Tagged: washtenaw county

Oakland County health officials say they've received Michigan Department of Community Health confirmation of West Nile virus in a 44-year-old man, the first such case reported in the state this year.

Today, the Oakland County Health Division announced that the man was hospitalized earlier this month after showing symptoms and he is now at home recovering.

On July 3, the MDCH announced it detected the virus in a mosquito pool sample in Saginaw County, and a wild turkey in Washtenaw County.

Casa Latina, a new non-profit organization supporting Washtenaw County's Latino residents, has some interesting figures:

• According to the US Census Bureau, nearly 30 percent of Washtenaw County community members who speak Spanish at home speak English ‘less than well’
• Latinos make up 4 percent of Washtenaw County, yet 7.4 percent of those who use public transit are Latino
• More than 70 percent of Spanish speakers in Washtenaw County are native-born US citizens, and 6.5 percent are naturalized citizens

With that in mind, Casa Latina has partnered with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (The Ride) to begin publishing a bus route and scheduling guide in Spanish.

In a press release, Charo Ledón, Executive Director of Casa Latina, commented, "This effort will help many of our fellow community members effectively use the bus system to get to and from work, school and the grocery store. It's a big step for Spanish-speakers to be able to fully participate in our community."

And a Spanish translation might just be the first step.

Carrie Rheingans, also with Casa Latina said, "In working with TheRide, we learned that there are folks who would like to see the Ride Guide published in other languages, too, and we applaud TheRide for trying this pilot project in Spanish first with Casa Latina." 

According to the release, The Ride's new website will allow users to find information in several languages.

-John Klein Wilson, Michigan Radio Newsroom

This story was informed by the Public Insight Network. If you want to learn how to be a part of our network, click here.

DEXTER, Mich. (AP) — The American Red Cross says hundreds of volunteers turned out to help people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by a tornado in Washtenaw County.

Spokeswoman Jenni Hawes says the village of Dexter is quickly getting cleaned up. The Red Cross moved its services Saturday to Creekside Intermediate School, which is more centrally located.

A tornado damaged more than 100 homes Thursday and destroyed at least 13.   The Red Cross no longer will offer an overnight shelter. No one had spent the last two nights at a school.

DETROIT (AP) - Hyundai Motor Co. says it plans to build a Michigan testing facility to help examine the effects of extreme hot and cold temperatures for vehicle development.

The expansion announced Tuesday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit will be at the South Korean automaker's Hyundai America Technical Center in Washtenaw County's Superior Township, near Ann Arbor. Hyundai will spend $15 million on the facility and other upgrades.

Hyundai says 50 full-time jobs will be added at the location in the coming years.

To secure the deal, the governor's office says the state agreed to make a $2.5 million loan to build a power substation.

The deal was announced after Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley toured the show on the second day of media previews.