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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
