COSTLY COVERAGE: As Michigan debates aspects of the federal Affordable Care Act, new data shows that the bite of health insurance now takes $1 out of every $5 in household income in the state. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *A point often lost in the debate over changes to health care: The status quo […]
Derek Melot
Derek Melot is a former assistant editorial page editor, columnist and reporter at the Lansing State Journal, where he covered state and local issues extensively, earning awards from the Associated Press and Michigan Press Association. The Oklahoma native moved to Michigan in 1999, and served as Bridge editor through mid-2013.
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *Maybe this is a great idea for Atlanta, Ga., and maybe it isn’t. But just note the difference in ambition between this project and Michigan’s inability to figure out a reliable funding stream to fix the transport net it now has: “His vision was to transform the mostly abandoned railroad […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
GOING DOWN: The Citizens Research Council calculates that with inflation and payments to retirement programs, per-pupil funding reaching Michigan classrooms has declined since 2004. (courtesy graphic/Citizens Research Council) *Confused about the claims over school funding? Is it going up, as Gov. Rick Snyder and allies claim, or down, as school groups say? The nonpartisan Citizens […]
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Land O Links
LOOKING GOOD: Housing prices in Detroit are up nearly 20 percent in the last year. (Bridge archive photo) *Home prices are rising across the country again – even in Detroit. The city saw an 18.5 percent increase over the last year in home prices, tracking nicely with the recoveries seen in other epicenters of the […]
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Land O Links
This “heat map” shows the use of homophobic slur words via Twitter in Michigan. *Is the Traverse City area a “hateful” place? A new map presents a heat index of hateful words sent via Twitter and assigned to their origin points by county. As you zoom in on Michigan, the hottest spots are near Traverse […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
NOT SO OPEN ANYMORE: America’s standing as a land of new opportunities and new vistas is being pummeled by data showing that mobility is declining. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *America, we hardly knew ye. Once we were considered a land of mobility – both by economic class and geography. The facts have gotten […]
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Land O Links
*Michigan is in the national mainstream when it comes to the identity of its highest-paid public state employee. In about 40 states, that person is the coach of a collegiate football or men’s basketball team. TOP OF THE HEAP: Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo places Michigan among the vast majority of states […]
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Land O Links
COMING DOWN?: The two observation towers in Michigan’s Irish Hills – one built out of “spite” – will be demolished in October unless preservation advocates can raise enough money to save them. (Bridge archive photo) *Historic observation platforms in Michigan’s Irish Hills, near Jackson, face the wrecking ball unless history buffs can raise the money […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *Troubling information as Michigan charges into gardening season: “Heavy use of the world’s most popular herbicide, Roundup, could be linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson’s, infertility and cancers, according to a new study.” *An analysis of financial results found that people who choose to […]
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Land O Links: So you want a new arena?
SUPPORTING THE TEAM: The Detroit Red Wings are owned by a firm that reported $4.2 billion in revenue in 2010. That same firm, however, has convinced Michigan lawmakers to use tax dollars to aid a project to build a new arena for the hockey franchise in downtown Detroit. (Bridge archive photo) *What is a new […]