In this photo essay, take a tour of the SS Badger ferry, which has carried people and freight across Lake Michigan for seven decades.
Kelly House
Kelly House covers Michigan's environment for Bridge Michigan, with a focus on the Great Lakes, climate change, industrial pollution, water quality and wildlife. She joined Bridge in March 2020 after reporting for the Oregonian, where her coverage earned national honors and sparked efforts to better protect Oregon's natural resources. Kelly holds a master's degree in environmental law from Lewis & Clark Law School and a bachelor's in journalism from Michigan State University.
Kelly grew up in Harrison and is based in Lansing.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
On Lake Michigan, a coal-fired steamship and ferry eyes a clean-energy future
For seven decades, the SS Badger has ferried people and goods across Lake Michigan while polluting the air with black smoke. The ship’s new owners are considering greener options.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Court sides with Michigan regulators in poop dispute with big farms
Michigan Supreme Court sides with state regulators who sought to tamp down on manure pollution from big livestock operations. Farm interests said the rules are too onerous.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Always have a backup plan & other lessons from Bridge Michigan’s EV road trip
When three journalists drove around Lake Michigan in a rented Chevy Bolt electric car, they learned the true meaning of range anxiety. You can make the trip. But it takes work.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Road trips are key to making EVs work in Michigan. They’re doable now. Barely
Most drivers rarely travel far, but experts say they won’t buy EVs until it’s easy to take a road trip in one. Michigan has a long way to go.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
EV road trip update: We’re home after more than 1,000 miles
Bridge’s EV road trip around Lake Michigan drew to a close in the wee hours — after more than 1,000 miles, an hour-long charging stop and a bite of Mexican food.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan history and the EV future collide at a UP snowmobile museum
The Top of the Lake Snowmobile Museum in Naubinway is a treasure trove of vintage snowmobiles, suits and paraphernalia. And now, it’s also an EV charging hub.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
EV road trip postcard: On the ferry back to Michigan
Our EV road trip around Lake Michigan is winding down with a ferry ride back to Michigan from Wisconsin — but it’s not over yet.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
EV road trip postcard: Learning the ABCs of charging in Michigan’s UP
What range anxiety? On Day 4 of their road trip, the Bridge Michigan crew gets wise about overnight charging, making all the difference in the Upper Peninsula’s public charging desert.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
EV road trip postcard: Long-vacant Sleeping Bear Inn reopens after $1.7M rehab
After a years-long restoration effort, the historic inn perched in the sand of Sleeping Bear Dunes begins welcoming guests again this weekend, transporting them back in time.