In episode three of Keep Your Voice Down, Watershed Voice Executive Editor Alek Haak-Frost and co-host Doug Sears, Jr. discuss COVID-19 protests, the details of a three-step plan unveiled by Michigan House Republicans this week to “get Michiganders back to work,” top stories from St. Joseph County and the handshake’s possible fall from grace in a post COVID-19 world.
COVID-19
“‘Murder Most Foul’ seems to suggest Bob Dylan turned to music to help him cope with the terrible events of November 1963. Could he be suggesting that in our current COVID-19 crisis, we too should turn to music to help us? By releasing this song in the middle of the pandemic, is Dylan adding one more musical resource?”
Emergency Management Coordinator Erin Goff provided an update to the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners Tuesday on COVID-19 statistics, and ongoing emergency management efforts within the county.
Michigan House Republicans on Monday unveiled a three-step plan to return Michiganders to work.
House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R- Levering, said in a statement that “the current one-size-fits-all approach” isn’t working for thousands of families worried about paying bills.
“Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been trying to stay in front of this pandemic and is making decisions based on our safety, the constituents of her state. Requesting supplies from the federal government, closing schools, and issuing stay-at-home orders are all part of an attempt to flatten the curve on this deadly virus, and will save lives if done correctly. Her decision to extend the stay-at-home orders and to create more stringent rules are not because she has decided to be a dictator, nor are they because she is trying to become Joe Biden’s running mate.
“It’s because we as residents of this state were not making intelligent decisions.”
Normal has gone and won’t be back any time soon due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here lies an unusual fork in the road, but a crossroad just the same. A question. Who in this moment will you be? Some of you, like myself, have stood at this familiar intersection before. Maybe after the loss of a job or relationship or sudden crisis. It was glaringly obvious you had reached a point and had to decide who you were going to be in that defining moment and beyond. This is just like that.
But the question lingers. Is the Corona Champion legitimate? Will the Tampa Bay Lightning still be a Stanley Cup Champion if they hoist the Cup in a 5,000-seat college arena, skating past empty seats while the Red Hot Chili Peppers are played extra loud to drown out the crickets? Would Kevin Garnett’s legendary declaration of “Anything is possible!” rung out to the heavens the same way without a cheering crowd behind him? If Bill Russell was at home for his own safety instead of standing in the confetti shower with Garnett?
Maybe not. But the soul of the game is the playing of the game.
Those who follow us, who did not live through these unprecedented times, will ask us what we did and how we acted. They’ll be feeling the ripple effects, seen and unseen, and they’ll want to know how we responded to this serious threat. How did we help? Who did we help?
Unemployment claims in Michigan are much higher than historical numbers as the fallout continues from efforts to control the coronavirus outbreak.
The U.S. Department of Labor released numbers Thursday morning detailing unemployment for each state for the week ending April 11. Michigan residents filed 219,320 initial claims that week, down 169,234 from the previous week’s 388,554 claims.
It’s OK to ride the struggle bus at times. But maybe it’s time I jump off that bus, pull up my PJ pants, because let’s be real, that’s all I’ve worn in the last month, and start walking down a new path of motherhood. The path that leads me to being the best mom I can be today instead of the perfect mom.
“In the time of coronavirus, there’s something refreshing about seeing people live their lives so shamelessly, even if it’s just on a television screen. Unlike in real life, no one in the Tiger King universe washes their hands each time they touch something. Heck, no one in the Tiger King universe bothers to wash their hands even after being attacked by a lion. I watched all seven episodes of the series, and I don’t think there was even a single reference to hand sanitizer.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer updated Michigan on the novel coronavirus Wednesday hours after thousands of protestors jammed the Capitol to protest her executive order.
An additional positive case was reported in St. Joseph County Tuesday, putting the county’s number of positive COVID-19 cases at 22.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Stamas on Monday called for laying off non-essential state employees because of state budget concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Michigan Department of Treasury estimates the impact on the 2020 state budget to be between $1 billion and $3 billion.
An adult male became St. Joseph County’s first confirmed death from the coronavirus over the weekend, Health Officer Rebecca Burns of Branch Hillsdale St. Joseph Community Health Agency (BHSJCHA) confirmed Monday.
By Scott McClallen | The Center Square (The Center Square) – U.S. Rep. Justin Amash says Michigan Gov. Gretchen […]
Around the world there was little time to brace for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has rocked so much to the core, including me. As a daughter, friend, wife, mother… human, I am concerned about not only those that I love, but also those that I don’t know all over the world.
In the midst of planning, cleaning and assisting, one unexpected emotion that kept circling back was grief. It took me by surprise, but its presence was undeniable. Grief.
By Dave Lemery | The Center Square (The Center Square) – The National Governors Association on Saturday issued a call […]