"No turn on red" reads a sign at the intersection of First and Liberty streets in downtown Ann Arbor on Sept. 27, 2022.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

Having a quaint downtown to amble through is a blessing.

But it’s not always a walk in the park in Ann Arbor.

Maintaining a peaceful balance between cars, cyclists and pedestrians can be tricky. This week, Ann Arbor City Council banned red-light turns at 50 intersections in the city in an effort to reduce collisions. Hopefully this makes it a little safer to both drive and walk downtown.

We reported on a couple other safety issues this week, including some produce the was declared a public health hazard.

Our most-read story of the week concerned a Calhoun County farm that was using human waste as fertilizer. Produce from Kuntry Gardens in Homer was being sold at numerous retailers in the Ann Arbor area, including Busch’s Fresh Food Market, White Lotus, Argus Farm Stop, Agricole Farm Stop in Chelsea and the Ypsi Coop. The state on Tuesday issued a warning about the fruits and veggies coming from the farm. White Lotus told customers to throw the produce away if they bought it and come back for a refund.

Speaking of human waste (this is not a transition I was expecting to write this week), we also reported about 1.4 million gallons of sewerage accidentally discharged into the Huron River due to failures at the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

And finally, our county government reporter Lucas Smolcic Larson wrote a great story about the abandoned Gault Village shopping plaza in Ypsilanti Township. Larson spent time in the adjacent neighborhood interviewing residents, many of whom hope it gets demolished.

That’s what caught our eye in Ann Arbor this week. Take a look at those headlines, and others, below:

Ann Arbor bans red-light turns at 50 intersections in downtown area

Produce from Michigan farm using untreated human waste declared public health risk

‘It has been a disaster’: Vacant Ypsilanti-area shopping plaza could be demolished

Ann Arbor jewelry store closes after 35 years

How a professor spotted forgery in University of Michigan’s Galileo manuscript

Ann Arbor system failure sends 1.4M gallons of sewage into Huron River

Michigan’s secret fruit looks like a mango but tastes like a banana

5 great spots for breakfast in Ann Arbor

Washtenaw County fruit farm poised to change hands when longtime owners retire

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John Counts is one of the News Leaders for MLive/The Ann Arbor News where he started as a police and court reporter in 2012. He lives in Whitmore Lake with his wife, two daughters and two dogs. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com.

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