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Michigan’s top Democrats are all in Chicago. Who’s the ‘acting’ governor?

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Michigan’s top Democrats are all in Chicago. Who’s the ‘acting’ governor?


Chicago — None of the six state officials able to serve as Michigan’s governor or acting governor are physically in the state this week, prompting allegations from some Republicans that the lack of a chief executive within the state’s boundaries is unconstitutional.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in an interview Wednesday night from the sidelines of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago said she remains the governor and that she would return to Michigan should anything occur that requires her attention.

“I am the governor. I’m always the governor of Michigan. It’s 24/7,” Whitmer said. “Obviously, if there is something official that needs to be done I can get back over the state line in about an hour.”

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The Michigan constitution requires that, should a governor be absent from the state, his or her powers and duties be transferred down in order of succession to one of the state’s five highest elected officials: Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Attorney General Dana Nessel, Speaker Pro Tempore in the Senate Jeremy Moss and House Speaker Joe Tate.

Gilchrist, Benson and Nessel have signed bills in the past under the title of “acting governor” while Whitmer was out of state.

But each of those five successors and Whitmer have been present at Michigan Democratic delegation breakfasts at the Hilton Chicago, with the delegation at the United Center and at other events throughout the Windy City this week.

Whitmer in 2019 also appointed five individuals to succeed her in the event of an emergency in which no one in the line of elected officials is able to perform the duties of the office. But those individuals are meant to be called on in the event of a disaster. Those individuals are State Treasurer Rachel Eubanks, former Lt. Gov. John D. Cherry, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, businessman Gary Torgow and U.S. Debbie Stabenow.

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Evans and Stabenow also are in Chicago.

Whitmer, when asked if Eubanks was intended to be acting governor during the Democratic National Convention, said she was not.

State Rep. Bryan Posthumus, R-Cannon Township, called the governor and her successors’ absence a “constitutional crisis” and reflective of the Democratic legislative majorities’ infrequent session days this year. The Senate and House — which has struggled to pass legislation with its slim 56-54 majority — have met sparingly throughout 2024 and are not scheduled to come back into session until September.

“There are really critical things at stake now in Michigan,” Posthumus said. “The Supreme Court just put down a ruling that could decimate the entire service industry.”

Posthumus was referring to a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision that overturned a Republican-led effort to curb minimum wage and paid sick leave laws. The decision has left restaurants and businesses in a panic amid the threat of sudden increase to minimum wage, the elimination of the tipped wage and the implementation of mandatory paid sick leave rules.

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More: Whitmer supports independent review of police, emergency response to Oxford shooting

More: Michigan’s importance in presidential race in focus at Democratic convention

Attorney Steven Liedel, who served as chief legal counsel for former Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Whitmer transition team, rejected the idea that the situation was unconstitutional. The constitutional language governing the line of succession activates those individuals if or when there is a power or duty that needs to exercised, Liedel said.

“There’s nothing that says someone needs to be vested at all times,” Liedel said.

And, as a practical matter, “she’s in Chicago,” Liedel said. “All she has to do is take a plane, a car, a bus or train and the moment she crosses into Michigan, she can exercise any of the powers of governor.”

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Liedel also questioned whether the role of the five individuals named in 2019 was only activated upon a disaster. There’s no precedent on the matter, he said, and it’s never been interpreted by an attorney general or court.

Attorney Mark Brewer, a longtime election lawyer and former chairman for the Michigan Democratic Party, said the concerns from Republicans were “silly” and somewhat ironic. It is likely, Brewer said, that Republicans found themselves in similar situations when they controlled the state’s six highest elected offices.

“That’s just a silly, hypocritical argument by the Republicans,” Brewer said. “They were in the same boat at one time.”

eleblanc@detroitnews.com



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Michigan

Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland

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Yaxel Lendeborg scores 29 points and No. 2 Michigan stays unbeaten with 101-83 win over Maryland


COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Yaxel Lendeborg had 29 points, a career-best nine assists and eight rebounds, and No. 2 Michigan rallied from a nine-point deficit Saturday night to defeat Maryland 101-83.

Aday Mara scored 18 points for the Wolverines (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten), who overcame a halftime deficit for the second time this season and the first since they beat TCU on Nov. 14.

Michigan scored 100 points for the fourth time in five games.

Diggy Coit made eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Terrapins (6-5, 0-2), who lost center Pharrel Payne to a right leg injury late in the first half and forward Solomon Washington to ejection after he picked up his second technical foul early in the second half.

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Coit scored nine of Maryland’s first 10 points and 22 before the break, helping to prevent Michigan from opening a lead larger than six in the first half.

The Terps lost Payne, their leading scorer at 18.7 points a game, with 4:36 remaining before halftime. Yet Maryland stretched its lead from one to 50-45 at the midpoint, then expanded it to 56-47 on Elijah Saunders’ 3.

Washington, who had a first-half technical for celebrating a 3 in front of the Michigan bench, was called for a delay-of-game technical just after Saunders’ basket. His departure left the Terps without their two most experienced and imposing interior players.

Lendeborg took advantage, scoring the next eight points. Mara’s dunk with 14 minutes left made it 64-63 and gave the Wolverines the lead for good.

Elliot Cadeau’s layup with 21.2 seconds remaining got the Wolverines to 100 points for the fifth time this season.

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Up next

Michigan hosts La Salle on Dec. 21.

Maryland visits No. 24 Virginia on Dec. 20.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools

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Aquinas College expands automatic acceptance to 2 more West Michigan high schools


GRAND RAPIDS, MI – After beginning a direct admittance program at one West Michigan high school in November, Aquinas College has now expanded the program to cover more classrooms.

The guaranteed admission program, first implemented for graduates of West Catholic High School with a 2.0 GPA or above, has now been expanded to Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids and Muskegon Catholic Central High School.

The partnership will apply to students from all three schools entering college in the fall of 2026.

The direct admission program was described by Aquinas College leaders as offering high school students a “clear path to college success” while also continuing to develop partnerships.

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Aquinas College, a private Catholic liberal arts institution located at 1700 Fulton St. E, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids in 1886.

The college has enrolled 1,262 students during the 2025-26 academic year, and its new student numbers are up, with 419 new students on campus this fall, up from 311 in 2024-25.

The college’s overall enrollment total is just slightly under the approximately 1,300 students Aquinas recorded across its campus in 2023-24, according to a press release sent out in January 2025.

This year’s partnership announcements do not mark Aquinas’ first direct admittance deal.

The college also has a direct admit bachelor’s in nursing partnership with the University of Detroit Mercy, which allows students to take core curriculum courses at Aquinas and nursing classes from Detroit Mercy faculty.

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On Nov. 14, Aquinas announced its direct admittance deal with West Catholic High School.

The school, located at 1801 Bristol Ave. NW, enrolled just over 500 students as of the 2024-25 school year, according to an online school profile.

West Catholic President and CEO Jill Wierzbicki said the initiative simplifies the college application process and offers students a straightforward path to higher education.

On Nov. 20, Aquinas then announced it had also partnered with Grand Rapids’ Catholic Central High School, 319 Sheldon Blvd SE, which enrolls 567 students and is the oldest co-educational diocesan Catholic high school in the nation.

Brian Matzke, vice president for enrollment management, said there’s “no doubt that Aquinas here has had more graduates from Catholic Central than any other school in our history.”

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On Dec. 10, the college announced another partnership deal with Muskegon Catholic Central High School, 1145 W Laketon Ave., which enrolled just under 300 students in 2023-24, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Jerry McDowell, Muskegon Catholic Central president, said both the high school and Aquinas share a “deep commitment to developing the whole student — academically, spiritually, and individually.

“This direct-admit program provides our graduates with an exceptional opportunity to transition confidently into higher education while maintaining the Catholic values that guide their formation,” McDowell said.

Aquinas’ listed price for traditional undergraduate tuition is $41,192, according to senior director of strategic communications Dave DeJonge.

Students are eligible for annual merit scholarships between $15,000-$25,000, depending on their GPA and housing status. Additional scholarships may be available. This applies to all students who are admitted to Aquinas.

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Matzke highlighted the direct admittance program’s easy transition from one West Michigan school to another, with those accepted to Aquinas able to live on campus or commute from home depending on what best fits their needs.

He also said a growing Grand Rapids job market, combined with support from the college’s career center, contributes to a 97% placement rate for graduates.



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Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore

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Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore


WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.

The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).

Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.

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The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.

Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”

“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.

Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.

“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.

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Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.

“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.

“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.

Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.

“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”

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“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.

Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.

As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.

He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.

–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond

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