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Breaking: 9 inmates at Baldwin immigrant prison test positive for COVID-19
Updated, 9:32 p.m., 4/20/20, with Monday’s numbers for the Milan facility and comment from No Detention Centers in Michigan Nine inmates at Michigan’s only private, for-profit federal immigrant prison have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). DHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin said all nine of the cases […]
‘Everything is an emergency, all the time’: What Dana Nessel’s life as Michigan AG looks like now
Like many Michiganders, Attorney General Dana Nessel is working from home — office cat included. It’s exhausting, but she’s grateful that she’s able to as Michigan continues to reel from one of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks in the nation. “We’re lucky that my wife and I have jobs; we can work from home … and […]
State OKs revised DTE 15-year plan beefing up energy efficiency
Updated, 6:53 p.m., 4/17/20, with comment from DTE Two months after a state regulatory body rejected its first try, Detroit-based DTE Electric Co. saw its revised 15-year energy resource plan approved Wednesday afternoon. The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) had rejected DTE’s original plan in February, after many months of sustained criticism from environmental groups, […]
California loans 50 ventilators to Michigan
More than four dozen ventilators from California are scheduled to arrive in Lansing Wednesday, as a loan from California Gov. Gavin Newsom to aid Michigan in its COVID-19 response. California, an early adopter of restrictive policies to fight the disease’s spread, has had signs that it’s bent the curve. The state also has sent ventilators […]
Whitmer: Protesters flouting social distancing could ironically cause a longer stay-home order
“I support your right to free speech, and I respect your opinions. I just urge you: Don’t put yourself at risk, and don’t put others at risk, either,” Whitmer said as she addressed the public during her latest Michigan COVID-19 update at Lansing’s Romney Building on Wednesday afternoon. Just across the street, hundreds of protesters […]
After crush of unemployment claims, state says it’s upgraded servers
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) website saw higher traffic Monday night than any other time in the last few weeks, according to Director Jeff Donofrio. Donofrio gave a video press update Tuesday on how the department is dealing with the historic number of unemployment claims after a slew of complaints from […]
Michigan reports 27K COVID-19 cases, 1,700+ deaths
There are now 27,001 positive cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus, in Michigan as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, although state officials believe the actual number of cases is much higher. This is an additional 1,366 cases since Monday. A statewide coronavirus hotline is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. […]
Breaking: 3 staffers at Baldwin immigrant prison test positive for COVID-19
Updated, 5:53 p.m. with Monday’s numbers for the Milan facility. Three employees at a federal immigrant prison in Baldwin have tested positive for COVID-19, the Advance confirmed Monday. A spokesperson for the owner of the private prison, Florida-based GEO Group, said that no inmates have tested positive at the North Lake Correctional Institute, although it […]
New: Hunger strike at Baldwin immigrant prison enters 5th day
A group of at least 10 inmates at Michigan’s only private, for-profit immigrant prison are on day five of a hunger strike to protest against what they describe as inhumane living conditions and discriminatory treatment from staff. Letters and phone calls to advocacy groups, which have been obtained by the Advance, describe concerns from at […]
Enbridge submits construction permit for Line 5 project, enviros want Whitmer to delay due to COVID-19
If an oil pipeline company requests permits for a controversial project during a pandemic, does it make a sound? Not nearly enough, if you ask many of the state’s environmental, civic and tribal leaders who oppose Canadian company Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 tunnel project. The Oil and Water Don’t Mix coalition, made up of more […]
Republicans move ahead with Tues. session to check Whitmer’s COVID-19 orders
Michigan’s GOP-led Legislature appears ready to make its move to try and limit the Democratic governor’s power to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. Session will be held in both chambers Tuesday, despite widespread health concerns, even as it was announced Monday that another Michigan lawmaker, state Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit), tested positive for the virus. […]
Here’s the surprising way Michigan is tracking COVID-19 cases in prisons
Those who have been regularly tuning in to Michigan’s daily statewide tally of COVID-19 cases and deaths know the drill by now: Around 3 p.m. every day, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) takes data from each county’s health department, adds it to a spreadsheet and publishes that county list on a […]