Business Bridge PPE turns into ‘tremendous’ opportunity for Reed City factory
By Paula Gardner (Bridge) During three shifts a day and sometimes for six days a week, machinery is humming at a small town factory where the pandemic is creating expansion opportunities and jobs. Reed City Group in Osceola County is not the first company to switch gears from fabricating parts for the automotive industry to […]
Here’s what Michigan nursing homes that escaped coronavirus did right
by Patricia Anstett (Bridge) The leadership team at Rest Haven, a large senior living community in Holland with nearly 350 residents, reacted forcefully and quickly when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on March 13 ordered nursing homes to lock down against the new coronavirus. In a unified, daily drumbeat, facilities emailed staffers and held daily leadership calls. They rigorously […]
Michigan unemployment system designed to slow payments working all too well
by Sarah Alvarez, Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Michigan’s failure to promptly pay benefits to thousands of residents who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic is driven in part by a computer system that state officials have known for years is faulty but failed to fix. As Michigan’s economy collapsed in March, the state’s unemployment […]
First Michigan school district to go fully online amid coronavirus
By Ron French (Bridge) Lansing Public School District will be fully remote learning for the beginning of the school year — the first school district in the state to announce plans to continue homebound learning due to the pandemic. The 10,000-student urban district is the first to announce it will be fully online, but it likely […]
Michigan Supreme Court reviewing case of incarcerated teen
By Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois (in cooperation with Bridge) ProPublica Illinois is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. This article was co-produced by ProPublica Illinois and the Detroit Free Press and co-published with Bridge Magazine. The Michigan Supreme Court said Thursday it is reviewing the circumstances of a case involving a 15-year-old girl who has […]
Feds charge Michigan contractor in $2M unemployment fraud scheme
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Federal officials allege a contract employee for the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency exploited the coronavirus pandemic to authorize more than $2 million in fraudulent payments. Authorities allege Brandi Hawkins, 39, of Detroit used “insider access” to approve hundreds of illegitimate claims beginning in April, during a historic wave of […]
A Michigan guide to wearing masks, or not, during coronavirus
By Robin Erb (Bridge) Emotions are raw and confrontations have turned ugly, even violent, this week after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s issued an executive order that Michigan businesses ensure their customers wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. And some confusion abounds. It was just five months ago, after all, that the nation’s […]
Across Michigan, coronavirus contact tracers face lies, anger and silence
by Robin Erb (Bridge) From the moment COVID-19 began its surge through Michigan in March, a small army of people — contact tracers — has tried to keep it contained. In return, they have found themselves lied to, told off, ignored, or hung up on. “It can be great, and it can be horrible,” said […]
Michigan Democrats push to open police disciplinary files, limit immunity
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Democratic lawmakers plan to introduce a sweeping set of police reforms to increase accountability and transparency in the state’s law enforcement agencies, members of Michigan’s Black and Detroit Caucuses announced Wednesday during a press conference. The package aims to change policing in Michigan to address racial inequities and police violence, which […]
On Mackinac Island, Lake Huron’s waves are destroying an iconic highway
By Kelly House (Bridge) On a typical sunny summer day, Mackinac Island’s car-free highway would be teeming with walkers, bicyclists, and horseback riders taking in virtually unbroken views of Lake Huron’s crystalline waters along the iconic 8.2-mile loop. But at the height of the island’s summer tourism season, much of M-185 is deserted. Large barricades […]
