Michigan News

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has extended Michigan's stay-at-home order just over two additional weeks, through June 12. She also is keeping closed theaters, gyms and other places of public accommodation at least until that time. Whitmer also extended her emergency declaration through June 19 on Friday. She says the state is "not out of the woods yet." She announced the steps the same bars and restaurants in northern Michigan were allowed to reopen after a two-month shutdown because of coronavirus restrictions.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is further relaxing stay-at-home restrictions. She says a ban on nonessential health procedures will be lifted May 29, and groups of up to 10 people can gather socially starting Thursday, ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Retailers can reopen by appointment only, starting Tuesday, as long as there are no more than 10 customers inside. Social distancing requirements remain in place. Whitmer says the stay-home order will likely be extended beyond May 28. Restaurants remain closed to dine-in customers, except in northern Michigan.

DETROIT (AP) — The governor of Michigan has won a high-stakes challenge by Republican lawmakers who sued over her authority to declare emergencies and order sweeping restrictions during the coronavirus outbreak. A judge says a 1945 law cited by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer can be used and is not limited to regional emergencies. The lawsuit from the House and Senate grew out of frustration with Whitmer’s one-size strategy to stop the spread of the coronavirus. People have been told to stay home, and businesses have been shut down. Whitmer has been easing the restrictions.

President Trump travels to Michigan today for a tour of a Ford Motor Company plant that’s been producing ventilators for COVID-19 patients.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has threatened to hold back federal funding from two election battleground states that are making it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic. He later backed away somewhat from that threat but stuck with his claim that widespread voting by mail promotes “a lot of illegality.” Trump targeted Michigan and Nevada on Wednesday.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Police have ticketed seven people for cutting hair during a protest outside the Michigan Capitol, where about a dozen barbers and hair stylists defied stay-at-home orders to give free hair cuts. At one point, about 300 people attended Wednesday's demonstration organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition to protest the measures imposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to curb the coronavirus. Seven barbers have been cited for disorderly conduct after being warned by state police. The cases were referred to the state attorney general.

DETROIT (AP) — Michigan’s unemployment rate rocketed in April, likely setting an all-time high at 22.7%, as coronavirus restrictions shut down businesses and put people out of work. April was the first full month of stay-home orders and business shutdowns. People have been urged to wear masks and avoid each other to reduce the spread of the virus. The state said the April jobless rate likely set a record when compared to estimates recorded since at least 1976. The previous high was 16.5% in December 1982.

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Floodwaters that overtook dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in Central Michigan now threaten a Dow Superfund site and downstream communities. The Tittabawassee River crested in Dow's hometown of Midland Wednesday at just over 35 feet, about 3 feet under what officials previously forecasted. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had warned the city could end up under about 9 feet of water by Wednesday evening. Dow says floodwater has begun mixing with on-site containment ponds, prompting the company and U.S. Coast Guard to activate emergency plans.

MIDLAND, Mich. (AP) — Rapidly rising water has overtaken dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan, where flooding struck several communities along rain-swollen waterways.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The number of Michigan deaths from COVID-19 has crossed 5,000. The state health department says the death toll rose by 102 to 5,017, although 43 of the newly recorded deaths could have occurred days or weeks ago. It can take time to match death certificates to confirmed cases. The number of new coronavirus infections rose less than 1% statewide to 52,350. More than 28,000 people have recovered since March. In southeastern Michigan, some Catholic churches opened their doors for public Mass for the first time in two months.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has spent $4.5 million to mail absentee ballot applications to all 7.7 million registered voters ahead of the August primary and November general election. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said Tuesday the cost will be covered by federal coronavirus relief funding. Michigan saw record turnout for May local elections when the state sent absentee ballot applications to all voters in affected jurisdictions without first being asked to do so.

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.