Child COVID vaccines are available in Michigan. Now comes the hard part.
by Robin Erb, Ron French (Bridge Michigan) GRAND RAPIDS—The decision to vaccinate 7-year-old Brittish Conaway against COVID pivoted on Dr. Jenny Bush’s choice of words. “When she gets sick,” the doctor explained to the girl’s mom, “her sugar levels plummet. And that’s where things like metabolic strokes happen.” Brittish has complex health problems stemming from a […]
Whitmer vetoes tax breaks for private schools. Petition drive coming next.
By Ron French (Bridge Michigan) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer vetoed bills that would allow state funds to subsidize private school education Friday. The veto was expected, and sets up an attempt by Republicans to circumvent the Democratic governor’s veto with a state ballot proposal petition drive. The two bills, passed along party lines in October, would have […]
Climate change grips trout streams across the nation: How anglers are responding
by Laura Gersony, Circle of Blue (for Bridge Michigan) The air is rich with the scent of wild river as David McCool sets his boat in the Au Sable River in northern Michigan. The early morning silence is broken only by an occasional bird call and the soft susurrations of the crystal clear water. It’s […]
Michigan to offer nonbinary designation for driver licenses this week
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan residents will soon be able to select a gender-neutral designation on their driver license or state ID cards: an X. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office will begin offering the nonbinary gender designation beginning Nov. 10, providing a new option for residents who do not identify as […]
Michigan drivers to get car insurance refund from $5B surplus
By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association voted Wednesday to use part of its $5 billion surplus to refund the state’s insured drivers. The association issued a statement that did not immediately reveal how much refunds will be, or give a timeline on when consumers can expect their checks. “The goal is […]
Why are so many Michigan water systems finding lead? They’re looking harder
by Kelly House (Bridge Michigan) Benton Harbor is likely just the beginning. Since the southwest Michigan community’s prolonged lead-in-water crisis began making national headlines this fall, residents of Hamtramck, Wayne and Manchester have all learned that their water, too, exceeded government lead standards, sparking renewed cries for faster action to eliminate the toxic metal from […]
Michigan House votes to bar Airbnb bans
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan municipalities would be unable to ban Airbnb and other short-term rentals under legislation approved early Wednesday in the Republican-led state House. House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, kept lawmakers in session until 2 am as he and other GOP leaders wrangled votes for the long-debated legislation pushed by the Michigan […]
Voting machine missing after Michigan clerk stripped of election power
By Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) Michigan State Police launched a criminal investigation Thursday after election equipment at the center of a voting tabulator conspiracy theory went missing this week in a rural, conservative community. Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott, a Republican whose social media has included QAnon memes, had refused to allow a vendor to conduct […]
Michigan redistricting may help Democrats. But will it hurt Black voters?
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan’s citizen redistricting panel could approve maps this month that would make the state far more competitive, giving Democrats a solid chance at controlling the state Legislature for the first time in decades. But many African-American leaders fear the approach will reduce their clout, as the Michigan Independent […]
Can Detroit return its brownfields to the indigenous sacred sites they once were?
By Anna West (Yes! Magazine; Bridge Magazine) Ask a current Detroiter what stands at the junction of the Detroit and Rouge Rivers in the Delray neighborhood, and they may tell you about Zug Island: blast furnaces, mounds of coal, and gated-off trestle bridges guarded by signs warning “No Trespassing” and “Cameras Prohibited.” There is no […]
