The same day Michigan sued owners of troubled dams whose failures sparked a catastrophic flood in Midland, nearby property owners call for an independent investigation. The residents say the state is misstating facts about its failure to regulate the dams.
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
Northern Michigan braced for coronavirus surge that has yet to arrive
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer broadly reopened much of northern Michigan over the Memorial Day Weekend. More than two weeks later, few new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed across the region.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan COVID-19 deaths swell, as state tweaks how it tallies cases
Michigan’s coronavirus caseload has increased by 240 to 5,800 now that “probable” deaths are included. The changing of definitions has caused controversy in other states.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
After Edenville Dam fail, five other Michigan dams may pose lethal danger
Five state-regulated dams listed as high-hazard and in poor condition could kill people and cause widespread damage if they fail, according to the state. They are located throughout the state.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
After devastating flood, Sanford Lake homeowners face new threat
More than two weeks after dam breaks and a flood, new woes have emerged in mid-Michigan where erosion threatens homes along the shoreline of Sanford Lake just northwest of Midland.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Before and after satellite photos show damage wrought by mid-Michigan floods
New satellite images, taken one year apart, contrast what Edenville and Sanford dams looked like before and after floods, as state and federal investigators investigate their failure.
Posted inUrban Affairs
White cops in black communities underscore tension in Michigan protests
Police departments in several Michigan cities have a lower share of African-American officers than the communities they serve, leading to some scars that have yet to heal.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Two heirs bought Midland dams as a tax shelter. Tragedy followed.
Heirs to the fortune of the Boy Scouts founder — an architect and a bagpiper — purchased the Edenville Dam as an investment to avoid taxes, records show. For 14 years, the family trust clashed with government officials on taxes, regulations, fishing and other issues. Then came the rains.
Posted inMichigan Government
New accounting fuels hope that coronavirus is better contained in Michigan
Michigan has changed how it reports positive coronavirus tests and the implications could influence how quickly the state’s economy reopens
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan regulators moved fast on dangerous dam. To protect mussels.
In court papers, the owners of a dam that failed this week near Midland acknowledged it was considered unsafe for decades. But Michigan’s only action against the dam was a suit contending it lowered water and killed freshwater mussels.
