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MichMan's JournalBiden administration tells federal agencies they should not require employees to be vaccinated
The Biden administration has told federal agencies that they generally should not require their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to work on-site in federal buildings or to disclose whether they are vaccinated.Employees who disclose they are unvaccinated or refuse to answer a voluntary question about vaccination status should be subject to safety requirements such as mask-wearing and social distancing, new guidance says.
“The Administration strongly encourages all Americans, including Federal employees and contractors, to be vaccinated,” says a Tuesday posting by an interagency task force overseeing pandemic-related policies for the federal workplace. However, “at present, COVID-19 vaccination should generally not be a pre-condition” for federal employees or contractors to work in person, it states, while not specifying possible exceptions.
The new federal workforce guidance — the first government-wide statement of policy on these issues — did not state why the administration has determined that it should not require vaccination.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-administration-tells-federal-agencies-they-should-not-require-employees-to-be-vaccinated-to-work-on-site/ar-AAKSPXA?ocid=msedgdhp
Lawsuit Blames Atlanta City Officials For 8-Year-Old Secoriea Turner's Death
ATLANTA, Ga. (CW69 News at 10) — The family of Secoriea Turner, 8, and their attorneys say justice for her senseless death is long overdue. “My child was supposed to have been here for her brother’s birthday. His birthday was June 4. I had to go to her gravesite,” said her dad, Secoriey Williamson. “Her life is priceless. We’re forced to live by this day by day,” said her mom, Charmaine Turner.The attorneys filed a lawsuit today against the City of Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Police Chief Rodney Bryant and Councilmember Joyce Sheperd. “They failed to take any action to address the reports of crime, the reports of violence and the reports of danger in that area until after it was too late,” said Sam Starks, a senior attorney with The Cochran Firm. “This is a lawsuit that is based on a failure of city government at the highest levels.”
Armed vigilantes shot and killed Secoriea on July 4, 2020, while she was riding in a vehicle with her mother and her mother’s friend. It happened as they attempted to go around a barricade during protests near the Wendy’s Restaurant where Atlanta police shot and killed Rayshard Brooks. The lawsuit also holds Wendy’s and its property owner University Venture responsible. “The law does not give you the right to own property, to operate a business at that property and then abandon it when you know that there are armed vigilantes there harming citizens,” said Harold Spence, a partner with The Davis Bozeman Law Firm. “So many adults who had power, responsibilities, obligations, opportunities to stop this did not,” said Shean Williams, a partner with The Cochran Firm. “We have an eight-year-old beautiful little girl whose life was taken before its time, when it could have been avoided.”
Attorneys referenced a June 17, 2020 memo from an APD commander, which advised officers would not be overly proactive and they would respond if violence occurs when an officer is present and to victims of violence. “They should have engaged in proactive policing and not just surrender the neighborhood,” said Davis Bozeman Law Firm Founding Partner Mawuli Davis. “The evidence shows that the mayor gave specific direction to the police chief and to the police department to stand down,” Starks said.
https://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2021/06/08/lawsuit-blames-atlanta-city-officials-for-8-year-old-secoriea-turners-death/
Instagram Live gun video leads to big trouble for rapper 'Big Homie' in federal gun case
Detroit — Federal agents arrested a Detroit rapper accused of flashing an illegal machine gun during an Instagram Live video and prosecutors say they have linked one of his firearms to seven shootings.
Convicted felon Delmarco Craig, 22, a rapper known as "The Big Homie," is prohibited from possessing firearms but prosecutors say he held a machine gun and other firearms during the Instagram video, including a Glock pistol equipped with a device that converted the semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun.
Delmarco Craig posted an Instagram video showing him holding a Glock pistol outfitted with a device that converted the firearm into a fully automatic machine gun, according to prosecutors.
Craig was ordered held without bond Tuesday pending trial on charges punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison.
“A lot of these young rap artists with social media today find themselves involving using guns in videos,” his lawyer, Steven Scharg, said. “That does not necessarily mean they’re thugs or believe in assaults. It’s just part of the façade of the rap industry.”
Three days after the Instagram video, investigators spotted Craig outside a home on the 18000 block of Pennington Drive on Detroit’s northwest side.
On May 26, ATF agents raided the home and seized six firearms and found what appeared to be the modified Glock seen in the Instagram video, the agent wrote.
Two of the seized guns were stolen, according to the ATF agent.
Ballistic tests linked one of the seized firearms to seven shootings since October. That includes a homicide and a double non-fatal shooting in Detroit on May 25, several hours after the Instagram video. Tests linked a seized rifle to an April 16 shooting at a CVS in Detroit, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. During the shooting, surveillance video showed a newer, white Cadillac Escalade with black tires and rims and a black grill.
Investigators found a stolen 2021 white Cadillac Escalade in the backyard of Craig's home during the federal raid, according to prosecutors.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/06/02/instagram-video-leads-big-trouble-rapper-big-homie-gun-case/7513601002/
Detroit school leaders, pastors call for students to return to in-person learning
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said during the news conference that about 7,000 students are attending in-person. Roughly 49,000 total students are enrolled in the district. Teachers in Detroit still have the option to teach from home, so some in-person students are in learning centers, where they log into virtual classes.But few have shown up regularly to either virtual or in-person classes this year, according to Vitti.
The superintendent said about 65% of Detroit Public Schools students are now considered chronically absent, meaning they've missed 18 or more days of school, an increase from 54% last school year. Many students disengaged from virtual school, failing to log in.
"Student achievement has plummeted, literacy, mathematics, science, all of those wonderful things that make a child happy," Vaughn said.
Now, the school district is trying to reengage students. Vitti said the district will do whatever it takes to get students back, including knocking on doors.
The largest district in the state is preparing to hold what school leaders are calling a summer learning experience, with the goal of enrolling 10,000 of its 49,000 students, Vitti said. About 5,000 are enrolled now.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2021/05/27/detroit-schools-baptist-pastors/7468166002/
Detroit woman charged with carjacking mail carrier
A 40-year-old Detroit woman has been charged with carjacking a mail carrier and making off with the victim's mail truck, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Friday.Sadie Lakisha Hawkins is accused of forcefully pulling the mail carrier from her United States Postal Service van during a carjacking and then fleeing the scene around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 12600 block of Monte Vista. Police were called to the scene.
Hawkins was arrested Thursday after an investigation by Detroit Police. She is charged with one count of carjacking, one count of unarmed robbery, one count of receiving and concealing stolen property over $20,000, and one count of unlawful driving away of an automobile.
Hawkins was arraigned Friday in 36th District Court and was issued a $25,000 bond.
[link:https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/04/16/detroit-woman-charged-carjacking-mail-carrier/7257585002/|
Tlaib calls US policing 'intentionally racist,' gets pushback
Detroit — Policing in the United States is "intentionally racist" and "can't be reformed," U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib tweeted Monday night, a day after a White Minnesota police officer reportedly mistook her pistol for her Taser and fatally shot a Black man.Metro Detroit police chiefs pushed back Tuesday on the tweet from the Detroit Democrat, calling it irresponsible to paint all cops with the same brush and insisting that abolishing police would hit minority communities the hardest.
A day after the Wright shooting, Tlaib took to Twitter and claimed Potter meant to kill him.
"It wasn't an accident," she wrote. "Policing in our country is inherently & intentionally racist. Daunte Wright was met with aggression & violence. I am done with those who condone government funded murder. No more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It can't be reformed."
As of Tuesday afternoon, the tweet had been liked more than 20,000 times, retweeted more than 4,000 times — and had received thousands of replies supporting Tlaib's call for abolishing police and thousands of others panning it.
[link:https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/04/13/tlaib-calls-us-policing-intentionally-racist-gets-pushback/7207266002/|
Flint police make arrest in postal worker attack captured on camera
The Flint Police Department has made at least one arrest after two women were caught on camera assaulting a U.S. Postal Service worker Thursday.
Detective Tyrone Booth said the alleged assault took place about noon "in the city of Flint," but wouldn't specify where.
"We're still gathering information," Booth said. "We can't share fine details right now," including how many arrests were made.
No one has been arraigned, so police aren't releasing any names of suspects.
Police declined to share the victim's age, but said "she's in good condition. She's fine."
The U.S. Postal Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two women are shown throwing punches and pulling the hair of a postal service worker who is dressed in her work uniform.
"Oh my god, oh my god," says a man who appears to be recording the incident. "You all hit the mailman! She hit the mailman! You all fittin' to go to the feds."
Another voice can be heard saying "you all going to jail!"
Video of the incident can be seen at the link below
[link:https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/04/09/flint-police-make-arrest-postal-worker-attack-captured-camera/7152745002/|
What experts say Detroit needs to do to improve lagging COVID-19 vaccination rates
Detroit — A majority of southeast Michigan counties are vaccinating residents at twice the rate Detroit is and that gap is threatening to prolong the pandemic in Michigan's largest city and forcing health officials to find alternatives to mass-vaccination sites like the TCF Center and Ford Field.
About 1 in 5, or 21%, of Detroiters have received at least one shot, according to the city's vaccine dashboard, compared to 33% of residents in Macomb County, 40% in suburban Wayne County and 41% in Oakland and Washtenaw counties. Statewide, 37% of all residents have at least one dose.
[link:https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2021/04/07/detroit-lagging-covid-19-vaccination-rates/7109466002/|
Tesla owner with Mustang Mach-E reports threats on social media from Tesla fans
Sergio Rodriguez never imagined saying nice things about his new Ford Mustang Mach-E would elicit death threats from Tesla owners on social media.mBut this is 2021, after all. No one seems surprised by much.
And Rodriguez, who was featured in the Free Press in early March, replied, "I've had them message me death threats over my joy with the Mach-E." Rodriguez, 41, a U.S. Army veteran who served two tours in Iraq and specialized in explosive ordnance disposal, is now a military contractor living in Saint Marys, Georgia.
The fiery debate among Ford and Tesla owners reflects the intensity surrounding a growing all-electric market dominated by Tesla. CEO Elon Musk is widely credited as an innovative leader who helped transform public perception of the vehicles. As a result, Tesla has been a darling of Wall Street with a market value that dwarfs all competitors and far exceeds the Detroit Three combined. Tesla cars, which some drivers compare to spaceships, are especially popular in California and China. The Mach-E has been portrayed as the first serious competitor to Tesla in terms of sleek design, speed and handling.
Rodriguez said he was especially alarmed by comments on the Tesla Owners Worldwide private Facebook page, which listed 87,500 members on Saturday. A member had posted a story about his favorable Mach-E reviews and it unleashed a torrent of what he perceived to be disturbing attacks.
"One was, like, 'I hope the car loses control and crashes.' Or 'The car is going to catch fire when you're driving it,'" he said. "I took that as a threat. For you to have any kind of ill will on anybody, why would you say that? Then someone privately messaged me, 'You're full of s*** and I know what your Tesla looks like. If I see it …' That private message on Facebook was more threatening."
Tesla fans have insisted online that Ford must be paying regular people to post nice things on social media about the Mach-E, which has garnered a number of honors including 2021 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year award in January, selected by some 50 international jurors.
[link:https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/04/04/tesla-owner-reports-threats-praising-ford-mustang-mach-e-elon-musk-sergio-rodriguez/7076886002/|
Washtenaw County issues two-week stay home order for U-M students
Yet the football team and other varsity sports are exempted from the county orders.
"Washtenaw County has issued a two-week stay at home order as it tries to curb a sharp uptick in cases at the University of Michigan.
The order is for U-M undergraduate students effective immediately and continuing through Nov. 3 at 7 a.m.
Under the order, undergraduate students must remain in their residence, unless attending class, accessing dining services, or carrying out approved work that cannot be done remotely. Students who wish to return to a primary residence may do so only if they have completed U-M’s procedures for leaving campus safely.
Undergrad student Noah Garfinkel agreed.
"This was going to happen eventually and the university invited students back to campus anyway. The university has done a good job of mitigating the spread at least up until now but it should not be shocking that 18- to 22-year-olds did not follow all of the rules," he said. "The other disappointing aspect of the order is it now affects my campus life and could stop me from doing activities that were safe. I had been attending small outdoor MRun practices, which I can no longer attend. These were held outdoors with 10 people. No one had contracted the virus from these practices. These can no longer be held. As the editor-in-chief of the Michigan Review, it is still unclear whether or not I can access the Michigan Review office in the Michigan League. I was by myself and wore a mask.
"I also find it ridiculous that varsity sports are excluded from this order. It is beyond me why student-athletes who do not get paid are allowed to travel while we are not. It is also frustrating as a club athlete that they can also practice while we cannot. It is not only unfair it is unjust to force these athletes to play for someone else's profit."
Madelyn VerVaecke, who graduates in 2021, said she's relieved by the order.
"As someone working in grocery stores and has taking this thing seriously since March, this order comes as a relief. Reading the testimonials from my fellow students about the reality of testing and the handling of those having tested positive, we’ve needed this for a long time. I’m hoping this order puts pressure on the university to act like the “leader and best” it’s branded itself as, because right now, we’re the university who chose football over the safety and well-being of not only us the students, but every single person who comes into contact with us."
[link:https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2020/10/20/washtenaw-county-stay-home-order-university-michigan-coronavirus/5993741002/|
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