Michigan stuck with $200M tab to fix Midland dams neglected by owners
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Michigan is awash in cash, with a surplus that few past governors and legislators could imagine. So when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Legislature adopted a $4.7 billion spending plan in March, it was all smiles. There was $1.7 billion for drinking water system improvements; $450 million for […]
Lansing and other police agencies rethink value of ‘minor’ traffic stops
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) In July 2020, Lansing police were told they could no longer pull over motorists solely for minor traffic violations, such as a cracked tail light or an ornament hanging from a mirror. The department, apparently the only one in Michigan to do so, joined police agencies in other parts of the country, […]
Weeks before closure, Whitmer aims to save Michigan Palisades nuclear plant
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) With weeks to go before the planned closure of Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is making a last-ditch effort to keep it open in the name of jobs and clean energy. Whitmer on Wednesday alerted U.S. Energy Secretary and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm that Michigan wants a cut of […]
Small Michigan business struggles with inflation but not its social mission
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan Business Watch) John Simmons is ready for shoppers at EveryBody Inc., where he’s stacked handmade soy candles on some shelves and displayed body products like his favorite Michigan Cherry soap on others. It’s a quiet afternoon at the store on Saginaw Street, so it might be a while until Simmons, 39, […]
Michigan’s Medicaid ballooned during COVID. It’s about to be pared back.
By Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Nearly 3 million Michiganders now receiving Medicaid may have to prove they remain eligible starting as early as this summer. And if all doesn’t go well, hundreds of thousands could risk losing health coverage. The Biden administration on Tuesday extended the pandemic public health emergency to mid-July, and with it several protections for lower-income […]
Michigan hopeful students will return to public schools after COVID exodus
by Koby Levin, Chalkbeat (Bridge Michigan) Michigan students are returning to public schools after a sharp drop in enrollment during the pandemic — but it’s not clear whether or when schools will ever get back to pre-pandemic headcounts. That’s the upshot of a presentation given to the Michigan Board of Education on Tuesday by some of […]
Patrick Lyoya’s parents: Our hearts are broken. Grand Rapids mourns as well.
by Bryce Huffman, Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) GRAND RAPIDS — On the streets, there are marches, demands for change and an overwhelming sense of frustration. Inside, there are tears and calls for justice. From peaceful protests downtown to a tearful press conference featuring the family of Patrick Lyoya, residents and civil rights leaders in Grand Rapids struggled […]
Soaring signature costs may bar some candidates from making Michigan ballot
By Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING—Michigan candidates have until Tuesday to submit enough signatures to appear on the ballot. Many haven’t. It’s not because they are unpopular. Rather, the soaring cost of gathering signatures is slowing them down. Largely indistinguishable from volunteers to the general public, paid circulators hired to collect signatures to get candidates and […]
Report: A quarter of Michigan roads are poor, will worsen without more funding
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan roads will continue to erode and cost taxpayers $25 billion per year by 2031 if lawmakers don’t commit to more money for upkeep, according to a national transportation report released Thursday. Conducted by Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research group TRIP, the report evaluates Michigan’s current road and bridge conditions and predicts […]
Bacon, labor, materials: Inflation pounds Michigan businesses
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Nelson Sanchez grappled with wage and supply cost increases in 2021 at RoMan Manufacturing in west Michigan, expenses that were rarely mentioned in the national dialog about inflation. Instead, many economists and political leaders assured Americans that the pressures leading to price jumps — like supply shortages and a smaller workforce — were transitory […]
