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Washtenaw continues to sit at a “high” CDC community risk level for the second week in a row. The county’s Covid-19 snapshot reports 1,469 cases in the two weeks ending yesterday, holding nearly steady with the previous two reports, and the test positivity rate dropped about two points from last week to 13.6 percent.
The Washtenaw County Health Department is providing monkeypox vaccines for eligible residents. Vaccines are limited, so the department will only distribute vaccines to people who have been directly exposed or to men, trans, or non-binary people who have recently had intimate or sexual contact with a man in an area of known monkeypox transmission. Monkeypox has disproportionately affected gay men due to what the New York Times has termed an “epidemiological accident,” but anyone is capable of carrying the disease.
City Council voted for the Ann Arbor city attorney’s office to begin investigating any possible legal action against Tribar Technologies, MLive reports. Tribar has discharged toxic chemicals including PFAS and, most recently, the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium into the Huron River. While the city does not have the authority to shut down Tribar, Mayor Christopher Taylor said, “we do have the ability to bring aggressive and appropriate action in court.” Check the city’s website for updates.
Last week Main Street Park Alliance bought a blighted Federal Screw Works property in Chelsea in the hopes of transforming it into a community park, pending the outcome of environmental testing. Check MSPA’s website for updates or to donate in support of the project.
Developers pitched a large housing project north of Ypsi to Superior Township officials late last month, MLive reports. While still “extremely preliminary,” if the current plan came to fruition it would result in 277 new units just north of Clark Rd.
Independence Lake Beach is once again closed for swimming due to E. Coli bacteria, the county health department announced. The dangerous bacteria were detected during routine testing, and while swimming is prohibited, other forms of recreation that don’t involve bodily contact with the water, such as fishing, are allowed. Check the county website for updates.
Washtenaw County is exploring the possibility of eliminating court fines and fees, MLive reports. Washtenaw is one of six local governments across the country that have joined an initiative to eliminate fees that might have compounding consequences for those who cannot afford to pay them.
City council greenlit a $286k contract to prepare construction plans for a bridge at Gallup Park, MLive reports. The proposed bridge would replace the 1976 wooden vehicle and pedestrian bridge, and council recently allocated $2.3 million in federal stimulus funds to the project.
Ann Arbor sold a Maple Rd. property to Avalon Housing, clearing the way for more affordable housing, MLive reports. The property abuts Avalon’s new Hickory Way apartment complex and contains a single-family home. A city memo states that the sale will enable Avalon to develop “at least 14 units of affordable housing on the site.”
The former Relax Station on the corner of First and Huron was torn down yesterday to make way for a five-story Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott, MLive reports. The outlet also reports (subscriber exclusive) that on S. Main two rental houses were demolished for a three-story, six-unit student housing development.
After more than fifty years as the administrative center of U-M, the Fleming building is being torn down this month. Grace Shackman recounts the divisive history and legacy of Alden B. Dow’s imposing building in the August Observer.
After declining to renew Mel Pearson’s contract amidst misconduct allegations, Michigan hockey named Brandon Naurato as interim head coach, the Michigan Daily reports. A U-M alumnus, Naurato was the team’s assistant coach last year, and has 5 seasons of experience as a development coach and worked part of 3 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Information resources staff unionized under University Staff United, the Michigan Daily reports. Information resources is the first “job family” to become a part of USU, which hopes to include all U-M staff.
Earhart Rd. will be closed to traffic Aug. 9–20 between Geddes Rd. and Glazier Way. Traffic will be detoured to Huron Pkwy. while utilities are installed for a new subdivision.
For the first time ever, the Michigan Tigers U15 Boys Gold soccer team won the US Youth Soccer National Championship, reader Nishan points out in an email. It’s “a major accomplishment,” Nishan writes, and the team pulled it off by winning five games in six days in Orlando late last month.
Amanda Carlisle emailed to point out that we reported the wrong margin for the Dexter schools’ recreation millage. It was defeated by a vote of 58-42 percent, not 79-21. That was the margin by which voters approved the sale of two city-owned lots to the Downtown Development Authority.
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