Beat the cold temperatures by heating up your brain and answering these questions about the week in the news.
Joel Kurth
As executive editor of impact, Joel Kurth oversees newsgathering, investigations, and coverage strategy at Bridge Michigan. He joined Bridge in 2017 after 17 years as an investigative reporter and editor at The Detroit News, where he led investigations that drove policy changes on water shutoffs and surgical instrument sterilization and resulted in criminal charges against government officials. He and his teams have won more than 60 state and national awards across a 30-year career in Michigan that has also included stints at newspapers in the Upper Peninsula and Saginaw. Joel also authors Bridge's popular weekly News Quiz.
Joel lives in West Bloomfield with his wife and two children.
Posted inNews Quiz
Bridge Michigan News Quiz: Jan. 4, 2025. New year, more great trivia
It’s a new year, Michigan! Have you paid attention? Prove your smarts with 10 amazing questions about the week that was.
Posted inNews Quiz
Bridge Michigan News Quiz, Dec. 27, 2024: The year in trivia
How much do you remember these momentous happenings from 2024? Test your noggin and show your smarts.
Posted inThe Center for Michigan
How do we love Michigan? Let’s count the ways (in photos)
Bridge asked for reader photos showcasing the beauty of the Mitten State. They delivered. And then some. Let’s keep it going as we squeeze out every last drop of joy from summer.
Posted inThe Center for Michigan
Bridge Michigan launches Elections Tracker, ends COVID Tracker
Weekly COVID updates end after four years and 600 posts. A new tracker will provide updates on what are expected to be some of nation’s most competitive campaigns.
Posted inMichigan Government
How one firm in a ‘Wild West’ industry upended the Michigan GOP governor race
Petition gathering is largely unregulated, often relies on people off the street and, this year, one firm is accused of a forgery ring that toppled five gubernatorial campaigns. Is it time for reform?
Posted inMichigan Government
Wayne County canvasser: I sought to 'protect' Detroit vote, ‘not be racist’
As Wayne County commissioners are set to demand the resignations of two GOP canvassers who initially refused to certify the county’s election, one of them, Monica Palmer, says the experience was ‘heartbreaking.’ A fellow member says she’s not ‘ready for prime time.’
Posted inMichigan Government
Before you vote: These are facts, issues shaping Michigan in 2020 election
With the Nov. 3 election weeks away, take time to familiarize yourself with the Bridge Michigan’s 2020 Fact & Issue Guide to help inform your vote and separate rhetoric from facts.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Mid-Michigan dam that failed was cited for years for safety violations
The Edenville dam that catastrophically failed and prompted thousands of evacuations was cited repeatedly by federal authorities, who allege its owners had a “long history of noncompliance.”
Posted inUrban Affairs
In Detroit, a funeral moves outside as coronavirus deaths mount
An open-casket funeral outside is a small step toward closure and rethinking funerals at a time traditional spaces are forbidden, says the pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ in Detroit.