House Oversight Committee to hear testimony on winter sports ban
The Michigan House Oversight Committee will hear testimony Thursday about the state’s ban on high school sports due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Committee members including Chairman Steve Johnson (R-Wayland), Michigan High School Athletic Association Director Mark Uyl, Let Them Play Michigan Director Jayme McElvany, Olivet High School Athletic Director Matt Seidl, and concerned parents and athletes are expected to testify during the session Thursday morning.
The hearing is expected to start about 10:30 a.m. -- it can be watched live here.
Whitmer calls for bipartisanship
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered a 24-minute speech in her office with no pomp and circumstance, and no Legislature and guests in attendance.
“My mission is to find common ground so we can emerge from this crisis stronger than ever,” Whitmer said.
The majority of Whitmer’s address mentioned getting the state through the COVID-19 crisis. She urged patience as the vaccine rolls out, with a goal to get 70% of the state vaccinated as soon as possible.
Meanwhile: Michigan GOP threatens to withhold billions in school funding over COVID precautions
Wall Street drama
The popular stock investment app Robinhood has stopped supporting the purchase of new shares on a handful of stocks supported by the recent Reddit fueled frenzy.
Robinhood messages posted to various company pages like GameStop, AMC and Nokia, inform users that the stock is not supported on Robinhood, or not available for purchase. Some are allowed to sell.
Robinhood has not issued any guidance on the halt and it’s unclear how long it will last. The halt was first noticed around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.
More: Robinhood sends market volatility warning to brokerage app users
Coronavirus in Michigan
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 554,237 as of Wednesday, including 14,411 deaths, state officials report.
Wednesday’s update includes 1,681 new cases and six additional deaths. On Tuesday, the state reported a total of 552,556 cases and 14,405 deaths.
New COVID-19 cases have plateaued and deaths are starting to slow. Testing has been steady with more than 40,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate average around 6%. Hospitalizations continue to decline over the last several weeks.
Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 1,777 on Tuesday, near the lowest since October. The 7-day death average was 73 on Tuesday. The state’s fatality rate is 2.6%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 75,100 on Tuesday -- near the lowest it’s been since November.
Here’s a look at more of the data: