| January 21, 2022 
 At some grocery stores, bare shelves are continuing into 2022. It brings back memories of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when toilet paper shelves were picked clean and hand sanitizer was hard to find. But Jennifer Rook, vice president of the Michigan Retailers Association, says this has been an ongoing issue for the past two years. “It’s more of the same,” she said. Retailers are caught in a web of issues, including supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and high COVID-19 cases. From cereal to soup to December’s cream cheese demand, fully stocked shelves can be hit or miss at stores. Michigan-based grocery giant Meijer has been replying to customers reporting empty shelves on social media saying, “our inventory fluctuates.” And national retailer Aldi apologized for “shipping delays” on some products. READ MORE ►Liquor sales broke records in Michigan during 2021 -- but not at bars and restaurants  For COVID-19 therapies, there is limited supply and high demand, meaning it is difficult for most to access new antiviral pills and monoclonal antibodies. New prescription-only antiviral drugs Paxlovid, by Pfizer, and Merck’s Molnupiravir are for people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 but are at high risk of their illness progressing to severe disease. They are to be taken within five days of symptom onset. The window is a bit longer, 5 to 10 days, for monoclonal antibodies, which are more readily available. READ MORE  Critics of a plan to relocate the Line 5 pipeline into a tunnel beneath Great Lakes waters argue Enbridge’s own federal filings prove there’s no need for the infrastructure to be built. Opponents of the Canadian company’s plan to build a $500 million tunnel through the bedrock beneath the Straits of Mackinac said the project would become a “stranded asset” by 2040. That’s when the company expects to abandon its Lakehead pipeline system, of which Line 5 is a part, according to a depreciation report Enbridge filed last year with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. READ MORE ►Tribal testimony partially tossed from Line 5 tunnel case review  When news broke late last month that an unidentified bright blue mineral had been found in Adventure Mining Company’s historic Upper Peninsula copper mine, many people made speculations on social media as to what the mysterious substance might be. While the mine tour company did not immediately test the mineral to ID its composition, Melanie Humphrey, geologist at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Upper Peninsula Geological Repository (known as a “rock library”), said there are a number of methods that can be used to find clues. “Identifying physical properties can give clues about the chemical composition of a mineral,” Humphrey noted. READ MORE  Mark Schlissel may be out as the University of Michigan’s president, but he’s still listed as as a tenured faculty member on campus. While the UM Board of Regents fired the former UM president for his inappropriate relationship with a subordinate, he retains his appointment as a tenured faculty member, said UM spokesman Rick Fitzgerald. And, as of Thursday, Schlissel is still listed as a professor of molecular, cellular and development biology, according to a university website. However, it “has not been determined” if Schlissel will teach classes or interact with students, Fitzgerald said. READ MORE ►University of Michigan students find humor, shame in Mark Schissel's firing Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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