Governor Whitmer extends executive order temporarily suspending evictions till June 11
May 14th, 20200 LANSING — Governor Whitmer has temporarily extended protections for tenants and mobile home owners from being evicted from their homes during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The new order, signed Executive Order 2020-85, is effective until June 11. “It’s critical Michiganders can self-quarantine and continue...
Dingell announces more than $1 million is going to the University of Michigan for coronavirus rapid response research
May 13th, 20200 ANN ARBOR — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) announced today more than $1 million in funding to support rapid response research on the coronavirus. The funding is part of the CARES Act passed by Congress in March. As of May 10, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued 10 CARES Act-funded awards...
Regional partnership awards relief grants to 60 Dearborn small businesses in response to COVID-19
May 13th, 20200 DEARBORN — Sixty small businesses in the city of Dearborn have been selected to receive stimulus grants to help provide working capital amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Grants upwards of $5,000 will be distributed by ACCESS this week and are aimed to support those businesses most often left out of major city, state and federal relief...
$5.62 billion in unemployment total benefits paid to Michigan workers, state employees take further cuts
May 13th, 20200 LANSING — Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today some remarkable numbers. $5.62 billion in unemployment benefits have been paid to 1,374,751 workers since March 15, with a further total number of 1,717,555 claimants having applied for state and federal benefits. The UIA marks March 15 as the “onset of the...
Dingell announces $159 million in coronavirus funding for local hospitals
May 12th, 20200 DEARBORN — On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) announced that six hospitals in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District received $159 million in grants from the CARES Act passed by Congress in March. The money will be used to support hospitals and health systems on the frontlines that provided inpatient care for 100 or...
WHO says governments should prepare for new infections that may follow reopening of the economy
May 12th, 20200 GENEVA — The World Health Organization’s Tedros Adhanom said on Monday that governments considering reopening their economies should have a plan to deal with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Adhanom, the director-general of the WHO, said that those countries gearing up to ease economic restrictions should consider whether the...
Former Democratic State Senator Morris Hood III dies of COVID-19
May 12th, 20200 DETROIT — Detroit Democrat and former State Senator Morris Hood III passed away on Tuesday after a long battle with COVID-19, just short of his 55th birthday. Colleagues and friends grieved the death of the long-time Democratic political figure. Hood represented the Third District encompassing northwest Detroit, Dearborn and...
Changes in the bankruptcy code offer a lifeline to struggling businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic
May 11th, 20200 Almost all countries around the world are forced to adopt dramatic measures to slow down the COVID 19 pandemic. With social distancing in place by public health departments, we are all part of the fight to combat this pandemic. These measures have severely impacted the global economy in various ways. Small businesses will suffer the...
Abraham Aiyash, running for state rep., wants to continue the late Isaac Robinson’s work
May 9th, 20201 HAMTRAMCK - Yemeni American community activist Abraham Aiyash officially announced his candidacy for District Four state representative this week, the seat formerly occupied by the late Isaac Robinson. Robinson, a popular political figure in his district, passed away tragically in March due to a suspected COVID-19...
Undocumented workers remain vital part of the economy, yet lose out on COVID-19 protections
May 9th, 20200 DETROIT— The reality of the global health crisis has brought with it a grave and unprecedented economic crisis in a few short months. In the U.S., state and federal bureaucracies, unemployment agencies and research institutes scramble to understand the breadth and magnitude of the effects of economic closures on both workers and...
AG Nessel says firearms can be legally forbidden in state’s Capitol building
May 8th, 20200 LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has sent a letter to the Michigan State Capitol Commission confirming that the Commission has the legal authority to prohibit the presence of firearms in the state Capitol, if it chooses to do so. The AG says that authority is consistent with the current state of the law regarding...
Ilhan Omar’s signature is more than disappointing, it’s shameful
May 8th, 20202 This week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, urging him to increase "diplomatic action by the United States to renew the expiring United Nations arms embargo against Iran and United Nations travel restrictions on those Iranian individuals involved...
Biden names former impeachment manager Val Demings among potential VP picks
May 7th, 20200 ORLANDO, FLA — Former Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that U.S. Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) was on his list of potential running mates, adding that he has just begun the process. “She is one of a group of close to a dozen really qualified and talented women who are on the list,” Biden told WFTV in Orlando. The interview...
Detroit’s TCF Center field hospital is “officially closed down”
May 7th, 20200 DETROIT – The 1,000-bed TCF Center field hospital in the city's downtown is no longer caring for COVID-19 patients and is "officially closed down," Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Thursday. At most, the care center inside the convention center cared for about 15 to 20 patients at any given time, the mayor said during an afternoon...
“Stay Home” order extended to May 28, manufacturing reopens as part of Safe Start Plan
May 7th, 20200 LANSING — On Thursday, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-77 to extend Michigan’s "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order to May 28. The governor’s order will allow manufacturing workers, including those at Michigan’s Big Three auto companies, to resume work on Monday, May 11 as part of her MI Safe Start Plan. “This is......
Massive new “Rooseveltian” coronavirus response bill could be voted on next week, Pelosi says
May 7th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi laid out broad outlines of the next massive coronavirus-response bill Democrats are expected to seek, with votes possible as soon as next week. The bill's major components will include additional aid to state and local governments, more money for coronavirus...
Whitmer signs executive order speeding up unemployment process
May 6th, 20200 LANSING — On Wednesday, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-76, expediting the unemployment benefits process during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The most significant takeaway from this development: The state will now only look at an unemployed individual's most recent job separation, which is the cause of the......
Wayne County announces $3 million in relief for residents
May 6th, 20200 WAYNE COUNTY — Eligible Wayne County residents who have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in their county can now look for rent, mortgage and utility relief, among other forms of assistance, through a brand new program. With Wayne County residents facing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wayne...
‘Murder Hornets’ won’t be seen in Michigan for years
May 6th, 20200 While there have been multiple reports of Asian giant hornets attacking beehives in Washington, it will be years before they spread to the Midwest according to a board certified entomologist. Dubbed “Murder Hornets” by researchers, the species has a venomous sting that can kill a human if they are stung several times. The hornets...
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trial begins, initial manufacturing in Kalamazoo
May 5th, 20200 LANSING — The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has teamed up with the German biotech company BioTech in beginning a historic trial to test the BNT162 vaccine program to prevent COVID-19. The trial is part of a global development program and the dosing of the first testing group, or cohort, was completed last week in Germany. The first...
Iraq-born Arab American boxer chasing spot in 2021 Olympics while balancing work, education in Tennessee
May 5th, 20200 KNOXVILLE, TN — When 22-year-old Esam Abid first moved to Tennessee from Turkey by way of his native Iraq, the going was a bit rough. “It was a little difficult at first not speaking the language,” said Abid, an aspiring Olympic boxer who is currently in his third year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, studying civil......
Emmy Award winning Palestinian American poet from Dearborn releases first collection of poetry
May 5th, 20200 “How the Water Holds Me”, the first collection of poetry by Detroit-based and Dearborn-born community organizer and Emmy Award-winning poet Tariq Luthun was released late last month, after which it quickly found its way onto top 10 lists for both Amazon new releases and small press distribution. The book's release came as a part...
Dearborn Heights woman accused of welfare fraud faces 14 felony counts
May 4th, 20202 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office announced today that a Dearborn Heights woman, Tabarak Qaiser Wutwut, 30, is facing 14 felony counts for allegedly committing welfare fraud. Wutwut is accused of taking public benefits and lying to the state about her economic status, the AG's office and the Michigan......
MDHHS issues emergency order related to handling of bodies
May 4th, 20200 LANSING — Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon issued an Emergency Order today that shortens the time frame hospitals and funeral directors have to contact individuals with authority over disposition of the body of a deceased individual and the amount of time that individual has to make a...
Dearborn Schools postpones high school graduations
May 4th, 20200 DEARBORN — Dearborn Public Schools has officially postponed high school graduations scheduled for early June and early college ceremonies set for May. “As we continue to see encouraging signs that social distancing and other preventative measures ordered by the governor are making a difference in slowing the spread of COVID-19,......
