Nearly a third of Michigan educators mull quitting because of coronavirus
by Ron French (Bridge) About 7 percent of Michigan educators are leaving the profession because of concerns over coronavirus and another 24 percent are considering walking out the door, according to a survey of more than 15,000 Michigan K-12 educators released Thursday. The survey, conducted May 15-22 by the Michigan Education Association, the state’s largest teacher […]
Michigan freezes 340k unemployment accounts amid fraud probe and pandemic
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — The state of Michigan has frozen 340,000 unemployment accounts, blocking cash assistance for jobless residents while it investigates suspected fraud by imposters seeking to take advantage of enhanced benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Friday. The state has already identified a “significant amount of fraud” in new applications, […]
Community "sends off" seniors with a car parade
On Sunday afternoon, community members lined Main Street and waved, clapped, shouted congratulations to, and even confetti-ed Manchester High School seniors who rode in decorated cars and trucks through the Village. Some seniors wore their caps and gowns, while others just enjoyed the ride. The event was organized by parents and not an official school […]
Ice cream cones and cool summer treats!
DD (formerly Manchester’s Dairy Queen) posted on May 4th on social media that they would not be opening this season, citing as reasons both lacking an occupancy permit and the increased expenses that would be involved with operating during a pandemic. Residents looking at spending a whole summer with no local ice cream options began […]
Manchester residents protest racism
Manchester residents joined protesters across the country Saturday afternoon protesting on Main Street and Ann Arbor Hill (M-52), the murder of George Floyd, police brutality and systemic racism. The organizer, a local mother, did not want to go on record except to say that those protesting are people who believe racism is wrong, and that […]
Meet our intern, Claire Pajka
This summer, University of Michigan student Claire Pajka will be interning with the Manchester Mirror! An Ohio native, she grew up near Cuyahoga Valley National Park and has spent previous summers working in the Natural Resources Department of the local park system. She was previously a writer and editor for the Watershed Volunteer Program eNews […]
How weak regulations failed to prevent catastrophe at notorious Midland dam
by Kelly House, Riley Beggin (Bridge) Over nearly three decades and several owners, government regulators warned the Edenville Dam near Midland was at risk of failing in a flood, with dire consequences for downstream communities. But the 96-year-old dam’s structural deficiencies were never corrected before it and the downstream Sanford Dam failed last week following heavy […]
Pain, strength and agitation underlie Detroit protests against police brutality
by Louis Aguilar (Bridge) The death of George Floyd, the beating of Sha’Teina Grady El in Washtenaw County, mass incarceration, and rampant coronavirus infection in prisons brought thousands to Detroit on Friday evening to underscore the value of black life and protest police brutality. Throughout the night and early Saturday morning, the heart of Detroit […]
Michigan continues to stumble in tracking coronavirus in nursing homes
by Robin Erb, Jonathan Oosting, Ted Roelofs (Bridge) A confusing and incomplete picture of COVID-19 deaths in Michigan nursing homes emerged Friday after the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services listed — for the first time — the total number of nursing home coronavirus cases by county and nursing home. According to numbers posted to the […]
Feds back Michigan businesses in suit against Whitmer’s coronavirus orders
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) The U.S. Department of Justice announced late Friday that it is backing a lawsuit against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, arguing she “imposed arbitrary and irrational limits” on businesses to fight COVID-19. The move comes one month after U.S. Attorney General William Barr directed federal prosecutors to review state and local policies “to ensure […]
