Associated Press

Graduate students who teach at the University of Michigan have returned to classes after voting to end a strike. The Graduate Employees' Organization represents about 2,000 students who teach or assist classes. The union says it achieved "critical progress" on child care options during the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 testing protocols and concerns about campus police operations. The deal ends legal action by the university, which sued this week to try to end the strike. The university says the strike disrupted many online undergraduate classes taught by graduate students.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says it doesn't make sense for Michigan to enforce coronavirus restrictions at President Donald Trump's reelection campaign rallies and also points to First Amendment freedoms. The Democrat has expressed safety concerns with thousands attending a Trump rally last week, calling it a potential superspreader event. Her order restricts outdoor gatherings to no more than 100, though there's an exception for political speech. Her office say attendees still must keep 6 feet apart from non-household members and wear masks if distance can't be maintained.

Larger Michigan municipalities could begin processing an expected surge of absentee ballots sooner in the battleground state’s November presidential election under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate.

The 34-2 vote in the Republican-led chamber followed months of lobbying from clerks in both parties who warned of significant delays in counting the votes if they must wait until Election Day to open return envelopes. The GOP-controlled House will consider the measure next.

Two Michigan police officers were charged with misconduct in separate incidents involving allegations of excessive force and an illegal search, authorities said Tuesday.

In a third case, the attorney general’s office said no charges would be pursued against a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy who punched a woman who was biting him as he was investigating a May shooting in Ypsilanti.

The pastor of a Roman Catholic church in suburban Detroit is apologizing after a fellow priest likened Black Lives Matter to the people responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The Rev. Paul Graney used a weekend homily to rail against BLM, whose goal is to eradicate systemic racism and to oppose violence against Black people. Graney is a priest at Church of the Divine Child in Dearborn. Graney says BLM is "anti-family" and "evil." The Rev. Bob McCabe says Graney's homily created "confusion and chaos." McCabe says "every person is sacred in the eyes of God."

The University of Michigan is suing to stop a strike by graduate-student instructors after they voted to extend their walkout.

“Going to the court was our only choice after learning the strike would continue. We’d much rather our classes be in session while we work out our differences,” President Mark Schlissel said.

A county

A county on Monday ordered a two-week quarantine for 23 fraternities and sororities and seven large rental houses near Michigan State University following a coronavirus outbreak that a local health official said was turning into a “crisis.”

The quarantine, which is mandatory, means students or others living in the buildings cannot leave except for medical care or necessities that cannot be delivered. The houses have known cases or exposure to COVID-19.

A board that oversees Michigan's Capitol building has put off making a final decision about whether to ban guns there. The Michigan State Capitol Commission on Monday voted against two motions to ban all long guns and the open carrying of any gun at the Capitol. Commissioners say they want to meet with lawmakers to discuss funding for enforcement making a final decision. Their vote came more than four months after armed protesters opposed to the governor's coronavirus shutdowns entered the building.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, faced with lawsuits challenging her use of emergency powers to fight the coronavirus, could continue to prevail in court.

But she may be unable to stop a Republican maneuver that would rescind a 75-year-old law that has enabled her to issue and lift COVID-19 restrictions unilaterally. A ballot drive said Friday it was in the “home stretch” after collecting more than 400,000 signatures in just two months. Its goal is 500,000.

Organizations in southeastern Michigan that service immigrants and refugees will share more than $200,000 in grants.

The grants range from $5,000 to $10,000 and are designed to support a variety of groups and their needs, according to the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan.

The rapid response grants are made through the Southeast Michigan Immigrant and Refugee Funder Collaborative, a group of philanthropic partners that seeks to address a needs gap of the immigrant and refugee population in the region.