July 18th, 20200DEARBORN — Governor Whitmer’s signed a new mask order on Friday to clarify how certain people did not have to wear masks in side of a store or public indoor space. This includes people who cannot medically tolerate a mask. The clarification may actually add to the confusion of dealing with customers that businesses face during...
July 17th, 20200
LANSING — Governor Whitmer signed an additional order that clarifies businesses may not assume an unmasked customer cannot medically tolerate a face covering, though they can accept a customer’s verbal explanation that they fall within a specified exception and do not have to.
It also requires public safety officers to wear a...
July 15th, 20200WAYNE COUNTY — Small businesses in Wayne and every other county in Michigan can now apply for grants of up to $20,000 through the state’s Small Business Restart Program. The program seeks to aid business that been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with an application process that begins July 15 at 9 a.m. and closes on...
July 14th, 20200LANSING — In an another indication this month that Lansing grows concerned over the rates and spread of COVID-19 in Michigan, Governor Whitmer announced on Wednesday she will be extending both the state of emergency and the state of disaster.
“Over the past three weeks … our progress in suppressing the pandemic has...
July 10th, 20200LANSING — At a Thursday live address, Governor Whitmer warned that some residents may not understand the severity of the situation as the state saw mask-less holiday weekend crowds and a sure uptick in cases over the week.
“Over the past week, we have seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases in Michigan and over the holiday weekend, we...
July 7th, 20200WAYNE COUNTY — Wayne County and many other communities across Michigan will receive grants for small businesses that are trying to reopen and recover from impacts of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
$50 million in grants to be awarded to Wayne County small businesses
Wayne County will allocate up to $50 million in CARES Act...
July 1st, 20200LANSING — In an act to curb upticks in new cases across Michigan, and perhaps reprimand careless bar goers, Governor Whitmer announced on Wednesday that she will be closing down indoor bar services through most of lower Michigan.
Bars will be able to serve customers outdoors and will be able to offer cocktails-to-go. The Upper...
July 1st, 20200
LANSING — On Wednesday, Governor Whitmer signed Senate Bills 876-878, which makes into law her previous executive orders, further extending the renewal dates for driver’s licenses, CDLs, state ID cards and vehicle registrations. Those with driver’s licenses or vehicle registrations expiring after March 1 have until Sept. 30 to...
June 20th, 20200DEARBORN — The COVID-19 pandemic has hit state and municipal budgets hard. Businesses came to a screeching halt at the height of cases in Michigan, but with the state slowly transitioning into more relaxed phases, city governments are cautiously looking forward to a summer of economic activity.
The Arab American News spoke to...
June 17th, 20200LANSING —Michigan schools may resume in-person learning in phase 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan, with strict safety measures in place, according to Governor Whitmer.
Whitmer announced on Wednesday that on June 30, she will release an executive order and a robust document called “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap” that will...
June 11th, 20200LANSING — Michigan’s new auto insurance law will go into effect for policies that issue or renew after July 1. A landmark piece of bi-partisan legislation, the new law aims to bring down the overwhelming costs drivers in Michigan have had to pay to stay insured.
Simply put, the law lets drivers choose their level of medical...
June 10th, 20200LANSING — June has been declared Pride Month in Michigan. On Wednesday, Governor Whitmer announced the proclamation, which recognizes the estimated 350,000 Michiganders who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+).
The proclamation notes that Michigan’s LGBTQ+ population are an important part of the...
June 9th, 20200LANSING — A new poll by EPIC-MRA found that Michiganders overwhelmingly want roads and other infrastructure fixed after the state has recovered economically from COVID-19. Roads and infrastructure were a central theme for the Whitmer administration and the state legislature up until the economic decimation caused by the...
June 3rd, 20200LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has loosened restrictions on hospital visitations that were imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Whitmer also took back executive orders that temporarily enhanced hospital capacity and waived restrictions on emergency medical services this...
June 2nd, 20200WASHINGTON D.C. — At a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, Michigan Governor Whitmer joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to discuss their states' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Entitled, On the Front Lines: How Governors are Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic, the hearing was...
June 1st, 20200DETROIT — A full weekend of largely peaceful protests in Detroit against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has sparked debates about racism among various communities in Metro Detroit.
Over the weekend, several groups brought this topic to light. At rallies, participants have expressed solidarity with African...
May 28th, 20200LANSING – Karl Manke, the Owosso barber who violated the state’s COVID-19 executive order by remaining open, will be told to cease operations, thanks to a Thursday ruling by the Michigan Court of Appeals. Manke’s license will also remain suspended.
Manke made national headlines when he decided, on May 4, to reopen his...
May 26th, 20200LANSING — Michigan announced a new online tool that displays data, in graphical form, for COVID-19 cases, deaths and tests by economic region. The state said the website, https://www.mistartmap.info, shows regional trends, providing a snapshot of how much of the virus is in a community and whether it is increasing or...
May 21st, 20200LANSING — Governor Whitmer has won the legal dispute brought up by the state's Republican legislature over her extension of the state of emergency declaration. On Thursday, Lansing announced that the Court of Claims has ruled in favor of Whitmer's decision to extend the declaration without legislative approval.
The GOP-led...
May 21st, 20200LANSING — On Thursday, Governor Whitmer signed a new executive order that reopens retail businesses and auto dealerships, by appointment only, statewide on Tuesday, May 26. The governor’s executive order also lifts the requirement that health care providers delay some nonessential medical, dental and veterinary...
May 20th, 20200LANSING — Earlier this week, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon signed an emergency order allowing for civil fines of up to $1,000 for violations of various COVID-19 executive orders for businesses that operate under licenses.
The new order reinforces Governor Whitmer’s various...
May 19th, 20200DEARBORN — The Arab American News has received a letter from an inmate in a Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) facility, describing the conditions in his prison and prisons in the state's system at large. The COVID-19 pandemic poses a further challenge for prisoners and has added a layer of risk to their day-to-day existence...
May 18th, 20200LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Service (MDHHS) and Governor Whitmer’s office announced today more state-wide funding through a federal low-income energy assistance program. Michigan has now been awarded $35 million in funding on top of the $162 million already secured by the state.
The funds go towards...
May 18th, 20200
LANSING — On Monday, Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-92, allowing for the reopening of retail businesses, office work that cannot be done remotely and restaurants and bars with limited seating in two Michigan regions. The two regions are both in the northern part of the state—specifically, MERC regions six and...
May 15th, 20200LANSING - During a Friday new conference, Governor Whitmer today announced the creation of the Return to Learning Advisory Council via Executive Order 2020-88, formalizing a process for determining how schools may be able to reopen in the fall.
The panel – which will be comprised of students, parents, frontline educators,...
May 15th, 20200ROYAL OAK — The Michigan Muslim Community Council (MMCC) is organizing a televised celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan on May 24 at 10 a.m., to be aired on the station WMYT, TV 20 Detroit (found on all local cable networks). This event will also be live-streamed on multiple social media platforms.
In accordance...
May 15th, 20200LANSING — The state’s Capitol saw another day of protests against Governor Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order. Protesters, many armed, gathered on the Capitol grounds early on a rainy Thursday. The state legislature was not in session and so the Capitol Building itself was closed for business.
The protests were...
May 13th, 20200LANSING — Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) announced today some remarkable numbers. $5.62 billion in unemployment benefits have been paid to 1,374,751 workers since March 15, with a further total number of 1,717,555 claimants having applied for state and federal benefits.
The UIA marks March 15 as the “onset of the...
