2025 in review: Michigan’s top stories

(The Center Square) – Here is a round-up of the top 10 political, economic and cultural stories that made the headlines in Michigan in 2025.

Lansing Watch

Following months of failed negotiations, Michigan’s state government faced a shutdown in early October. The legislature eventually passed a one-week fiscal extension and, just hours before it was set to end, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer officially signed off on the 2025-2026 budget.

The K-12 education budget totaled $24.1 billion, while the general omnibus budget was an additional $52 billion.

This wasn’t the only controversy in Michigan in 2025. Republicans and Democrats in the state legislature have been embroiled in an ongoing dispute over nine bills that were never sent to Whitmer for signature.

The bills passed the state legislature at the end of the 2024 legislat...