Residents and officials feeling powerless in Michigan data center fights
by Isabella Figueroa Nogueira, Bridge Michigan After 18 years on the Mason City Council, Elaine Ferris faces recall in November over a vote she says was intended to protect her city from data center development, not invite it. Mason, in Ingham County near Lansing, began working on its zoning ordinance in late 2025 as state […]
Mike Rogers vs. Abdul El-Sayed: 7 issues defining Michigan’s US Senate race
by Lauren Gibbons, Bridge Michigan As voters consider who should fill Michigan’s open US Senate seat, there are several big policy issues for candidates to address: What is the future of health care? What to do about high costs of living and affordable housing shortages? Should the rules around money in politics be changed? In […]
Jocelyn Benson picks Winnie Brinks as running mate in Michigan governor race
by Simon D. Schuster, Bridge Michigan GRAND RAPIDS — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson has selected Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks of Grand Rapids as her running mate and potential lieutenant governor, she announced Wednesday. To enact her agenda, “I need a governing partner who has a track record for getting things done,” Benson said […]
U-M picks Vanderbilt’s C. Cybele Raver as next president: What to know
by Isabel Lohman, Bridge Michigan The University of Michigan has selected C. Cybele Raver, the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Vanderbilt University, as its next president. She will be the second female president of the university. Raver, who holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology, is also a professor of psychology and human […]
Where things stand in Michigan’s Line 5 saga
by Kelly House, Bridge Michigan More than a decade into Michigan’s debate about Line 5, the question of how to keep oil from spilling out of the aging pipeline and into the Great Lakes is as unsettled as ever. For years, opponents of the 73-year-old lakebottom pipeline have pushed for its closure, while supporters have […]
Ypsilanti Township eyes moratorium on power transmission to slow U-M data center
by Paula Gardner, Bridge Michigan Ypsilanti Township has a new tactic to fight the University of Michigan’s proposed $1.2 billion private data center — a six-month delay to evaluate whether local infrastructure can handle the facility’s power needs. One week after U-M announced it finalized the site of the collaborative project with Los Alamos National Laboratory, […]
Online pharmacies aid rural health care but threaten Michigan drugstores
by Blace Carpenter, Bridge Michigan For the past five years, Alpena resident Selena Kenny has received a bulk supply of medication every three months from Express Scripts. Her Medicare Advantage plan labels mail-in services as its preferred pharmacy because it offers the lowest price for her blood pressure and cholesterol medication. “For most of the […]
U-M affirms Ypsilanti $1.2B computing center site; township officials vow fight
by Paula Gardner, Bridge Michigan The University of Michigan affirmed Tuesday it plans to build a $1.2 billion data center on 144 acres it purchased last year next to the Huron River in far eastern Washtenaw County, over local objections. The location on Textile Road allows a “world-class research facility” to serve the university and […]
As Michigan rolls out automated traffic tickets, new law blocks driver points
by Janelle D. James, Bridge Michigan Getting caught on camera speeding through a construction zone or blowing past a school bus stop sign could cost Michigan motorists hundreds of dollars, but it won’t cost them points on their driver’s license. A new law signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ensures automated traffic tickets can only result […]
Frog songs tell nonprofit some species may be declining in southeast Michigan
by Laura Herberg, Bridge Michigan At least two times a month in most of the spring and summer, Plymouth resident Larry Martin heads out into the woods to listen. He takes his border collie and walks without a flashlight. Once he’s within earshot of a body of water, he looks at a list of seven […]
