A Republican election official who caused controversy by initially refusing to certify 2020 Detroit-area results in favor of President Joe Biden has died.

This 2018 illustration provided by William Hartmann and Michael Belton shows a depiction of the Oumuamua interstellar object as a pancake-shaped disk. A study published in March 2021 says the mystery object is likely a remnant of a Pluto-like world and shaped like a cookie. A new study says the mystery object is likely a remnant of a Pluto-like world and shaped like a cookie. Those are the rough proportions of one wafer of an Oreo cookie, Desch noted. By the time the object starts leaving our solar system around 2040, the width-to-thickness ratio will have dropped to 10-to-1, according to Desch.

DETROIT – On Tuesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced that her office started an investigation into threats made against members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers. And while many of us have been subjected to hateful and often obscene insults, threats of violence and harm will not be tolerated.”Original Story: Michigan AG confirms investigation into threats made against Wayne County CanvassersLast Friday Wayne County Board of Canvassers Republican William Hartmann spoke with Local 4 about the threats. I’m worried about threats and violence that might come upon me or my family,” said Hartmann. The investigation comes after a Wayne County Board of Canvassers meeting on Nov. 11 that was interrupted by violent, vulgar threats. Yesterday Republican and Michigan Board of State Canvassers member Norm Shinkle talked about the threats he has received.

DETROIT – The two GOP members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers said the presidential election played no role in their decision despite receiving a phone call from President Donald Trump. The presidential phone call is where the controversy begins, but they both said the president’s only concern was for their safety. Monica Palmer said she has deep concerns for her daughter’s safety and William Hartmann has reportedly gone into hiding. Wayne County Board of Canvassers vice chair Jonathan Kinloch said he believes their explanation falls flat. The Michigan Secretary of State’s office said in a statement Thursday that there is no legal mechanism for two Republican members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers to rescind their votes cast for certification.

DETROIT – There’s an old legal theory you can’t unring a bell, but two GOP members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers are trying to. They’re attempting to reverse their vote in an effort to stop the certification of Wayne County ballots that they approved on Tuesday. “I remain in the firm belief that the Wayne County vote should not be certified. This is the Wayne County Board of Canvassers and we have the responsibility to carry out official actions on behalf of the public,” Kinloch said. Their job is done and the next step in the process is for the board of state canvassers to meet and certify.”You can watch the full report in the video posted above.

They were recommended by the GOP to fill spots after two other Republicans on the board resigned, according to the county. Palmer cited claims that certain Detroit precincts were out of balance, meaning that absentee ballot books did not match the number of ballots cast. Hartmann said he changed his vote to certify the election because canvassers agreed to seek an audit of Detroit’s election performance. Fixes include verifying that all absentee ballots have been processed and tabulated by going through return envelopes and verifying that every absentee voter is included in the poll book total. Q: WHAT ARE FALSE READS IN ABSENTEE BALLOTS?

DETROIT – The United States has had close presidential elections before, but the 2020 General Election feels different. Some experts see reasons for concern as hyper-partisan fights seem to buck the norms of Democracy. Professor Richard Primus is a Constitutional Law expert at the University of Michigan. Our elections have been played by rules -- even with sharp elbows and lies -- when we count the votes, we declare a winner,” Primus said. Primus said the problem in 2020 is there’s a breakdown in the norms of being willing to accept the outcome of an election.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has invited two top Republican Michigan lawmakers to the White House this week. Senate Republican Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield will reportedly attend a meeting a the White House on Friday. It is telling that Michigan GOP legislative leaders Mike Shirkey and Lee Chatfield are jetting off to Washington DC this week to meet with President Trump. Two Republican members of the board -- Monica Palmer and William Hartmann -- refused to certify the election results on Tuesday. Read more: Trump targets Wayne County vote certification in late bid to block Biden

The federal lawsuit in Michigan over votes in Wayne County has been withdrawn. The Trump Campaign said it achieved what it wanted when the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refused to certify the results. Hours later, the board did vote to certify them, but now the two Republican members said they want to rescind their votes. He said he didn’t agree to certification and that he believes there were more than clerical errors in Wayne County. She said the election has been certified in Wayne County and has already been sent to the state board of canvassers.

DETROIT – Here’s what you missed on Local 4 News at Noon. America’s Thanksgiving Parade will be a virtual production this yearThis year’s theme is “We Are One Together.” The parade will honor frontline workers and heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The parade will include floats, performers, helium balloons and Santa.

The Secretary of State office’s statement comes after a whirlwind of a week for the Wayne County Board of Canvassers. In her affidavit, Palmer said “the Wayne County election had serious process flaws which deserve investigation. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers has until Nov. 23 to certify the election itself. And as always, under state law our department conducts these audits after the Board of State Canvassers has certified the election. The Michigan Republican Party condemns the actions of Democrats and we will continue to fight for transparency and integrity in Wayne County elections.

DETROIT – Two Republicans on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers are trying to rescind their vote to certify the county’s presidential election results. UPDATE: Michigan Secretary of State says GOP canvassers can’t legally rescind Wayne County election certification voteFast facts:New affidavitsIn her affidavit, Palmer said “the Wayne County election had serious process flaws which deserve investigation. Before the vote, Palmer said she would certify every community in Wayne County, except Detroit. The Wayne County Ethics Board is looking into that complaint. Certifying all election results for the state is now in the hands of the Michigan Board of Canvassers.

Trending 📈🇨🇦 Report: Canada extends US border closure until Dec. 21The U.S.-Canada border will remain closed to non-essential travel for another month, according to reports. The current extension of the border crossing restrictions was set to expire Nov. 21, 2020. The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan has risen to 277,806 as of Wednesday, including 8,190 deaths, state officials report. New COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise in Michigan. The state also reports “active cases,” which were listed at 125,000 on Tuesday, near its highest mark on record.

The Michigan Legislature would be called to select electors if Trump succeeds in convincing the state’s board of canvassers not to certify Biden’s victory in the state. Asked at a Lansing news conference about the plan for legislative leaders to visit Trump, Democratic Gov. “Wayne County voters need to have full confidence in this process." Biden crushed Trump in Wayne County by a more than 2-1 margin on his way to winning Michigan by 153,000 votes, according to unofficial results. But Trump and his allies have spent two weeks raising false claims of fraud and refusing to concede to Biden.

DETROIT – The Wayne County Board of Canvassers unanimously voted to certify the November election results Tuesday and asked the Michigan Secretary of State to conduct an audit of any Wayne County precincts with unexplained mismatching vote totals. The Michigan Board of State Canvassers has until Nov. 23 to certify the election. President Donald Trump tweeted repeatedly about the canvassers and called the two Republicans who voted against certification patriots. The Wayne County Ethics Board is looking into that complaint. This has nothing to do at all with where people live and the races they are.”The state board was expected to meet Wednesday, but that meeting has been postponed.

Republicans Monica Palmer and William Hartmann initially voted against certification Tuesday, leaving the Wayne County Board of Canvassers deadlocked at 2-2 along party lines. But he said he was bombarded with phone calls and emails from random Trump supporters urging him not to approve the election results. Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox reacted swiftly after the initial Wayne County deadlock. An email landed immediately at the AP, with Cox saying she was proud that the party's work had caused GOP canvassers to refuse to bless the election results. This certifies the entire state, said Thomas, who added that by not certifying the county results, the state board would “would basically nullify the entire election” in Michigan.