Category: SNEF-Journalism

Michigan County Experimenting with Social Distancing Guidelines in Schools

Peter D'Abrosca

After a damning New York Times report in which a Virginia Tech virologist said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) six-foot social distancing guidelines appeared to be pulled out of “thin air,” one Michigan county is experimenting with three feet of social distancing in schools.

“The Kent County Health Department is in the middle of a study that officials hope will reduce the social distance requirements in all pre-k through 8th grade classrooms,” a WZZM report said. “During the six-week pilot study, any student that has been within three feet of a COVID-positive student for 15 minutes or more — within 48 hours — must quarantine at home for 10 days. Before that, quarantine was triggered at a distance of six feet.”

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Suspect in Custody After Deadly Rampage at Georgia Massage Parlors

Peter D'Abrosca

Details are emerging after a man was arrested for allegedly committing a series of killings in Georgia on Tuesday.

Robert Alan Long, 21, of Woodstock, was arrested in south Georgia after he allegedly killed eight people of Asian descent in shootings at three different massage parlors.

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Judge in Chauvin Trial Threatens to Boot Media for ‘Irresponsible’ Reporting

Peter D'Abrosca

Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill, who is presiding over the high-profile trial of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, had strong words for the members of the media inside his courtroom Wednesday. 

“It’s been brought to the court’s attention that the media has been reporting specific details trying to look at counsels’ – the documents, computers, post-it notes – on counsel tables,” Cahill said. “That’s absolutely inappropriate. Any media who are in this room will refrain from even attempting to look at what is on counsel tables, either for the state or for the defense.”

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Michigan Democrat Falsely Links Georgia Shootings to Anti-Asian Racism

Peter D'Abrosca

A Democrat Congressman from Michigan falsely linked Tuesday’s deadly shootings at three massage parlors in Georgia to anti-Asian racism, a motive specifically ruled out by police Wednesday morning. 

“The surge in anti-Asian hate crimes is horrifying and unacceptable. We all play a role in supporting the [Asian American Pacific Islander] community. I’m glad the House passed a resolution to condemn racism against Asian Americans. The tragedy in Atlanta requires us all to speak out to #StopAsianHate,” Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI-05) said on Twitter. 

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Third-Degree Murder Charge Reinstated Against Chauvin

Peter D'Abrosca
Derek Chauvin

Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill Thursday overturned his own decision to drop third-degree murder charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin after an appeal from state prosecutors. 

“The dispute over the third-degree murder charge revolved around wording in the law that references an act ’eminently dangerous to others,'” Spectrum News reported. “Cahill’s initial decision to dismiss the charge had noted that Chauvin’s conduct might be construed as not dangerous to anyone but Floyd.”

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Man Arrested After Homemade Bomb Detonated in Michigan High School

Peter D'Abrosca

A man has been arrested after a student detonated a homemade explosive Newaygo High School Monday.

“33-year-old David Robert Daniel Saylor was charged Tuesday with one count of manufacture or possession of Molotov Cocktail and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor,” WZZM reported. “Saylor is also charged as a habitual offender.”

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Michigan Republican Rep Leading Charge to Give National Guard Troops Edible Food

Peter D'Abrosca

After reports that National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C. have been forced to eat undercooked meat and other “disgusting” foods, a Republican U.S. Congressman from Michigan is taking a stand.

“Recently, there have been a cascade of reports describing the food being provided to our soldiers as poorly prepared, oftentimes inedible, and unacceptable,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI-02) said in a letter addressed to Acting Secretary of the Army John E. Whitley and Chief of the National Guard Bureau General Daniel R. Hokanson. 

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Michigan Likely to Extend In-Person Work Ban

Peter D'Abrosca

As some states return to business as usual while the COVID-19 pandemic becomes more manageable, Michigan is likely keep strict safety measures in place for a while longer. 

One of those measures is a ban on working in person, first issued by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Administration (MIOSHA) in October, after the state Supreme Court struck down several orders by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). That order is set to expire in mid-April, but that does not mean Michiganders will be able to return to work. 

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