Breaking News

Covid-19

Michigan House panel criticizes state unemployment agency

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republicans in the Michigan House Oversight committee criticized the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency acting director on Thursday, asking her to address how the agency has failed residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mass unemployment spread nationally during the pandemic and in Michigan the state unemployment agency has paid out $38 billion dollars to 2.4 million Michigan workers since the beginning of the pandemic, according to acting director Liza Estlund Olson. Committee Chair Rep. Steve Johnson, citing what he’s heard from his constituents, ...

Judge extends block of WMU vaccine mandate

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday extended his order blocking Western Michigan University from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement against 16 athletes. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney issued a ruling from the bench granting the athletes the right to continue to compete and participate in intercollegiate athletics until he issues an opinion and order on converting a temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction. Unlike other Michigan universities, Western's vaccine requirement does not extend to all students and employees, although the ...

State lists 77 more virus cases in UP in single day

State data Wednesday showed 77 new confirmed COVID-19 positives in the Upper Peninsula in a day’s time, including eight more cases in Dickinson County and four in Iron County. Across the Wisconsin border, Marinette County added 22 confirmed positives in one day and Florence County had ...

COVID guidance updated for students

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state issued updated guidance Wednesday to help Michigan schools and local health departments navigate whether asymptomatic students who have been exposed to a coronavirus-infected student should quarantine at home or stay in school. A change: Unvaccinated but masked students who were less than 3 feet from a COVID-positive student for at least 15 minutes can remain in school but only if they are tested daily for seven days after the exposure. Such a student previously would have been told to isolate for 10 days or seven days with a negative test. The ...

State: UP adds 211 virus cases in four days

State data Tuesday showed 211 new confirmed COVID-19 positives in the Upper Peninsula since Friday, including 32 in Dickinson County, which also had another death attributed to the coronavirus, and 12 in Iron County. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus website ...

Nass asks GOP leaders to sue UW System over COVID policies

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Sen. Steve Nass officially asked the Legislature’s Republican leaders Tuesday to sue the University of Wisconsin System after system officials refused to submit their COVID-19 protocols to his committee for approval. Nass sent a letter to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu demanding they file a lawsuit forcing system leaders to submit their policies to the Legislature’s rules committee. Nass, a Republican and longtime UW critic, co-chairs the committee. It’s unclear what Vos and LeMahieu might do next. Their aides ...