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We also offer Facebook news feeds about Mid Michigan News, including local arts, local entertainment, and local “Healthy Living.” See menu above.
Albion News from Facebook
Stuck at home, but need to scratch that performance itch? Fear not, friends! The ACT II Virtual Talent Show is coming your way! Get your talents and your recording devices ready and post your videos to the ACT II page on the "Posts" tab on Friday between 6-8pm. Then grab your popcorn or local takeout, and enjoy the talents of your community!
Unemployment Benefits Increased and Expanded
Governor Whitmer today announced Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Compensation programs.
It extends benefits to workers who do not already qualify for state unemployment benefits, increases weekly benefits, and extended the benefits period to 39 weeks.
If you have already applied for unemployment benefits, you DO NOT need to reapply at this time.
The UIA will provide additional guidance regarding eligibility and application details in the coming days as it implements these new programs.
New Programs to Increase and Expand Unemployment Benefits for Workers Affected by COVID-19
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The agreement also increases weekly benefits for all unemployed workers by $600 a week for up to four months and extends benefit payments from 26 to 39 weeks.More great information on help because of the impact of COVID-19 and the Coronavirus from the Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce. Check out their great toolkit.
www.greateralbionchamber.org/coronavirus-toolkit
Coronavirus Toolkit - Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce, MI
www.greateralbionchamber.org
The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) has launched a COVID-19 Hotline. Public health and other experts will answer health-related questions about COVID-19. The team can also direct...
To help Michiganders receive unemployment benefits as a result of COVID-19, the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has developed a schedule for workers to file for benefits based on the first letter of their last name.
Beginning Sunday, March 29, 2020:
Online Filing Schedule - Michigan.gov/UIA
• Last names beginning with letters A-L are asked to file claims on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays.
• Last names beginning with letters M-Z are asked to file claims on Sundays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays.
• Saturdays will be available for anyone to accommodate those who could not file during their allotted window.
Call Center Filing Schedule - 866-500-0017:
• Last names beginning with letters A-L are asked to call on Mondays and Wednesdays between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Last names beginning with letters M-Z are asked to call on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Fridays (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) will be available for anyone to accommodate those who could not file during their allotted window.
Read more. ➡️ bit.ly/UIFileSchedule
Major utilities, including the state’s two largest, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, have stopped service disconnections, and are offering flexible payment plans for low-income customers, seniors, and those impacted by illness or job losses related to the pandemic.
Michiganders who use propane for home heating also are eligible for income-based assistance programs. Customers with heating costs that they are unable to pay should first contact their energy supplier and explain their situation before they run out of fuel.
Click the link below for more information on providers and how to request assistance.
www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163-523321--,00.html
Coronavirus - State leaders outline protections, assistance available for energy utility customers
www.michigan.gov
Description: Coronavirus -
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order, all city playgrounds and pavilions are closed, until the order has been lifted. Parks will remain open to public use, but please practice social distancing while enjoying our parks and trails.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Safe executive order, all city playgrounds and pavilions are closed, until the order has been lifted. Parks will remain open to public use, but please practice social distancing while enjoying our parks and trails.
ALBION STUDENT ART & ESSAY CONTEST
drive.google.com/file/d/1fmxTdPonu-8gDA78G87OhAmuF79PhWaX/view?usp=sharing
Calhoun County Public Health Department Update
Albion Public Safety is asking residents not to call 911 to report violations of the Governor's stay at home order. We have set up a special line for you to call. Please call 517-629-7822 and leave a detailed message. Officers will follow-up on the information provided. This is only for information regarding violations of the Governor's executive order.
Coronavirus - State park campgrounds, overnight lodging facilities and shelters are closed, but state parks stay open for now
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Get Michigan #COVID19 updates at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus.Albion College News from Facebook
Tomorrow join Elizabeth Palmer share the history of April Fools Day!
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An Albion College education. It's hands-on. It's the liberal arts. It's career readiness. It's providing you the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need to succeed in college, in your career, a...
Opinion: How to Stay Healthy and Happy While in Quarantine
www.albionpleiad.com/2020/03/opinion-how-to-stay-healthy-and-happy-while-in-quarantine/
Opinion: How to Stay Healthy and Happy While in Quarantine
www.albionpleiad.com
While in quarantine, things can start to feel a little unhealthy. The rooms of the house can make people feel like they’re trapped in a box. Listed below are six ways to break out of that box in or...Opinion: Having A Loved One on the Front Lines During COVID-19
www.albionpleiad.com/2020/03/opinion-having-a-loved-one-on-the-front-lines-during-covid-19/
Opinion: Having A Loved One on the Front Lines During COVID-19
www.albionpleiad.com
When I first learned of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s statewide shelter-in-place order last Monday, the first person I texted was my mother, a new car salesperson who was at work at the time. “Yes, ...As most of the country continues to stay at home due to COVID-19, each decision that will be made individually and collectively, going forward, will become important as the situation becomes more uncertain.
www.albionpleiad.com/2020/03/widespread-uncertainty-a-us-emergency-a-global-norm/
Widespread Uncertainty: A US Emergency, A Global Norm
www.albionpleiad.com
Early on in the semester, COVID-19 seemed like a distant threat, unlikely to approach us. Since then, rapid changes have sent many of us scattering. Most students returned home, but some have nowhe…Isabel Allaway, '20, gave Albion's Kim Tunnicliff Fellowship Lecture in February as the 2019 recipient of this scholarship for international study.
Read more about Isabel's experience in South Africa ⬇️
Tunnicliff Fellow Isabel Allaway, '20, Shares South Africa Experience - Albion College
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"I chose to go to South Africa in part because I didn’t want to go somewhere 'easy'—another campus inside a different version of a college bubble or a European country where I wouldn’t be challe...“Transitioning to online learning for the final semester of my senior year was challenging at first, but after seeing a few of my peer’s dogs during our online lectures, I knew I could make it through.” Mac, '20. #MyAlbion #PurpleandBold
More Albion News from Facebook
Michigan AG: Joann Fabrics must close to in-store customers during coronavirus order
SARAH LEHR | LANSING STATE JOURNAL | 2 hours ago
LANSING — The Michigan Attorney General's Office has warned the craft retail chain Joann Fabrics to close its doors to in-person shoppers under a statewide executive order intended to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In a "stay home, stay safe" directive that took effect March 24, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered nonessential businesses to shut their doors. But, as the Lansing State Journal reported the next day, Joann Fabrics locations remained open.
Joann Fabrics asked the office of Michigan Attorney General's Office for confirmation that the craft stores were necessary to sustain life. The attorney general's office disagreed and, in a letter sent Monday, told the businesses to shut down in-person shopping.
"After receiving the Department’s letter, JoAnn Fabrics stores in the state appear to have modified their business operations to comply," according to a Tuesday afternoon news release from the attorney general.
Michigan AG: Joann Fabrics must close to in-store customers during coronavirus order
www.lansingstatejournal.com
Joann Fabrics appears to have complied after the Michigan Attorney General's office warned the craft stores to shut down in-person shopping.2,000 Michigan companies urgently hiring for critical infrastructure jobs.
LANSING (WJRT) (3/31/2020) - Michigan companies are trying to fill thousands of jobs in critical industries immediately during the coronavirus pandemic.
More workers are needed in a variety of logistics, health care, manufacturing and agribusiness positions, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
Many of the jobs are being advertised on the Pure Michigan Talent Connect website, which is receiving thousands of new job listings every day.
“Michiganders are tough and hardworking, especially in times of crisis,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. “Tens of thousands of open jobs are available right now with more than 2,000 Michigan companies and organizations hiring to continue providing critical services.”
The Pure Michigan Talent Connect website has a new section devoted to on-demand jobs deemed essential during the coronavirus pandemic. Job seekers can create a free profile, upload their resume and customize their job preferences for employers.
“While many Michiganders are being displaced from work, thousands of employers have immediate job openings,” said Labor and Economic Opportunity Director Jeff Donofrio. “We encourage those who are currently unemployed to search available jobs at MiTalent.org.”
2,000 Michigan companies urgently hiring for critical infrastructure jobs
www.abc12.com
More workers are needed in a variety of logistics, health care, manufacturing and agribusiness positions, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.Michigan Attorney General warns of federal stimulus scams amid pandemic
(FOX 2) - "The last thing you want to do during perilous times like this is fall victim to a scam," said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Nessel contacted Rob Wolchek to pass along the latest warnings about scam artists tricking you out of your federal stimulus money.
As you know, the United States government is going to sending out stimulus checks. So how do I get the check? What if I get contacted by someone who says they're with the government and want me to give them my address?
"Wherever you last filed your tax return that is where that stimulus check is going to go," Nessel said.
Nessel says you don't have to do anything. If you get your tax refunds in the mail, they'll mail you a check. If you get it direct deposited, it will just be deposited into your bank account.
If you haven't filed your taxes in the last few years, the attorney general has the answer to that.
"They should go directly to the IRS website, and they can sign up for it. But the IRS will not contact you."
And remember - with COVID-19 scaring all of us and scam artists targeting people who are vulnerable - which is all of us right now - the attorney general says beware,l the scammers might contact you via email, phone call, text or even on social media.
"So many people are out of work right now and are frankly desperate for that money," Nessel said. "And since this has never happened before, no one say this is how this normally happens - because it's not a thing we've had occur."
If you have any concerns, contact the attorney general's office at www. michigan.gov/ag/ or call 877-765-8388.
Remember, the stimulus money is coming to you and you don't have to do anything to get it. If someone tells you otherwise, it's a scam.
Michigan Attorney General warns of federal stimulus scams amid pandemic
www.fox2detroit.com
As you know, the government is going to sending out stimulus checks. So how do I get the check? What if I get contacted by someone who says they're with the government and want me to give them my addr...Michigan may need another 8,000 ventilators as coronavirus outbreak worsens
March 30, 2020
Written by:Riley Beggin
Michigan may not hit the peak of the coronavirus pandemic for weeks, and state officials say they’re well short of supplies to treat those who will need them.
Despite recent federal shipments — 112,000 N-95 masks received over the weekend with an additional 8,000 soon to arrive — the skyrocketing rate of cases in southeast Michigan is outpacing officials’ ability to keep up.
“We still need more,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during a press briefing from Lansing on Monday.
How much more? Michigan has 1,700 ventilators but may need 10,000. The state has around 313,000 masks with another 1 million potentially on the way, but health care workers use 10 per patient per shift — Beaumont hospitals alone would use 8,100 every day based on current patient numbers.
The equipment crunch comes as the pandemic has spread exponentially in Michigan since the first case was discovered March 10. In the past week, cases more than quintupled to nearly 5,500. The state now has the fourth-highest number of cases in the country after New York, New Jersey and California.
Detroit has been the epicenter with more than 1,500 cases and 35 deaths as of Sunday afternoon, while Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties of southeast Michigan comprise more than 80 percent of statewide cases.
Whitmer said the state has spent $80 million buying supplies, but she has complained that Michigan and other states are having trouble securing equipment from some vendors.
So far, Michigan has acquired:
20 million masks
2,000 ventilators
9 million ounces of hand sanitizer
255,000 boxes of gloves
2.4 million gowns
2,000 beds
210,000 testing kits
3,000 thermometers
185,000 face shields
22,000 cartons of disinfecting wipes
That’s in addition to past shipments from Michigan from the Strategic National Stockpile, a federal repository of equipment.
But for adequate protection and sanitation, health care workers must regularly change their equipment. In normal circumstances, workers would change masks after each patient. Most health care workers are now being asked to wear equipment multiple times, which can pose a safety hazard but is deemed necessary to conserve badly-needed supplies.
Even with that conservation, supplies are dwindling.
According to a report from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from Sunday evening encompassing around three-quarters of the state’s hospitals, the state’s health care workers were left with:
313,306 N-95 masks
59,070 coveralls
5.8 million gloves
240,009 surgical isolation gowns
97,838 surgical gowns
1.2 million surgical masks and face masks
49,978 face shields
29,186 goggles
The report represents a snapshot in time, so numbers have likely changed since they were reported, spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said.
“For every inpatient that has COVID-19, we’ll need 10 N-95 masks just that day for that one patient,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive, said Monday.
Whitmer said on CNN Sunday morning the 112,000 masks from the national stockpile meant “we’re going to make it through the weekend.”
And state officials warn the worst is yet to come.
“We are still in the early stages of spread in Michigan, and cases have not yet peaked,” Khaldun said. “Current models suggest we are likely several weeks away from a peak in the number of cases here in Michigan.”
Bob Wheaton, spokesman for MDHHS, told Bridge Saturday that the state has 27,762 hospital beds, including 25,375 beds that were in place before the state of emergency and an additional 2,387 that were added to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington predicts Michigan will reach peak hospital resource use on April 10, when hospitals will need nearly 14,000 beds and 2,162 ICU beds.
The state is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify sites for field hospitals to expand the number of available beds and is currently preparing the TCF Center in downtown Detroit to provide 900 more beds.
The University of Washington model also predicts Michigan would need 1,730 ventilators. Khaldun said Monday that the state has around 1,700 ventilators — fairly close to what’s needed. But Khaldun expects the need to be much, much higher.
“We think we’ll need many, many more than that,” Khaldun said. “There’s no question we’ll need an additional 5,000 to 10,000 ventilators and the supplies to intubate people.”
Whitmer said she’s working to secure more supplies, but that states are competing with one another for a limited amount. She’s been on national television several times requesting more help from the federal government, including faster shipments from the national stockpile.
Her insistence the federal government didn’t act soon enough against the virus drew the ire of President Donald Trump. He tweeted that the “failing Michigan governor must work harder and be much more proactive, before signing the emergency disaster declaration she requested allowing the state to get help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Whitmer said late last week that contractors who had agreed to send more supplies to Michigan were told to instead send them to the federal government, implying that the president’s frustrations with her complaints had something to do with it.
But on Sunday morning national television appearances, she declined to identify the vendors.
“I need assistance and I need partnership. That’s what we’re starting to see out of the feds, we’re grateful for it, but there’s so much more work to do,” Whitmer told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
FEMA has told Sen. Gary Peters’ office that an additional 1 million masks from a private vendor are en route to Michigan, but cautioned that some vendors are struggling to fulfill orders on time, an aide to Peters told Bridge.
Supply allocations from the Strategic National Stockpile are based on population density rather than concentration of cases.
But FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor told Peters’ office the agency is considering changing the formula to help places like Michigan with a disproportionate number of cases.
Khaldun said that even if Michigan got thousands of more ventilators, “there’s no question we don’t have enough” medical personnel to operate the machines and provide other necessary services.
That’s why Whitmer signed an executive order loosening medical practice laws to allow people such as medical students and retired physicians who would not otherwise be able to help to provide health care in line with their training.
“We expect a great need for additional medical support in the coming days,” Whitmer said Monday. “So we ask: Please sign up now.”
Bridge reporter Robin Erb contributed to this report.
Michigan may need another 8,000 ventilators as coronavirus outbreak worsens
www.bridgemi.com
Michigan’s top doctors says the state could need 10,000 ventilators and only has 1,700. The shortage is one of several Michigan officials are confronting as cases spike in southeast Michigan.Whitmer allows winter blend gasoline for a month longer in Michigan
LANSING (WJRT) (3/30/2020) - Gas stations can continue selling winter blend gasoline for a month longer thanks to an executive order by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Gas stations were required to switch to a lower volatility summer blend by April 1, but Whitmer delayed the change until April 30. She hopes the order maintains adequate gasoline supply during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Michigan Motor Fuel Quality Act of 1984 requires a special blend of gasoline from April 1 through the summertime, which leads to lower ozone emissions.
Whitmer pointed out the coronavirus public health emergency has caused an oversupply of the more volatile winter blend gasoline and it is taking up significant amounts of bulk fuel storage capacity.
That means gasoline distributors haven't been able to start supplying summer blend gasoline because they don't have space to accept and store it.
Whitmer said the stock of winter blend gasoline currently is adequate to supplement the undersupply of summer blend.
Whitmer allows winter blend gasoline for a month longer in Michigan
www.abc12.com
as stations were required to switch to a lower volatility summer blend by April 1, but Whitmer delayed the change until April 30.Michigan doctors see success in COVID-19 treatment but say more clinical trials are needed
by Trisha McCauley | Newschannel 3
Tuesday, March 31st 2020
KALAMAZOO, Mich. —
Scientists across the country were still in search of a cure for the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Clinical trials were underway as doctors tried to find a way to treat the deadly virus.
Marcus Zervos, infectious disease doctor for Henry Ford Health System, said they had seen success with hydroxychloroquine therapy in a number of COVID-19 patients. He said those given the drug were able to get off a ventilator and out of the hospital faster.
“The goal of therapy is to take patients that have shortness of breath, compromised respiratory status, that have pneumonia, and by treating them with hydroxychloroquine, prevent them from the complication of progression of infection, ending up in an intensive care unit or ending up on a ventilator," Zervos said.
Zervos said it typically took patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between two and four weeks to recover. He said hydroxychloroquine therapy was reducing that recovery time.
He said there are still a lot of unknowns with the medication, which had been linked to serious side effects, and more clinical trials were needed.
Henry Ford Health System was in the process of getting approved for a clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine treatment with COVID-19 patients. Zervos said the trial could take months or even years and results would take even longer.
The Food and Drug Administration had not approved the drug to treat COVID-19 as of Tuesday, March 31, but doctors could still prescribe it.
Michigan pharmacists reported a surge in prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, medications that were regularly used to treat lupus, arthritis and malaria.
The FDA issued an emergency use authorization to allow the use of the drugs for COVID-19 patients.
Zervos said doctors at Henry Ford Health System were only giving hydroxychloroquine to those who were hospitalized so they could be closely monitored for side effects. He said they were not writing prescriptions for people recovering at home.
“Currently we are able to treat our coronavirus patients, and we are also able to treat our patients that need the drug for other conditions," Zervos said. "That hasn’t been an issue for us but it is something that needs to be monitored. We need to continue to look at the availability of the drug.”
Data showed nationwide, chloroquine orders were up 3000% for the month of March. Hydroxychloroquine orders were up 260%.
As the demand for the medications continued to skyrocket, those who relied on the drugs for other medical conditions said there was a shortage.
Karen Jones from Plainwell said she had been taking the medication to treat her lupus symptoms since 2000. She said for the first time ever, her pharmacy in Kalamazoo was out of her prescription.
Jones’s doctor was able to track down a 30-day supply at a pharmacy in Allegan County. She said she was worried about what would happen when she needed a refill.
Michigan doctors see success in COVID-19 treatment but say more clinical trials are needed
wwmt.com
Scientists across the country were still in search of a cure for the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Clinical trials were underway as doctors tried to find a way to ...See these Facebook links
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