State News

 Marsha Chartrand

Michigan primary 2020: What you need to know, where to vote, absentee rules

By Riley Beggin (Bridge) Michigan voters will head to the polls March 10 in the first major election since the state approved sweeping new voting rights in 2018. From presidential candidates to local millages, there will be plenty of options for voters to consider. So what do you need to know? We’ve got you covered. Who […]

 Sara Swanson

Thousands want to draw Michigan’s political districts. Most are white men.

By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — More than 6,000 applicants already have volunteered to serve on a new independent redistricting commission that will redraw Michigan’s political boundaries for 2022 elections and beyond. A narrow majority of early applicants claim to be political independents, which excites officials. But most applicants are white and male, demographic imbalances […]

 Marsha Chartrand

1.2 million Michiganders at risk of not being counted in 2020 Census

By Riley Beggin (Bridge) Many of Michigan’s largest counties are also those most likely to be undercounted in the 2020 Census, officials said last week. Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Genesee, Washtenaw, Ingham, Kalamazoo, Ottawa, and Saginaw, collectively, are home to about two-thirds of Michigan’s population, including 1.2 million the U.S. Census Bureau considers “hard to […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Michigan clerks’ pleas for help with absentee ballots fall on deaf ears

By Riley Beggin (Bridge) Michigan’s city and county clerks are sweating about the impact an expected influx of absentee ballots may have on the state’s presidential primary and general elections. State voters passed a ballot measure in 2018 allowing absentee voting for any reason, and absentee applications for the March 10 primary are up 60 […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Driver hurt by concrete chunk. It fell from a bridge Michigan deemed safe.

By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Warnings about Michigan’s failing infrastructure appeared to come true Wednesday when a chunk of concrete fell from a 54-year-old bridge, crashed through a windshield and struck the driver in the head. The 38-year-old Jackson woman was rushed to a hospital for treatment after the 8 a.m. incident on US-127 […]

 Sara Swanson

Michigan ballots loaded with tax requests in primary GOP voters may skip

by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) The Breen Township ballot is stuffed. When voters in Michigan’s tiny Upper Peninsula town of less than 500 residents cast ballots in the March 10 presidential primary, they’ll also help decide the fate of nine separate tax proposals asking them to approve or renew local and county millages. The township near […]

 Sara Swanson

Frustrated by teacher shortages, Michigan educators offer their solutions

by Ron French (Bridge) Paid internships, recruiting bonuses and reduced emphasis on standardized tests are among the recommendations of Michigan teachers to address the state’s growing teacher shortage. The proposals, included in a report released Monday by the state’s two largest teacher unions and a consortium of urban school districts, are a response to teacher shortages […]

 Marsha Chartrand

No Michigan cases of coronavirus but hundreds are being ‘monitored’

By Robin Erb (Bridge–Michigan Health Watch) Last updated Feb. 19 The new coronavirus hasn’t arrived in Michigan, but the state confirmed Wednesday that it has monitored hundreds of residents or visitors who may have been exposed to the virus. Since Jan. 31, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has referred 334 people to the […]

 Sara Swanson

Democrats’ hard push for electric vehicles would upend Michigan economy

By Jonathan Oosting LANSING — Democratic presidential candidates are pushing climate change plans that would require all new cars to be fully electric in the next decade or two, goals that could upend Michigan automakers and reshape the workforce of the state’s largest industry. But experts say the proposals may be unrealistic given political realities, […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Michigan’s cherished Great Lakes, clean waters face threats from all sides

By Joel Kurth, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) With 3,288 miles of Great Lakes coastline and 76,439 miles of rivers and streams, Michigan is practically defined by its access to clean, fresh water. Michigan state regulators consider the open waters of the Great Lakes and inland waters in either “excellent” or “good” condition, despite significant trouble spots […]