Michigan abortion-rights ballot measure has 800K signatures, organizer says
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge) LANSING — Supporters of Michigan’s abortion rights ballot initiative have collected nearly 800,000 signatures — almost double the required number of eligible signatures — ahead of a Monday deadline to qualify for the November ballot, campaign co-chair and Ann Arbor Councilwoman Linh Song announced. Reproductive Freedom for All, a statewide campaign […]
Michigan losing population again, after decade of tepid growth, Census shows
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) The COVID-19 pandemic hit many Michigan counties hard, helping fuel population losses statewide in 2020 and 2021, according to U.S. Census estimates released this week. But for population centers including Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties, the bigger driver was simply people leaving for other counties and states, the data […]
Michigan boosts K–12 special education, teacher hiring, mental health funds
by Koby Levin (Chalkbeat, Bridge Michigan) Michigan lawmakers agreed to hundreds of millions of dollars in new special education funding as part of a new state budget in which they tapped a historic surplus to pass one of the most sweeping school spending plans in decades. Teacher recruitment, school security, mental health and the teacher pension system […]
Ban gay marriage, two Michigan GOP governor candidates say at debate
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidates Ryan Kelley and Ralph Rebandt said Thursday they want the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its landmark 2015 ruling to again allow state-level bans on same-sex marriage. Speaking in a debate in Warren, fellow candidate Garrett Soldano said he does not oppose same-sex “unions” with the […]
See where you can borrow free camping gear in Michigan
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) GRAND RAPIDS — In its quest to democratize the Great Outdoors, the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department is ripping a page out of a well-worn book. A library book, to be exact. In a gymnasium basement in the city’s Roosevelt Park neighborhood, the city has opened a gear library […]
Michigan pot sales skyrocket to all-time high as prices keep dropping
by Roni Kane (Bridge Michigan) Michiganders really, really like marijuana. The total amount of cannabis products sold between the state’s recreational and medical dispensaries has tripled in the past two years, with the top two pot sales months in Michigan history being the past two months. There are nearly a thousand shops across the state where you can […]
Michigan, we have a budget deal. But no tax relief yet, despite surplus
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — The Michigan House and Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a major $76.9 billion state budget deal after Republican leaders reached an agreement with Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The deal includes new money for school safety and teacher recruitment programs, local government debt relief, blight removal and […]
What’s next after Roe in Michigan: lawsuits, a ballot measure and uncertainty
by Jonathan Oosting & Yue Stella Yu (Bridge) The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ended nearly 50 years of federal protection for women seeking legal abortions, but experts say the blockbuster decision is unlikely to cause immediate changes to abortion access in Michigan. “Everything remains the same as it was yesterday at this time,” Michigan Attorney […]
Who is running for attorney general and secretary of state in Michigan in 2022
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge) Who is running for attorney general Come November, Michigan voters will choose between two polars vying to serve as the state’s top law enforcement official. Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, is running for a second and final four-year term against presumed opponent Matthew DePerno, a Portage attorney who is known […]
New Michigan law cuts red tape for small, home-based child-care providers
by Koby Levin, Chalkbeat (Bridge) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a package of changes to Michigan’s child-care system that she says will reduce red tape and help make child care more widely available. The laws enacted Thursday contain a wide range of measures, from minor procedural fixes to major changes in the state’s method […]
