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VIRUS OUTBREAK-DETROIT VACCINES

Detroit struggles with COVID-19 vaccination rate after year

DETROIT (AP) — The city of Detroit is approaching the one-year anniversary of its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines as officials continue to urge residents to get vaccinated or receive booster shots. The city says more than 424,000 doses have been administered to residents 5 and older since frontline medical worker and first responders began receiving vaccines on Dec. 23, 2020. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020, more than 2,600 Detroit residents have died from the disease. But the city’s vaccination rate of 44%, which includes children 5 and older, still is far below Michigan’s overall rate.

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS-TERMS

County commissioners will get 4-year terms starting in 2024

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan county commissioners are getting longer terms in office. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed bills into law that will extend a term to four years instead of two years. The change will begin with the fall 2024 election. Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Detroit-area Democrat, says the new laws will help county commissioners focus on governing and not “election year politics” every two years. Moss says two-year terms were created decades ago. The bills had bipartisan support in the House and Senate.

SCHOOL DEMOLITION

94-year-old ex-Catholic school in Owosso set for demolition

OWOSSO, Mich. (AP) — A Catholic school that served families for nearly a century will be demolished. The old St. Paul School and a convent in Owosso will be knocked down rather than rehabilitated and used for another purpose. The school opened in 1927. The high school portion closed in 1971, while the rest of the school remained open until 2020. Dennis Hrcka is a St. Paul graduate who was on a committee that evaluated the property. He says the old school is a “great-looking building” but the cost to make repairs is just too high. The land will be used for parking by people attending St. Paul Church.

ONLINE ART EXHIBITION

Online exhibition features works from Detroit-area artists

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Institute of Arts is presenting the 13th Annual Community Group Exhibition that features more than 150 pieces of artwork from about 80 artists. The DIA says the show can be viewed online through Jan. 2. Seven community groups in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties participated in this year’s program. The online show includes images of the artists at work, as well as audio and video, which allows viewers to see and hear the artists describing their work, motivations and intent in their own words. The DIA’s Community Group Program has partnered with human service agencies in the Detroit area for more than 20 years.

SCHOOL THREATS-GENEROUS DRIVERS

‘My kids’: Bus drivers deliver gifts after school closes

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — School bus drivers in a suburban Detroit district made sure their young riders got small gifts for Christmas, even if buildings were closed and online learning was suddenly implemented. Dawn Moles says the ornaments she made for West Bloomfield students couldn’t wait until school resumed in January. Moles got permission to drive her route Friday morning and let kids climb aboard the bus to pick up gifts. Two other bus drivers in the West Bloomfield district delivered gifts to children as well. Julia Anderson Pulver says her daughter could hardly sleep Thursday night in anticipation. Marlene Dillon, a driver for 17 years, says she loves the students. She says, “They are my kids.”

SCHOOL THREATS-TEACHER

Police: Detroit-area teacher arrested after making threats

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit teacher is accused of making threats on notes that were slipped under office doors at her school. Police say the incident occurred Friday at Jefferson Middle School in St. Clair Shores, which is part of the Lakeview district. Superintendent Karl Paulson says one note appeared to be an attempt at making a false threat in order to close the school. It didn’t work. Macomb County prosecutor Pete Lucido says the teacher was arrested and would likely appear in court Monday. Her alleged acts were caught on video.

ARMORED VEHICLE

Traverse City-area county getting armored vehicle

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Northern Michigan’s largest county is spending $260,000 on an armored police vehicle, despite criticism in the community. The Bearcat is part of Grand Traverse County’s new budget. The county received at least 200 emails opposing the purchase. But Sheriff Tom Bensley and other area sheriffs say the vehicle’s primary purpose is to protect police and the public. Bensley says it will not have guns or water cannons. Traverse City resident Abby Weglarz sees no need for what she calls a “military-grade vehicle” in the area. Undersheriff Mike Shea says many people aren’t aware that an armored vehicle from Crawford County is brought in for the National Cherry Festival.

SCHOOL SHOOTING-THREAT ASSESSMENTS

Security protocols leave threat responses up to schools

School systems nationwide rely on high-level expertise from the U.S. Secret Service and others as they work to stay vigilant for signs of potential student violence, training staff, surveilling social media and urging others to tip them off. However, when it comes to deciding how to respond to a possible threat, it’s the local educators who make the call. In the shooting at an Oxford Township, Michigan high school, authorities say the 15-year-old student charged with killing four peers was allowed to remain in school despite troubling behavior. Experts say setting blanket policies to always remove students for certain behaviors would keep many from being helped.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-MICHIGAN UNIVERSITIES

U of Michigan, Michigan State require boosters in 2022

LANSING, Mich (AP) — The University of Michigan and Michigan State University are requiring all students, faculty and staff to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccination for the next semester in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. Both schools included mention of the omicron variant as a driver in the rules. MSU said in its news release that the deadline to get a booster shot is the beginning of the spring semester on Jan. 10, while U of M’s news release says Feb. 4. The two universities have the largest student enrollments in the state.

EPA-SUPERFUND CLEANUP

EPA releases $1B to clean up toxic waste sites in 24 states

Federal environmental officials have announced a $1 billion infusion to the Superfund program. The money comes from the infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden recently signed into law. It’ll help officials tackle a backlog of highly polluted Superfund sites in 24 states. Nearly 50 toxic waste sites will be cleaned up, and ongoing work at dozens of others will get a funding boost. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan made the announcement Friday at a Superfund site in Philadelphia. He says most of the sites are in minority communities that have suffered disproportionately from contamination.