A three-judge panel finds that 34 districts were drawn in 2011 to benefit Republicans and orders special elections in 2020.
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 inQuality of Life
It’s tax day, Michigan. Take this quiz or face an audit
Okay, we totally lied about the audit. But it wouldn’t kill you to learn more about Michigan’s taxes and exemptions. Test your smarts with this quiz.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit studies restoring passenger trains to Michigan Central Station
Report should wrap up this month to determine costs, logistics of resuming Amtrak service at the historic station that had become a symbol of Detroit’s decline.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Fiat Chrysler promises 5,000 jobs. But not all Detroiters love the plan.
Fiat Chrysler hosts its first community meeting for a massive investment on the eastside of Detroit. It could have gone better, with several neighbors doubting whether the deal would benefit nearby residents.
Posted inUrban Affairs
One in five Detroit rentals face eviction. Time to call in the lawyers?
A coalition of foundations and law firms is calling for low-income renters to be represented by a lawyer at eviction hearings. In New York, a similar program actually saved the city money.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Crime dips in Detroit. But ‘people do not feel safe,’ commissioner says.
Violence remains a big impediment to Detroit’s comeback. Despite encouraging trends, there’s no ‘magic formula’ for Mayor Mike Duggan, a veteran police commissioner says.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit is billing residents for rain. It’s going as well as you’d think.
Facing major repairs, Detroit has revamped rates on treating stormwater. That’s led to astronomical rates, a lawsuit and familiar questions about equity in a rapidly changing city.
Posted inMichigan Government
That’s a wrap. Michigan gerrymandering case now in hands of three judges
More than 650 pages of arguments filed by parties in hotly disputed case over whether Michigan political districts that have favored Republicans are unconstitutional.
Posted inMichigan Government
Redistricting guru: Michigan’s maps are legal, even if process was political
Michigan’s gerrymandering trial wraps up with testimony from the architect of the state’s political maps. He says he was besieged with requests but kept the process ‘bipartisan.’
Posted inMichigan Government
Expert testifies gerrymandering in Michigan is worse than almost anywhere
An unusual federal trial that could redraw Michigan’s political boundaries before 2020 began Tuesday in Detroit. Republicans defend the maps, saying demographics are to blame, not partisan tricks.