Ann Arbor wants more housing and fewer cars. Is ‘unzoning’ the answer?
By Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) ANN ARBOR—More than 80,000 commuters enter this college town daily for work, just one sign of the vitality found in Michigan’s fifth largest city. The influx represents two-thirds of the number of people already living in Ann Arbor, a situation that leaves traffic abundant and underscores what city leaders see as […]
A Michigan abortion ban could ‘shock’ state politics ahead of 2022 election
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING—Michigan women could lose legal access to abortion this summer, an increasingly realistic possibility that could dramatically redefine the contours of state and national politics just months ahead of pivotal midterm elections. Candidates, political parties, advocacy organizations and ballot groups across the state are drawing battle lines as a conservative-tilted […]
Marijuana prices plummet in Michigan. Customers are happy, farmers worried
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) Michigan’s marijuana prices hit all-time lows in January, which is great for retailers and customers but has smaller growers sounding alarms. Record marijuana supply is driving down prices so much customers are buying it at record rates. There’s 55 times more pot on the market and people are purchasing it at […]
Michigan ballot measure seeks to cap payday loan rates
by Yue Stella Yu (Bridge Michigan) LANSING—A coalition of consumer and civil rights groups hoping to tighten regulations for the payday loan industry in Michigan launched signature gathering efforts Wednesday to bring the issue before voters in November. Michiganders for Fair Lending, a Grand Rapids-based organization, is spearheading a ballot initiative that would cap the maximum […]
One little girl’s death and Michigan’s falling childhood vaccination rates
By Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Francesca McNally’s family will gather Thursday evening on what would have been her 10th birthday. They will do as they do every year: share in a birthday cake decorated with butterflies — a sweet-treat celebration the little girl didn’t live to see. Francesca — who was baptized even as she […]
Stressed-out Michigan restaurant workers find mental health help on menu
By Ted Roelofs (Bridge Michigan) As the COVID-19 pandemic chipped away at the bottom line of his northwest Grand Rapids restaurant business, co-owner Chris Andrus figured there were other costs. He feared it was exacting a rising toll on the mental health of his workers, who’ve been stressed out by layoffs, abuse from irate customers, […]
Who are the Republicans running against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer?
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Magazine) LANSING – Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has built a big campaign warchest as she seeks re-election this fall, but there is no shortage of Republicans vying to run against her and tap into voter frustration over early COVID restrictions, school policies and more. As of mid-February, 13 Republicans had filed paperwork […]
Oxford High students push gun reforms in Michigan: ‘Things need to change’
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Kylie Myrand describes it as the scariest three minutes of her life. The 16-year-old Oxford High School student was locked in a classroom and waiting for her brother, a freshman, to text her back while a shooter opened fire in the school’s hallways. When her brother finally responded three minutes later […]
Gretchen Whitmer drops mask suggestion, Michigan getting ‘back to normal’
by Mike Wilkinson, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration on Wednesday dropped its recommendation that everyone wear masks in many indoor settings, including in schools, citing big drops in new COVID-19 infections. The state released updated COVID-19 mask guidelines as case counts and COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to plummet, with the state’s hospitals on Wednesday treating fewer […]
Michigan high school seniors crave normality after COVID
By Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) For Ben Schollett, the signature COVID moment of his high school experience involved a tape measure. One day last school year, the principal at Traverse City West Senior High School walked into one of Ben’s classes with the measuring tape and a seating chart, carefully measuring out 6-feet from where […]
