Government

Man injured in crash near Jones

A Jones man was injured in a single-vehicle crash earlier this week in Cass County’s Newberg Township. Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly after 11:30 p.m. Monday to Bair Lake Street, near Wood Lake Road. Authorities said a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Adam Bistodeau, of Jones, left the roadway and struck a tree. Bistodeau was transported to Three …

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Michigan officials expect omicron variant to sweep state

People who haven’t been vaccinated for COVID-19 are taking up too many beds at Michigan’s strained hospitals, as the state prepares for the rapid spread of omicron variant, the governor said Tuesday. The omicron variant is already the dominant strain in the U.S. and is expected to spread rapidly through Michigan in the near future, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at a news …

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Two Centreville residents die in crash

A Centreville man and his 5-year-old son died in a two-vehicle collision over the weekend, east of Niles, in Cass County’s Howard Township. State police troopers said the incident occurred around 8:15 p.m. Saturday near Pine Lake Street. Authorities said 30-year-old Phillip Parker was driving west on M-60 when his vehicle crossed the center line and crashed head-on into an …

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Michigan COVID surge trends in ‘deeply concerning direction’

Michigan’s COVID-19 surge is trending in a “deeply concerning direction” ahead of the winter holidays and, unlike a year ago, is not subsiding following Thanksgiving, state health officials said Friday while urging vaccines and booster shots. Infection rates and hospitalizations are near or at all-time highs in the state 21 months into the pandemic. Vaccination rates lag the national average, especially among …

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Record-high Michigan COVID-19 hospitalizations still rising

Michigan’s COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a new high Wednesday, exceeding the previous record for the fifth straight time that the state has reported data. Nearly 4,700 patients were in the hospital statewide amid a fourth surge in infections. The roughly 4,400 hospitalized adults with confirmed cases was at the highest point in the 21-month coronavirus pandemic and 150 more than a …

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Michigan drivers will get $400 insurance refund per vehicle

All Michigan drivers with auto insurance will receive a $400 per-vehicle refund next spring, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and a top regulator said Tuesday. Their announcement came more than a month after the governor requested the checks by citing a multibillion-dollar surplus in the Michigan Catastrophic Care Association fund. The account, which reimburses insurers medical and other costs for people seriously injured in …

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Michigan hourly minimum wage will rise 22 cents to $9.87

Michigan’s minimum wage will rise by 22 cents to $9.87 an hour on January 1st. State law requires annual increases in the wage until it reaches $12.05 in a decade. The 22-cent raise was supposed to occur in 2021 but was automatically delayed because of high unemployment early in the coronavirus pandemic. The state announced this past week that the …

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Dems renew push for gun-control bills after Oxford shooting

Democrats vowed Wednesday to push new gun-control legislation and to try to revive stalled bills in Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature following a mass shooting that left four high school students dead and others with serious injuries. But GOP leaders, who have long opposed such measures and have favored looser restrictions, did not immediately commit to policy changes. “We can’t do nothing,” Sen. Rosemary …

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Michigan teen charged in Oxford High School shooting

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with murder and terrorism for a shooting that killed four fellow students and injured others at a Michigan high school. Authorities on Wednesday revealed that his parents were summoned just a few hours before the bloodshed. No motive was offered by Oakland County authorities, a day after violence at Oxford High School. But sheriff’s …

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Whitmer seeks $300 million for COVID-19 testing at schools

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration said Tuesday it wants lawmakers to quickly allocate $300 million in federal pandemic rescue funding to support COVID-19 testing at schools amid a fourth surge of infections in Michigan. The money was included in the relief law approved by Congress and President Joe Biden in March. It is set to expire next summer and is part …

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