Michigan schools must teach in-person, get waiver, or lose funding
By Jonathan Oosting, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) LANSING—Michigan public schools are expected to offer a full week of in-class instruction this fall. And districts that close classrooms could lose crucial state funding unless they obtain a special waiver — which may be hard to secure. Gone from the state’s budget for the upcoming school year […]
Michigan in line for billions from infrastructure bill. Here’s where it would go
By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) LANSING— If President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill becomes law, Michigan will have billions of dollars to fix its decayed bridges and roads, and improve access to broadband. The proposal, which was approved by the U.S. Senate this week but has yet to pass the U.S. House, has drawn […]
Michigan has dramatically lowered the rate of inmates returning to prison
By Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) IONIA—Taking a break from his automotive technology class in this Michigan prison town, Kevin Fabus looked ahead to a day etched into his brain: Jan. 2, 2023. His parole date. He saw nothing but hope. “I’m not going to stop until I have a job when I get out,” he […]
Smoke from wildfires making Michigan’s sunsets even more vibrant
By Makayla Coffee (Bridge Michigan) No doubt, Michigan’s summer sunrises and sunsets are something to behold. And if they’ve been particularly vibrant lately, you can thank — or blame — Canada and the west coast. That’s because wildfires thousands of miles away are making for hazy weather, obscuring clouds and turning typically yellow sunsets into panoramas of […]
Gov. Whitmer urges Michigan schools to mask up, stops short of mandate
By Ron French, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) With COVID-19 cases climbing and the return to classes less than a month away, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued guidance Wednesday urging — but not mandating — Michigan schools require masks for students and staff. The new guidance follows U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations that everyone […]
Michigan animal shelter blames economy for rising dog surrenders
By Makayla Coffee (Bridge Michigan) Loud barks and rustling cages erupt as a visitor enters the Shiawassee Humane Society The mid-Michigan animal shelter in Owosso is rapidly filling, its kennels teetering on the edge of its capacity with dogs ready for adoption — in many cases, after owners had to give them up because they couldn’t […]
Michigan schools can’t fill teacher aide jobs: ‘There are no applicants.’
By Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Stephanie Siems can’t hide the desperation in her voice. It’s the first week of August, and the Lamphere Schools district in Madison Heights still has a dozen openings for paraprofessionals to work with special education students. That’s 20 percent of the 60 special ed teaching assistants needed by the first […]
CDC raises Michigan COVID risk level: Why it matters, and why it may not
By Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) With rapid changes in pandemic data points this week, Michigan seemingly has jumped back into the COVID danger zone. The state’s new status, reflected in the mapping tool used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is not likely to mean new safety mandates for Michiganders, at least in the […]
Michigan buyers ask: Where are the cars? Microchip shortage decimates inventory.
By Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) If you’re looking for a new vehicle, you might find a dealer lot with many of them. You might even see one that you like. But as summer wears on, the odds get worse that you’ll be able to buy one. U.S. auto producers are still feeling the squeeze from […]
Health officials: Climate change threat to Michigan. But few make it priority.
By Elaine Mallon, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) More than three-quarters — 77 percent — of local health department officials surveyed across Michigan agree that climate change will impact their jurisdiction in the next 20 years, according to a recent study in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. The study examined local health departments’ readiness and […]
