5 facts about Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander. She was reelected as governor in 2022, defeating Republican nominee Tudor Dixon.
In 2018, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed to “fix the damn roads.” At the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday, rather than unveiling another plan to make good on her promise, she called on lawmakers from both parties to come together to develop a bipartisan and long-term solution.
When she first took office, Whitmer proposed a 45-cent gas tax increase. After lawmakers rebuffed her, the governor moved forward with a $3.5 billion road bonding plan approved in 2020 that has allowed the state’s transportation department to finance road construction. “But we are facing a major funding cliff,” Whitmer said in her speech.
“If we don’t find a solution, our roads will get worse and more dangerous and that means expensive car repairs and delays on your drive home,” she said. Whitmer called on legislative leaders to return to the negotiating table. “Both parties will have to compromise to do this right,” she said.
Whitmer delivered the address at a time the auto industry faces uncertainty with President-elect Donald Trump’s election after he ran a campaign railing against Democrats’ push to subsidize the transition to electric vehicles and vowed to impose steep tariffs.
“Right now, the future of the entire auto industry is at stake. The very core of Michigan’s economy is on the line,” she said, referencing threats from global competition like China.
In her first major policy address at the annual autos exhibition in the Motor City, Whitmer touched on the final funding set for the corporate subsidy program she has championed to lure electric vehicle jobs to the state. The bipartisan coalition that came together to create Michigan’s largest corporate subsidy fund has since fractured as Democrats and Republicans have criticized public funding to lure jobs to the state.
Whitmer touted the auto industry investments and jobs the program she said has helped bring to Michigan. “If we don’t keep going, we will fall behind,” Whitmer said. “So first, we must replace our job fund with new and better tools.”
“We can’t just unilaterally disarm like some on the far left and far right would have us do,” she added, noting other states have economic development programs to bring jobs to their states. She called for a new “Make it in Michigan” job fund to bring more big factories and engineering and tech centers to the state. Whitmer said she doesn’t care what kind of car Michigan drivers have. “We just care that it’s made right here in Michigan by Michigan workers.”
Whitmer also reiterated her call to revive a payroll tax cut for companies that create jobs in the state and invest in transit.
As automakers grapple with the potential shift in federal policy, Whitmer must wrestle with the political shift in Washington, D.C. too. Last year, she stumped for Democratic President Joe Biden and then Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris. On the campaign trail, Whitmer cast Trump as an out-of-touch rich man.
But on Wednesday, Whitmer returned to her familiar refrain: that she’ll work with anyone she says is serious about solving real problems.
Whitmer also faces a major change at home in Lansing with Republicans now in control of the Michigan House of Representatives after two years of Democratic control. During that time, Whitmer signed into law many bills Democrats passed over GOP objections such as repealing the state’s right-to-work law and establishing new measures aimed at curbing gun violence. But at the start of the new era of divided state government Whitmer is prioritizing road funding and economic development, and she said she doesn’t care which party comes up with policy ideas on either issue.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
HOUGHTON COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A Michigan State Police trooper who helped save a woman’s life during a medical emergency in August reunited with her this week, months after she survived sudden cardiac arrest at a Hancock-area campground.
Trooper Lucas Lahnala, assigned to the MSP Calumet Post, met Thursday, November 13, with Rosie Danley, the camper he helped revive in August after she collapsed without warning.
MSP said Rosie was camping with family when she went into sudden cardiac arrest and became unresponsive. Lahnala was on duty nearby and rushed to the scene, where he found Rosie’s son already attempting to help her. The trooper immediately began CPR and connected her to an AED. After several minutes of life-saving efforts, EMS arrived, took over care, and transported her to the hospital.
Although medics were able to regain her pulse, early signs pointed to a grim prognosis. But Rosie not only survived, she has since made a full recovery and is back to work as a nurse.
“I’m really happy I was able to be involved and help,” Lahnala said. “As troopers, we respond to emergencies every day, but moments like this remind us why we do what we do. Seeing Rosie healthy and smiling means everything.”
Rosie expressed her deep gratitude to everyone involved. “On behalf of myself, my husband, four kids and thirteen grandkids, I would like to thank Tpr. Lahnala for being one of my heroes,” she said. “He was a Godsend in my life on Aug. 5. God had a plan, and he is part of my miracle story.”
MSP Calumet Post Commander F/Lt. Jason Wickstrom praised Lahnala’s actions, calling them an example of the life-saving work law enforcement performs every day.
“It’s very rewarding when we can share a story that has such a positive outcome and meet the people we have helped,” he said.
The department extended its thanks to Rosie’s son, EMS crews, medical staff, and MSP dispatchers who assisted. MSP also wished Rosie and her family continued health moving forward.
Seven Michigan high school marching bands are competing this weekend at the Bands of America grand nationals competition.
The competition is held each year in Indianapolis, Ind., at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.
More than 100 high school marching bands will compete Thursday and Friday in the preliminary round of competition, then the top 32 bands will move on to the semifinal round on Saturday.
Only the top 12 bands will get the chance to perform their competition shows one last time Saturday night in the finals. Members of all 12 bands that make finals will receive medals for their accomplishments. The prize for the best band in the nation is a coveted eagle-shaped trophy.
On Thursday, three Michigan bands were scheduled to take the field throughout the day, including Huron Valley’s band at 9:45 a.m., Mt. Pleasant at 4:45 p.m. and Tri County at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, four more Michigan bands will perform in preliminary competition. Those ensembles are back-to-back state champions Walled Lake at 1:15 p.m., Rockford at 3 p.m., state champion Jenison at 4:30 p.m. and Plymouth-Canton at 6 p.m.
Additionally, the Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band will be performing in exhibition at the competition at 8:45 p.m. Friday night. The Spartan Marching Band will be performing a show of popular Broadway hits.
The Michigan high school bands will be competing against marching bands from states including Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio, and, for only the second time ever, Alaska.
Marching bands will be judged on their music, their marching, their visual storytelling and more. Each band has been working since the early summer to perfect their 8-12 minute show, often featuring choreography, complex themes, props, costume changes and more.
To watch a livestream of the Bands of America Grand Nationals competition, visit the event website here. It is a paid livestream, with costs depending on which day and round of competition. To watch Thursday or Friday prelims, it is $20 per day. It costs $27 to watch semifinals on Saturday and another $32 to watch finals. To watch all rounds of competition, viewers can buy a $68 package.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
1/18
Washtenaw County residents protest Michigan Medicine’s overhaul on gender-affirming care
ANN ARBOR, MI — JJ McKillop, leader of the LGBTQ+ teenage group True Hope, was willing to bear about 45-degree temperatures Wednesday in Ann Arbor to protest her alma mater.
McKillop, a parent of a transgender child and 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan, said she is “ashamed” by Michigan Medicine’s August decision to end gender-affirming care for minors.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Where to watch Nebraska vs UCLA today: Time, TV channel for Week 11 game
Half-naked woman was allegedly tortured and chained in Texas backyard for months by five ‘friends’ who didn’t ‘like her anymore’
Missing Kapolei man found in Waipio, attorney says
Northern Lights to dazzle skies across these US states tonight – from Washington to Vermont to Maine | Today News
Texas launches effort to install TPUSA in every high school and college
Police investigate car collision, shooting in Orange, New Jersey
Israel’s focus on political drama rather than Palestinian rape victim
Search for coal miner trapped in flooded West Virginia mine continues for third day
