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CORONAUpdate (Week of August 21)

Policy 

Problems

  • Senate Holds Saturday Session to Pass Return to Learn Bills – Wayne Schmidt, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, stays that many schools have funding worries since President Donald Trump said that schools offering only online learning could lose federal financing. Schools have moved to online learning during the pandemic.
  • Michigan farmers file civil rights suit against MDHHS – A northern Michigan farmer is taking the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to court for requiring Covid-19 testing of migrant workers. Isaiah Wunsch, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum and owner of Wunsch Farms, said it is his responsibility to ensure the safety of his workers. 
  • Accountability for Dearborn to meet with local officials about institutional racism – A group of Dearborn residents are working toward addressing institutional racism. Erin Byrnes, Dearborn Councilmember and a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, is the first local official to agree to a meeting to discuss this issue. 

Politics

  • Biden-Harris: A Predictable Pairing – Larry Sabato, key speaker at this year’s Michigan Political Leadership Program annual fundraiser, discusses the Democratic candidate for this year’s presidential elections as part of current response to the pandemic. 
  • VP pick Kamala Harris, an AKA and HBCU grad, connects with Black community on many levels – Charity Dean, a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum, said that she feels connected to Kamala Harris as a fellow black woman who is also a lawyer. The pandemic was mentioned as a part of the story about Black women as a force in the 2020 presidential election.
  • New Esky DDA head adjusting to role – Scott Czasak recently assumed a role as director of Escanaba Downtown Development Authority and says COVID-19 has presented some complications to economic development plans. Czasak is a Michigan Political Leadership Program alum.