| January 3, 2022 
 Minimum wage workers in Michigan have received a raise for 2022. On Jan. 1, the minimum wage increased from $9.65 to $9.87 for most workers, thanks to a state law passed in 2018. The law includes annual increases, but there was no hike in 2021 because the annual unemployment rate was above 8.5% in 2020. It will continue to increase by 2.3% (which is 23 to 26 cents) per year through 2031, assuming the unemployment rate stays in check. We have a look at how minimum wage has changed over the years, since it was $1 in 1965, and how it is expected to change in future years. If the federal minimum wage ever increases above the state minimum wage, the federal wage will go into effect in Michigan. But the federal minimum wage has been stagnant at $7.25 per hour since 2010. READ MORE ►Ballot initiative aims to increase Michigan's minimum wage to $15 by 2027  More people died of COVID-19 in December in Michigan than any month of the year. As of Wednesday, 2,352 residents, about 200 more than in November, 2021′s second deadliest month, died since Dec. 1, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and based on dates of death. “It’s exhausting. It’s disheartening,” said Linda Vail, health officer for Ingham County. “I’m exhausted. I’m disappointed… But so are schoolteachers. So are kids. So are healthcare workers, who are just exhausted and continue to see this happen again and again.” READ MORE  Competition was steep and prices soared in 2021. This year's housing market will likely be the same. New construction is on the rise in Michigan. In October, the sales of new construction single-family homes hit a six-month high, according to RealComp. Inventory will be key to 2022′s real estate market. After pandemic lockdown orders brought construction to a screeching halt, the real estate industry is still trying to meet a high demand with lower than average supply. Overall housing inventory in Michigan is 54% lower than 2019, according to November data. “If every builder was maxed out you still could not build enough homes to meet demands,” said Jim Douglass, a sales counselor at Allen Edwin Homes. READ MORE ►Michigan's homeless facing serious challenges this winter as COVID-19 threatens shelters  It was a sad ending to 2021, as the world learned beloved comedian and actor Betty White died on New Year's Eve at the age of 99, just weeks short of her 100th birthday. If you spend any time on social media, you've seen plenty of memes in memory of the "Golden Girls" star. But before we said goodbye to Betty on the final day of last year, there were many other celebrities who died during the last 12 months. We have a video memorial looking at those famous names and what they accomplished in their lifetimes. WATCH NOW  The person widely considered to be Michigan’s first openly gay man and one of its most prominent LGBTQ activists has passed away, several officials announced. Jim Toy, 91, died Saturday on New Year’s Day, said Washtenaw County Commissioner Jason Morgan on social media. Morgan and many officials spoke to Toy’s advocacy for gay issues since the 1970s, where he raised awareness and wrote policies to protect the homosexual community from discrimination. “Jim Toy was and will always be a champion for LGBTQ rights and the our community,” said Morgan. READ MORE ►Michigan ranks fifth in U.S. for most openly LGBTQ elected officials, study finds Get your local news 24/7 Connect with MLive
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