Social media accounts of men accused of attempting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer show they shared a love of guns and hatred of the government. ‘If they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
Mike Wilkinson
Mike has been a reporter for Bridge Michigan since 2013 and focuses on data-assisted reporting, often finding stories by analyzing maps and data sets and has created Bridge's dashboards on COVID-19, the state's economy and Michigan's elections. He held similar positions at The Detroit News and The Blade of Toledo. A native of Michigan, Mike grew up in Macomb County, graduated from the University of Michigan and started his reporting career in New Baltimore before his career took him to Illinois, Tennessee and Ohio. You can reach him at mwilkinson@bridgemi.com
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
As coronavirus spreads in Michigan, racial and age disparities shrink
In recent weeks, the coronavirus is striking more middle-age residents after disproportionately hitting younger ones. And as it moves statewide, the virus is impacting fewer African Americans.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Once a state hotspot, Detroit has one of the lowest rates of coronavirus in Michigan
Once a COVID hotspot, Detroit lost 1,300 people to the virus. The city and its residents fought back and say limited interactions, face masks and frequent hand-washing make the difference. Detroit now has one of the lowest rates in the state.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula getting hit hard by surge of coronavirus cases
After months of relatively few cases, the Upper Peninsula has seen coronavirus case counts soar, with most in the western part of the region along the border with Wisconsin.
Posted inMichigan Government
Six Michigan regions view politics far differently. They may decide election.
Michigan is up for grabs in the presidential election. But rather than one cohesive state, it consists of six independent regions that digest politics far differently. Here’s what to look for in the six weeks before the Nov. 3 election.
Posted inTalent & Education
State identifies Michigan K-12 schools and colleges with COVID outbreaks
The public can now see what K-12 schools and colleges in the state have coronavirus outbreaks, thanks to new state reporting championed by Bridge Michigan and other media outlets. There are now more than 1,300 college cases.
Posted inMichigan Government
Can Trump recapture magic with Michigan workers? Or has COVID erased gains?
The president returns to mid-Michigan Thursday where, until the coronavirus pandemic struck, manufacturing jobs and wages saw solid gains. Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden are each determined to earn working-class votes.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan colleges pass 1,000 COVID cases. Apparently, students like to party.
Strict health protocols on campuses aren’t stopping the spread of coronavirus. With cases rising fast, some experts fear more a wave of deaths, but others say aggressive testing and quarantining could prevent the worst from happening.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan coronavirus caseloads haven’t budged in months. Why that’s not bad.
For two months, Michigan coronavirus cases have plateaued at about 650 per day after declining for weeks. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cited the caseloads in extending her state of emergency Thursday, but epidemiologists say they should induce calm, not panic, since they reflect higher testing and more asymptomatic patients.
Posted inQuality of Life
Will Postal Service botch election in Michigan? It’s unlikely, experts say.
Despite fears that absentee ballots would be delayed and uncounted, few are complaining about local mail delivery, officials say. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service acquitted itself fairly well in a test set by Bridge to mimic mail-in ballots.