Mid-Michigan smacks down wind energy. Will it harm the state’s green plan?
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Renewable energy had a bad election day in Michigan, and it could lead to discussions of the state taking a more active role in the siting of wind turbine and other projects. Four referendums that would have established guidelines for wind turbine installation were defeated Tuesday in townships in mid-Michigan’s […]
Parents rights school board campaigns lost most Michigan races
by Koby Levin, Chalkbeat & Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Conservative school board candidates who attacked public schools as incubators of “woke” ideology made inroads in local Michigan elections on Tuesday, but still lost far more races than they won. Of 121 candidates statewide recommended by two major Michigan parental rights groups, 48 won office, according to analysis […]
Michigan Legislature: Redistricting paves way for Democrats to seize control
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) In 2018, Gretchen Whitmer won the governor’s office by just over 400,000 votes and 9 percentage points. When she took office, she was welcomed by a Legislature that was elected by the same voters but controlled by Republicans, 19-17 in the Senate and 58-52 in the House. On Tuesday, Whitmer […]
Michigan election: What to know about poll challengers, ID, canvassers, more
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — On Tuesday, Michigan voters will decide the next governor and everything from who controls the state Legislature and Supreme Court to the future of voting and abortion rights. But a lot needs to happen between the moment polls open on Election Day and when the election results […]
Michigan logs 1st RSV child death as virus fills ERs and doctors’ offices
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) A 6-year-old Michigan child has died of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that has been filling doctors’ offices and emergency rooms in recent weeks, along with other respiratory viruses. It is the first publicly confirmed RSV child death in the state this season. The mounting cases have pushed pediatric […]
DTE wants to quit coal by 2035. Some in Michigan say that’s not fast enough
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) DTE Energy wants to shut down its coal plants by 2035 and triple its renewable energy output over the next two decades, making it the latest major Michigan utility to plan a major shift from fossil fuels. Shutting its Belle River and Monroe coal plants, which provide a combined 40% […]
Amazon cost-cutting hits Detroit. New facility hiring delayed until 2023.
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) The massive Amazon fulfillment center built on the former state fairgrounds in Detroit will fully open at least a half-year later than originally planned, company officials say, a move that puts an estimated 1,100 warehouse jobs in the city on hold until 2023. The delay from the planned opening this […]
Michigan colleges tout nonpartisan efforts to get more students to vote
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) ANN ARBOR — On a Wednesday evening on the University of Michigan’s North Campus, students pass a colorful exhibit filled with information on how to vote. Staffers from the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office sit in front of green banners ready to help students register to vote. It’s part of […]
Michigan braces for higher interest rates after latest Fed hike
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) The Federal Reserve approved its fourth consecutive 0.75% point interest rate hike on Wednesday, a sign that inflation continues well above levels the U.S. central bank considers healthy. The move means the short-term borrowing rate between banks will go to 4%, its highest level since January 2008. Longer-term interest rates […]
As Michigan election nears, some apprehension over strife at polls
by Ron French & Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) No one knows what to expect on Election Day in Michigan. Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson recently warned of possible “violence and disruption” on Nov. 8 and beyond. Her Republican opponent, Kristina Karamo, claimed Benson and Democrats will spend Election Day trying to “suppress” Republican poll […]
