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https://www.abc12.com/news/local/ongoing-construction-may-slow-down-your-weekend-travel-plans/article_ec803c1c-cda6-11ec-8c5a-837b78d6c8cd.html
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MID-MICHIGAN, (WJRT) – With the warm weather having more drivers hit the pavement for weekend getaways, road closures and orange barrels are bound to be on their route.
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, more than 30 construction projects are underway in the Bay area region making getting around a little harder.
“We'll have an additional 3.5 billion dollars that's infused into our construction program,” Jocelyn Garza, MDOT Bay Region Communications Representative said. “That of course means that the number of projects have increased. And then we've also had some projects that were delayed based on a number of reasons, mostly related to COVID restrictions.”
Garza says after months of labor and supply shortages causing those delays, a slew of projects are off the ground and still have a long way to go.
With more drivers now taking advantage of spring and summer getaways, planning to avoid closures and find the best detour is key.
“People have an opportunity to look ahead of time to know what construction projects they might be facing. And those change sometimes on a week to week basis,” she said.
For years MDOT's number one initiative is still safety for both construction workers and drivers. With increased worker zones drivers need to take extra precautions.
“Obviously limit eliminating distractions completely so not using your phone, playing with the radio, eating, while you're driving and things like that are all hugely helpful in allowing you to navigate a normal roadway,” Garza said.
And it's not just to avoid injuries but also to keep traffic moving well.
“We've got 1000s of drivers out on the road, some of them hauling campers, some hauling boats so this creates a huge congestion issue if we can eliminate crashes that are happening on the roadways near those work zones,” she said.
In order to better plan your trips, drivers can visit the MI Drive website to find the best route and know where there may be construction on their journey.
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https://www.abc12.com/sports/firebirds-survive-game-1-against-the-greyhounds-5-3/article_0f9efe5a-ce19-11ec-863d-23c0d9c9acdf.html
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FLINT, MICH. (WJRT) - After building a two goal lead in the first and second period, the Firebirds had withstand a huge comeback by the Greyhounds.
Soo scored back-to-back goals in the third period to tie the game at two.
But, Flint didn't panic, captain Brennan Othmann found Riley Pierce for the go-ahead goal, and the Birds didn't look back getting the win 5-3.
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https://www.abc12.com/sports/grand-blanc-names-tory-jackson-as-new-boys-basketball-coach/article_32e5ce4e-ce13-11ec-975e-1bc0cbe2e37d.html
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GRAND BLANC, MICH. (WJRT) - After taking a couple years off from coaching, Tory Jackson called his hiatus a blessing in disguise.
The former Bay City John Glenn basketball coach was named the new head coach for Grand Blanc boys basketball.
“Tory’s passion and enthusiasm for coaching young men was evident throughout the interview process," said Bobcats athletic director Jerrod Dohm. "He has a reputation for getting the most out of his players, and we are confident that he will do a great job in helping our student-athletes mature and achieve their goals.”
Jackson played at Saginaw Buena Vista in the early to mid-2000s, won two state titles in 2004 and 2006, and finished his career with over 2,500 points which was good for fourth best all-time in Michigan high school basketball history at the time.
The Saginaw County sports hall of famer is excited to started.
"Words can't even describe it," said Jackson. "I don't even think excited can describe it. I'm just so happy for the opportunity."
Jackson inherits a team that has been to the state title game for the past two seasons and won the state championship in 2020. The Bobcats point guard RJ Taylor should be a Mr. Basketball candidate this upcoming season.
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https://www.abc12.com/sports/jack-chittle-takes-over-the-north-branch-boys-basketball-program/article_66346672-ce16-11ec-b22e-7328b7341d58.html
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NORTH BRANCH, MICH. (WJRT) - Jack Chittle said he walked into the North Branch gym for the first time Wednesday night and it felt like home.
The Broncos athletic department named Chittle as their new boys basketball coach.
For the past 4 and half seasons, Chittle was the head coach for Montrose boys basketball.
Before that he cut his teeth under Gary Barns at Goodrich where he coached junior varsity and freshman basketball for three years.
Chittle is also a varsity assistant coach for the Lapeer football team and plans to keep coaching in the fall.
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https://www.abc12.com/sports/jamyrin-jackson-returns-to-flint-drops-33-points-against-the-united/article_60f7f794-ce18-11ec-b0fc-a7b979fb6fdb.html
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FLINT, MICH. (WJRT) - After not being invited to training camp this season, former Flint United guard Ja'Myrin Jackson took his talents to the Lansing Pharaohs.
You can say Jackson kept the receipts.
He dropped 33 points against the United including eight triples, and the Pharaohs got the win 116-99.
United's Jason Watts matched Jackson with a game-high 33 points.
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https://www.abc12.com/sports/the-spirit-sign-2021-fourth-round-pick-joey-willis/article_8690d1a2-ce17-11ec-9e5d-bbb7eb6dc7de.html
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SAGINAW, MICH. (WJRT) - The Spirit added more talent to the roster, Saginaw signed 2021 fourth round pick Joey Willis.
“We had him ranked as a first-round pick going into the 2021 Draft, so we selected McNamara in the first-round last year, in our mind, we are adding another first round pick to our lineup," said Spirit manager Dave Drinkill.
“He’s a competitor,” said Spirit Head Coach Chris Lazary. “He has a ton of speed. Joey makes a lot of plays and has a high hockey IQ, great teammate, he is all the things that we look for in a player.”
Willis will wear number 14 this upcoming season.
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https://www.abc12.com/weather/forecast/jrs-friday-night-weather-report/article_68b4abee-cdaf-11ec-b72c-df0e5b1a358a.html
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Some nuisance-type showers moved eastward across the southern parts of the ABC12 viewing area early Friday. Even as the showers faded, lots of clouds held into the afternoon. High temperatures did manage to move into the lower 60s in many areas, but they did fall short of the average, which is now 65-degrees. Lakeshore temperatures were cooler than elsewhere as east-northeasterly winds held for the day. The clouds will move out of Mid-Michigan overnight, and lows early Saturday morning will surround the 40-degree mark.
Mothers’ Day weekend is shaping up beautifully. Saturday will feature mostly sunny skies and a frisky northeasterly wind. Highs for the day will range from the upper 50s, to lower 60s. Our lakeshore communities will, once again, stay cooler than everyone else, with that onshore wind prevailing through the day. Mothers’ Day will start will begin with clear skies, but some clouds will build in late in the afternoon. Highs will be right at “normal” levels as winds turn in from the southeast.
For much of next week, winds will be a little bit stronger, and will be blowing in from the south. This will support strong warming through the week as a decent amount of sunshine chips in as well. A few brief showers or sprinkles will be possible Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, but the week as a whole is looking pretty dry. High temperatures Monday will make a move into the 70s with mostly sunny skies. On ABC12 News we'll let you know when 80+ will be a possibility. - JR
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https://www.abc12.com/coronavirus/biden-to-address-global-covid-19-summit-on-thursday/article_8cf6f849-05df-58cd-9944-10acc362d222.html
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President Joe Biden will deliver remarks and participate in a global COVID-19 summit convened by his administration on Thursday, two senior administration officials told CNN.
The summit is aimed at urging other wealthy countries to ramp up their coronavirus relief efforts aimed at poorer countries, but it comes as the Biden administration is struggling to secure additional funding from Congress to bolster its own coronavirus relief efforts at home and abroad.
Ahead of the summit, Biden called on upper-middle and high-income countries to donate $2 billion in coronavirus treatments, like the Paxlovid pill, and $1 billion in oxygen supplies to poorer countries, according to a source familiar with the call to action.
Thursday's summit will be the second global COVID-19 summit the White House has hosted, following a first one last September.
Biden called on world leaders to collectively commit to vaccinating 70% of the world's population against COVID-19 within a year. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged in February that the world was not yet on pace to meet the goal.
At least 218 countries and territories have administered more than 11 billion doses of a COVID-19 vaccine since the first COVID-19 case was reported in China in late 2019.
As the president prepares to rally the global community once again to address COVID-19, administration officials have issued grim warnings about what could happen to the country if more pandemic-related funding is not approved by Congress.
U.S. COVID-19 cases are currently rising, and the administration says the U.S. could potentially see 100 million COVID-19 infections this fall and winter, with officials publicly stressing the need for more funding from Congress to prepare the nation.
The projection of 100 million potential infections is an estimate based on a range of outside models that are being closely tracked by the administration and would include both the fall and winter, a senior administration official told CNN.
Officials say this estimate is based on an underlying assumption of no additional resources or extra mitigation measures being taken, including new COVID-19 funding from Congress, or dramatic new variants.
The administration has been sounding the alarm for weeks that additional funding is needed to continue the federal COVID-19 response, even as it seeks a return to "normal" with many pandemic-era restrictions lifting.
The Biden administration requested $22.5 billion in supplemental COVID-19 relief funding in March as part of a massive government funding package, but it was stripped from the bill.
Negotiators agreed on a scaled-back $10 billion package, but Congress left Washington in April without passing that bipartisan bill amid a disagreement over the Title 42 immigration policy -- a pandemic-era rule that allowed migrants to be returned immediately to their home countries citing a public health emergency.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told ABC's "Good Morning America" last Friday that "the consequences here are quite catastrophic if we do not get funding" that has stalled for the US COVID-19 response.
"I mean, my goodness, we're not going to have vaccines for the American people. We're going to run out of treatments for the American people. We're not going to have diagnostic testing," he added.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/coronavirus/with-a-rise-in-coronavirus-cases-what-precautions-should-you-take-for-mothers-day-graduations/article_f792e94c-1af9-5651-8dba-898a60b7bf0d.html
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Cases of Covid-19 are rising again. Infections have increased by more than 50% compared with the previous week in at least eight US states. Parts of New York have moved into the "high" designation of Covid-19 community level, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metrics.
The surge in the United States appears to be driven by the new BA.2.12.1 variant, an offshoot of the Omicron subvariant BA.2. In the meantime, South Africa is facing its own Covid-19 wave, driven by two more Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5.
What should people know about these new subvariants, especially as many are gathering for celebrations such as Mother's Day and graduations? What kinds of precautions should they take? How can people gauge their own risk, and are there some gatherings people need to skip?
To guide us through these questions, I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health" and the mother of two young children.
CNN: What can you tell us about these new Omicron subvariants?
Dr. Leana Wen: We know that the original Omicron variant was already more transmissible than previous variants like the Delta variant. Individuals infected with Omicron tended to have milder disease than those infected with Delta. And though the vaccines are less effective against Omicron than against some previous variants, vaccines and boosters still provide excellent protection against severe disease due to Omicron.
The same seems to be the case with these new Omicron subvariants. There is no evidence that they cause more severe disease, and vaccination and boosters still are the best form of protection against severe illness. They do, though, seem to be even more transmissible than the original Omicron BA.1, which means that avoiding the coronavirus is even harder than before.
CNN: Are these new subvariants still spread the same way?
Wen: Yes. As a reminder, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, is a respiratory virus that can be spread by close contact and by the airborne route (through the air). If you are around someone who is infected, and they cough or sneeze, those particles could be transmitted to you.
Also, because Covid-19 is airborne, it could be transmitted just by someone breathing or speaking. There is also the theoretical possibility of surface transmission, meaning that if someone who's infected touches a doorknob, then you touch it and then you touch your nose or mouth, you could be infected.
That means the precautions we have been speaking about all along still work to prevent infection with Covid-19. Masking reduces the likelihood that you will inhale aerosols or other particles expelled by someone else -- and the type of mask really matters.
These new variants are so contagious that a cloth mask just isn't sufficient. You really should be wearing a high-quality respirator mask, like an N95, KN95 or KF94. Make sure the mask is well-fitting. Adults who can't tolerate such masks or children too young to wear these masks should wear at least a 3-ply surgical mask. To ensure better fit, they could also wear a cloth mask on top.
Ventilation is also key. Outdoors remains much safer than indoors. And indoors, there is a big difference between a large room with open windows and lots of space versus a small cramped enclosed area where people are packed together.
And don't forget handwashing. Effective handwashing with soap and water protects not only against the coronavirus but other pathogens, too.
CNN: What kinds of precautions should people take when going to graduation parties, Mother's Day celebrations and other events?
Wen: There are three main types of precautions -- vaccines, testing and masking. How many you decide to take depends on your medical circumstances, the level of Covid-19 in your community and your own risk calculus for how much you want to keep avoiding Covid-19.
First, let's talk about the three precautions. Vaccines and boosters protect very well against severe disease. They also reduce the chance of infection. Make sure you are up to date on your booster, including deciding about a second booster if you are eligible.
Taking a rapid home test right before get-togethers can also reduce risk. These tests measure how infectious you are at that point in time, so they should be taken as close to the gathering as possible. Having a negative test three days ago only says that you don't have enough Covid-19 at that point to show up on the test; it doesn't say that you aren't infectious now. If everyone takes a negative test right before getting together, that also reduces risk.
Of course, masking also reduces risk. I don't think it's very practical to ask that people getting together for dinner mask, and a lot of social events that involve food and drink can't realistically enforce masking. But if you are a person at high risk for severe illness from Covid-19 and really want to avoid the coronavirus, it's always a choice for you to mask even when others around you aren't.
You could attend a graduation ceremony in an N95 or other high-quality mask. You could go to the reception after where others are eating and drinking but you choose not to. And you could choose only to go to a small gathering for Mother's Day with close family, all of whom are cautious and tested right before, rather than a large party.
I think it's important for everyone to think of masking in high-risk settings, for example, crowded airports and train stations, as the CDC recommends. That reduces the chance of your getting infected in these settings and then having to miss out on the graduation or other events of great value to you.
CNN: Would you recommend that events have vaccine and testing requirements?
Wen: That depends on the event. If it's outdoors, I don't think either requirement is necessary. Indoor events with a lot of people, especially in areas with higher Covid-19 transmission, should consider requiring proof of vaccination and ideally boosters. Having same-day testing also reduces risk.
If you are at high risk for Covid-19 complications, or if you really do not want to get the coronavirus, you might want to take additional precautions yourself. Wear a mask, as I mentioned above, and skip indoor events with food and drink unless you are OK forgoing the food and drink and masking the whole time. Create a plan in advance, including choosing to leave if you feel uncomfortable.
I would also advise people that any time you are associating with others, you have a risk of contracting Covid-19. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do any gatherings. It means that you should be aware of your risk and think through, in advance, how much you want to keep avoiding the coronavirus. If you want to avoid it, then take additional precautions. Know that the new and even more contagious subvariants mean that it's even harder to avoid the coronavirus than before.
Some people may decide that they really want to attend a higher-risk event despite the risks. If that's the case, they should get tested three days after the event and definitely before visiting immunocompromised family members. Also, know in advance if you are eligible for treatments like antiviral pills.
At this point in the pandemic, it's unrealistic to tell people to avoid gatherings. But we can help people understand and weigh their own risks, and also take precautions both at the events and after to reduce the risk to themselves and others around them.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/missing-alabama-inmate-casey-white-believed-to-have-been-spotted-in-indiana-us-marshals-say/article_5df87bb6-a17a-5ce2-b5f9-5f9c732f38b0.html
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US Marshals have released photos of who they believe is Alabama fugitive Casey White caught on surveillance camera at an Evansville, Indiana, car wash.
This is the first time since White escaped a detention center in Lauderdale County, Alabama, with corrections officer Vicky White that he reportedly has been spotted.
Vicky White was not seen in the photos.
Investigators were notified on Sunday night that a 2006 Ford F-150 had been discovered at a car wash in Evansville, about 175 miles north of Williamson County, Tennessee, where the 2007 Ford Edge the pair had been traveling in was found abandoned.
The owner provided the images from a security camera, the US Marshals service said in a release.
Marshals are now in Indiana "following up on a tip after a vehicle believed to have been used by the two fugitives from Alabama was found abandoned in the area," the agency said.
Casey White, who is facing murder charges, is considered to be dangerous and armed, the US Marshals Service said last week. A reward of up to $15,000 is being offered for information leading to his capture, and $10,000 for information leading to Vicky White's capture.
New charges against Vicky White
In Alabama, new charges were filed against Vicky White in relation to Casey White's escape, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department said Monday.
The allegations stem from her using an alias to purchase the vehicle used in the escape, a 2007 Ford Edge, officials said. The warrant shows Vicky White is wanted on charges of forgery and identity theft.
Vicky White, who was an assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County, took Casey White from the county jail on April 29, saying she was taking him for a mental health evaluation, which authorities learned later had never been scheduled. She then said she was going to get medical care after dropping the inmate off because she wasn't feeling well.
Vicky White's use of aliases may be complicating the search for the two, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said Monday.
"If she was using her own identity, that would make it fairly easy for us to maybe find her," Singleton told CNN's Bianna Golodryga. "We do know she used a false identification to purchase a car here locally."
"She had two false IDs that we're aware of, and I wouldn't be shocked if she had additional or new ones now," the sheriff said.
Video footage shows the escape was well-prepared, sheriff says
Surveillance video footage of Vicky White taken before the getaway shows the level of preparation that went into the escape, Singleton said.
Investigators found footage of White shopping for men's clothes at a department store and at an "adult store," Singleton said, adding she "obviously had a change of clothes" for the inmate.
"It just tells us that it was very well planned and calculated," Singleton said. "Obviously she well-planned this escape down to a T."
Investigators earlier released video footage showing Vicky White at a Quality Inn in Florence, where she stayed the night before the escape more than a week ago.
The patrol car the officer and inmate took from the jail was found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot. Vicky White's jail keys, radio and handcuffs were found inside. Authorities believe the pair left the lot in a different vehicle: Vicky White's 2007 Ford SUV she parked in the lot the night before.
The vehicle was spotted on May 6 at a Tennessee tow lot. The car had been abandoned in the woods without any identifying information on the same day the duo escaped, indicating they drove about two hours north from the jail in Florence to Williamson County, Tennessee.
"We know now where the car is, we know what direction they went," the sheriff said. "We're trying to canvass the area for any witnesses, also trying to research, see if any stolen vehicles were reported in that area during that time."
Authorities believe the vehicle may have had mechanical problems that prompted the abrupt stop in the area.
For now, investigators are in the dark as to where the pair headed after that, the sheriff said Monday.
"We don't have any information or intel about how they left that area," Singleton said. "There are all kinds of possibilities. We are looking at every possible scenario we can think of," the sheriff said when asked if someone could be helping them.
It is possible, given the time the two have been on the run, they are no longer in the country, the sheriff said.
"That's something we're also considering and trying to follow up, especially with Mexican and Canadian authorities," Singleton said.
Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, who are not related, knew each other since at least 2020 and had developed a romantic relationship, the sheriff told CNN earlier this week.
Prior to their disappearance, Vicky White had announced plans to retire and sold her home for a price well below market value.
She now has an active arrest warrant for allegedly permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree. She is no longer employed by the sheriff's office, the office said, adding while April 29 was her last day of work, her retirement papers were never finalized.
Investigators believe Vicky White had a large amount of money when the pair vanished, Singleton said, adding authorities are working to find out more details.
Vicky White's mother has been "extremely cooperative" with investigators, Singleton said Monday.
"Like us, she's at a total loss. She did not know this side of her daughter, obviously, and she's very distraught," he said.
Officials share photos and up rewards
The pair may be armed with weapons including an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun, the US Marshals Service said.
The agency said Casey White threatened his ex-girlfriend and her sister in 2015 if he ever got out, "he would kill them and he wanted police to kill him." Authorities have warned the inmate's "potential targets" and taken measures to protect them, the Marshals Service said.
Investigators are also concerned Casey White may not be taking medication for "controlling temper and those kinds of things," Singleton said Monday.
"He has some issues that he's on medication for, and when he's off his meds, I'm told he can be extremely violent," Singleton said.
The service also released several photos of Casey White and his tattoos as well as photo renderings of what Vicky White, who was blonde when she vanished, would look like with darker and shorter hair.
The agency is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of the inmate and up to $5,000 for the former officer. On Friday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced additional rewards of $5,000 each for information leading to the capture and arrest of Vicky White and Casey White.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/business/new-restaurants-poised-to-liven-up-bay-city-s-waterfront/article_9b5591f8-cfc6-11ec-9ac6-47225fe3ffde.html
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BAY CITY, Mich. (WJRT) - New Restaurants poised to liven up Bay City’s waterfront.
The riverfront experience in Bay City is getting new additions, as new and exciting restaurants are opening or under construction for the waterfront area.
Two new restaurants, one from the owners of O's Pub and Grill and Drift Shoreside Beer Garden are poised to enhance Bay City's already-active waterfront.
Marc and Laura Owczarzak have owned O's Pub and Grill in Auburn since 2014 and with business booming, they had a vision of expanding.
Things just came together when they purchased the old Bay City Hooters on the river, which closed its doors in 2019 after decades in business.
“Although we love our Auburn location, Auburn is our roots and couldn't say enough about Auburn community, but here just the added water traffic. I think boats, really nice backdrop with Bay City in the background,” Owczarzak said.
Renovations for the new restaurant will be underway soon. The restaurant is unnamed as of now,but they expect to open in the fall.
Owczarzak said that they'll be keeping some of the menu items that people know and love from O's in Auburn with some additional seafood and other items.
It's a family affair.
“Between my wife and I and our three daughters, potentially you'll see us all here running around making it the best it will be,” he said.
They are looking forward to offering a place for both residents and those visiting by land and sea.
“This was a really busy location for many, many years and people loved to come here and to see it close and sitting here vacant....I think that the anticipation of somebody taking it over is just there,” he said.
In addition to O's, Drift opened this month on Water Street in the heart of downtown. The building was also vacant after several restaurants closed up shop.
Rather than a traditional kitchen, Drift has a food truck concept and full bar with craft cocktails and beer with seating indoors and outdoors on their patio overlooking the river.
“We are a food truck park so we have our own food truck and we invite others,” said Paige Deiters, General Manager of Drift.
Soon, Deiters says, they will also have their own Drift food trucks on site.
The bottom line—with life getting back to normal after two years of a pandemic, having more variety for food and fun is something everyone can look forward to.
For more information, visit driftbaycity.com and ospubandgrill.com.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/business/rivians-stock-plunges-on-report-that-ford-is-selling-shares/article_c23fcefd-51d6-5ede-8413-23558d85fbff.html
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Rivian's stock plunged 13% Monday as early investors jumped at their first opportunity to sell their shares — including, reportedly, Ford.
The 180-day "lockup" period, which prevented insiders and early investors from selling their Rivian shares, expired Monday. CNBC reported on Saturday that Ford, which owns a 11.4% stake in Rivian, plans to sell 8 million of its 102 million shares.
JPMorgan Chase plans to sell between 13 million to 15 million Rivian shares on behalf of an unidentified seller, according to CNBC. Amazon, which owns 162 million Rivian shares, is the company's largest stakeholder.
"Rivian is an important partner for Amazon, and we are excited about the future," said an Amazon spokesperson. "Putting 100,000 electric delivery vehicles on the road by 2030 is no small feat, and we remain committed to working with Rivian to make it a reality."
Ford declined to comment.
Both Ford and Amazon recently reported multi-billion-dollar first-quarter losses because of the drop in value of Rivian's stock. But both had reported even larger gains for 2021 when Rivian's stock had soared. And both companies' stakes in Rivian are still worth far more than their initial investments.
Rivian shares have lost 43% of their value since the end of the first quarter through Friday's close, suggesting additional charges for Ford and Amazon could lie ahead. The company's stock is down 84% from its post-IPO high through Friday's close.
"The report of Ford selling 8 million shares is not what any Rivian investor wants to see," said Dan Ives, tech analyst for Wedbush Securities. "The stock has been a debacle since the IPO. I think you're seeing with lockup ending, investors are hitting the sell button in a jittery market."
US stocks had a historically bad start to the year, especially tech stocks. Companies like Rivian whose share price gain had been driven by hopes for future earnings rather than current sales have been hit particularly hard. Rivian has only built 3,600 electric pickups since it started deliveries last fall. Investors also could be nervous about Rivian's first quarter financial results, due out after the market close Wednesday. Shares fell 10% the day after it reported its first financial results following the IPO in December, and another 8% the day after its fourth quarter results in March.
Rivian had a very successful initial public offering in November, raising $12 billion, more than any other IPO since Facebook's debut in 2012. Its stock continued to climb and within its first week it was the third most valuable automaker on the planet, trailing only Tesla and Toyota, despite the fact that at that point it had yet to report any sales.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/business/upcoming-amazon-fresh-will-bring-more-competition-along-with-high-prices/article_7b7cfca0-cfd9-11ec-ac77-9f110b5b42a9.html
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GRAND BLANC, Mich. (WJRT) – A high profile store is making its way to the City of Grand Blanc. The upcoming Amazon Fresh store has developers hoping to spark more economic growth for the city.
But while it’ll become another option for residents to get their groceries, the competition with other brands will get fiercer with prices not much different than local supermarkets.
“In this area, there's a number of grocery stores that consumers go to so grocery store competition at the retail level is pretty competitive and the grocery store profit margins are pretty small,” Chris Douglas said.
Douglas is a professor of economics at University of Michigan Flint–and also serves on Grand Blanc's city council. The addition to the old K-mart plaza he says will certainly benefit the community but as for rising prices from inflation–the new option of is a tossup when it comes to savings
“The Amazon supply chain is pretty legendary in terms of its efficiency but I wouldn't expect consumers to see big relief from inflation, due to Amazon Fresh coming to Grand Blanc because they get inflation's that coming from firms increasing prices, to try to gouge consumers that are at a higher profit,” he said.
From produce to meat to prepared meals, the options of choice are endless with the new store. But compared to prices from Meijer and Kroger, savings will depend on the product.
Disclaimer: Grocery store prices calculated from Mid-Michigan Meijer and Kroger locations. Prices may differ depending on area.
“If Amazon offers products that competitors offer, maybe prices are lower due to Amazon's efficient supply chain operations,” Douglas said. “You would probably expect to see consumers continue to shop at Amazon Fresh.”
In a statement to ABC12 News, the National Grocers Associations said that supermarkets see the new option more as a possible threat.
“The lack of enforcement of antitrust laws in the grocery marketplace have allowed dominant retailers to secure more favorable terms and ample supplies of high-demand goods while leaving many smaller retailers with limited selections or, in some cases, bare shelves.”
There is no set day of when development will begin or when Amazon Fresh will open.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/crews-battle-fire-at-robert-t-longway-blvd-apartment-in-flint/article_6003f45e-cfdb-11ec-ad61-f76e0889b1a8.html
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FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Fire crews were battling a fire on Robert T. Longway Boulevard just west of Dort Highway Monday afternoon.
Crews were able to knock out the fire in about an hour.
There was one person trapped inside the apartment, but Flint Fire told ABC12 that, thanks to fast-acting neighbors they're okay.
"We arrived on scene. We had one person being being brought out by another citizen. That was from the lower apartment- the fire apartment. And they were transported to the hospital," said Battalion Chief Ramsey Clapper.
The person trapped in the apartment, along with the neighbors who rescued that person, were all taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
It's not clear what started the fire right now - it is under investigation.
Flint Fire said the fire only impacted only one apartment; everyone else is okay.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/man-dead-woman-injured-in-shooting-at-bridgeport-township-apartments/article_39645bfc-cfa1-11ec-b02f-bf9fa8a78ad6.html
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BRIDGEPORT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) - Police say a man died and a woman was hospitalized after a shooting in Bridgeport Township over the weekend.
The shooting was reported just before 3 a.m. Saturday at the Bavarian Apartments at 2826 Williamson Street.
Investigators say 29-year-old Demetrius Wicker was pronounced dead on the scene while a 31-year-old woman, who was not identified, sustained gunshot wounds to her leg.
An ambulance took the woman to Covenant HealthCare hospital in Saginaw, where she was treated and released over the weekend.
Police did not release any suspect information on Monday. Anyone with information on the shootings should call the Bridgeport Township Police Department at 989-797-4580.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/reward-offered-for-suspect-in-deadly-shooting-at-landmark-food-center-in-flint/article_9a1d9ff8-cfc4-11ec-8f68-8f5dffc69681.html
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FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - A reward is available for information leading to a 20-year-old man accused of shooting a man to death outside a Flint store last week.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for tips on the whereabouts of Nico Deandre Nard. He is charged with murder and weapons crimes for the deadly shooting last Wednesday.
The shooting was reported at about 2:30 p.m. May 4 outside the Landmark Food Center at 206 W. Pierson Road.
The Flint Police Department says an unidentified man was rushed to Hurley Medical Center for treatment of a gunshot wound. He later was pronounced dead of his injuries.
Investigators have not released any information about a possible motive for the shooting. Anyone with information about Nard should call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-422-JAIL.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/woman-accused-of-killing-boyfriend-and-brother-found-dead-in-oakland-county/article_ef505fbe-cf8e-11ec-9429-5f6c6f8552aa.html
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OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - The search for a woman accused of killing her live-in boyfriend and brother at an apartment complex in northern Oakland County is over.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office found the body of 22-year-old Ruby Taverner in a wooded area Monday morning. She apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Taverner was accused in the shooting deaths of 26-year-old Ray Muscat and 22-year-old Bishop Taverner or Oxford. Police say she left the shooting scene on foot and investigators found her vehicle parked at the scene.
"This tragic situation has now been brought to a close, and our investigators will now pivot to see if we can answer the question on everyone’s mind – why," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office responded to the shooting around 3:20 a.m. Sunday at the Independence Square Apartments on Dixie Highway in Independence Township, which is near the city of Clarkston.
A woman awoke to sounds she believed were three gunshots. Police found Bishop Taverner dead of a single gunshot in the living room of an apartment while Muscat was found dead in a bedroom.
Investigators have not released information about a motive for the shootings.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/flint-water-emergency/deadline-to-file-flint-water-crisis-claims-extended-through-june/article_af735056-cfa0-11ec-bc91-c7f670d6e133.html
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FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Residents hoping to get a share of the $626 million Flint water civil settlement have more time to file their claims.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy signed an order Monday extending the claims deadline to June 30. That gives residents about six more weeks to fill out and turn in documents required for all claims.
As of last week only about 13,000 people had filed claims. More than 50 thousand originally applied to be a part of the settlement.
According to a report given to Judge Levy, recommending the deadline many residents expressed they were struggling to access certain documents required as part of the claims process.
Trachelle Young, an attorney with the co-lead Flint Water counsel says, just because the deadline is extended does not mean residents should continue to put off submitting their claim.
"It's critical, and it's the last brouhaha if you will," Young said. "We need people to submit their claims forms. If they registered, then that tells us they felt in some way that they were harmed or impacted by the exposure to the contaminated water and the Flint water crisis. You've come this far lets get to the finish line."
Attorneys working on behalf of residents will provide assistance for residents who need help with their claims during a special event next weekend. They will be available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 14 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 15 in the Flint Development Center at 4121 Martin Luther King Ave.
Anyone who needs help and hasn't retained another attorney is welcome and should bring their claim package to the event.
On Friday Young told ABC 12 news that some people fear they won’t receive anything from the settlement due to the large sum that is earmarked for children at the time of the water crisis. She says that shouldn’t stop them from trying.
"You're not going to get anything if you don't try? So at least if you have questions, if you registered, come and see us if you haven't signed up with any other counsel," Young said.
The previous filing deadline was May 12, but the court-appointed special master managing the claims process noted that many people hoping to file claims are experiencing delays with the process.
About 50,000 people applied for a share of the settlement in March 2021. However, only 10,000 of them have submitted claims as of last week, according to lawyers representing the plaintiffs.
Click here for information about how to file a claim for part of the Flint water crisis civil settlement.
An unrelated civil lawsuit continues in U.S. District Court against two engineering firms accused of wrongdoing before or during the water crisis. If successful, the settlement fund may increase.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/health/the-baby-formula-supply-problem-is-getting-worse/article_249d953c-7e55-5aad-88fd-b43c1d9d0093.html
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For months stores nationwide have been struggling to stock enough baby formula. Manufacturers say they're producing at full capacity and making as much formula as they can, but it's still not enough to meet current demand.
The out-of-stock rate for baby formula hovered between 2% and 8% in the first half of 2021, but began rising sharply last July. Between November 2021 and early April 2022, the out-of-stock rate jumped to 31%, data from Datasembly showed.
That rate increased another 9 percentage points in just three weeks in April, and now stands at 40%, the statistics show. In six states — Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee — more than half of baby formula was completely sold out during the week starting April 24, Datasembly said.
And although seven states had between 40-50% of baby formula products out of stock as of early April, 26 states are now struggling with supply.
"This issue has been compounded by supply chain issues, product recalls and historic inflation," Datasembly CEO Ben Reich said. "Unfortunately, given the unprecedented amount of volatility to the category, we anticipate baby formula to continue to be one of the most affected products in the market."
CVS and Walgreens confirmed that it is limiting customers nationwide to three toddler and infant formulas per transaction. "We continue to work diligently with our supplier partners to best meet customer demands," Walgreens said in a statement to CNN Business.
A Target spokesperson confirmed that the retailer has limited baby formula purchases to four units per customer for online purchases. There is no limit on the number of units that can be bought in person in Target stores, the company said.
Customers shared images on social media of Walmart imposing similar constraints on its sales of baby formula, though Walmart did not confirm if it was a nationwide policy. Images shared with CNN Business show empty shelves where baby formula should be, and a sign saying only five units were allowed per customer.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN Business.
The shortage has been exacerbated by the Food and Drug Administration's shutdown of an Abbott Nutrition facility in Sturgis, Michigan. Abbott is a major producer of baby formula.
In February, the US Food and Drug Administration recalled three brands of powdered baby formulas made by the company due to potential bacterial infections, including Salmonella. The agency advised parents not to buy or use certain batches of Similac, Alimentum and EleCare powdered infant formulas, all Abbott brands.
A former employee of Abbott Nutrition filed a whistleblower complaint with the FDA months before the recall, documenting their concerns that the company was hiding safety problems at its Sturgis, Mich. plant. The formulas manufactured at the facility were recalled after four infants drinking it had fallen ill with rare infections caused by Cronobacter sakazakii bacteria. Two infants died, the complaint said.
Abbott said the former employee was fired because of "serious violations of Abbott's food safety policies," and that it will investigate new allegations.
"After dismissal, the former employee, through their attorney, has made evolving, new and escalating allegations to multiple authorities," an Abbott spokesperson said in a statement.
The Abbott spokesperson also said that products tested for Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella all came back negative, and that no Salmonella was found at the Sturgis facility during the investigation.
"The Cronobacter sakazakii that was found in environmental testing during the investigation was in non-product contact areas of our Sturgis facility and has not been linked to the two available patient samples or any other known infant illness," the spokesperson said.
Finding standard formula has become difficult for parents, many of whom described the extraordinary lengths they've gone to in order to score even a single can or bottle. Specialized formula is even harder to locate amid the widespread shortage. Parents are driving to neighboring states to try their luck, and many are pleading for help on social media, imploring strangers to share or even barter any extra supply they may have.
Abbott told CNN in a statement Saturday it is working closely with the FDA to resume operations in its Michigan plant.
"We continue to make progress on corrective actions and will be implementing additional actions as we work toward addressing items related to the recent recall. In the meantime, we are working to increase the supply of infant formula by prioritizing infant formula production at our facilities that provide product to the US market," Abbott said in a statement to CNN Business.
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™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/health/what-parents-should-know-about-the-increase-in-unexplained-hepatitis-cases-in-children/article_1b62a557-6f17-5143-b0f3-45a3cfec9299.html
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating cases of unexplained hepatitis in children. As many as 109 cases are under investigation. On Friday, the CDC reported that these cases have affected children in 25 states and territories. Nearly all the children needed to be hospitalized; five children have died, the CDC said.
The rise in these severe and mysterious cases has led the CDC to issue a health advisory to clinicians so that health care providers can be on the lookout and report cases accordingly.
What should parents know about the cases of hepatitis in kids? How worried should they be, and what are the symptoms they should be looking out for? Is there a link between the cases of hepatitis and Covid-19?
To help answer these questions, I spoke with CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of "Lifelines: A Doctor's Journey in the Fight for Public Health" and the mother of two young children.
CNN: Let's start at the beginning. What is hepatitis, and how common is it in children?
Dr. Leana Wen: Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver tissue. There are a number of causes. People might have heard of hepatitis A, B and C, which are liver infections caused by the contagious hepatitis viruses. Heavy alcohol use, certain medications and specific toxins can also lead to hepatitis, as can some medical conditions. There is also something called autoimmune hepatitis, which is where the body's own immune system attacks the liver.
Hepatitis isn't common in children, especially hepatitis that is not linked to one of the hepatitis viruses. This is the reason why the cases of unexplained hepatitis have been flagged thus far. There aren't many cases, but they are significant enough to warrant closer investigation.
CNN: How many children have been affected by the unexplained hepatitis thus far, and what do we know about them?
Wen: As of May 1, the World Health Organization has reported at least 228 probable cases of child hepatitis with dozens more under investigation. These cases have been found in over 20 countries.
Twenty-five US states and territories have reported cases, with 109 cases under investigation thus far, according to the CDC. A week ago, a CDC report analyzed clinical details from one state, Alabama, that has been tracking these child hepatitis cases since October.
Nine children were identified who have no clear causes of hepatitis. They come from different locations in the state with no identified link to one another. All are generally healthy, no underlying medical conditions. The reported median age is about 3 years, with the range from 1 to 6 years old.
Three of the nine kids in the Alabama cohort ended up with acute liver failure, a life-threatening condition. Two have received liver transplants. According to the CDC, all nine of the children are currently recovering, including those with the liver transplants.
CNN: How come there are so many cases from one state?
Wen: We don't know. My guess is that there isn't necessarily something specific to Alabama, but possibly there are cases that are not being reported in other states. This is why the CDC issued its health advisory, so that clinicians can be aware and flag these cases if they see them.
The United Kingdom was the first to report cases to WHO. They have been actively looking for cases. Its Health Security Agency has identified at least 163 confirmed cases across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It's possible that now that US clinicians are aware, more cases may be reported here, too.
CNN: What do we know about what causes these hepatitis cases?
Wen: When patients present with signs of hepatitis, they would normally get a diagnostic workup that looks at whether they have hepatitis A, B or C; whether they have been exposed to toxins and medications; whether they have certain autoimmune markers; and so forth. All of these are negative in the children thus far.
One commonality among the initial nine cases in Alabama in the CDC report is that all have bloodwork showing adenovirus infection. (Two more children were identified since those nine cases were first reported.)
Given the possible link, though, this is the reason why the CDC has issued its specific health alert. It advises clinicians to be on the lookout for child hepatitis cases and report them immediately to the CDC and to state health authorities. It also instructs health care providers to order specific adenovirus testing in these children.
CNN: Could these cases be related to Covid-19?
Wen: It seems unlikely. None of the children in the Alabama case series are in the hospital because of a Covid-19 infection. There is also no link with having received the Covid-19 vaccine. The United Kingdom Health Security Agency previously reported that none of its over 100 cases to date had been vaccinated.
CNN: How worried should parents be, and what are symptoms they should be on the lookout for?
Wen: These cases of unexplained hepatitis in children remain very rare. However, some have been extremely serious. Parents should not be overly concerned but should know that this is something under investigation and then should contact their doctor if they are concerned.
Initial symptoms of hepatitis are nonspecific, meaning that a lot of people get these symptoms due to other causes. They include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and joint pain. Later signs include dark urine and light-colored stools as (well as) jaundice -- the skin turning yellow and yellow being seen in the whites of the eyes and eyelids.
A lot of children have viral illnesses that can cause gastrointestinal upset, fever and fatigue. If your child is unable to keep fluids down, that's a sign that you should contact your doctor. Also, if the symptoms are persistent and not getting better, or if your child starts getting lethargic, contact your doctor.
The most concerning signs are if you start seeing dark urine, light-colored stools and yellowing of the skin or yellowing in the whites of the eyes. You should seek immediate medical attention if your child starts general viral symptoms and then proceeds to having these signs.
CNN: Is there anything that can be done to prevent these hepatitis cases?
Wen: Since the cause remains unknown, we can't say what measures will help prevent them. If, indeed, there is a link to adenovirus, then the same strategies we have been using throughout the coronavirus pandemic would be helpful, such as thorough handwashing with soap and water and urging people to stay home when sick.
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™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/health/woman-tries-ivf-to-have-late-husband-s-child/article_feb94c1e-bf28-5644-8da5-220f062edca7.html
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) -- Fabi Powell is doing in vitro fertilization (IVF), a type of fertility treatment where eggs are fertilized in a lab, to have her late husband’s child.
Josh Powell passed away in December of 2016 after battling a type of cancer called synovial sarcoma. It’s a rare form of cancer that can come from different soft tissue types, such as muscle or ligaments. Josh was 27 years old when he passed.
“It was all very fast at the end,” Fabi explained.
Josh passed away about a month after the two got married. Fabi and Josh planned their wedding just two months after finding out Josh’s cancer had taken a significant toll on his body.
“I will forever be grateful that we have those memories of our wedding. It was the most special day of my life, and I know that he was the happiest I’ve ever seen him...Like in a wheelchair, in so much pain, but just showed up that night and had the biggest smile on his face,” Fabi said as she reflected on their big day.
Josh and Fabi were planning for their future well before their wedding. When they found out the cancer was terminal and spreading, the couple started having some challenging discussions.
“That’s when we started having these conversations about what will life look like if you don’t get to stay here with me,” Fabi said. “Having a family was something that we both wanted so bad.”
Before Josh started his cancer treatment, he left behind everything Fabi would need to start IVF and have his children, even after he passed away.
So far, Fabi has gone through three rounds of IVF. It’s been a year and a half of procedures and she’s still holding onto hope.
“I’m just praying really hard that at the end of all of this it will all be worth it and we will have a little baby Powell to celebrate,” Fabi said. “And we will have a little piece of Josh to live on forever.”
She hopes her story inspires other women going through IVF.
“My heart just goes out to anyone who has to go through this journey to conceive a child because it’s such an emotional rollercoaster, and it takes such a physical toll on your body and your emotions. And it’s financially insane the amount of money that it costs to hopefully one day carry your own child,” Fabi explained.
Fabi is preparing to start her fourth round of IVF.
“Hopefully, I could be pregnant sometime in August or September. Which September is Josh’s birthday, so maybe it’ll be a birthday gift for him which would be so cool.”
A GoFundMe has been made to help pay for Fabi’s fourth round of IVF.
You can follow Fabi’s IVF journey on Instagram @fabipowell.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/international/first-lady-jill-biden-makes-unannounced-trip-to-ukraine/article_d24ed52f-11bf-520b-87bb-b0c5bcc2777e.html
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First lady Jill Biden spent part of Mother's Day making an unannounced trip to Uzhhorod, Ukraine, a small city in the far southwestern corner of Ukraine, a country that for the last 10 weeks has been under invasion by Russia.
At a converted school that now serves as temporary housing for displaced citizens, Biden met with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, who has not been seen in public since the start of the war on February 24.
"I wanted to come on Mother's Day," Biden said to her Ukrainian counterpart, the two women seated at a small table in a classroom of a former school that is now a source of temporary housing for displaced Ukrainians, including 48 children. "We thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people this war has to stop. And this war has been brutal."
Biden added, "The people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine."
Zelenska, who early on in the Russian invasion sent a letter to Biden, has exchanged correspondence with her American counterpart in recent weeks, U.S. officials tell CNN.
"First of all, I would like to thank you for a very courageous act," said Zelenska, speaking through an interpreter to Biden. "Because we understand what it takes for the U.S. first lady to come here during a war when the military actions are taking place every day, where the air sirens are happening every day, even today. We all feel your support and we all feel the leadership of the US President but we would like to note that the Mother's Day is a very symbolic day for us because we also feel your love and support during such an important day."
The meeting of the two women included a closed-door bilateral, which lasted for about one hour and took place at what was a school before the war. The building has been transformed into a refuge, a collaboration between the government of Ukraine and the International Organization for Migration, the UN migration agency.
Dozens of internally displaced persons now live in the building, on a leafy property near the city center of Uzhhorod.
Biden, who is three days into a four-day visit to Europe to spend time with refugee families in Romania and Slovakia, traveled about 15 miles into western Ukraine from the Slovak border town of Vysne Nemecke to Uzhhorod.
The first lady is the latest high-profile American and the first family member of President Joe Biden to visit the war-torn country in recent weeks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Kyiv last month; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was there last Saturday.
The first lady has spent the last two days in Europe meeting with humanitarian aid organizations and government officials in both Romania and Slovakia, as well as interacting with displaced Ukrainians in both countries, her focus primarily on the health and emotional welfare of women and children.
Biden's visit to Ukraine is the first time a United States first lady has visited a war zone since Laura Bush made a secret, 10-hour visit to Afghanistan in 2008. Bush made her first visit to that country, an active combat zone, in 2005. Both of Bush's visits centered around her interest and support of Afghan women.
As second lady in 2010, Jill Biden accompanied then-Vice President Joe Biden on a trip to Baghdad, Iraq, over the July 4 holiday.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/international/queen-elizabeth-will-not-open-uk-parliament-this-year-buckingham-palace-says/article_acbea131-01e2-58ac-addb-1ebcb21f755a.html
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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II will not attend the opening of Parliament on Tuesday due to mobility problems, Buckingham Palace said in a Monday statement.
"The Queen continues to experience episodic mobility problems, and in consultation with her doctors has reluctantly decided that she will not attend the State Opening of Parliament tomorrow," it said.
"At Her Majesty's request, and with the agreement of the relevant authorities, The Prince of Wales will read The Queen's speech on Her Majesty's behalf, with The Duke of Cambridge also in attendance," the Palace added.
The Queen's Speech, which is written by the government, is a significant event in both the royal and political calendars.
The speech is one of the monarch's most important symbolic duties and forms the centerpiece of the State Opening of Parliament ceremony.
Opening Parliament is a key constitutional responsibility. It can't happen without the monarch. The Queen has had to delegate that responsibility to The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Cambridge, who are counsellors of state.
The speech is also used to introduce the government's legislative agenda, and its contents are fiercely debated by lawmakers for days afterwards.
The decision for the Queen to not attend the opening of Parliament was taken on Monday, a royal source told CNN.
The Queen has been absent from the opening of Parliament on only two occasions since she took the throne in 1952 -- in 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively. On those occasions, the speech was read by the Lord Chancellor.
The source said they won't go into any detail on the Queen's episodic mobility problems, but it would be right to assume they are a continuation of the issues that she has felt since last autumn.
The monarch took a step back from royal duties on advice from doctors to rest following an overnight hospital stay in October 2021 for an undisclosed reason. She has also used a walking stick at several engagements in recent months.
The Queen recently revealed that she was left "very tired and exhausted" following a recent bout of Covid-19. She tested positive for the virus in February.
The 96-year-old monarch has a busy diary this week and is expected to undertake some private engagements later in the week, according to the source.
This year marks 70 years since the Queen took the throne. She celebrated her birthday on April 21.
The Queen is both the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-serving female head of state in history.
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™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/local/head-on-crash-in-flint-leaves-two-men-in-critical-condition/article_9d6ba18e-cfa9-11ec-856a-5b0406f362fb.html
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FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - Two men were listed in critical condition after a head-on collision on Flint's south side Sunday evening.
Flint police say a Honda ATV heading south on Averill Avenue crashed head-on into a northbound Chevrolet Equinox near the intersection with Lapeer Road around 8:40 p.m.
Police say 20-year-old Dawson Foco and 18-year-old Jonathan Lee Faircloth Luna were rushed to Hurley Medical Center, where both were listed in critical condition Monday morning.
The Flint Police Department did not specify which vehicles the two victims were operating when the crash happened. Investigators don't believe either man was speeding or intoxicated.
Anyone with information about the crash should call Flint police at 810-237-6816 Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-422-JAIL.
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FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - A woman died and a man sustained critical injuries in a crash on Pierson Road early Sunday.
Flint police say 21-year-old Charlotte McGee was riding in a Ford Explorer heading south on Selby Street that got hit by a Chrysler 300 driving west on Pierson Road.
McGee was pronounced dead on the scene. An ambulance rushed a male passenger from the Chrysler to Hurley Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition Monday morning.
The Flint Police Department did not release any information about the drivers of either vehicle Monday morning. Investigators believe at least one of the drivers was speeding and intoxicated when the crash happened.
Anyone with information about the crash should call Flint police at 810-237-6816 Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-422-JAIL.
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As the search continues for a missing former Alabama corrections officer and an inmate charged with murder, authorities remain in the dark on where the pair may have gone after the SUV they used after leaving the jail turned up little new information in the case.
The 2007 Ford SUV officials believe Vicky White, 56, and inmate Casey White, 38, were traveling in during their escape from the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Alabama more than a week ago was located in a Tennessee tow lot, Sheriff Rick Singleton said Friday during a news conference.
"The car was cleaned out," the sheriff told CNN Saturday. "There wasn't anything left in the vehicle. They apparently took everything they had with them."
The corrections officer, who is now no longer employed by the sheriff's office, left with the inmate from the jail on the morning of April 29, saying she would take him to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. She also said she would seek medical care for herself after dropping him off because she wasn't feeling well.
The pair never arrived at the courthouse or medical facility, setting off a manhunt involving local and federal authorities.
The two are not related but may have had a romantic relationship, Singleton has said.
"It's been a difficult week, a challenging week, a discouraging week," Singleton told CNN Saturday. "Ultimately as a sheriff, I am responsible for the jail, and this is on my shoulders.
"I want to see that we get Casey White back behind bars, and I want to see Vicky White brought in so we can understand exactly what she was thinking," Singleton added.
Although locating the SUV gave authorities a sense of the direction the pair was headed, investigators are still trying to piece together their movements days after they left the jail in a patrol car.
'Back to square one'
Surveillance video from the detention center showed the pair getting into a patrol car at the facility the morning of their disappearance, with Casey White handcuffed and shackled, officials have said.
The patrol car was later abandoned in a shopping center parking lot near the jail with Vicky White's jail keys, radio and handcuffs inside. The pair then drove off in an orange Ford SUV that Vicky White had purchased and left in the same parking lot the night before, Singleton has said.
On Friday, authorities said they located the SUV, which had been in a Tennessee tow lot for about a week. The SUV was taken there after it was found abandoned in the woods and without any identifying information last Friday.
Authorities believe the SUV may have experienced mechanical problems, which prompted the sudden stop in that area.
The discovery means the pair drove roughly two hours north to Williamson County, Tennessee, after disappearing from the jail in Florence, Alabama, Singleton explained during the Friday news conference.
"We know now where the car is, we know what direction they went," the sheriff said. "We're trying to canvass the area for any witnesses, also trying to research, see if any stolen vehicles were reported in that area during that time."
Investigators don't yet know if the pair stole another vehicle or caught a ride with someone else, the sheriff said.
"We're sort of back to square one," he said. "After Friday afternoon, when they abandoned that car, which direction they went from there, we don't know."
Former officer's experience could hinder search
Vicky White's experience in law enforcement has helped the pair escape capture, officials believe.
"Her knowledge of corrections and her knowledge of the procedures that we use here at the sheriff's office most definitely played to her advantage. I think this was a very well-thought-out plan," Singleton said Friday during the news conference.
Vicky White had submitted her retirement papers before disappearing and the day of the escape was to be her last day at work.
She now has an active arrest warrant for allegedly permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree. She is no longer employed by the sheriff's office, the office said.
Investigators believe she had a large amount of money when she and the inmate vanished and she has used aliases, including for the purchase of the vehicle, Singleton said. "I'm assuming she's probably ditched those aliases and probably got some new identities now," he explained.
Further, the pair should be considered armed and dangerous and may have an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun, the US Marshals Service warned.
Before escaping, Casey White was serving 75 years for a series of crimes in 2015, including a home invasion, carjacking and a police chase, according to the US Marshals Service. He also faces two counts of capital murder for the stabbing death of 59-year-old Connie Ridgeway in 2015, the service said.
The US Marshals Service has offered up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of the inmate and up to $5,000 for the former officer. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also said an additional rewards of $5,000 each for information leading to the arrest of the pair.
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President Joe Biden on Monday announced that 20 of the nation's internet providers have committed to lowering costs for low-income households, a step the administration says will increase access to high-speed internet for 48 million households nationwide.
"Over the last few months, my administration has worked closely with internet providers. This is the case where big business stepped up -- urging them to cut their prices and raise their speeds," Biden said at a White House Rose Garden event about the effort. "So now families who are eligible can select a plan from a participating provider and receive high speed internet at no cost in most cases."
The announcement follows provisions in the administration's bipartisan infrastructure law to subsidize wireless internet for low-income families under the Affordable Connectivity Program, which reduces internet service costs for eligible families by up to $30 a month through grant funding.
Biden thanked the participating providers -- which include national names like AT&T, Comcast, Frontier, Spectrum and Verizon, as well as more local providers such as Jackson Energy Authority and Ideatek. The President said participating providers cover about 80% of the US population.
He also cast the initiative as part of his broader efforts to fight inflation.
"The bottom line is this -- my top priority is fighting inflation and lowering prices for families on things they need," the President said to lawmakers and executives in the garden. "Today's announcement is gonna give millions of families ... a little more breathing room to help them pay their bills. We worked with Democrats and Republicans, with businesses and nonprofits, to make this happen, and we're going to keep working to fight inflation and lower cost of all American families, and a lot of other things as well."
To qualify for the program's benefits, a member of a given household must meet certain low-income thresholds or participate in any one of the nation's assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, Pell Grants, or others.
An estimated 11.5 million households have signed up to participate in the ACP to date.
The Biden administration has eyed different proposals to close the US' digital divide, which has persisted for years. And early on in his presidential tenure, Biden directed Vice President Kamala Harris to spearhead White House efforts on broadband access. The issue, however, has sparked sharp political fights over how much money to spend, where to spend it and what types of internet access Americans need to stay competitive in the 21st century.
At the Rose Garden event, Biden called internet access "a necessity" and Harris argued that "in the 21st century, access to the internet is essential for success."
"Every person in our nation, no matter how much they earn, should be able to afford high speed internet and a high speed internet plan," she said.
Participating companies were partnering with the administration voluntarily, the White House says.
Comcast Cable CEO and President David Watson said in a statement that the program represents, "a historic opportunity to close the digital divide by empowering more Americans to get online and connect to our increasingly digital world."
"We have been working on digital equity issues for over a decade and believe this new program offers even more support to achieve those goals. We are proud to work together with our government and community partners to close the digital divide," Watson wrote.
The 20 providers participating in Monday's commitment offer coverage for 80% of the country's population and 50% of the nation's rural population, according to the White House.
The administration is also launching a new website, GetInternet.gov, which will allow eligible households to connect to internet providers and sign up for the ACP, launch outreach programs through federal programs whose beneficiaries qualify for subsidized internet, and partner with cities and states to get the word out.
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So much for bitcoin being digital gold.
The world's most valuable cryptocurrency was down 10% Monday after plunging again over the weekend. Bitcoin prices have now plummeted nearly 20% in the past week. At a price of just below $31,000, bitcoin is more than 50% below its record high of near $69,000 from late last year and at its lowest point since July 2021.
Other cryptocurrencies, sometimes referred to as altcoins, have been hit hard too. Ethereum, binance, solana and cardano are all down about 15% in the past week, while Elon Musk's beloved dogecoin has tumbled 10%.
Cryptocurrencies are proving to be just as risky as stocks and susceptible to the same concerns that are dragging down the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq.
"Volatile trading in digital assets has not been that unusual in previous years," said Michael Kamerman, CEO of trading platform Skilling. "Cryptocurrencies are increasingly moving in sync with tech stocks with investors treating both as risk assets and often retreating to safer corners of the market during bouts of market volatility."
Kamerman said he is still bullish on bitcoin for the long term. More hedge funds and other big institutions are starting to invest in crypto, and some global central banks are beginning to embrace it too.
But he added that "bitcoin is not immune to the global inflation risk spreading across most other asset classes. Therefore we should expect to see the downward trend continue."
Bitcoin hit by the same problems dragging down stocks
Inflation fears, worries about big interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve and jitters about a possible economic slowdown have rattled Wall Street and sent bond yields skyrocketing.
The 10-year Treasury bond yield is now hovering just above 3.1%, having more than doubled this year. Long-term bond yields are now at their highest level since November 2018.
The surge in yields has also helped lift the value of the dollar, which tends tor rise in tandem with interest rates. The US Dollar Index is now trading near its highest level in twenty years. That's bad news for bitcoin too, as many crypto backers point to dollar weakness as a bullish sign for digital currencies.
As rates (and the dollar) continue to climb, some crypto skeptics think the selling in bitcoin has only just begun. The Federal Reserve is starting to pull back on monthly bond purchases and other stimulus which could be bad news for all sorts of speculative assets.
"The dramatic reversal of Fed liquidity ... will collapse the pandemic era bubble in crypto currencies, money losing tech companies and meme stocks," said Jay Hatfield, chief investment officer of Infrastructure Capital Management and manager of the InfraCap Equity Income ETF.
Hatfield said he thinks bitcoin could plunge as low as $20,000 by the end of the year.
The crypto collapse is also hurting several stocks with exposure to the industry. Broker Coinbase plummeted 17% Monday and is down more than 65% this year. Robinhood, which also lets people buy and sell some cryptocurrencies, has fallen more than 45% in 2022.
And shares of several cryptocurrency miners, the companies that run servers which solve the complex mathematical puzzles needed to generate new bitcoin and other cryptos, have tanked too. Hive Blockchain, Marathon Digital Holdings and Riot Blockchain are all down between 50% and 60% this year.
The massive pullback in these and other momentum tech stocks is yet another sign of the rapid shift in the market's mood this year. The CNN Business Fear & Greed Index, which measures seven indicators of market sentiment, is in Extreme Fear territory.
Investors may continue to shun volatile cryptos in favor of safe havens, such as dividend-paying blue chip stocks.
Traders are "more reluctant to adopt the additional risk associated with the crypto sphere," said Tammy Da Costa, an analyst at DailyFX, in a report.
She added that "the future of individual coins or tokens remains dubious" and that "interest rate hikes are likely to jeopardize the short-term potential for profits" in bitcoin, ethereum and other established cryptos.
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Prices at the pump are once again flirting with record highs. That's adding to inflationary headaches for families, the US economy and the White House.
The national average for regular gasoline rose to $4.328 a gallon on Monday, according to AAA. That's a fraction of a penny shy of the all-time high of $4.331 set on March 11.
Gas prices have climbed 13 cents over the past week and stand well above the recent low of $4.07 a gallon.
Prices at the pump were already high heading into 2022 as supply failed to recover from Covid-19 as fast as demand. Russia's late February invasion of Ukraine sent them surging much higher as investors braced for oil supply disruptions caused by the war and embargoes on Russian energy.
The Biden administration responded by unleashing a record amount of oil from US emergency oil stockpiles, a step that helped cool oil and gasoline prices off.
But as industry analysts warned at the time, the relief from the emergency oil releases was fleeting and relatively minor. The national average for regular gas today is about 23% higher than the day before the invasion of Ukraine.
Here comes $4.50 gas?
The recent jump in pump prices may not be done.
Gasoline futures settled at record highs on Friday. Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates, told CNN he expects retail prices will climb by another 18 to 20 cents over the next 10 to 14 days, hitting a fresh record of $4.50 a gallon.
Although nominal gas prices are near record highs, inflation-adjusted prices are not. The national average would need to climb above $5.30 a gallon to beat the inflation-adjusted record set in 2008, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
Nonetheless, high gas prices are contributing to Americans' dismal views on the economy. Only 23% of them rate economic conditions as even somewhat good, down from 54% last April, according to a CNN poll released last week. That's the lowest since November 2011. And just 34% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden's handling of the economy.
In another blow to the inflation outlook, diesel prices are spiking.
The national average for diesel hit another record of $5.54 a gallon on Monday, up 22 cents in a week and 49 cents in a month, according to AAA. Diesel powers the trucks that haul goods around the country and high transportation costs will likely get passed along at least in part to consumers.
Europe debates banning Russian oil
The good news is that the oil market, which sets the pace for gasoline and diesel, is taking a breather. Oil prices fell sharply on Monday in their steepest one-day decline since late March as turmoil in the stock market spread to the energy complex.
US crude tumbled 6.1% to $103.09 a barrel. Brent, the world benchmark, also fell about 6%.
Experts blamed a range of factors for the sharp losses, including heavy selling on Wall Street, concerns about China's Covid-19 lockdowns hurting demand and a lack of progress in Europe's efforts to phase out Russian oil imports.
"Oil prices are just getting swept up in the swift and sharp selloff across risk assets," said Matt Smith, lead oil analyst Americas at Kpler.
Robert Yawger, vice president of energy futures at Mizuho Securities, agreed that the "general flight to safety" is reverberating on the oil market.
"It's just a general slaughter in risk assets," said Yawger, who added that energy traders view the stock market as a barometer of broader market conditions.
Fears about high inflation -- and the Federal Reserve's plan to get it back down -- have driven US stocks sharply lower recently.
However, oil prices remain high and the fallout from the war in Ukraine continues to cast a shadow over the energy market.
Over the weekend, G7 leaders pledged to phase out or ban the import of Russian oil "in a timely and orderly fashion, and in ways that provide time for the world to secure alternative supplies."
The European Union also continues to debate a proposed ban on all oil imports from Russia by the end of this year.
Rystad Energy warned Monday that a European embargo on Russian oil will "trigger a seismic shift" in energy markets and push oil prices higher in the short to medium term.
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More human remains were found at Lake Mead over the weekend, less than a week after a body in a barrel was discovered at the reservoir.
National Park Service rangers responded to a call on Saturday afternoon that reported the remains in Callville Bay. The Clark County Medical Examiner is assisting with determining the cause of death, according to NPS, which said there is "no further information is available at this time."
It was the second set of human remains found at Lake Mead, the country's largest reservoir, as water levels plunge. The first body, discovered on May 1, was likely a murder victim who died from a gunshot wound "some time in the mid '70s to early '80s, based on clothing and footwear the victim was found with," according to a new released from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
"The lake has drained dramatically over the last 15 years," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Lieutenant Ray Spencer said at the time, noting "it's likely that we will find additional bodies that have been dumped in Lake Mead" as the water level drops more.
Around 40 million people in the West rely on water from the Colorado River and its two largest reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Power — where levels have fallen at an alarming rate over the past few years, amid a climate change-fueled megadrought.
As of Monday, Lake Mead's water level was around 1,052 feet above sea level — roughly 162 feet below its 2000 level, when it was last considered full. It's the lowest level on record for the reservoir since it was filled in the 1930s.
The lake's low water level exposed one of the reservoir's original water intake valves in April for the first time. The valve had been in service since 1971, but it can no longer draw water, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority. That agency is responsible for managing water resources for 2.2 million people in southern Nevada, including Las Vegas.
Upstream at Lake Powell, federal officials announced unprecedented, emergency steps last week to keep more water in that reservoir — and preserve the Glen Canyon Dam's ability to generate hydropower — rather than sending it downstream to Lake Mead.
"We have never taken this step before, but the potential risk on the horizon demands prompt action," Assistant Secretary of Water and Science Tanya Trujillo told reporters last week. "We need to work together to stabilize the reservoir before we face a larger crisis."
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The three Americans who died last week at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas were from Tennessee and Florida, but their causes of death remain unknown, the island nation's police commissioner said Monday.
Foul play is not suspected in Friday's deaths, Bahamian acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper has said.
Forensic scientists have collected samples from the deceased, and a lab in Philadelphia is helping with toxicology examinations, Royal Bahamas Police Force Commissioner Paul Rolle said Monday. Scientists also collected samples from the rooms where the bodies were found to check for contaminants, he said.
Officials declined to say whether any contaminants have been found in samples so far. Pathologists would provide an official report once the tests are complete, Rolle said.
Michael Phillips, 68, and his wife Robbie Phillips, 65, from Tennessee were declared dead at the resort Friday, as was Vincent Paul Chiarella, 64, of Florida, who was found unresponsive in a separate room, police said.
A fourth American -- Chiarella's wife, Donnis Chiarella, 65 -- was airlifted to a hospital in the Bahamian capital before being transferred to a Miami's Kendall Hospital, where her condition had been upgraded by Monday to fair from serious, said Jennifer Guerrieri, a spokesperson for Hospital Corporation of America's east Florida division.
The three deaths at Sandals Emerald Bay resort on Great Exuma have been confirmed by Sandals spokeswoman Stacy Royal and the U.S. State Department.
"We are closely monitoring local authorities' investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance," the State Department said in a news release. "Out of respect for the privacy of the families, we have nothing further to add at this time."
Guests found unresponsive in resort villas
Resort staff alerted police shortly after 9 a.m. Friday that an unresponsive man had been found in a villa, police said. En route to the scene, police were told another man and woman were found unresponsive in another villa, the release said.
Police found in the first villa a "Caucasian male lying on the ground unresponsive" with no signs of trauma. A doctor pronounced him dead, police said. The woman who was hospitalized was found with him, Rolle said Saturday.
At the second villa, they found a second man "slumped against a wall in a bathroom unresponsive," and the woman was "found in a bedroom on a bed," the statement said.
"Both showed signs of convulsion," the release said. Neither showed signs of trauma. They were also pronounced dead by a doctor.
The man and woman in the second villa had "complained of illness the previous evening" and received treatment at a local medical facility before returning to their room, police said.
Cooper on Friday asked the nation's health and wellness minister to lead a delegation of health, environment and public works officials to the Exuma district.
"Nothing is more important to Sandals Resorts than the safety of our guests," the resort said in a statement, adding it is actively working to "support both the investigation as well as the guests' families in every way possible."
Sandals cannot disclose further information "out of respect for the privacy of our guests," it said.
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Abortion rights advocates in Michigan are raising alarms about a restrictive abortion ban put in place in 1931 before the US Supreme Court's 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade.
That law was invalidated by the decision in Roe v. Wade, but it's still on the state's books.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other advocates have said that the nearly-century old Michigan state law could go into effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, making Michigan one of the most restrictive states on abortion access.
In hopes of avoiding that, Whitmer is suing to block the law from going into effect.
The urgency for Michigan advocates to enact protections for legal abortion was underscored last week after Politico reported on a draft Supreme Court majority opinion that would strike down Roe v. Wade.
Meanwhile, Whitmer and the state's Democratic attorney general, Dana Nessel, who has said she won't enforce the years-old abortion ban, are up for reelection in November -- making the midterms all the more crucial for abortion rights advocates.
Michigan, however, isn't the only state with a pre-Roe abortion law still intact that legal experts say could be resurrected and enforced.
What does the 1931 Michigan law say?
The 1931 law that's still included in Michigan's penal code states: "Any person who shall wilfully (sic) administer to any pregnant woman any medicine, drug, substance or thing whatever, or shall employ any instrument or other means whatever, with intent thereby to procure the miscarriage of any such woman" ... is guilty of a felony.
It has an exception to "preserve the life" of the woman, but it does not exclude for rape or incest.
The law threatens abortion providers with prison time, according to the ACLU of Michigan, which is representing Planned Parenthood of Michigan in a separate suit challenging the law.
Why did Michigan's governor file a lawsuit?
Whitmer, who supports abortion rights, filed a lawsuit last month to block enforcement of the state's 1931 abortion ban.
"Because if Roe is officially overturned by the Supreme Court—which may happen any day now—abortion could become illegal in Michigan in nearly any circumstance, including in cases of rape and incest, because of a 1931 law on the books banning abortion in Michigan," Whitmer said in a statement last week.
The governor's lawsuit, filed in county circuit court, names as defendants several county prosecutors in her state who could potentially enforce the nearly century-old abortion ban.
Using executive authority, Whitmer also asked the state's Supreme Court to immediately consider the case, skipping over the trial court, and whether the state's Constitution guarantees the right to an abortion.
The state's high court has yet to decide whether or not to hear the case.
If successful, Whitmer's lawsuit could result in the state's old abortion ban being struck down, ensuring access to abortion for the state's constituents should Roe v. Wade be overturned.
Planned Parenthood of Michigan, along with a Michigan abortion provider, also filed suit to block enforcement of the state's 1931 abortion ban. The lawsuit, however, is against Nessel, who has said she would neither defend the 1931 law in court, nor enforce it, should Roe v. Wade be overturned.
The lawsuit names Nessel, the state's top law enforcement official, as a defendant, noting that she has to provide legal advice to state agencies, including the department that can impose penalties on physicians, and supervises all county prosecutors who enforce the state's criminal statutes.
Are there other efforts to overhaul the law?
Michigan state Democrats are also attempting to repeal the old abortion law through the legislative process, which will be difficult given Republicans control both chambers of the legislature. Abortion rights advocates in the state are also attempting to get a measure on the November ballot that would amend the state Constitution to guarantee abortion rights.
Wisconsin's pre-Roe ban
The nearby Wisconsin also has a pre-Roe abortion ban from 1849 on its books.
The law says "any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child is guilty of a Class H felony," which is punishable by up to six years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
The law also would make it a Class E felony, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $50,000 fine, for "any person, other than the mother" who causes the death of the mother or "intentionally destroys the life" of a "unborn quick child."
The law would not apply to the mother and makes exceptions for abortions necessary for the pregnant person's life. The law could be extended beyond abortion providers, according to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin's director of legal advocacy Michelle Velasquez.
Could the Wisconsin law go into effect if Roe is overturned?
Anti-abortion groups in the state have said so, while abortion rights proponents have said otherwise.
"We have always firmly believed that the pre-Roe statute puts us in a powerful position to defend life if Roe is overturned," Gracie Skogman, legislative director for the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Right to Life, told CNN.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin believes a different statute from 1985 that prohibits abortions after viability of the fetus would continue governing abortion, and that the 1849 law would not automatically go into effect should Roe v. Wade be overturned, Velasquez told CNN.
"But there's also some potential uncertainty about that question," Velasquez said, adding that "we can't just really ignore the risk that someone may try to enforce that law." Should Roe v. Wade be overturned, Planned Parenthood would have to pause abortions until that law is made clear, according to Velasquez.
Like Michigan, Wisconsin also has a Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who is backing efforts to overturn the state's 173-year-old criminal abortion ban, and a Democratic attorney general, Josh Kaul, who has said he will not enforce the abortion law. Both Evers and Kaul are also up for reelection this year.
In a statement, Kaul said the "administration will not divert our investigative or prosecutorial resources to the enforcement of a draconian, 173-year-old abortion ban with no exception for rape or incest that has been understood to be unconstitutional for two generations."
But Skogman says enforcement of the law, however, will rest with local district attorneys.
Are other states challenging their pre-Roe abortion bans?
The majority of other states with an abortion ban pre-dating Roe v. Wade still on the books are unlikely to take the same recourse as Michigan or try and repeal their old abortion laws, according to experts CNN spoke to.
These states have Republicans in control of both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's mansion, GOP attorney generals who oppose abortion, and conservative lawmakers who have recently passed other laws restricting abortion in anticipation of the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe.
Experts told CNN that the pre-Roe bans could go into effect if Roe is overturned -- but are unlikely to automatically take effect and the exact process of how they would is unclear.
In Michigan's case, "there is at least the possibility that the law could be directly enforced after Roe is overturned, because there's no court order sitting on it," law professor Rachel Rebouché, the interim dean of Temple University School of Law, told CNN, adding that many of these pre-Roe abortion laws were enjoined by a court as unconstitutional.
State attorneys general could start enforcing these pre-Roe abortion laws, but they would have to issue an opinion or ask a court to vacate that judgment if there had been any litigation, said Ingrid Duran, the anti-abortion group National Right to Life Committee's director of state legislation.
Elizabeth Nash, the state policy analyst for the pro-abortion rights research group Guttmacher Institute, told CNN that it would be more likely that a state's recent abortion ban would go into effect rather than kickstart a new court case around a pre-Roe abortion ban from a century ago.
What about states with trigger laws?
Thirteen states have passed a so-called trigger laws, which are bans on abortion that were passed post-Roe v. Wade and designed to go into effect if it were struck down.
In some cases, the law requires an official such as an attorney general to certify that Roe has been struck down before the law can take effect.
Some states like Oklahoma and Mississippi have passed trigger laws and have a pre-Roe abortion ban still in place.
Oklahoma has also passed a "heartbeat" bill banning abortions after about six weeks and a near-total abortion ban that criminalizes performing an abortion. And Mississippi's 2018 law banning abortion at 15 weeks is at the center of the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which challenges the Roe v. Wade precedent.
"If the court overrules Roe and allow states to prohibit abortion, states hostile to abortion rights -- many of which have lots of different criminal laws that are not enforced today related to abortion -- we think that they will essentially have to pick which law is going to be the vehicle to criminalize or prohibit abortion in their state," Elisabeth Smith, the director of state policy and advocacy for the abortion rights Center for Reproductive Rights, told CNN.
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An American woman hospitalized Friday in the Bahamas, where three other Americans died of unknown causes at a Sandals resort, has left the country and is being treated at a hospital in Miami, the Royal Bahamas Police Force commissioner said Sunday.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, is in serious condition, Commissioner Paul Rolle said. She was initially airlifted to a hospital in Nassau, CNN reported.
Foul play is not suspected in the three deaths Friday, Bahamian Acting Prime Minister Chester Cooper said. The identities of the Americans who died will be released Monday after "official identification" is complete, Rolle told CNN, as authorities try to figure out why they died.
The three deaths at Sandals Emerald Bay resort on Great Exuma were confirmed by Sandals spokesperson Stacy Royal, and the U.S. State Department on Saturday also confirmed them.
"We can confirm the death of three U.S. citizens in the Bahamas," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. "We are closely monitoring local authorities' investigation into the cause of death. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect for the privacy of the families, we have nothing further to add at this time."
Resort staff alerted police shortly after 9 a.m. Friday that an unresponsive man had been found in a villa, police said Saturday in a statement. While headed to the scene, police were told another man and woman were found unresponsive in another villa, the release said.
Police entered the first villa's bedroom, where they found a "Caucasian male lying on the ground unresponsive" with no signs of trauma. A doctor pronounced him dead, police said.
The officers then were directed to the second villa, where they found the second man "slumped against a wall in a bathroom unresponsive." The woman was "found in a bedroom on a bed," according to the statement.
"Both showed signs of convulsion," the release states. Neither showed signs of trauma, and they were also pronounced dead by a doctor.
The man and woman at the second villa had "complained of illness the previous evening" and gotten treatment at a local medical facility before returning to their accommodation, police said.
The woman who was hospitalized had been found in the first villa with the man who died, Rolle told CNN on Saturday.
The acting Prime Minister on Friday asked the nation's health and wellness minister to lead a delegation of health, environment and public works officials to the Exuma district.
"Nothing is more important to Sandals Resorts than the safety of our guests," the resort said Saturday in a statement, adding it is actively working to "support both the investigation as well as the guests' families in every way possible" but cannot disclose further information "out of respect for the privacy of our guests."
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SAGINAW COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - An animal abuse case that drew national attention, back in the spotlight as protestors came to the Saginaw County courthouse to make sure a dog that was killed, gets justice.
The man accused of torturing and killing the dog was due in court Monday in Saginaw.
But outside the courthouse, several people, who at one time cared for the dog, wanted the county's judicial system to know how important this case is to them.
Jacob Wilkinson waived his right to have a preliminary hearing within 21 days of arraignment, so that hearing will be held later. The protestors are still emotional about the dog's death and for the first time, we are hearing from Wilkinson's attorney.
"We were absolutely appalled when we heard what happened," says Ken Kempkens, director of the Humane Society of Macomb.
The dog was known as Randy, but after he left the Humane Society of Macomb and transferred to a program where he was trained by inmates at the Saginaw Correctional facility, he was renamed Habs.
"He had a really good life ahead of him going into that program," says Siara Hobbs of the humane society.
Wilkinson was a corrections officer and had helped trained Habs at the prison.
"The guy that was training him was a corrections officer and wow, that's a perfect adoption," Kempkens says.
Kempkens and others at the Humane Society of Macomb would find out it wasn't perfect, as Wilkinson is now accused of torturing and shooting the dog in ,leaving his body in a Freeland area ditch.
"He was just sweet, he was a ball of joy," says Hobbs.
Hobbs, Kempkens and others from the humane society drove to Saginaw and delivered a petition with 23,000 signatures from Macomb County residents to the courthouse in support of getting justice for Habs.
"We are against any type of animal cruelty but this particular case just struck home,' says Kempkens.
Wilkinson was working at the Genesee County Sheriff's department and was fired when details of the crime came to light. His next court date is not certain, but there's a good chance this group of people will be watching what happens next.
"He didn't deserve what had happened to him." says Hobbs.
As we reported in the past, Wilkinson told investigators that the dog had nipped him and that's he shot the dog.
His attorney, Michael Beer explained today's adjournment with this written statement, which read "the request for an adjournment of the probable cause conference this morning was due to the extensive amount of additional discovery and records still outstanding at this time. It is imperative to Mr. Wilkinson that this additional discovery be provided to ensure due process and vigorous defense.”
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LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) - A new work week brought a new record high price for Michigan drivers to pay for gasoline.
AAA reported new record high average prices for the state Monday at $4.328 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline and $5.255 per gallon of diesel fuel. Both eclipsed records set last Thursday.
The record gasoline price in Michigan is 2 cents higher than the previous record last week while diesel prices are up 9 cents.
Mid-Michigan diesel prices also eclipsed record high prices on Monday.
Prices in the Flint area reached $4.337 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline and $5.231 per gallon of diesel fuel. Prices in the Great Lakes Bay Region hit $4.335 for gasoline and $5.258 per gallon for diesel.
The Great Lakes Bay Region has the second most expensive gasoline in Michigan, according to the AAA.
AAA says the increase in prices last week was caused by basic supply and demand economics. Gasoline supplies in the U.S. dropped about 1% while demand increased by nearly 1%.
AAA spokeswoman Adrienne Woodland doesn't see much relief at the gas pumps coming soon.
"Tight gasoline stocks in the Midwest, coupled with rising demand and high crude oil prices sent Michigan gas prices soaring to a new record high," she said. "Pump prices will likely face upward pressure as oil prices remain above $105 per barrel."
Gasoline and diesel prices had been dropping steadily after reaching their previous records of $4.26 for regular unleaded and $4.91 for diesel fuel on March 10. Prices started increasing above $4.30 per gallon on Monday.
Analysts have said the run-up in fuel prices has been caused by a growing economy, higher demand and global instability from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia was the world's No. 2 oil producer, but countries are banning imports of Russian oil. That is driving supply concerns.
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MICHIGAN, U.S. (WJRT) - Millions of Americans will now have access to affordable, high speed internet.
On Monday, President Joe Biden announced that 20 broadband providers have agreed to lower costs and increase speeds for high speed internet to help close the digital divide in the nation.
"High speed internet is not a luxury it is a necessity," said President Joe Biden from the Rose Garden of the White House.
About 40 million households across the country will qualify for the Affordable Connectivity program. It was a part of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was passed by congress last fall.
"If your household income is twice the federal poverty level or less that's about 55,000 a year for a family of four or 27,000 for an individual" you will qualify Biden said. Others who would qualify are people on Medicaid or supplemental security income and those on other government programs.
In Michigan, about two million people would be eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Michigan Congressman Dan Kildee who has been a champion for expanding high speed internet access across the state, attended Monday's announcement. Kildee says this will help bridge the digital divide in Michigan.
"A quarter of Michigan residents will qualify for this," Kildee said. "It is really a big day and it will connect so many more people to the internet which means they are connected to the economy, they are connected to school, they are connected to work, it is a really important thing."
Participating broadband suppliers have signed on to increase their speeds and lower the cost of their internet. Kildee says for some the internet could be free.
Verizon, for example will have it's high speed internet available for $30.00 a month and then customers take the support that the federal government is providing and it's essentially no costs to those individuals.
To find out who qualifies, visit www.getinternet.gov or https://www.whitehouse.gov/getinternet/?utm_source=getinternet.gov
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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Former Michigan State basketball standout and NBA player Adreian Payne has died in a shooting.
He was 31. The sheriff's office in Orange County, Florida said deputies responded to a shooting Monday morning when Payne was identified and taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Lawrence Dority was present at the scene, according to the sherriff’s office. The 29-year-old Dority was arrested on a first-degree murder warrant after homicide detectives interviewed him.
Payne played in 107 NBA games, averaging four points and three rebounds, over four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic.
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There may be some people who believed they could strike it rich with the racehorse Rich Strike -- whose 80-1 odds in the 148th Kentucky Derby made him one of the longest shots in the race's history -- but his jockey Sonny Leon wasn't one of them.
"I didn't have an idea he could win the derby, the Kentucky Derby. But I had a very good feeling with him," Leon told CNN's Brianna Keilar and John Avlon Monday. Leon thought the horse could finish among the top 10, "but I didn't expect he could really do it. Wow. Unbelievable," he said.
Rich Strike wasn't even added to the field until Friday, when another horse pulled out of the race. He was the biggest long-shot in the 20-horse field.
He began training for the race "against all odds," Rich Strike's trainer Eric Reed said after Saturday's race. "Nobody thought we could get in."
But that race turned into the stuff of horse-racing legend.
The dark horse -- who is actually a chestnut -- lagged in the far back at the start. Leon gradually wove him through, and it was only in the final seconds that Rich Strike took the lead.
The horse had the worst slot, starting from the far outside gate 20, but Leon used it to his advantage, he said.
"I had a very good view behind them," Leon said, so he stayed calm and concentrated and looked for his opening.
It was the Venezuelan jockey's first time riding in the Kentucky Derby, he said, and his first time winning a Grade 1 stake.
"And then we got the Kentucky Derby win," he said. "Wow."
The next leg of the Triple Crown will be the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland, on May 21, followed by the Belmont Stakes on June 11.
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Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix on Sunday ahead of championship leader Charles Leclerc.
The victory cut Leclerc's lead over Verstappen to 19 points in the championship, while the Monegasque's Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz completed the podium.
Verstappen got off to a fast start at the Hard Rock Stadium -- which staged the first of two races in the United States this season -- as he overtook Sainz at turn one.
He then started to close the gap on Leclerc and passed his rival on lap nine -- an advantage he would maintain for the remainder of the race.
READ: Miami GP is going to be F1's Super Bowl, Lewis Hamilton tells Tom Brady
"It's a very good comeback," said Verstappen.
"I didn't even do a [practice] start, so I didn't know what to expect in the actual start. But we had a good launch and I saw the opportunity to go around the outside [of Sainz] in turn one, so I tried. Luckily, it worked."
There was a star-studded crowd in the paddock for Miami's first Formula One race, including Tom Brady, David Beckham and Michael Jordan, who all posed for a photo together alongside seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
Serena and Venus Williams were also in attendance, as were musicians Will.i.am, Pharrell Williams and DJ Khaled.
The race comes amid F1's continued expansion in the US following the success of the "Drive to Survive" Netflix series.
A third American race in Las Vegas will be added to the calendar from next season, joining Miami and Austin.
Verstappen's third victory of the season was hard fought, even though he led for the majority of the race. A crash between Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris on Lap 41 triggered the safety car, and when racing resumed on lap 47, Leclerc pushed hard to retake the lead.
But despite getting to within half a second of his rival, Leclerc had to satisfy himself with second place as he improved his championship tally to 104 points.
"At the safety car restart on the hard [tires], we were very strong, but four or five laps, they [Red Bull] seemed to stabilize the tires in a better window and there they are just quicker than us," said Leclerc.
Red Bull's Sergio Perez finished fourth, ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
The F1 season continues on May 22 when Barcelona hosts the Spanish Grand Prix.
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ARENAC COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - Drivers heading north on I-75 in Arenac County will have to find a different route Tuesday night.
The Michigan Department is closing all northbound lanes of I-75 from 8 p.m. Tuesday through 5 a.m. Wednesday so contractors can remove beams from the Lincoln Road overpass.
All northbound traffic will be forced to exit the freeway at M-61. A detour will be posted to direct drivers around the demolition on U.S. 23, Old 76 and Sterling Road.
Northbound I-75 should reopen in time for the Wednesday morning commute.
The overnight closure originally was planned to happen last week, but MDOT delayed it.
The Lincoln Road overpass demolition is part of a $37 million project to repave 6.4 miles of U.S. 23 between I-75 and Grove Street in Standish, build a roundabout at the U.S. 23 connector and M-13 and fix 19 bridges.
The northbound side of the U.S. 23 connector in Arenac County closed on Monday so contractors can begin a repaving project. The closure will continue until late June, except for Memorial Day weekend.
The entire project is scheduled for completion in October depending on weather conditions.
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https://www.abc12.com/vicky-white-had-a-special-relationship-with-inmate-casey-white-here-are-some-other-people/article_e7b3fd33-bd49-5af7-b24c-a91105be839a.html
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An Alabama corrections officer and an inmate who disappeared together late last month are now in custody -- and authorities believe they may have had a romantic relationship.
Officer Vicky White, 56, and inmate Casey White, 38, were arrested in Evansville, Indiana, on May 9 after a nationwide manhunt ended in a car chase. Casey White faces murder charges and Vicky White is accused of permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree and other charges.
From all accounts, Vicky White's supervisors described her as a "model employee" and a "reliable person," and the case has left friends, family and everyone who knew her stunned by the possibility she may have developed a liking for a man charged with murder and possibly helped him escape.
But Vicky White is not alone. A quick look at the history of some very infamous murderers and serial killers show they had large fan followings, and many of them got married to their fans while in prison.
Experts say there is a term for this kind of attraction.
"Sometimes referred to in our culture as 'Bad Boy Syndrome,' hybristophilia is the attraction to and/or sexual interest in those who commit crimes, particularly heinous and violent crimes such as rape and murder," said Dr. Casey Jordan, Criminologist and Professor of Justice and Law Administration at Western Connecticut State University.
"Vicky White surely believes she's in love with Casey White, because he gives her a feeling of being alive after decades of feeling staid, safe and 'reliable,' " Jordan added.
Here are some examples of romances unimpeded by prison bars:
Richard Matt and David Sweat
Prison worker Joyce Mitchell, who helped two convicted murderers, Richard Matt and David Sweat, break out of an upstate New York prison in 2015 was convicted of promoting prison contraband and criminal facilitation, and was released in 2020 after serving five years in prison.
Authorities said Mitchell, a prison tailor, provided Matt and Sweat with tools they used to cut through cell walls for their escape from the facility in Dannemora, New York. But, she eventually did not follow through on her role in the escape plan, which included Matt killing Mitchell's husband, Lyle Mitchell.
"Inmate Matt and I got along well. We talked every day and he treated me with respect and was nice to me. He made me feel special," Mitchell said in her confession.
Jordan says Vicky White's psychology appears to match Mitchell's.
"The deep void they feel in middle age as they struggle with the aging process and grief for a declining sense of attractiveness and the loss of excitement in their lives is somehow filled by the attention of a Bad Boy... they act just like a teenager and take unimaginable risks without any care of how it will end," Jordan explained.
"I know I had agreed to help them escape and run away with them, but I panicked and couldn't follow through with the rest of the plan. I really do love my husband and he's the reason I didn't meet Inmate Matt and Inmate Sweat," Mitchell said in her statements at the time.
"Human behavior is complex, and the motivations behind behavior can be from many reasons. And so for some, depending on what motivated the behavior or psychiatric conditions they have, it absolutely could be when they're out of that context, or something else happens in their life, that they realize the error of their ways," said Dr. Arielle Baskin-Sommers, Associate Professor of Psychology and of Psychiatry at Yale University.
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy preyed on young women and eventually confessed to more than two dozen murders before he was executed, but he may have been linked to additional killings.
While he was on trial for murder, he married Carole Ann Boone who later had his child. Boone, who had worked with Bundy at the Washington State Department of Emergency Services, testified for him as a character witness and they married during the trial, literally while she was testifying.
"Fixer-Saviors believe that they have been given a sign (often by God or a higher power) to save the criminal. She often refuses to acknowledge evidence of guilt, insists he was framed, and believes that she has unique insight into his psyche," Jordan said.
Bundy, with his good looks and college education, could also be very charming. He had studied psychology in college, worked as a suicide hotline volunteer while at school and served at one point as assistant director of the Seattle Crime Prevention Advisory Commission.
"Just on the general human level, people want to feel wanted and want to feel connected and want to feel complimented, and some of these men are very good at doing those things. Ted Bundy was very charming and very engaging. And so you could imagine for any human being, once you're kind of sucked in and charmed and engaged, you do anything to kind of discount the examples of behavior that might be more problematic," Baskin-Sommers said.
Charles Manson
Mass murderer Charles Manson, at age 80, had planned to marry 26-year-old Afton "Star" Burton while he was in prison. She had started communicating with him via letters and phone calls and then moved near Corcoran State Prison in California where he was incarcerated when she was 19 years old.
She believed in his innocence, spending years trying to clear his name, and continued to support him, although she said she knew people thought she was crazy.
"I don't care what those kind of people think. It doesn't make any difference. The man that I know is not what they have in the movies or in documentaries and the books. He's nothing like that. He doesn't tell people what to do. He's not manipulative at all," Burton had said at the time.
"These women often have a long history of getting involved with "bad boys" and seeking to fix their wicked ways or bring them to salvation. In their mind, their undying faith and commitment will bring him around," Jordan said.
Baskin-Sommers said some convicted murderers demonstrate characteristics consistent with a disorder called psychopathy. "That disorder is associated with superficial and charming behavior and a lack of genuine relationships... they would just be using women to do things: help them get them out of jail, pay for services," she explained.
Erik and Lyle Menendez
Erik Menendez and his brother Lyle, who were convicted of the 1989 slayings of their parents, both married while in prison. Lyle Menendez married his longtime pen pal Anna Erikkson, a former model, but they later divorced and he remarried. And Erik Menendez married Tammi Ruth Saccoman.
"The most basic underlying reason for the attraction is indeed the infamy of these criminals... who have been super-hyped in the media and are household words," Jordan said.
"Many deeply insecure people who crave attention and validation from a well-known person seek out the famous criminal as the subject of their love and attraction. Their lives are usually empty and boring with no prospect of achievement or self-actualization, so they believe their association with the killer will fill the void," Jordan added.
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High pressure is keeping us under sunny skies today with a breezy SE wind. As the next low pressure system lifts to the north of us we’ll add in more clouds tomorrow.
Afternoon temps will be in the 60s closer to the lake with a SE wind at 10-20mph, gusting to 30mph, while inland we’ll see more low to mid 70s. With dry conditions, warm temps, and a breezy wind, our fire danger level is very high and you’re asked to refrain from doing any burning.
Tonight we’ll only fall to the mid and upper 50s with SSE winds at 10-20mph. Some clouds will move in and we’ll see a mix of sun and clouds tomorrow with highs in the mid and upper 70s (cooler near the lake).
Those further north may see a stray shower later Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Wednesday’s highs will be up around 80!
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Temperatures cruised through the 70s Monday, courtesy of a good bit of sunshine and southeasterly winds. The easterly component to the wind did hold readings back a bit along the Lake Huron shoreline. We will have a quiet night across Mid-Michigan, even as our cloud cover thickens up a little bit. Lowest temperatures early Tuesday morning will range from the lower, to middle 50s. Our “normal” low for this time of the year is about 44 or 45-degrees.
We will be seeing a little more clouds cover for the next couple of days, but temperatures will likely move upward a bit more nonetheless. Tuesday will be a dry day with temperatures for the afternoon moving toward the upper 70s. For Wednesday, some of the thicker clouds may spit out some drops of rain. Highs Wednesday will surround the 80-egree mark. Frisky south-southeasterly winds are expected for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The sunshine will be a little bit brighter again as we close out the workweek. At the same time, our winds will be turning a little more in from the south. This combination will allow temperatures to easily move into the 80s for Thursday and Friday afternoons. On ABC12 News we'll tell you about what impacts a cool front headed our way for the weekend will have on our weather picture. - JR
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High pressure is keeping us under sunny skies today with a breezy SE wind. As the next low pressure system lifts to the north of us we’ll add in more clouds tomorrow.
Afternoon temps will be in the 60s closer to the lake with a SE wind at 10-20mph, gusting to 30mph, while inland we’ll see more low to mid 70s. With dry conditions, warm temps, and a breezy wind, our fire danger level is very high and you’re asked to refrain from doing any burning.
Tonight we’ll only fall to the mid and upper 50s with SSE winds at 10-20mph. Some clouds will move in and we’ll see a mix of sun and clouds tomorrow with highs in the mid and upper 70s (cooler near the lake).
Those further north may see a stray shower later Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Wednesday’s highs will be up around 80!
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https://www.abc12.com/coronavirus/covid-19-cases-get-harder-to-track-with-access-to-at-home-kits/article_e06e78d8-d0a0-11ec-8d8f-6b0ca1189543.html
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GENESEE CO. (WJRT) – A data deficit is hitting Michigan as health officials find it more difficult to accurately track the amount of COVID-19 case.
“What we're seeing, as far as numbers, is an underestimation of the number of cases that are out there,” Flint physician Dr. Bobby Makkamala said.
With additional access to at-home test kits, Makkamala says less people are likely to inform their health department when they do test positive.
“It's not the kind of thing that's being tabulated at a county health department or a state sort of number to quantify exactly how many people are testing positive, like when they used to go somewhere to get tested,” he said.
In Genesee County, the health department’s epidemiologist, Mattew Peters sees less positive cases from at-home testing every day, but he said that doesn’t mean the cases aren’t there.
“If they do have a positive at home test, it's really critical for us to understand what COVID is looking like in our county at the moment, and how many cases we have,” Peters said. “That way it can help us predict if we're seeing potentially the presence of a new variant, or if we need to look out for hospitals becoming fuller.
Michigan is among several states that only report COVID data once a week. On top of at home testing gaps, the inconsistent data continues to make predicting a surge difficult for counties.
“I can't say that the amount of cases we've seen in the county over the last couple of months has been steadily increasing,” he said. “Whether or not that will continue to be the case into the summer is difficult to say.”
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https://www.abc12.com/coronavirus/why-covid-19-vaccine-boosters-may-be-more-important-than-ever/article_3d8eae97-d43d-56d9-93bb-e808ec3259cd.html
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With waning immunity and a coronavirus that seems to become more infectious with each new variant, the Biden administration predicts that up to 100 million more people could get COVID-19 in the fall and winter.
That estimate makes it crucial that as many people as possible get booster shots of COVID-19 vaccine, experts say. And if you're eligible, it's a good time to get a second booster.
Less than half of eligible Americans -- only about a third of the total U.S. population -- have gotten a first booster dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Only about 10 million people have received a second booster, which is authorized for people 50 and older, along with those who are 12 and older who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.
The CDC encourages people to be "up-to-date" on COVID-19 vaccinations -- which includes getting boosters at the appropriate time -- but still defines a person to be "fully vaccinated" if they've received at least their initial vaccination series.
But this week, a senior Biden administration official was more direct: All adults need a third shot.
Vaccination is the best way for individuals to protect themselves against COVID-19, and protection is most effective with at least three shots, the official said.
Getting more Americans boosted against COVID-19 could make a big difference as far as case numbers go, according to Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the US Food and Drug Administration. He told the American Medical Association on Monday that he is "a little concerned" about where the COVID-19 pandemic is heading.
"It's really important that we try to get the half -- or a little bit more than a half -- of Americans who have only received two doses to get that third dose," Marks said. "That may make a difference moving forward here, and it may particularly make a difference now that we're coming into yet another wave of COVID-19."
The current rising COVID cases are nothing like what the U.S. saw with the initial Omicron surge, but as of Monday, the U.S. is averaging 71,577 new cases a day, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Case rates are currently highest in the Northeast region of the U.S., where booster uptake is best. Nearly half of Vermont's population is fully vaccinated and boosted, along with more than 40% of the population in Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to CDC data.
But cases are also starting to tick up in the South, where less than a quarter of the population is fully vaccinated and boosted. In North Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi, less than 1 in 5 people have received their booster shot.
Who's getting -- and not getting -- boosters
Everyone in the U.S. who is 12 and older is eligible for a booster dose. Only the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is available as a booster for adolescents 12 to 17.
Adults who were initially vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine are eligible for a booster dose five months after the initial series. Those vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson are eligible for a booster dose two months after their first shot.
CDC data shows that booster uptake is higher in older age groups in the US, consistent with broader vaccination trends. But nearly 2 out of 5 seniors age 65 and older -- and more than 3 out of 5 adults overall -- do not have either of their booster shots.
People who get three doses of an mRNA vaccine have a relatively low rate of COVID-related urgent care visits and hospitalizations compared with those who got only two doses, studies have shown. Even with the more infectious Omicron variant, a booster seems to protect against more severe disease.
Scientists are still trying to determine whether younger age groups would benefit from an additional vaccine dose. Pfizer and BioNTech have requested emergency use authorization for the 5-to-11 age range.
"That will hopefully be acted on in the not-too-distant future," Marks said.
New research on fourth doses
A fourth dose of Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine -- which is already authorized for people 50 and older in the United States -- seems safe and provides a "substantial" boost to immunity at similar or even better levels than a third dose, according to a study published Monday.
The researchers gave study participants whose median age was 70.1 years a half dose of the Moderna vaccine or a full dose of the Pfizer vaccine in a random selection in January, about seven months after they received their first booster.
The second booster didn't seem to have any major side effects. The biggest complaints were arm pain and fatigue.
The booster also generated an immune response at day 14 that was higher than that at day 28 after the third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
When the researchers compared the mRNA vaccines, Moderna's fourth dose seemed to do slightly better than Pfizer's, but it's unclear why. Both generated what scientists considered a "significant fold change" in protective antibodies. T-cell responses were also boosted after the fourth dose.
Antibodies are a first line of immune protection that can stop a virus from infecting cells. T-cells come in later and destroy infected cells. T-cells can't protect against mild infections, but they can keep infections from progressing to severe disease.
"Fourth-dose COVID-19 mRNA booster vaccines are well tolerated and boost cellular and humoral immunity," the study says. "Peak responses after the fourth dose were similar to, and possibly better than, peak responses after the third dose."
The study also showed that some people who had higher levels of antibodies before the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine had only "limited" boosting. Those with a history of COVID-19 infection had a similar limited response. The authors say this suggests that there may be a ceiling or maximum response that can come with a fourth vaccine dose.
The study didn't look specifically at neutralization of the Omicron variant.
Two earlier studies out of Israel showed that hospitalization and death rates from COVID-19 could be reduced with a fourth vaccine dose given at least four months after the third dose. The reduction in hospitalizations and death persisted over time with this fourth shot.
New generation of vaccines and boosters
Marks hopes that the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines -- which he predicts will come in the next year or two -- will be even better at protecting people against the "whole variety" of COVID variants and provide a more robust immune response.
The FDA's vaccine advisory committee will meet in late June to review the data on vaccines, including monovalent (which would target a single variant) and bivalent vaccines (which could target the original strain of the virus plus another).
"It's a little bit of a challenge here because we don't know how much further the virus will evolve over the next few months," Marks said. "But we have no choice, because if we want to produce the hundreds of millions of doses that need to be available for a booster campaign, we have to start in the early July timeframe or even sooner to get those kinds of numbers."
The FDA committee may also discuss whether an additional booster should be recommended in the fall for the general population or for target groups, Marks said.
Some doctors have said they've heard from patients who want to wait to get a booster to get better coverage for winter. Marks said that waiting to get a booster is a bad idea, especially if those people haven't had COVID-19 recently.
"Why? Because it's going to be four or five, six months before we get to when you get your next booster," he said. "You're talking about having several months there at risk."
Even with a fall and winter surge predicted, cases are on the increase now, and those who have had only two mRNA shots are vulnerable.
"Rather than just being casual about it," Marks said. "I would urge them to try to get that third dose to ramp up the immunity just because we do have plenty of circulating COVID-19."
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https://www.abc12.com/news/business/elon-musk-says-he-is-exactly-aligned-with-europes-sweeping-new-rules-for-social-media/article_5dd0946d-2f87-542f-8f0a-d035204e4f3b.html
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Elon Musk appeared to endorse a key European law regulating social media on Monday when he appeared in a video with Thierry Breton, a top EU commissioner and digital regulator.
In the video, Breton said he met with Musk to explain the finer points of the Digital Services Act, a forthcoming law that imposes higher content moderation standards on tech platforms.
Asked by Breton whether he felt the DSA "fits pretty well" with how Musk believes platforms should be run, the billionaire Tesla CEO and prospective owner of Twitter said it is "exactly aligned with [what] we're thinking."
"Very much agree with — it's been a great discussion and I really think that — I agree with everything you said, really, I think we're very much of the same mind and, you know, just anything that my companies can do that would be beneficial to Europe, we want do that," Musk said in the video.
Musk later replied to Breton's tweet containing the video, reiterating his positive reflections on the exchange.
"Great meeting! We are very much on the same page," Musk tweeted.
Despite expressing support for Europe's new legal requirements, Musk did not appear to be making an expanded new commitment to content moderation. Musk has previously said he wants to open up "free speech" on Twitter by easing its enforcement of content moderation policies, but has also said he plans for the platform to abide by local laws and regulations on speech — and that if citizens wish to apply different rules to platforms, they can do so via their legislatures.
Some experts have warned that such a narrow approach to content moderation — doing just enough to avoid breaking local speech laws but going no further to moderate otherwise objectionable content — could give a boost to authoritarian regimes with a track record of outlawing critical speech.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/business/janet-yellen-warns-of-continued-volatility-in-the-economy/article_dbf5f5df-61fd-5157-b396-3be5bab1346b.html
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US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told lawmakers on Tuesday the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine may continue to add turbulence to the world economy.
"There is the potential for continued volatility and unevenness of global growth as countries continue to grapple with the pandemic," Yellen said during a hearing on the Financial Stability Oversight Council's (FSOC) annual report to Congress.
"Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has further increased economic uncertainty," said Yellen, who chairs the FSOC, during the Senate Banking Committee hearing.
The war in Ukraine has disrupted supplies of food and energy, contributing to the highest level of inflation in decades. The average price of regular gasoline has jumped about 25% to record highs since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
Yellen said financial regulators will continue to monitor developments and "coordinate actions as the risks and threats evolve."
Inflation fears have helped trigger sweeping volatility on Wall Street as investors worry about the Federal Reserve's plans to significantly raise interest rates.
Still, Yellen said the US financial system has "continued to function in an orderly manner."
At the same time, she conceded that valuations of some unspecified assets "remain high compared with historical values."
Secretary Yellen also warned that Western sanctions have delivered a powerful blow to Russia's economy following the invasion of Ukraine.
"Their economy is clearly in recession," Yellen told lawmakers, adding that there are forecasts the Russian economy will contract by 10% to 15%.
Inflation in Russia is probably running around 20% this year, Yellen said. That would be more than double the 8.5% year-over-year jump in consumer prices in the United States in March.
"Russian firms that have been sanctioned are finding it almost impossible to gain access to goods and services that they need in global markets," Yellen said, adding that this includes major defense firms that can't find the computer chips and other components they need to restock their defense arsenals.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/business/starbucks-is-selling-a-new-chocolate-flavored-coffee/article_b161eac7-e57b-5de9-a18b-868a1401b27b.html
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Starbucks is adding a new cold beverage as demand for iced coffee continues to grow.
Beginning Tuesday, the coffee chain is adding a new chocolate cream cold brew to its menus. The drink features cold brew coffee topped with a "light, sweet and silky" chocolate cream cold-foam and is sweetened with vanilla syrup.
The new offering is inspired by "nostalgic summer moments," Starbucks said in a press release.
"The classic combination of coffee and notes of chocolate, along with the malt flavor in the chocolate cream cold foam, are reminiscent of a chocolate malted milkshake, or that last bit of melted chocolate ice cream on a warm summer day, to recreate the sweet, creamy flavor of summers past," said Rosalyn Batingan of Starbucks' beverage development team.
Prices for a grande chocolate cream cold brew range from $5.25 to $5.45 depending on which U.S. city customers order from.
Cold beverages, like iced coffees and Frappuccinos, have proven extremely successful for Starbucks. Interim CEO Howard Schultz said in last week's earnings call that they account for "almost 80% of the business." Just three years ago, cold drinks accounted for roughly half of Starbucks' business.
In the past, Starbucks has credited cold drinks, including cold brew coffees, for bolstering its bottom line and helping kickstart sales in the afternoon, which had previously been a sore spot for the company.
The chain has expanded its cold brew coffee options with seasonal flavors, such as a pumpkin cream cold brew in the fall and an Irish cream cold brew during the holidays. The new chocolate cream cold brew is available year round.
Starbucks is also having success attracting young people with its cold coffee drinks because those customers often view cold coffee as an alternative to soda and energy drinks, according to a report from Guggenheim Partners. And Starbucks customers are more loyal to cold brews and iced coffees.
Schultz last week admitted that the company's workers are facing "tremendous strain" as demand grows. Sales at North American company-owned stores open at least 13 months jumped 12% in the three months ending April 3. Revenue jumped 17% in that region for the quarter.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/crime/protesters-come-to-saginaw-courthouse-to-ensure-justice-for-dog-that-was-shot-to-death/article_e692f100-cfdb-11ec-8e0e-ef711f1c5939.html
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SAGINAW COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - An animal abuse case that drew national attention is back in the spotlight as protestors came to the Saginaw County courthouse to make sure a dog that was killed gets justice.
The man accused of torturing and killing the dog was due in court Monday in Saginaw.
Outside the courthouse, several people, who at one time cared for the dog, wanted the county's judicial system to know how important this case is to them.
Jacob Wilkinson waived his right to have a preliminary hearing within 21 days of arraignment, so that hearing will be held later. The protestors are still emotional about the dog's death.
"We were absolutely appalled when we heard what happened," said Ken Kempkens, director of the Humane Society of Macomb.
The dog was known as Randy, but after he left the Humane Society of Macomb and transferred to a program where he was trained by inmates at the Saginaw Correctional Facility, he was renamed Habs.
"He had a really good life ahead of him going into that program," said Siara Hobbs of the humane society.
Wilkinson was a corrections officer and had helped trained Habs at the prison.
"The guy that was training him was a corrections officer and wow, that's a perfect adoption," Kempkens said.
He and others at the Humane Society of Macomb found out it wasn't perfect, as Wilkinson is now accused of torturing and shooting the dog before leaving his body in a Freeland-area ditch.
"He was just sweet. He was a ball of joy," Hobbs said.
Hobbs, Kempkens and others from the humane society drove to Saginaw and delivered a petition with 23,000 signatures from Macomb County residents to the courthouse in support of getting justice for Habs.
"We are against any type of animal cruelty but this particular case just struck home," Kempkens said.
Wilkinson was working for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and was fired when details of the crime came to light. His next court date is not certain, but there's a good chance this group of people will be watching what happens next.
"He didn't deserve what had happened to him," Hobbs said.
Wilkinson told investigators that the dog had nipped him and that's when he shot the dog. His attorney, Michael Beer, explained the reasoning for adjourning the hearing Monday.
"The request for an adjournment of the probable cause conference this morning was due to the extensive amount of additional discovery and records still outstanding at this time," Beer wrote. "It is imperative to Mr. Wilkinson that this additional discovery be provided to ensure due process and vigorous defense."
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Far too often, Dr. Debra Houry found herself covered in blood.
As an emergency physician in the United States for about 20 years, Houry said that it was a "frequent occurrence" to treat young men in the emergency room for gunshot wounds. They often would "bleed out" on her as she was resuscitating them.
Then she would search the hospital for a clean white coat to wear "so that I'd look respectable and presentable to talk to their families -- or to somebody that did survive, but then was paralyzed or had traumatic stress as a result of it," Houry said.
"That was heartbreaking."
The rate of gun-related deaths in the U.S. appears to be getting worse.
The U.S. firearm homicide rate in 2020 was the highest recorded since 1994, according to data published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Houry currently serves as acting principal deputy director and head of the National Center for Injury Prevention.
Between 2019 and 2020, the overall firearm homicide rate increased by about 35%, according to the new data in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
"The COVID-19 pandemic might have exacerbated existing social and economic stressors that increase risk for homicide and suicide, particularly among certain racial and ethnic communities," CDC researchers wrote in their report.
"The increases in firearm homicide rates and persistently high firearm suicide rates in 2020, with increases among populations that were already at high risk, have widened disparities and heightened the urgency of actions that can have immediate and lasting benefits."
In 2020, 79% of all homicides and 53% of all suicides involved firearms, according to the CDC, which is somewhat higher than during the preceding five years.
Gun homicides rise, suicide rates remain level
CDC researchers examined data on gun deaths from the agency's National Vital Statistics Systems and National Center for Health Statistics, while also looking closely at county-level data and U.S. Census Bureau data on poverty.
The researchers found that during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, U.S. counties with the highest poverty level had firearm homicide and firearm suicide rates that were 4.5 and 1.3 times as high, respectively, as counties with the lowest poverty level.
"That's a big take home for me," Houry said. "Because if we're going to look at where to intervene, it's in a lot of these impoverished communities."
From 2019 to 2020, the overall firearm homicide rate climbed from 4.6 deaths to 6.1 deaths per 100,000 people nationwide, according to the new data. But that increase was not equally distributed, revealing widening disparities in homicides.
The largest increases in 2020 occurred among Black boys and men ages 10 to 44 and American Indian or Alaska Native men ages 25 to 44, the data showed.
The CDC's findings on the firearm homicide rate tracks closely with the FBI's 2020 Uniform Crime Report, released in September of last year.
The FBI's data shows a 29.4% increase in homicides between 2019 and 2020, the largest jump the agency has ever recorded. The UCR recorded the homicide rate in the U.S. as 6.5 per 100,000 people.
The report also stated that homicides are increasingly carried out by firearms, stating that about 77% of reported homicides in 2020 were committed with a gun, up from 74% in 2019. There is no federal database of gun sales, but other independent surveys have found that gun sales have soared during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the overall firearm suicide rate among people age 10 and older remained nearly level between 2019 and 2020, climbing only slightly from 7.9 to 8.1 deaths per 100,000 people, CDC researchers found in their new report.
"Although the overall firearm suicide rate remained relatively unchanged between 2019 and 2020, young persons and some racial/ethnic minority groups experienced increases in firearm suicide," the researchers wrote in their report.
The largest increase occurred among American Indian and Alaska Native people, resulting in the group having the highest firearm suicide rate as of 2020.
The data in the report did not include information on the specific type of firearms used.
"Oftentimes that information is not included in the death certificate. When it is included, the most common type of firearm is a handgun," Thomas Simon, associate director for science at the CDC's Division of Violence Prevention, told reporters during a call Tuesday.
'When I went to medical school, this wasn't something that we talked about'
Gun violence is a "significant public health problem," Houry wrote in an opinion paper with Simon and Dr. Alexander Crosby, published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA.
In their paper, they note that clinicians can play a role in talking to patients about gun safety, but medical schools often do not incorporate firearm safety, violence prevention and social determinants of health in their curricula.
"When I went to medical school, this wasn't something that we talked about or were trained on. I didn't start thinking about it until I saw the consequences of it," Houry said.
As a student in medical school in the late 1990s, Houry knew gun violence was a problem in America. "But I don't think I knew the magnitude and I also don't think I realized the personal impact it would have on me and on my patients," she said.
In their JAMA paper, Houry and her colleagues referenced a survey of more than 1,000 family physicians that found almost half of family physicians, 46%, reported having no training in firearm safety counseling and about two thirds, 68%, did not feel knowledgeable discussing safe storage devices for firearms,
"But those who had received formal training were more likely to report a higher level of comfort with asking patients about firearm ownership," Houry said. "So for me, it's about making sure clinicians understand their role and then have the tools on what to do."
'We need to figure out how we de-conflict our society'
Communities can also use these new data on firearm deaths to consider interventions to reduce violence.
"Childcare subsidies can reduce stressors and prevent violence," Houry said. "We've also funded research around greening initiatives to where you can go in and make a vacant lot look better by planting grass and trees. That's been shown to reduce firearm assaults by up to 29% in impoverished areas."
The CDC currently is funding 18 two-year research projects on gun violence. "With the recent congressional appropriations for the past two years, we've been able to fund 18 promising projects to look at innovations to prevent firearm violence," Houry told reporters during a call Tuesday.
The climbing U.S. homicide rate is a concerning threat to the nation's public health -- but not surprising, Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told CNN last year.
He said the rise in homicides has occurred parallel to a recent rise in overall violence, hate, tensions, political divisions and anger displayed in communities across the country.
"We're literally seeing it in front of our eyes -- at school board meetings and public events," Benjamin said.
"People seem to have lost all civility, and then you couple that with having to stay home, and being stressed from that, losing your job, losing resources, fear for your health, more guns," he said. "I think we need to figure out how we de-conflict our society."
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https://www.abc12.com/news/education/bay-city-school-board-votes-to-abandon-plans-for-privatizing-bus-services/article_1b72380e-d063-11ec-a25e-c70bde24915f.html
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BAY CITY, Mich. (WJRT) - Bay City school bus drivers are relieved after board members voted on Monday to abandon plans for privatizing transportation services.
The proposal sparked outrage from bus drivers in the district, who said the district was trying to sacrifice their positions to save a few dollars.
The decision Monday evening was unanimous with all board members voting in favor of keeping the transportation system the same. The district expects next year's transportation costs to be just under $3 million.
The outsourcing proposal would have affected 24 bus drivers, two dispatchers and three mechanics.
Bay City Public Schools board members say they didn't see a good reason to change the system.
The proposal was an attempt for the district to combat shortages in bus driver positions, which many districts across the country are suffering from.
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SWARTZ CREEK, Mich. (WJRT) - Students had to shelter in place at Swartz Creek High School for a short time Tuesday after a student reported seeing another student with a gun.
A student called 911 to report seeing another student potentially carrying a gun in their pocket. Swartz Creek Superintendent Ben Mainka said the building immediately went into a shelter in place mode.
Police and administrators quickly found and apprehended the student who was accused of carrying a gun. Mainka said searches of the student and the entire school turned up no evidence of a weapon.
"Our administration and police liaison officers in the building acted swiftly and ensured everyone was safe while the student was searched and questioned," he said. "While we never want to have to go through a scare like this, it was very encouraging that our systems worked quickly and effectively."
Mainka credited the student who made the report for doing the right thing. He also credited the Metro Police Authority of Genesee County and Genesee County Sheriff's Office for responding quickly.
"We will always error on the side of caution in these circumstances," Mainka said.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/entertainment/apple-is-discontinuing-its-last-ipod-model/article_16c3b245-e912-5a5a-8235-3477e9eb2c73.html
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Apple said Tuesday it would discontinue production of the last iPod model it still sells, effectively bringing an end to the iconic product line that helped usher in a new era for the music industry and the tech giant.
Apple said customers can continue to purchase an iPod Touch device "while supplies last." The company also noted that customers can now listen to their favorite songs from a range of other Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
"Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry -- it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared," Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in a statement.
"Today, the spirit of iPod lives on," Joswiak added, touting how the music experience ushered in by the iPod has been integrated across "all of our products."
First introduced by Apple's cofounder and then-CEO Steve Jobs in 2001, the iPod helped kick off Apple's tremendous success with handheld devices. The iPod drew customers with its signature scroll wheel and the initial promise of holding "up to 1,000 CD-quality songs" on a device that fits in your pocket. By mid-2007, more than 100 million iPod devices had been sold.
That same year, Apple unveiled the iPhone, which was in many ways the spiritual heir to the iPod Touch. The smartphone, and other Apple devices that followed, eventually made the iPod feel like a relic of the past, long before it was officially discontinued.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/entertainment/celebrity-chef-mario-batali-is-acquitted-of-groping-woman-at-boston-restaurant/article_6811fdd8-709b-58b0-87fd-56639c6e23b3.html
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Celebrity chef Mario Batali was found not guilty Tuesday at a bench trial on charges of indecent assault and battery related to the alleged groping of a star-struck patron at a Boston restaurant in 2017.
Judge James Stanton noted Batali's conduct was "not befitting of a public person of his stature" that night five years ago but said his accuser has "significant credibility issues" that supported the defendant's "contention that her motive was financial gain."
Batali, wearing a sport coat, smiled after the verdict and thanked his attorneys.
The verdict came one day after Natali Tene took the stand at Batali's criminal trial in Boston, testifying that he groped her during an impromptu selfie session in 2017.
Tene said she posed for photos with Batali while, out-of-frame, he took advantage of the star-struck patron as she was standing close to him for the photos.
"His right hand is all over my breasts, all over my rear end, all between my legs," Tene said. "I've never been grabbed like that before ... squeezing my vagina and pulling me closer to him. As if that's a normal way to pull someone in."
Batali was charged with indecent assault and battery, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
He denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty. Defense attorney Anthony Fuller said during his opening statement Monday, "The photos and videos don't support her testimony."
Batali waived his right to a jury trial in favor of a bench trial, which the judge accepted. He was charged in 2019 and faces a civil suit over the same incident.
Multiple allegations against Batali -- a chef and restauranteur who appeared on television cooking shows for more than two decades -- surfaced in 2017 after the restaurant news website Eater reported four accounts of women who claimed Batali "touched them inappropriately in a pattern of behavior that appears to span at least two decades."
Batali stepped away from public view in the wake of the allegations and his restaurant group cut ties with him in 2018.
The New York Police Department reviewed sexual misconduct allegations against Batali, but closed its two investigations in 2019 without filing charges.
Tene testifies she was 'nervous, shocked, alarmed'
The evening started, Tene testified Monday, when she met a friend at around 9 p.m. on March 31, 2017, at Towne Stove and Spirits, a restaurant in Boston the pair frequently visited.
Tene recognized Batali taking a seat near her at the bar around midnight, she said. Batali was a few seats away when she tried to covertly take a photo of him on her phone, she testified.
Tene said her friend told her Batali caught her sneaking the picture and wanted her to come over, probably to delete the photo. Tene walked over and apologized to Batali, she said, promising to delete the photo if he wanted.
"He said, 'No, it was fine, no worries, let's actually take some selfies instead,'" Tene testified.
Tene took about 10 selfies with her phone at around 12:37 a.m., she said, and their heads, faces, shoulders and whatever could fit in the frame were visible.
"He has his face pressed up against mine and he's pulling my body closer to his," she said.
"He's kissing the side of my face. He has his other arm wrapped behind me," Tene said as the photos were displayed in court. She noted that they took a few photos, saying they weren't good because they weren't looking at the camera.
"His hands were in sensitive areas, touching me, touching my body," she said. "It was like a selfie, but other things were happening simultaneously ... His other hand that can't be seen is touching my body in sensitive areas."
Batali kept asking to take more selfies and can be heard asking, "Does that work" in one of the live photos, she said.
"It all happened so fast and it was happening the whole time, in different parts," Tene said, recapping the ways Batali allegedly grabbed her. "I kind of froze up to be honest. Put on a smile to de-escalate the situation. Kind of nervous, shocked, alarmed," she said.
Tene noticed Batali's eyes weren't open in some of the photos and he reeked of alcohol, she testified. "This guy was wasted, for lack of a better term," Tene said.
Batali then allegedly asked Tene to come to his hotel room, she testified, saying she got chills when he asked.
"Kind of like, mortified, disgusted," Tene said. "That sensation that this was not right. Overall, this was very uncomfortable."
Tene left and went back to her house. Later, she told her friend about the alleged attack and said the pair agreed to never eat again at Eataly, an Italian food market co-owned by Batali at the time.
Tene later testified she spoke to a journalist at Eater, detailing her account after the reporter wrote a story about other women who had been allegedly grabbed by Batali, Tene said.
Tene hired legal representation and filed a civil suit, she said, but says she isn't looking for money.
"This happened to me and this is my life and I want to take control of what happened, come forward and say my piece," Tene said.
Defense questions motives, photos
Fuller, the defense attorney, cross-examined Tene, quizzing her about the night of the alleged assault and her subsequent motives.
Fuller went through each of the images Tene took of her and Batali and focused on one photo that showed space between where they stood, highlighting that floor tile was visible in the photo between the two.
"He was grabbing you, pulling you closer, was he?" asked Fuller, who said there was roughly eight inches of space between the pair.
"He definitely was," responded Tene.
"Doesn't look like it in this photo," Fuller said.
"He's grabbing my ass," Tene said.
Fuller highlighted a gap in time between the first batch of photos and the second batch, three minutes later. Fuller argued the gap in time showed she wasn't in danger. He also challenged Tene on her facial expressions in the photos, saying it wasn't a grimace like she testified, but a smile.
Tene was also questioned about eating at Batali-owned restaurants, even though she told investigators in a deposition the thought of eating at those restaurants was disgusting. Fuller showed her bank statements that revealed she ate at Eataly with a friend who knew about the alleged attack.
Fuller also showed pictures in court that were taken in the same bar, Towne Stove and Spirits, where the alleged attack took place, the night before Eater was set to publish a story with her allegations.
"Towne wasn't the scary place, it was the scary person. I was pretty comfortable there," Tene responded when asked why she wasn't triggered by being in the same spot and returning multiple times after the alleged attack.
Tene also disputed Fuller's line of questioning about financial motivations and hiring legal counsel.
"I'm not looking for anything, I'm not seeking any particular amount," Tene said. "What other way is there to make this situation right? I've never been in a situation like this before."
Fuller spent the rest of his cross examination attempting to establish inconsistencies in Tene's story, talking about her alleged attempts to get out of jury duty and alleging that she laughed off the incident over texts with her friends.
Prosecutors plan on calling a witness to the stand Tuesday morning who they say heard the whole story from Tene about a week after the alleged groping incident.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/entertainment/dolly-parton-and-doja-cat-will-star-in-a-tiktok-musical-about-taco-bells-mexican/article_e358d490-1c35-5c71-9c4d-6315fac33a7d.html
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In an extremely 2022 move, Dolly Parton and Doja Cat will star in a TikTok musical for Taco Bell, themed around -- what else? -- the chain's dearly missed Mexican Pizza.
That sentence could have been generated by AI that was fed a list of buzzwords, but no! "Mexican Pizza: The Musical" is real, a fast food ode to the Taco Bell menu item that will return to stores this month, and it will air live on TikTok on May 26.
It all started when Doja Cat shared a "contractual" rap for the chain, with a silly trumpeted beat and Taco Bell's titular chime, about Mexican Pizza, which was taken off Taco Bell's menu in 2020.
"I will end you if you ever dare to go discontinued," she rapped halfheartedly in her ironic jingle. "This ain't even Mexican food."
TikTok comedian Victor Kunda took her jingle and ran with it, parodying what an intense rehearsal for a professional production of "Mexican Pizza: The Musical by Doja Cat" might look like. The resulting musical was inspired by both TikToks, Entertainment Weekly reported, and Kunda will appear along with other yet-to-be-named special guests.
Penned by screenwriter Hannah Friedman with Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the duo who won a Grammy for their first TikTok production, "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical," the upcoming show's plot remains unknown. Barlow and Bear did tease a snippet of their score, though, with lyrics like, "You took a slice right out of my heart."
"We sat down and composed a musical for Mexican Pizza," Barlow said on TikTok, debunking rumors that this digital performance was a joke. "And every song is a banger, if I do say so myself."
Details on Parton's role in the musical are also scarce -- a cameo? A leading role? The fairy más-mother of Taco Bell acolytes? She announced her involvement with an Instagram post of a "personal and confidential" script.
Over the last year, Taco Bell has tapped artists of the moment -- Doja Cat, Lil Nas X and, now, the eternally popular Parton -- to hawk its Chalupa Supremes and Cheesy Gordita Crunches to the youths. The country chanteuse feels inescapable these days, lending her likeness to sponsored content like a middling Super Bowl ad for T-Mobile and NFTs themed to her new book with James Patterson, "Run, Rose, Run."
Parton's had just as momentous a month as the Mexican Pizza: She was named a member of the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class, along with Eminem, Lionel Richie, the Eurythmics and more.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/entertainment/netflix-with-ads-reportedly-could-come-by-the-end-of-the-year/article_18d06329-ac6e-5be0-9656-cfb7e3db48a2.html
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Netflix recently told employees that the the company's new lower-priced ad tier may come by the end of the year, according to a report from the New York Times Tuesday.
The company is struggling as streaming competition heats up: Shares plunged last month after Netflix reported its first quarterly subscriber loss in more than a decade.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said in April the company was open to adding commercials to the service, shocking the media and advertising industry. Hastings for years refused to put commercials on the platform.
"Those who have followed Netflix know that I've been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription. But as much as I'm a fan of that, I'm a bigger fan of consumer choice," Hastings said on the post-earnings call last month. "And allowing consumers who like to have a lower price, and are advertising tolerant, get what they want makes a lot of sense."
Hastings added in April that Netflix was trying to figure how to bring ads to the platform "over the next year or two." But that process appears to be accelerating. Netflix, which declined to comment for this story, is trying to figure out ways to bring in more money, stop the bleeding on Wall Street and reverse the narrative about its stock.
Yet the news spooked investors, leading Netflix stock down 1% following the report. Shares had been higher prior to the New York Times story.
Another revenue-generating area that Netflix has been exploring is possibly clamping down on password sharing among its subscribers. The note to employees also reportedly said Netflix will begin that password effort around the same time it is looking to debut the ad-tier.
In March, the company said that it has been working for a year on ways to "enable members who share outside their household to do so easily and securely, while also paying a bit more."
Netflix reported in April that it has 221 million subscribers, making it the leader in the streaming marketplace, but that it lost 200,000 users in the first quarter of 2022. If that wasn't bad enough, it noted that it expects to lose another two million in the second quarter.
The subscriber loss and bad guidance have led investors to question the future growth of Netflix and even the entire streaming business.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/health/states-receive-billions-in-extra-federal-medicaid-funds-to-cover-more-americans-during-the-pandemic/article_22b95ae4-cf91-570a-8dd8-13d08e935108.html
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States are expected to receive a total of more than $100 billion in extra federal Medicaid funds to help them get through the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis released Tuesday.
That's more than double what they are projected to spend on the growth in Medicaid enrollees.
The expanded funding stems from a coronavirus relief measure Congress approved in March 2020. It provides states with a 6.2 percentage point increase in their federal match rate for most enrollees.
In return, states have not been allowed to drop residents involuntarily from Medicaid coverage during the public health emergency, which is currently set to expire in mid-July.
That protection has led enrollment to balloon -- with Kaiser projecting that it will hit 110.3 million by the end of fiscal year 2022 on September 30, an increase of 25% from fiscal year 2019, before the pandemic began.
States are expected to spend a total of $47.2 billion from fiscal year 2020 through fiscal year 2022 to cover the additional people enrolled in Medicaid because of the continuous coverage requirement, according to the Kaiser analysis. The enhanced federal match estimate is over the same time period.
About two-thirds of states say they are using the federal fiscal relief to help address Medicaid or general budget shortfalls and to mitigate cuts to benefits and to provider rates, according to a separate Kaiser report.
The additional federal money allows states to spend more of their own funds on other needs, such as education, rather than their share of Medicaid costs.
Support for states
The enhanced Medicaid funding is one of several ways the federal government has poured money into state coffers during the pandemic. Lawmakers also provided a total of $500 billion in aid to state and local governments in two other relief packages, though their economies did not crater as initially feared.
In fact, many states are flush with funds -- thanks in large part to a wide array of federal pandemic support efforts and higher-than-anticipated tax revenues -- and are cutting taxes.
The augmented Medicaid match was designed to quickly provide broad fiscal relief for states, said Robin Rudowitz, director of Kaiser's Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured and co-author of the analysis.
The federal government also temporarily increased the match rate as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help states contend with the economic fallout from the Great Recession.
Fewer enrollees after emergency ends
Kaiser projects that Medicaid enrollment will have grown by 22.2 million people between fiscal year 2019 and the end of fiscal year 2022.
But it is expected to plummet once the public health emergency ends and states are once again allowed to review eligibility for coverage -- which could start as soon as August 1 if the declaration is not renewed.
Between 5.3 million and 14.2 million people could be dropped during fiscal year 2023, with the largest losses occurring among low-income adults who qualify under Medicaid expansion, certain other adults and children, Kaiser estimates. The figure is "highly uncertain," it notes.
A separate Urban Institute analysis found that enrollment could decline by 14.4 million if the public health emergency expires after the second quarter of 2022.
Enrollees could lose coverage because they no longer meet income or other criteria or because of administrative barriers, such as failing to receive or properly fill out the renewal paperwork.
States will be largely responsible for reaching out to their residents to determine if they remain eligible and, if not, to help them shift to other policies, such as on the Affordable Care Act exchanges. They have 14 months to complete the eligibility checks.
"How states implement the unwinding of the continuous enrollment requirement will make a really big difference in how many people are able to retain coverage," Rudowitz said.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/international/u-s-mulls-what-putins-end-game-might-look-like-as-war-in-ukraine-grinds/article_0487fef4-d4d0-5b1a-a3f1-bf1f585212fc.html
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U.S. officials found Russian President Vladimir Putin muted and subdued when he delivered his Victory Day address on Monday, further obscuring their attempts to ascertain the Russian leader's ultimate objectives in Ukraine.
Officials inside the Biden administration have been contemplating ways Putin could exit his unprovoked war should he choose to do so, as the conflict grinds on and the Russian leader loses his chance for a quick triumph.
U.S. officials still believe Putin is undeterred and wants a tangible victory in Ukraine. But they don't know what measure could be sufficient for Putin to declare victory, one official told CNN, who said his goals are not readily apparent.
The difficulty in assessing Putin's aims was underscored by comments from President Joe Biden at a fundraiser Monday night, where he said he is concerned the Russian leader has not yet devised a way out of the ongoing war in Ukraine, despite Putin's "calculating" nature.
CIA Director Bill Burns shared similar concerns over the weekend, describing Putin "in a frame of mind in which he doesn't believe he can afford to lose."
"I think he's convinced right now that doubling down still will enable him to make progress," Burns said.
Putin so far has failed to achieve any of his major war objectives in Ukraine. After initially believing his forces could take Kyiv and dismantle President Volodymyr Zelensky's government within days, Putin was forced to recalculate and focus on eastern Ukraine. But that, too, has proven to be an incremental fight, according to assessments from the Pentagon.
While officials continue to privately assess what Putin's new goal may be, Biden has ordered his top national security officials to clamp down on leaks about certain kinds of intelligence the U.S. is providing to Ukraine.
Biden was furious following a New York Times report that said U.S. intelligence was helping kill Russian generals. Although his aides pushed back, Biden felt the matter warranted his direct involvement. He arranged calls with his top national security officials with the intent of delivering a message: the leaks needed to stop.
Biden, officials told CNN, believed the reports about U.S. intelligence playing a role in the deaths of Russian generals and the sinking of Russian ships were overstated, unhelpful and poorly disclosed, officials said.
While U.S. officials have intentionally released certain intelligence since Russia invaded Ukraine, Biden believed this was not strategic and downplayed the strength of Ukrainian intelligence, an official said. Instead, Biden believed that information was best kept secret.
Administration officials have previously insisted there are clear limits on the intelligence it shares with Ukraine, including a ban on providing precision targeting intelligence for senior Russian leaders by name. Those limits are part of a White House effort to avoid crossing a line that Moscow may view as too escalatory.
So far, Russia has not taken any known direct action against the United States or NATO in response to ongoing military and intelligence support.
U.S. officials have been left to speculate why Moscow has held back, particularly when it comes to cyberattacks, which the U.S. warned ahead of the war that Russia might use as retribution for U.S. assistance. Russia has also not moved to strike Kyiv during the visits of a host of senior American leaders, from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
And the country has also not attempted to strike arms shipments flowing through Poland, a NATO nation. Only recently has Russia begun targeting railways inside Ukraine believed to be carrying Western arms to the fight.
In addition to sharing intelligence, the U.S. has also provided billions in aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
Last week, Biden announced a $150 million package that includes 25,000 155mm artillery rounds, counter-artillery radars, jamming equipment and field equipment and spare parts, according to a White House official.
Biden has proposed a $33 billion new aid package for Ukraine, which he sent to Congress last month. The U.S. has made it clear it intends to provide long-term support to Ukraine, and the proposed package last week was more than twice as much as the $13.6 billion infusion of military and humanitarian aid that Congress approved last month.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/local/84-year-old-dies-cow-euthanized-after-head-on-collision/article_73dd7052-d073-11ec-93a7-6790303232b8.html
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CLARE COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) - An 84-year-old man died and an injured cow was euthanized after a head-on collision between Clare and Harrison on Monday.
The Clare County Sheriff's Department says the elderly Clare man was driving an older model Ford Ranger north on Clare Avenue near Lincoln Road in Hatton Township around 11:30 a.m.
Investigators say the Ranger was driving in the oncoming lane when the driver crashed head-on into a Ford F-250 pickup truck, which was towing a livestock trailer with a cow inside, heading southbound.
The 84-year-old Clare man died on the scene. The 45-year-old man from Sterling driving the F-250 was treated for minor injuries and released at the scene. A cow in the livestock trailer was euthanized due to its injuries.
The Clare County Sheriff's Department will continue investigating the crash.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/local/traffic-alert-i-75-detour-in-arenac-county/article_58bbf432-d065-11ec-9cd4-97b9758ea90b.html
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BAY CITY, Mich. (WJRT) - The Michigan Department of Transportation reminded drivers it would detour northbound I-75 overnight on Tuesday for repair work.
It's part of a more than $37 million project to resurface 6.4 miles of US-23 from I-75 to Grove Street in Standish.
MDOT plans to detour northbound I-75 traffic for bridge beam removal at the Lincoln Road overpass from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Drivers on northbound I-75 should follow the posted detour via M-61, US-23, Old 76, and Sterling Road.
MDOT said the overall US-23 project will improve the driving surface on the highway and extend the life of 19 bridge structures.
Click here to see a map of current MDOT road projects across Michigan.
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https://www.abc12.com/news/more-than-1-700-midland-residents-without-power-tuesday-afternoon/article_8760e296-d085-11ec-ad26-2ffee822d6e3.html
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MIDLAND, Mich. (WJRT) - Consumers Energy is reporting a power outage leaving 1,788 Midland area customers in the dark.
According to Consumers Energy, the first reports of the outage occurred at 12:02 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
An investigation by field crews led to the determination that there is a circuit lockout on the Ashman Circle Circuit.
Crews are estimating power restoration around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday.
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