Belle Isle Park is Detroit’s signature green space. According to the city of Detroit’s records: “Detroit’s city fathers purchased the 983-acre island in 1879 for $200,000, against the opposition of those who thought the price was too high. They elected to retain the name Belle Isle (beautiful island) by which the property was popularly known. […]
Bridge Staff
Bridge’s mission is to inform Michigan citizens about their state, amplify their views and explore the challenges of our civic life.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Why do EAA critics want children trapped in failing schools?
By John William Covington/Education Achievement Authority Rep. Ellen Lipton’s comments about the Education Achievement Authority are an example of the way so much of the educational establishment and their political allies are trying to kill an innovative approach to educating young people who have been abjectly failed by the old, outdated system of public schooling. The […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Educators ready to join governor in open discussion of school reform
(Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) By William Mayes/Michigan Association of School Administrators On April 22, leaders from the education, business, manufacturing, government, and nonprofit sectors gathered for Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2013 Education Summit. The day’s events focused on ways Michigan could better serve its students while boosting the economy by creating a smoother transition from school […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
A survivor’s tale of a bumper-sticker outing
I was 37 years old when I put my first bumper sticker on my car. I’d always had a car. When I turned 16, my mother gave me her silver 1980 Pontiac Phoenix and said, “Now you can drive yourself wherever you need to go — but you also have to take your sister anywhere […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: EAA won’t answer simple questions about its finances (UPDATED)
By Rep. Ellen Lipton Files released Rep. Lipton’s office reports that the EAA has responded to her FOIA request. The 31 documents released by the EAA can be viewed at http://lipton.housedems.com/resources/publications. As I watched House Republicans rush to expand the experimental Education Achievement Authority statewide last month, I wondered if legislators who supported House […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Fish eDNA suggests Asian carp closing in on Great Lakes
By Andy Mahon/Central Michigan University CMU biology professor Andy Mahon and a research team introduce a new screening method to detect the abundance of invasive species in water. (courtesy photo/Central Michigan University) It all started with a simple question. In late 2008, while sitting around after work with a group of colleagues, Lindsay Chadderton from […]
Posted inSuccess
Bridge sweeps online news category in Detroit SPJ contest
Bridge Magazine swept the online general news category in the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit Chapter’s Excellence in Journalism contest for 2012. In its first year of competition in the contest, Bridge garnered first-, second- and third-place awards for news coverage. Winners were announced April 17 at an event in Troy. Ron French Senior […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Money Smart Week starts with 10 top tips for families
By Kelly Masters/ Money Smart Week chairwoman Of all the issues we currently face, few have greater potential to cause harm to individuals and communities than the consequences associated with poor financial decision-making. Kelly Masters is owner of Graceful Communications and chairwoman of the Federal Reserve Bank Money Smart Week in Michigan. When this occurs […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Analysis: Detroit raises large sums with high tax rates
By Jeff Guilfoyle/Citizens Research Council With Michigan’s largest city now under the direction of an emergency manager, statewide attention has focused on the city of Detroit’s finances. The Citizens Research Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research firm, has published an analysis of the city’s fiscal structure and trends — Detroit City Government Revenues. This report attempts […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Focus on quality of education, not on structure of schools
By Wendy Zdeb-Roper/Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals Whether it was the debate over charter and cyber schools or, most recently, the Oxford Foundation report and the Educational Achievement Authority, the conversation about education reform has been focused almost exclusively on who should educate Michigan students — rather than on the quality of the education being provided. […]
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