Michigan school districts are shrinking. None want to consolidate. Why not?
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Back in 2022, lawmakers allocated $5 million for school districts to explore consolidation. No one took the lawmakers up on it in the first year. But the following year, 16 districts got money to study consolidation. Still, no local district has actually consolidated. K-12 enrollment in public schools is declining amid […]
Gretchen Whitmer urged bipartisan cooperation. Michigan lawmakers quickly clashed
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a plea for political civility on Thursday in a roughly 20-minute keynote speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference, pointing to President Donald Trump’s recent commitment to Selfridge Air National Guard Base as an example of bipartisan cooperation. “We cannot give in to the instant gratification that comes […]
Survey: Health care costs stymying small business growth in Michigan
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Rising health care costs could stall job growth in Michigan, as 76% of small business owners say they can’t afford to expand their workforce and insure employees. The poll released last week from the Small Business Association of Michigan also found that 83% of respondents said escalating health costs prevent other […]
WCSO: April report of City police activity
provided by Alan Hunt, Lieutenant, WCSO During the month of April there were 140 calls for service in the City of Manchester, while 74 traffic stops were made resulting in 28 citations. On April 21, a Collaboration Deputy responded to the 100 block of Hibbard for a report of a fraud. The complainant reported that […]
From taxes to Medicaid, what Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ would mean for Michigan
by Lauren Gibbons, (Bridge Magazine) In one fell swoop, the Republican-led US House of Representatives this week voted to extend tax cuts, create other tax breaks, scrap Biden-era clean energy credits and cut spending on public assistance programs like Medicaid and food stamps. The so-called “big, beautiful bill” is a top priority of President Donald […]
Michigan public health labs try to adjust after loss of federal funds
by Robin Erb The equipment inside a public health lab here sits shiny, new and eerily quiet. These rooms are dark. Three lab staff have been laid off. In Saginaw, the job posting for an epidemiologist at another public health lab has been yanked. In Newbury, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the leaky lab roof won’t […]
What is ‘team teaching?’ Michigan schools shake up the ‘one-teacher’ model
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) In a hallway lined with backpacks, jackets and student art, second- and third-graders walk to their home classroom. The students are coming from small group lessons, where some of them have been with classmates a year older or younger than them. It’s part of the district’s experiment with “team teaching.” […]
Sheriff Dyer visits Manchester
by Marsha Chartrand A handful of local citizens came out to the Village Room on Saturday morning for a meet and greet with newly elected Sheriff Alyshia Dyer (and coffee and doughnuts, of course!). Dyer brought along several of her support staff and participants brought diverse viewpoints to the the Q&A session event, which lasted […]
Manchester student to play Water Polo at Washington & Jefferson College
submitted by Char Major On Thursday, May 1, high school senior Chloe Marjorprice signed her intent to play water polo for Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA. Chloe lives in Manchester and attended Manchester Co-op Nursery School and Klager Elementary through grade four. She will graduate from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. She […]
EPA weakens PFAS drinking water limits. What it means for Michigan
by Kelly House, (Bridge Michigan) The Trump administration has announced plans to rescind drinking-water limits on four PFAS “forever chemical” compounds while extending the compliance deadline for two others, in a move that outraged victims of Michigan’s widespread PFAS contamination. Nationwide regulations limiting allowable levels of PFOA and PFOS — two of the most common […]
