Gyms and fitness centers across Michigan can reopen June 25, a federal judge ruled Friday, saying Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration failed to provide scientific evidence justifying their continued closure despite declining COVID-19 case counts.
Jonathan Oosting
Jonathan is a deputy editor for Bridge Michigan. He helps plan and execute in-depth reporting and campaign coverage. As a longtime political reporter, Jonathan was named 2021 Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. He and a colleague shared that honor again in 2023, when they were also named Journalists of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter. Jonathan covered the state Capitol for The Detroit News and MLive before joining Bridge in September of 2019. He's from Grand Rapids, lives in Lansing and loves spending time Up North.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan finalizes plan to spend $880 million in federal coronavirus funds
Michigan is poised to create a business grant program, cut child care rates, boost summer school and invest in its unemployment insurance system using federal COVID-19 relief funding.
Posted inTalent & Education
Whitmer: Michigan students can return to class if coronavirus stays steady
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Wednesday that schools will reopen in September. But what those classrooms will look like will vary greatly among school districts.
Posted inMichigan Government
‘Dehumanized’ by police at 16, Garlin Gilchrist seeks Michigan reforms
Gilchrist, the state’s first African-American lieutenant governor, is helping lead the charge for police reforms amid mass protests after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan Right to Life abortion ban may fall short on signatures
Right to Life of Michigan did not collect enough valid voter signatures to advance an initiative proposing to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure, according to new estimates from the state Bureau of Elections.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan woman helps win gay, transgender worker rights in Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of Aimee Stephens of Michigan, who was fired by her funeral home employer after telling the company she intended to “live and work full time as a woman.” That firing was held to violate the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Crises collide: Flood recovery workers carried COVID-19 to Michigan
19 workers who came to Michigan to work on flood recovery projects in the Midland region have tested positive for COVID-19 but subsequently left the state. Local health officials believe “one or two” of the workers were symptomatic before they came to Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan gay rights proposal off fall ballot; ruling opens door for 2022
A judge ordered Michigan to give the Fair and Equal Michigan ballot committee 69 additional days to collect signatures, mirroring the duration of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home order that was lifted June 1. That means the group will not complete its petition drive to qualify for the 2020 ballot and will aim for the 2022 ballot instead.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Pandemic may mean big profit to Michigan insurers, tiny rebates for drivers
Travel fell by more than 40 percent amid the pandemic, which experts say could reap insurance companies sizable profits. Ordered by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to pay rebates, most are paying 15 percent to 20 percent. That often amounts to about $50 or less.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Inspections show death, despair gripped Michigan nursing homes amid pandemic
As the coronavirus ravaged Michigan, nursing home staffers called in sick, faced equipment shortages and struggled to comply with infection controls, inspection reports from the hardest-hit facilities show.