After losing in court, Michigan township tries again to block ‘green’ cemetery
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) A dispute over “green burial” is escalating in west Michigan, six months after a judge rejected a township’s attempt to ban all cemeteries in hopes of keeping a green cemetery out. Now, officials in Brooks Township, near Newaygo, have enacted a host of new regulations that are impossible for a […]
MSU loses millions in agriculture, higher ed grants as Trump slashes USAID
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Magazine) Michigan State University stands to lose as much as $23 million a year in federal grants as a result of President Donald Trump’s steep cuts to the US Agency for International Development. Project leads received a series of termination notices Wednesday for federally funded MSU programs aimed at improving higher […]
Michigan lawmakers overhaul paid leave, wage laws in last-minute deal
by Simon D. Schuster (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — The Michigan Legislature finalized an eleventh-hour deal to limit court-ordered wage increases and paid sick leave requirements late Thursday, the culmination of a seven-year fight over the policies in Michigan. The bipartisan compromise, approved roughly an hour before court-ordered laws were set to take effect Friday, will […]
Federal firings hit Great Lakes sea lamprey program, Michigan forestry workers
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Just months ago, Great Lakes fish advocates were celebrating victory in a decades-long campaign to save lake trout populations from extinction at the hands of invasive sea lamprey. Now they fear that progress could slip away, as President Donald Trump’s vow to downsize the federal government threatens to derail efforts to keep […]
Michigan standing by DEI in schools despite Trump threat to pull US funding
by Isabel Lohman and Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Michigan isn’t planning to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion programs in K-12 public schools just yet, despite a Trump administration order to get rid of them by the end of the month or risk losing federal funding. In a Friday memo shared by Elon Musk’s Department of Government […]
Hertel and Runestad new chairs of the Michigan Democratic and Republican parties
by Simon D. Schuster (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Democrats and Republicans convened in downtown Detroit on Saturday afternoon to select new leaders, even as both parties grappled with internal divisions. Democrats selected Curtis Hertel Jr. a former state legislator and congressional candidate, to serve as chair. Republicans chose Jim Runestad, a sitting state senator, even though […]
Michigan refugees left in limbo under resettlement suspension
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Faith-based groups across Michigan are scrambling to assist more than 1,000 new refugees who had entered the state before President Donald Trump halted US resettlement programs and funding to feed, clothe and house new arrivals. “What this does is, it creates homelessness,” said Kelli Dobner of Samaritas, the Michigan affiliate […]
Get ready for a rare treat, Michigan: 7 planets appearing in a sky near you
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Michigan astronomy buffs: Save the date. On Feb. 28, seven planets will appear in the sky simultaneously. Since January, astronomy fans have enjoyed a “parade” of six planets in the night sky. Four of them are visible to the naked eye — Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn — with […]
Why not put Michigan solar farms on parking lots instead of farmland?
by Kelly House (Bridge Magazine) EAST LANSING — Not too long ago, scores of Michigan State University students began winter weekends by digging their cars out of snowdrifts at the school’s commuter lots, while breathing soot from a coal-fired power plant across the street. Those days are over, thanks to 45 acres of solar-powered carports […]
Michigan lawmakers strike deal on wages and tips — but not sick leave, yet
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan’s Democratic-led Senate and Republican-led House appear to have reached a deal to accelerate a court-ordered minimum wage increase but retain the state’s lower base pay rate for tipped workers. But the wage plan, as written and approved by the Senate late Thursday in a bipartisan 20-12 vote, […]
