As Michigan minimum wage fight rages, bipartisan plan would keep tipped rate
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) As calls grow to modify pending changes to Michigan’s minimum wage and sick leave laws, a bipartisan team of lawmakers say they may have the solution: Legislation to keep lower tipped wages for workers but still raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour before the end of the decade. […]
Michigan is spending big to hire and retain teachers. Experts see positive signs
by Isobel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Michigan is betting big on efforts to recruit, train and retain educators across the state. There are incentives for current college students to stay in Michigan to teach. There are nonprofits working to link adults with bachelor’s degrees to teacher training programs. Plus, there have been some changes with state […]
How nuclear plant, teacher layoffs inform Michigan’s ‘dark store’ tax debate
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Shane Peters has a nuclear headache. The superintendent of tiny Bridgman Public Schools in the southwest corner of Michigan must cut 12% from the district’s budget by next school year. That could include the elimination of two administrators and up to a dozen teachers — more than 1 in 7 of the […]
Michigan transit agencies try thermal imaging to prevent pedestrian crashes
by Anna Rossow, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Federal grant money will help Michigan’s Department of Transportation implement increased safety measures for public transit drivers and pedestrians. MDOT will receive over $500,000 in funding to install thermal imaging cameras on public transit vehicles to help prevent collisions with people and animals in a […]
Once near extinction, lake trout are officially recovered in Lake Superior
by Kelly House (BridgeMichigan) Seven decades after overfishing and invasive species nearly wiped them off the map, Lake Superior’s lake trout population has finally recovered. That’s the conclusion of a binational group of tribal, US and Canadian species managers, who announced the milestone Wednesday in light of data that shows the self-sustaining population today is […]
Local governments take aim at Michigan’s wind, solar law in new lawsuit
by Izzy Ross, IPR (Bridge Michigan) This reporting is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. A lawsuit is challenging how Michigan plans to approve big renewable energy projects. More than 70 townships and several counties are suing the Michigan Public Service Commission, challenging whether the commission went through the right […]
How grieving survivors help shape Michigan drug policy
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Nancy King had been doing laundry when the call came. She was in the bedroom of her Kalamazoo home: “Are you sitting down?” Dr. Cara Poland had strung Christmas lights and wrapped the presents at her Boston home. When her younger brother didn’t answer her calls, she knew: “Max is […]
Oxford parents renew call for state probe of mass school shooting
by Simon D. Schuster (Bridge Michigan) Parents of Oxford High School students killed in a 2021 mass shooting on Monday renewed a call for a state investigation into the shooting, including failures by school officials to prevent the attack. Attorney General Dana Nessel, however, maintained she still has not received the cooperation from local officials necessary […]
At least one person in Michigan sickened by E.coli linked to organic carrots
by Janelle D. James (BridgeMichigan) A national E.coli outbreak linked to organic carrots has reached Michigan. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Sunday that at least one person in the state has been infected. The outbreak has infected 39 people and hospitalized 15 across 18 states. The CDC also reported one death. Federal officials have […]
Michigan economy in ‘soft patch,’ facing uncertainty under Trump, reports say
by Paula Gardner (BridgeMichigan) Two new reports show Michigan’s economy continues to tread water, making few gains, while also raising hopes it won’t fall further behind under incoming President Donald Trump. Combined, the reports offer both a look at where the state is stagnating and a glimpse of what may be coming in the next couple […]
