Gov. Whitmer signs law allowing Michigan to pass stricter environmental rules
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) Michigan will now be able to set harsher environmental regulations than the federal standard, after Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation expanding the state’s regulatory power Thursday. The new law reverses a 2018 state law — also known as the “no stricter than federal” policy — that limited state authority, […]
Old Detroit train site on track for national Underground Railroad network
by Micah Walker (Bridge Michigan) In downtown Detroit, 501 Third Avenue is known today as Steve Yzerman Drive and houses a Detroit People Mover station. But in the 1800s, the site played an important part in Detroit’s history as a major railway also serving as a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves seeking freedom […]
Michigan’s police officer shortage becoming dire: ‘Where did everyone go?’
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) In 1992, early in his law enforcement career, Larry Weeks applied for one of 16 openings in the Grand Rapids Police Department. There were 250 applicants. Three decades later, Weeks is the police chief in mid-Michigan’s Eaton Rapids, and can’t find people who want to be police officers. He had […]
Gov. Whitmer signs law to make Michigan 22nd state to ban conversion therapy
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan is now the 22nd state to ban mental health professionals from performing conversion therapy on minors — a practice aimed to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the legislation into law Wednesday. “Today, we are banning the horrific practice of […]
Workers in short supply as U.S. invests $1.3 trillion in infrastructure repairs
by Brett Walton, Circle of Blue (Bridge Michigan) Down the hole a new connection is muscled into place. Bright-vested workers join pipe to pipe, one of many such couplings that will result in a new 8-inch water line for Traverse City. The construction scene in northern Michigan is being repeated across the Great Lakes region […]
Whitmer signs ‘transformative’ $24.2B Michigan education budget. What to know
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $24.3 billion school budget Thursday that funds public K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities. The budget received some bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. “This budget was written to help anyone and everyone be able to make it here in Michigan with a […]
Michigan businesses urged to prepare for UPS strike by Teamsters
by Bill Shea (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s business community — from mom-and-pop operations to sprawling multinational corporations — should be preparing now for a potential logistics-snarling national strike by UPS’ 340,000 unionized workers. That’s the warning from some of the state’s business groups that are monitoring the labor impasse between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and […]
After battle, retreat for young people mulling suicide OK’d near Ann Arbor
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP —A first-of-its-kind center for young adults who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, nestled among more than 75 acres of wooded land near Ann Arbor, is now a large step closer to reality. After more than a half-dozen packed meetings, hundreds of emails and letters in support and opposition, […]
Tight labor market helps Michigan’s ex-prisoners find jobs
by Irena Li (Bridge Michigan) Ronnie Waters spent over four decades behind bars after being sentenced to life without parole at age 17 for murder. Waters said that when he was released in August 2020, it was like entering a new world, including learning how to use a cell phone. Still, within a month of his release, […]
Michigan bald eagles soar back from near-extinction
by Ashley Zhou (Bridge Michigan) Bald eagles are hard to miss with their dark brown bodies, contrasting white heads and tails, bright yellow beak and 8-foot wingspan. And it helps that their numbers are growing in Michigan — which professional photographer Stacy Williams has witnessed firsthand. Thirteen years ago, Williams spotted one consistent pair of bald […]
