Lake County competes for the unwanted title of Michigan’s poorest county. Like many rural areas across the state, Lake residents endure higher poverty, serious health and social ills, and little hope for the future.
Pat Shellenbarger
Pat Shellenbarger is a freelance writer based in West Michigan. He previously was a reporter and editor at the Detroit News, the St. Petersburg Times and the Grand Rapids Press.
Posted inChildren & Families
Living poor, in a county of wealth
Being poor is tough anywhere. But wanting for basics in Livingston County, the state’s most affluent, carries a different kind of sting.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Road funding stalls as state elections near
Republican lawmakers don’t want to be seen as supporting tax increases. Democrats want to blame Gov. Snyder for Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure. The result: a shortage of lawmakers willing to lead the charge for better roads.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Better roads boost economy, business groups say
Many in Michigan’s business community favor increasing fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, saying crumbling roads make it difficult to do business, and attract new businesses and visitors to the state.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Why are Germany’s roads better? Or are they?
Michigan’s harsh winters and surrounding Great Lakes are difficult foes, even for roads built to German highway standards. But lessons abound
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan roads now among nation’s worst
Michigan spends less per capita on roads and bridges than any other state in the nation, and it shows. Experts say the state needs even more than the $1.3 billion requested by Gov. Snyder to make long-term improvements. Legislative leaders aren’t convinced.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Engler’s (political) road not taken
Gov. John Engler was urged by the business community to raise fuel taxes up to 12 cents a gallon to fix Michigan roads and bridges. He agreed to a 4-cent raise. It wasn’t enough over the long haul. Today, MDOT pays $240 million a year on a $2.5 billion debt to repair roads.
Posted inBusiness Watch
A steady job, with fewer perks
Tim Bradshaw knew he was entering a working world much different from that of his parents when he accepted a job more than 2 years ago with the City of Kentwood. Unlike many of his older coworkers, he would not earn credit toward a guaranteed monthly retirement check, and “my wife and I just assume […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Two cities that took control of retiree costs
They are the exceptions, but leaders in a handful of Michigan cities and towns foresaw the financial crisis that would overwhelm their communities if they didn’t begin setting aside enough money to pay the pensions and health insurance they promised workers when they retired. “It took about 10 years to figure this out,” said Eric […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Oakland County proposes legacy solution
Not long after Robert Daddow came to work for Oakland County 20 years ago, a couple of elected officials suggested the county should stop setting aside money for its retirees’ health insurance. No law required Michigan’s local governments to prefund the health care plans promised to retirees, so why pay for something now that you […]