Greater Lansing Community News

Senior living homes implement measures to protect residents

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Signs like this are posted all around Rose Senior Living in Novi. Photo: Sophia Lada

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials and senior center care workers in the Midwest are implementing new policies and activities to best protect older adults considered at-risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19. 

Approximately two and a half million older adults live in assisted living or nursing homes in the U.S., according to The National Center for Biotechnology Information. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 776,093 cases in the U.S., resulting in 41,758 deaths, among those cases up to 11% of senior citizens have lost their life to the virus. Hospitals are taking specific precautions on older adult patients, making sure they are as safe as possible. Sydney Phipps, a scribe at Sparrow Hospital, wrote in a text about the experiences of at-risk patients.

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Providing community in times of grief and social distancing

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Funeral homes throughout Michigan are working to accommodate their communities while maintaining social distancing through alternate memorial services. This graphic shows where Lapeer is located in Michigan. Lapeer is where the motorcade memorial will take place. Graphic: Sophia Lada using Canva

Nathan William Denryter of Lapeer passed away last week after a battle with cancer. Mark Capstick, the manager of the Lynch & Sons funeral home in Lapeer, said Denryter had ‘quite the résumé.’

Denryter served multiple tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in various fire departments and as an art teacher.

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South Lyon implements proactive, COVID-19 measures

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South Lyon officials and the Cambrian Senior Living Center in the city made changes to benefit the health of the community after last week’s surge of COVID-19 cases in Michigan. This map shows where South Lyon is located in Michigan. It is a 56-minute drive to Lansing and a 43-minute drive to Detroit. Graphic: Sophia Lada using Canva

Older adults, as well as those with pre-existing health conditions, are more at risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19. Within the past two weeks, COVID-19 cases in Michigan have gone from single digits to more than 5,000 with one confirmed case in the South Lyon area in Salem Township. 

South Lyon’s response

Over the phone, South Lyon Mayor Daniel Pelchat said when this all started, the city urged people to drop off their bills to limit interactions at city hall, even though many in South Lyon enjoy coming in to see the staff.

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Williamston and Meridian Township Clerks report dramatically different absentee voting processes

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Meridian Township faces backlash from the Ingham County Clerk after the delayed mailing of absentee ballots while Williamston voters characterize voting as ‘seamless.’ 

Barb Byrum, the Ingham county Clerk, sent out a letter February 11 to the Meridian Township Board about the lack of urgency in mailing absentee ballots. Ingham County Clerk

State law requires absentee voters to have their ballots mailed 40 days before an election. According to a letter sent out by Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, absentee ballots in Meridian Township were sent out February 14, 25 days before the Michigan Presidential Primaries took place on March 10. January 23, wrote Byrum, is when absentee ballots should have been mailed, and at the time of her correspondence, Meridian only had a 35% return rate. Byrum said a large number of absentee ballots in Meridian Township that were dated on February 14, but started processing on February 12.

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The Williamston Performing Arts Foundation supports students through community events

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The logo of the Williamston Performing Arts Foundation shows icons to represent the different aspects of performing arts supported by the foundation. Graphic: Williamston Performing Arts Foundation. The Williamston Performing Arts Foundation announced a full slate of events this spring, just months after it started. An Evening of Jazz, hosted by Williamston Bands at Williamston High School, will take place March 20 at 7 p.m. and is open to the public. This event is free, said Laura Torongeau, the president of the WPAF.