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 […]
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: 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. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: 10 reasons to expand Medicaid in Michigan
EXPANSION RESULTS: Expanding Medicaid coverage in Michigan would mean 18,000 new jobs in Michigan, argues Mike Vizena. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) By Mike Vizena/Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards There are many reasons the Michigan Legislature should follow Gov. Rick Snyder’s lead on Medicaid expansion. Let me count the ways: 1. It […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan counties ranked for per-capita handgun permits
WHERE THE HANDGUN (PERMITS) ARE: On a per-capita basis, handgun permits are more common in Michigan’s northern and rural counties than in urban counties such as Wayne, Ingham and Kent. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Guns are becoming more uncommon in households across the United States. The most recent national survey found the […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Who’s no. 1? County-by-county rankings on property values
No corner of Michigan has escaped unscathed from the “Big Flush,” the loss of billions upon billions of dollars in property values. In five years, total Michigan property values plunged by more than $260 billion, according to an analysis of state records by Bridge Magazine. But while the decline continued over the last year, it […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Top challenge to business is cost of health care
By David Baker/Baker Strategy Group Businesses play an essential role in Michigan’s economy. Business is the economic engine that pays people for their time and contribution and converts their work into products and services that customers need. According to the 2010 Census, there are close to 175,000 businesses in Michigan (excluding the estimated 680,000 non-employee […]
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