Michigan parks need more summer workers to help with spike in visitors
by Jenelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Registration for state parks is steadily increasing and Michiganders are encouraged to make reservations early to secure their spot, experts told Bridge In 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Michigan’s state parks had about 28 million visitors, according to Ron Olson, chief of parks and recreation for […]
Gretchen Whitmer on guns: ‘The time for only thoughts and prayers is over.’
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) Michigan lawmakers should prioritize “common sense” gun reform measures to curb gun violence in the state, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday night. During her first in-person State of the State address since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Michigan in 2020, Whitmer urged lawmakers Wednesday to tighten gun regulations — […]
Michigan tries to lure tech workers after layoffs at Google, other giants
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Waves of recent layoffs at some of the nation’s largest tech employers are leaving tens of thousands of highly skilled workers without jobs, but also raises the question: Can Michigan attract them to fill openings here? Business leaders in the state who for years watched the state lose college graduates […]
Report aims to prepare Great Lakes states for effects of climate change
Lester Graham, Michigan Radio (for Bridge Michigan) Climate change contributed to the rapid rise in Great Lakes water levels a few years ago. Combined with more frequent and intense storms — also caused by climate change — they caused record flooding in 2017 and 2019 in some parts of the Great Lakes region. Homes and […]
Gas stove debate is the latest political culture war. Here are the facts
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) To Ann Arbor Sustainability and Innovations Director Missy Stults, banning gas stove hookups in the city’s new construction is a way to protect the city’s residents. Beside the fact that every new gas line undermines Ann Arbor’s plan to go carbon neutral by 2030, stoves and furnaces powered by gas […]
With growing backlash to wind energy, Michigan turns to solar power
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) When what was then the tallest wind turbine in the U.S. was erected on the outskirts of Traverse City in 1996, it was hailed as a sign of Michigan’s clean energy future. Last summer, when the 26-year-old, now-comparatively diminutive turbine was disassembled and replaced by solar panels, it was a sign […]
Shell shocked: Why eggs are so expensive in Michigan and when it will end
by Janelle D. James (Bridge Michigan) Inflation combined with avian flu to push egg prices 60% higher than a year ago, and now Michigan agriculture experts say the prices may not start to drop until spring. The difference is five times the 12% overall jump for grocery items, according to the latest report on consumer […]
End may be near for Michigan redistricting panel, a year after finishing maps
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s independent redistricting commission now has a plan to go dormant once lawsuits against its work wrap up — but a fight with the Legislature over funding for commissioners’ salaries and legal bills remains unresolved. The 13-member panel finished the thrust of its work in late 2021, when commissioners approved […]
Michigan sees spike in 988 mental health calls. But what happens next?
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) Six months after the new 988 mental health hotline went live in Michigan, mental health officials say significantly more people are calling for help. That’s the good news. The trickier problem remains finding a therapist or other professional to refer these people to in the days that follow. Thousands of […]
Michigan winters are super cloudy and getting worse. Here’s how to deal.
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Five minutes. That’s how much sunshine Grand Rapids experienced over the first eight days of the year, before the glowing orb finally broke through the clouds on Monday. And the city was no anomaly: For nearly two weeks, clouds blanketed large swaths of Michigan, occasionally accompanied by rainfall that transformed […]
