Michigan workforce quietly passes pre-pandemic levels, shows resilience
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Quietly, Michigan has passed an important milestone in its long climb from pandemic job losses. There are now more people working in Michigan than there were in late 2019 鈥 in the months before COVID-19 prompted waves of聽job losses聽and workers began to flee the labor force. In October, 61.8 percent […]
In Michigan, 1 in 3 seniors victimized by scams, more than nation, poll finds
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) The holiday season is often open season for scammers, and a poll conducted by the University of Michigan suggests聽that older Michiganders are more vulnerable to ripoffs than peers nationwide. A recent poll found that more than two-thirds of older Michigan residents report someone tried to scam them in the […]
Loneliness on rise, as pandemic fades, U-M study finds. Programs offer help
by Kenzie Terpstra, Capital News Service聽(Bridge Michigan) LANSING 鈥 People across the nation grew familiar with social isolation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, but social disconnection had been building since before the pandemic, according to a recent advisory. In Michigan, efforts to combat social disconnection are underway. The advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek […]
New Michigan laws ban domestic abusers from owning guns for eight years
by Lauren Gibbons聽 (Bridge Michigan) People with domestic violence convictions of any kind won鈥檛 be allowed access to guns for eight聽years under legislation signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Monday. The legislation, Senate Bills聽471聽and聽528聽and House Bill聽4945, suspends access to guns for those convicted of a misdemeanor involving domestic violence. Those subject to the ban would be […]
U-M mastodon man calls it a career after decades of solving Ice Age mysteries
by Aaron Martin聽&聽Kelly House聽 (Bridge Michigan) ANN ARBOR 鈥斅燚an Fisher came to the University of Michigan to study fossilized horseshoe crabs. When he retires at the end of 2023, Fisher will leave U-M as one of the world foremost experts in mammoths and mastodons, the elephant-like giants of the Ice Age. His retirement marks the […]
Is Michigan ripe for a women-majority Legislature? Advocates eye one in 鈥24
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Tracy-Ann Jennings never imagined herself managing political campaigns, let alone running her own. But after a friend expressed interest in running for mayor, the Benton Harbor resident 鈥 a consultant and mom of four with a background in municipal government and economic development 鈥 wondered what it would take to […]
Michigan sees another year of double-digit growth for outdoor industry
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan outdoor recreation sector continued on a trajectory of rapid growth last year, prompting calls for greater investment in the land, water and infrastructure that underpins the industry. New聽statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis show the sector grew by 11.8% in 2022, the second straight year of double-digit […]
In antler-obsessed Michigan, the state begs hunters to shoot more does
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) As whitetail deer populations overwhelm some communities in lower Michigan, natural resources managers have tried a number of strategies to reduce herds. They allow hunters to kill more deer each year. They鈥檝e experimented with lower-cost licenses in parts of the state, and relaxed regulations to promote more harvests. The outcome? […]
Indiana is beating Michigan by attracting people, not just companies
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) In the 1980s, even the locals around Indianapolis referred to their town as India-no-place 鈥 a city that had no real identity, in the middle of a state known for the inferiority-tinged jingle, 鈥淭here more than corn in Indiana!鈥 Today, there still a lot of corn, but there are also […]
AFSCME puts Michigan Council 25 in receivership, dismaying local officials
by Sarah Rahal, The Detroit News聽&聽Christine Ferretti聽(Bridge Michigan) Michigan largest government employee union has been placed in receivership by its international union amid an over 50 percent membership plunge in the past decade, what some local union officials are calling a 鈥渢akeover鈥 that is creating uncertainty and confusion. In documents obtained by The Detroit News […]
