Fact-checking the Michigan economy: Prices up. So are wages. What’s true?
byMike Wilkinson (Bridge Magazine) As voters mull their choices in November, the economy dominates their thoughts. While it is doing well by most traditional measures, such as growth and unemployment, one metric dominates the mind of voters like Barbara Lawrence: the cost of food and everyday household i The 72-year-old from Lansing is on a fixed […]
$1M grant gives Michigan foster kids rides to school as they switch homes
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) A new state program helps foster youth in metro Detroit remain in school and maintain crucial social connections, even if they are moved from home to home to home. The three-year contract, $1 million a year, provides transportation to and from school and after-school activities through Los Angeles-based HopSkipDrive, a transportation […]
Controversial youth detention tool goes live in Michigan. Is a fix coming?
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — A change to Michigan’s juvenile justice system that critics fear could increase detention rates for youths of color took effect Tuesday, but advocates and a key state lawmaker are still seeking a fix. Starting this week, local officials are required to implement a new six-question screening tool when deliberating whether […]
Several Michigan campsites will be closed for renovations in ’25. See list
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Early birds looking to book their favorite state campground for the 2025 season may notice that some popular locations are temporarily unavailable. Over a dozen day-use areas and campsites will be closed for all or part of the 2025 season, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Michiganders can reserve […]
Archery deer-hunting season in Michigan. What to know: Dates, licenses
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Time to get those crossbows ready. Tuesday marks the official start of archery deer-hunting season in Michigan. While a bow and arrow isn’t the most popular weapon used to hunt deer, there are still hunters who participate. In 2023, more than 286,000 deer hunters participated in archery hunts in Michigan, according to the […]
Michigan lawmakers divided but OK tax breaks to lure data centers
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) A divided Michigan House of Representative on Wednesday approved one half of a two-bill package to offer new tax breaks to entice major tech companies to build multi-billion dollar server farms in the state. The bill, Senate Bill 237, is part of a package that would exempt large “enterprise data centers” owned […]
Using mussels to scrub fresh water — and sound the alarm on contamination
by Amalia Medina, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Water tanks line a room in Philadelphia’s Water Works on the bank of the Schuylkill River. Inside are small fish that are hosts to tiny organisms that researchers say can help solve polluted waterways. Tucked under the fish gills are microscopic mussels that will mature […]
Michigan election challengers face new rules to deter delays, disruptions
by Hayley Harding, Votebeat (via Bridge Michigam) Michigan poll challengers face stricter rules going into the November election, part of a wave of new requirements that aim to prevent some of the disruptions that marred the ballot counting process four years ago. Poll challengers — distinct from poll workers and poll watchers — are individuals […]
What’s in a name? Tom Izzo runs for Michigan House. No, not him
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo is not running for office. But voters in Michigan’s 74th state House district will see a Lansing man with that name — same spelling, different pronunciation — on their ballots running as a Republican against incumbent state Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt. Tom Izzo […]
Dems OK $125M for Michigan school safety, mental health. GOP wanted more
by Isabel Lohman & Simon D. Schuster (Bridge Michigan) Facing pressure from school groups in a critical election year, Michigan House Democrats on Wednesday proposed spending an additional $126 million on student safety and mental health. The proposal, unveiled as Democrats fight to retain their slim two-seat House majority, would partially reverse what school groups had […]
