One Michigan mom rejoices, another worries as school mask mandates lift
By Robin Erb, Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Nicole Kessler will admit it: She’s anxious. Uncertain, really, as the clock ticks towards a mask-free school for her 10-year-old son, Elijah — an outgoing kid who loves Minecraft, is learning the alto saxophone and favors the backstroke on the local swim team. Will he be safe without […]
DNR announces fishing regulations for Michigan’s 2022 season
by Zahra Ahmad (Bridge Michigan) LANSING—Expanded underwater spearfishing, catch limits and size restrictions are among Michigan’s new fishing laws. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources this week announced most of the changes will go into effect April 1. Fishing licenses go on sale online March 1 and are valid for a year. Here is a direct […]
Four ways Great Lakes winters are changing as scientists search for clues
By Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) The Great Lakes’ warming winters are well-known through Michigan, in part because declining ice cover is visible from the surface. But scientists know precious little about how those changes affect life beneath the surface, where changing levels of ice cover and water temperature play a key role in the life cycles of […]
Oakland, Washtenaw, Wayne signal lift of COVID school mask mandates
By Robin Erb, Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) Oakland and Wayne counties announced Friday that students will no longer be under a county-wide school mask mandate as of March 1, marking the end of county-level mask orders in K-12 schools. “We’re at the personal responsibility point of the pandemic,” said Oakland County spokesperson Bill Mullan. Washtenaw […]
Michigan to weigh red flag bill after Oxford shooting. Gun groups are furious.
By Jonathan Oosting LANSING — Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey is taking heat from gun-rights groups as the top-ranking Republican prepares to hold a public hearing on “red flag” firearm confiscation legislation following last year’s deadly shooting at Oxford High School. Senate Democrats reintroduced the legislation Tuesday, adding it to a growing list of proposals […]
Michigan police probe alleged voting equipment breach in Roscommon County
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan State Police are investigating allegations of unauthorized voting equipment access in Roscommon County that may be related to ongoing attempts to undermine the 2020 presidential election, a spokesperson confirmed Friday. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson requested a probe on Thursday, with her office saying it had received […]
Money headed to Michigan schools to help with COVID testing
By Tracie Mauriello (Bridge Michigan) Michigan lawmakers have approved the release of more than a billion federal dollars they hope will keep school doors open and eliminate the need for districts to revert to virtual learning. The House and Senate voted to disperse $1.2 billion in federal pandemic-relief funds including $150.8 million for COVID-19 tests for […]
A Grand Rapids lake and the consequences of Michigan’s road salt addiction
By Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) On the surface, Church Lake looks like a shining example of the glacier-carved lakes that are Michigan’s pride, its clear shallows teeming with heron, turtles, frogs and fish. “It’s what’s lurking underneath that’s the issue,” said Ellen Foley, a graduate researcher studying the lake’s chemistry. Meters beneath its vibrant surface, […]
Michigan Supreme Court dismisses redistricting suit over Black representation
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — The Michigan Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against the state’s new independent redistricting commission that alleged new maps illegally dilute the power of Black voters. Plaintiffs, including state lawmakers who are part of the Legislature’s Detroit Caucus, failed to prove a violation of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, […]
Deaths exceed births in Michigan. Blame COVID, but long-term trends are grim
Mike Wilkinson (Michigan Health Watch, Bridge Michigan) Deaths now exceed births in Michigan. That’s bad news for the economy, and a problem that has been years in the making. The COVID-19 pandemic super-charged a demographic nightmare that’s been brewing for years. In 2019, deaths exceeded births in 55 of 83 counties, and demographers warned that was a […]
