Gov. Snyder, business groups and state experts agree that more than $1 billion is needed to fix Michigan’s crumbling roads. If an agreement is not brokered in lame duck, the prospects of a deal diminish significantly in January.
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 inBusiness Watch
See which Michigan regions are growing the fastest
While the Detroit region is beginning to emerge from recession, the Grand Rapids, Monroe and Benton Harbor areas posted strong GDP gains in 2013.
Posted inMichigan Government
Election Day Playbook: What to watch for tonight
Woody Allen once famously said that “80 percent of success is just showing up.” But Dems would probably settle for half that as they seek to unseat an incumbent governor.
Posted inMichigan Government
A Bridge primer on how to gauge the credibility of political polls
Michigan voters are being inundated with horse-race poll results showing which candidates are up or down. Before taking those results as gospel, consider the source. Bridge shows you how.
Posted inMichigan Government
Gov. Snyder tied, or way ahead ‒ which poll is right in governor’s race?
Two automated polls show a tight race, while a third that relies on live interviewers shows Snyder comfortably leading challenger Mark Schauer. What’s a partisan to believe?
Posted inTalent & Education
How Michigan, Florida compare
Florida students, including low-income students, have risen dramatically in national academic rankings while students in Michigan are being left behind.
Posted inTalent & Education
How Minnesota and Michigan students compare on the NAEP
Michigan vs Minnesota Michigan and Minnesota spend roughly the same amount per pupil, and yet the performance of Minnesota students on national tests is far superior to that of Michigan students, including low-income students. Proponents of the Minnesota system note that the North Star state budgets its money differently. Below, how students in the two […]
Posted inTalent & Education
UM soars, MSU doesn't on freshmen test scores
Since 2001, Big Ten schools have become far more selective, when measured by the ACT scores of incoming freshmen. But MSU, like most in-state schools, stayed pretty much the same.
Posted inTalent & Education
Football, shmootball: Ohio State gets serious in the classroom
Since 2001, OSU has seen the average ACT test scores of incoming freshmen soar faster than any Big Ten school; it now stands behind only Northwestern and UM.
Posted inMichigan Government
See how YOUR county (doesn’t) vote
Go to Bridge’s voter turnout map to see how your county turns out to vote in past primary elections