Wary of water safety, Michigan residents want stronger regulation
By Alexandra Schmidt (Bridge) Concerns about Michigan water quality continue to bubble up in the Great Lakes State. From PFAS to lead, Line 5 to Nestlé, agricultural runoff to Asian carp, Michigan faces a host of expensive questions on how to best manage the state’s lakes, streams and water systems. “Pure Waters: A Citizens Agenda […]
Michigan debates future of kratom, an herbal remedy linked to 9 state deaths
By Robin Erb (Bridge) The crushed leaves in the little plastic bag they found next to his body was not what Peggy LaPenna expected would take her child from her. It wasn’t the prescription painkillers her son Joey started taking after an eye injury as a teen. It wasn’t the Xanax he’d sneak as a […]
Sheriff’s plea on mentally ill prisoner reveals gap in Michigan treatment
By Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Frustrated by a lack of treatment options, a sheriff in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula took to the Internet, pleading for help for a mentally ill Vietnam veteran stuck in his jail. Advocates say it’s merely the latest example of a failed criminal justice mental health system. “We have tried over and over […]
Incomes climb in Michigan, but state still struggles with loss of manufacturing
By Joel Kurth, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) Make no mistake: Michigan’s economy is doing well, but the days of leading the nation in weekly paychecks are long over. The state’s workers once made substantially more than the average American household (6 percent more in 2000). Now, the median household income is 4 percent less […]
Michigan college tuition hikes leave average graduate with $35K in debt
By Joel Kurth and Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) More Michiganders than ever have a college degree, but the state ranks 30th in the United States for the rate of residents with an associate’s degree or higher: 45 percent of working-age adults. Fewer than 30 percent of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree compared […]
Early childhood education is key to success. Michigan still has work to do.
By Joel Kurth, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) Preschool is a proven strategy to improve school readiness. Children in high-quality preschools are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, earn higher incomes and commit fewer crimes. The stakes are intensified in Michigan by middling school performance. Michigan’s fourth-grade reading scores on the national assessment rank […]
Michigan could decide presidency. These are the facts that shape our state.
By Joel Kurth & Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Special Report) Once again, Michigan is one of a few swing states that could decide the 2020 presidential election. And once again, The Center for Michigan and Bridge Magazine are dedicated to fact-based, nonpartisan coverage of the elections for president, the 110 House of Representatives seats as well […]
Loving this mild Michigan winter? Outdoor enthusiasts sure aren’t.
by Alexandra Schmidt (Bridge) Warm weather, low snowfall and thin ice are getting in the way of business as usual for Michigan’s outdoor recreation industry. “This is the worst winter I’ve ever experienced,” said Brian Webber, standing in his sporting goods store in Essexville on a rainy 37-degree day in January. On a normal winter […]
A steady job can give you health coverage, but can health coverage help you work?
by Robin Erb (Bridge) While a job may lead to health insurance, it appears that the reverse might be true, too: Health coverage for some of Michigan’s low-income residents also led to an uptick in jobs and school. That’s the conclusion of a study, published Friday by researchers at the University of Michigan’s Institute for […]
How Trump clean water rule impacts Michigan’s wetlands and streams
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) President Donald Trump scored a ringing endorsement for his recent rollback of federal clean water protections from an expected sector: Michigan farmers. But in an ongoing tug-of-war over government’s regulatory role, environmental advocates warn the rollback threatens water quality in wetlands and streams across the state. “Clean water is a basic need,” […]
