Happy Friday!
What a week. (And yes, you did read that third headline correctly).
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The Ann Arbor Board of Education approved this week a plan to return to a hybrid learning model starting March 25. The return to school will occur in phases, starting with the youngest students. In-person classes will only take place twice a week, with two cohorts switching days in order to reduce the number of people in buildings.
The move was in stark contrast to last week’s motion to put to vote a recommendation by Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift to keep school virtual for the rest of the year. That action prompted a public outcry from parents and students who had planned to return after almost a year at home. On Wednesday, Swift said the promise of more teacher vaccines against COVID-19 and the approval of rapid testing in school buildings helped inform her recommendation to reopen.
Have a great weekend.
- Meredith (@meredith_A4)
What’s been happening:
💉 The Washtenaw County Health Department, Michigan Medicine and IHA will vaccinate approximately 1,200 Ann Arbor-area teachers on Saturday against COVID-19 as schools start to reopen. (A4)
🕷 The discovery of venomous spiders at University of Michigan’s undergraduate library caused the building to shut down for two days this week. The school later called the measure -- which made national headlines -- a mistake. (A4)
📊 You can now track weekly COVID-19 vaccine data on the Washtenaw County Health Department’s website. (A4)
🏥 Michigan Medicine has resumed first-dose appointments for eligible individuals after a two-week pause due to low supply. (A4)
🍀 Mayor Christopher Taylor vetoed this week a downtown St. Patrick’s Day event that City Council had approved. (MLive)
❤️️ Meanwhile, in a heartwarming move, City Council voted to gift $25,000 to the family of longtime Ann Arbor firefighter Craig Sidelinger who recently passed away from cancer. (MLive)
🚧 A pump failure during a sewer relining project caused the closure of all lanes on a portion of South Main Street on Monday. As a result, an estimated 10,000 gallons of sanitary sewage was released onto the road, into storm drains and eventually the Huron River. (A4)
🎤 Get your tickets for the annual local high school talent show FutureStars, which livestreams on March 13. (A4)
Good to know:
🍸 How did no one think of this before? Meet the team of U-M students who invented the Scrunchie Shot, and why their professor challenged them to get banned from the Big House. (A4)
🥔 Zingerman’s Cornman Farms will be hosting a weekly Pie & Mash Pop-Up Shop in March. Just wait until you see the flavors. (A4)
🌌 Another weekly event this month: Gazing at the stars from your own living room with these free planetarium shows from U-M’s Museum of Natural History. (A4)
✂️ Crafters, take note! SCRAP Creative Reuse has launched an online store with shipping. This could get dangerous. (A4)
Feature interview of the week:
- Lisa Sauve, CEO and Principal of Synecdoche Design Studio, who was just named to Forbes Next 1000 list
🗨 Have something to share? Write me anytime at mbruckner@wdiv.com.
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