Morning Briefing April 6, 2021: Family crushed after 50-year-old Detroit business set ablaze, Oakland University to mandate COVID shots for students

Here are this morning’s top stories

Family business set on fire on Detroit's east side

‘I’m lost for words’ -- Detroit family-owned business set on fire

A family-owned business that’s been serving the community for decades has been severely damaged after someone set it on fire Monday morning.

“Just got a call this morning. It was unexpected,” said owner Curtis Sylvester on Monday. “My father started out the business in 1974 and I took over the business in 2004. Right now, I’m in disbelief. I’m lost for words.”

See the story here.


Official: Biden moving vaccine eligibility date to April 19

President Joe Biden is set to announce Tuesday that he is shaving about two weeks off his May 1 deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coronavirus vaccines.

With states gradually expanding eligibility beyond such priority groups as older people and essential, front-line workers, the president plans to announce that every adult in the U.S. will be eligible by April 19 to be vaccinated, a White House official said.

Learn more here.


Live at 10:15 a.m. today: Day 7 coverage of Derek Chauvin’s trial in George Floyd’s death


Oakland University to require students living on campus to be vaccinated

Oakland University officials said students living on campus will be required to be fully vaccinated before the start of fall semester.

The end of a challenging school year has left university President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz to make a decision to mandate that those students are vaccinated prior to moving on Aug. 27 at either of their six residence halls.

See the full report here.


A look at how Michigan is handling the recent COVID-19 case surge

Michigan’s COVID-19 numbers getting national attention. According to New York Times, seven of the ten top metro areas in the nation with the worst COVID surges are in Michigan.

However, so far there have not been any new recent restrictions, which is in stark contrast to what Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration did in November of last year when it announced the pause to save lives.

See more here.


For fun: Detroit Tigers Top Moments Bracket: Vote in championship round, win prizes 🐯


Weather: Flirting with 80 degrees this Tuesday


Coronavirus in Michigan 💉

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 702,499 as of Monday, including 16,239 deaths, state officials report.

Monday’s update includes a total of 10,293 new cases and 21 additional deaths over the past two days. On Saturday, the state reported 692,206 total cases and 16,218 deaths.

Testing has been steady around 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate above 15.6% as of Monday, the highest since early December. The state has reported an up-tick in hospitalizations over the last several weeks.

Related: Michigan COVID hospitalizations: Concerns grow as more younger adults are in ICU

Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 5,961 on Monday -- the highest since December. The 7-day death average was 26 on Sunday and has been flat for several weeks. The state’s fatality rate is 2.4%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 109,000 on Monday.

More than 577,000 have recovered from the virus in Michigan.

Michigan has reported more than 4.7 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Monday, with 36.5% of residents having received at least one dose.

Here’s a look at more of the data:


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About the Author:

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.