| February 23, 2022 
 At a tiny corner barber shop in Dexter, people will sit shoulder to shoulder instead of heading outside to wait for a haircut. Customers are less likely, it seems, to wear gloves and masks, to ask about vaccination statuses, or to emerge from isolation looking wild and bearded. “The last couple of weeks in here, people are more relaxed for sure. Just recently, this whole place was packed full. And I thought: ‘This is like old times,’” said Robin Reed of Reed Barbering, Robin’s on Main Street. Just days earlier, Washtenaw County, home to liberal Ann Arbor and among the bluest in the state, announced it would drop requirements for facial coverings in schools by Feb. 28 as COVID-19 case numbers decreased dramatically across Michigan. READ MORE  Late last year, Michigan lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got a years-long effort to exempt menstrual products from sales and use taxes over the finish line. Those laws passed with bipartisan support and went into effect this month. But as public officials look into possible ways to cut taxes on Michigan residents, other possible tweaks to what is considered taxable goods under state law are being debated in the Legislature. For instance, what about pet food? Should that be exempt from the 6% tax? We have a look at that and other ideas floating around in Lansing: READ MORE  One hundred years ago this week, Michigan was in the throes of an ice storm like no one had ever seen. From February 21-23, 1922, heavy sleet and freezing rain fell across the Upper Midwest, affecting multiple states, but none so bad as Wisconsin and Michigan. Accounts of the storm depict a world that froze to a halt under a four-to-six-inch slathering of ice. Rail tracks, utility lines, tree limbs — anything exposed was encased, causing train wrecks, power outages, and significant damage to orchards as branches sagged and snapped under the bitter-cold weight. READ MORE ►These historic photos prove Michigan winter has never been for the weak  Phil Martelli is confident in his ability to coach, to lead a program, as he did for 24 seasons at Saint Joseph’s. That’s what the Michigan men’s basketball team needs over the next couple of weeks, as head coach Juwan Howard serves a five-game suspension and his top assistant fills in. Martelli is taking his boss’ place, but he’s not replacing him. “I am not Juwan Howard,” Martelli said, the first words out of his mouth once the press conference began on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m going to be me.” READ MORE ►Phil Martelli will be Michigan's head coach during Juwan Howard's suspension  For Cynthia Harrison and Angeline Smith, being Black in Ann Arbor has meant different things. Harrison has stories of trauma, like the time she said she was confronted by armed police for “painting while Black,” while Smith recalls situations where she’s felt like an outsider and that people of color were being marginalized. While their experiences are varied, they share a common observation when watching city meetings: A lack of Black voices at the table. And they want to change that. READ MORE ►Ann Arbor officials want to increase diversity of city's mostly white population MLive All Digital Access
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