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 […]
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 […]
