Business + Labor
Survey: COVID-19 small business loan program is ‘driver of racial inequality’
As he seeks to do business in a COVID-19 hotspot, Detroit restaurant owner Ron Bartell tries to stay upbeat, despite concerns about the long-term future of his popular eatery. “We don’t run from any challenges; we run to them,” he said. That’s something the former cornerback who played for nine National Football League seasons knows […]
Rick Haglund: Business owners, groups take different approaches on COVID-19 closures, reopenings
Normally, the Bluebird Restaurant & Tavern in Leland would be serving hundreds of tourists and summer residents returning to this lovely lakefront town northwest of Traverse City on Memorial Day weekend, as it has since 1927. But the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping the popular restaurant closed this weekend, except for takeout whitefish dinners, pizza and […]
Republican declares ‘I am not Detroit’ in heated COVID-19 oversight hearing
State lawmakers clashed over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday during a Joint Select Committee meeting. The tensest moment came when Sen. Kim LaSata (R-Bainbridge Twp.) argued areas outside of hardest-hit Southeast Michigan should reopen, despite a continued rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths in many areas in the state. “This pandemic is not […]
After attacking Whitmer and Benson, Trump turns Twitter fire to Nessel
President Donald Trump has now gone after all three of the top female officeholders in Michigan, adding Attorney General Dana Nessel to the list late Thursday night after his visit to a Ford plant in Ypsilanti. The GOP president has frequently attacked Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Twitter and in press conferences, most famously referring […]
Trump spends most of Ypsilanti Ford facility visit maskless, OKs Midland emergency declaration
President Donald Trump toured the Ford Rawsonville plant in Ypsilanti Thursday afternoon without wearing a mask for most of the time, despite a requirement under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order and Ford’s safety policy. Trump, who has frequently attacked the media, said he did not want to give reporters “the pleasure” of seeing him with […]
After Midland, enviros urge funding for climate change preparedness, infrastructure
After heavy rain prompted the collapse of Midland’s Edenville dam on Tuesday, which has since caused at least two more dams on the Tittabawassee River to overflow, environmental advocacy groups in Michigan are sounding the alarm that the state needs to prepare for more catastrophic weather events as climate change worsens. Statements from the groups […]
Gov. allows gatherings of 10 or less, asks Trump for federal disaster declaration for Midland
With a recent flood in Mid-Michigan compounded upon a global pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke at a media conference on Thursday about moving forward and working together to get through these hard times. As part of her plan to gradually lessen COVID-19 restrictions, she announced the immediate authorization of small gatherings of 10 people or […]
500-year flood event causes devastation in Midland County
City and state officials are calling flooding and failures of two dams on the Tittabawassee River in Midland County a 500-year event. Whitmer issued a state of emergency in the area Tuesday night. The Tittabawassee River reached a record level of 35 feet Wednesday afternoon, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service (NWS) […]
Michigan jobless rate jumps 18.4 percentage points in April
Michigan’s seasonally adjusted jobless rate hit 22.7% in April during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data released Wednesday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB). The unemployment rate was 4.3% in March, so that’s a startling rise of 18.4 percentage points in a month. Employment in Michigan plunged by 1.1 million while […]
U of M resident doctors ‘frustrated’ after 5 months without wage deal
More than 1,300 resident physicians at the University of Michigan Hospital are fighting for fair wages as they risk their own health to provide care for COVID-19 patients. They’ve spent the past five months negotiating with hospital administrators to get a raise, and now they’ll have to wait a little longer. A meeting Monday night […]
Whitmer declares state of emergency after Midland dam breaches, 10K could be evacuated
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Midland County after the Edenville and Sanford dams were breached following heavy rainstorms. About 10,000 people could be evacuated, ABC News reports. “In the next 12 to 15 hours, downtown Midland could be under approximately nine feet of water,” Whitmer said Thursday night at […]
DOC: Michigan will soon be 1st state to test all prisoners for COVID-19
By Friday, the Michigan Department of Corrections (DOC) says that the Great Lakes state could be the first in the nation to test every single prisoner at its state-owned correctional facilities for COVID-19. “Right now we’ve tested about 31,000 prisoners — and in Michigan right now, we have about 36,500 [total]. So just about 5,000 […]