The life of Peanut: Inside the story of the world’s oldest living chicken
by Jack Armstrong, Great Lakes Echo (Bridge Michigan) In the spring of 2002, Marsi Darwin noticed one of her hen’s eggs hadn’t hatched and had gone cold. As the caretaker of the farm, she knew rotten eggs would attract unwanted animals. So she carried it to the pond to throw it away where it would […]
Nearly 23K Michiganders have lost Medicaid, another 123,000 remain at risk
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) As the state of Michigan continues to trim back its Medicaid numbers, 123,744 people stand to lose coverage by the end of the month if they don’t respond to the state’s request for paperwork. Those are the latest numbers from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which is […]
Michigan eyes miles-traveled charge for roads as EVs cut into fuel tax
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan officials are exploring whether to replace gas taxes with “usage charges” as the auto industry’s shift to electric vehicles is expected to cut into tax revenues for road repairs. With fuel taxes projected to decline by hundreds of millions of dollars in coming years, the $82 billion budget Gov. […]
Michigan ‘river walker’ program warns anglers on eating contaminated fish
by Ashley Zhou (Bridge Michigan) DETROIT—Sporting a bright yellow “Eat Safe Fish” t-shirt and lanyard, Jim Bridgforth carries an armful of pamphlets as he walks the Detroit River at Mariner Park. Anglers sit in camping chairs equipped with bait of all colors and sizes, wearing bucket hats and dipping into their lunch boxes as they […]
Control for frog-bit and water soldiers
by Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Circle of Blue (Bridge Michigan) In the waters where it’s a native species — Europe, Asia, and Africa – the aquatic plant known as European frog-bit is no trouble at all. Though its name summons images of slime and bumps, frog-bit is a decorative display of coin-size leaves that in shallow water look […]
Records: Michigan voting machines exchanged at mall, ‘manipulated’ in hotels
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Pro-Trump attorneys and a Michigan lawmaker enlisted a private investigator to collect 2020 voting machines that were later “manipulated” during testing in Oakland County hotels, according to newly disclosed allegations by a special prosecutor. In a Thursday court filing, special prosecutor D.J. Hilson alleged the group — spearheaded by […]
Whitmer’s population group eyes Michigan infrastructure, education, economy
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s council to address the state’s stagnant population announced 64 new workgroup members Monday to study infrastructure, education, the economy and other factors that could draw more residents. The “Growing Michigan Together Council” is chaired by Republican businessman John Rakolta and Democratic education leader Shirley Stancato and will rely on input […]
Michigan court limits scope of no-fault reform. Will insurance rates rise?
by Lauren Gibbons (Bridge Michigan) Car crash survivors critically injured before sweeping changes to Michigan’s auto no-fault insurance law took effect are not subject to the law’s limits on medical benefits, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday. In a 5-2 ruling authored by Justice Elizabeth Welch, the court sided with a lower court’s decision determining legislative changes to […]
Michigan’s new anti-poverty effort: $7,500 for Flint moms, no strings attached
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week signed a budget giving $16.5 million to a program that attempts to fight poverty with cash payments to expectant and new mothers in the city of Flint. The program touted as the first-of-its-kind in the nation, Rx Kids is a $55 million experiment to test whether […]
What to know about Michigan’s universal free school meals program
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) Lori Adkins is hearing that school districts in Oakland County are expecting to significantly increase how many school meals they serve a day. Why? The child nutrition consultant for Oakland Schools says the state’s new plan to provide free school meals for all public school students will reduce childhood hunger, […]
