Michigan makes history, requires filtered water in all schools, daycares
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan will be the first state in the nation to require filtered drinking water at all schools and daycare centers under new laws signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Facilities will have until the end of the 2025-26 school year to install at least one bottle-filling station or faucet […]
Proposed state oversight of solar, wind pits energy needs v. rural rights
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) A day after introducing bills to speed up wind and solar permitting by shifting control to the state, Michigan lawmakers debated whether the change would be a gift to struggling farmers and utility customers — or a bane on rural communities. During a hearing Wednesday before the House Energy, Communications […]
Carpool lanes coming to Michigan’s I-75
submitted by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan drivers will soon see the state’s first carpool lanes in southeast Michigan — and new state laws suggest they may not be the last. Two bills signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week allow state transportation officials to designate carpool lanes on new federally-funded highway construction […]
Michigan’s feral cats breeding like crazy: 5,000 caught, neutered last year
by Brandy Muz, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) Feral cats have colonies across the state, and their inbreeding, overpopulation and constant pregnancies have caused these strays to multiply. Richelle Brown of the Cheboygan County Humane Society says wild cats usually flock to areas where there’s something to eat. “They go to where they get fed. If people […]
Michigan council hears bold (if vague) ideas to solve population crisis
by Isabel Lohman and Lauren Gibbons Providing free college tuition and more equitable school and transportation funding systems topped the list of recommendations presented Thursday to a panel of Michigan power brokers tasked by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer with solving the state’s population crisis. But the recommendations from members of four workgroups that were each assigned […]
Families fuel Michigan bills for parity in mental health insurance coverage
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) It took nearly $300,000 in out-of-pocket costs to save her son’s life, according to Claire Scerbak. But Scerbak said she considers herself lucky. Many Michigan families can’ afford to pay bills for loved ones facing mental health and substance abuse crises. She said her family was forced to pay the […]
Michigan cancer drug donation program looks to cut waste, help those in need
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) The diagnosis — Stage IV lung cancer — was shocking enough for Stephanie Donaldson. She’d never smoked. She’d just got a clean bill of health a few weeks earlier. But the cost of the drug that Donaldson’s doctor ordered brought a second jolt: Eight daily chemotherapy pills of Alecensa would cost […]
Michigan personal income plummets to lowest in history compared to nation
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Personal income in Michigan hit the lowest mark in history compared to the U.S. average last year, another in a sobering litany of data points that illustrate the enormous challenges faced by the state. The average income of Michigan’s roughly 10 million residents in 2022 was $57,038, compared to a […]
In warming Great Lakes, climate triage means some cold waters won’t be saved
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) For as long as anyone can remember, the brook trout streams along Minnesota’s North Shore have run cool and clear, fueled by the gradual melt of copious northwoods snow. But by mid-century, scientists say, more than a third of the streams in this region, which hugs the Lake Superior shoreline […]
Motorcycle deaths spike since helmets became optional for Michigan adults
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Fatal motorcycle crashes have jumped 34 percent in the decade since the Legislature allowed those over 21 to ride without helmets, even as crashes have decreased. According to data from the Michigan State Police, the number of crashes involving a motorcycle decreased from 3,600 in 2012 to 3,158 in 2022. At the […]
