Suicide rates rise across Michigan, with few answers
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Even as Michigan’s suicide rate rose by a third over two decades -‒ and climbing even higher among young people, rural residents and military veterans -‒ a fundamental question has yet to be fully answered. Why? “We need to get to the bottom of why this is happening,” said state Sen. Jim Runestad, R-Oakland […]
Michigan Republicans push budget without road deal, a likely no-go for Whitmer
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Republican leaders controlling the Michigan House and Senate have agreed on a budget, they announced Friday ‒ one that doesn’t include a negotiated deal on road funding with the state’s Democratic governor. The announcement raises the stakes for a possible state government shutdown in less than a month. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has […]
Michigan becomes the first state in U.S. to ban flavored vaping products
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Michigan will become the first state in the nation to ban flavored vaping products under emergency rules announced Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. It will be issued by the state Department of Health and Human Services, which has found youth vaping to be a public health emergency. The six-month ban will […]
Algae is again fouling Lake Erie. Thanks a lot, Ohio.
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) Across western Lake Erie, a giant green algal mass is again forming and it’s the largest in three years. How big is it? So big it can be seen from space and, at 620 square miles, is about bigger than the largest cities in Michigan (Detroit), Ohio (Columbus) and Indiana (Indianapolis) put together. Not […]
Report: Funding cuts, high tuition spawn a cost crisis at Michigan colleges
by Ron French (Bridge) Michigan families are facing a college affordability crisis caused by a “perfect storm” of falling wages and state disinvestment in higher education, according to a new report released Friday. That affordability crisis is hitting hardest among Michigan’s rural and low-income families, according to the report, by the New York-based Century Foundation, which describes […]
Michigan committee approves health warning labels for marijuana
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING – The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved bills that would require labels on marijuana indicating its health risks for pregnant mothers. “This is a brand new product that’s going out … and a lot of people automatically think ‘Wow it’s legal, it’s going to be safe,’” said Rep. Daire […]
Michigan schools say they can’t find enough substitute teachers
by Ron French (Bridge) Michigan schools are increasingly unable to find enough substitute teachers to fill their classrooms, a shortage that threatens to impact learning in the state’s already struggling public education system. A survey of school leaders released Monday by Michigan Applied Public Policy Research and the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, […]
Michigan House Dem leader says Whitmer’s 45-cent gas tax is probably dead
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposal to raise Michigan gas taxes by 45 cents per gallon is likely dead, said House Democratic Leader Christine Greig Thursday. Republicans have said the proposal is a non-starter, so “I think we have to have these other options,” the Farmington Hills representative said. Among them: taxing […]
M-STEP shows no progress for Michigan’s struggling third-grade readers
by Ron French (Bridge) Statewide early literacy efforts haven’t helped Michigan’s struggling readers. That’s sobering news for Michigan schools, as well as families with children entering third grade. Beginning this school year, third-graders reading at below second-grade level risk being retained in grade. Last school year, three of 10 Michigan third-graders were “not proficient” in […]
Battle looms over laws to slow spread of invasive species in Great Lakes
by Jim Malewitz and Sarah Whites-Koditschek (Bridge) More than $375 billion in cargo — iron ore, coal, cement, stone, grain and more — has flowed between Great Lakes ports and foreign nations since 1959. That’s when Queen Elizabeth and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower christened the St. Lawrence Seaway, heralding it as an engineering marvel. But that series […]
