Michigan

Whitmer to Michigan lawmaker trying to overturn same-sex marriage: ‘Hell, no!’

Published

9 months ago

February 25, 2025

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Whitmer to Michigan lawmaker trying to overturn same-sex marriage: ‘Hell, no!’

Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver wants U.S. Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Dems say ‘Hell, no!’ to his plan
Resolution referred to committee; no further action anticipated

A state representative on Tuesday introduced a resolution urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 decision making same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

In a brief news conference after the House session, state Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, said the high court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, “defaced the definition of marriage, undermined our God-given rights, increased persecution of Christians and confused the American family structure.”

He also said that children raised by same-sex couples face more challenges in education, employment and self-sufficiency, though he did not provide any evidence to back up his claims.

He ended his news conference by calling on conservatives to “do the right thing,” reassert the “sovereignty of Christ as our King,” and “restore the order of the family.”

He did not take questions from the news media.

Initially, Schriver’s office said his resolution had 12 co-sponsors but when presented during the state House of Representatives’ session, Schriver’s name was accompanied by only six others, all conservative state legislators.

The resolution was referred to the House Committee on Government Operations, which is where proposals typically go to die.

Even if it wasn’t nearly assured death in committee, Schriver’s resolution would carry no legal weight. It is not actionable. The U.S. Supreme Court does not revisit cases based on resolutions from state legislators.

But Schriver’s move comes at a time when members of the LGBTQ+ community are nervous because their rights are under siege.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from hospitals that provide transgender people under age 19 with gender-affirming medical treatment. Two federal judges have paused Trump’s action as the executive order is being challenged in federal court. In another executive order, Trump declared the policy of the United States is to recognize two genders, male and female, and that those were assigned at birth.

In addition, Idaho’s State House of Representatives voted to support a resolution similar to Schriver’s.

Meanwhile, Schriver’s action drew outrage from Democrats, civil rights and advocacy organizations.

“In Michigan, everyone has the freedom to marry who they love,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a brief video broadcast over Facebook. “It’s not only the law of the land, it’s a nonnegotiable. Right now, however, some extreme members of the Michigan Legislature are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn marriage equality. Here’s my response to that: Hell, no.”

Jay Kaplan of the American Civil Liberties Union Michigan called Schriver’s move “largely a cruel, symbolic gesture. It has no legal effect.

“With all the issues impacting Michiganders, with issues regarding the economy … why is he introducing this resolution? It’s merely a distraction. The court made clear 10 years ago the right to get married is a fundamental right and to deny that to same-sex couples … is unconstitutional.”

Of Schriver, Kaplan added: “If he’s against same-sex marriage, he doesn’t have to have one.”

State Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, who attended Schriver’s briefing, took questions after the representative left the room.

“This was just as buffoonish as I expected it to be,” Moss said. “… I think people respect their LGBTQ neighbors, their LBGTQ family members … They contribute to family security, to economic security for people here in the state of Michigan.”

Schriver is no stranger to controversy. Last year, he lost his staff and committee assignment when he touted a racist conspiracy theory on X, formerly Twitter. The widely discredited theory, known as the great replacement theory, posits that there is a top secret operation underway to replace white people in majority-white countries.

Free Press staff writer Clara Hendrickson contributed to this report.

Contact Georgea Kovanis: gkovanis@freepress.com

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Michigan

Detroit Medical Center announces new visitor restrictions amid flu uptick in Michigan

Published

12 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Medical Center announces new visitor restrictions amid flu uptick in Michigan

December 5, 2025 / 11:20 AM EST
/ CBS Detroit

Amid a rise in flu cases throughout Michigan, the Detroit Medical Center is implementing new visitor guidelines.

The new guidelines are effective at all DMC locations, including the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, beginning Monday, Dec. 8.

DMC’s new visitor guidelines are as follows:

All patients are allowed up to two visitors at any one time.
Visitors ages 12 and under, including siblings and other relatives, will not be allowed on inpatient hospital floors or in the observation units.
Visitors ages 13 and over who have a fever, cough or rash are asked to visit patients at another time. This applies to both private and semi-private rooms. If hospitals have policies that are more restrictive than the proposed guidelines, they will continue to use them.
Visitors who exhibit illness or cold symptoms are encouraged to visit during a period of wellness.

“We have seen a marked increase in flu positivity in pediatric patients, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has also reported an uptick across the state,” said Dr. Teena Chopra, MPH, Corporate Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Hospital Epidemiology and Antibiotic Stewardship for Detroit Medical Center. “So we wanted to move quickly to protect our patients and the community.”

State officials say that there were 14 pediatric influenza deaths during the 2024–2025 flu season — the highest mark since the state began tracking pediatric flu mortality in 2004.

Between October 2024 and May 2025, state health officials reported more than 33,000 hospitalizations related to influenza.

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Michigan

Michigan State commit Tristan Comer claims seventh annual Hawkins Award

Published

24 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Press Room

Michigan State commit Tristan Comer claims seventh annual Hawkins Award

SAGINAW, MI – Tristan Comer followed one celebration Wednesday with another Thursday.

The first was for his college. The second was for his high school.

Comer, a Freeland lineman, claimed the seventh annual Hawkins Award at the Saginaw Club. The award is given to the top Saginaw County senior football player based on athletic ability, academics and community involvement.

Thursday’s Hawkins Award came after Wednesday’s NCAA football signing day. Comer committed to play for Michigan State University, which fired Jonathan Smith, the coach who recruited Comer. The Spartans hired former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to take over the program.

“I definitely wanted to know who the coach was before I signed, but when it really came down to it, I love the people, the facilities and the academics at MSU,” Comer said. “I obviously love Coach Smith, but there were so many great things about MSU that whether or not Fitz was signed, I was still going to go.

“And Coach Fitz being signed is an amazing thing. He’s going to be great for MSU and great for my development.”

Comer became the seventh Saginaw County senior to win the Hawkins Award and second Freeland player, joining 2022 winner Gabe Blanchard. Freeland’s Zander Wheatley and Nouvel Catholic Central’s John Carlson finished as 2025 runners-up.

“All of them deserve the award … what they’ve accomplished is just amazing,” Freeland coach Kevin Townsend said. “With Tristan, it’s just a balance of everything.

“He doesn’t want to take the easy way out. As far as his Michigan State recruitment, they did their homework for that aspect, too. That includes his classroom work. Every single thing he does, he tries to raise the bar to the next level and the challenges that go with it.”

Comer, who has committed to MSU as an offensive lineman, was named the MLive Saginaw Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound lineman, who carries a 4.06 grade-point average, led the Falcons with 61 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and three sacks.

He was also an MLive Saginaw Dream Team basketball player as a junior. Comer has scored more than 1,000 points for the basketball team and could hit 1,000 rebounds this season.

The potential for a memorable basketball season swayed Comer’s decision to stay at Freeland instead of graduating early from high school and enrolling at MSU in January.

“I’ve spent three years playing basketball at Freeland, helping build a championship program,” Comer said. “We just returned 12 guys, and they’ve really made Freeland feel like home for me.

“So I’m going to stick with it, and I’m going to finish out the season with them. Then I get a new home at Michigan State.”

Moving to basketball forced Comer to make some caloric adjustments. He began his junior season of football at 235 pounds but added weight when he made the move to offensive lineman from tight end.

He finished the football season at 280 pounds but has dropped to 265 for basketball.

“I’ve been bouncing up and down with my weight the whole year,” Comer said. “Now I’m back to 265, so I can get up and down the court and dunk.

“If I put on a bunch of weight really fast, then it’s more fat and I feel sluggish. But it’s not super hard for me to lose that and put on muscle. The muscle goes on a little slower, but the weight still goes up, and I feel really good.”

Comer is the son of former Arthur Hill football coach and Saginaw Valley State University kicker Jim Comer and former Birch Run three-sport athlete Jennifer (Howell) Comer, who played softball at SVSU.

“Tristan is such a humble kid,” Townsend said. “He was homecoming king, which should also tell you that the other kids like him. It says something when your peers enjoy being with you.

“Zander fits in with that, and I’m sure John does too. There are some kids that are cut from the same cloth that they don’t have things handed to them. They’re willing to work for whatever they earn.”

Comer will head to a MSU football team that already features the 2024 Hawkins Award winner, Frankenmuth grad Derrick Simmons.

“Winning this is absolutely amazing,” Comer said. “It’s a representation of the beliefs of Saginaw and the beliefs of my community. I’m extremely honored to be able to represent that.”

The Saginaw Club also honored the top senior football student athletes from each Saginaw County school, including Hugh Tanner, Birch Run; Markeece Jackson, Bridgeport; Tori Rueda, Carrollton; Blake Hoerner, Chesaning; Lleyton Hoard, Frankenmuth; Steven Katzenberger, Hemlock; Connor Greif, Heritage; Harry Ayotte, Merrill; Noah Reif, Michigan Lutheran Seminary; Mel Washington, Saginaw United; Jake Kubik, St. Charles; Jamison Pelt, Swan Valley; and Cole Strieter, Valley Lutheran.

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Michigan

It’s going to get cold. Here’s how cold it’s going to feel

Published

1 day ago

December 4, 2025

Press Room

It’s going to get cold. Here’s how cold it’s going to feel

Weather officials warn Michigan residents of Arctic air that will cause temperatures to plunge statewide Thursday night, Dec. 4, into Friday morning, Dec. 5, and create dangerously cold wind chills of minus 10 degrees in some areas.

“Yet another cold front passage will bring some brutally cold low temperatures to portions of the Midwest this morning, and then into the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England Friday morning (Dec. 5),” the National Weather Service said on Dec. 4. “Low temperatures in the negative single digits and teens for the Midwest and single digits and teens for the northern Mid-Atlantic/New England may challenge several daily record low temperatures.”

In the Upper Peninsula, air temperatures will reach single digits and wind chill values (what the temperature “feels like”) will fall to the single digits and below zero.

In the Lower Peninsula, air temperatures also will fall to single digits in some areas. Wind chill values will be in the single digits to below zero.

“The coldest night of the season so far is ahead with lows near zero degrees Friday morning (Dec. 5),” the Northern Indiana NWS office said on X on Dec. 4. “Remember to protect the 4 P’s: People, pets, pipes, and plants. Check in on those who may be vulnerable to the cold. Expose indoor pipes to heated air and drip water if necessary.”

Weather officials say the cold plunge could result in records across Michigan this week.

In addition to the below freezing temperatures, the eastern UP remains under a winter storm warning and advisory for lake-effect snow expected to slow down Thursday afternoon, Dec. 4. So far, 3.5 inches of snow have accumulated today, Dec. 4, in Sault Ste Marie and 4.2 inches in Donaldson (south of Sault Ste. Marie), according to the NWS’s snowfall reports. Freezing spray warnings are in place for Lake Superior and gale warnings have been issued for the Great Lakes.

Here’s the National Weather Service’s temperature forecast for Michigan: