News

Researchers have found in a 30-year period, 130 square miles of farmland or natural areas were developed in southeast Michigan.

335,000 new buildings were built in the seven county area of Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne between 1985 and 2015.

  A source who asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to speak for the University of Michigan confirmed other media reports that the Big Ten will not be playing football.

Multiple media outlets reported that the presidents of all 14 Big Ten universities voted on the cancellation on Sunday. The University of Michigan and Michigan State University, both with presidents who are physicians, voted for the cancellation of the season. The only two schools to vote against the cancellation were Nebraska and Iowa. 

Issues & Ale @ Home
Keep Calm and Teach On: Back to School during COVID
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 7 PM

 Teachers, parents and school administrators face unprecedented challenges this fall trying to educate students in the midst of the pandemic.  Some schools plan to combine digital learning with in-person instruction while others are going all online. How can schools keep students and teachers safe while still providing a quality education? 

Michigan is waiting on more details about President Donald Trump’s executive memorandum regarding supplemental unemployment payments.

In an email, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency indicated it is waiting for guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor regarding $400 per week supplemental payments for people on unemployment.

The Mid-American Conference has become the first Division 1 league for college football to cancel its fall season because of COVID-19 concerns.

The conference includes Eastern, Western and Central Michigan Universities, as well as the University of Toledo.

It announced Saturday morning that all MAC schools will be postponing their fall sports programs hopefully until the spring.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says her office might bring charges against long-term care facilities that don’t follow an executive order designed to protect residents and staff. 

“Willful violations of this executive order are considered a misdemeanor offense, which carry a $500 fine and/or 90 days in jail,” read a Thursday press release. 

The U.S. House Ethics Committee is ordering Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib to re-pay her campaign more than $10,000.

The committee says Tlaib violated federal rules in 2018 by using the money to cover her salary.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Friday extended her executive order declaring a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic through September 4.

“We are in a crucial time in our fight against COVID-19, and we must do everything we can to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the brave men and women on the front lines of this crisis from a second wave,” says Whitmer.

  Census workers are beginning to knock on doors of households that have not responded to the 2020 census. In Michigan, they’re starting this canvassing in Lansing and Oakland County. Door to door efforts began August 6 and will end on September 30.

Kerry Ebersole-Singh is the Michigan Statewide Census Director. She says the most work needs to be done in Detroit, but that won’t start until next week.

A federal judge says the University of Michigan must alert the roughly 300,000 alumni it previously asked for information about a former sports doctor accused of sexual abuse, that there are several lawsuits pending against the University and they could be potential plaintiffs. 

The Grand Rapids Police Department has released a draft of a new strategic plan after many in the community called for defunding the department.

The plan would convert all current patrol officers to community-based officers assigned to specific neighborhoods, and incoming 911 calls will be managed so that sworn officers only respond when they’re needed.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan Radio’s presentation of the Moth Mainstage in Detroit has been rescheduled from October 23, 2020 to the same date in 2021. The October 23, 2021 show will take place at the Music Hall Center for Performing Arts in downtown Detroit.

All but one of Michigan’s 21 regional hubs for nursing home patients recovering from COVID-19  have been cited for an infection-control deficiency in the last four years, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

Four of those facilities were cited for infection-control violations that occurred in the weeks just before the state designated them as hubs. 

Do you remember how I wrote last week that I was on vacation? Well, that means that this week is the first week after vacation, which everybody knows means two weeks of work scrunched into a single week. Which means no additional commentary because I have to get back to work!

John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.

Some of the first volunteers in a new COVID-19 vaccine trial received their injections at Henry Ford Health System on Wednesday.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is extending the mask requirement to include children as young as two years old in some cases, after several coronavirus outbreaks linked to childcare centers and youth camps.

Gov. Whitmer says by requiring face coverings in her latest executive order, childcare centers and camps can remain open while keeping children and staff members safe.

Legislation soon will be introduced in Michigan to ban food packaging that contains toxic chemicals such as PFAS, bisphenols, or phthalates.

Some restaurants stopped using packaging containing PFAS, but some of the biggest chains still do.

State Senator Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) says it’s time to stop.

Dozens of Michigan school employees rallied Thursday at the state Capitol to call for a safe school re-opening strategy.

Members of the Caucus of Rank and File Educators, or “CORE,” came to Lansing to talk about several school issues.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says, based on how the August primary went this week, changes are needed before the November general election.

A record 2.5 million Michiganders voted in Tuesday’s primary, with 1.6 million using absentee ballots (also a record).  

The Big Ten Wednesday became the first major college sports conference to announce its fall football schedule. But conference officials caution there is no certainty games will be played.

Voting rights advocates say they are concerned after watching Michigan’s August primary this week.

On primary night, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson described the election as running “smoothly” despite being pushed to its limit.  

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has survived a strong challenge to win the Democratic primary.

With 83% of precincts reporting, Worthy has garnered 143,398 votes to challenger Victoria Burton-Harris’ 86,722.