A Tale of Two Co-VID 19 Cases: call-in NPR show March 31, 2020

http://the1a.org/  (WAMU and NPR sponsored daily show)

More than 156,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the United States. Health experts say many more people may have the virus but remain asymptomatic, or not tick enough boxes to warrant a test.

We’re checking in on two Americans with coronavirus. One is a 64-year-old epidemiologist who lives in Alabama. The other is a 28-year-old writer, quarantined in New York City. 

Both have had the virus. Both got sick. One received a coronavirus test through luck and connections. The other didn’t — but only because doctors told her it was obvious she had the virus, and testing would be a waste of resources.

We talk to Dr. Mike Saag and writer Shannon Keating. 

GUESTS

Shannon Keating

senior culture writer and editor, BuzzFeed.

Dr. Mike Saag

director, Infectious Disease Division, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Tennis Official expects Wimbledon Tennis Tournament to be cancelled this June - July (USA TODAY coverage)

posted online (March 30, 2020):

Wimbledon has not been canceled since World War II. According to one tennis official, it is likely the prestigious Grand Slam tournament will not take place this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The necessary decisions have already been made," German Tennis Federation vice president Dirk Hordorff told Sky Sports Germany on Sunday. "Wimbledon will decide to cancel (this) Wednesday. There is no doubt about it. This is necessary in the current situation.

"It is completely unrealistic to imagine that with the travel restrictions that we currently have an international tennis tournament where hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world would travel. That is unthinkable."

Wind Advisory -- March 29, 2020

Issued for SW Michigan counties (Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph)  7 a.m. Eastern Time Zone

* WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

up to 50 mph. wind gusts for mid-day and afternoon

Thunderstorms - Saturday March 28, 2020

Times are Eastern Time Zone -- Niles, Michigan USA 49120

6 p.m. Isolated thunderstorms

7 - 8 p.m. Thunderstorms (85% likely)

9 p.m. Heavy Thunderstorm

Local state of Emergency -- Berrien County, Michigan (St. Joseph - Benton Harbor Public Health Office) - Board of Commissioners & Emergency Operations Center

Thursday, March 26, 11:45 a.m. -- coverage by ABC-57 (south Bend affiliate WBND) :

The chair of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners on Thursday declared a local state of emergency in response to COVID-19. -- St. Joseph, Michigan

The decision was made based on a recommendation by the Berrien County Emergency Management Coordinator and the Berrien County Public Health Officer -- Benton Harbor, MI..

“Just as we did in the 2018 flood, we are looking for all available resources to address the growing community needs in Berrien County to help combat this health crisis,” said Board of Commissioner Chair, Mac Elliott in a press release.

The declaration supports the continued operations of the Berrien County Emergency Operations Center. 

As of Thursday morning, the Berrien County Health Department said that it currently has 11 positive cases of coronavirus in the county.

The health department said it is seeing an increase in community spread of the virus. 

Michigan residents are being encouraged by the health department to practice social distancing and to follow the “Stay Home, Stay Safe” executive order issued by Governor Gretchen Whitmer earlier in the week.

The executive order asks that residents stay home in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. 

Worship in a time of pestilence (Inter-faith leaders' forum on NPR The 1A on March 23, 2020)

11 a.m. Eastern Slot on the daily call-in show (WAMU and NPR)

Faith leaders around the world are scrambling to adapt religious ceremonies and rituals in a time of social distancing. But some are finding only limited guidance about religious practice in a time of pandemic.

What are congregations doing at a time when coming together is a health hazard? How are religious organizations helping with emergency response when mobilizing volunteers might do more harm than good?

GUESTS

Rabbi Shira Stutman

senior Rabbi, 6th and I Synagogue in Washington D.C.

Imam Abdullah Al-Mahmudi

imam, Muslim Community Center of Ann Arbor in Michigan

Angela Denker

pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Brownton, Minnesota; author, Red State Christians

Shelf Life Community Bookstore (Niles, Michigan 49120) -- closed March 16 until further notice

from FaceBook article

Shelf Life - Community Bookstore

March 16, 2020 at 8:52 AM · 

For the safety of our volunteers and customers, we have decided to close for the next two weeks. After that time period, we will reevaluate the situation to determine when we will reopen. Stay home and stay safe!

Noontime Meals for children under age 18 and anyone under the age of 26 with a disability -- Niles District Library, Niles, MI 49120

Posted March 18, 2020 at 8 a.m.

Niles Community Schools Food Service Department has been hard at work preparing many meals for our local children. Parents will be allowed to pick up meals for their children and must take them home. These meals are available to any child under the age of 18 or anyone under the age of 26 with a disability. Financial status does not matter, as meals are available for all students.

Niles District Library 620 E Main St, Niles, MI 

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

It’s as easy as 1...2...3

Pull your car up to the bus
Indicate how many meals you need by holding up that many fingers.
Take home, wash your hands and Enjoy!

MeLCat, the Michigan eLibrary : supporting Michigan Libraries across the state

MeLCat requesting has been turned off until further notice.

mid-March 2020

http://elibrary.mel.org/search

March - April 1, 2020 - Cancelled Lenten Supper / Prayer Service at Niles, Michigan churches (Prot. & Catholic)

  ALL SERVICES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED

There are 5 host churches during the season of Lent for Wednesday evening suppers and prayer services in the sanctuaries.

A simple soup and sandwich meal will be served beginning at 6 p.m. followed by 7 p.m. Worship

March 18, 2020 - St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
March 25 - St. John's United Church of Christ
April 1 - Trinity Episcopal Church

A freewill offering will be collected each evening to benefit local chartiable causes.
http://www.firstpresofniles.org/announcements

Message from Steven Dillingham and his boss Wilbur Ross - Washington, DC [ March 18, 2020 ]

Thank you for completing the 2020 Census questionnaire

"Lion King" Broadway musical Cancelled its March 2020 run at the Morris, South Bend, IN

from TV affiliate (WNDU-TV) news coverage:

All performances of "The Lion King" at the Morris Performing Arts Center have been postponed due to the spread of coronavirus.

Thursday evening's performance is the first showing that will be postponed.

There's no word yet on whether the shows will be rescheduled or refunded.

From Broadway in South Bend:

Broadway in South Bend, in conjunction with Disney Theatrical Productions and The Morris Performing Arts Center, have made the decision to postpone the remaining performances of Disney’s THE LION KING at the Morris, occurring the evening of March 12 through March 22, 2020. This decision comes after Governor Eric J. Holcomb issued an order to cancel or postpone all gatherings of 250+ people in Indiana for the foreseeable future.

PLEASE HOLD ONTO YOUR TICKETS AS WE WORK TO RESCHEDULE THIS ENGAGEMENT. We will be in touch in the next 7-14 days as we work to bring THE LION KING back to South Bend. We appreciate the leadership of our public officials and will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves to ensure the health and well-being of our audience, staff, cast and crew

St. Joseph County, IN -- South Bend, IN St. Patrick Day's Events March 2020

NOTE: ALL 2020 ST. PATRICK’S DAY EVENTS IN SOUTH BEND HAVE BEEN CANCELED AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE RELATED TO THE CORONAVIRUS.

What changed on "Big Tuesday" (March 10, 2020)? The primary results of this election season [ The 1a call-in NPR program ]

11 a.m. Eastern segment on WAMU - NPR call-in show "The 1a" :

“Super Tuesday” put Joe Biden neck-and-neck with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “Big Tuesday” put him in the lead.

The former vice president swept four of the six states that held Democratic presidential primaries last night — including Michigan, which Sanders won over Hillary Clinton four years ago. North Dakota and Washington State have not been called, but appear to be leaning towards Sanders.

Last week, Super Tuesday flipped the script on the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Former Vice President Joe Biden went from the bottom of the polls to sharing frontrunner status with Sanders. Now, the question becomes whether Biden can clinch the nomination, and where Sanders goes from here.

“Big Tuesday” offered up 352 delegates between the states of Michigan, Washington, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and North Dakota.

We talk about the results, and check in on what’s next for the candidates — and whether Sanders can make a comeback.

GUESTS

Reid Wilson

national correspondent, The Hill

Zoe Clark

host, "It's Just Politics," Michigan Radio

Laying off the hugs and handshakes -- social "distancing" measures and replacement greeting gestures -- the 1A radio call-in

from NPR and WAMU (national radio):  http://the1a.org/

As the new coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization have urged people to adopt social distancing practices such as avoiding taking public transportation when possible, or standing several feet away from others.

There’s also evidence that the virus spreads more easily between people living under the same roof. While avoiding someone you live with may not be totally possible, laying off the hugs and handshakes might be a good idea.

We talk about the new ways in which people are greeting each other and saying goodbye, and the other way people are changing their social behaviors in response to COVID-19.

Guest:  Will Stone, health reporter, KNKX 

Candidate Bernie Sanders to appear at Michigan rallies (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Flint) on March 6 weekend, 2020

Details at Michigan Live! article

https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/03/bernie-sanders-to-rally-at-university-of-michigan-sunday.html

Happy Birthday, Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia)! 80th Birthday Bash -- link included

from POLITICO dot-com/

BIRTHDAY BASH -- Lawmakers threw a surprise 80th birthday party for Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon who has been battling cancer. A video of the surprise, via Rep. Mark Takano: http://bit.ly/2If4NdD. 

Lenten Worship Services CANCELLED - Ecumenical - Niles, MI Mainline Congregations March 4, to April 1 2020

from Bulletin article at First Presbyterian Church, Niles, MI 49120
http://www.firstpresofniles.org/announcements

  ALL SERVICES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED

Community Lenten Dinners and Worship Services during Lent. A light dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by worship at 7:00 p.m. Below is the schedule, so be sure to mark your calendars. You won’t want to miss any of them.  It’s a wonderful time of fellowship and worship.

                                                Date                     Host Church 

                                        March 4, 2020              Holy Trinity Lutheran, Oak Street, Niles       

                                        March 11            First Presbyterian Church, Niles

                                        March 18            St. Mary's Catholic Church, Niles    

                                        March 25            St. John's United Church of Christ, Sycamore St.    

                                        April 1                Trinity Episcopal Church, 4th and Broadway  

What happened on Super Tuesday (March 3, 2020) -- many states and primary election outcomes? The 1a (NPR program)

10 guests offer their take on the mixed electoral results and those states where ballots are still being counted :

GUESTS

Andrew Yeager

Morning Edition host and reporter, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama

Andrew Schneider

politics and government reporter, Houston Public Media

Elizabeth Landers

political correspondent, VICE News

Jeff Tiberii

capitol bureau chief, WUNC North Carolina Public Radio

Reid Wilson

national correspondent, The Hill; author, "Epidemic: Ebola and the Global Scramble to Prevent the Next Killer Outbreak"

Scott Franz

Colorado State Capitol reporter, KUNC

Melanie Mason

political reporter, Los Angeles Times

Danielle Cheslow

politics reporter, WAMU

Tim Nelson

reporter, Minnesota Public Radio

Matt Stout

political reporter, Boston Globe