After a very frustrating round of golf due to my inability to putt, I came home tonight and cooked dinner and asked Leah to go for a ride because it was an absolutely gorgeous evening. There was not a cloud in the sky and everything was greeening up nicely. We drove out to Ypsilanti Lincoln High School because I had heard so much about the new sports complex they are building. They have built a giant fieldhouse, new baseball and soft ball fields, an artificial turf football field and a new track. This combined with one of the best and biggest gymnasiums in the area makes Lincoln’s sports complex very impressive. The Athletic Director and football coach Chris Westfall has been doing a phenomenal job at Lincoln. He along with the coaches have created a very positive culture at Lincoln. Chris loves the students and treats all sports officials with respect. I cannot wait to see the complex when it is completed.
Our move to quickly vaccinate people took a big hit today with the J&J single dose vaccine being put on pause for the time being as more research needs to be done to find the cause of the blood clot side effects that have led to some hospitalizations and one death. The length of the pause is unknown at this time. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when states like Michigan are incurring a third wave. This also will cause people who had doubts about getting the vaccine to further delay or not get the vaccine at all. None of which will speed the process to herd immunity.
Per the New York Times today, Kim Potter, the police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minn., who fatally shot Daunte Wright on Sunday, has resigned from the Police Department, her union said in a statement on Tuesday. The city’s police chief, Tim Gannon, also announced that he was departing. In a letter that Ms. Potter sent to city officials on Tuesday, she said she was resigning immediately, the union said. “I have loved every minute of being a police officer and serving this community to the best of my ability, but I believe it is in the best interest of the community, the department and my fellow officers if I resign immediately,” she wrote. Ms. Potter, 48, had been an s with the Brooklyn Center Police Department for 26 years. She was first licensed as a police officer in Minnesota in 1995, and graduated from Saint Mary’s College in Winona, Minn., in 1994 with a criminal justice major, school officials said. This story is reminder of how precious life is and we need to embrace life each day because we never know when something will change it dramatically. In a matter of seconds one life was lost and two other lives ruined. I feel terrible for all of the people and families impacted by this tragedy.
Governor Whitmer is getting praise from unexpected sources.“To her credit, there has been a tremendous amount of pressure, among the media especially, to try and to push her into further lockdowns,” Brian Calley, president of the Small Business Association of Michigan and former lieutenant governor to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, said in a member Facebook event. Then there is this from Nolan Finley this morning. “It’s easy for the CDC to say “shut it down tight.” The agency, which has had a spotty record in its advice during the pandemic, doesn’t have to deal with the consequences of closing down the state. Whitmer does. And she’s doing the right thing in not allowing herself to be panicked into another tight shutdown.”
Per Bridge Magazine today, “Asking nicely doesn’t seem to be working for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. With coronavirus cases surging and hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, Whitmer on Friday urged, but didn’t order, school buildings to close, youth sports to shut down and diners to avoid eating and drinking inside restaurants.There’s little evidence Michigan is listening. Schools are still open. Sports are still being played. Restaurants were as busy over the weekend as they were in recent weeks. Even so, Whitmer is holding fast to her recent position that she is not going to impose new economic restrictions, a stance that drew praise from a business leader.” Only time will tell if this is the right thing to do. However, the problems with the J&J vaccine are not helping this strategy.
Quote of the Day: “Nobody knows what to do when it comes to this pandemic. We will find out in four years and by then no one will care because we moved on to other problems.” and “I thought 9/11 was going to be the single biggest thing I would experience in my life time, but this pandemic has far surpassed 9/11 for its impact on the world.” musings one hears during a round of golf.
Orchid of the Day: My granddaughter Alexis who turned 13 today. How time flies.
Onion of the Day: To my putter and the person holding it today.