In Michigan, flooding from climate change reveals economic inequity
by Jane Johnston, Circle of Blue (Bridge Michigan) Access to ample water supplies could make Michigan a climate refuge. That scenario is attracting considerable attention in the Great Lakes State. But climate change also is disrupting the earth’s meteorological cycles. Which means more fierce Great Lakes region storms and more floods. The consequences are not evenly […]
Michigan offers $97 million for projects that can boost recycling in state
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s latest idea to boost the state’s abysmal recycling rate: Shark Tank for trash. State government and business leaders on Monday announced a program to bankroll ideas that would create new markets for materials that would otherwise be destined for landfills. Think “upcycled” duffle bags made from scrap fabrics, toilet […]
As Michigan COVID vaccine rates ebb, pop up clinics and casino cash appear
by Robin Erb, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) From hospital emergency rooms to dollar stores, high schools to doctors offices, laundromats to casinos, public health authorities are getting creative in trying to get COVID-19 vaccines into more Michigan arms as vaccination efforts enter a critical and perilous stage. After months in which a frenzy for vaccines […]
Michigan Senate to update sexual harassment policy amid reckoning in Lansing
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) LANSING— The Michigan Senate will update its sexual harassment policy to protect visitors and strengthen reporting protocols, following calls to change the culture in Lansing. The new policy, obtained by Bridge Michigan, is the result of recommendations made by a bipartisan task force led by Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, and Sen. […]
FDA ends pause on J & J vaccine for COVID, but with warning to women
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) The Food and Drug Administration ended its suspension of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine late Friday, allowing it to be restarted across the United States. But reports of very rare blood clots among women may make the vaccine-hesitant less likely to roll up their sleeves. The FDA decision Friday […]
As Michigan begins redistricting, ‘communities of interest’ take center stage
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) Claudia Pohlen has a big task ahead. She’s trying to convey to the Hispanic and Latinx community in west Michigan the importance of participating in the state’s redistricting process to improve their political representation in Lansing and Washington D.C. Much is at stake: Latinos are estimated to be the largest […]
Michigan regulators will consider climate change in Line 5 decision
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) The fate of the Line 5 pipeline is officially a climate issue in the eyes of Michigan regulators. The Michigan Public Service Commission on Wednesday ruled that it must consider evidence on greenhouse gas pollution caused by petroleum flowing through Line 5 as it decides whether Canadian oil giant Enbridge […]
GOP wants to split Michigan Electoral College votes. That would help the GOP.
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Republicans in the Michigan House are considering a plan to award most of the state’s presidential electors by congressional district, an overhaul that could give new influence to voters in rural areas dominated by GOP candidates. Legislation debated Tuesday would likely help Republican candidates by ending the state’s winner-take-all system […]
Some police traffic stops end violently. Is there a better way?
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) Just over two years ago, Black motorist Thurman King was headed toward home in the city of Rockford, a largely white community north of Grand Rapids. What happened next, according to a federal lawsuit, could be seen as an example of how a routine traffic stop can go wrong — […]
Michigan at ‘record high’ for COVID-19 hospitalizations of children
by Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press (Bridge Michigan) Children aren’t immune to COVID-19. They can get sick, just like adults do. They can be hospitalized, the same as adults. And rarely, they can even die. That’s the message doctors at several of Michigan’s children’s hospitals want people to hear as […]
