Michigan Supreme Court questions Whitmer’s ‘profound’ power during pandemic
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Michigan Supreme Court justices grilled Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s attorney for more than an hour and a half Wednesday, questioning the limits of her authority to take emergency actions without legislative approval during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s probably the largest claim of executive power that any governor has ever […]
Michigan colleges pass 1,000 COVID cases. Apparently, students like to party.
by Ron French, Robin Erb, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) There are at least 1,226 current, confirmed cases of the coronavirus on Michigan college campuses, fueled by aggressive testing, partying and students visiting other campuses. And that, predicted one health official, could spill over to older, more vulnerable residents. Linda Vail, health officer for Ingham County, said […]
Outdoor visits now ‘expected’ at Michigan nursing homes, state says
by Robin Erb (Bridge) Michigan’s nursing homes can now allow outdoor visits — a long-awaited development for 34,000 residents who have been largely isolated inside nursing homes and other residential care facilities since COVID-19 hit Michigan six months ago. Proposals sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last week also suggest another perk may soon follow: visitor […]
Whitmer thanks Michigan COVID essential workers with free community college
by Riley Beggin, Paula Gardner, Ron French (Bridge) Around 625,000 Michigan essential workers will be eligible for free community college under a new program first announced by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in April and formalized on Thursday. Under the program Whitmer is calling Futures for Frontliners, people who worked frontline jobs during the peak of […]
Officials urge 38,000 MSU students to quarantine 14 days after COVID spike
by Ron French (Bridge) The Ingham County Health Department on Saturday urged all Michigan State University students to quarantine for two weeks to halt a rapid growth in coronavirus cases linked to the campus. The quarantine currently is a recommendation but may become mandatory if case counts continue to skyrocket, according to a news release […]
Michigan coronavirus caseloads haven’t budged in months. Why that’s not bad.
By Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) Nearly every day, Michigan reports about as many new coronavirus cases as there were in mid-May, when much of the state was shut down, schools were closed, hospitals were swamped, and funeral homes were overrun. Colleges are battling outbreaks as they open, and counties like Macomb in metro Detroit are amid […]
Betsy DeVos: Michigan can expect standardized tests, despite COVID-19
By Ron French (Bridge) Michigan students should expect to take federally-mandated state standardized tests this school year despite potential quarantines and school closures from COVID-19. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos notified Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice and other state school chiefs across the country Thursday that states “should not anticipate” waivers to the federal requirement […]
Extra $300 Michigan unemployment payouts should reach jobless after Labor Day
By Paula Gardner Michigan residents who already are receiving unemployment benefits should see three weeks of additional $300 payments during the week of Labor Day. Those payments will be retroactive to people with active claims as of Aug. 1, said Steve Gray, director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency, during a hearing on Thursday before state […]
MI task force endorses new model for nursing homes afflicted by COVID-19
by Elisha Anderson, Detroit Free Press (Bridge) A state nursing homes task force proposed new ways to help reduce the effects of isolation on residents in a report released Tuesday, recommending outdoor visits, small-group activities with no contact, limited communal dining and increased virtual visitations. They are among 28 recommendations sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, […]
From CMU to tiny Adrian, COVID-19 keeps marching through Michigan colleges
by Ron French (Bridge) Confirmed and probable coronavirus cases at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant surpassed 200 Tuesday. Two hours south, near the Ohio border, tiny Adrian College announced that more than 6 percent of its students and staff had tested positive for the potentially deadly virus. Farther west, Kalamazoo College decided last week […]
