned unit development taking place there - a process that began during the summer. It is possible for Marvin's to relocate, "but would it ever really be the same?" Rosenfeld said.

Lawsuit filed after KKK flag hung in Grosse Pointe Park

A Black woman and her daughter have filed a federal case against a former neighbor in Grosse Pointe Park for ethnic intimidation including a KKK flag and racial threats. Je Donna Dinges' lawsuit is being handled y the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School, it was announced Tuesday.

The case is against Ryan Wilde, who hung a Ku Klux Klan flag in the window, and allegedly fired his gun outside and once left a full gas can in the family's recycling bin. The incidents were originally reported in February of 2021.

"We felt terrorized in our own house and feared for our lives," said Je Donna Dinges, a small business owner in a release. "I thought the days of the KKK forcing Black families out of white neighborhoods and threatening to burn down Black homes was a thing of the past."

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said the display of the KKK flag was not ethnic intimidation and did not file criminal charges in March of 2021. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday morning in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. It asserts that Wilde unlawfully interfered with Je Donna and India Dinges’ property rights

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Daily Forecast

Thursday will be the nicest day of the week and possibly the last nice day of the year. Temperatures in the 60s and sunshine will dominate the day before a cold front moves in, bringing rain with it.

What else we're watching

1. Class 3 and Classs 8 hazardous materials may soon be rolling over the Ambassador Bridge after the company petitioned for restrictions on transporting flammable and corrosive objects to be lifted. 
2. Jim Harbaugh, UM's head football coach says he will attend the court hearing over his suspension from the team's remaining games in the Big Ten this season. The hearing will be in Washtenaw County business court Friday.
3. The 30th anniversary of the Wayne County Lightfest begins today. It'll kick off at Merriman Hollow Park in Westland. 
4. And it's not the only event going on. The Downtown Detroit Partnership has opened its ice rink at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit. Along with Visit Detroit, the two will be part of the first group of skaters to try out the rink.
5. A pig in Redford known as the pumpkin prince has an appetite for the orange vegetable. Dubbed Pablo EscoBoar, his owners want you to donate your old pumpkins for his own enjoyment.

Capitol Police confront pro-Palestine protesters outside DNC building

U.S. Capitol Police officers clashed with Pro-Palestine protesters Wednesday night in front of the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

Just after 8:30 p.m., the department sent a message via X saying it was making arrests and working to subdue approximately 150 people who were "illegally and violently protesting" near the building along Canal Street and Ivy Street, Southeast.

ideos on social media appear to show officers trying to push back throngs of demonstrators on the steps of the DNC building. Several advocacy groups, including IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, claimed on X that they were "assaulted."