Whitmer: Nearly all Michigan schools to open amid COVID. Ann Arbor, too.
by Ron French (Bridge) Facing intense public pressure, Ann Arbor Public Schools reversed course Wednesday and set a timeline for students to return to some face-to-face instruction for the remainder of this COVID-plagued school year. Ann Arbor’s school board vote Wednesday leaves just a handful of traditional public school districts among 537 in the state […]
Michigan dams need ‘immediate attention’ to prevent next failure
by Kelly House (Bridge) Michigan’s aging dams require “comprehensive and immediate attention” to avoid future tragedies like last summer’s Midland-area dam failures, a state task force has determined. In a list of 86 recommendations released Thursday, the task force identified a host of regulatory, legal and funding fixes designed to fix aging dams and boost […]
Race, abortion dominate debate on Michigan $2-billion COVID response plan
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING – Michigan’s Republican-led Senate on Thursday approved a nearly $2 billion plan that would fund COVID-19 vaccine distribution, testing, hazard pay and schools but withhold more than $3 billion in additional relief funding provided to the state by the federal government. The GOP proposal — opposed by all Senate Democrats […]
Intense storms from climate change harming Michigan streams and rivers
by Lester Graham (Bridge Michigan) It’s freezing outside and Larry Scheer is in neoprene chest waders kicking up sediment in Boyden Creek near Ann Arbor. He’s using a fine mesh net to capture the detritus he’s stirred up. When he has enough in his net, he makes his way to the shore where Jenni Yim […]
How Nestlé sale impacts Michigan water permit dispute
by Natasha Blakely, Great Lakes Now (Bridge Michigan) The years-long saga surrounding Nestlé and its Michigan groundwater withdrawals comes to an end — in a way — as Nestlé withdraws from the situation, selling its North American water brands to another corporation. Nestlé announced this week that it has unloaded a number of U.S. and […]
As COVID slows, Michigan restaurants urge Whitmer to ease ‘nightmare’ limits
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Sue Wangler fought back tears Thursday, describing a “rollercoaster” ride she fears will end with bankruptcy for the restaurant she and her husband bought with retirement money after he beat cancer two years ago. They had just made it through their first winter as restaurateurs when COVID-19 hit […]
Water could make the Great Lakes a climate refuge. Are we prepared?
by Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue (Bridge Michigan) TRAVERSE CITY—Intrigued by warming winters, researchers from the University of Michigan set out in 1989 to formally measure changes in the geographical distribution of plants and animals in the dense pine and hardwood forests of northern Michigan. Their laboratory, the university’s 10,000-acre Biological Station east of Petoskey, […]
How do I get a COVID vaccine in Michigan? Tips to boost chances for seniors
by Robin Erb, Madeline Halpert (Bridge Michigan) Dave DeMerse has been accused of playing God and of corruption — something that takes some getting used to for a small-town pharmacist who dispenses life-saving prescriptions to neighbors. But with COVID vaccines in short supply, perhaps such anger is to be expected, DeMerse, a pharmacist in rural […]
Invasive mussels now control key Great Lakes nutrients, threatening fish
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) The stunning beauty of Lake Michigan’s crystal clear water draws comparisons to the French Riviera. But to Dustin Van Orman, it’s a hideous sight. Van Orman, whose family owns Mackinaw City’s Big Stone Bay Fishery, knows that the clearer the water gets, the scarcer whitefish and chubs become. It’s a […]
Michigan wanted to end gerrymandering. Census delays make it ‘really messy’
by Madeline Halpert (Bridge Michigan) A delay in the release of crucial U.S. Census population data is jeopardizing the timeline of Michigan’s first independent redistricting commission and sowing ‘chaos’ for potential candidates in the 2022 election. On Friday, the Census Bureau announced it is pushing back the release of data needed to draw Michigan’s new […]
