Across Michigan|News|
Librarians, National Guard Recruited For States’ New Contact Tracing Armies
As states loosen restrictions imposed to constrain the coronavirus, they’re also looking to deploy a huge new fleet of workers to help.

The Michigan Advance, a hard-hitting, nonprofit news site, covers politics and policy across the state of Michigan through in-depth stories, blog posts, and social media updates, as well as top-notch progressive commentary. The Advance is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers.
As states loosen restrictions imposed to constrain the coronavirus, they’re also looking to deploy a huge new fleet of workers to help.

Some Michigan colleges have seen a “major decline” in enrollment of low-income first-year students.
Structural racism in Michigan and across the country can be traced back to racial inequities that have persisted for decades.
Hundreds of civil rights organizations urged congressional leaders to pass legislation to address police killings of Black people.
A significant amount of signatures to ban the dilation and evacuation abortion procedure were found to be invalid.
North Lake also now reports more cumulative COVID-19 prisoner cases than any of the BOP’s other privately-owned prisons.
Hundreds of people filled downtown Grand Rapids Sunday morning, armed with brooms, garbage bags, sponges and plywood to board up windows.
Federal officials have more money than ever to respond to disasters, but some worry their focus on the pandemic could hamstring efforts.
Hundreds of metro Detroit residents rallied on the grounds of the Detroit Police Department headquarters on Friday afternoon to protest.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said more information about different regions of the state opening back up will be announced in the “coming days.”
The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t upended President Trump’s plans to hold a Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s capital this summer.
The state is encouraging employers to bring back laid-off workers through reduced hours using the state’s Work Share program.
A resolution introduced in the House Wednesday would deny the state federal bailouts and financial relief.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) wrote on Twitter that she walked out of the chamber after hearing herself described as shrill.
The pandemic-caused economic shutdown has caused state tax revenues to plummet.
Canadian oil company Enbridge is once again defending the integrity of its controversial Line 5 pipeline.
State Rep. Kara Hope (D-Holt), who introduced House Resolution 268, says “it’s about public health, plain and simple.”
Attorneys general of 23 states filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s rollback of fuel economy standards.
The latest two UWash updates for Michigan this week come with relatively good news.
The Michigan League of Women Voters filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of State to remove barriers to absentee voting.