Detroit officials want to double the amount of help available for low-income customers facing water shutoffs. Most programs help those who aren’t yet disconnected.
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 inMichigan Health Watch
I hate to complain, but I haven’t had water in a year. A Detroit story.
After two years of decline, Detroit water shutoffs jumped 44 percent last year, as the city stopped water to 1 in 9 homes. Most stayed off a month or more, and nearly 10,000 homes still don’t have service.
Posted inSpecial report
Michigan could decide presidency. These are the facts that shape our state.
With the Michigan primary just weeks away, Bridge Magazine is unveiling its 2020 Fact Guide to help frame the debate and separate rhetoric from facts.
Posted inSpecial report
50 facts that frame Michigan, from health care and poverty to income
Michigan is often mischaracterized. Here are 50 facts about demographics, education, health care, the economy and government that shape the state.
Posted inSpecial report
Michigan K-12 test scores slowly improving but remain mediocre at best
Education funding in Michigan hasn’t kept up with other states, and lawmakers are trying a host of reforms to boost outcomes that, while improving, lag much of the nation.
Posted inSpecial report
Early childhood education is key to success. Michigan still has work to do.
Michigan has vastly improved access to state-funded preschool, but gaps remain. Should the state spend another $400 million to make its Great Start Readiness Program universal?
Posted inSpecial report
Michigan college tuition hikes leave average graduate with $35K in debt
More Michigan graduates than ever have college degrees. But disinvestment in higher education has prompted skyrocketing tuition, leaving graduates with big debts.
Posted inSpecial report
Jobs up, poverty declines as Michigan emerges from Great Recession hangover
In the past five years, total employment and personal income have grown by double-digits in Michigan, while poverty has plunged. But not all news is good.
Posted inSpecial report
Incomes climb in Michigan, but state still struggles with loss of manufacturing
The loss of 300,000 well-paying manufacturing jobs means that, even though, Michigan wages have climbed over the past few years, they’re still less than the nationwide average.
Posted inSpecial report
Michigan has great access to health care. Health outcomes are another story
Like much of the Midwest, Michigan is more obese and less healthy than the rest of the nation. The state has terrific rates of insurance, immunization and primary care physicians, though, making the state’s overall health a bit of a puzzle.