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Morning Briefing Aug. 29, 2021: Warren City Council member charged with assault, impersonating officer, Hurricane Ida rapidly intensifies into dangerous Category 4, Biden says another attack likely, pledges more strikes on IS

Here are this morning’s top stories

Warren City Council member arrested in Utica, police say

An elected official is on the wrong side of the law once again.

Local 4 News learned Warren City District 5 Council member Eddie Kabacinski was recently arrested in Utica.

According to the Utica Police Department, Kabacinski was arrested during a Trump Rally in Utica for operating without a peddlers permit. Sources within the City of Warren say he was arrested for selling “Trump-Related” items.

This is not the first time Kabacinski landed himself in jail. In October of 2020 the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with impersonating a public officer, a one-year misdemeanor and assault and battery, a 93-day misdemeanor.

The prosecutor’s office said the councilman was accused in 2020 of chasing down and handcuffing a woman who put Black Lives Matter stickers on some Trump yard signs.

Read: Warren councilman Eddie Kabacinski charged with assault, impersonating an officer


Hurricane Ida rapidly intensifies into dangerous Category 4

Hurricane Ida was rapidly intensifying early Sunday, becoming a dangerous Category 4 hurricane on track for a potentially devastating landfall on the Louisiana coast while emergency officials in the region grappled with opening shelters for displaced evacuees despite the risks of spreading the coronavirus.

Ida quickly gained strength as it moved into the northern Gulf, going from top winds of 115 mph (185 kph) in a 1 a.m. update to 145 mph (230 kph) a few hours later. The system was expected to make landfall Sunday afternoon, set to arrive on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier.

The storm was centered about 65 miles (100 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, and 80 miles (130 kilometers) south-southeast of costal Grand Isle, Louisiana. It was traveling northwest at 15 mph (24 kph).

Live stream: Tracking Hurricane Ida


Biden: Another attack likely, pledges more strikes on IS

President Joe Biden has vowed to keep up airstrikes against the Islamic extremist group whose suicide bombing at the Kabul airport killed scores of Afghans and 13 American service members. He warned another attack was “highly likely” and the State Department called the threat “specific” and “credible.”

The Pentagon said the remaining contingent of U.S. forces at the airport, now numbering fewer than 4,000, had begun their final withdrawal ahead of Biden’s deadline for ending the evacuation on Tuesday.


Weather: More heat, humidity coupled with severe storm threat


COVID in Michigan 🦠

Michigan reported 3,958 new cases of COVID-19 and 69 virus-related deaths Friday -- an average of 1,979 cases over the past two days.

Friday’s update brings the total number of confirmed COVID cases in Michigan to 941,678, including 20,230 deaths. These numbers are up from 937,720 cases and 20,161 deaths, as of Wednesday.

The deaths announced Friday include 42 identified during a Vital Records review.

Michigan is now reporting COVID-19 data on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Testing has increased to around 20,000 diagnostic tests reported per day on average, with the 7-day positive rate at 8.73% as of Wednesday, slightly higher than the previous week. The positive test rate has been steadily climbing since the end of June, when it was at its lowest. Hospitalizations have increased by 231% since July 1.

Cases are rising again in Michigan. The state’s 7-day moving average for daily cases was 1,778 on Wednesday -- a significant jump since the beginning of July. The 7-day death average was 14 on Wednesday. The state’s fatality rate is 2.2%. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 39,500 on Wednesday.

Michigan has reported more than 9.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered as of Sunday, with 65.4% of 16+ residents having received at least one dose while 56.9% of 12+ residents are considered fully vaccinated.

Michigan COVID: Here’s what to know Aug. 29, 2021

Here’s a look at more of the data:


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