Michigan redistricting panel saves metro Detroit for last. Is that a mistake?
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) EAST LANSING — As Michigan’s redistricting commission drafts new legislative districts, some critics worry members aren’t devoting enough time to draw maps for the state’s most populous areas. The Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission has spent the last few weeks drawing drafts of state legislative districts in the Upper Peninsula, and […]
Required COVID vaccines put Michigan hospital worker hesitancy to the test
by Kelly House, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) The clock is ticking for Sharon Petty to decide whether she’ll submit to a COVID-19 vaccination or lose her job as a phlebotomist at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn, but she said her mind is already made up. If her request for a religious exemption isn’t approved, Petty said, […]
Washtenaw County mandate means masks for Manchester Community Schools
Manchester Community Schools started school last Monday with masks optional for everyone and no positive cases of COVID or quarantines on their COVID-19 dashboard. By Thursday, the Washtenaw County Health Department had announced a county-wide masking mandate for K-12 schools and the district had six positive cases and 13 students quarantining. The Washtenaw County Health […]
Funding pledged to bring Broadband access to every home in Washtenaw County
Last Wednesday evening, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Funding unanimously passed a historic resolution pledging up to $30.5 million dollars for community investments through the Ways and Means Committee. This proposed package leverages $24 million of the $71 million coming to the county through the American Rescue Plan Act. One of the programs it […]
YMCA free kids sports program coming to Manchester
The Sport Port program, powered by Y on the Fly, is a mobile YMCA delivering games, activities and healthy snacks to children and they are coming to Manchester! Trained Y staff will lead sport sampling workshops and facilitate games and free play opportunities for youth for kids aged 5 to 13 on Mondays from 5:15 […]
Public notice: Manchester Community Schools
Notice to Bidders Manchester Community Schools New RTU HVAC Sealed proposals will be received at the Manchester Community Schools — Riverside Intermediate School, 710 E Main Street, Manchester, MI 48158 until Friday, September 17th, 2021 at 2:45 pm. for a general contractor to supply and install a new 25 ton RTU HVAC at Riverside Intermediate […]
Michigan’s largest public companies ‘encouraged’ by second-quarter rebound
By David Wilkins (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s largest publicly traded companies have mounted a strong comeback since the COVID-19 pandemic sent them reeling last year. The latest corporate financial filings from the state’s biggest employers show their revenues in the second quarter (Q2) of this year rebounded to levels achieved in the same period in 2019 […]
Michigan student test scores slump, as COVID halts slow progress
by Ron French, Tracie Mauriello, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) and Koby Levin (Chalkbeat) Test scores in Michigan schools slumped during the past academic year, as educators and students scrambled to adjust amid a once-in-a-century pandemic. Results released Tuesday from the M-STEP, the state’s federally-mandated standardized test given to students in grades 3-7, and similar tests given in grades […]
Memo: Whitmer staff reviews FOIA requests, even though she’s exempt from law
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is not subject to the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, but an internal memo shows her legal team is asking to review any communications from her office before they are released to the public by state departments that must follow the law. Whitmer’s spokesperson called the policy […]
