JACKSON, MI – From getting a first-hand look on how COVID-19 contact tracing is done in Jackson County, to restaurants in downtown Jackson making plans for how they will continue operating as winter approaches, a lot has been going on in the Jackson area.
Here are some headlines you might have missed this week.
How Jackson’s ‘disease detectives’ trace coronavirus spread in the county
Coronavirus case investigators in Jackson County spend a lot of their day on the phone.
On a typical day, they’ll spend the first hour and a half responding to email questions and reviewing the state database of positive COVID-19 cases in the area. After 9 a.m., they start making calls – spending anywhere from an hour to three hours at a time investigating how one person may have gotten COVID-19, who they spent time with in the two days before their test and finding out how to reach those people.
Downtown Jackson restaurants prepare for uncertain winter during pandemic
String lights, open air patios and heated tents brought customers to restaurants in Jackson during warmer weather.
But as the cold weather arrives, Jackson restauranteurs are considering their future business strategies during the coronavirus pandemic.
Jackson County hits highest risk category for COVID-19, officials say
In the last seven days, 228 more Jackson County residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
Jackson County experienced a seven-day average of 176.65 cases per million residents between Oct. 17-24, putting the county in Level E, which is the highest category of risk, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Jackson County courts limiting access amid steady increase of COVID-19 cases
The Jackson County Courthouse will once again be closing its doors to the general public, taking a step back in its reopening plan after county health officials reported a steady increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county.
After months of being in phase three of a four-phase plan created by the Michigan Supreme Court to return court operations to full capacity, Jackson County Courts announced Tuesday, Oct. 27, it would be returning to phase two of the plan, according to a press release.
2nd teen charged in fatal shooting of 16-year-old in Jackson County
A second teenager has been charged in a fatal Blackman Township shooting.
Anthony Jones III, 17, of Battle Creek, was arraigned on one felony counts each of open murder and felony firearms before Jackson County Magistrate Frederick Bishop.
Jones is a codefendant with Aivery Banks, 17, of Kalamazoo. They are accused of the fatal shooting of Lataveon Cosey, 16, on Aug. 25, near the intersection of Hallett Street and Longfellow Avenue in Blackman Township.
Former Jackson Catholic school teacher now facing 11 sexual assault charges
A former teacher at a Catholic school in Jackson accused of sexually assaulting his students in the 1970s is facing additional sexual assault charges.
Five additional sexual assault charges have been filed against Joseph Comperchio Wednesday, Oct. 28, after investigators identified two additional victims who claim they were assaulted by him while he was a music teacher at St. John Catholic School in Jackson, according to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
7 departments battle pole barn fire in Jackson County
A fire destroyed a Leoni Township pole barn Saturday evening.
Flames were showing through the roof of the large pole barn when Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety arrived on scene in the 3400 block of Flansburg Road, shortly after 5:10 p.m., Oct. 24, Director Mike Jester said.
Six departments assisted Blackman-Leoni with the three-hour effort to extinguish the fire
Jackson man shot while sleeping in car, police say
A man was shot while sleeping in is car Sunday morning.
Shots were fired around 3:14 a.m., Oct. 25 in the 300 block of E. Mansion Street, Jackson Police and Fire Services Director Elmer Hitt said.
A 37-year-old Jackson man had been shot multiple times, Hitt said. The victim told police he was sleeping in his car that was parked on the street when someone shot at him. The car was shot multiple times.
Water tests above action level for lead in Jackson-area homes
Several Blackman Township homes were over a trigger measurement for lead according to recent testing, officials said in a public notice.
Officials collected tap water samples at 21 homes, according to a public notice on Monday. Four of them were over the “action level” of 15 parts per billion of lead. The 90th percentile of the township’s water supply was 132 parts per billion. The township is a customer of the Jackson Water Treatment Plant, a city resource.
Women’s clothing boutique relocates from mall to downtown Jackson
A women’s clothing boutique that prides itself on individualized styling will soon re-open its doors in downtown Jackson.
Apricot Lane plans to have the grand opening of its new location in the Blake Building, 180 W. Michigan Ave., on Saturday, Nov. 7, owner Jenny Murphy said. The locally-owned franchise women’s clothing boutique was previously located in Westwood Mall.
Attorney donates $435K to Jackson YMCA’s new facility campaign
Local attorney and lifelong Jackson County resident Phil Curtis has donated $435,000 to the Jackson YMCA’s capital campaign to build a new facility downtown, the organization announced Wednesday.
Curtis donated the funds with the support of his businesses, foundations and charitable trusts. It comes as the Y aims to complete a multi-million dollar capital campaign, including a matching campaign from the Consumers Energy Foundation.