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 (May 18, 2021 4:32 PM) Jackson District Library announced today patrons can once again browse books, movies, and video games on library shelves after more than a year-long hiatus. JDL officials opened browsing again at 12 of their 13 library locations throughout Jackson County starting this week, and returned to normal library hours this month. The Brooklyn Branch remains closed for renovations.  "We're excited to be able to again allow our patrons to browse materials in person, and we continue to see positive trends in COVID-related guidelines coming from federal and state officials," JDL Director Sara Tackett said.  Patrons will still be required to maintain social distancing and wear a mask while inside JDL buildings, and a one-hour time limit will remain in place for patrons while they're inside, due to capacity restrictions. "Some of our branches have a smaller footprint and with capacity restrictions as they are, can only hold so many patrons at a time," Tackett said. "To allow equitable access we're going to keep the one-hour time limit in place so we don't have patrons waiting too long to browse materials and enjoy our indoor spaces again." As COVID guidelines continue to change, JDL invites patrons to…

(May 18, 2021 3:27 PM) Michigan reported 1,271 coronavirus (COVID-19) positive test cases today, with the state reported total now at 878,125. Michigan is reporting 83* COVID-19-related deaths today with the state total at 18,710.  *The deaths announced today includes 27 deaths identified during a Vital Records review. See cumulative data page for more information. State Cumulative Total of Recovered COVID-19 Cases (as of 5/14/21): 755,119. This information is updated Monday through Saturday at 3 p.m., with COVID-19 results included as of 10 a.m.  Monday reports include Sunday data.  

(May 18, 2021 12:00 PM) The Jackson County Health Department released the COVID-19 positive numbers for Jackson County.  As of 12:00 PM today, there are 14,479 positive cases (cumulative), and 264 deaths (cumulative)*.     There are 30 new cases since yesterday’s report.   Cumulative recovered, as of May 18: 12,954** As of 1 PM May 17, there are 33 persons at Henry Ford Allegiance Health being treated as inpatients for COVID-19.  Jackson County Vaccination Coverage:  47.9% of Jackson County residents 16 and older have received first dose, 42.1% fully vaccinated (Moderna or Pfizer both doses, J&J single dose). The cumulative numbers posted on Mondays include the data from Sunday and Monday.  Recovered numbers are being posted as received.  The Michigan Department of Corrections is reporting as of 5 PM May 14, there are 5,576 confirmed positive cases at Jackson facilities and 693 confirmed positive staff cases.  MDOC positive case numbers are cumulative. Note:  Jackson County will post COVID-19 data daily by mid-afternoon, Monday-Saturday, keeping with the schedule established by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). The cumulative numbers posted on Monday will include the data from Sunday and Monday.  Recovered numbers are being posted as received.  Epicurve…

(May 18, 2021 10:23 AM) Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation have received federal approval to increase maximum speeds of Amtrak Midwest trains to 110 mph on certain sections of track between Amtrak stations in Kalamazoo and Albion. Effective May 25, the accelerated speeds come following key infrastructure improvements and successful testing of the positive train control safety system on 45 miles of MDOT-owned track. Also, an additional Pontiac/Detroit-Chicago Wolverine Service round trip returns on July 19 and will see its on-time performance improve thanks to higher speeds allowing trains to recover from potential delays elsewhere on the route.     "Michigan will have the first state-owned rail corridor with passenger trains travelling up to 110 mph," State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba said. "I am proud of the partnership and hard work among MDOT, Amtrak, and its contractors to modernize this vital rail corridor. Passengers will truly benefit from the safety and reliability this important work has provided."    This marks another phase of MDOT and Amtrak-led safety improvements leading to accelerated speed increases on the Detroit/Pontiac-Chicago corridor. The first phases led to speeds increasing to a maximum of 110 mph on Amtrak-owned track between Porter, Ind., and Kalamazoo…