Covid infects 700 HFHS hospital staff, wrong-way driver on I-94 had suspended license, a gun safety petition

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - The brutal conditions around COVID-19's fourth surge in Michigan continue to worsen as staffing shortages are feeling increased pressure from myriad spread of cases through nurses, doctors, and hospital employees.

On Tuesday, Henry Ford Health System's Dr. Adnan Munkarah reported almost 700 of its staff have been infected. For an industry that's been pushed to the limits for almost two years now, the surge of infections is the worst news. 

"In the last seven days 686 team members have tested positive for Covid. This is a 3-fold increase since December," Munkarah said. "We had to temporarily close 97 beds in three of our hospitals, mostly due to staffing challenges."

The closure of beds means fewer resources to care for patients that have been infected. With some 500 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, tough decisions about where resources are spent are being asked. 

The patient increase is up 25% since December.

And yet, the latest spike in cases may not even be over. The holidays only ended five days ago, which means that many who were exposed late in December might not be aware they have the virus. That spells trouble for the next couple weeks as deaths always lag behind cases, which have shown no sign of dropping. 

"The steep increases in the number of infections continues to limit our ability to provide Monoclonal antibody treatment," Dr. Dennis Cunningham said.

Monoclonal antibodies are a treatment which can make it more difficult for the virus to reproduce and endanger the body. Henry Ford’s supply is barely sufficient to last one day and they were down to 30 doses prior to an update on Tuesday.

Munkarah repeated the same line while speaking with media on Tuesday, which is that the vaccine is the best way to avoid the virus and booster shots are a necessary tool for keeping the severe symptoms at bay. 

Whitmer considers petition drive for school gun safety

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she is open to a possible statewide petition to enact school gun safety legislation if she and the GOP can't find a consensus on what should change. She said the events at Oxford have placed firearm safety at the top of the list for legislative priorities.

Republicans agree with that. But finding agreement with pro-gun Senate GOP leader Mike Shirkey and House GOP leader Jason Wentworth could be a heavy lift. "I want to get to the table and have a genuine conversation about what we can do," Whitmer said. "And if that's not fruitful, then I certainly would understand the desire for the people of Michigan to have the word on this, and that's something I think we'll take a look at."

Republicans have said there are some low-hanging fruit they're confident could legislate and pass - specifically targeting mental health resources in schools. Whitmer said metal detectors are under consideration. So is daily searching of student backpacks. 

While the governor didn't commit to anything, she didn't reject the petition option out of hand, either. Talks are expected to continue when lawmakers return later in January to kick off the new session.

Little Caesars raises price of $5 pizza for first time in 25 years

The pizza chain Little Caesars is bumping the price of its famous Hot-N-Ready pizza above $5 for the first time in a quarter-century, according to reports. The price of the promotional pie, which was first introduced in 1997 through advertising shaker boards, is increasing by 11% to cost $5.55. Up from its longstanding $5 price point, the new and improved version of the Hot-N-Ready pizza will now also come with 33% more pepperoni, Forbes reported.

Little Caesars CEO Dave Scrivano said the increased price is meant to balance rising labor and commodities costs, as the price of pepperoni has soared by more than 50% over the pandemic.

"Our franchisees were highly accepting of this proposition. They want to treat their customers like gold and make sure they get the best product possible and they love the idea of more pepperoni," he told Fortune. "We think we’ve got something good here with delivery and our Pizza Portal and our Hot-N-Ready pizza. We’ve got a good structure to really drive overall growth."

Scrivano said Little Caesars has been able to skirt some supply chain pressures because it owns Blue Line Foodservice. The company also has sought to mitigate labor shortage and retention issues seen at other brands by increasing wages across the board and offering flexible schedules and growth opportunities. 

MIOSHA investigating United Wholesale Mortgage

The work safety agency in Michigan says it's received more than 50 complaints about a lack of COVID-19 safety protocols at United Wholesale Mortgage in Pontiac. Current and former workers at the mortgage lending giant have expressed worry in recent days about how the company is caring for its employees during the recent surge in cases.

The surge in cases is especially severe at the onset of the new year due to the omicron variant. According to county spokesperson Bill Mullan, the test positivity rate is at an all-time high in Oakland - 25.5%.

"Everybody, starting from October through the holiday party, it's everybody," a former employee said. "It's running rampant and unchecked through every phase of that office." The county health department said it hasn't corroborated any of the concerns expressed by employees, but did email the company on Dec. 23.

However, since there are no state mandates in place dictating the rules that companies should abide by during the pandemic, the county can only advise the company on how to be safe. 

Wrong-way driver who killed mom of 4 allegedly drove on suspended license

A 25-year-old wrong-way driver that was killed after he crashed into a mother of four on I-94 this week was driving on a suspended license due a reckless driving charge. And, according to sources, was being investigated for alleged sexual conversations with minors.

The crash, which happened in St. Clair County on Monday, killed 33-year-old Teah Owens. One of her sons, sitting in the backseat suffered broken femurs, a collarbone, and a brain bleed. He's in critical but stable condition.

Family of Owens said they wish the young man never would have taken her life. The crash remains under investigation.

 According to Owens' family, she was taking her youngest son to Port Huron to visit family when she was hit and killed. Her family started the GoFundMe to help pay for  her son's medical bills and help the family recover from the loss of their mother.

What else we're watching

1. Detroit Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence is retiring from the House. The 14th District rep plans to exit the political arena when her term expires. Her district is one that's expected to be absorbed during redistricting.
2. A former Detroit state representative and school board member says she is running for Congress. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo appears ready to run for one of the Congressional seats in Detroit. That's according to a banner posted on her Facebook.
3. General Motors is expected to unveil its first electric pickup truck on Wednesday during CEO Mary Barra's keynote address at the Fox Theater. An electrified Silverado is the latest addition to the EV lineup growing in the auto market. 
4. After 87 years, Rutgers finally beat the University of Michigan in basketball on Tuesday night. It's the latest blow for a disappointing first half of the season for the Wolverines, who started the season ranked in the Top 10. 
5. The Detroit Police Department has launched Spanish social media accounts to reach more residents in and around the city. Some 10% of Detroit children and 6% of adults speak Spanish at home, census data shows. 

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Daily Forecast

A wind weather advisory has been issued Wednesday between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. with gusts expected up to 45 mph. The alert relates to residents who live in Wayne County, Oakland County, Macomb County, Washtenaw County, Monroe County, St. Clair County, Livingston County, and Lapeer County. The strong wind should create a brutally-cold wind chill in the single digits.

I-95 reopens in Virginia after drivers stranded for 18+ hours

Interstate 95 in Virginia reopened Tuesday night after hundreds of drivers were stranded, a majority of them spending the night in their vehicles when a major snowstorm struck the D.C. region Monday creating gridlock on the roadway.

The incident began with a major crash involving several tractor trailers Monday afternoon. Traffic along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 came to a standstill shortly after centered around the Fredericksburg area.

VDOT says I-95 is now open and all disabled vehicles have been removed from the interstate.