In a year like none other, 2020 was in many ways defined by a relentless pandemic that touched every element of life and killed thousands of Michiganders.

In a year like none other, we look back at the news articles that moved us most about politics.

Coronavirus killed nearly as many as strokes, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes combined in Michigan this year. Heart disease and cancer are the top two causes of death.

Coronavirus cases fell after Michigan imposed restrictions on businesses. But was that the cause of decline? And was it worth the cost to the economy? It could take years to know for sure, and anecdotal evidence nationwide isn’t as strong as supporters suggest.

Here’s what we know about new legislation that, when signed into law, will help laid-off workers with extra cash payments and extended benefits.

State’s juvenile justice system is archaic. Counties act with little oversight, and the state keeps such poor data it doesn’t know how many juveniles it has in custody or what happens to them once they’re in the system.

The coronavirus struck hard in November, closing schools, cutting off incomes and putting an end to the notion that this mid-Michigan town could somehow elude a pandemic.

A relatively tame lame duck produces a $465 million COVID relief plan. Lawmakers extended unemployment, passed criminal justice reform and extended a water shutoff moratorium. But efforts to make records of the government more available to the public failed once again.

With vaccines still scarce, hospital and emergency workers are first in line. But as more get vaccinated, local health officials must make tough choices among essential workers and other, more vulnerable groups.

Grand Valley State University medical ethicist Jeffrey Byrnes addresses some of the moral questions involved in dispensing scarce supplies of vaccines.

No indoor dining at restaurants until Jan. 15, but casinos, movie theaters, bowling alleys, stadiums and in-school learning can reopen Monday with some limitations, according to the new order from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

He'd look at me, pleadingly, the reality of the situation dawning anew each time. And then he would wink or mouth the words "I love you" and his eyes would close again.