Federal COVID relief aid to schools will dry up soon. Are districts ready?
by Koby Levin and Ethan Bakuli, Chalkbeat Detroit (for Bridge Michigan) For the past couple of years, the Detroit Public Schools Community District has been able to tap its share of federal COVID relief aid to fund after-school enrichment programs that help students recover from learning lost during the pandemic. But those funds will soon […]
What winter? Michigan farmers, anglers hit hard by warm temperatures
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) While you might be putting your heavy coat in the back of your closet this week, Michigan’s mild winter has industries that rely on the cold scrambling to adjust to warmer temperatures. Temperatures in southeast Michigan are expected to hit the mid-50s on Thursday, compared to an average high […]
Turns out, young voters didn’t sway ‘22 election in Michigan, records show
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Data released Tuesday showed that turnout among young voters in Michigan’s 2022 election was well below contests in 2020 and 2018, contradicting widely repeated claims that they helped swing the election. Overall, total turnout in November was the highest for a midterm election in state history — and everyone from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell cited […]
Michigan public school enrollment stabilizing after pandemic exodus
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s public school enrollment fell slightly last year, but data suggests the migration to private schools and homeschooling during the pandemic has stabilized. State data released Friday show that total public school enrollment dropped 6,200 to 1.44 million, down 0.4%. That’s far less than the 62,000-student drop two years ago […]
Michigan still lags in electric vehicle charging stations
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Drivers are still taking a hit at the pumps as gas prices haven’t returned to what they were pre-pandemic, but those who drive hybrid or electric vehicles have an even harder time simply trying to find a place to “fuel” their cars. That is according to a new report. […]
Wake up call: Pediatric group issues guidance against childhood obesity
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) Obesity is rising among Michigan’s children and a leading U.S. pediatricians’ group is laying out new interventions that could be targeted to hundreds of thousands of obese children in Michigan whose future health is at risk. Changing guidance on childhood obesity for the first time in 15 years, the American […]
Blue-collar suicides focus of state prevention effort
by Jack Timothy Harrison, Capital News Service (Bridge Michigan) LANSING– Mental health problems, especially suicides, are significantly higher among blue-collar workers compared with other occupations, according to the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. Sean Egan, the department’s deputy director for labor, said at least eight of the 10 occupations where the suicide rate is […]
Michigan loses 14K people a year to other states. It could be worse (and has)
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Michigan has lost the equivalent of a standing-room only crowd at the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park, 43,200 people, to other states since 2020, recent Census data shows. Believe it or not, that’s relatively good news. The rate of migration to other states appears to be slowing, down to about 14,000 […]
Michigan Democrats seek to codify LGBTQ civil-rights protections
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Katie Kilpatrick says she remembers perking up her ears when she was getting ready for her daughter’s fifth-grade camp. “I am transgender,” Kilpatrick’s daughter had just told a male classmate. “I feel like a girl on the inside, but I have parts like a boy on the […]
Michigan plastics company forced to probe PFAS contamination, cover costs
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan has reached a settlement with a multinational plastics manufacturer over PFAS contamination at a Brighton factory, marking the first of Attorney General Dana Nessel’s PFAS lawsuits to reach a conclusion. Nessel announced the settlement Monday with plastics manufacturer Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc. over contamination at its former […]
