Ann Arbor News - Thursday, April 13

Morning Ann Arbor! Don't be fooled by today's 80-degree weather, there's a 30% chance of snow Monday. Classic "we thought winter was over" pump fake. Gets me every year.

Read Time: 2.5 minutes

Reader Count: 240 townies

Percent of Ann Arbor Reading: 0.2%

ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

🏡  Local Housing Crisis: According to a national housing affordability study, 76.9% of Ann Arbor renters are “priced out” of buying a home locally. With “priced out” defined as spending more than 30% of gross income on a mortgage, the Ann Arbor metropolitan area ranked the 83rd most unaffordable place in the U.S. Here’s the math:

• Median local home price: $356,934

• Income required for home: $86,156

• Average local renter income: $55,508

While Ann Arbor was the most unaffordable metro area in Michigan, Jackson was named the most affordable area in the state - with only 11.9% of renters “priced out”.

♻️  Ypsi Compost On Hold: Due to 2 of Ypsilanti's 3 refuse trucks breaking down last week, the city has temporarily paused its curbside yard waste pickup service. While the trucks are being worked on, local residents can bring organic waste to the city’s compost facility.

🫙  Reusable Food Containers: Live Zero Waste, an Ann Arbor nonprofit, has spent the past two years working with local restaurants to develop a zero-waste takeout experience. In the program, instead of discarding their food containers, customers would return their carry-out containers to the restaurant to be cleaned and reused. Currently, Zingerman’s Deli, Ginger Deli, El Harissa, and Cinnaholic are participating in the program.

🗳  Early Voting: After Proposal 2 passed in 2022, Michigan will now offer nine days of early voting in statewide federal elections. To best prepare for the 2024 election cycle, the city of Ann Arbor has launched a survey for local residents to better understand how they prefer to cast their ballots. The six-question, anonymous survey is open now through May 22.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

🏳  Rethinking Michigan’s Flag: State Rep. Phil Skaggs will propose a bill this month to change Michigan’s state flag. Citing a lack of meaningfulness and adoption, Skaggs hopes the state can move on from its 150-year-old SOB (seal on a bedsheet) style flag. The proposed bill comes as Illinois, Massachusetts, and Minnesota are reviewing their state flags and Utah has recently approved a new one.

📵  No Phones On The Road: A package of House Bills with bipartisan support was introduced to combat distracted driving. The bills look to expand upon Michigan’s no texting and driving law to also ban video calls, streaming, and social media. If passed, the law would ban most cell phone use while driving.

🍃  Michigan’s Cannabis Industry: With falling prices but rising supply, local cannabis businesses are struggling. In 2022 the average price of an ounce of recreational marijuana was $160.10, this year it’s $86.00 (down 53.7%). Citing an oversaturated marketplace, members of the cannabis industry have asked regulators to put a cap on the number of state licenses issued to allow businesses to recover.

🦠  U.P. Fungal Outbreak: More than 90 employees at an Upper Peninsula paper mill are believed to be infected with the rare fungal disease blastomycosis. While the virus is most commonly caught from infected soil, state and federal health officials are investigating if the large, highly unusual outbreak could be spreading from person to person. The source of the infection has not been found.

ON THE MARKET

2 Bed | 1 Bath | 1,050 Sqft | $250,000

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 3,032 Sqft | $685,000

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,728 Sqft | $1,195,000

That's all for now! See ya on Monday

- Andrew

P. S. - Flo Rida will be headlining this year's Cherry Festival in Traverse City

P. S. S. - An Ann Arbor Redditor recorded a coyote running through their neighborhood