Dozens fired from Michigan veteran care facilities as federal cuts continue
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) DETROIT — Dozens of workers at Veterans Affairs medical centers in Michigan have lost their jobs amid President Donald Trump’s attempt to reduce federal government spending, prompting fears of substandard service and longer wait times for military veterans seeking care. Nationally, about 2,400 employees in the US Department of Veterans Affairs have been […]
Trump orders spur fear, anxiety among Michigan LGBTQ+ students
by Hannah Dellinger, Chalkbeat Detroit (Bridge Michigan) Sebastian Eaton-Ellison doesn’t feel safe in his school. The gender-fluid 12th grader at West Senior High School said other students relentlessly bully him. They call him homophobic slurs on a regular basis. They have thrown rocks at him. Two pushed him up against a wall in a bathroom […]
Nation’s butterflies are disappearing at alarming rate, MSU researchers find
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) The nation’s butterflies are disappearing at an alarming rate, a sign of a crisis in the insect world that could ripple throughout the food web, according to a new study co-authored by Michigan State University researchers. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, tallied two decades worth of data from […]
Tax, cut or both? Gretchen Whitmer needs House GOP help to fix Michigan roads
by Simon D. Schuster (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Somehow, some way, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants $3 billion more a year to fix Michigan roads — but she’s going to have to compromise with Republicans to get it done. Six years after a GOP-led Legislature scoffed at Whitmer’s plan to raise fuel taxes to the highest […]
‘Historic’ Michigan buildings targeted for sale by Trump administration
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) President Donald Trump’s administration is considering offloading Michigan’s oldest federal building in Port Huron and a historic Battle Creek complex with nearly 2,000 workers as part of ongoing efforts to cut government spending. Both were identified for potential sale Tuesday by the US General Services Administration as part of a […]
Michigan’s new car seat law takes effect April 2: What to know
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s updated car seat law, which requires children under the age of 2 years old to be in a rear-facing car seat, will go into effect April 2. Previously, only children under the age of 1 had to be rear-facing. Car crashes are one of the leading causes of death […]
Facing deadline to end DEI, Michigan schools ask crucial question: What is DEI?
by Isabel Lohmann At Warren Consolidated Schools, students who observe Ramadan will soon have the option to spend lunchtime in a different room than the cafeteria while they fast. Superintendent John Bernia thinks that’s an example of being responsive to the cultures of students and their families. But is it an example of diversity, equity […]
State of the State: Takeaways, fact-checks from Gretchen Whitmer’s big speech
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday urged political unity and made the case for growing Michigan’s economy by investing in education and affordable housing during her penultimate State of the State address. “Now, in a divisive national moment where America needs a new way forward, Michigan can lead,” Whitmer […]
Great Lakes scientists among latest round of Trump cuts in Michigan
by Kelly House & Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Scientists and communicators tasked with tracking Great Lakes ice cover, keeping tabs on fish populations and protecting the region’s drinking water from toxic algae lost their jobs Thursday in the latest round of mass firings by the administration of President Donald Trump. The staffers in the Ann Arbor-based […]
A stampede for child care in Traverse City reveals ‘heartbreaking’ crisis
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) TRAVERSE CITY — It’s 6:59 a.m. on a snowy February morning at the Grand Traverse Bay YMCA. In his office, Thomas Graber stands stock-still, staring at his laptop. In one minute, the application portal opens for summer child care camps. In years past, families camped outside overnight to get one […]
