Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield resigns as CEO of Southwest Michigan First
KALAMAZOO, Mich. โ Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield has resigned as CEO of Southwest Michigan First amid community pushback. pic.twitter.com/loS4v0kH3t โ Lee Chatfield (@LeeChatfield) February 22, 2021Southwest Michigan First, an economic development agency in Kalamazoo, announced Chatfield as the new CEO on Feb. 11. According to WOODTV, the city of Kalamazoo and the Kalamazoo Promise both pulled support from Southwest Michigan First after the announcement that Chatfield had been hired. As the community started voicing concerns about Chatfield, Southwest Michigan First said it updated its handbook to make it clear it did not discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation. pic.twitter.com/iyTKdviZMh โ Lee Chatfield (@LeeChatfield) February 16, 2021READ: More political coverage
Fact checking Bidenโs virus claims made during Michigan visit to Pfizer plant
Ramping up vaccine productionFirst, weโll start with a claim Biden made about the administrationโs effort to ramp up vaccine production in the U.S. Biden was referring to his commitment to have 100 million shots administered in American arms during his first 100 days in office. Biden statement: โ24 million adults, 11 million children donโt have enough food to eat. It looks like President Biden is using USDA numbers taken during the pandemic, but before the full extent of the pandemic hit. Critics have previously argued that 100 million doses was an inadequate goal to begin with, and hoped that distribution pace would be increased when possible.
Biden outlines plan to ramp up US vaccine rollout while at Michigan Pfizer facility
AdPfizer is also reportedly on track to ship out 200 million vaccine doses by the end of May this year, two months ahead of their original schedule, Bourla said. To help offer more flexibility to vaccination centers across the country, Bourla says Pfizer is also improving the longevity of stored vaccine doses with a new storage option. Following his tour of Pfizerโs largest manufacturing site, addressing the nation, President Biden thanked the Pfizer employees for their role in producing hundreds of millions of doses of the much-needed coronavirus vaccine. Thatโs how to beat this pandemic.โMichigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined President Biden on a tour of the Pfizer facility Friday, her team announced hours after the event. Several shipments of coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna have also been delayed to Michigan and other states this week due to severe weather conditions.
President Biden speaks from Portage Pfizer facility
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)PORTAGE, Mich. โ During his first visit to Michigan since elected president, Joe Biden delivered remarks from the Pfizer manufacturing site in Kalamazoo County on Friday, Feb. 19. Recap: Biden outlines plan to ramp up US vaccine rollout while at Michigan Pfizer facilityPresident Biden was originally scheduled to visit Pfizerโs largest manufacturing site in Portage on Thursday this week. AdPfizer is one of two companies manufacturing coronavirus vaccines that have been authorized for widespread use in the United States. Tens of millions of vaccine doses have been produced and shipped out of the Portage facility. Pfizer expects to make a batch of the vaccine in about 60 days, meaning more doses are on the way.
Michigan man to be arraigned on murder charges in slaying of his parents
A booking photo of Nicholas Johnson from the Kalamazoo County Jail. (Feb. 9, 2021)PORTAGE, Mich. โ A 27-year-old man has been charged with murder in the slayings of his parents whose bodies were found in a wooded area in western Michigan. Nicholas Johnson was expected to be arraigned Thursday in Kalamazoo County District Court. Their bodies were unearthed Friday at Gourdneck State Game Area in Portage, about three miles from their home. Police said their son was found in a storage unit at an apartment building and had his parentsโ car.
Metro Detroit essential workers push for vaccinations
PORTAGE, Mich. โ With the shipments of the Pfizer vaccine out of Portage on the way, Michiganโs essential workers -- especially those in the food industry -- are hoping they will be next in line after medical workers to be vaccinated. For months, workers in grocery stores and the food industry have been subjected to some of the worst outbreaks during the pandemic. essential workers are urging they should be next -- as stores continue to fill with holiday shoppers. Michiganโs covid outbreak tracker shows the food industry and retail shops account for nearly 40 current outbreaks statewide. They are still part of the first wave with hundreds of thousands of other workers in essential industries all looking to get vaccinated.
How Macomb County prepared for its first vaccine shipment
Wayne County is holding a meeting Monday morning to discuss whatโs next and Macomb County is expected to receive about 2,000 doses. In November, Macomb County received its first freezer capable of keeping the vaccine stable until ready to thaw. Macomb County will also be storing and distributing for counties north of it -- Lapeer, St. Clair and Sanilac counties. Despite having some of the highest total confirmed cases of coronavirus in Michigan, Macomb County has one of the lowest growth rates in the state. Macomb County officials are expecting its delivery of the vaccine midweek.
Beaumont, Henry Ford, Ascension hospitals prepare to administer vaccines to staff
Michigan healthcare officials will start distributing the vaccine to frontline workers. Ascension Hospital in Warren and five hospitals in the Henry Ford Health System will be able to store the vaccines in super cold freezers once they arrive. Henry Ford Health System CCO Dr. Adnan Munkarah said the they will be storing the vaccines at its hospitals in Detroit, Wyandotte, Macomb, West Bloomfield and Jackson. They have about 11,000 frontline workers who need vaccines, so a lottery system was set up and the first 1,000 workers know who they are. Frontline workers are asking for all the help they can get to keep that number down.
Nightside Report Dec. 13, 2020: Michigan Legislature to close offices amid Electoral College vote Monday, fighter pilot who died in Upper Peninsula plane crash identified
All rights reserved)DETROIT โ The eyes of the nation are on Portage, a city on Michiganโs west side in Kalamazoo County, just west of Battle Creek. The monumental effort to create a COVID-19 vaccine came together Sunday as the first batches were shipped nationwide. It is the biggest vaccination effort in American history. WATCH Local 4 News at 11Metro Detroit weather: Getting colder under cloudy skies, Sunday eveningWe keep a fair amount of clouds around Sunday evening as it gets colder. Overnight lows will be in the low 20s and wind chills in the teens anytime wind speed reaches 5 mph or greater.
Metro Detroit hospitals prepare timeline for vaccine distribution
PORTAGE, Mich. โ The shipments of the Pfizer vaccine out of Portage set in motion the largest vaccination effort in American history. Nearly 3 million doses of the vaccine will be delivered to all 50 states. In Metro Detroit, that includes Ascension Hospital in Warren and Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, which is expecting just under 1,000 initial doses. Beaumont Health is estimating theyโll get about 1,000 doses in the first batch before moving up to about 14,000 Pfizer vaccines as production kicks into high-gear. They have about 11,000 frontline workers who need vaccines, so a lottery system was set up and the first 1,000 workers know who they are.
Residents cheer on historic shipment of COVID vaccine from outside Michigan Pfizer plant
PORTAGE, Mich. โ The eyes of the nation are on Portage, a city on Michiganโs west side in Kalamazoo County, just west of Battle Creek. The monumental effort to create a COVID-19 vaccine came together Sunday as the first batches were shipped nationwide. It is the biggest vaccination effort in American history. From Portage, the doses of the vaccine will be kept in temperature safe packages and transported with GPS trackers and U.S. RELATED: What it takes to safely transport Pfizerโs COVID vaccine to hospitalsThe vaccine will be shipped to those on the front lines of the health care industry and nursing home patients.
What it takes to safely transport Pfizerโs COVID vaccine to hospitals
RELATED: FDA authorizes Pfizerโs COVID vaccine; Michigan will distribute in 4 phasesOnce those shipments are packed and ready to leave Pfizer, itโs a painstaking process to make sure they arrive safely to hospitals. Boxes are loaded with the vaccine, dry ice and GPS trackers because time and temperature are critical. The Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at 100 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. To maintain a sustainable temperature during transport, crews are using tons of dry ice -- carbon dioxide that has been cooled to at least 110 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, becoming solid. When dry ice melts, it emits carbon dioxide, so the FAA is requiring crews to wear carbon dioxide detectors inside the pressurized and sealed airplanes transporting the virus.
Pfizerโs Michigan facility to begin COVID vaccine shipments Sunday morning
PORTAGE, Mich. โ Itโs a huge logistics operation to ship millions of vaccines to hospitals across the country -- and itโs all centered here in Michigan. The eyes of the nation are on Portage, a city on Michiganโs west side in Kalamazoo County, just west of Battle Creek. Workers at the Pfizer plant in Portage worked hard to prepare to ship the vaccines Sunday morning. RELATED: FDA authorizes Pfizerโs COVID vaccine; Michigan will distribute in 4 phasesโI have 100% confidence that we will get the vaccine to the American people,โ said Gen. Gustave Perna. Read: Michigan officials: COVID vaccine to be distributed in 4 phases, prioritize frontline workersโWe want to make sure the vaccine arrives safely and that it can be safely administered when arrival occurs.
MLive reporter arrested at โProud Boysโ rally in Kalamazoo, posts show
KALAMAZOO, Mich. โ An MLive reporter was arrested while covering a rally that turned violent in Kalamazoo on Saturday afternoon, according to reports online. Members of the far-right group โProud Boysโ reportedly clashed with counter-protesters during a scheduled demonstration in the area of E. Water and N. Edward streets, WOOD-TV reports. (Language warning) Far-right group Proud Boys and counter-protesters meet in downtown Kalamazoo. Proud Boys are attacking counter protesters, spraying pepper spray. The Proud Boys have largely cleared out, overwhelmed by counter-protesters.
Michigan bans face-down restraints at youth centers after 16-year-old dies
Videos show staff members piling on the 16-year-old, trying to restrain him after they said he threw a sandwich to the ground. READ: โOutrageous and heartbreakingโ: Michigan officials release videos leading up to Kalamazoo youth center deathState officials have announced new emergency rules aimed at preventing anything like that from happening again. The rules are an overhaul of how staff at homes are supposed to care for the children. The state is now changing the rules for facilities like that one, which are paid by the state to care for children. READ: Lawsuit filed in death of Michigan teen restrained by youth home staff for throwing sandwich
Michigan bans face-down restraints at youth centers after 16-year-old dies
Michigan bans face-down restraints at youth centers after 16-year-old diesPublished: July 16, 2020, 11:28 pmCornelius Frederick died last month after being restrained at the Lakeside For Children facility. Videos show staff members piling on the 16-year-old, trying to restrain him after they said he threw a sandwich to the ground.
โOutrageous and heartbreakingโ: Michigan officials release videos leading up to Kalamazoo youth center death
KALAMAZOO, Mich. โ The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) released security footage that shows the moments leading up to the death of a teenager at a youth center in Kalamazoo. โMDHHS decided to release two videos in the interest of transparency,โ officials said. A staff nurse was near the incident, and video shows she did not come to Corneliusโ aid. READ: Partial video released in teenagerโs Kalamazoo youth center deathFrederick went into cardiac arrest and died the next day at the hospital, according to officials. After Corneliusโ death, officials said all 125 youth at the center were removed and placed in other settings based on their needs.
Medical examiner rules Michigan teenโs death homicide, 3 charged
Cornelius Fredericks, 16, died May 1, two days after he lost consciousness while being restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy. The Kalamazoo County Medical Examinerโs office confirmed Fredericksโ manner and cause of death was a homicide. Getting, who called Fredericksโ death a โtragedy beyond description,โ said the accused employees are expected to turn themselves in for arraignment but didnโt say when that would happen. Sequel said it fired the three workers involved in Fredericks' death and relieved the executive director of Lakeside Academy of his duties. Earlier Wednesday, attorney Geoffrey Fieger, who represents Fredericksโ family, called for charges to be filed in the teenโs death.
Michigan ends ties with company after teenโs restraint, death in Kalamazoo facility
Whitmer said in a statement late Saturday that Sequel Youth and Family Services cannot provide services for facilities licensed by the state agency. โProtecting our most vulnerable is a top priority of my administration, and the senseless death of a youth at Lakeside for Children in Kalamazoo is intolerable and heartbreaking. Cornelius Frederick, 16, pictured at the hospital after being restrained by staff at Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo on April 29, 2020. In a special report from MDHHS one staff member allegedly slapped, choked and scratched a student in January. The Associated Press left an email Sunday morning seeking comment from Sequel Family and Youth Services.
Michigan officials issue warning on scammers posing as health officials
LANSING, Mich. โ Telephone scammers are posing as human services officials and attempting to steal personal information from unsuspecting Michigan residents, warns Attorney General Dana Nessel, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon and the Michigan State Police. No one should give out personal information to an unsolicited caller. โIf you are ever asked by an unsolicited caller to give out personal information, donโt do it,โ Nessel said. โMDHHS does not call clients and ask for detailed personal information over the phone,โ said MDHHS Director RobertGordon. Those who wish to make a report about scam calls can do so by contacting the Attorney Generalโs Consumer ProtectionDivision.
One of two people with EEE virus in Kalamazoo County dies
The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services said in a statement on Friday that the person was one of two in the county to contract the virus. (WDIV)KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Officials in Kalamazoo County say a person who contracted a mosquito-borne virus called eastern equine encephalitis has died. Mlive reports that the Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services said in a statement Friday that the person was one of two in the county to contract the virus. Read more on the deadly virus here:Copyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.