Letter to the editor: Township officials need to be more responsive to residents
September 1, 2022 Dear Editor: I’m a long-time resident of Freedom Township; many years on Parker Rd. and the past 20 years at Pleasant Lake. For years I’ve attended Planning Commission meetings, Board meetings and township events. I currently serve on the Pleasant Lake Property Owners Association Board. I love Pleasant Lake. It’s where my […]
As youth mental health crisis rages, Michigan schools work to bolster students’ sense of connection
by Eleanore Catolico (Bridge Michigan) This story was reported and published in partnership with MindSite News, a new nonprofit digital publication that reports on mental health. The bell rang a little after a gloomy dawn. As a trickle of A.P. Spanish students settled into their wooden desks, teacher Zachary Daniels powered up his smartboard. Behind him, […]
10 years of strict teacher evaluations haven’t boosted learning in Michigan
by Ron French (Bridge Michigan) In 2011, Michigan implemented a tough new teacher evaluation system in which educators’ annual job reviews were based partly on the standardized test scores of their students. The plan seemed straight-forward: Reward good teachers, weed out bad ones and Michigan’s moribund learning would improve. A decade later, that experiment is […]
Acorn vendor of the week: Nature and Nurture Seeds
The Manchester Mirror is running a series of articles to introduce the many vendors at Acorn Farmers’ Market & Café to the community. Each week a different vendor will be featured, to highlight the wide variety of offerings at our local Market, both now and in the future. Watch for this regular feature to learn […]
Human error, Dominion voting equipment fuel false fraud claims in Michigan
by Jonathan Oosting, Madeline Halpert (Bridge) When Antrim County’s Republican clerk reported last week that Democrat Joe Biden had trounced President Donald Trump in the fiercely GOP region of northern Michigan, officials and experts correctly questioned what turned out to be a clerical mistake. But Trump and his supporters cried foul, and days after the […]
Manchester Area 2020 November Election Voters Guide, part 1: School Board and County
Candidates for Manchester Community Schools Board of Education (vote for no more than 4) Corey Horky (Non-Partisan) My name is Corey Horky. I have been a Manchester resident since 2003, with my wife (Abbie) and three boys. Our oldest son, Tyler, is a recent 2020 graduate of Manchester High School, with Carson and Gavin slated […]
Manchester Township discusses event barns at meeting
With 12 members of the Manchester Township Board and its Planning Commission in attendance last Thursday night, the two entities held a joint special meeting to address a number of topics of concern to both boards. In addition to the board and planning members, township planner John Enos of Carlisle-Wortman also was in attendance, along […]
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 5 big asks for new Michigan budget talks
by Jonathan Oosting (Bridge) Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has plans for roughly one-third of the $947 million she vetoed from Republican budgets this week and is proposing additional spending on parolee monitoring tethers, literacy coaches, and a skilled-trades job retraining program for adults. The first-term Democrat is looking to restart bipartisan negotiations after an unprecedented […]
Report: Funding cuts, high tuition spawn a cost crisis at Michigan colleges
by Ron French (Bridge) Michigan families are facing a college affordability crisis caused by a “perfect storm” of falling wages and state disinvestment in higher education, according to a new report released Friday. That affordability crisis is hitting hardest among Michigan’s rural and low-income families, according to the report, by the New York-based Century Foundation, which describes […]
For cash-strapped police in Michigan, asset forfeiture bills could be a blow
As the opioid epidemic ramps up, police across Michigan are staring down the probability of losing some of the financial resources they use to fight drug criminals. That’s the viewpoint, at least, of many in law enforcement who oppose major legislation that they say could cost them a portion of a $13 million revenue stream […]
