Michigan community colleges vie for 4-year nursing programs amid shortages
by Isabel Lohman (Bridge Michigan) A demand for more Michigan nurses during the pandemic is once again pitting the state’s community colleges against its four-year universities. Michigan community colleges currently provide only two-year associate nursing degrees. They want to expand to offer four-year bachelor degree programs, a move fiercely opposed by the state’s four-year universities. […]
How many COVID cases are in Michigan schools? State has no idea anymore
by Ron French, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) The onslaught of the omicron variant of COVID-19 is crumbling Michigan’s system for reporting outbreaks in schools, making it difficult for parents to know how widespread the virus is in classrooms. Some districts have told parents to work under the assumption that there could be COVID present in all […]
Omicron requires a better mask. How to choose one that’s best for you.
by Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) With the spread of the omicron variant, federal health officials are urging people to wear higher-quality masks — the most effective being N95s, if you can tolerate them, while details are forthcoming on a federal program to make masks available to more Americans. On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and […]
Northern Michigan studio belonging to iconic artist listed for sale
By Paula Gardner (Bridge Michigan) Before Gwen Frostic created a printing business that sent her stationery all over the world, she bought hundreds of acres in northwest Michigan’s Benzie County where she could observe and sketch nature. The late artist moved there in the early 1960s, designing a grassy-roofed studio between Frankfort and Benzonia that became a […]
Republicans sue redistricting commission over congressional map
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) A group of Republicans has sued the Michigan redistricting commission over its recently-approved congressional map, claiming the panel failed to draw districts with equal populations. The lawsuit, filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, also names Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as a […]
Michigan legislation would help homeowners pay for failing septic systems
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio (for Bridge Michigan) This article is part of The Great Lakes News Collaborative, which includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, and Michigan Radio. It unites newsroom resources to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes and drinking water supplies, including pollution, climate change, and […]
Michigan schools running short on COVID tests, imperiling in-class learning
By Ron French, Robin Erb (Bridge Michigan) As Michigan buckles under the omicron surge, the state is running low on COVID test kits for schools, with state officials “triaging” its limited supply. Some districts may run out as soon as next week, said one school official, hobbling efforts to test possibly infected students. Linda Vail, […]
Worst yet to come with omicron in Michigan, officials warn
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) COVID-19 hospitalizations could rise 60 percent in the next few weeks, further pressuring hospitals already at a breaking point amid the omicron wave, the state’s chief medical executive said Tuesday. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said models predict as many as 8,000 COVID-19 patients could be hospitalized by late January or early February, well […]
Michigan troopers vow reforms after study finds racial disparities in stops
by Mike Wilkinson (Bridge Michigan) The Michigan State Police’s director vowed immediate reforms Wednesday after a report found that troopers were more likely to stop, search, and arrest African-American drivers than whites. State Police Director Col. Joseph Gasper said all troopers will have body cameras by the end of the year, and the agency will […]
Michigan defies expectations, bringing in $1.7B more revenue than expected
By Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (Bridge Michigan) LANSING — Michigan’s revenues continue to defy predictions and remain on a historic rise, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers heard Friday. State officials announced that Michigan has $1.7 billion more than expected for the current 2022 fiscal year. That trend will likely continue in 2023 with revenues increasing by over […]
