Michigan probes Consumers Energy over broken meters, inflated bill claims
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Michigan regulators are investigating Consumers Energy Co. for broken meters, potential over-billing and delayed services. The electric company has been under scrutiny for months because of power outages and rate increases. In February, more than 700,000 customers of Consumers and DTE Energy, a separate company, lost their power, some for more than […]
Michigan to launch major teacher recruitment and training effort in fall
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Michigan is betting big on a new effort to help people become teachers by covering learning expenses and providing mentorship from experienced teachers. Talent Together, a state-funded group of 48 intermediate school districts, is working with nine university teacher preparation programs to train more people to become certified teachers in Michigan, […]
Trump endorsed by full Michigan GOP congressional delegation
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan’s entire Republican congressional delegation is backing Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House, his presidential campaign announced Tuesday. U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg, Bill Huizenga, John Molenaar, Jack Bergman, Lisa McClain and John James will also serve on Trump’s “2024 Michigan federal leadership team,” according to the […]
Whitmer population council adds youth, lowers average age of members to 52
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new council tasked with growing the state’s population got a little younger and more bipartisan on Thursday as she announced new appointments for the group’s first major meeting. Whitmer added three state lawmakers as voting members on the Growing Michigan Together Council, including 23-year-old Democratic Rep. Alabas […]
Traffic, theft, drug crimes top Michigan automatic expungements
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Traffic misdemeanors, theft charges and drug possession or use made up the vast majority of the nearly 1.2 million Michigan criminal convictions dropped from residents’ records in the first two weeks of automatic expungement, state police records show. The data, obtained by Bridge Michigan from the Michigan State Police through […]
How Michigan watches the Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons is likely to change
by Bill Shea (Bridge Michigan) The summer of 1984 was glorious for Detroit Tigers fans, with Sparky Anderson managing the likes of Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Jack Morris and Willie Hernández as they etched their way into baseball history. By that fall, the Tigers had won 104 games and eventually dispatched the San Diego […]
Ann Arbor is launching a guaranteed income program. What that means
by Nushrat Rahman (Bridge Michigan) Ann Arbor recently joined the growing list of cities across the nation exploring what happens when lower income families receive a steady stream of cash in their pockets each month — no strings attached. Last month, Ann Arbor City Council approved a guaranteed basic income program — funded by $1.6 million in American […]
FDA grants full approval for Alzheimer’s drug. New hope, but not without risks
by Riley Hodder (Bridge Michigan) The Food and Drug Administration granted traditional approval for a new drug, Leqembi, made to treat Alzheimer’s patients Thursday. The drug helps reduce the amount of amyloid plaques in the brain, one of the physical symptoms of the disease, and slow down the rate of decline, albeit modestly. Alzheimer’s is […]
Great Lakes drownings on rise. Here’s how to protect yourself at the beach
by Riley Hodder A dip in Lake Michigan turned fatal for an Ohio man last Wednesday, with the 23-year-old becoming the 12th person to drown in Lake Michigan this year, and the 33rd in the Great Lakes. That’s down from last year, when there were 53 drownings in the Great Lakes by the Fourth of July. […]
Michigan is set to better track Native American student achievement
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) No one really knows how Native American students fare in Michigan schools. It’s not even clear how many Indigenous students there are in the state’s public classrooms. That’s about to change, thanks to a paragraph tucked away on page 61 of the just-passed school aid budget. Beginning in the 2024-25 school […]
