LAKE TROUT-GENETICS

Genetic mapping boosts hopes for restoring prized lake trout

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A scientific team has traced the genetic makeup of lake trout, which should help rebuild populations of the prized fish in the Great Lakes and other North American waters. U.S. and Canadian researchers said Tuesday they’ve completed a digital genetic map for lake trout. It will help explain characteristics that enabled the species to evolve and spread across its vast range, with different types settling in particular depths and locations. Fishery managers need such information as they stock lakes with trout, which have been hammered by invasive species, overfishing and pollution.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL MASKS-OAKLAND COUNTY

Oakland County requiring masks in all schools, daycares

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — One of Michigan’s most populous counties has issued an emergency order requiring masks in daycares and all schools regardless of vaccination status to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Oakland County Health Division said its order aligns with recent guidance from the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics to ensure children, teachers, and staff can begin the school year safely.The order applies to all elementary, middle, high, and vocational schools in addition to daycares. It comes after Oakland County returned to an indoor mask requirement for all employees last week regardless of vaccination status.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL MASKS

Catholic school in Lansing loses appeal over mask policy

DETROIT (AP) — A Catholic school in Lansing has lost an appeal over a Michigan policy that required masks on young kids earlier in the pandemic. The statewide mandate has ended. But some counties are stepping in and requiring masks in schools when the 2021-22 year starts. Resurrection School and some parents sued in 2020, saying a state mask policy violated the free exercise of religion, among other objections. A judge refused to intervene and issue an injunction. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision Monday. The court says it was a neutral policy that covered public and private schools.

STUDENTS-APARTMENTS

Can I crash? U-M students scramble as apartments unfinished

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Hundreds of students at the University of Michigan could be couch surfing when the new school year begins next Monday. A developer admits that The One, a new apartment complex in Ann Arbor, is behind schedule and won’t be ready until September. Trinitas Ventures says students have been offered a hotel room or cash stipend until their apartments are ready. Students also can break their lease. The developer says the project has been slowed by the pandemic, labor shortages and a delay in getting key construction materials. Students say the unfinished housing is creating “immense mental anguish.”

AP-US-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BUSINESSES

From CVS to Goldman Sachs, FDA move prompts vaccine mandates

From Walt Disney World to Goldman Sachs, a flurry of private and public employers are requiring workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 after the federal government gave full approval to the Pfizer shot. And the number is certain to grow. For the past eight months, coronavirus shots were dispensed in the U.S. under emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. Some workers and unions objected to getting the vaccine — and some employers were reluctant to require it — because it had yet to receive FDA full approval. That happened Monday. Shortly afterward, Walt Disney World reached a deal with its unions to require all workers at its theme park in Florida to be vaccinated.

PASTY FEST

Pasty fest returns to the Upper Peninsula _ but no gravy

CALUMET, Mich. (AP) — A festival dedicated to the most famous food of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula returned to a small town after a year off due to the coronavirus. Sean Nichols won the pasty-eating contest by eating nearly three Saturday in Calumet. People in pasty costumes marched during a parade. And a local curling club rolled rutabagas. Calumet is known for its copper mining history, and pasties were commonly eaten by miners. They typically are made with meat and potatoes stuffed into a crust. During the pasty-eating contest, the six participants could use water or ketchup. But no gravy.

AFGHANISTAN-CONGRESS VISIT

2 Congress members fly to Kabul amid chaotic evacuation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two members of Congress flew unannounced into Kabul airport in the middle of the ongoing chaotic evacuation Tuesday. The visit stunned State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers. Officials say Massachusetts Democratic congressman Seth Moulton and Michigan Republican congressman Peter Meijer flew in and out on charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours. The legislators say they went to conduct important oversight and made sure not to take seats that would otherwise have gone to evacuees.

FISHER BUILDING-DETROIT

Detroit’s iconic, Art Deco Fisher Building listed for sale

DETROIT (AP) — One of Detroit’s iconic landmarks is on the market and in search of a new owner. Co-owner The Platform says Tuesday that the 93-year-old Fisher Building has been listed for sale. The 30-story building was built in 1928 and includes the Fisher Theatre. The Platform says that close to $30 million has been spent on improvements over the past six years including restoration of the building’s Arcade ceiling. The building was purchased in 2015 at auction along with the Albert Kahn Building. The early 20th century Art Deco buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. Both buildings are north of downtown in Detroit’s New Center Area.

THREE DEAD-JACKSON

Man arrested in fatal shooting of 3 in Jackson County

JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — Police arrested a man in western Michigan in the shooting of three men who were killed in Jackson County. The man was captured Monday night in Grand Rapids, a day after the victims were found inside a house in Grass Lake Township, near Jackson. Investigators say the suspect had been staying at the home where the men were killed. The victims were identified as 80-year-old Delmar Fraley, Edward Kantzler and Michael Pauli. Kantzler and Pauli were 70 years old.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FEDERAL FUNDING

Whitmer proposes spending $1.5B to boost business climate

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to spend more than $1.5 billion in federal pandemic rescue funding to help boost the business climate, redevelop polluted sites and take steps such as accelerating the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The proposals are the latest offered by the Democratic governor since Congress and President Joe Biden approved an unprecedented $6.5 billion in discretionary aid for the state. She and the Republican-led Legislature have not allocated any of the funds, though some might be allotted as they work to finalize the next state budget before October.