Additional grocery money will dry up after February for 1.3M Michigan families
The bonus $95 Michiganders have been adding to their monthly grocery budget will no longer be available after February. Since 2020, families who receive food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have been receiving an extra allowance on their bridge cards every month. At the end of January, the Biden administration said it will end COVID-19 emergency declarations on May 11. The health department added the reminder that any benefits from the SNAP program are available for nine months. Nearly 801,000 Michigan households, up from 705,000 households a year prior, reported not having enough to eat in December, according to a U.S. Census Bureau survey.
mlive.comColbert celebrates end of COVID emergency to masked audience: ‘I wish you could see the smiles’ on their faces
"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert made fun of his audience, many of whom were still wearing masks, after President Biden announced he would end the COVID state of emergency in May.
foxnews.comWhitmer signs spending bill, first of her second term
Gretchen Whitmer and legislative leaders convened Tuesday to sign the first bill crafted under Democratic control into law, adding $1.1 billion of additional spending to the current year’s budget largely by funding projects through federal COVID-19 relief dollars. Whitmer acknowledges it was a reflection of budgetary goals that policymakers had hoped to pass before the end of 2022. MIRS News first reported that the bill was earliest a piece of legislation was signed into law since 1947. Related: Upper Peninsula paper mill gets $200M under $1.1B spending bill OK’d by Michigan legislatureWhitmer promised the passage is just a sign of things to come. Whitmer’s second term agenda unify Michigan government?
mlive.comUS proposes once-a-year COVID shots for most Americans
U.S. health officials want to make COVID-19 vaccinations more like the annual flu shot. The Food and Drug Administration on Monday proposed a simplified approach for future vaccination efforts, allowing most adults and children to get a once-a-year shot to protect against the mutating virus. The proposal comes as boosters have become a hard sell.
news.yahoo.comUtah doctor charged with destroying COVID-19 vaccines, giving fake shots to children at their parents' request
A Utah plastic surgeon charged in an alleged scheme to distribute bogus CDC vaccine cards is accused of being part of a secret group that seeks to "liberate" the medical profession.
foxnews.comNational campaign to protect those who are at high risk of COVID-19
While it may feel like much of life has returned to normal compared to the height of COVID, the CDC says between two to 4,000 Americans are still dying from the disease each week. Most of those are seniors who fall into other high-risk groups.
EU to try again for coordination on China COVID-19 policies
European Union nations will try again on Wednesday to mold a coordinated approach on if and how to check incoming airline passengers from China for any new COVID-19 variants after several member nations announced individual efforts over the past week.
Canada, Australia impose COVID rules on travelers from China
Australia and Canada have joined a growing list of countries requiring travelers from China to take a COVID-19 test prior to boarding their flight, as China battles a nationwide outbreak of the coronavirus after abruptly easing restrictions that were in place for much of the pandemic.