Monday News Hit: Whitmer condemns protesters, gas prices up, and helping the deaf while wearing a mask

As the state of Michigan looks to reengage the economy slowly, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has continually come under fire for the pace of which the state is moving. Last week, protesters in Lansing screamed, yelled, and chanted for the Democrat to reopen the state. Unfortunately for the protesters, it made news for all the wrong reasons with men screaming in the face of a Senate guard captured in a photo and shared widely online.

In response to the swastikas, Confederate flags, and nooses that were on display in Lansing during the protest, Gov. Whitmer said Thursday "depicted some of the worst racism" and "awful parts" of U.S. history.

Whitmer made the assertion during a Sunday appearance on CNN and before the release of the latest number of deaths in Michigan related to the coronavirus. Officials say the 29 new deaths, which increased the number to 4,049, was one of the lowest daily increases since the pandemic began in Michigan.

Throughout the protests, there were particularly tense exchanges between the capitol building's sergeant in arms and individuals attempting to gain access to the chambers. It's the second protest in as many weeks to feature residents disobeying social distancing guidelines established by the federal government.

The protests come as Governor Whitmer signed an executive order allowing residential and commercial construction projects to resume work on May 7, provided they follow a list of 'best practices'.

According to the new executive order, construction sites must adopt a set of best practices to protect workers: 

• Designating a site supervisor to enforce COVID-19 control strategies
• Conducting daily health screenings for workers
• Creating dedicated entry points, if possible, or issuing stickers or other indicators to assure that all workers are screened every day
• Identifying choke points and high-risk areas (like hallways, hoists and elevators, break areas, water stations, and buses) and controlling them to enable social distancing
• Ensuring sufficient hand-washing or hand-sanitizing stations at the worksite. 

Whitmer has said work will look an feel different than it has in the past but the steps are necessary to keep everyone safe.

Gas prices are up 11 cents over the past week, the first increase in 9 weeks in Michigan. On average, the price of gas is $1.53 per gallon, that's 12 cents lower than it was a month ago and almost half what we were paying in May 2019.

New data from the Energy Information Administration revealed that domestic gas demand continues to increase, which helped to push up the national average.

"As restrictions are lifted and businesses begin to reopen, gas demand is likely to continue increasing and pump prices are likely to slow their decline and increase, too," said Adrienne Woodland, spokesperson, AAA - The Auto Club Group.

On Saturday, Gov. Whitmer extended her executive order to protect employees and consumers during the virus, including the requirement that customers wear a face covering while in a grocery store or at the pharmacy. Those stores must also dedicate at least two hours per week of shopping time for vulnerable populations and notify other employees if someone tests positive for the virus.

As more and more people wear masks, audiologist Ange Lederman recognized there was a community of people who were not being served. 

“We get so many cues from lip-reading, from facial expressions, and when you have a mask on, all of that is taken away,” Angie said.

So Angie wanted to wear special masks when working with her patients. Sewed together by her mother-in-law, they have a piece of plastic in front of her mouth so they can still read her lips and see her smile.

“A couple of emergency patients have said wow, that’s really a thoughtful idea, that’s great, and it’s honestly something you never would have thought about,” she said.

A few of those emergencies have involved people suddenly unable to hear as their devices quit working. Angie said not being able to hear is hard by itself,

“I had a gentleman call me and his hearing aid had stopped, and he said I live alone, I can’t hear the news reports -- that’s very scary,” she said.

Daily forecast

We hope you heeded the old wive's tale about not planting until after Mother's Day because another cold front could bring snow back to southeast Michigan this week.