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, […]
Whitmer, GOP race toward budget deal as shutdown deadline looms in Michigan
by Jonathan Oosting(Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Legislative Republicans and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer are racing to finalize a Michigan budget by the end of September and avoid a partial government shutdown. Both sides express optimism they’ll agree to terms by the constitutionally mandated Oct. 1 deadline, an annual process aided and complicated this year by […]
Michigan labs fear COVID test shortages. Will new mandates add to strain?
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Some Michigan laboratories could soon face shortages in COVID-19 testing supplies again, as delta-variant-fueled cases rise in the state and schools and businesses step up testing demands. President Biden’s announcement of broad vaccine mandates — which will force millions of workers to choose between a vaccine or regular testing — could […]
Lake Superior summer: Blue-green algae comes to a lake once believed immune
By Sharon Oosthoek, Great Lakes Now (For Bridge Michigan) On a calm morning in late summer 2019, Jim Bailey was kayaking on Lake Superior near Thunder Bay, Ontario, when he found himself paddling through thick green scum, the likes of which he’d never seen in those waters. Puzzled, he headed into the open bay where […]
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 […]
Majority of Michigan students must now mask up, as Ingham, Washtenaw add rules
By Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Two more Michigan counties have issued school mask mandates, with about six in 10 K-12 students now required to wear face coverings in classrooms because of the coronavirus pandemic. Health officials in Ingham and Washtenaw counties issued school mask requirements Thursday morning, joining at least 14 other Michigan counties with […]
Michigan appliance customers find delay and frustration. It won’t end soon.
By Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) One day in early August, 20 customers of Big George’s Home Appliance Mart in Ann Arbor received the call they’d been waiting for, in some cases since spring: Updates on their purchases. But instead of setting up a delivery date, they were told to brace for another delay. Maybe one […]
500,000-plus jobless Michigan workers brace to lose unemployment benefits
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) More than a half-million unemployed Michigan residents are preparing to lose all or part of their jobless benefits at the end of next week when federal pandemic-related unemployment programs expire. The transition will leave fewer than 100,000 state residents receiving jobless benefits in September, down from a record 2.1 million […]
