Pedestrian deaths are rising on Michigan roads, the reason is up for debate
by Roni Kane (Bridge Michigan) In August 2021, in the parking lot of a Shop-N-Save in northern Michigan’s Benzie County, a 77-year-old woman was struck and killed by a large pick-up truck. In October, a high school senior walking home from school in Rochester was hit by another student driving through an intersection right next to their high school. […]
Challenges aim to keep abortion, voting proposals off Michigan ballot
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Conservative groups are fighting to keep Michigan voting and abortion rights proposals off the Nov. 8 ballot, arguing a formatting and omission errors should invalidate petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of registered voters. The Promote the Vote 2022 petition, which would allow for nine days of early voting and […]
One year later Afghan refugees in Michigan finding jobs, still seek asylum
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) GRAND RAPIDS — Nearly a year after he fled Afghanistan, Mohammad Amin Haidary still lives in two worlds. There’s the new life he’s trying to build in Grand Rapids, as he beamed with pride after landing a job as project engineer with a local landscaping and land survey firm. But […]
Michigan works to expand who hunts and fishes
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) Mounir Awad is counting the days until November, when he and 27 of his Palestinian friends and cousins head Up North for deer camp. Awad, 62, who now lives in Davison, immigrated to Michigan when was 15 years old. He has fond memories of hunting with his father back in […]
Michigan’s largest public companies raising prices to fuel earnings growth
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Buyers hoping to get in line to order Ford Motor Company’s popular all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup learned this week the price of the base model is going up 17.5 percent. The automaker blames inflation for rising costs, like the extra $4 billion it is spending on commodities like steel and aluminum. […]
Rural Michigan schools are considering electric school buses with EPA cash
by Roni Kane, Bridge Michigan 46 Michigan school districts have applied for 155 electric school buses through new EPA grant program Priority for grants is being given to rural schools and low-income areas Clean energy advocates are on a mission to bring more EVs to Michigan schools Bus 167 looks the same as the other […]
CDC loosens COVID rules with new onus on people, not schools, businesses
by Robin Erb , Mike Wilkinson, & Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) The Biden administration further relaxed guidelines Thursday for controlling the spread of COVID, moving away from quarantines, social distancing and other security staples of the pandemic. And in a turn that could have implications for Michigan schools as they begin a new year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Michigan fast-tracks teaching as second career, but questions about rigor
by Tracie Mauriello, Bridge Michigan Michigan is expanding alternative certificate programs to address a shortage of classroom teachers Candidates are trained in as little as six weeks Some experts say fast-track training is a disservice to the teaching profession and shortchanges students YPSILANTI – Smitha Ramani leaned over a folding table to whisper encouragement to a […]
Invasive spotted lanternfly arrives in Michigan: bad news for wine lovers
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan has joined a growing list of states infected with an invasive fly that has already damaged crops on the east coast and parts of the Midwest and now threatens the state’s wine growers and fruit farmers. The spotted lanternfly, native to eastern Asia, has been detected near a wastewater […]
Rural Michigan fears airline route changes will be ‘disastrous’
by Paula Gardner, Bridge Michigan Some of Michigan’s small airports will lose nonstop service from Delta in September. New routes mean travelers may pay more, compete for seats and face overnight stays in Detroit or Minneapolis to make their connections. Community leaders say the changes come at a cost, especially to business recruitment. In what’s […]
