She often arrived drunk at Ann Arbor ERs. Today, she serves others.
Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Lynne Ponder had just about nowhere to go but up. Living alone in Washtenaw County, she was virtually homeless as she bounced from motel to motel, haunted by severe anxiety, depression and bouts of heavy drinking she undertook to quiet her terror. Panic attacks were all but paralyzing. “It was the worst […]
Consumers Energy chief sees solar future in Michigan
JACKSON — Patti Poppe likes to joke about the bumper sticker she once stuck on her Chevy Volt electric hybrid car: “I ♥ coal.” These days, the sticker sits in Poppe’s office at Consumers Energy’s headquarters in her hometown of Jackson. It’s a symbol of her personal evolution on climate change — and the transformation […]
Michigan shrinks credits for rooftop solar, clouding industry’s future
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) BRIGHTON — Most people view a utility bill as a hassle. Al Warner sees opportunity. Each bill offers the retired engineer fresh data to plug into a spreadsheet charting his progress towards dual goals: slashing his fossil fuel consumption and saving on monthly energy costs. “I’m trying to do everything I […]
Michigan environment roundup: Great Lakes water levels could break records
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) Bridge Magazine is committed to sharing the best environmental journalism in and around Michigan, an effort called #EnviroReads. In Bridge’s Michigan Environment Watch, we share a roundup of recent stories on the Great Lakes or other issues. If you see a story we should include next time, use the hashtag #EnviroReads […]
Roads get spotlight, but 447 Michigan bridges in serious condition or worse
by Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) A year ago, Genesee County bridge inspectors discovered holes in the steel beams holding up a bridge over the Swartz Creek. The two-lane bridge, on Grand Blanc Road near U.S. 23, is now being held together by temporary steel supports until it can be replaced in 2020 — a roughly $2 million […]
Michigan Republicans and Whitmer move closer to no-fault auto insurance deal
by Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) Republican legislative leaders say they have made progress with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration toward a deal to reform Michigan’s unique-in-the-nation no-fault auto insurance system. Talks are expected to continue over the weekend as Republicans seek to bring Whitmer, a Democrat, on board to sign GOP-sponsored bills that would, among other changes, allow drivers […]
Abortion limits pass Michigan House and Senate. What you need to know.
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) LANSING—In a day rife with personal, emotional testimony from state legislators, the Republican-led House and Senate passed bills Tuesday along party lines that would make it a felony for health care providers to perform a common second-trimester abortion procedure. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has already vowed to veto the bills, as Michigan joins a sea […]
Right to Life of Michigan launches ballot drive to ban abortion procedure
by Riley Beggin, Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) Right to Life of Michigan says it has launched a petition drive to ask voters to ban a common abortion procedure, one day after the state House and Senate passed bills that would outlaw the practice and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vowed to veto them. The anti-abortion advocacy group said Wednesday it formed a […]
Reader FAQ: Does Michigan Lottery money really go to schools?
by Alexandra Schmidt (Bridge) Where’d all the Michigan lottery money go? It’s a question the public engagement team from the Center for Michigan (which also publishes Bridge Magazine) hears all the time during our statewide engagement campaigns. Michiganders tell us they don’t understand how our public schools could be underfunded with all the lottery money they receive. […]
Six times more third-graders may flunk next year under Michigan reading law
by Ron French (Bridge) More than 5,000 third-graders–five percent across the state–may be held back from advancing to fourth grade following the 2019-20 school year because of Michigan’s “read or flunk” law, which takes effect this fall. That’s a more than six-fold increase over the number of third-graders who were held back in 2017-18 (777 […]
