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Salt Truck's Tailgate Breaks, Drops Load Of Salt On Pontiac Trail

Salt Truck's Tailgate Breaks, Drops Load Of Salt On Pontiac Trail

Monday, January 22: Monday, January 22: Sports Illustrated Resort, Mountain of Salt, 187th birthday, Restaurant Week, and AAPS Cease-Fire Vote

January 22, 2024

Morning, Ann Arbor! Break out those birthday candles, Michigan turns 187 on Friday. Expect at least 20% more “Smitten with the Mitten” posts on social media this week.

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

Ann Arbor Police Department | Facebook

🧂 Mountain of Salt: Last week, while driving on Pontiac Trail, the tailgate of a salt truck broke, releasing a mountain of salt in front of the car behind them. The car had to be towed away, but the 21-year-old driver was unharmed.

🏳️ AAPS Cease-Fire Vote: After a five-hour meeting, the Ann Arbor Public School Board passed a resolution advocating for a bilateral cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. While largely symbolic, the resolution publicizes the school board’s stance and encourages classroom discussions about the conflict. The resolution was passed with four votes in favor of the motion, two abstaining, and one against.

🏗️ Sports Illustrated Resort: Ann Arbor is considering converting the city-owned Kline parking lot (309 S. Ashley Street - the large parking lot behind the Chop House and Conor O’Neill’s) into a Sports Illustrated Resorts hotel and conference center. A public information session is scheduled for January 29, where representatives from Destination Ann Arbor, Sports Illustrated Resorts, and the City of Ann Arbor will discuss the project's potential benefits and proposed development process. The project has faced some community scrutiny for lack of transparency and public input.

🥗 Restaurant Week: Friendly reminder that Restaurant Week started yesterday and runs through Friday. Here’s a full list of participating restaurants and special deals.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

🏈 Two-Headed Dragon: After beating the Buccaneers 31-23, the Lions will play the 49ers in the NFC Championship this Sunday. The 49ers are 7-point favorites to win and advance to the Super Bowl.

Meanwhile, the Pistons are 4-38 (last in the league) and set the record for longest losing-streak in NBA history (28 loses in a row). We’re a football state.

📖 Book Deal Drama: On Wednesday, Page Six reported Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a seven-figure book deal (historically, politicians sign book deals before announcing a presidential run). However, Governor Whitmer refuted the claim on Thursday but didn’t rule out the possibility of a future book deal. Read into that however you will.

🏡 December’s Housing Market: RealComp, a Michigan real estate data company, released a report on the state’s housing market. Last month’s year-over-year (YoY) highlights:

Median Sale Price:
- Michigan: +7.3% YoY ($235,000)
- Washtenaw: +2.9% YoY ($352,125)
On-Market Listings:
- Michigan: -7.3% YoY
- Washtenaw: -37.2% YoY
Avg Days on Market:
- Michigan: -2.7% YoY (37 to 36)
- Washtenaw: +2.1% YoY (48 to 49)
Closed Sales:
- Michigan: -8.2% YoY (7,194)
- Washtenaw: -25.1% YoY (194)