Government

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has delayed the expiration of Michigan driver’s licenses and state ID cards until late July amid the lingering coronavirus pandemic. An executive order Whitmer signed Friday extends until July 31 the expiration date of state ID cards, valid driver’s licenses and operator endorsements that expired or were set to expire between Feb. 1 and June 30. A previous order …

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that auto and other manufacturing workers can return to the job next week, further easing her stay-at-home order while extending it through May 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Manufacturers — which account for 19% of the state’s economy — can resume operations on Monday, which is key for auto parts makers a week …

The Republican-led Michigan Legislature sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday, asking a judge to declare invalid and unenforceable her stay-at-home order and other measures issued to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in the state Court of Claims, says a 1945 law that gives the governor broad emergency powers to order such restrictions governs local, not statewide, declarations like …

Guns cannot be banned from Michigan’s Capitol unless legislators change state law, an official who helps oversee the building said Wednesday, less than a week after some protesters armed with rifles shouted at lawmakers inside the Senate chamber. John Truscott, vice chairman of the Michigan State Capitol Commission, said he received “early indications” from the panel’s lawyer that “we do …

Michigan hospitals and physicians have “broad discretion” to decide whether to continue delaying procedures during the pandemic, the state said in new guidance issued in the face of pressure to let providers do more as the curve of coronavirus cases flattens. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief deputy health director, announced the memo Monday, a day after sending …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that Michigan’s stay-at-home order remains in effect through May 15 despite Republicans’ refusal to extend her underlying coronavirus emergency declaration, as she amended it to allow construction, real estate and more outdoor work to resume in person next week. The Democratic governor, who may be sued by the GOP-led Legislature, addressed reporters the same day …

The Republican-led Michigan Legislature refused Thursday to extend the state’s coronavirus emergency declaration and voted to authorize a lawsuit challenging Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s authority and actions to combat the pandemic. The governor, unfazed, responded with orders stating under one law that an emergency still exists, while under another law declaring new 28-day states of emergency and disaster. The latter …

Republicans who control the Michigan Senate urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday to lift her five-week-old ban on nonessential medical and dental procedures, saying the decision to resume should be left to hospitals and health providers. The resolution, while symbolic, is the latest move by GOP lawmakers who are pushing the Democratic governor to ease restrictions she adopted to curb the …

A black bear nicknamed Yogi was struck and killed Tuesday on a highway ramp in the Grand Rapids area, police said. The bear, an adult male weighing roughly 250 pounds, had been spotted for a few years in Walker. He was hit by a large truck on a ramp leading to westbound Interstate 96. “There were no injuries to the …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday she will allow commercial and residential construction to restart in Michigan within a week or two and is taking a “hard look” at whether to let industrial sectors like manufacturing reopen in the next phase of loosening her stay-at-home restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic governor also said she will ask the Republican-led Legislature …