Bills to improve Michigan transparency still have loopholes, critics say
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Bipartisan legislation that would open the Michigan Legislature and Governor’s office to some public records requests moved one step closer to becoming law Tuesday when a House committee approved modified versions of the bills. One major change, made under pressure from pro-transparency groups, would require the Legislature to hold onto records […]
Here’s how Michigan should spend Bloomberg’s $10 million to fight opioids
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) As Michigan continues to battle an opioid epidemic, billionaire and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s charity is investing $10 million to broaden state access to treatment and improve prevention. As Bridge Magazine has reported, health and law enforcement experts say the state needs to invest in several areas to reduce deaths, among them: […]
School board to tackle budget shortfalls
A budget workshop for the Manchester Community Schools Board of Education was held on Monday, Feb. 24. Superintendent Nick Steinmetz led the presentation at the workshop with some projections of this year’s enrollment as compared to future years’. Under Michigan’s school funding model, enrollment is the major source of state revenue for the district. “From […]
St. Mary Lenten fish fries start off with great success
Submitted by Betty E. Cummings The first of St. Mary Manchester’s Lenten fish fries is in the books. They sold a record 300 drive thru/take out dinners and 403 dine-in dinners, for a total of 703. It takes a lot of fish and a lot of volunteers to put on a huge event like a […]
March 2019 Student of the Month, Jocelyn Boote
Manchester Community Schools Foundation announced that their March 2019 Manchester High School’s Student of the Month is Jocelyn Boote, the daughter of Marty and Christine Boote. Jocelyn is a member of the Manchester High School National Honor Society and is a student mentor. Jocelyn is active with her church and community, providing child care and support […]
Many magnificent miles
Mooovin’ Mondays. Walk to School Wednesdays. Fabulous Fridays. Week after week after week! On Friday, March 8, fourth-grader Abi Swanson reached a significant walking milestone with the Walk to School program. She has made it to every single Walk to School Day this school year, and earned her prize for 60 days of walking. Abi […]
A shout out to the Class of 2023
submitted by Eric McCalla, Manchester Jr/Sr High School Principal Eighth-grade students attended a play production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” on February 25. They arrived that Monday morning like I had never seen before–impressively poised. The bus ride provided an opportunity for carefree interaction with classmates. It was wonderful to witness them stress free and […]
County-wide events planned to celebrate National Agriculture Week and Washtenaw’s Agricultural heritage
Washtenaw County Farm Bureau will join other organizations across the country to celebrate agriculture’s important role in daily life as part of National Ag Week March 10-16 and Ag Day on Tuesday March 14th. Local events and activities are designed to raise awareness about the many ways America’s farmers provide food, fiber and fuel for […]
Eleven percent of Washtenaw County pregnant women smoke. Free help is available
Eleven percent of Washtenaw County women who gave birth in 2016 reported that they smoked cigarettes while pregnant, according to a new report from the Washtenaw County Health Department. The Health Department encourages pregnant women to take advantage of the Michigan Tobacco Quitline’s free help in quitting smoking and tobacco use. “Although we’ve seen a significant decrease […]
Suicides, often linked to opioids, spike in rural Michigan and among young
by Jim Roelofs (Bridge) About every five hours, a Michigan resident dies by suicide. Fatal drug overdoses happen even more frequently. New research by the University of Michigan suggests an upsurge in opioid overdoses and suicides may be linked. This finding suggests that public health specialists may need to reexamine their approach to policies intended to prevent […]
