I-75 restoration to resume this weekend
Traffic alert: Road work on I-75 is resuming in Oakland County starting Friday and will close all freeway lanes between I-696 and Eight Mile Road over the weekend.
All northbound and southbound I-75 lanes will be closed between I-696 and Eight Mile Road from 11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26 through 5 a.m. on Monday, March 1 for bridge demolition. During that time, crews will demolish the Shevlin Avenue vehicular and Highland Avenue pedestrian bridges over the freeway in the city of Hazel Park.
FDA panel reviews one-dose J&J COVID vaccine for emergency use
On Friday, the agency’s independent advisers will debate if the evidence is strong enough to recommend the J&J vaccine shot. With that advice, the FDA is expected to make a final decision within days.
Watch the meeting live beginning at 9 a.m.
23 Detroit Whole Foods employees test positive for COVID-19
The city of Detroit has reported that 23 Whole Foods employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair, the city’s health department were informed of positive cases at the store on Mack Avenue and offered rapid testing.
Out of 196 employees, 23 tested positive, Fair said.
“We have received a commitment from Whole Foods that no workers or close contacts of any employee who has tested positive will be allowed back to work until they have produced a negative test result,” she said in a statement. “This is a reminder to all grocery stores of the availability of vaccinations and the importance of getting their employees vaccinated to make sure this does not happen again.”
Why Michigan is so prone to potholes
As we head into pothole season once again, we wonder: What’s the deal with potholes? Why are they so bad in Michigan? The simple answer is: it’s our crazy Pure Michigan weather.
Here’s an explainer of the mess we deal with.
Remembering the Paradise Theater in Detroit
For 10 years, Detroit’s Orchestra Hall presented jazz artists under the name Paradise Theater, opening on Christmas Eve 1941.
The Paradise hosted renowned jazz musicians, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. The Paradise Theater years ended in 1951 at Orchestra Hall, now home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Weather: Highs close to 50 this weekend
Coronavirus in Michigan 💉
The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 585,352 as of Thursday, including 15,453 deaths, state officials report.
Thursday’s update includes a total of 1,388 new cases and 48 additional deaths, including 30 from a Vital Records review. On Wednesday, the state reported 583,964 confirmed cases, including 15,405 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 966 on Wednesday -- which is up slightly from last week. The 7-day death average was 29 on Wednesday. The state’s fatality rate is 2.6%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 39,500 on Wednesday -- near the lowest it’s been since October. More than 529,000 have recovered in Michigan.
Michigan has reported more than 1.9 million doses of the COVID-19 administered, as of Wednesday.
Here’s a look at more of the data: