Surging Great Lakes water levels shrink beaches, flood docks in Michigan
By Jim Malewitz (Bridge) Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Superior broke records for average water heights during the month of May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Tuesday. And as wet weather persists across the region, all five Great Lakes — as well as Lake St. Clair — may set additional records, the agency […]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer opens up more Michigan farmland to solar power
By Jim Malewitz (Bridge) LANSING — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a policy change Monday that would allow solar energy development on up to 3.4 million acres of farmland. Landowners in Michigan’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation program — which offers tax credits to those who keep land under contract for agricultural use for decades […]
Michigan Republican lawmakers challenge Nessel opinion on ballot drive law
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) The Republican-led Michigan House and Senate plan to sue Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for not enforcing a lame-duck law that would make it harder for groups to land a citizen initiative on the ballot, House Republicans announced Wednesday. The law requires ballot petitioners to gather no more than 15 percent […]
Michigan House GOP plans to replace sales tax on gasoline to fund roads
by Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) House Republicans propose phasing out Michigan’s sales tax paid on gasoline, replacing it with a higher state gas tax dedicated to fixing roads. The plan — which has not yet been formally introduced as legislation — would phase out the first 4 percent of Michigan’s 6 percent sales tax on gasoline […]
The debate is on: Will wolves move to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula?
by Eric Freedman, Capital News Service (Bridge) When Silas Rose Sr. settled in Clinton County in 1836, “few trails had been made and there were long distances between the clearings where a small field of grain would give proof of the enterprise of some hardy pioneer settler,” according to family history. “Howling wolves could be […]
Whitmer plan to boost funds for neediest K-12 students hits wall in Lansing
by Magdalena Mihaylova (Bridge) Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to give more money to Michigan students who have greater needs is in trouble in the GOP-controlled Legislature. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Department of Education approved a school aid appropriations bill Thursday that didn’t include Whitmer’s recommendation for a “weighted formula” for school funding. […]
Report: Michiganders divided on road funding options, just like Lansing
By Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) Michigan residents agree with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and infrastructure experts who say Michigan’s roads are in bad shape, and will get worse if the state doesn’t invest to fix them. But there is little consensus on solutions, from the amount of extra money Michigan policymakers should set aside to the source […]
Gov. Whitmer reverses support for Constitutional right to literacy
On the campaign trail last year Democratic candidate for governor Gretchen Whitmer was candid and passionate, criticizing state Republican leaders for opposing a lawsuit to ensure Detroit students have a right to literacy from their schools. “Despite what the federal court said, despite what [GOP Attorney General and then Republican governor candidate] Bill Schuette and […]
High blood pressure is rampant in Michigan. Better data may lead to a cure.
By Robin Erb (Bridge) They call it the silent killer because of its ability to lurk undetected – hardening arteries, stiffening heart muscles, depriving blood from the brain and damaging kidneys and retinas. Now, high blood pressure may be losing a bit of its ability to hide. A new color-coded, data-driven mapping tool developed at Wayne State […]
Michigan lobbyist for polluter wrote law easing toxic cleanups, emails show
By Jim Malewitz, Craig Mauger (Bridge) LANSING — In a single year, a self-described “lawyer-lobbyist” went from working on behalf of a company accused of poisoning groundwater to writing a law that could weaken Michigan’s standards for pollution cleanups. A joint investigation by Bridge Magazine and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network found that attorney Troy Cumings last year […]
