Flu cases surging in Michigan. What to know and how to stay safe
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) If it seems like everybody around you these days is getting sick, it may not be your imagination. Flu cases have been surging in Michigan and throughout the country. As of Jan. 25 — the latest data available — nearly 8% of patients who visited emergency rooms and urgent-care […]
Whitmer’s $84B plan for Michigan schools, housing and more: What to know
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday proposed an $83.5 billion budget her administration said would help make the state more affordable for families and help students, seniors, the environment and more. The second-term Democrat’s spending proposal for next fiscal year is $1 billion larger than the $82.5 billion budget […]
Michigan cord-cutting accelerates, as cable TV subscriptions fall 15%
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) The number of cable-TV subscribers in Michigan fell for the third consecutive year in 2024 as viewers continued to look elsewhere for their news, sports and entertainment. The loss of nearly 190,000 subscribers represented a 15% decline, the largest percentage drop since a one-year uptick in subscribers in 2021 broke […]
Whitmer: Michigan schools should tell parents about poor curriculum, testing
by Lori Higgins, Chalkbeat Detroit (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s education budget proposal for the 2025-26 school year would require elementary schools to notify parents if they are using a high-quality curriculum to teach students. It’s one of the initiatives in her budget proposal, introduced Wednesday to the Michigan Legislature, that requires schools to be more […]
2020 election skeptic to head Michigan House election integrity committee
by Hayley Harding, Votebeat (Bridge Michigan) State Rep. Rachelle Smit, a former local clerk who believes the 2020 presidential election was stolen from President Donald Trump, will run the Michigan House’s committee on elections under the new GOP leadership. Smit, a Republican from Martin, was named the chair of the House’s Election Integrity Committee, as it […]
Michigan winter: No better time to jump in lakes? Why cold plunges are so hot
by Laura Herberg (Bridge Michigan) HOLLAND — The long icy pathway opened like a red carpet, beckoning about a dozen people last week to the shores of Lake Michigan at Holland State Park. They avoided the park’s iconic lighthouse, making their way instead to a snowy cove. A clump of snow, the size of a bean […]
Michigan braces for Trump tariffs on Canada, a $77B trade partner
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) President Donald Trump is standing by plans to impose steep tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports as early as Saturday, a move that could have major consequences for Michigan’s auto, energy and agricultural sectors and increase costs of staples like gas and groceries. As a border state whose economy is […]
Michigan asks employers to grow housing with $10M fund: ‘Build, baby, build’
by Jordyn Hermani (Bridge Michigan) Michigan will begin partnering with businesses to try to grow affordable employee housing options and chip away at the state’s ongoing housing crisis, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Friday. During an address at the Northern Michigan Policy Conference in Traverse City, which is grappling with a housing squeeze of its own, Whitmer said the state […]
‘Uncertainty’ for Michigan health officials amid Trump messaging blackout
by Robin Erb, Bridge Michigan The temporary blackout on public communications from the nation’s top health organizations has cast a shadow of uncertainty over Michigan’s 45 health departments, network of hospitals and research universities but so far has not disrupted operations, officials tell Bridge. That’s after Dorothy A. Fink, acting secretary of the US Health and […]
Trump orders school choice, ‘patriotic’ history. What it means for Michigan
by Isabel Lohman & Ron French (Bridge Michigan) A sweeping set of executive orders from President Donald Trump could have far-reaching effects on how and where Michigan children are educated — if they’re implemented. The orders, issued Wednesday, include attempts to use federal funds to help parents pay for private schools, crack down on schools or […]
