Democrats retake Michigan House with special election wins
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Democrats are back in control of the Michigan House – and the full state government – for the rest of the year after their candidates in two special elections won big Tuesday night. The contests put an end to a months-long partisan stalemate with Republicans in the lower chamber after […]
New push to reform Michigan corporate subsidies, this time from Republicans
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) New proposals from Michigan Republicans take aim at the state’s once-acclaimed $2 billion incentive program and the agency that oversees it. Republicans this week said they plan to introduce legislation this spring to increase oversight of the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund, along with adding performance-based funding for the Michigan Economic Development […]
Michigan’s morel mushroom season: Where to find them and how to identify them
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) People in Michigan should soon be able to collect prized morel mushrooms as foraging season begins. Morels, known for their distinctive pitted, honeycomb-like caps, begin to appear in late spring through the beginning of summer. Morel mushroom foraging season lasts long, beginning in mid-April and continuing through mid-June. Hunters in southern […]
EPA sets first limits on PFAS in drinking water, drawing praise in Michigan
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) The Environmental Protection Agency set the first-ever national standards limiting PFAS contaminants in drinking water on Wednesday. The move drew immediate praise from officials in Michigan, which was one of the first states to regulate the compounds. The federal agency proposed standards over a year ago that would require […]
Michigan schools hired 874 mental health staffers — under program set to end
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Distance learning. Disrupted routines. Death of loved ones. Such were the realities for students in 2021 when Michigan lawmakers approved a $240 million program to help schools hire more counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. New data obtained by Bridge Michigan shows schools across the state […]
New study: Great Lakes beaches are littered with plastic trash
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) In news unlikely to surprise Great Lakes beachgoers, plastic litter is a large and growing problem in the lakes. A new report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes adds a new data point to the growing body of evidence that America’s plastic addiction and waste-disposal habits are polluting our land […]
Whitmer under fire for ‘intentional attack’ on Michigan government watchdog
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — A government watchdog responsible for auditing state departments and programs is staring down a potential $8.3 million cut, and the head of that agency has one question: Why? Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office is not saying why her budget proposes to slash funding to Auditor General Doug Ringler’s office, […]
Lakeside isn’t dead. It’s awaiting a $1B rebirth. Can Michigan malls follow?
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Signs of life still exist at Lakeside Mall, but visitors to one of Michigan’s metro Detroit’s largest indoor malls have to walk past dozens of closed and gated stores to find them. The signature center-court glass elevator is out of service. Shelves are half-stocked in Macy’s home department. Cinnabon, which is […]
Dead wolf mystery in south Michigan deepens, prompts criminal probe
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan officials have opened a criminal probe after an endangered wolf wound up dead in southern Michigan, 300 miles from its known habitat, killed by a hunter who says he thought it was a coyote. Lt. Andrew Turner, a district supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement […]
Bird flu found in hens at Michigan’s top egg producer
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) The highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, was detected in poultry at Michigan’s top egg producer, Herbruck’s. The infected flock was found at the company’s Green Meadow Organics facility in Ionia County. This is the fourth case of avian influenza in a commercial facility since the disease was first detected in […]
