The Michigan House will remain at a 54-54 tie until replacements for two departing Democrats are seated in April 2024, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday.
Some worker shortages hurt more than others, and state leaders are rushing to try to make it easier to fill vacancies from paramedics to special ed teachers.
Hospitalizations are up 50 percent in the last month and case counts are rising, especially in metro Detroit and Kent County. Even so, that’s a fraction of the cases, hospitalizations and deaths during worst of pandemic.
As year-end approaches, only 1-in-4 of Michigan’s largest, publicly traded companies beat an industry success barometer, while half saw their value erode. The UAW strike was a setback for automakers, though office furniture companies flourished.
Construction will restart at the factory near Battle Creek once valued at $3.5 billion. Ford’s plan to downsize will cut jobs. The state says Michigan’s incentive contribution will drop accordingly.
The industry grew faster than the state’s overall economy, as it continued benefitting from a pandemic-era resurgence in camping, hiking, boating and the like. But there are challenges, and some argue the state must do more to bolster the industry.
Democratic lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had sought to go further in rewriting Michigan’s abortion laws, but scaled back the bills to win majority support. Advocates said the bill package’s signing still marks a significant step forward.
