An absentee ballot surge that broke records during the coronavirus pandemic delayed some counting, but Michigan’s congressional delegation was taking shape by Wednesday afternoon.

Facing a host of lawsuits, companies that operated the dams that failed during historic flooding seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, using the filing to list a litany of grievances against federal regulators and neighbors.

Will 18-year-olds eager for a college experience opt to stay home to be safe? Michigan State University is about to find out.

The Michigan Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in a high-stakes case challenging Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s emergency authority amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Republican-led Legislature sued the governor and is expected to take the fight to the Michigan Supreme Court if necessary.

Despite planned safety protocols in schools, half of residents surveyed aren’t sold on the notion of returning children to classroom settings in the midst of a global pandemic. Thirty-six percent said schools would be safe, a drop since earlier polling.

As coronavirus cases rise in Michigan — and enforcement of social distancing rules is spotty statewide — the governor orders state police to enforce her executive orders like any other law and requires state agencies to consider pulling licenses of violators.

MSU said in May it would reopen its campus in the fall. But rising coronavirus cases have led university officials to encourage students to take their classes online from their homes.

A Michigan senator’s positive test for COVID-19 has shut down debate this week for school reopening measures. Republicans want to require all districts to offer in-person classes.

Absentee voters are likely to make a big difference in an election marked by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Masks aren’t required but are encouraged, and there will be plenty of hand sanitizer at polling places. Here’s what else to expect.

The Detroit Institute of Arts has made major strides in showcasing African-American art and in its outreach to Black Detroiters. Is that progress enough to withstand charges of institutional racism and a ‘toxic’ workplace?

Michigan is adding a third dam inspector as part of reforms following the failure of the Edenville Dam that caused $200 million in damages. One inspector who oversaw the dam defends the state’s actions, saying “There’s no ‘Easy’ button, or we would have pushed it.”

Testing delays and lab shutdowns tied to the novel coronavirus have stymied public health officials’ efforts to track and contain mosquito-borne illnesses after a deadly outbreak of diseases in 2019.