Michigan is still down 435,000 jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but personal income is up and online sales have exploded largely following two rounds of federal stimulus checks.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has activated National Guard assistance and state police are mobilizing troopers in an effort to avoid a repeat of the U.S. Capitol siege.

Under a Snyder-era reform following the Flint water crisis, Michigan utilities must begin switching out lead service lines this month, part of a 20-year project. But some already are seeking extensions and some cash-strapped cities are reluctant to have vulnerable ratepayers shoulder the burden.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis, said Michigan’s lead service line replacement program is a major stride toward reducing lead exposure. But Michigan residents need not wait to start protecting themselves from lead-tainted water.

The federal appropriations bill for the 2021 fiscal year, signed into law this week, included $26.5 million to test for lead in schools and child care centers, a nod to the legacy of the Flint water crisis, which lifted the issue of lead in drinking water into the national spotlight.

Years after a cost-cutting move resulted in lead-poisoned drinking water in Flint, residents said they are furious that the governor who placed their city under emergency control won’t face more serious charges.

Rick Snyder is the first Michigan governor charged with crime for decisions made in office. His supporters say that could scare people from serving in government. Others disagree, saying he ‘caused unforgivable harm.’

Seven years after a fateful water switch, the former governor faces two misdemeanors, while others including former health director Nick Lyon were charged with several felonies.

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Both the nation and Michigan seem as far apart as ever. Big reforms liked ranked voting and nonpartisan primaries could reduce extremism, but do they stand a chance?

Michigan officials blame a reporting lag for vaccine undercounts as federal officials warn that states with poor performance will get fewer doses when reserves are released.

Identifying new variants of COVID is a high-tech, genetic search for a “needle in a haystack,” with just two labs doing the work in a state with thousands of new coronavirus samples each day. But while Michigan studies only a small sliver of testing specimens, it’s doing better than other states.