VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN

University of Michigan, Michigan State mandating vaccines

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan and Michigan State University will require all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the fall semester. Both university presidents said Friday the action is being taken due to the spread of the more infectious delta variant. The state reports 2,250 additional coronavirus cases over three days. The seven-day average, 573, is up from 219 two weeks ago. Michigan’s case rate is lower than in all but a few states. Vaccine mandates are gaining momentum in Michigan. Earlier this week, more large hospital systems announced that they would require all employees and affiliated physicians to get vaccinated.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-JOBLESS AID

Michigan: 350K who got unemployment aid won't have to repay

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — About 350,000 Michigan residents who received federal unemployment aid will not have to repay benefits even though the state told them that some reasons for eligibility it approved at the start of the pandemic were not OK. The Unemployment Insurance Agency said Friday it will give waivers to the group, many who may no longer be collecting benefits. They are among nearly 600,000 claimants whom were asked last month to requalify for the federal assistance, which is $300 a week on top of maximum state benefits of $362.

FATHER SLAIN

Son wanted in death of 82-year-old dad near Kalamazoo

PORTAGE, Mich. (AP) — Authorities are searching outside Michigan for the son of an 82-year-old doctor who was killed at his home in the Kalamazoo area. Portage police say Scott Sterffy has been charged with murder. Police say Sterffy has been seen in Chicago and Seattle and should be considered armed and dangerous. Thomas Aye, a retired oral surgeon, was found dead in his Portage home on July 25. A daughter called police after finding the body. Aye worked in the Kalamazoo area for decades and had served as president of the Kalamazoo Valley District Dental Society.

MICHIGAN STORMS

Michigan counties seek access to funds after tornado damage

ARMADA, Mich. (AP) — Two Michigan counties are asking the state to help make funds available for residents and businesses affected by recent tornados that damaged buildings, knocked down trees and caused power outages. Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel on Friday declared a state of emergency in response to damage in the Armada area, north of Detroit. A state of emergency declaration is a step needed to seek cost reimbursement through the emergency management process. Earlier, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter asked the state to support a request for a “state of disaster” declaration in White Lake Township. Tornados were spawned by storms that swept Saturday evening through parts of southeastern Michigan.

GORDIE HOWE BRIDGE

White House, Canada state support for new Detroit River span

DETROIT (AP) — The White House and Canada have issued a joint statement of support for a commuter bridge that when completed will span the Detroit River, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The statement issued Thursday calls the Gordie Howe International Bridge “a top infrastructure priority” for both governments and that each is committed to continuing support “to ensure the project’s state-of-the-art ports of entry are fully funded.” It comes as U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican senators try to work out a compromise over a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure package. The $4.4 billion, six-lane, cable-stayed bridge is expected to open in late 2024. It’s named for Gordie Howe, a native of Canada and hockey legend who starred for the Detroit Red Wings.

LAKE ACCESS

Michigan making exceptions to weather-related swim ban

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is carving out some exceptions to a new policy that would bar people from swimming at state beaches when waves are more than 8 feet high. Surfers, kite boarders and water boarders would be exempt. They say rough conditions can be ideal, and they'll prepare for the risk. The Department of Natural Resources wants to reduce the risk of drowning in the Great Lakes. The DNR Commission is expected to hear more on Aug. 12. Rip currents and high waves have sometimes led to tragedies on Great Lakes beaches. There have been at least 47 drownings this year in states bordering the lakes, including 22 in Lake Michigan.

FOREVER CHEMICALS-MICHIGAN

Testing reveals PFAS at old cold plant site in Grand Haven

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — Toxic chemicals have been found at the site of a former coal plant in western Michigan. WOOD-TV reports that routine testing in June by the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power revealed the presence of PFAS at the old J.B. Sims Generating Station on Harbor Island. PFAS — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — refers to thousands of man-made compounds used in countless products, including nonstick cookware, water-repellent sports gear, cosmetics and grease-resistant food packaging, along with firefighting foams. Widespread testing in recent years has found high levels of PFAS in many public water systems. They’re called “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade in the environment. The coal plant, northwest of Grand Rapids, was demolished in February.

OBIT-CARL LEVIN

Ex-Sen. Levin, Michigan’s longest-serving senator, has died

DETROIT (AP) — Former Sen. Carl Levin, a powerful voice for the military during his career as Michigan’s longest-serving U.S. senator, has died. The Democrat was 87. Levin’s family says Levin died Thursday. A Washington insider, Levin took a civil but straightforward approach to governance, and he worked effectively with Republicans and fellow Democrats. He was a longtime member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and co-chaired the Senate Auto Caucus, which promoted policies benefiting the domestic car industry. Levin ousted Republican Robert Griffin in the 1978 U.S. Senate election. He won reelection five times, but chose not to seek a seventh term in 2014.

EVICTION MORATORIUM-MICHIGAN

EXPLAINER: How might Michigan do without eviction safeguard?

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Federal protections against eviction are set to expire on Saturday and Michigan courts are preparing for an expected wave of landlord requests to kick out tenants who are behind in their rent. It's still unknown how many struggling tenants might be made homeless by the lifting of the moratorium on evictions that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. But recent census data paints a worrying picture, showing that about 80,789 Michigan residents, including 60,940 in the Detroit metropolitan area, said they felt they were likely to get evicted within two months. Officials are trying to get the word out that financial and legal assistance is available.

AP-US-OBIT-CARL-LEVIN-A-LIFE

Carl Levin, Michigan's longest-serving senator, dies at 87

DETROIT (AP) — Former Sen. Carl Levin, a powerful voice for the military during his career as Michigan’s longest-serving U.S. senator, has died. The Democrat was 87. Levin’s family says Levin died Thursday. A Washington insider, Levin took a civil but straightforward approach to governance, and he worked effectively with Republicans and fellow Democrats. He was a longtime member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and co-chaired the Senate Auto Caucus, which promoted policies benefiting the domestic car industry. Levin ousted Republican Robert Griffin in the 1978 U.S. Senate election. He won reelection five times, but chose not to seek a seventh term in 2014.

News from © The Associated Press, 2021