Rick Pluta

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has doubled Michigan’s vaccination targets as the pace of COVID-19 related deaths has accelerated and the state leads the nation in per capita COVID cases.

It’s been one year since the first identified COVID-19 cases in Michigan.

There have been more than 601,000 confirmed cases in the state over the past 12 months, and more than 15,700 confirmed deaths from COVID.  

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed two budget bills to fund the state’s COVID-19 response. But the bills also include line-item vetoes to the chagrin of Republicans and business groups.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to formally throw her support behind legislation to add LGBTQ protections to Michigan’s civil rights law on Monday.

Historically, votes on similar bills have been blocked by GOP leaders.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Jackson) is opposed. Another Republican State Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) said Friday on Michigan Public Television that he also has questions on protecting religious rights.

On Wednesday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer again claimed the Legislature’s Republican leaders are failing to bargain on a COVID-19 plan for Michigan. The governor said GOP leaders have not engaged in serious discussions, even though Republicans and business groups have put forward their plans.

Michigan continued a trend last year of fewer felons returning to prison for committing new crimes for violating the terms of their parole. That’s according to the Michigan Department of Corrections’ tracking of parolees for three year after they’ve been released.

Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg says she won’t challenge a decision from the state Court of Appeals. The ruling says Michigan judges cannot ban medical marijuana cardholders from using cannabis while they’re on probation.

A deadlock on the Michigan Supreme Court has effectively reversed a ban on any taxpayer funds going to private and religious schools. The decision allows state funds to go toward helping schools comply with health and safety mandates.

Updated 12/21/2020 10:30 a.m.

The Michigan House has approved a COVID-19 relief bill that includes a pay boost for workers on the front lines of dealing with COVID-19; funding for vaccine distribution; and extending unemployment benefits. There’s also money to help small businesses that have been hurt by the continuing health crisis. The bill now goes to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her signature.  

A Republican state lawmaker has been disciplined by his party’s leadership. That’s after state Representative Gary Eisen (R-St. Clair Township) refused in a radio interview to denounce the possibility of violence during Monday’s Michigan Electoral College vote for President-elect Joe Biden.

On Monday, Michigan’s 16 electoral votes will be formally awarded to President-elect Joe Biden in a ceremony at the state Capitol. Other US states and territories also convene their electoral colleges today.

State Representative Cynthia Johnson (D-Detroit) has been punished by House Republican leaders for a Facebook video in which she appears to threaten supporters of President Donald Trump.

A group of Christian high schools claims Michigan’s COVID-19 restrictions violate religious freedom rights. The schools have filed a federal lawsuit in west Michigan to block the continuation of the restrictions.

Citing continuing concerns about hospital capacity and “alarmingly high” death rates, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a 12-day extension of the COVID-19 restrictions initially put in place three weeks ago.

A bipartisan state board has certified the results of the November 3 general election and awarded the state’s 16 electoral votes to President-elect Joe Biden.