Beenish Ahmed

An event for local police chiefs featuring a controversial law enforcement trainer scheduled to take place in Novi next month has been canceled, following a series of complaints to the church where it was to be held, as well as the organization that planned it. 

Marion King said her hesitancy about the vaccine turned into urgency only after she lost both her mother and aunt to COVID-19 last month. 

“When I found out my mom was positive, I know my aunt had to be because whatever air my mother breathed, you breathed it too,” King said, noting that the sisters had what she described as an “inseparable bond.” 

Nurses in the Henry Ford Health System say they're feeling the strain of the latest COVID-19 surge.

When Lauren Varley saw her first COVID-19 case in the ICU last year, she told her parents she couldn't see them for a month. That month stretched into six as she worried about exposing her parents to the virus that claimed the lives of so many of the patients she risked her own life to treat.

"It made me feel extremely hopeless and very helpless as a nurse because I knew that any patient that I saw with COVID, I knew there was a very high possibility that they just were not going to survive," Varley said.

The federal government won't be sending additional vaccines to Michigan. That's despite Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s efforts to secure more shots as cases and hospitalizations continue to increase.

Many area Muslims are preparing for their second Ramadan of the pandemic, with hope that the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting will be filled with the communal prayers and family gatherings they went without last year, as COVID-19 began to sweep the state.

The Henry Ford Health System will contribute to an ongoing national studying the efficacy of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in children, in a study similar to the one it conducted with adults last year. 

Dr. Adnan Munkarah, Chief Clinical Officer, said that the hospital system will begin looking for parents to volunteer children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years old to take part in the study in the coming weeks.

Many Detroit public school students would go back to their classrooms in-person, if their teachers would do the same. 

A survey conducted earlier this month by the Detroit Public Schools Community District found that 40% of students would prefer in-person instruction to virtual learning.

When schools re-opened on March 8, about 9,000 students in the district returned to classrooms or “learning labs” where they are supervised by educators during virtual lessons, according to the district.

Low-income Detroit residents facing housing instability due to economic hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for support through a $50 million fund approved by state lawmakers last week. 

“When we were here a month ago, we had $5 million,” Mayor Mike Duggan said at a press conference on Wednesday. “We couldn't help you unless you had an eviction notice. Now we can help you if you have a late rent.” 

Nealmetria Loper spends much of her day “in” third grade, watching remote lessons over the shoulder of one of her daughters to make sure she’s following along on lessons. The mother of four is also just a shout away if her other daughters run into tech issues or come across directions they don’t quite understand. 
 

Undocumented immigrants in Detroit who opt to get the COVID-19 vaccine at the TCF Center, which serves as the city’s main vaccination site, will not be targeted by immigration enforcement according to the Detroit Health Department. 

It's been seven weeks since the first COVID-19 vaccines were distributed in Michigan and, as of Monday, the state has now officially seen over one million shots in arms. 

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services tracks its vaccine distributions in a dashboard that is updated throughout the week with metrics for first and second doses, doses by county, and more. 

As of Sunday, more than 200,000 people are now fully vaccinated. 

Anthony Adams, a former deputy mayor under Kwame Kilpatrick, announced on Tuesday that he will run for mayor of Detroit against incumbent Mike Duggan who is seeking a third term. 

In an announcement on Facebook Live, Adams listed off the local businesses he frequents — from shoe shiners to jazz clubs — and his record in public office, which includes serving as the Executive Assistant to Former Mayor Coleman Young and as President of the Detroit Public School Board. 

As Joe Biden took the oath of office to become the 46th president of the United States, a group of more than 40 people watched on through an online viewing party organized by the progressive organization Michigan People’s Campaign.

Some cheered at the end of his first speech as President of the United States, but for many others, the occasion felt heavy after a divisive election, a violent insurrection, and an ongoing public health crisis.

Detroit launched its first major COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday at a drive-thru clinic set up in the garage of the TCF Center. City health officials made 400 appointments for Detroit seniors, teachers, and childcare providers.

“I'm an active person,” said Francena Dudely, an 87-year-old lifelong Detroiter, who was among those vaccinated. “I want to be able to get out a little bit and even if I still have to wear a mask, I will feel more comfortable.”