Lansing
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer smiles after signing a $2.2 billion supplemental budget bill that allocates federal COVID-19 relief aid on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at the Foster Community Center in Lansing, Mich. She is joined, from left to right, by Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services; Ingham County Board of Commissioners Chairperson Bryan Crenshaw; Lansing Mayor Andy Schor; and Kimberly Coleman, the city's director of human relations and community services.(AP Photo/David Eggert)
Whitmer signs $2.2B COVID-19 bill that releases federal aid

By David Eggert Jun. 23, 2021 11:35 AM EDT

Zooming in: Lansing will keep, expand online school option

Jun. 13, 2021 09:23 AM EDT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan school district that never returned to classrooms during 2020-21 will embrace online education again in the fall and open it...

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020, file photo, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks in Detroit. Benson said Tuesday, June 8, 2021, her office is adding 350,000 appointments over nearly four months to address a pandemic-related backlog as Michigan residents try to renew driver's licenses, transfer vehicle titles and conduct other business in person. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)
Benson adds 350K appointments to address backlog at branches

By David Eggert Jun. 08, 2021 11:02 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2020, file photo, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks in Detroit. Benson is defending her decision to stick with appointment-only visits to branch offices after the coronavirus pandemic, amid pushback from lawmakers who say people should again be able to go without an appointment. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Benson seeks $25M to address backlog at SOS branch offices

By David Eggert Jun. 01, 2021 05:09 PM EDT

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Steelcase in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday, May 24, 2021. It was the first day Steelcase is having many of their employees back in the office since the coronavirus pandemic started, thanks to the new MIOSHA rules that changed today, allowing non-essential workers to come back to offices. (Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
Michigan finalizes bias training rule for all health workers

By David Eggert Jun. 01, 2021 03:53 PM EDT

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Steelcase in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday, May 24, 2021. It was the first day Steelcase is having many of their employees back in the office since the coronavirus pandemic started, thanks to the new MIOSHA rules that changed today, allowing non-essential workers to come back to offices. (Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
Whitmer administration rescinds rule she ignored at bar

By David Eggert May. 24, 2021 01:46 PM EDT

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Steelcase in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday, May 24, 2021. It was the first day Steelcase is having many of their employees back in the office since the coronavirus pandemic started, thanks to the new MIOSHA rules that changed today, allowing non-essential workers to come back to offices. (Cory Morse/The Grand Rapids Press via AP)
Michigan loosens COVID-19 workplace mask, distancing rules

By David Eggert May. 24, 2021 12:10 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2020 file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Beech Woods Recreation Center, in Southfield, Mich. Whitmer and six other people who risked their own health and safety to help and protect others during the coronavirus pandemic will receive special Profile in Courage awards next month, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation announced Tuesday, May 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Michigan governor apologizes for social distancing blunder

May. 23, 2021 07:52 PM EDT

Muslims perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer in an outdoor open area, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Thursday, May 13, 2021 in Morton Grove, Ill. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
For Muslims in America, Eid al-Fitr comes as pandemic eases

By Mariam Fam And Mike Householder May. 13, 2021 12:44 PM EDT

Michigan House votes to move August primary to June

By David Eggert Apr. 27, 2021 05:15 PM EDT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's August primary date would be moved six weeks earlier, to June, and the state would be required to more quickly check if ballot...

Virus cases, positivity rate declining in hard-hit Michigan

By David Eggert Apr. 21, 2021 04:26 PM EDT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's seven-day average of daily new coronavirus cases has fallen by more than 1,200 in a week, a sign that the outbreak may be...

Michigan heeds call to suspend use of J&J vaccine amid surge

By Corey Williams Apr. 13, 2021 09:35 AM EDT
Health officials on Tuesday suspended the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in Michigan pending the outcome of a federal investigation into six...

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer receives her first dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from Dr. Joneigh Khaldun at Ford Field on Tuesday April, 6, 2021 in Detroit. (Nicole Hester/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Whitmer gets COVID-19 vaccine alongside teen daughter

By David Eggert And Mike Householder Apr. 06, 2021 11:51 AM EDT

All Michigan residents ages 16 and up eligible for vaccine

By David Eggert Apr. 05, 2021 12:20 PM EDT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — All people ages 16 and older in Michigan became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines on Monday, as the state passed the halfway point in its...

Mandatory virus testing of teen athletes challenged in court

By David Eggert Apr. 01, 2021 08:09 PM EDT
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A high school sports advocacy group and some parents sued Michigan on Thursday, seeking to stop a new requirement that all teen athletes...

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2021, file photo provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich. Michigan, which not long ago had one of the country's lowest COVID-19 infection rates, is confronting an alarming spike that some experts worry could be a harbinger nationally. “It's a stark reminder that this virus is still very real. It can come roaring back if we drop our guard,” said Whitmer, who does not plan to tighten restrictions on indoor dining, sports and other activities that were eased in recent months. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, File)
Michigan sees virus surge, but tighter restrictions unlikely

By David Eggert And Ed White Mar. 25, 2021 01:50 PM EDT

Marlena Pavlos-Hackney sits in the courtroom during her arraignment, Friday March, 19, 2021, at the 30th Judicial Circuit Court in Lansing, Mich. Pavlos-Hackney, a western Michigan restaurant owner, was arrested before dawn Friday and hauled to jail, a dramatic turn in a monthslong dispute over her persistent refusal to comply with orders and restrictions tied to the coronavirus. Pavlos-Hackney, 55, will remain in jail until she pays $7,500 and authorities confirm that Marlena’s Bistro and Pizzeria in Holland, Mich., is closed, a judge said. (Nicole Hester/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Michigan diner owner out of jail after ignoring virus orders

By Ed White Mar. 23, 2021 03:35 PM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2020 file photo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Beech Woods Recreation Center, in Southfield, Mich. Whitmer's office said Thursday, March 18, 2021, that the state and her former health director amended his $155,000 severance deal to remove a confidentiality clause that had drawn criticism. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
Michigan law ties school funding to in-person instruction

By David Eggert Mar. 22, 2021 10:03 AM EDT

FILE - In a July 28, 2020 file photo provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state's chief medical executive, addresses the state during a speech in Lansing, Mich. Michigan had the country's fifth-highest rate of new COVID-19 cases in the last week and is among 14 states where infections rose over the past two weeks, a trend that state health officials said is potentially tied to the increasing prevalence of a more contagious coronavirus variant. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP, File)
Michigan has 5th-highest virus rate in US over past week

By David Eggert Mar. 17, 2021 03:45 PM EDT

FILE— In this Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 file photo, provided by the Michigan Office of the Governor, Elizabeth Hertel, director of the state health department addresses the state. Republican senators critical of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's handling of the coronavirus pandemic are weighing whether to reject her appointee Hertel to run the state health department, which has issued orders restricting business capacity and gathering sizes to limit COVID-19's spread. (Michigan Office of the Governor via AP)
Republicans consider whether to block Whitmer's health chief

By David Eggert Mar. 16, 2021 12:29 PM EDT