Back to work, but not to normal: life in Michigan when coronavirus ebbs
by Kelly House, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) Six weeks into a pandemic battle that has hit Michigan harder than almost any state and forced drastic restrictions on commerce and human movement, we may soon take the first tentative step in a long road back to normalcy. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday she hopes to “have some […]
Michigan small businesses rocked by coronavirus turn to Congress for help
by Paula Gardner (Bridge) The lights are off at Sun and Snow Sports in Plymouth. So is the heat. Orders for summer inventory are canceled. But none of that changes the math for co-owner Rob Parent. With $25,000 per month owed in rent and no sales since Michigan’s March 24 stay-home order, the swim and […]
Michigan farmers fear ruin as coronavirus lockdown collapses prices
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) A dairy farmer all his life, Dan Weil just scraped by over the past few years as the market price of milk tumbled. A wet spring last year cost him half the corn crop on his 1,000-acre farm operation in Goodrich, southeast of Flint. Now he’s bracing for the next blow, this one triggered […]
Michigan nursing homes, where information on coronavirus goes to die
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) As deaths from the coronavirus mount in Detroit nursing homes, the city crafted a plan this week to have medical students visit each facility to test for the virus. By its count — almost certainly an undercount —at least 14 of Detroit’s 27 nursing homes had confirmed COVID-19 infections, with 12 reported deaths. […]
On Easter weekend, Detroit churches mourn the COVID-19 dead from afar
by Martina Guzmán (Bridge) DETROIT — The Rev. Charles C. Adams is almost at a loss. The leader of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church begins each day making phone calls, trying to tend to a congregation ravaged by death. In the past month, nine church members have died from the coronavirus. And while doctors and nurses […]
Half of Michigan school children will get coronavirus food cash
by Ron French (Bridge) Half of Michigan families with children in K-12 schools will receive extra cash for food through June, as part of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The program, announced Thursday, will send EBT cards (used like debit cards) to families with students who are eligible for free or reduced price […]
Ascension doctor becomes 7th Michigan health care worker to die of coronavirus
by Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press (Bridge) Seven health care workers in southeast Michigan have now died from complications of the coronavirus, including a doctor at Ascension Macomb Hospital who graduated from Wayne State University. Research by the Free Press and Bridge Magazine finds that workers in hospitals, a nursing home and a foster care […]
GOP, merchants upset Michigan’s stay-home order is tougher than other states
by Mike Wilkinson, Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s expansion and extension of her “stay-home” order is prompting anger over its economic impact and calls by some municipal leaders to reject parts of it. Whitmer’s Thursday order is more sweeping than those in other states, barring the sale of paint or plants at stores, lawn services, […]
Trump’s coronavirus ‘miracle drug’ has believers. Here’s what you should know.
by Brie Zeltner (Bridge) On the day that Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, was tested for the novel coronavirus, she was so sick she thought she might die. Whitsett had been ill for weeks, but up until that day, March 31, she’d been coping at home with a headache, cold-like symptoms and frequent sweats. […]
When Michigan unemployment, stimulus checks, and $600 CARES money will arrive
by Paula Gardner (Bridge) As Michigan logs its third straight week of record jobless claims, the surge coincides with new state and federal safety nets, offering hope for some replacement of evaporating paychecks. More than 800,000 Michigan residents had filed initial unemployment claims since March 21, just days before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered non-essential businesses to close. […]
