73% of America immune to omicron, Utica schools sued over restraint of child with autism, an electric DeLorean
Rules around face masks changing in Michigan for both schools and businesses
Among the biggest businesses to drop their mask requirement recently was MotorCity Casino and Hotel, which said this week guests would no longer need to wear one. A day after they did, the health department dropped its face mask recommendation for public settings.
THURSDAY NEWS HIT - Michigan says it's in the recovery phase following the state's latest outbreak following the COVID-19 omicron wave. An estimated 73% of Americans are immune from the variant, a new study finds - a figure that could rise to 80% by mid-March.
The sheer volume of reported and unreported COVID-19 cases from the recent wave, mixed with the vaccine and booster rates among Americans could offer enough protection countrywide that future spikes will spark far less disruption to society in the coming months.
And on Wednesday, Michigan dropped its mask recommendation for public settings, including schools.
It's about as good an outlook during the pandemic that people have been given since last summer when cases had dropped and the summer offered a temporary return to normalcy.
Masks are still recommended in certain high-risk settings, like long-term nursing facilities and jails. And some experts believe it may be too early to ease off the pandemic protection gas pedal.
"I think maybe we’re a little soon," said Dr. Matthew Sims of Beaumont.
Sims is director of infectious disease research - and says to approach this news with cautious optimism, as masks inside are still the safer option. "It’s a recognition that we’re coming out of the surge, and that’s great," Sims said. "It’s also a recognition that we have to be vigilant."
Covid remains a pressing public health concern in Wayne County, where case rates remain high even while falling.
"What we plan to do in the city of Detroit, we are going to look at our data over next couple of weeks," said Denise Fair Razo, Detroit's chief public health officer. "So we’re going to look at our percent positivity, our case rates, our hospitalizations, and see if they continue to go down. If they do so, then our recommendations may change."
They're also handing out free KN-95 masks Thursday - 10 face coverings per adult per vehicle. You can find the list of where they're being handed out here.
But as masks becoming more available, businesses are scaling back their requirements for them. MotorCity Casino and Hotel recently announced it would be dropping its face mask requirement - the first casino in Detroit to do so.
Mom sues Utica schools after son with autism suffered injuries while restrained
According to school documents, a mom's son who has autism displayed aggressive behavior at both students and staff during an outburst at Utica schools. Her son pulled people's hair, tried to destroy school equipment, and even got a hold of a knife and fork. But for Jerbina Sturdivant, the injuries she says her son Jaylen came home with is inexcusable.
"I noticed that he had bruises on his back, bruises on both of his arms and his hand was scratched," she said. "I had him show me how they had him on the floor and they had him face down in the prone position with his mouth tasting the floor."
Jaylen, 11, was physically restrained as a last resort because he was a danger to himself and others, the Beck Elementary School principal said. A surveillance camera caught the incident, but the school has not shown it to Sturdivant. She's now suing the district.
"If she had done it to him at home, she’d be subject to criminal penalties," Attorney Michael Fortner said. "And we expect the same thing with the administration at the school who engaged in it or looked the other way."
An electric DeLorean makes a grand return
The famed DeLorean, the car of the 70s and icon of film memorabilia is coming back to the roads, the company's CEO said. And this time, it will be electric. It's been 39 years since a DeLorean was last produced but that's all about to change. "I'm actually excited I'm gonna make an electric version of it," Byron Cancelmo, the president of the DeLorean Motor City Club said.
The storied brand was rebooted several years ago in Humble, Texas, as a restoration and service outfit for the 1981-1982 stainless steel cars. English mechanic Stephen Wynne had acquired both the brand name and a stock of original factory parts to maintain the cult classics, and later expanded into manufacturing reproduction parts to fill the gaps.
The electric DeLorean will be built in Texas but Wynne is holding back some of the details. "As more of the details released you guys are going to love it," Wynne said.
He wouldn't tell us the price or when they're going to be made. As for the iconic wings? If the teaser video the company has released is any indication, it will absolutely have the doors. "It has to. I won't be as excited about it if it doesn't," Cancelmo said.
Transgender woman's killing among rise in domestic violence cases
Naomi Skinner was killed Saturday morning at a Highland Park apartment complex. Prosecutors say her 26-year-old boyfriend, Michael Cortez Norris, shot her in the neck, dragged her body into the hallway - and fled. He's since been charged in the 25-year-old's death.
The death is the latest example of violence against transgender women of color, LGBT advocates say. "There has been a spike in domestic violence calls," said Julisa Abad. "A lot of people don't seek help for a number of reasons." Domestic violence has also intensified during the pandemic as people had few places to escape violent situations.
Abad, who works as a victim advocate in Wayne County, worries that transgender people don't know where to turn for help. Lori Kitchen-Buschel, the executive director of First Step, a transitional housing and services shelter in Wayne County, has tried to get the organization's services into the public eye so victims know they have a resource they can use.
Rise in severe domestic violence cases worry advocates who say there is a place to go
First Step is Wayne County's shelter with transitional housing and services for all people experiencing domestic or sexual violence. It has a crisis hotline, programs for children, and even a place for pets for those people fleeing abusive situations.
"It doesn't matter if it's happening now - it doesn't matter if it happened when you were a child," she said. "We can help support anyone regardless of sexual orientation - regardless of gender identity. We have beds, we have our programs to serve anybody who is affected by violence."
Jail time for Van Buren County man who poached trophy bucks
A Van Buren County man is heading to jail, will be fined, and be given a lifetime ban on hunting privileges after he poached trophy bucks. Justin Ernst, 33, pleaded guilty this week after he illegally took nine trophy bucks in 2021.
"We’re satisfied that this criminal will be imprisoned for robbing ethical hunters, damaging crops and endangering others by recklessly driving through fields and shooting deer at night," said David Shaw, assistant chief, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.
Ernst's involvement first became suspect during a domestic violence complaint. State police then contacted the DNR when they saw several deer in a nearby barn.
As part of his plea deal, Ernst was ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution. He'll forfeit all seized items and must serve between 18 months and five years in prison.
What else we're watching
- The Great Lakes is getting a $1 billion boost in funding to help expedite cleanup processes for some 22 sites of degradation around the region. It's part of President Joe Biden's infrastructure package.
- A Dearborn Heights man who was convicted of second degree murder of a 19-year-old woman he shot through his screen door will have part of his sentence thrown out, the state supreme court said. Ted Wafer's sentence included prison time for both second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
- Michigan families eligible for food assistance benefits will continue to receive an additional $95 monthly payment in February to help reduce the cost of groceries.
- The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency said it will hold education sessions Thursday to teach people about regulations that are enforced by the agriculture and rural development department. They'll speak over Zoom at 10 a.m.
- Amazon warehouse workers are preparing to hold a vote on whether to unionize. A previous election was interfered with by the company, the U.S. Labor Department said.
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Daily Forecast
The rain this morning will taper off for most by 10-11 a.m., but not before temperatures start to fall for some of Southeast Michigan's more northern communities. That could create an ice problem as all that rain will freeze. Temperatures will eventually fall for the rest of Metro Detroit around the time snow starts to sprinkle and then fall.
Russia misleading world on troop movements near Ukraine, NATO says
NATO allies accused Russia of misleading the world and disseminating "disinformation" by saying it was returning some troops to bases, charging that Moscow has instead added as many as 7,000 more troops near its tense border with Ukraine.
With Western fears high that Russia is planning to invade, tensions also spiked Thursday along the line that separates Ukrainian forces from Russia-backed separatists in the country's east, with the parties accusing each other of intensive shelling.
After a handful of positive signals from Russia that lowered the temperature in the crisis earlier in the week, the pendulum appeared to be swinging in the opposite direction again. With an estimated 150,000-plus troops massed near Ukraine, the Kremlin offered to keep pursuing diplomatic solutions — an overture the NATO chief welcomed, even as he and others warned that the U.S.-led alliance has still seen no sign of the military withdrawal that Moscow announced.