State News

 Marsha Chartrand

Michigan voters reject half of school bond requests. Blame the economy?

by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Michigan approved nearly $900 million in school bonds Tuesday, while rejecting half of the school bond proposals statewide. Statewide, voters approved 22 of 45 requests, a success rate of 49%, below the 60% passage rate in the May 2024 election and the 62% passage rate in the November election, according to […]

 Sara Swanson

Michigan drops charges against pro-Palestinian protesters at U-M

by The Associated Press (via Bridge Michigan) State prosecutors dropped felony charges Monday against seven people accused of trespassing and resisting police a year ago during the break-up of a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Michigan. Attorney General Dana Nessel said she believed the cases were strong but suggested her office was worn down by criticism and other […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Michigan OKs ‘does with bows’ UP hunting, punts on coyote plan

by Laura Herberg For the first time in a decade, hunters this season will be able to kill antlerless deer with bows throughout the entirety of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Natural Resources Commission approved the “does with bows” change at a meeting Thursday in Lansing. Archery hunting for female and male deer without antlers was prohibited by […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Liberal judges tighten grip on Michigan Supreme Court as sentencing cases loom

by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s appointment of Court of Appeals Judge Noah Hood last month to the Michigan Supreme Court solidified the Democratic Party’s near-total majority of nominees to the state’s highest court. In the next few months, the court is expected to consider a docket that is heavy on criminal justice, […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Senate Dems want $1B more for Michigan schools, call cuts ‘dangerous’

by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) Senate Democrats say they’re hoping to pump an additional $1 billion into Michigan’s public schools this year in an effort to cut class sizes, increase funding to at-risk students and bolster teacher pay. The effort would put even more money into schools than what Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pitched at the top of […]

 Sara Swanson

Matt Hall says he’s playing long game in passing solar siting repeal Senate won’t take up

by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — House Republicans on Wednesday voted to overturn recently enacted legislation that gives the state power to override a local government’s decision on where and if wind or solar projects are built in Michigan. In a pair of 58-48 votes, lawmakers voted to repeal a part of Michigan’s Clean […]

 Sara Swanson

Michigan Medicaid has ballooned. Cuts are likely. Here’s what to know

  by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) MAPLE CITY— Medicaid in Michigan can be measured by lots of big numbers — from the nearly 2.7 residents it covered last year to its $7.5 billion chunk of the state budget. It can be sized up by its growth, too: It now covers 1 in 4 state residents, […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Michigan proof-of-citizenship question fails to gain House support

by Hayley Harding, Votebeat (for Bridge Michigan) An attempt to get a proof-of-citizenship requirement for would-be voters onto the 2026 ballot failed along party lines Thursday in the Michigan House — a blow to the GOP-backed effort, but likely not the final word. The measure would require new Michigan voters — and almost certainly some […]

 Sara Swanson

Nitrous oxide poisoning, deaths sharply rising among Michigan youths: Study

  by Daniel Schoenherr, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) LANSING – A growing number of young people in Michigan are overdosing on nitrous oxide — a dangerous misuse of the same “laughing gas” dentists use to sedate patients. Emergency departments across the state saw a fivefold increase in nitrous oxide-related poisonings and deaths between 2019 […]

 Marsha Chartrand

Trump, joined by Whitmer, announces new jets for Selfridge

by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Selfridge Air National Guard Base will receive 21 F-15EX Eagle II fighters to replace a fleet of retiring jets. “I’ve come in person to lay to rest any doubts about Selfridge,” Trump said at the Harrison Township base, hours before a planned speech […]