Michigan News

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — More than 130,000 autoworkers returned to factories across the U.S. in one of the biggest steps yet to restart American industry, while an experimental vaccine against the coronavirus showed encouraging results in an extremely small and preliminary study. Overall, new cases of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. were declining slightly, though infectious disease specialists worried about spikes as states loosen restrictions.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced that retail businesses in much of northern Michigan, including restaurants and bars, can reopen starting Friday. The bars and restaurants will have to limit their capacity to 50%. Groups will be required to stay 6 feet apart and servers will wear face coverings. The move affects two of the eight regions identified in the governor’s gradual reopening plan amid the coronavirus pandemic. One covers the Upper Peninsula and another includes 17 counties in the northern Lower Peninsula, including the Traverse City area.

The Detroit Three automakers’ assembly lines are running again starting today. Workers are mixed about whether they feel it’s safe enough because of the potential for spreading the coronavirus.

A Michigan Court of Claims judge could decide as soon as this week whether the state of emergency declared by Governor Whitmer is invalid.

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan health department said Sunday that 11 new COVID-19 deaths were recorded in Michigan overall, though no new deaths were registered in Detroit for the day. The number of recorded deaths from COVID-19 in the state now stands at 4,891. The Detroit News reported that the 11 deaths reported Sunday is the lowest daily toll for Michigan since March 24. Detroit’s death toll stands at 1,257, with 22 new cases registered  Sunday.

UPDATE:

The Michigan Attorney General's office has announced that charges have been filed against St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough. McDonough initially tried to explain that he was having a "coughing fit" while driving and it caused him to crash into a fence this spring. 

WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors say a 32-year-old man has been charged with terrorism for making credible death threats against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel. Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said Friday that Robert Tesh made the threats via social media to an acquaintance on April 14. She says authorities concluded the message amounted to "credible threats to kill." She hasn't provided any detail about the threats or how they were determined to be credible. Tesh was arraigned April 22 on a threat of terrorism charge.

As if shoreline erosion wasn't enough, communities and property owners on Lake Michigan are now dealing with another problem due to record high water levels - trash. Up and down the lake, large amounts of it are washing up on shore. 

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan summer tradition is being canceled because of the coronavirus. Officials decided Wednesday to call off the Labor Day walk across the Mackinac Bridge. Tens of thousands of people usually join the walk every year. It's the only time the nearly 5-mile-long span is open to pedestrians. The bridge links Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas and crosses the channel that connects Lake Huron to Lake Michigan.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan has announced a settlement in a lawsuit over poor reading skills that was filed on behalf of Detroit schoolchildren, weeks after a federal appeals court issued a groundbreaking decision recognizing a constitutional right to education and literacy. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the plaintiffs announced the agreement early Thursday. They say the settlement "will help secure the right of access to literacy for students in Detroit who faced obstacles they never should have faced." Details of the agreement will be released later Thursday.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican lawmakers say they are concerned about the safety of nursing home residents in facilities that also care for people recovering from the coronavirus, questioning policies adopted by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. At issue is a month-old executive order that lays out rules for the admission or readmission of people who test positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Republicans worry about infected people sharing a building with residents who don't have the virus.

DETROIT (AP) — A judge has dismissed criminal charges against former Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon arising from the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal. Simon was ordered to trial last year on charges that she lied to police about her knowledge of a sexual misconduct complaint against Nassar. The former campus doctor now is serving decades in prison. But Eaton County Judge John Maurer dismissed the case against Simon Wednesday, saying the evidence wasn't sufficient.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan says 31,000, or nearly two-thirds, of state employees will take temporary layoff days through late July as the state confronts a budget shortfall amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday the state will participate in a federal “work share” program. It lets employees work fewer hours but collect partial unemployment benefits to make up a portion of lost wages. For many, the furloughs will be two layoff days per two-week pay period. They will start Sunday and go through July 25.

DETROIT (AP) — Aimee Stephens, a Detroit-area transgender woman who was fired by a funeral home after she said she wanted to be recognized as female, has died. Stephens died Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court could make a decision about whether federal civil rights law protects transgender people. Stephens worked as an embalmer and funeral home director at Harris funeral home in Garden City, Michigan. She was fired in 2013 when she told her boss that she wanted to be known as Aimee, not Anthony, and would report to work wearing a conservative skirt suit or dress.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A lawmaker is warning of a potential 25% cut in state funding for K-12 schools due to economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Republican Sen. Wayne Schmidt, who chairs the Senate's education budget subcommittee, said Tuesday that 25% is "certainly the high end," but schools should brace for the worst. There is uncertainty over whether federal rescue aid can be used to help balance the budget. About 40% of the $14 billion in state revenues for the school aid fund comes from sales taxes.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she wants 450,000 Michiganders to be tested for the coronavirus this month, an average of nearly 15,000 a day. She said Monday the goal is critical because social-distancing measures cannot go on indefinitely until a vaccine is developed. The state wants to have 30,000 tests a day in June and beyond. Deaths from COVID-19 increased by 33 to nearly 4,600. A top state physician says there are signs Michigan may have children with a mysterious illness possibly associated with COVID-19.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A commission that oversees the Michigan Capitol has formed a committee to study whether to ban or restrict guns inside the building. The State Capitol Commission voted Monday to seek input from the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The move comes after some lawmakers reported feeling intimidated by armed demonstrators protesting her orders to curb the coronavirus. Attorney General Dana Nessel says the panel can legally prohibit firearms in the Capitol. But some commission members wanted time to study the issue.

The State of Michigan is allowing some plants back online today, even as it orders residents to remain at home to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officials have reported 25 additional coronavirus-related deaths, increasing the state's outbreak death toll to 4,551 people. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday also reported 382 more cases of COVID-19 infections been confirmed. That brings the statewide total to 47,138 people with confirmed coronavirus cases. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday extended Michigan's stay-at-home order through May 28, though manufacturers may go back to work Monday. Bars and restaurants have asked to be allowed to reopen May 29.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Water levels at two upper Great Lakes have broken records as predicted, and they're expected to get higher in coming months. The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that Lakes Michigan and Huron set new water level records in April and were 13.4 inches higher than last year at this time and almost 3 inches higher than the record set in 1986.

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an Executive Order to extend Michigan’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order to May 28. The governor’s order will allow manufacturing workers, including those at Michigan’s Big 3 auto companies, to resume work on Monday, May 11 as part of her MI Safe Start Plan. 

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Nearly 69,000 people filed initial claims for unemployment last week, bringing Michigan's seven-week total in the coronavirus pandemic to more than 1.3 million. The number of new claims dropped for the fourth straight week but still approached the weekly high recorded in the Great Depression, according to federal data released Thursday. The state Unemployment Insurance Agency has said more than 1.1 million jobless have been paid benefits. To expedite claims for people waiting in a queue for help, Gov.

BREAKING: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says guns may be banned in the state Capitol. Nessel said so in a letter today (Fri) to the Michigan Capitol Commission. The commission sets rules for the public areas of the building. The commission has an online meeting scheduled for Monday.
 

This action is being considered after a large number of people carrying guns and dressed in para-military gear were among those who gathered for a protest last week at the Capitol.    (Read more below from a press release issued by the State of Michigan.) 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has sent a letter to the Michigan State Capitol Commission confirming that the Commission has the legal authority to prohibit the presence of firearms in the state Capitol, if it chooses to do so. That authority is consistent with the current state of the law regarding firearms in public buildings and an informational letter sent to Speaker Chatfield in 2018. 

“The Capitol is a place for free expression of thought and debate. But the freedom of civil discourse does not imply the right to threaten others with harm or violence,” Nessel said. “In our current environment and as the chief law enforcement officer in this state, I am gravely concerned for the safety of both our legislative members and the public at large. 

“With exceptions to those tasked with protecting our Capitol, the only way to assure that a violent episode does not occur is to act in concert with the many other state legislatures around the nation that have banned firearms in their capital facilities. The employees at our Capitol and members of the public who visit are entitled to all the same protections as one would have at a courthouse and many other public venues. Public safety demands no less, and a lawmaker’s desire to speak freely without fear of violence requires action be taken.” 

The Commission, which manages the Capitol grounds and building, is made up of the Secretary of the Senate, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, two individuals jointly appointed by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House, and two individuals appointed by the Governor.  

Nessel wrote in her letter to commissioners that the Commission has the legal authority to ensure the “safety of the visiting public, as well as those who carry out the People’s work by prohibiting firearms within the Capitol building.” 

The Attorney General notes that the regulation of firearms generally stems from state statute, but the prohibition of firearms from public spaces does not need to originate from the Legislature.  

The Michigan Supreme Court, for example, adopted an administrative order that bars firearms from any courtroom, office or other space used for official court business or by judicial employees without prior approval. That order applies to open carry of firearms as well, Nessel notes, as it was cited in a Court of Appeals decision in an open carry challenge to a school district prohibition of weapons on school grounds. 

“The concept of ‘open carry’ in Michigan law does not provide the unfettered right to bring firearms into any public space,” Nessel wrote in her letter. 

The Supreme Court also ruled that state law, which preempts regulations by local units of government, does not apply to school districts. Therefore, a non-local unit of government – such as a school district, the Supreme Court or the Michigan State Capitol Commission – may lawfully impose regulations that impact firearms. 

Nessel notes in her letter that residents are currently permitted to enter the Capitol while clad in body armor and armed with high-capacity loaded semi-automatic assault weapons. 

“This is permitted during active legislative sessions and during moments of controversial debate where emotions and passions are known to run hot,” she wrote. “At the risk of stating the obvious, this is an absurdly dangerous combination that would cause the heart of any security expert to skip a beat.” 

During recent protests at the Capitol, many residents have been carrying firearms leading lawmakers and other Capitol employees to express that they felt threatened and feared for their safety. 

Nessel’s position on restrictions to open carry and weapons possession is consistent with guidance provided to House leaders from the previous administration of the Attorney General’s office. 

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Republican-led Legislature has sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, asking a judge to declare invalid and unenforceable her stay-at-home order and other measures issued to combat the coronavirus. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, says a 1945 law giving the governor broad emergency powers governs local, not statewide, declarations like one in place since March. The suit also says a 1976 law gives Whitmer emergency authority only for a limited period that expired.

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — People in about 50 Michigan communities are participating in largely mail-based local elections that might be a blueprint for the presidential battleground state in November. In a first, Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson's office automatically sent absentee ballot applications to all 740,000 registered voters in those municipalities to discourage in-person voting. More than 4,000 people in Michigan have died from coronavirus complications. Turnout for Tuesday's elections was expected to be more than twice than what is typical for May elections.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — Officials have closed a parking lot at a Michigan state park after crowds of visitors ignored social distancing guidelines designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Grand Haven State Park’s parking lot was shut down on Sunday.

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun will provide an update regarding the state’s response efforts to COVID-19. 

You can watch it live here.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — An additional 81,000 people filed initial claims for unemployment in Michigan last week, bringing the six-week total to more than 1.2 million amid the coronavirus pandemic. The number of new filings dropped for the second straight week, according to a federal report released Thursday. Michigan has had some of the highest number of jobless claims in the country. People can get benefits for about nine months, roughly three months longer than usual. They will receive an additional $600 a week through late July under the terms of a federal relief package.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Protesters are back at the Michigan Capitol to denounce Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-home order and business restrictions. They're try to put pressure on Republican lawmakers who are meeting to consider extending Whitmer's coronavirus emergency declaration hours before it expires.