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 […]
Northern lights put on spellbinding show in Michigan
Quality of Life (Bridge Michigan) Michiganders reached for the sky late Friday, pointing cell phones toward the heavens to get a rare glimpse of the northern lights that were visible because of a major geomagnetic storm. The majestic lights — or aurora borealis — were visible far farther south than usual. They were best seen in northern […]
New Airbnb tax plan hits snag as summer tourism comes to Michigan
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — As another Michigan summer approaches, bringing with it a wave of tourism, over 150 municipal leaders are again begging state lawmakers for support as they attempt to regulate Airbnbs and other short-term rentals in their communities. But that season will likely come and go without any major action […]
An arrest, more protests at University of Michigan graduation events
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) ANN ARBOR — Police arrested one person Friday, and dozens of activists attempted to disrupt a Saturday graduation ceremony as pro-Palestinian demonstrations escalated at the University of Michigan. The arrest was the first of its kind in the nearly two weeks since activists set up an encampment at U-M, which […]
Swim season is coming to Michigan. Swimmer’s itch may be going away
by Alex Walters, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Jeff Stratton’s beloved Larks Lake left his feet and legs covered in hundreds of itchy red welts. “It was horrible,” said Stratton, 68, “Crazy itchy. Crazy painful.” The itching was caused by Trichobilharzia stagnicolae, a tiny parasite that ran wild in the lake’s mergansers and snails. The predicament […]
‘Ghost riders’ on the lookout for distracted drivers in Michigan
by Jenelle D James (Bridge Michigan) Michigan law enforcement agencies have partnered with the Transportation Improvement Association to crack down on distracted driving. The initiative, called Operation Ghost Rider, uses officers in unmarked vehicles to spot distracted drivers then radio another officer in a marked vehicle to conduct a traffic stop. Operation Ghost Rider started […]
Michigan bill would increase fines for drivers with loud cars
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) State Rep. Natalie Price, D-Berkley, introduced a bill in the state House on Thursday that would significantly increase fines for motorists who intentionally modify their vehicles’ exhaust systems resulting in excessively loud noise. “This is definitely beyond just being inconvenienced. This is the No. 1 thing I hear from my constituents […]
