Enbridge to Michigan: We won’t shut down Line 5
By Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Enbridge Energy will not comply with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order to shut down the controversial Line 5 pipeline by May, a company executive told state officials Tuesday. In a letter to Whitmer and Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichinger, Vern Yu, Enbridge’s executive vice president and president of liquids […]
After weeks of positive COVID news, Michigan faces more peril
by Robin Erb, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Following weeks of hope with a downshift in cases and a rollout of COVID vaccines, Michigan’s gains against the virus appear to have stalled. Coronavirus infections and hospitalization levels have been mostly positive in recent weeks. But the latest state data suggest these trends may have reached a […]
Michigan teachers tackle Wednesday’s insurrection: ‘I don’t want my students to be alone’
by Lori Higgins, Chalkbeat Detroit, Eleanore Catolico, Chalkbeat Detroit (Bridge Michigan) Owen Bondono’s language arts classes were supposed to focus on text structures Thursday, but there was no way the Oak Park teacher was going to ignore the insurrection that took place in the nation’s capital the day before. “I think about me at age […]
Michigan Republicans who pushed false fraud claims: Don’t blame us for riots
by Madeline Halpert, Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Republicans who spent months pushing false claims of voter fraud condemned violence that erupted Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, but denied their actions influenced rioters who supported President Donald Trump. “Are we not allowed to look into election concerns?” said Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville, one of 11 […]
Michigan officials faced violent threats well before U.S. Capitol siege
by Madeline Halpert (Bridge Michigan) After pro-Trump rioters stormed Washington’s Capitol to disrupt an Electoral College vote count, several public officials and security experts in Michigan said they aren’t surprised by the mayhem. Wednesday’s siege at the Capitol followed weeks of post-election threats to public officials in Michigan and other battleground states that left many […]
Thousands of Michigan health workers are turning down COVID vaccines
by Robin Erb, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Thousands of health care workers across Michigan who would be first in line for a coronavirus vaccine are declining to take it, potentially slowing efforts to curb a pandemic that has killed over 352,000 nationally and more than 12,600 in Michigan. In Wayne County, just over half of […]
Gov. Whitmer urges Michigan schools to offer in-class learning by March 1
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Friday urged Michigan schools to offer all K-12 students an option of returning to classrooms by March 1. The guidance was not an order — local school districts will continue to be allowed to make their own decisions about what is best for their communities — […]
After chaos, democracy affirmed, as challenges to Michigan, other states fail
by Jonathan Oosting, Madeline Halpert (Bridge Michigan) President Donald Trump’s desperate campaign to overturn the Michigan election failed again late Wednesday in Congress, where Senate Republicans refused to join a House objection to the state’s Electoral College count. Shortly before midnight, after the Capitol was secured following violent riots, more than 70 House Republicans formally […]
Michigan’s $3.5B road plan on track despite pandemic, state official says
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — The coronavirus may leave Michigan with less tax revenue to fix local roads, but it isn’t slowing down Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion bond plan to rebuild state highways and bridges, according to Department of Transportation Director Paul Ajeba. Traffic volumes plummeted precipitously in the early days of […]
At nearly 12K deaths, COVID to be No. 3 cause of death in Michigan in 2020
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) By month’s end, the death toll from COVID-19 will approach 12,000 in Michigan, making it the No. 3 cause of death this year behind heart disease and cancer. It’s a staggering number, especially since the coronavirus wasn’t attributed to any deaths in the state before March 16. The novel coronavirus moved […]
