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 […]
Michigan wants drivers to learn to love roundabouts. It’s been a slow go.
by Joel Kurth (Bridge) WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP—For a good hour, West Bloomfield police officer Robert Houchins recited the stats: Roundabouts are safer. They improve traffic flow and reduce serious crashes. They’re not dangerous at all, Houchins stressed. You should love them. Really. And for a good hour, his audience of senior citizens was dubious. What […]
How to safely navigate roundabouts in Michigan
by Joel Kurth (Bridge) Confused about roundabouts? You’re not alone. Designed to reduce speeds and serious crashes, roundabouts also have a tendency to increase confusion among some drivers. As Michigan slowly joins other states in adding roundabouts, here are some facts and tips: Traditional intersections are dangerous About 37,000 people per year die in car […]
How much brook trout is enough? Michigan keeps changing catch limits.
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Celebrated by author Ernest Hemingway, enshrined decades ago as Michigan’s state fish, the brook trout has been through some choppy political waters of late. In 2017 — after persistent lobbying by Upper Peninsula anglers and sports groups — a state commission doubled the daily catch limit for brook trout in 33 […]
Michigan cherry industry still trying to absorb tariff loss to Turkey
by Bob Campbell (Bridge) Among the hundreds of Michigan fruit growers, processors, researchers, vendors and promoters assembled last week at Grand Traverse Resort in Acme just outside Traverse City, were the economically-challenged tart cherry businesses of northwest Michigan. Their hopes, for once, were riding high on expectations of good news from a federal agency — […]
Senator accuses Lucido of harassment as #MeToo reckoning hits Michigan Capitol
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — Women in and around the Michigan Legislature are taking on what they call an “old boys’ club” culture at the state Capitol that has allowed sexually inappropriate behavior to persist despite a national #MeToo movement. And state Sen. Peter Lucido, a Shelby Township Republican who chairs two powerful committees […]
Michigan still owes GM over $2 billion in tax credits from Great Recession
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) LANSING — An old tax credit program designed to stem massive job losses during the Great Recession continues to gouge the Michigan budget. But a new deal with General Motors Co. will provide some certainty in future years. The Detroit-based automaker agreed to cap the total value of its refundable Michigan […]
Liberal group launches ballot effort to change Michigan lobbying laws
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING – A liberal advocacy group on Thursday launched a constitutional amendment ballot initiative effort to change Michigan laws to ban lobbyists from giving gifts to public officials and require a “cooling off” period before former officials could become lobbyists. “For years there’s been talk about the need for more transparency […]
Michigan county threatens to bulldoze Amish homes in poop dispute
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) LENAWEE COUNTY—As late afternoon sun streamed into the home’s spare living area, an Amish couple recalled the day this past August when a Lenawee County health official came to their door to post a notice. “Do Not Enter,” it warned. “Unfit For Human Habitation.” And below that: “Order to Vacate.” An […]
