Rural Michigan to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: What about us?
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) Advocates for rural Michigan are imploring Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to create a Cabinet-level post to focus attention on the least populated swaths of the state. One day after the first-term Democrat offered her State of the State, a coalition of groups held a news conference Thursday to draw attention to population […]
Michigan offers little help for child care. That may change in 2020
by Ron French (Bridge) Michigan helps families less with child care costs than almost any other state. Leaders from across Michigan have been meeting for six months in search of solutions to the complex policy issue, increasingly acknowledged to be an educational and economic drag on the state. The group, hosted by the Grand Rapids […]
3 coronavirus tests ruled ‘negative’ in Michigan; new case investigated
by Robin Erb (Bridge) U.S. labs have ruled out the potentially deadly new coronavirus in three of four suspected cases in Michigan, the state’s health department said Monday. On Friday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services had announced that three people — two from Washtenaw and another from Macomb — had “presented with […]
Trump is in Michigan to tout the new NAFTA. Here’s what it means to Michigan.
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) President Donald Trump visited an auto parts supplier in Warren on Thursday to tout the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) during his first trip to Michigan in 2020. Signed Wednesday, the deal replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement that Trump has long reviled. The Republican president has argued that the […]
Gov. Whitmer launching effort to undercut Michigan’s third-grade reading law
by Ron French (Bridge) Undercutting Michigan’s controversial third-grade reading law, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will unveil in her State of the State address Wednesday an initiative to help struggling readers avoid flunking and advance to fourth grade. The administration will partner with several philanthropic foundations to help educate parents about the exemptions to retention available to […]
Michigan schools revolt: We won’t flunk struggling third-grade readers
by Ron French (Bridge) Some Michigan school districts are revolting against the state’s third-grade read-or-flunk law, saying they will do everything in their power to prevent students from repeating third grade because of low reading test scores. Interviews with officials at districts across the state, some of whom spoke on the record and some who […]
Highways win, local streets left ‘in the dust’ by Whitmer’s $3.5B roads plan
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is scaling back her plan to “fix the damn roads,” unveiling a $3.5 billion bond proposal that would help rebuild Michigan highways without a tax increase but saddle the state with decades of new debt. The first-term Democrat announced her latest plan Wednesday night in her […]
Whitmer and GOP agree $3.5B won’t fix Michigan roads, swap blame on funding
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING – Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican leaders agree on one thing: Her $3.5 billion roads plan won’t provide long-term funding for needed repairs. But after nearly a yearlong stalemate on the issue, they say it’s now largely up to the other side to find a permanent solution. During her […]
Michigan may study whether tolls are solution to state’s awful roads
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING — The Michigan Senate approved a bill Tuesday to require the state Department of Transportation to explore the feasibility of implementing toll roads and bridges. The bill, supported by the Department of Transportation, would direct the department to hire outside consultants to conduct a study recommending optimal tolling rates, locations […]
Michigan OKs $3.5B in roads spending. Much of it is going to Metro Detroit.
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING – Michigan will nearly double its spending on state highways and bridges over the next five years under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion bond initiative she announced Wednesday during her State of the State speech. Nearly 40 percent of the new bond proceed spending will target reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts […]
