Consumers Energy seeking a nearly 11% increase in residential gas bills
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Consumers Energy has petitioned the Michigan Public Service Commission for a gas-rate increase that would send residential bills almost 11% higher. The company said Wednesday that the $248 million rate increase will “strengthen its natural gas system … and replace up to 10,000 decades-old natural gas service lines that […]
‘Wind phones’ give those in grief a connection to lost loved ones in Michigan
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Every few months or so, Tracey Mayeda walks into a woody stretch of northern Kent County to call her dead mother. She picks her way along a dirt path to a towering dead maple tree and, screwed to it in a protective wooden box, a cream-colored rotary phone. The handset […]
Michigan schools make K-12 education gains, still battle impact of COVID
by Victor Wooddell, Capital News Service (for Bridge Michigan) A recent report by the Michigan Department of Education shows progress toward achieving its educational strategic plan, including higher graduation rates. Other reports, however, show that some Michigan students’ test scores fell as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s strategic plan is based on […]
Michigan transparency plans die again, keeping public in the dark
by Simon D. Schuster (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Efforts to bring increased transparency and ethics reforms to state government once again died this year alongside Democrats’ trifecta control. The House adjourned Thursday without taking up a Senate-approved plan to expand Michigan’s open records law to the Legislature and governor, which remains one of only two states with […]
Michigan-based group reframes dementia: There’s life after diagnosis
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) WHITE LAKE — Dr. Arnold Beresh wished he’d known it sooner: There’s a whole lot of living still to do after a diagnosis of dementia. But sitting in a doctor’s consulting room on a warm August day in 2015, his wife, Michele, at his side, the foot and ankle surgeon […]
Where and how to recycle your Christmas tree in Michigan
by Jenelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Now that Christmas is over it’s time to start thinking about putting the decorations away and what to do with the tree. One of the benefits of having a real tree, besides the smell, is that it can be recycled and used for many different things outside of being […]
New for 2025: A cap on drug prices for nearly 2 million older Michiganders
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) More than 1.9 million Michigan seniors may get a big break on drug costs in 2025. The changes are the result of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, a wide-sweeping package that also aims to shift the country’s reliance from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources. The law also took a major swing at […]
Ann Arbor hopes to bring rooftop solar to the masses by creating a utility
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) In the shadow of a presidential election dominated by rhetoric about job-killing EVs and the virtues of fossil fuels, the residents of one Michigan city voted this fall to embrace solar energy. Seventy-nine percent of Ann Arbor voters approved creating a community “sustainable energy utility,” on the promise that plastering the city’s […]
Michigan eggs must be cage-free by 2025 as new sales law takes effect
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) As you do your holiday shopping, you may notice new signs in Michigan grocery stores that differentiate cage-free eggs from conventional eggs and warn that some varieties will soon be discontinued. It’s because of a 2019 state law that is only now taking effect, and experts say it could lead to […]
Whooping cough cases skyrocket in Michigan, as vaccinations decline
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, have jumped 14-fold since 2023, alarming state health officials. As of Dec. 8, there were 1,578 confirmed cases of pertussis in Michigan, compared to 110 for the full year of 2023. Cases dropped dramatically during the pandemic, possibly because the use of […]
