Michigan prison inmates need job skills, but technology books are banned
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) Inmates in Michigan state prisons who want to learn how to design a website, code a computer program or wire a house may find themselves a little light on reading material. At least 60 books related to computers, electronics and other technology are banned from state prisons for security reasons, according […]
Michigan Supreme Court hears debate on minimum wage, sick leave laws
by Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) LANSING—At the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday, an attorney defending actions by Republican lawmakers to weaken citizen-initiated laws to raise the minimum wage and require paid sick leave was asked if he could explain why legislators did it. Attorney John Bursch said he couldn’t answer for certain, though he offered a […]
Republican ideas to fund Michigan road repairs taking shape over summer
by Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) One Republican idea to help counties and larger cities in Michigan pay for local road repairs: allowing them to levy their own gas taxes and vehicle registration fees. The concept is among several floating around Lansing this summer as GOP legislative leaders say they continue to work on a plan to fix […]
Invasive plants choke Michigan waters. So why can anyone order them online?
by Alexandra Schmidt (Bridge) Michigan spends millions of dollars a year to fight invasive plants that harm the water, lower fish populations and threaten recreational tourism. Yet despite the potential damage, invasive plants are still brought into the state. Often, as Bridge Magazine discovered, a purchase is just a click away. Aquatic plants listed as invasive, and thus illegal, […]
Enbridge begins geological work for Line 5 tunnel, despite Nessel lawsuit
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) DETROIT — Enbridge Energy is forging ahead with preparations to build a tunnel in the Straits of Mackinac to protect its controversial Line 5 oil and gas pipeline, even as the state seeks to block the project. Meeting with reporters at the Detroit Wayne County Port Authority along the Detroit River on Wednesday, […]
Michigan doctors not trained to treat opioid abuse ‒ and don’t want to be
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge) As Michigan continues to lack enough resources to treat opiate addiction, a statewide survey finds just one in five primary care physicians offers medication assisted treatment in their practice. And according to the survey of roughly 600 primary care physicians by the University of Michigan’s Center for Health and Research Transformation, even fewer are interested in […]
After 10 years of steady growth, Michigan’s economy faces headwinds
by Lindsay VanHulle, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge) A decade since 2009 — the end of the worst recession in generations — Michigan’s economy has grown at a tortoise pace: Slow and steady. Today, unemployment is low. Most of the jobs lost in Michigan during the 2000s have been regained. And consumers are still generally optimistic, though they’re concerned about […]
3 ways Michigan elections remain vulnerable — and what the state can do about it
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING—Around 50 elections officials and analysts met at an outpost of the Lansing City Clerk’s office in June, eagerly awaiting the day’s activity: Piloting a relatively new method for ensuring accurate election results. The volunteers — from as near as Delta Township and as far as California — were there to […]
Lyme disease is spreading across Michigan. But why?
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) Lyme disease diagnoses have surged nationwide in recent years, and Michigan is no exception. In 2018, the state documented 262 cases of the disease whose symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, fatigue, and muscle and joint aches. That was down slightly from the 291 diagnosis in 2017, but far higher than in […]
A woman, a tick, and the fight in Michigan over Lyme disease
by Magdalena Mihaylova, Robin Erb (Bridge) LANSING—No one can tell Breanna Ramos her symptoms aren’t real ‒ from the crushing exhaustion, to the pain that at times has sent her to the floor. But in a Lansing hearing room recently, the 26-year-old Clarklake woman and others laid bare what they said were the misdiagnoses, misfired treatments, confusion, […]
