Medicare open enrollment begins in Michigan: What to know
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) As Medicare’s open enrollment period began last Saturday, there are a number of upfront savings for beneficiaries reviewing plans for 2023. The changes are owing to a variety of unlikely factors, from the passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act to the flop of a once-promising Alzheimer’s drug. Michigan’s 2.1 million […]
Michigan Proposal 2: What’s true, false, unknown about the voting ballot question
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) Michigan voters will determine whether to allow early in-person voting, private donations for public elections and a slew of other voting changes when considering Proposal 2 on Nov. 8. Voting “yes” would amend Michigan’s constitution to allow nine days of early in-person voting, add an absentee-ballot box in every city and township and […]
Social Security increase: 2.2 million in Michigan to get $140 more per month
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) Social Security payments will increase an average of $140 per month starting in January for 2.2 million Michigan residents receiving the benefit. On Thursday, the U.S. Social Security Administration announced an 8.7% cost of living increase, the biggest increase in more than four decades. In Michigan, more than a third […]
Michigan gas prices are up again. Here is why.
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s gas prices, up about 17 cents a gallon over last week alone, continue to rise. Regular gas was $4.34 in Michigan on Thursday, a 10-cent increase compared to Wednesday and 48 cents higher than the national average of $3.86. According to AAA reports, drivers are paying 51 cents more today than […]
Biden pardons federal marijuana possession charges. What it means to Michigan
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) Michigan marijuana reform leaders on Thursday called President Joe Biden’s pardon of federal marijuana possession convictions an overdue step in the right direction. Biden pardoned all people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration should consider whether the drug should be classified as a Schedule 1 […]
Crime spiked in Michigan under Whitmer. Who is or what is to blame?
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Sirens wail over Detroit’s skyline, police lights flicker through a living room window and looters smash a business storefront in a new online attack ad that accuses Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of being “soft on criminals.” The dystopian imagery is part of a Republican push to blame rising violent crime […]
Michigan psychiatric centers cut number of beds despite having more money
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Michigan has been forced to close 77 beds at state-run psychiatric facilities since April, largely because the system lacks enough staff to care for severely mentally ill patients. The situation may get worse in the near-term: Health officials say hundreds of job openings have failed to draw applicants. That has […]
Michigan Proposal 3 fact check: No, masseuses won’t give abortions to minors
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) Advocates and foes alike agree Proposal 3 would keep abortion legal in Michigan if voters approve the ballot measure on Nov. 8. But beyond that, there’s little agreement on wide-reaching effects of the constitutional amendment. Opponents claim it would impact — and perhaps nullify — 41 state laws covering everything from […]
Abusive parents cause youth sports crisis as referees, participation plunges
by Heaven Jobe/MindSite News (for Bridge Michigan) This story was reported by and published in partnership with MindSite News, a nonprofit news site devoted to reporting on mental health Ronny Roby has seen more than his share of abusive parents interfering in youth sports. For 26 years Roby has been the park director and fill-in […]
Michigan approves $846 million in aggressive bid to attract new business
by Paula Gardner and Lauren GIbbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan is intensifying efforts to bring more large-scale development to the state, voting Wednesday to add hundreds of millions of dollars to a fund that would sweeten how much it can offer “transformative” businesses in incentives. A bipartisan vote in the Michigan Legislature boosted the state’s business […]
