Government

President Donald Trump sought to leverage the power of the Oval Office on Friday in an extraordinary attempt to block President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, but his pleas to Michigan lawmakers to overturn the will of their constituents appeared to have left them unswayed. Trump summoned a delegation of the battleground state’s Republican leadership, including the Senate majority leader and House …

A judge on Friday declined to halt a three-week ban on indoor dining in Michigan that is one of the most recent coronavirus restrictions imposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration. The state health department, meanwhile, reported a new daily high of confirmed COVID-19 cases, 9,779, and 53 additional deaths as the virus continued to spike. In his ruling, U.S. District …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday repeated her plea to Michigan residents to limit gatherings at Thanksgiving and keep loved ones safe. Whitmer’s appeal came as the state health department reported 7,592 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 134 deaths, including 61 that were added after a records review. “We’re preserving future holiday gatherings together by taking this seriously now, …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday she has the authority to issue a second stay-at-home order to curb the spiking coronavirus if necessary and called a comment by an adviser to President Donald Trump urging people to “rise up” against Michigan’s latest restrictions “incredibly reckless.” The Democratic governor spoke with Capitol reporters a day after announcing limits amid a surge of COVID-19 cases …

Rain, cool temperatures and 40 mph winds created challenges for emergency responders searching for a lost North Carolina man on opening day of the 2020 firearm deer season. “Sunday night, Conservation Officer Amanda McCurdy coordinated a successful multiagency search and rescue for a missing hunter,” said Chief Gary Hagler, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. “First responders faced …

A White Pigeon man died in a two-vehicle collision Friday evening in Florence Township. State police said 40-year-old Clarence Bryant was driving south on Sevison Road when his vehicle failed to stop at the intersection of Dickinson Road and collided with an eastbound car. Its driver was treated at Sturgis Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Bryant died at the scene, authorities …

Two people died in a single-vehicle crash over the weekend in Marcellus Township. Cass County Sheriff Richard Behnke said deputies were called shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday to investigate a personal-injury incident near the intersection of M-40 and Dutch Settlement Road. Behnke said a car driven by 69-year-old Marcellus resident Stanley Bridges was traveling north on M-40 when it left …

Lockport Township officials have issued a boil water notice after the township’s water system detected the presence of coliform bacteria in its supply. Deputy clerk Rhonda Wright said the water department office routinely monitors for the presence of drinking water contaminants and recent water samples showed the presence of coliform bacteria. Wright advised residents to not drink tap water without boiling …

Here’s a message from St. Joseph County courts: Pursuant to a local administrative order, St. Joseph County’s courts are able to conduct jury trials when the number of COVID-related cases is below a threshold set by the Michigan Supreme Court. At this time, the case count per million and the positivity rate remain too high for jury trials to be …

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration on Sunday ordered high schools and colleges to stop in-person classes, closed restaurants to indoor dining and stopped organized sports — including the football playoffs — in a bid to curb Michigan’s spiking coronavirus cases. The restrictions will begin Wednesday and last three weeks. They are not nearly as sweeping as when the governor issued a …