-
2 days ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French
The child care crisis costs Michigan $2.9 billion annually in turnover, absences and lost taxes Michigan invests more than $1.1 billion a year to early childhood educationA new study suggests state wage supplements for child care workers Michigan’s child care system is in crisis, with families struggling to pay for services and workers fleeing the field because of low wages.
-
2 weeks ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French
The freezing of some ‘green’ development grants may put two west Michigan projects on holdDrug recovery housing in Kalamazoo and affordable worker housing in Battle Creek are in limboEnvironmental groups are fighting the funding freeze in courtKALAMAZOO — Two west Michigan housing projects, including one to support those in drug recovery and another for low-income workers, are endangered by funding cuts by the administration of President Donald Trump.
-
1 month ago | 
bridgedetroit.com | Ron French |Justin A. Hinkley |Christine Ferretti |Ron French
Food banks could run short on local food soon if federal funding remains frozenAbout $1.7 million in Michigan invoices have been held up so far as part of Trump’s cost-cutting effortsAgencies fear critical shortages if the freeze isn’t resolved soon of the program that began in 2021Flint Fresh Food Hub has a freezer full of beef, blueberries and asparagus from local farmers, and none of it is currently going to feed the hungry.
-
1 month ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French |Kelly House
The Trump administration announced plans Wednesday to roll back dozens of federal environmental regulations, including auto tailpipe emissions standards If implemented, the policies would slow down the EV transition and allow more pollution from Michigan factories and power plants Details about any new policies weren’t immediately clear; rollbacks would likely face court challenges The Trump administration on Wednesday announced plans for sweeping rollbacks of federal environmental...
-
1 month ago | 
bridgemi.com | Isabel Lohman |Ron French
President Donald Trump, shown here last year during a rally in Saginaw, announced Tuesday he plans to fire half of the Department of Education beginning this month.
-
1 month ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French |Justin A. Hinkley
Food banks could run short on local food soon if federal funding remains frozenAbout $1.7 million in Michigan invoices have been held up so far as part of Trump’s cost-cutting effortsAgencies fear critical shortages if the freeze isn’t resolved soon of the program that began in 2021Flint Fresh Food Hub has a freezer full of beef, blueberries and asparagusfrom local farmers, and none of it is currently going to feed the hungry.
-
1 month ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French
Trump administration announces one-month delay on auto industry tariffs for Canadian, Mexican importsThe tariff carve out came at the request of auto company leaders to President Donald TrumpUS officials spoke to Canada’s prime minister Wednesday about the trade war that started TuesdayMichigan auto companies are getting a one-month reprieve from tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump that economists said were likely to cause chaos in the state’s biggest industry.
-
1 month ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French
Four young men in a tiny Upper Peninsula town died of fentanyl overdoses in less than a yearThe deaths were a wake-up call for rural communities that the opioid crisis strikes everywhereMore than 2,200 Michiganders died of opioid overdoses in 2023RAPID RIVER — It was bad weather even for the Upper Peninsula, with snow flying so thick and fast that drivers inching along US 41 could barely see the flashing yellow light that marks the center of Rapid River.
-
2 months ago | 
bridgemi.com | Ron French
Immigrant parents are filling out forms at places like Freedom House Detroit to designate guardianship for their children in the event they are deported.
-
2 months ago | 
bridgemi.com | Lauren Gibbons |Ron French
Separate freezes on federal grant funding and government hires may threaten national public lands, trails in Michigan Seasonal hiring at major tourist destinations is on pause, and North Country Trail operators are preparing for possible funding losses Critics fear the worst, while others argue outdoor recreation has little to worry about in ongoing scrutiny of federal budget Michigan national park officials can’t prepare to hire summer workers, and planned maintenance projects for an iconic...
