Lame Duck? Michigan session could be super lame this year
by Tracie Mauriello, Chalkbeat Detroit (for Bridge Michigan) After the last midterm election, Michigan lawmakers voted on 300 bills and ended the term with an exhausting 21-hour day as Republicans looked to push through controversial legislation before Democrat Gretchen Whitmer took office. Don’t expect the next few weeks to look anything like that. Lawmakers may gather during […]
Michigan’s outdoor recreation boom is becoming a business boom
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s COVID-19 outdoor recreation boom has produced a subsequent business boom, according to a new federal report on the state’s outdoor scene. Buoyed by a global pandemic that shuttered public gathering spaces and pushed people outdoors, Michigan’s outdoor recreation economy grew by 15.4% last year, contributing $10.8 billion and 109,595 […]
Michigan’s most vulnerable rescued by kinship caregivers
by Sarah Rahal, The Detroit News & Hayley Harding, The Detroit News (Bridge Michigan) Navelle Jenkins stepped up to single-handedly raise her seven grandchildren after both of her daughters died. The 78-year-old couldn’t have predicted the financial and physical toll keeping her loved ones close would have. That cross has been a heavy one for Jenkins to […]
Report: Debt collection cases flood Michigan courts, hurt low-income residents
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Debt collectors overwhelmed Michigan district courts with more than 200,000 lawsuits in 2019, and the state must do more to help consumers avoid default judgments that can ruin lives, according to a new report. The lawsuits comprised 37% of all district court cases that year and can be “devastating” […]
As Democrats take charge in Lansing, some business leaders sweat their agenda
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sealed her second-term victory on the morning after Election Day by promising to work with “all of Michigan.” In truth, a massive power shift in Lansing means she likely can act on her agenda without much help — and business leaders wonder how that will affect economic development. […]
Michigan unemployment office to spend $78M to replace ‘antiquated’ system
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s unemployment office plans to spend $78 million over the next 10 years to replace a computer system that has been plagued with problems for a decade and led to numerous scandals. The state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency said it wants the state to finalize a bid from Deloitte Inc. to get […]
Staffing woes foil Michigan efforts to keep residents out of nursing homes
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Efforts to help older Michiganders and those with disabilities stay in their homes and avoid nursing care have sputtered, as workers who would assist in homes turn to other jobs. The state’s popular MI Choice program, which assigns workers to help residents who qualify for Medicaid stay in their homes, now […]
Michigan women score big, poised for key leadership in Legislature
LANSING — In 2018, Michigan made history by electing three women to statewide offices. On Tuesday, they were not only re-elected, but women are poised to assume key leadership roles in the Legislature. A handful of state legislative races are still too close to call, which could impact the final count, but a Bridge Michigan analysis of […]
With wolf plan complete, Michiganders lobby state on possibility of a hunt
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) After the latest change to gray wolves’ status under the federal Endangered Species Act, it’s illegal to hunt the iconic predators in Michigan. But following the release of a state plan that opens the door to the possibility of future hunts, the animal’s friends and foes are already lobbying state […]
What Democratic control of Lansing will mean for Michigan schools
by Tracie Mauriello (Chalkbeat Detroit, for Bridge Michigan) In the days after Democrats swept the Michigan governor’s office and the state Legislature, a reality began to set in for public school advocates: Newfound power means they’ll be able to accomplish key initiatives that have stalled during decades of Republican control. Democrats now have a chance […]
