Michigan ballots loaded with tax requests in primary GOP voters may skip
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) The Breen Township ballot is stuffed. When voters in Michigan tiny Upper Peninsula town of less than 500 residents cast ballots in the March 10 presidential primary, they鈥檒l also help decide the fate of nine separate tax proposals asking them to approve or renew local and county millages. The township near […]
Frustrated by teacher shortages, Michigan educators offer their solutions
by Ron French (Bridge) Paid internships, recruiting bonuses and reduced emphasis on standardized tests are among the recommendations of Michigan teachers to address the state growing teacher shortage. The proposals,聽included in a report released Monday by the state two largest teacher unions and a consortium of urban school districts, are a response to teacher shortages […]
No Michigan cases of coronavirus but hundreds are being 鈥榤onitored鈥
By Robin Erb (Bridge–Michigan Health Watch) Last updated Feb. 19 The new coronavirus hasn鈥檛 arrived in Michigan, but the state confirmed Wednesday that it has monitored hundreds of residents or visitors who may have been exposed to the virus. Since Jan.聽31, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has referred 334 people to the […]
Democrats鈥 hard push for electric vehicles would upend Michigan economy
By Jonathan Oosting LANSING 鈥 Democratic presidential candidates are pushing climate change plans that would require all new cars to be fully electric in the next decade or two, goals that could upend Michigan automakers and reshape the workforce of the state largest industry. But experts say the proposals may be unrealistic given political realities, […]
Michigan cherished Great Lakes, clean waters face threats from all sides
By Joel Kurth, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) With 3,288 miles of Great Lakes coastline and 76,439 miles of rivers and streams, Michigan is practically defined by its access to clean, fresh water. Michigan state regulators聽consider the open waters聽of the Great Lakes and inland waters in either 鈥渆xcellent鈥 or 鈥済ood鈥 condition, despite significant trouble spots […]
Wary of water safety, Michigan residents want stronger regulation
By Alexandra Schmidt (Bridge) Concerns about Michigan water quality continue to bubble up in the Great Lakes State. From PFAS to lead, Line 5 to Nestl茅, agricultural runoff to Asian carp, Michigan faces a host of expensive questions on how to best manage the state lakes, streams and water systems. 鈥淧ure Waters: A Citizens Agenda […]
Michigan debates future of kratom, an herbal remedy linked to 9 state deaths
By Robin Erb (Bridge) The crushed leaves in the little plastic bag they found next to his body was not what Peggy LaPenna expected would take her child from her. It wasn鈥檛 the prescription painkillers her son Joey started taking after an eye injury as a teen. It wasn鈥檛 the Xanax he鈥檇 sneak as a […]
Sheriff plea on mentally ill prisoner reveals gap in Michigan treatment
By Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Frustrated by a lack of treatment options, a sheriff in Michigan Upper Peninsula took to the Internet, pleading for help for a mentally ill Vietnam veteran stuck in his jail. Advocates say it merely the latest example of a failed criminal justice mental health system. 鈥淲e have tried over and over […]
Incomes climb in Michigan, but state still struggles with loss of manufacturing
By Joel Kurth, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) Make no mistake: Michigan economy is doing well, but the days of leading the nation in weekly paychecks are long over. The state workers once made substantially more than the average American household (6 percent more in 2000). Now, the median household income is 4 percent less […]
Michigan college tuition hikes leave average graduate with $35K in debt
By Joel Kurth and Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) More Michiganders than ever have a college degree, but the state ranks 30th in the United States for the rate of residents with an associate degree or higher: 45 percent of working-age adults. Fewer than 30 percent of adults have at least a bachelor degree compared […]
