Michigan fishers are warned about harmful algae ahead of trout season
by Janelle D. James聽 (Bridge Michigan) Michigan trout fishing season opens on Saturday, and the state is advising people to avoid picking up 鈥渁quatic hitchhikers鈥 as they head for the waters. Various trout species, from聽rainbow to brown trout,聽can be found in the Great Lakes. But an invasive species of algae found in streams continues to […]
Salt level rising in Michigan groundwaters, endangering crops, homes
by Alex Walters, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) A worrisome environmental issue is bubbling up from deep below Michigan ground with little public awareness, experts say. The salinity of the state groundwater is on the rise, raising concerns about killed crops and corroded pipes. The problem is increasingly severe and requires action, but Michigan residents […]
Squatters’ rights in Michigan: What homeowners should know
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Lawmakers across the country are cracking down on squatting, or people living in unoccupied properties without permission. Michigan has had a聽law聽on the books for 10 years that makes squatting a crime, but homeowners can’t physically remove unwanted occupants from their property. State Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, proposed a聽bill聽this month […]
As opioid funds flood Michigan, tensions rise over how best to reverse ODs
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) As the street-drug supply in Michigan grows more potent, a proposed state law could open access to treatments that some argue are more powerful than traditional Narcan in saving lives. But others say such naloxone 鈥 the drug known by the brand name option, Narcan, and available to the public […]
Democrats retake Michigan House with special election wins
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING 鈥 Democrats are back in control of the Michigan House 鈥 and the full state government 鈥 for the rest of the year after their candidates in two special elections won big Tuesday night. The contests put an end to a聽months-long partisan stalemate聽with Republicans in the lower chamber after […]
New push to reform Michigan corporate subsidies, this time from Republicans
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) New聽proposals聽from Michigan Republicans take aim at the state once-acclaimed $2 billion incentive program and the agency that oversees it. Republicans this week said they plan to introduce legislation this spring to increase oversight of the聽Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund, along with adding performance-based funding for the聽Michigan Economic Development […]
Michigan morel mushroom season: Where to find them and how to identify them
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) People in Michigan should soon be able to collect prized morel mushrooms as foraging season begins. Morels,聽known for their distinctive pitted, honeycomb-like caps, begin to appear in聽late spring through the beginning of summer. Morel mushroom foraging season lasts long, beginning in mid-April and continuing through mid-June. Hunters in southern […]
EPA sets first limits on PFAS in drinking water, drawing praise in Michigan
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) The Environmental Protection Agency set the first-ever national standards limiting PFAS contaminants in drinking water on Wednesday. The move drew immediate praise from officials in Michigan, which was one of the first states to regulate the compounds. The federal agency proposed standards over a year ago that would require […]
Michigan schools hired 874 mental health staffers 鈥 under program set to end
by Isabel Lohman聽 (Bridge Michigan) Distance learning. Disrupted routines. Death of loved ones. Such were the realities for students in 2021 when Michigan lawmakers approved a聽$240 million program聽to help schools hire more counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. New data obtained by Bridge Michigan shows schools across the state […]
New study: Great Lakes beaches are littered with plastic trash
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) In news unlikely to surprise Great Lakes beachgoers, plastic litter is a large and growing problem in the lakes. A new report聽from the Alliance for the Great Lakes adds a new data point to the growing body of evidence that America plastic addiction and waste-disposal habits are polluting our land […]
