As opioid deaths mount, Michigan governments sit on millions for intervention
by Ron French & Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) TAWAS CITY — Zach Williams knows he’s lucky to be alive. He was an opioid addict in northeast Michigan for 22 years, and “more of the people I used with are dead than are still alive.” Sober five years, the 44-year-old peer recovery coach in Iosco County for […]
See who sponsored $1B in Michigan earmarks: Did your rep bring home pork?
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan lawmakers added more than $1 billion in special projects to the annual state budget last summer – in many cases at the last moment, but Democratic leaders promised to eventually provide additional transparency. Under the $82 billion spending bill signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the state will be required […]
See what Michigan sites are added to National Register of Historic Places
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) A book store, a park and even a furniture building are among 19 places in Michigan newly listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. The Michigan Economic Development Corp. shared this week the sites that made the National Register of Historic Places, an official list of places, buildings, […]
Michigan mom sues for disability in latest U.S. legal battle over long COVID
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) KIMBALL—In this tidy home where family photos hang on the wall and heart-decorated dish towels hint to the upcoming Valentine’s Day, Kelsey Warshefski appears for a moment like any mom who might be relaxing with her 7-year-old son on a recent snow day. But Warshefski, who just four years ago […]
Michigan’s lost winter cancels sturgeon season, ski, dog sled races
by Kelly House & Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Warm weather has prompted the cancellation of the iconic Black Lake winter sturgeon fishing season, where anglers get a rowdy-but-brief opportunity to spear dinosaur-like fish through the ice. The cancellation, announced Friday morning less than 24 hours before the season was set to begin, is the […]
To fix education in Michigan, GOP senators push to resurrect old ideas
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Alarmed by reports of low student test scores, Republican leaders in the Michigan Senate laid out a legislative agenda on Thursday that they say will improve public education across the state. Many are longstanding GOP priorities such as a law requiring schools to hold back third graders who struggle with reading. […]
When to file Michigan state taxes and what’s new in 2024
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Tax filing season has begun, and Michiganders are gearing up for a year of changes. from revised state income tax rates to expanded benefits for retirees and revamped Earned Income Tax Credits. State residents can even join the organ donor registry when filing taxes this year. Here’s a guide to […]
Michigan to spend $19M for ‘last piece’ to redevelop ex-GM plant in Lansing
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Nineteen years after the last Pontiac Grand Am body rolled off of a General Motors’ assembly line here, Michigan this week committed $19 million to help bring manufacturing back to the razed facility. The money comes atop millions already committed by taxpayers to clean abandoned GM factories in and around Lansing, but […]
Gridlock grips the Michigan House amid partisan split
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING – The Michigan House this month approved honorific legislation to rename a portion of a state highway for a firefighter who died from a stroke. That’s it. One month into a House session that began with a temporary 54-54 split between Democrats and Republicans, partisan gridlock has effectively killed any legislative […]
Happy 187th birthday, Michigan! Fun facts about the Great Lakes State
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Ask us where we’re from and chances are we’ll proudly point out our hometown on a hand, and while other states have tried to claim it, Michigan — the Mitten — is clearly most suited for this type of map. From ski resorts, to cider mills, to the tunnel […]
