Michigan GOP plans shakeup of presidential primary, shift power to caucuses
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Republican Party officials want to award most of the state’s presidential nominating delegates to the winner of 13 separate district caucuses, a move that would minimize the importance of the public primary four days earlier. The Michigan GOP’s state central committee was set to vote Saturday on the plan […]
How a tiny U.P. school became a national model for Native American education
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) WATERSMEET—Three out of four students enrolled at the Watersmeet Township School are Native American, but there were days in the very recent past when you wouldn’t know it. Sixty percent of children from the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians tribe were deemed chronically absent during the 2021-22 school […]
Green burials, ash jewelry are a thing now in Michigan. Can state law adjust?
By Riley Hodder (Bridge Michigan) Desiree Garagiola’s mother-in-law, Janet “JJ” Humble, always used to joke that when she died, she wanted her ashes dumped over the fence on their property into Don Epley Park in Hartland, the Livingston County community where they shared a home. Humble loved the community, Garagiola said, and wanted to stay […]
Device dating to 234 B.C. may allow Michigan native fish to bypass dams
by Elaine Mallon, Great Lakes Echo (Bridge Michigan) In the course of 11 days, a device dating back to 234 B.C. successfully captured 704 fish and lifted them into a collection basket as part of a project to determine if the method could be used in the future to move fish across dams without injury, […]
Michigan college enrollment decline among worst in the nation
by Isabel Lohman & Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s colleges and universities suffered enrollment drops four times steeper than the nation as a whole this year, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. And the decline was not a one-year aberration. Since 2019, the year before COVID-19 hit the U.S., only Alaska and Mississippi […]
Inside the Michigan lab where scientists raise killer bugs to save trees
by Ashley Zhou (Bridge Michigan) The squat, green-roofed office building just off the highway in Brighton doesn’t look like much, tucked away in an industrial park next to a dehumidifier company and machine shops. But inside, scientists are hunched over lab tables, studying buzzing wasps that could be saviors for North America’s disappearing ash trees. Staff […]
Whitmer taps GOP businessman to tackle Michigan population crisis
by Jonathan Oosting & Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) A Republican businessman and a Democratic education leader will lead Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s new group focused on developing strategies to reverse decades of Michigan’s stagnant population growth. Whitmer formally announced the effort Thursday at the Mackinac Policy Conference, naming John Rakolta and Shirley Stancato as co-chairs of […]
Michigan Democrats: We will deliver transparency reform. GOP dubious
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Democrats say they’re planning long-promised ethics and transparency reforms as lawmakers face a year-end deadline to finalize new personal financial disclosure rules for themselves. And a leading Republican legislator is calling for reforms to a budget earmark process that both parties have used to fund pet projects, including a $25 […]
BB gun bill requires minors to have adult around when shooting off property
by Riley Hodder (Bridge Michigan) Deven Free, a 12-year-old boy from Galesburg, was playing with BB guns with friends outside two years ago when he was shot in the head. The BB entered just above his right eye and lodged in his brain. Deven was in and out of hospitals for more than a year before […]
Michigan gas prices rise as summer approachs
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Michiganders felt some relief at the pumps over the last year as gas prices declined. But fuel prices, which moved up in April, are expected to trend up again this summer. As many people plan weekend trips ahead of Memorial Day, they may notice they’re spending more money at […]
