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Morning Briefing Feb. 25, 2021: Bills would update Michigan’s bottle and recycling laws -- what to know

Here are this morning’s top stories

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Bills would update Michigan’s bottle, recycling laws

The proposed bills would also:

  • Permit universal redemption, allowing consumers to take any recyclable bottle to a large store while allowing smaller stores to maintain smaller takebacks.
  • Create a bottle handling fund to reimburse distributors and dealers on a per-bottle-basis.
  • Make funding available for audits and fraud enforcement.
  • Provide $25 million each year to address contaminated sites.

Read more here.


Tracking COVID-19 vaccination progress in the US

In the maps below, we’re keeping track of:

  • The percentage of a state’s population that has received a first COVID-19 vaccine dose
  • The number of total COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in each state so far

To see specific numerical data for each individual state, you can hover your mouse over the state in the maps below.


Radio DJ living in tent for a good cause

Steve Grunwald from WYCD’s morning show has been sleeping outside the Ronald McDonald House since Tuesday night. He’s doing it to raise $50,000 for the Ronald McDonald House, which offers families a place to stay while their children are undergoing treatment at Children’s Hospital.

Here’s the full interview with Grunwald.


Neo-Nazis reportedly planned fortified, white nationalist compound in UP

The former leader of a neo-Nazi terrorist group was reportedly planning to establish a heavily armed, white nationalist community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Southeastern Michigan man Justen Watkins, who was arrested in October for several crimes, previously led The Base: A white supremacist and far-right accelerationist group that promotes terrorism in an effort to overthrow governments and establish white ethnostates, or states where citizenship is exclusive to white people.

This was first reported by VICE News after the outlet obtained secret chats.


Weather: Icy morning after melt, upper 30s today


Coronavirus in Michigan 💉

The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 583,964 as of Wednesday, including 15,405 deaths, state officials report.

Wednesday’s update includes a total of 1,245 new cases and nine additional deaths. On Tuesday, the state reported 582,719 confirmed cases, including 15,396 deaths.

New COVID-19 cases have plateaued and deaths have slowed. Testing has slowed in the last week, dropping to about 35,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate down below 4.0% as of Tuesday. Hospitalizations continue to decline over the last several weeks.

Michigan’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 922 on Tuesday -- near the lowest since October. The 7-day death average was 30 on Tuesday. The state’s fatality rate is 2.6%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 38,000 on Tuesday -- near the lowest it’s been since October. More than 529,000 have recovered in Michigan.

Michigan has reported more than 1.9 million first doses of the COVID-19 administered, as of Tuesday.

Here’s a look at more of the data:


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