gretchen whitmer

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is strongly encouraging all K-12 schools in Michigan to reopen for some in-person instruction by March 1. The move comes as the state is set to offer the coronavirus vaccine to teachers starting next week.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed a bill this week that would've allowed people to ask to have a drunk driving conviction expunged from their record.

SB1254 would have allowed a person convicted of a DUI to ask a judge to set aside the conviction. The legislation would not allow additional DUI offenses or convictions related to death or serious injuries to be expunged.

The DUI expungement bill passed both chambers of the Michigan Legislature with broad bipartisan support.  The bill was also supported by top officials including Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used her veto pen Wednesday to reject a series of Republican bills aimed at curbing her power during the pandemic.

The governor issued 13 vetoes, covering a wide range of bills.

Three bills vetoed by the governor are directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed part of the COVID relief bill which would have allowed more kinds of hazardous materials to cross the Ambassador Bridge.

Language from a 2012 draft report by the Department of Transportation was lifted and inserted into the supplemental COVID relief package. It would require the Michigan Department of Transportation to recommend the federal government permit two additional classes of hazardous materials to cross the international bridge.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she’s looking forward to a better relationship with the White House once President-elect Joe Biden takes office.

Whitmer is a frequent Trump critic and Trump famously criticized her as “that woman from Michigan.” She is a co-chair of Biden’s inauguration planning committee.

Whitmer says she expects help from the Biden administration on some critical initiatives in its first federal budget proposal.

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. 

That means high schools, colleges and universities must continue online learning only. Theaters and casinos must remain closed, and bars and restaurants can’t resume indoor dining, an especially tough blow during the crucial holiday season.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer said there’s no decision yet on whether she will continue the “pause” on indoor restaurant dining and in-person high school and college classes. It’s set to expire on December 8.

An Antrim County judge has set new bond conditions for two men accused in the alleged terrorist plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. It could make it easier for them to post bail.

Twin brothers Michael and William Null are locked up at the Grand Traverse County jail on $250,000 bonds  each.

State health officials are watching to see how Thanksgiving holiday gatherings may affect COVID-19 case rates.

The state recommended people avoid gatherings with people from other households. But Michigan’s Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, said Tuesday it’s not clear yet how many people ignored that advice.

Enbridge has taken its legal battle to federal court to keep oil flowing through its dual pipelines in the Straits of Mackinac. 

The suit is intended to counter an effort by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) to revoke the company’s easement to operate the pipeline. The easement dates back to 1953.

Earlier this month, Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources informed Enbridge of plans to revoke the easement, citing numerous issues. At the same time, the state also filed a motion in Ingham County Circuit Court to enforce the revocation of the easement.

Flu shot clinics are scheduled at baseball stadiums in Detroit and Lansing Monday and Tuesday. It’s part of a push to get millions of Michiganders vaccinated.

On Friday, state health officials reported nearly 2.4 million Michiganders have received their influenza vaccine this season. The state is more than halfway towards its goal of 4.2 million flu vaccinations. Last year more than three million Michiganders got their flu shot.

President Donald Trump visited Michigan on Tuesday for the second time since he was diagnosed with COVID-19. 

After waiting several hours in the cold and rain outside of an airplane hangar, a crowd of supporters got to see Trump.

The president made false claims about the auto industry and being Michigan man of the year, before attacking Governor Gretchen Whitmer. He avoided calls to imprison the governor but didn't condemn the crowd, as they chanted, "Lock her up."

A Jackson County judge lowered the bond amount today for one of the 14 men charged in the alleged plot to kidnap the governor.

The bond amount for Pete Musico had been set at $10 million. It’s now set at $100 thousand. 

Republican state lawmakers have presented their version of a COVID-19 response plan.

The state House GOP proposal follows a court ruling that struck down many of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s unilateral emergency orders.

A 51-year-old man charged in a plot to kidnap Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been released from a Wisconsin jail after posting $10,000 cash bail.

The legislative committee looking into the state’s COVID-19 response meets again Monday. Top health officials in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration will face questions from the committee.

State Representative Matt Hall, (R-Marshall) chairs the joint House and Senate COVID-19 committee.

He expects there will be questions about infections in nursing homes and why some parts of the economy were allowed to re-open while similar businesses remained in shutdown.  

An eighth man faces a criminal charge in connection with the alleged plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer and put her on trial over her COVID-19 orders.

51-year-old Brian Higgins is being held in Wisconsin awaiting extradition to Antrim County in northwest Michigan.

The Michigan Sheriffs' Association says it condemns statements made by Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf after the arrests of militia members who allegedly plotted to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

At least one of the alleged terrorists lived in Barry County.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer is expected to sign a series of bills adopted by the Legislature as part of a deal on the state’s response to COVID-19.

The bills are the product of bargaining between the GOP-led Legislature and the Democratic governor after the Michigan Supreme Court struck down her continued use of emergency orders.

A federal judge in Grand Rapids has ordered three of the men charged in an alleged terrorist plot to be held without bond.

Two other men face hearings later in the week.

Federal prosecutors laid out extensive evidence in court Tuesday against the five men charged in a plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer. A total of 13 men face charges in the case.

At a hearing in Grand Rapids Tuesday, assitant U.S. prosecutor Nils Kessler showed pictures, videos and screenshots of text conversations among the five men.

At least there were loaner umbrellas.

Democrats did not cancel their outdoor voter mobilization event in Lansing Monday night, despite heavy rain that began pouring down a few minutes after it began. Attendance was strictly limited, with nearly as many reporters as Democratic officials, operatives and voters.

Rick Foreman heard the news on Thursday like everyone else. A group of men, many with ties to Michigan’s militia community, many who’d stood side-by-side with Foreman at demonstrations this spring and summer, had allegedly plotted to overtake the state capitol and kidnap the governor.

“When I heard about it, I couldn’t believe it,” Foreman says.

Republican leadership raised concerns over the weekend about the decision to keep them out of the loop about threats against Governor Whitmer and a plot to storm the Capitol.

In an open letter to the governor, Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield accused her of keeping the legislature in the dark.

The group Stand Up Michigan rallied Thursday at the state Capitol in Lansing. The event came a few hours after news broke of the foiled alleged kidnapping plot against Governor Gretchen Whitmer.