Marsha Chartrand

Michigan should have protected public from unsafe Edenville Dam, experts say

by Riley Beggin (Bridge) When the Edenville Dam failed this month, sending a torrent of water into Midland, Michigan officials were waiting for an overdue report to prove a dam deemed dangerous for decades didn’t meet state standards. Michigan officials say they had no choice because they started at “ground zero” after inheriting oversight of […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Honoring the fallen

Liam Hiller and his classmates in the Class of 2020 have heard a lot of things they “can’t” do this spring. They couldn’t go back to school for their final days. They couldn’t have a prom. They had to postpone their graduation ceremonies. There have been a lot of milestones this senior class has looked […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Local banks help businesses with PPP program

Manchester’s two branch bank offices, both Comerica Bank and Old National Bank, were instrumental in helping numerous local businesses to access the latest round of PPP loans. “These are really nice numbers,” said Cindy Clark, Vice President Michigan Market at Manchester’s Comerica Bank branch. “It makes me proud to work for Comerica, for sure.” A […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Upgrades slated for water treatment facilities

As part of developing the village of Manchester’s budget for 2020-21, Village Manager Jeff Wallace addressed needed updates to the village’s wastewater treatment system, along with upgrades to water service lines as mandated by the State of Michigan, at the May 4 Village Council meeting. About 100 village water customers received letters last month explaining […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Stories of Wil: A positive story

Submitted by Christie Taylor Wil is a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome. He is the little brother, by 20 months, to twin sisters, Katherine and Elizabeth. Wil’s mom, Christie, knew very little about Down syndrome when Wil was diagnosed shortly after his birth. It didn’t take long for Christie to realize how enriching life with […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Backlogged surgeries from coronavirus shutdown could take months to reschedule

By Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press (For Bridge) Henry Ford Health System has a backlog of about 8,000 surgical procedures that were postponed when COVID-19 began to surge in metro Detroit. The University of Michigan Health System estimates it has 12,000 such surgeries waiting to be scheduled. At Beaumont Health, about 8,500 surgical procedures […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extends Michigan stay-at-home order through June 12

By Riley Beggin (Bridge) One day after loosening social and business restrictions, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday afternoon extended the state’s stay-at-home order to curb the coronavirus pandemic through June 12. She also extended the state of emergency that enables the executive orders, including the stay-at-home order, through June 19, citing a recent Court of Claims […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Dana Nessel and Enbridge argue Line 5 pipeline shutdown to Michigan judge

By Kelly House (Bridge) Should the Line 5 pipelines under the Straits of Mackinac ever have been built? That was the central question Friday as lawyers for the state of Michigan and Canadian petroleum giant Enbridge faced off in oral arguments in Ingham County Circuit Court stemming from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s lawsuit challenging […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Midland flooding highlights Michigan’s aging stockpile of neglected dams

By Paula Gardner, Meghanlata Gupta (Bridge) The rushing waters out of two failed dams near Midland highlight a flood risk that extends beyond the mid-Michigan city. In fact, the breaches are a wake-up call for the entire state as climate change, long-neglected infrastructure systems and a lack of funding all raise concerns about the condition (and investment into) Michigan’s dams. […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Riverside lift station overflows, no sewage in river

When you get more than two inches of rain in 24 hours, that’s a lot of water. “It’s simply more than we can process,” said Thomas Thompson, Waste Water Treatment Plant Supervisor for the Village of Manchester. Due to the excessive rainfall (a total of about 2.1 inches) between May 18 and 19, approximately 1,00 […]