Dark money, donors like Steven Spielberg fuel Michigan voting rights fight
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING – Dark money groups and out-of-state donors are funding a high-stakes fight over Michigan voting laws, the latest proxy battle in a national war that follows former President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election. Aiding one side is the Michigan Guardians of Democracy, a newly formed nonprofit that […]
Republicans add transgender athlete ban to Michigan education budget bill
by Isabel Lohman & Tracie Mauriello (Bridge Michigan) Republican lawmakers in Michigan are stepping back into the national debate over the right of transgender athletes to participate in school sports. After a Senate effort to limit opportunities for transgender athletes stalled last year, state Republicans found a new vehicle: the state budget. The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee advanced […]
At MSU, isotope center opens to unlock universe, revolutionize medicine
By Ron French (Bridge Michigan) In an unimposing complex of buildings on Shaw Lane in East Lansing, an easy walk from the Red Cedar River and a half-dozen Michigan State University dormitories, scientists are searching for the origins of the universe. They’re also hoping to revolutionize medicine. And train the next generation of nuclear scientists. […]
Police reform going nowhere fast in Michigan, despite Patrick Lyoya death
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Police reform remains stalled in Michigan, despite increased demands for change following the death of a Black motorist this month by a Grand Rapids police officer. Activists say the need for legislation is evident after a police officer shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head on April 4 […]
Michigan climate plan calls for EV incentives, faster renewable transition
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration on Thursday released its roadmap to statewide carbon neutrality, calling for electric vehicle incentives, stronger renewable energy targets for the energy sector, job training to prepare workers for the post-combustion economy, and other efforts to wean Michigan off fossil fuels by 2050. The plan stems from Whitmer’s […]
Michigan stuck with $200M tab to fix Midland dams neglected by owners
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Michigan is awash in cash, with a surplus that few past governors and legislators could imagine. So when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Legislature adopted a $4.7 billion spending plan in March, it was all smiles. There was $1.7 billion for drinking water system improvements; $450 million for […]
Lansing and other police agencies rethink value of ‘minor’ traffic stops
by Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) In July 2020, Lansing police were told they could no longer pull over motorists solely for minor traffic violations, such as a cracked tail light or an ornament hanging from a mirror. The department, apparently the only one in Michigan to do so, joined police agencies in other parts of the country, […]
Weeks before closure, Whitmer aims to save Michigan Palisades nuclear plant
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) With weeks to go before the planned closure of Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is making a last-ditch effort to keep it open in the name of jobs and clean energy. Whitmer on Wednesday alerted U.S. Energy Secretary and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm that Michigan wants a cut of […]
Small Michigan business struggles with inflation but not its social mission
by Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan Business Watch) John Simmons is ready for shoppers at EveryBody Inc., where he’s stacked handmade soy candles on some shelves and displayed body products like his favorite Michigan Cherry soap on others. It’s a quiet afternoon at the store on Saginaw Street, so it might be a while until Simmons, 39, […]
Michigan’s Medicaid ballooned during COVID. It’s about to be pared back.
By Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Nearly 3 million Michiganders now receiving Medicaid may have to prove they remain eligible starting as early as this summer. And if all doesn’t go well, hundreds of thousands could risk losing health coverage. The Biden administration on Tuesday extended the pandemic public health emergency to mid-July, and with it several protections for lower-income […]
