Michigan expert: ‘No Mow May’ not all it’s cracked up to be
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) It’s that time of year again: “No Mow May,” the annual initiative that discourages residents in Michigan and around the globe from mowing their lawns to promote a diverse habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. The idea is that, by letting clovers, dandelions and other weeds grow, pollinators […]
Michigan’s largest egg farm lays off 400 workers amid bird flu outbreak
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s largest egg producer is laying off 40% of its staff as the company and state agriculture officials grapple with the spread of avian flu. Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch told the state on Wednesday that it launched a mass layoff affecting 400 workers across five of its facilities in Ionia County. The layoffs […]
Steep tariffs may block Chinese threats to Michigan’s growing EV industry
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s growing electric vehicle industry is likely to benefit from steep new tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States that experts say will stave off unfair competition. The tariffs — announced Tuesday by President Joe Biden at the White House — are expected to offset lower prices made possible by Chinese government subsidies […]
Drug deaths drop in Michigan as task force weighs how to spend opioid funds
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Overdoses claimed slightly fewer Michiganders in 2023 than the prior year, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s possibly because users are becoming more aware of the presence of fentanyl and other additives in street drugs and taking action to […]
For Michigan officials building an $80B budget, ‘boring is a good thing’
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) After years of economic whiplash from the COVID-19 pandemic, record-high budget surpluses, fluctuating unemployment rates and the pinch of inflation, officials say Michigan’s latest financial projections seem, well, boring. But for officials tasked with predicting revenues for what is expected to be a roughly $80 billion state spending plan for […]
Would tax break for MI data centers bring economic boon, or climate doom?
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) A proposed tax break for massive data centers is gaining steam in the Michigan Legislature, but some lawmakers and environmentalists fear courting the energy-intensive industry could undermine the state’s climate goals. At issue are House bills 4905-4906 and Senate bills 237-238, twin packages that would expand sales- and use-tax exemptions for data center […]
Whitmer wants free community college for all. Michigan House has other plans
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visited a high school career training center Wednesday to promote her proposal to guarantee free community college for all high school graduates. But that guarantee — a key provision of her $80.7 billion budget plan — appears in jeopardy after the Democratic-led state House omitted it later […]
There’s a proven way to help kick opioids. Not enough in Michigan use it
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michign) INKSTER — Ten brown metal folding chairs sat empty; a package of bottled water and a stack of Allison Herrst’s opioid recovery brochures remained untouched. It was a Thursday afternoon, and the fourth consecutive time nobody showed up for a meeting to start a new chapter of Medication-Assisted Recovery Anonymous, or MARA […]
Michigan Dems OK $3M for e-bike discounts. GOP says plan is off the rails
by Simon D. Schuster LANSING — A proposed electric bicycle incentive program that could dramatically cut prices through income-based “discount vouchers” received nearly $3 million in funding in a budget plan approved by the Michigan House Wednesday. The provision, part of a larger $81 billion state budget proposal, was championed by Democrats as a “future-facing” […]
Marijuana edibles, vape pens in Michigan schools prompt calls for reform
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Six years after Michigan voters chose to legalize recreational marijuana, some education leaders are calling on the state to do more to combat use in schools. There’s been an “alarming” rise in student consumption of pot edibles and use of vape pens, Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti wrote last week in […]
