USDA awards $2 million in grants to help Michigan farms grow specialty crops
by Jenelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) The federal government is shelling out $2 million to make specialty crops produced in Michigan — from Christmas trees to apples and dry beans — more competitive in the marketplace. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded grants of up to $125,000 to support projects from various farm organizations […]
GOP blasts Democrats’ plan to close panel critical of Whitmer opioid efforts
by Ron Freench (Bridge Michigan) Republicans are condemning a behind-the-scenes effort to dismantle a council overseeing the state’s drug-fighting efforts as a “a huge step backward in our fight against addiction and overdose deaths.” Three Republican members of the House and one GOP senator blasted the effort to disband the Opioid Advisory Commission, which Bridge Michigan […]
In Michigan’s north woods, a search for Bigfoot and political common ground
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) OSCODA — Red beams from a dozen head lamps danced across oak, birch and white pine somewhere in a national forest near Oscoda. The exact location for the night hike was closely guarded, to keep away crowds that might scare Sasquatch. Tickets were limited for the event, which was part […]
Stressed about the election? Blame human instincts. Here are tips to cope
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Stressed by the election cycle? Turns out, frayed nerves are rooted in the survival instinct — tribalism — that has kept humans alive for millennia. So says Dr. Arash Javanbakht, founding director at Wayne State University’s Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic. He’s also the author of “AFRAID: Understanding the Purpose […]
Michigan needs doctors more than ever. More medical schools haven’t helped
by Ron French & Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Dr. Jake Ottenhoff answered the phone as he was walking into an emergency room to begin his shift. The fact that he’s in Charlottesville, Va., instead of Detroit says a lot about Michigan’s doctor shortage. The 31-year-old grew up in Grosse Pointe and married a fellow Michigander. He attended […]
Primary-care doctor shortages cut deep in Michigan’s underserved areas
by Robin Erb & Ron French (Bridge Michigan) SEBEWAING — As 16-month-old Ada babbled happily to a blood pressure squeeze bulb, Emily Chumbler was talking about Michigan’s doctor shortage problem — specifically, her own. The hint of a baby bump had begun to show on Chumbler’s slender frame, a physical reminder of her need for good […]
A decade after Flint, feds require nationwide lead pipe removal
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan communities and others nationwide have a decade to remove lead-containing pipes from their drinking water systems under a landmark federal rule finalized Tuesday. The rule also lowers the allowable limit for lead in drinking water from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb and requires water testing in […]
It’s FBI vs. CIA in Michigan’s US Senate race. And the gloves are coming off
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) When Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Republican Mike Rogers faced off in a Grand Rapids debate, the U.S. Senate hopefuls rarely saw eye-to-eye — but it was their sharp attacks on each other’s national security credentials that cut to the quick. More than 20 years after U.S. forces first set foot […]
Michigan urges caution as dry conditions raise risk of wildfires
by Izzy Ross/IPR News (for Bridge Michigan This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Federal monitors say parts of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula are experiencing a drought. Dry weather and high winds mean there’s a higher chance of fire, according to the state Department of Natural Resources, […]
Battle brews in Michigan over waste from ‘biodigesters’ that slow-cook manure
by Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue (via BridgeMichigan) FREMONT, MI. — Anticipating a surge of funding for building manure biodigesters that capture methane for electricity and transportation fuels from millions of tons of farm animal wastes Michigan’s environmental agency last year drafted more rigorous operating rules to protect state waters from a new tide of […]
