Vaccines have protected Michigan’s oldest residents in this latest surge that’s fueled, at last in part, by more contagious variants. Though hospital beds are filling, younger patients are more likely to survive the virus.

Michigan cities, townships, villages and counties are expected to receive a collective $4.4 billion from the COVID-19 stimulus package. Experts say the “rescue plan” can help local governments meet their immediate needs and think long-term.

State officials say they have no plans to order school buildings to close again because of the pandemic. But with COVID cases skyrocketing, some schools are going remote on their own.

Dominion Voting Systems is threatening to sue former state Sen. Patrick Colbeck, who has been touring the state with a PowerPoint presentation that echoes false claims about the 2020 election. “Make no mistake—Dominion will hold you accountable for these lies,” the attorneys wrote.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has sidestepped questions on whether the state would back vaccination mandates. Republican lawmakers see it as the next front in the cultural wars, while commerce groups want to leave such decisions to individual businesses.

Restoring one of the rapids is helping diverse fish species recover in the river that connects lakes Superior and Huron, according to a recent study.

These “breakthrough” cases, though rare out of 1.8 million completed vaccinations, are a reminder to continue taking safety precautions even after being vaccinated. Eleven vaccinated people have been hospitalized, according to the state.

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Whitmer said Friday the tools to solving the COVID crisis are vaccines and personal responsibility — masks, distancing, avoiding crowds — not state-imposed restrictions on businesses or gatherings, even though Michigan has the nation’s highest infection rate.