Democrats seek to reverse Michigan’s ban-on-bans of plastic bags
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Democrats took a step forward Thursday in their quest to abolish a controversial “ban on bans” of plastic bags. A House committee heard testimony on a bill that aims to reverse a 2016 state law — passed when Republicans controlled the Legislature — that prevents local municipalities from restricting the […]
Michigan is ‘improving outcomes’ for early childhood health and education, report says
by Hannah Dellinger/Chalkbeat Detroit (Bridge Michigan) Michigan is improving its outcomes for early childhood education, well-being, and health, according to a national report released Wednesday. The annual report, by the nonpartisan research organization Zero to Three, details areas where Michigan performed better than national averages, such as the percentage of parents who read to their babies daily […]
Lawmakers revisit auto insurance law, seek higher payouts for crash victims
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan lawmakers this week introduced bills designed to expand medical care for victims of catastrophic car crashes who say their care was compromised by the state’s auto insurance overhaul four years ago. Crash survivors and their health providers have complained that 2019 changes to the state’s no fault insurance system […]
Michigan dairy farm housing: ‘Invisible’ workers suffer, state looks other way
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) For six years, Louise Esqueda corralled, fed and cared for cows and calves six days a week at a dairy farm in southern Michigan. When her workday ended, Esqueda returned to living quarters provided by her employer — a mobile home stacked atop a basement. When she arrived in summer 2016, […]
UAW strike 2023 update: Biden coming to Michigan; more workers hit picket lines
by Bridge Michigan Staff President Joe Biden will take the United Auto Workers up on its offer to come to Michigan in an historic show of support for striking workers. The president said he will travel to Michigan on Tuesday. “I’ll go to Michigan to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and […]
Medicaid cuts off 148K Michiganders in review; cancer patients get reprieve
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) More than 147,000 Michiganders so far have lost Medicaid coverage, two months into a year-long process to reexamine each case. But the Whitmer administration has extended a lifeline, at least for now, for more than 6,000 patients undergoing cancer treatment. Those patients receiving life-saving medical treatment will receive Medicaid coverage […]
Free COVID tests bound for Michigan mailboxes — if you ask
by Robin Erb With COVID cases on the rise and winter months ahead, Michiganders will once again be able to get free COVID tests from the federal government — up to four per household. The Biden administration, which on Wednesday announced the return of free at-home tests, also urged Americans not to toss out the now-nearly-forgotten […]
On Mackinac, Vivek Ramaswamy steals Michigan GOP spotlight
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) MACKINAC ISLAND—Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy wowed Michigan Republicans on Friday at a state party island retreat, railing against the “woke industrial complex” and vowing to upend the bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. “It was one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard,” Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, told Bridge Michigan on […]
Dark sky parks: How Michigan is becoming a stargazing state
by Kelsey Lester, Capital News Service (for Bridge Michigan) As the Great Lakes region becomes more aware of dark skies and light pollution, efforts are underway in Michigan to reduce nighttime non-natural lighting. Although Michigan has no state laws in place to reduce light pollution — alongside 30 other states with no such laws — […]
UAW strike sets Michigan on uncertain path: ‘We’re nervous’
by Paula Gardner, Janelle D. James, & Malachi Barrett (Bridge Michigan) Blaring horns from truck after truck drowned out the cheering thanks from dozens of United Auto Workers picketers Friday morning, hours after the union called its first strike in four years against the Big Three legacy auto companies. Throughout the day, more support came from Democrats […]
