Jocelyn Benson says she’s committed to increasing Michigan voter turnout
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) As a law professor, Jocelyn Benson literally wrote the book on best practices of Secretaries of State nationwide. Elected in November to that post in Michigan, Benson faces her first test Tuesday, when more than 500 jurisdictions affecting 17 percent of the state’s registered voters host elections to decide millages and other ballot […]
Unlicensed Michigan medical marijuana shops to stay open under court ruling
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) About 50 unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries temporarily operating in Michigan will not have to close their doors any time soon, ending a months-long regulatory saga over the state’s transitional weed market. Dispensaries which applied for a license by February 2018 and haven’t yet received a decision on their licenses deserve an […]
Should Algebra 2 be required? Michigan legislator says no; research says yes
by Ron French (Bridge) Michigan high school students would no longer be required to take Algebra 2 to earn a diploma under a bill introduced again this term in the Michigan House of Representatives. “Through college and law school and a 40-year career, I can’t recall an instance of using Algebra 2,” said bill sponsor Gary […]
Michigan has 1.6M college dropouts. Debt forgiveness may lure them back.
by Chastity Pratt (Bridge) Lakeshia King was like many adult college students when she started taking classes at Wayne State University in 2003. She picked up classes, then dropped them as she changed her major over and over again. She was taking only a couple classes at a time because she had a son and […]
What to expect in Michigan’s first election since voting rights amendment
by Riley Beggin (Bridge) On Tuesday, May 7, many Michigan voters will participate in the first election since a sweeping voting rights constitutional amendment passed with 67 percent of the vote last November. The election may seem like small potatoes; only around 17 percent of currently registered voters are impacted by elections May 7, and most […]
Michigan mulls lifting barrier to solar energy on farmland
by Andy Balaskovitz (Bridge) As states consider the compatibility of utility-scale solar projects on farmland, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration is revisiting a state policy that the industry says has acted as a barrier. Michigan’s Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program provides tax incentives to landowners who keep land under contract for agricultural practices for […]
Michigan is obese, unhealthy and dying young. And that’s costing billions.
by Mike Wilkinson, Ted Roelofs (Bridge) Blessed with abundant water, beaches, hiking trails, bike paths and locally grown fruits and vegetables, Michigan has all the makings of a healthy and fit state. But look closer and the reality is grim: All too often, in much of the state, residents can’t do a simple push-up or […]
DTE chief: We’re cutting carbon because it’s ‘defining issue of our era’
by Jim Malewitz (Bridge) Coal once reigned supreme on Michigan’s electricity grid. Not anymore. Touting landmark goals to slash carbon dioxide emissions that speed global warming, Michigan’s biggest utilities are shuttering coal plants favor of cheaper generation from natural gas and renewables like wind and solar. That includes DTE Energy, which provides electricity to 2.2 […]
When Michigan school districts go into debt, kids and communities pay price
by Emily Richmond (Bridge) WHITMORE LAKE—Whitmore Lake Road is a two-lane stretch of blacktop cutting through wide fields and dense woods. In the predawn hours, around a curve, the community’s high school, a modern brick and glass edifice, beams out of the darkness. For the small, unincorporated community of 6,000 just north of Ann Arbor, […]
Whitmer seeks a $5 million Pure Michigan cut to apply to roads. GOP balks.
by Lindsay VanHulle (Bridge) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would cut $5 million from the popular $36 million Pure Michigan travel campaign next year, instead directing the money toward her top priorities to fix the state’s infrastructure and public schools. Yet some state lawmakers, from both parties, are vowing to use the state budget process to keep […]
