Looking Back At The Year In Michigan News

In two weeks, 2020 will finally be behind us.

“We didn’t know what we were in for.” – Chad Livengood, Crain’s Detroit Business.

On Detroit Today, Stephen Henderson and Chad Livengood of Crain’s Detroit Business reflect on some of the biggest statewide stories of the year as we all try to process some of what has happened in the last 12 months.

Listen: Chad Livengood of Crain’s Detroit Business reflects on 2020 with Stephen Henderson

Guest

Chad Livengood is senior editor of Crain’s Detroit Business.

“We didn’t know what we were in for,” says Livengood, reflecting on the early days of the pandemic. He says he didn’t think he’d ever cover a story bigger or more all-consuming than Detroit’s bankruptcy, but 2020 proved him wrong.

He talks about the following stories, which were all some of the most-read stories on Crain’s this year:

• Michigan’s Fight For Medical Supplies: Gov. Whitmer said in March that the federal government told vendors not to send medical supplies to Michigan. “That’s one area where Gov. Whitmer’s national political stardom started, going toe-to-toe with the president,” says Livengood. 
• Lives Lost: State Rep. Isaac Robinson (D-Detroit) died in March of a suspected coronavirus infection. “At that point, we didn’t realize how this virus could take you so fast,” says Livengood. 
• COVID in the State Capitol: Multiple lawmakers and staff in the state House tested positive for COVID-19, forcing leadership to cancel an entire week of session this month. The House now faces a state investigation for possible unsafe working conditions. 
• Rudy Giuliani Hearing: President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani showed up in Lansing for a controversial and bizarre hearing filled with debunked conspiracy theories and false accusations of election fraud. Giuliani spoke for nearly five hours without a mask, and within days tested positive for COVID-19. 
• Restaurants Fight Back: A November op-ed from one of the owners of Andiamo and Joe Muer Sea Food talked about what a “pause” would mean for their restaurants. The owners at one point urged other restaurants to defy the state’s COVID restrictions, and Andiamo has since had its liquor license suspended for defying state orders. “We’re going to see a lot more businesses failing in the next three months whether the shutdown order continues or not,” says Livengood.