January 31st, 20210WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Sunday, a group of 10 moderate Republican U.S. senators urged Democratic President Biden to reconsider his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, saying they wanted a meeting to discuss a compromise that they said could win swift bipartisan support.
In a letter to Biden, Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski...
January 31st, 20210WAYNE COUNTY — Wayne County Executive Warren Evans met with state officials and Governor Whitmer’s staff to discuss a problem with equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Wayne County, one of the epicenters of the virus in the state, has been receiving fewer doses of the vaccines than less populous counties.
County officials...
January 29th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A community agency’s ramped-up efforts to bring much needed food and resources to those in need shows just how economically damaging the COVID-19 pandemic has been to Metro Detroit families.
The Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency has partnered with Wayne County to fill in the gaps for county residents...
January 29th, 20210Johnson & Johnson said its single-dose vaccine was 72 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in the U.S., but a lower rate of 66 percent was observed globally in the large trial conducted across three continents and against multiple variants.
In the trial of nearly 44,000 volunteers, the level of protection against moderate and...
January 29th, 20210ANN ARBOR — Despite being nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Michiganders are still struggling to receive their unemployment benefits.
The University of Michigan’s Workers’ Rights Clinic has law students helping residents in solving their unemployment benefit issues.
The clinic opened at the U of M Law...
January 29th, 20210WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) reintroduced the Emergency Water is a Human Right Act.
The act would prohibit water shutoffs and ensure water affordability protections for low-income households during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...
January 28th, 20210COMMUNITY — With cases of the mutated COVID-19 variant accelerating throughout the country, studies have shown that the Pfizer vaccine is effective.
Nearly 20 cases of the mutated variant have been found in Michigan alone, but a laboratory study by Pfizer shows that the new variants of COVID-19 had only a small impact on the...
January 28th, 20210TRIPOLI — A man was killed in the Lebanese city of Tripoli on Thursday in clashes between security forces and protesters angry over a strict lockdown that has cut off livelihoods in a collapsing economy.
Omar Taybah, 30, was hit by a bullet overnight, according to a local hospital that treated him, a security source and...
January 28th, 20210LANSING — In her third State of the State address, Governor Whitmer announced plans for the economy, roads and clean energy.
In the Jan. 27 address, Whitmer said that her administration will be announcing initiatives and projects over the next year.
“This year is about fixing the damn road ahead – finding common ground to...
January 27th, 20210DEARBORN — Fire Chief Joseph Murray has been appointed to a state commission aimed at educating the public about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The goal of the commission is to make the public aware of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.
The Protect Michigan Commission was created with the purpose of increasing awareness, educating...
January 27th, 20210LANSING — Michigan House Republicans proposed a $3.5 billion coronavirus recovery plan, but threatened to withhold billions to K-12 schools.
The GOP would withhold the funds if Governor Whitmer doesn’t cede her administration’s power to prohibit in-person learning and sports to local health departments.
Senate Republicans...
January 25th, 20210WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate is aiming to pass COVID-19 relief legislation before former President Trump’s impeachment trial begins in early February, a lawmaker said on Monday, amid growing signs of agreement on the need to speed vaccine distribution.
A day after some Republicans pushed back on the size of President...
January 21st, 20210LANSING — State health authorities are now on high alert after a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in three Washtenaw County women.
The two adult women were in close contact with the first woman to be found positive for the variant, as announced on Jan. 16. The first woman had recently traveled to the U.K. All...
January 21st, 20210WASHINGTON, D.C. — After kicking off his first day as president with a slate of executive actions, President Biden turned his attention to boosting supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine with an ambitious plan.
Biden signed 10 executive orders as expected on Thursday. These ramp up the purchase and distribution of the vaccine, with...
January 20th, 20210DEARBORN — Starting Jan. 20, Beaumont Dearborn and Beaumont Troy will open additional COVID-19 vaccine clinics at their facilities.
Beaumont has already administered approximately 32,000 vaccines and is prepared to administer as many as 50,000 per week if it receive enough vaccines from the state.
“We have the expertise and...
January 19th, 20210LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced that 21 shipments of the Moderna vaccine were compromised in transit to the state.
The shipments were being transported by McKesson Corp., a healthcare distribution company contracted with the federal government to handle coronavirus vaccine, and...
January 18th, 20210BEIRUT — COVID-19 patients wait on pavements outside hospitals in Beirut, where emergency rooms are packed and intensive care beds full.
Inside, exhausted healthcare workers are succumbing themselves — doctors at one hospital, asking not to be named, said around 40 percent of staff were sick or in isolation.
Countries...
January 16th, 20210LANSING — The first case of new a highly contagious COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.7. has been identified in a woman living in Washtenaw County by the state health authority on Saturday.
The woman recently traveled to the U.K., where this variant originated, according to the MDHHS. Close contacts of this individual have been identified...
January 16th, 20210DEARBORN — Hosted by City Council President Susan Dabaja, the bi-weekly COVID-19 forum discussed the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses.
She was joined by City Councilman David Bazzy, Wayne County Economic Development Director Khalil Rahal and Dearborn Economic Development Director Jeff Watson.
Watson said that the pandemic...
January 15th, 20210LANSING — Starting Friday, grants of up to $1,650 are being made available for employees of restaurants and other businesses impacted by the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.
The Employee Assistance Grants are made available by a Michigan Senate bill and are designed to provide support to employees impacted by the MDHHS Gathering and...
January 14th, 20210NEW YORK — On Thursday, three top United Nations officials all called on the United States to revoke its decision to designate Yemen’s Houthis a foreign terrorist organization, warning it would push the country into a large-scale famine and chill peace efforts.
U.N. Yemen mediator Martin Griffiths, U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock and...
January 14th, 20210DEARBORN/DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With Governor Whitmer recently encouraging schools to reopen by March 1, local school leaders are revamping their plans to present to school boards.
Dearborn Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko said that he is hoping there will be a study session next week to revisit the original timeline from when the board...
January 14th, 20210Israel’s decision to exclude Palestinians from its COVID-19 vaccination campaign may have surprised many. Even by Israel’s poor humanitarian standards, denying Palestinians access to life-saving medication seems extremely callous.
Amnesty International, among many organizations, condemned the Israeli government’s decision to bar...
January 13th, 20210DEARBORN — Families in Dearborn that are unable to pay their bills due to financial impacts of COVID-19 can apply to receive grants from the city.
Low to moderate income residents can apply beginning Monday, Jan. 18 to receive up to $5,000 to cover up to six months’ worth of bills through a new grant program offered by the...
January 13th, 20210LANSING — During a COVID-19 press conference, Governor Whitmer confirmed the hopes to have indoor dining reopened by Feb. 1.
“Michigan has been a national leader in fighting COVID-19,” she said. “We have developed a strategy to accelerate vaccinations in the state of Michigan.”
Whitmer said that Michigan had to be a...
January 12th, 20210LANSING - Millions of previously held-up doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine have been released to Michigan and other states.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that they will grant a request from Governor Whitmer and eight other governors and release the millions of doses of the safe,...
January 11th, 20210WAYNE COUNTY - Wayne County residents aged 65 and older can now get COVID-19 vaccines at local hospitals, county officials said on Monday.
The plan is part of an overall move by the state to accelerate vaccine distribution beyond health care workers by adding people over 65 and some essential workers like teachers, as more of the...
January 8th, 20210DEARBORN HEIGHTS — With the loss of Mayor Daniel Paletko, the community is remembering their fondest moments of a man dedicated to public service.
Paletko was born on Dec. 21, 1950 and passed away on Dec. 29 from complications from COVID-19.
Paletko was elected to the City Council in 1972, where he served until 2002 before being...
