Michigan works to improve pay, as state inches toward universal pre-K
by Hannah Dellinger/Chalkbeat Detroit (for Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal to make preschool free and available to all families is a big task. The biggest hurdles for the state to overcome are shortages of qualified staff and too few affordable, quality child care spots for 4-year-olds. To create a universal prekindergarten program, the governor plans to improve pay for early […]
In drug-ravaged northern Michigan, there’s money for help. But few counselors
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) GAYLORD — The phone alarm buzzes at 4am on weekdays in Brian Warsow’s room at an East Jordan addiction recovery home. He makes coffee and watches an episode of “Reacher” on TV to help wake up. Then, he embarks on the 52-minute drive to Gaylord for a 6am meeting with […]
Solar eclipse 2024: What will Michigan see? How to get glasses, other answers
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) The good news: Excitement is building for the first visible solar eclipse in Michigan since 1954. The bad news: Most of the state doesn’t fall in the path of the April 8 eclipse, with just a slice of Monroe County in southeast Michigan getting the full effect. So many […]
In Michigan, 60% of jobs don’t pay middle-class wages. Can state stop slide?
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Debate about the effectiveness of corporate subsidies in Michigan is increasing, as experts and business leaders worry the state and its workers are rapidly losing ground. Michigan wages have fallen dramatically compared to other states since 2000, and the state has lost on some high-profile investments, prompting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to bet […]
Michigan rolls out ‘interim’ Proposal 1 financial disclosure portal
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Politicians will file their first personal financial disclosures next month and the reporting system to do so is now up and running, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson announced this week. The state will be offering training sessions “in the coming days,” to walk candidates through the new filing system, […]
Report: 3 in 10 deaths of new moms in Michigan linked to substance use
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Drug abuse in Michigan kills thousands each year, but a new report sheds light on oft-forgotten victims: pregnant and new mothers and their children. In a five-year period ending in 2020, 442 people died while pregnant, giving birth or one year afterward. Of those, about 3 in 10 were linked […]
Michigan bottle returns fall after COVID, prompting get-tough push on grocers
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — As fewer Michigan residents opt in to the state’s bottle deposit program, lawmakers are proposing a possible solution: outlawing store restrictions on returning bottles and cans. Michigan is tied with Oregon for the highest bottle deposit in the country, charging 10 cent deposits per eligible bottle and can […]
Michigan school safety bills stalled: ‘It’s inexcusable,’ Oxford dad says
by Jordyn Hermani and Isobel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Legislation to improve school safety introduced after the mass shooting at Oxford High School has languished for nearly two years, and some say politics is overshadowing policy. Ask Democrats involved in the effort, and they’ll say the safety protocol bills need fine-tuning. Ask Republicans, and they […]
Northern Michigan, after years of struggle, is gaining residents again
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) The population of rural and northern Michigan counties are slowly rising, even as residents continue to leave metro Detroit, according to U.S. census estimates released this week. The data shows Michigan added nearly 4,000 residents in 2023, but the exodus from Wayne County continued: It lost 7,773 residents last year […]
Michigan has 9 months to figure out new energy law. Some say time is wasting
by Kelly House, Bridge Michigan A new law takes effect in less than nine months giving Michigan power to approve or deny large wind and solar projects, and state regulators face the hefty task of figuring out how to enforce it. During the first in a series of meetings Thursday to gather feedback, experts, advocates […]
