Abortion ballot measure: What Proposal 3 would do in Michigan
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan voters will decide the future of legal access to abortion in the state when they decide Proposal 3 on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. A “yes” vote would write a broad new right to “reproductive freedom” into the Michigan Constitution, invaliding a 1931 abortion ban and potentially other existing regulations. […]
Michigan spent $2.5M to be a rocket hub. Critics say it’s produced only hype
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Political and business leaders were over the moon when the idea of bringing rockets to Michigan gained state support in 2019. They were dazzled by the prospect of thousands of new, high-tech, well-paying jobs at potential launch sites supporting what could become a trillion-dollar commercial space industry. “This is a […]
Michigan’s unpaid, overworked caregivers reaching a breaking point
by Hayley Harding, The Detroit News & Sarah Rahal, The Detroit News (Bridge Michigan) Rosa E. Hunter sees her mother as a future version of herself. They even share the same name. As 94-year-old Rosa L. Hunter suffers from dementia, she relies on her youngest daughter for around-the-clock care. And while 68-year-old Rosa wouldn’t have it any […]
Eastern Michigan faculty strike disrupts second week of classes, EMU sues faculty union over strike
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Eastern Michigan University faculty did not teach classes Wednesday after voting Tuesday night to strike. The EMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors (EMU-AAUP) contends the university is dragging its feet on negotiations, while the university said the decision to strike disrupts students’ education. The union’s contract expired […]
Should you get a flu shot and COVID booster at the same time?
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) With two relatively non-existent flu seasons — not to mention a weariness over repeated COVID boosters — Michigan residents might be reluctant to roll up their sleeves this fall for an annual flu shot. Not good, experts say. “Flu is going to circulate — absolutely,” said Joe Fava, assistant professor […]
With fewer inmates (and officers), Michigan closes another prison
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Prison facilities in Ionia and Adrian are shrinking this fall in the wake of a plummeting prison population and a crippling shortage of workers. The consolidations won’t result in layoffs, however. There are enough openings in prisons in each of the Michigan communities to absorb the employees of the mothballed […]
Voting rights ballot measure: What Proposal 2 would change in Michigan
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan voters will determine whether to implement nine days of early voting and a host of other changes to state election procedures when they consider Proposal 2 at the Nov. 8 general election. A “yes” vote would add several changes to the Constitution, including allowing nine days of early voting, […]
Term limits ballot measure: What Proposal 1 means for Michigan
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan voters will decide how long state lawmakers should stay in office and what financial information they should disclose when they consider Proposal 1 on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. Voting “yes” would apply a flat 12-year term limit to lawmakers’ tenure and strengthen financial disclosure […]
Danger looms where toxic algae blooms
by Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue (Bridge Michigan) TOLEDO — Just as Great Lakes scientists anticipated, the first blue-green swirls of a mammoth toxic algae bloom surfaced in mid-July in the nearshore waters of Lake Erie, between Monroe, Michigan, and this Ohio port city of 275,000. Viewed from above, the sweeping curls painted an absurd, […]
Michigan’s child care crisis is worse than policymakers have estimated
by Luca Powell & Derek Kravitz, Muckrock (Bridge Michigan) It was March 27, 2021, and an at-home day care in Grand Rapids was ready for a pool day. The day care’s owner took seven children — five of whom were just 2 and 3 years old — to a nearby Holiday Inn Express. She bought a room […]
