The 11 Most Insane Things That Happened In Michigan In 2015

If you saw the video footage, shared hundreds of times over, you would have seen one of the most dramatic video shot during a powerful Michigan storm in January 2015.

Disgraced Michigan State Rep. was having an affair with fellow Tea Party State Rep. Cindy Gamrat. The family values politician reportedly thought he'd cover up his tracks by "leaking" a story that he was, in fact, having tryst with another man. The plot unraveled and both he and Gamrat were essentially run out of office.

Most of us know that Flint has long been in financial crisis. To deal with that, city officials decided to cut costs by discontinuing its use of Detroit water, in favor of using water from the Flint River. The result? An alarmingly high level of lead found in the blood stream of the city's school children. The crisis continues as authorities struggle to figure out how to address the children's health.

The struggle for gay marriage in all 50 states came to a head when the SCOTUS ruled that marriage between people of the same sex was allowed, following the high profile lawsuit of DeBoer v Snyder in 2012, wherein a lesbian couple challenged the state's ban on adoption by same-sex couples.

With record-breaking high temperatures and decidedly minimal precipitation, the fall and winter seasons so far this time of year have been mind-blowing... Can anyone say shorts in December?

As the state continues to try to shed itself of unnecessary real estate, a number of historic lighthouses went on auction this year, in an effort to restore them to their former glory.

Commonly known as "Robocop" for his aggressive manner in policing, former Inkster Police Officer William Melendez was convicted this year for police misconduct and the assault of Floyd Dent. His conviction was a rarity in law enforcement accused of police brutality, which in a number of high profile cases have failed to result in convictions.

One rainy night in Detroit, a group that calls itself the Satanic Temple decided to unveil its iconic symbol of its so-called faith, Baphomet. Part man, part goat, the revealing of the statue resulted in widespread protest and a nationwide debate about the separation of church and state.

Famed street artist Shepard Fairey, who was behind the iconic Hope image of Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign, was invited to Detroit to paint on a number of properties belonging to real estate mogul Dan Gilbert. He ran into trouble, though, when he allegedly vandalized a number of abandoned Detroit properties during his visit.

Michigan, traditionally known as a welcoming state for immigrants and especially refugees, came into the spotlight this fall when Gov. Rick Snyder placed a hold on allowing additional refugees into the state amid concerns following the attacks in Paris. Because of Michigan's high concentration of Muslim Americans, the region has been considered one of the top destinations for Syrian refugees.

Jeralean Talley, of Inkster, was considered the oldest person living in the United States when she died in June.