Battle in Michigan schools over need for standardized tests this year
by Eve Washington, Sophia Yoon (Bridge) Republicans and Democrats are fighting over whether Michigan students should take standardized tests during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. A series of school reopening bills passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in Lansing Wednesday includes a requirement for at least some standardized tests. Those bills now move to the Senate. Bills introduced […]
Michigan closing budget gap with layoffs and cuts to roads, PFAS cleanups
by Riley Beggin, Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) State leaders passed a deal Wednesday and Thursday to cut $2.2 billion from the state’s nearly $60 billion budget to make up for a dramatic loss in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. The winners: Schools and local governments, who received a boost through federal money including a one-time payment of $500 […]
Anatomy of a super spreader: Harper’s outbreak a caution for college bars
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) As Michigan State University students return to campus this fall, a popular East Lansing restaurant, bar and club hopes to reopen after closing them last month following a COVID-19 outbreak linked to 188 infections. But Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub owners promise things will look very different: No more dancing, loud music or bar […]
Fact Squad: No, Michigan Gov. Whitmer did not ‘defund the police’
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Conservative “news” outlets, Republican activists and a GOP super PAC this week falsely accused Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of attempting to “defund the police” by executive order. The misinformation began spreading Wednesday as Whitmer and GOP legislative leaders rolled out details of a deal to close a $2.2 […]
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 […]
