ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA NESSEL

As he does every election day, Help Me Hank has been tracking any issues at the polls regarding people exercising their right to vote.

An Oakland County judge blocked prosecutors from enforcing the state’s 1931 Abortion Ban. That ruling came just hours after a court of appeals ruled the ban could be enforced.

A judge in Oakland County has just granted a temporary restraining order in response to a ruling Monday morning that cleared the way for county prosecutors to enforce Michigan’s 1931 Abortion Ban.

He was the Chief Operating Officer of the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office under embattled former Prosecutor Eric Smith. Tuesday (May 31) night, he’s reached a plea deal that includes testifying against his former boss.

Many people strongly believe Temujin Kensu could not have committed the murder for which he’s done decades of hard time. A big setback for Kensu and those who have committed time and energy to try to prove his innocence and gain his release on Tuesday (May 31).

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Friday reached out to leaders at Abbott Nutrition, whose Sturgis Plant was shut down following a recall, about getting production of its baby formula back on track.

On Tuesday, the board decided there would be no independent review until the litigation concluded. The problem is that it’s likely three to five years away.

Safety and security procedures were a big part of Tuesday’s meeting, but the students who packed the library at Oxford High School wanted to talk about their friends and how they think they should be remembered.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel met privately with Oxford parents and students Tuesday (April 19).

Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and other organizations are looking for ways to compensate Detroiters who were overtaxed $600M during the Great Recession.

Even after five months since the tragic shooting, some students still don’t feel safe being back in the school. Parents of the students are pressuring the Oxford School District to change that.

After nearly 40 years, there’s been an arrest in the disappearance and presumed death of a baby girl in Ann Arbor.

Some crimes might have happened years ago, but the impact from it can still be felt by the offender.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said stimulus payments being delivered to residents via prepaid debit card is not a scam. According to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office, the debit cards will have a Visa logo on the front and issuing bank name, MetaBank, N.A., on the back. “Mailed stimulus payments will arrive in a white envelope with the U.S. Department of Treasury seal. For additional information on how to use the preloaded Visa debit card, or to confirm the status of a stimulus payment, visit the IRS website. “I still believe that bill is absolutely necessary.”While many Michiganders recently received $600 stimulus checks, some believe that isn’t enough for those in need to get by.

Moderna vaccine expected soonWhitmer said she expects the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to join the Pfizer vaccine in being approved in the next week. “Over the weekend, the first shipments of the FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine left Portage, Michigan,” Whitmer said. Vaccine factsKhaldun took a deep dive into COVID-19 vaccine facts Tuesday, including how effective the vaccines are, when everyone can expect to receive them and potential side effects. Vaccine scamsNessel outlined four specific types of COVID-19 vaccine scams circulating in the state and explained how they’re targeting residents. “In the three weeks since I sent that letter, nearly 2,000 Michiganders have died from COVID-19,” Whitmer said.

LANSING, Mich. – When will Michigan restaurants be allowed to reopen after the most recent shutdown due to COVID-19? Why are restaurants still closed while other types of places are allowed to remain open? Right now, restaurants are limited to carry-out and delivery orders, as indoor dining is shut down through at least Dec. 20. They feel COVID-19 restrictions are inconsistent, with people allowed to go to malls or grocery stores, but not restaurants. “There is a ban on indoor dining, and I think that to the extent that these restaurants are seeing that happen in other realms -- that is unfortunate,” Whitmer said.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s attorney general outlined four specific types of COVID-19 vaccine scams circulating in the state and explained how they’re targeting residents. READ: 9 major takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID-19 briefing on Dec. 15Attorney General Dana Nessel joined Gov. Gretchen Whitmer during Tuesday’s briefing to warn Michiganders about scammers looking to capitalize on the COVID-19 vaccine excitement. “Fake vaccine treatments, test kits and clinical trials are just some of those examples of what scammers are going to be putting out there,” she said. Michigan expects the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to join the Pfizer vaccine in being approved in the next week.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s top health official took a deep dive into COVID-19 vaccine facts Tuesday, including how effective the vaccines are, when everyone can expect to receive them and potential side effects. Gretchen Whitmer expects the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to join the Pfizer vaccine in being approved in the next week. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is 95% effective, and is safe. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been tested in trials, including tens of thousands of people. Residents have to return for a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine three weeks after the first dose.

LANSING, Mich. – Three of the most important COVID-19 metrics are showing positive signs that Michigan is heading in the right direction, the state’s chief medical executive said. Michigan is currently at 560 cases per million people, a number that has been trending downward for 22 straight days, Khaldun said. Case rates for all eight geographical regions are on the decline, she said. Overall, 18.5% of hospital beds in the state have COVID-19 patients in them, which has also declined, according to Khaldun. The percentage of statewide COVID-19 tests that are coming back positive is down to 12.3%, Khaldun said.

Gretchen Whitmer is asking state lawmakers for a permanent extension of unemployment benefits due to COVID-19. READ: 9 major takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID-19 briefing on Dec. 15FROM DEC. 1: Whitmer wants Michigan Legislature to pass permanent extension of unemployment benefitsThe governor took aim at the Republican-led state legislature during her Tuesday (Dec. 15) COVID-19 briefing, urging them to take action on a number of issues, including bipartisan COVID-19 restrictions, unemployment benefits and a $100 million stimulus plan. “I also need them to remember to pass a permanent extension of unemployment benefits,” Whitmer said. “I appreciate the Senate’s expansion of unemployment benefits to 26 weeks, through March, but we really need to work together to pass a permanent extension to protect the countless Michiganders and their livelihoods.”Whitmer said thousands of Michiganders are in danger of losing benefits at the end of the year. Lawmakers didn’t approve of Whitmer’s emergency orders issued throughout the pandemic, saying she shouldn’t be able to make such decisions without their approval.

Gretchen Whitmer says she is ready to sign a $100 million economic stimulus plan to help families and small businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Yesterday, I sent another letter to the Legislature, urging them to work with me on priorities like $100 million in COVID-19 relief,” Whitmer said. “There are people out there who have spent a lifetime building up their small businesses,” Whitmer said. “We here in Michigan have got to step up and take action,” Whitmer said. Lawmakers didn’t approve of Whitmer’s emergency orders issued throughout the pandemic, saying she shouldn’t be able to make such decisions without their approval.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s governor continues to push for bipartisan support of COVID-19 restrictions, saying 2,000 residents have died from the virus since she sent a letter to legislators three weeks ago. READ: 9 major takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID-19 briefing on Dec. 15Gov. “In the three weeks since I sent that letter, nearly 2,000 Michiganders have died from COVID-19,” Whitmer said. We cannot afford to wait any longer.”Tension between Whitmer and the Republican-led Legislature has existed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers didn’t approve of Whitmer’s emergency orders issued throughout the pandemic, saying she shouldn’t be able to make such decisions without their approval.

Gretchen Whitmer expects the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to join the Pfizer vaccine in being approved in the next week -- so which of the two should people get? READ: 9 major takeaways from Whitmer’s COVID-19 briefing on Dec. 15The governor spoke about vaccines during her Tuesday briefing. “Over the weekend, the first shipments of the FDA-approved Pfizer vaccine left Portage, Michigan,” Whitmer said. “In the next week, we expect the Moderna vaccine to be approved. It doesn’t matter which -- the Pfizer or the Moderna, or maybe others that will come online.

Gretchen Whitmer believes the state’s stricter COVID-19 rules, which were extended into next week, are successfully slowing the spread of the virus. It is working.”Whitmer said the state’s number of COVID-19 cases is decreasing, and that the dip correlates with the day the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services issued its three-week “pause.”“Simply put, what we’re doing is working,” Whitmer said. High school and college classes were shifted to fully remote formats and most entertainment venues were shuttered for the pause. On Dec. 7, the pause was extended an additional 12 days -- until Dec. 20 -- so officials could gauge the impact of the Thanksgiving holiday. Michigan reported 4,730 new COVID-19 cases and 183 additional deaths (71 from a Vital Records review) on Tuesday, bringing the state totals to 442,715 cases and 10,935 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer provided an update Tuesday on the state’s response to COVID-19 and the efforts to slow the spread of the virus. READ: 9 major takeaways from Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s COVID-19 briefingDr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined Whitmer. Nessel revealed on Twitter that she is joining Whitmer to discuss COVID-19 vaccine scams.

Related: AG Barr: No evidence of voter fraud that’d change election outcome“This is how democracies die,” Nessel said Friday. “By virtue of these types of actions, which are unprecedented in American history.”Legal experts don’t believe the high court will hear the case. Despite that, four Michigan GOP congressmen have signed onto the case and 15 GOP state lawmakers. Nessel and the Attorney Generals of the other states have all filed briefs with the high court. Each member who signed their names on their respective briefs also won their own elections in 2020, which they are now asking to be invalidated.

Michigan’s election results faced another round of legal challenges in courts both big and small just four days before the Electoral College is slated to meet and finalize the 2020 election. In the U.S. Supreme Court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel responded to the state of Texas, which is suing Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Georgia -- three other key states that voted in favor of President-elect Joe Biden. Texas alleged that Michigan broke its own election laws to send absentee ballots to voters during a pandemic, and argued that the court should throw out millions of votes. More: Michigan AG: Texas AG Paxton’s election lawsuit is clear signal request for pardon by TrumpNessel said the claims in the lawsuit are “absurd” and already have been debunked in lower courts. The scheme has been floated and then called for by President Trump, his campaign and his legal team before and after the presidential election in an effort to overturn election results.

LANSING, Mich. – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a Lawsuit Tuesday claiming that Michigan and other battleground states altered election laws and flooded the state with ballots with no chain of custody. The lawsuit asks the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case after the Court declined to hear a Pennsylvania case that wanted to reverse that state’s vote certification. The lawsuit repeats numerous false, disproven and unsupported allegations of illegal mail-in balloting and voting in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. This year, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson sent out applications to vote, not actual ballots, unless the voter completed the process to vote absentee. Their votes were counted, in some cases, multiple times.”The audits will include a statewide risk-limiting audit, a complete zero-margin risk-limiting audit in Antrim County, and procedural audits in more than 200 jurisdictions statewide, including absentee ballot counting boards, according to the Bureau.

LANSING, Mich. – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a brief Tuesday claiming that Michigan and other battleground states altered election laws and flooded the state with ballots with no chain of custody. This year, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson sent out applications to vote, not actual ballots unless the voter completed the process to vote absentee. President Donald Trump’s legal team has not been successful in Michigan so far. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case that wanted to reverse Pennsylvania’s vote certification. Their votes were counted, in some cases, multiple times.”Watch the full report in the video posted above.

Election day has arrived, and Local 4 spoke with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to answer some of the most important questions that are still causing confusion for some residents. Election 2020: How WDIV reports election resultsYou can read Nessel’s answers to these questions below. Any form of intimidation or harassment at a polling place is a felony. What should I do if I encounter someone at my polling place who makes me feel unsafe? Are we going to see final results of the Michigan vote on election night?

According to Nessel, 12,000 people with 313 area codes received the robocall in late August. The two men are each charged with four felonies for breaking election laws. “These robocalls alone could impact who our next president is.”Burkman, who is from Virgina is a conservative lobbyist. Wohl, who is from Los Angeles, is known for promoting right-wing conspiracy theories and trying to smear prominent Democrats. “We absolutely intend to defend voters in this state and to enforce the laws,” Nessel said.

LANSING, Mich. – Environmental groups are calling on the attorney general to stop Nestle from taking Michigan water almost for free and turning it into a huge profit. Residents were outraged when Nestle struck a deal that allowed it to pump 1.1 million gallons of water per day from Michigan for a total of $200 per year. The debate over Pure Michigan water and Nestle is raging on, and now Attorney General Dana Nessel is being asked to get in on the fight. It’s time to put a stop to this violation of the public trust mandate of our constitution.”Environmentalists said they can tell damage has been done from Nestle pumping water out to bottle at the pumping sight near Evart, Michigan. Local 4 Consumer Investigator Hank Winchester reached out to Nessel for her reaction.

LANSING, Mich. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel are set to discuss the use of federal relief funds for Michigan schools. Whitmer and Nessel will address the steps taken by the state to ensure those funds are properly allocated to public and private schools across the state. They are expected to speak around 2 p.m. Tuesday. You can watch live in the stream above.

DETROIT A Detroit man is facing up to 20 years in prison for threatening to kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel while messaging an acquaintance on social media, officials said. LATEST: Whitmer says strong COVID-19 actions have paid off, but will take economic tollRobert Sinclair Tesh, 32, of Detroit, sent a social media message to an acquaintance on April 14 that was determined to be a credible threat to kill Whitmer and Nessel, according to authorities. Detroit police arrested him later that day at his home in the 2100 block of Jefferson Avenue. READ: Protesters rally against Michigan stay-at-home order: Shes treating us like were small childrenRobert Sinclair Tesh (WDIV)The alleged facts in this case lay out a very disturbing scenario," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.