September 27th, 20200With the rise in unemployment and general economic insecurity brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state authorities have been tracking increased instances of consumer scams.
Adding to an already tragic situation, scammers prey on the desperation of those whose means of living are halted by mass economic shut-downs all...
September 24th, 20200LANSING — On Thursday, election clerks the state opened their offices for early voting. Local clerks also mailed out ballots to residents who have requested them.
Today marks the 40th day before the Nov. 3 election, when clerks are required by the state constitution to open up for early voting.
The state says more than 2.39...
September 18th, 20200
LANSING — Michigan has secured agreements from nearly all of the state’s health insurers to waive all out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 testing and treatments through the end of 2020, including copays, deductibles and coinsurance.
These agreements cover more than 92 percent of the commercial health insurance market in...
September 18th, 20200LANSING — Michigan's health authorities are warning of a suspected rare mosquito-born virus, Eastern equine encephalitis.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) said a man in Barry County is suspected of having the virus and is now urging people in 11 Michigan counties —Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella,...
September 16th, 20200LANSING — Governor Whitmer took time to discuss the upcoming Nov. 3 general elections at her weekly COVID-19 live address from Lansing on Wednesday. Joining her were the state’s health chief, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
Benson appeared confident in the state’s ability to get through a...
September 16th, 20200
LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has secured an agreement to obtain almost $19 million in debt relief for former ITT Tech (ITT) students in Michigan as part of a settlement with 47 other attorneys general and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
ITT previously operated campuses in Canton,...
September 11th, 20200FREELAND – At a rally at an airport outside Saginaw on Thursday, Trump told thousands of supporters that he was confident he would secure Michigan once again, come November. Trump won Michigan by the narrowest margin in Michigan presidential election history in 2016.
Michigan is a key battleground state for the November presidential...
September 10th, 20200LANSING — The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced it has started processing payments for Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) for eligible Michiganders. Due to the large volume of payments to be processed, the UIA says workers will begin receiving LWA payments over the next week to 10 days.
Michigan applied to the Federal...
September 1st, 20200LANSING — A large coalition of attorneys general, including Michigan’s Dana Nessel, have joined several cities, counties and mayors to take legal action against the Trump administration over its reduction of the 2020 census deadline.
The U.S. Census Bureau took an unexplained step earlier this month, shortening the schedule...
August 20th, 20200
LANSING — On Thursday, Governor Whitmer signed the bipartisan “Return to Learn” bills she and legislative leaders agreed upon on last Friday.
The package of bills has new, more flexible instructional requirements for school districts for the 2020-2021 school year. It also provides significant financial security to...
August 15th, 20200While the housing market has been booming during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial real estate continues to struggle as more and more businesses are having to shut their doors.
Realtor Dave Abdallah said that another reason for the struggling market is fear.
“In general, the real estate market is doing extremely...
August 8th, 20200
BEIRUT — Aug. 4, 2020 was meant to be the happiest day of Israa Al Seblani’s life, but it quickly turned to be the most terrifying.
Al Seblani is the bride from the now viral video shoot taken during the explosion in Beirut that has killed more than 150 people and injured more than 5,000 more.
“The first thought that...
August 2nd, 20200The Michigan Department of State posted the names of the remaining 180 semifinalists for the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, following the removal of 20 applicants struck by the quadrant leaders of the state legislature.
The list of the remaining semifinalists and correspondence from the legislative leaders naming the...
July 30th, 20200DEARBORN — The Dearborn School Board of Education will be conducting a special study session on August 6 at 1 p.m. to discuss the three possible options recommended by the district's Reopen Committee for a return to school.
The meeting will be held at the Administrative Service Center, 18700 Audette. Indoor gatherings in Michigan...
July 28th, 20200LANSING — Governor Whitmer is set to give an update on COVID-19 at 2 p.m., Tuesday afternoon, as cases continue to rise in the state. Whitmer will be joined by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun.
Monday saw 488 confirmed cases with five deaths, bringing up the total...
July 23rd, 20200Race and ethnicity are becoming forefront conversations on our media, academic debates and daily life discussions here in the United States. Each of us has an identity that defines how we see ourselves and others. Arab Americans are a historically understudied minority group in the United States and their health needs and risks have been...
July 20th, 20200DETROIT — State leaders are denouncing President Trump’s threats to send federal officers to crack down on-going protests against police brutality in cities, including Detroit.
The warning came Monday as Trump spoke to reporters inside the White House about protests in major cities across the U.S., where, according to Trump,...
July 17th, 20200
LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed an additional order that clarifies businesses may not assume an unmasked customer cannot medically tolerate a face covering, though they can accept a customer’s verbal explanation that they fall within a specified exception and do not have to.
It also requires public safety officers to wear a...
July 16th, 20200HAMTRAMCK — The Hamtramck City Council passed a resolution on Tuesday denouncing the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which took effect in India last December, making it the fifth U.S. city to make such a stand against India’s widely criticized new law.
The group Coalition of Americans for Pluralism in India...
July 15th, 20200WAYNE COUNTY — Small businesses in Wayne and every other county in Michigan can now apply for grants of up to $20,000 through the state’s Small Business Restart Program. The program seeks to aid business that been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with an application process that begins July 15 at 9 a.m. and closes on...
July 14th, 20200LANSING — In an another indication this month that Lansing grows concerned over the rates and spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, Governor Whitmer announced on Wednesday she will be extending both the state of emergency and the state of disaster.
“Over the past three weeks … our progress in suppressing the pandemic has...
July 10th, 20200LANSING — At a Thursday live address, Governor Whitmer warned that some residents may not understand the severity of the situation as the state saw mask-less holiday weekend crowds and a sure uptick in cases over the week.
“Over the past week, we have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases in Michigan and over the holiday weekend, we...
July 7th, 20200WAYNE COUNTY — Wayne County and many other communities across Michigan will receive grants for small businesses that are trying to reopen and recover from impacts of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
$50 million in grants to be awarded to Wayne County small businesses
Wayne County will allocate up to $50 million in CARES Act...
July 7th, 20200LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and other state attorneys general are taking legal action against a rule issued by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that they say unfairly diverts federal pandemic relief funds to private schools.
Nessel and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra are leading a coalition...
July 1st, 20200LANSING — In an act to curb upticks in new cases across Michigan, and perhaps reprimand careless bar goers, Governor Whitmer announced on Wednesday that she will be closing down indoor bar services through most of lower Michigan.
Bars will be able to serve customers outdoors and will be able to offer cocktails-to-go. The Upper...
June 30th, 20200LANSING — On Tuesday, June 30, the state of Michigan and Governor Whitmer released the executive order “MI Safe Schools Roadmap”, putting an extensive safety plan in place before schools reopen in the fall for in-person instruction.
The protocol is a roadmap for all pre-K to 12 schools within the state and includes...
June 25th, 20201
LANSING — Voters in Michigan who requested absentee ballots can expect them to arrive in their mailboxes soon. The state's Secretary of State office announced that clerks will begin mailing them on Thursday, June 25, for the August 4 primary elections.
A constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2018 requires ballot mailing...
June 23rd, 20200LANSING — Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced on Tuesday its intention to clear its backlog and make a determination on all eligible unpaid claims filed before May 1.
This means that for 11,824 worker who are still waiting on an eligibility decision, the agency will pay out benefits, determine that the...
