At least one person has died, and 44 others were injured when a tornado touched down in Gaylord, Michigan on Friday, according to Gaylord Mayor Todd Sharrad.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is rolling out some of her budget priorities for the year.

The Michigan Senate has unanimously approved $3.3 billion in water infrastructure spending to replace lead pipes and repair dams statewide while also sending money to a Detroit-area system that has struggled with flooding.

Top lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration have announced a deal to finalize the next state budget.

Michigan lawmakers have approved of a $17.1 billion K-12 budget, one that will eliminate a longstanding base per-student funding gap among districts and boost overall funding by 10%.

Republicans who control Michigan’s Senate have begun approving a $66.4 billion budget that would spend 5% more than in the current year, thanks to an influx of federal funding, but about $728 million less than what is proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Republicans have unveiled a $2 billion COVID-19 relief plan for residents who are struggling due to shutdowns sparked by the pandemic. They said it will provide another $2 billion for the fight against COVID-19 and help families, workers and employers who are struggling financially “due to Gov. $300 million for Michigan workers and businesses struggling financially. An additional $110 million in testing funds will be appropriated when a return-to-learn plan is finalized. The general fund portion of the plan is included in Senate Bill 114, and the School Aid section will be inserted into Senate Bill 29.

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed a $62.7 billion state budget hours before the new fiscal year, funding a new tuition-assistance program for adults while avoiding major government cuts despite the economic downturn during the coronavirus pandemic. The plan, which had bipartisan legislative support, also includes a slight boost in aid for schools and a full or partial restoration of tourism and job-training funds that were vetoed amid an impasse a year ago and again when COVID-19 struck. The process was delayed this year due to uncertainty over the pandemic’s effect on tax revenues but eased by a $3 billion federal rescue that helped balance the current and new budgets. “It was robustly supported in a bipartisan way, which in this current political climate is quite a feat.”Follow David Eggert at https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan lawmakers Wednesday swiftly proposed and passed a $62.7 billion budget that will keep spending flat thanks to a federal rescue and avoid major cuts that had been feared due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the $17.6 billion education budget, which the Senate and House approved 36-1 and 103-2, K-12 will see a 1.4% funding boost. In the $45.1 billion general budget, the governor and lawmakers agreed to restore funding she had vetoed in March to save money due to the pandemic. Departments will trim a total of $250 million, largely through reductions in the multibillion-dollar Medicaid budget that will not directly affect services, said state spokesman Kurt Weiss. As part of the federal relief package, the state government received $3 billion in assistance.

Gretchen Whitmer has added three counties to her state of emergency issued as a result of two dam failures that caused devastating floods in the middle of the state. Arenac, Gladwin and Saginaw counties have been added to the state of emergency that was issued for Midland County. “I have declared an emergency to provide much needed assistance and have added Arenac, Gladwin and Saginaw counties to the declaration to ensure access to critical resources. (WDIV)Officials evacuated 750 Saginaw County residents, 500 Arenac County residents and more than 100 Gladwin County residents due to rising waters. By adding them to the state of emergency, Whitmer allows these three counties to receive law enforcement and shelter support, road repair help, search and rescue services and more.