Lawmakers demand answers after Michigan officials send letters to recipients of federal COVID relief asking to update their qualifications or risk repaying benefits. It’s the latest gaffe for the agency.
Paula Gardner
Paula directs the business reporting on Bridge, writing much of it and setting the strategy for how statewide business coverage fits into Bridge’s nonpartisan policy-driven editorial mix. Paula came to Bridge in 2020 after several years at MLive.com, where she covered the state on both business and environmental teams. Prior to that, she was editor of the Ann Arbor News and news director of online startup AnnArbor,com, and also focused on business news as an editor and reporter at Michigan Business Review. Born and raised in metro Detroit, Paula moved to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan, and has lived in the city for 20 years with her husband, who grew up in their neighborhood. Paula also regularly visits East Lansing and Grand Rapids to visit her college-aged children. She can be reached at pgardner@bridgemi.com
Posted inBusiness Watch
Unable to fill its big hotels, Detroit hopes for business travel rebound
Summer tourism isn’t solving the glut of rooms going unused in the biggest hotel market in the state. The city counts on business travelers and events to fill its rooms, and it could be years before it fully recovers.
Posted inQuality of Life
Shoreline erosion worries Michigan. Pictured Rocks cliff fall reminds why.
Video taken by a boater caught a dramatic glimpse of 200 feet of cliff dropping into the water at an iconic natural area. While it raises questions about the state’s battered shoreline, ‘erosion is always happening,’ a park official said.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Detroit-area floods mean sewage backups. Fed dollars won’t fix issue soon.
A bipartisan federal deal on infrastructure is welcome, but experts say it won’t meet Michigan’s long-term needs for modernized, updated stormwater systems in an era of climate change.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan unemployment agency resumes in-person office visits
Jobless workers waited more than a year for the chance to solve their unemployment issues in person. As of Thursday, they now can make appointments at 12 of the state’s offices for June 30 and beyond.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Survey: 7 of 10 Michigan small businesses now expect to survive COVID-19
While most businesses are optimistic, two thirds also say that the pandemic is negatively affecting their business, according to a survey released this week by the Small Business Association of Michigan.
Posted inBusiness Watch
‘These people want to work.’ When GM posts Flint jobs, people line up.
Michigan employers large and small say they can’t fill open positions. But General Motors still has lots of pull in a labor market where people remember the pay and stability of an auto job in GM factories.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan drops COVID-19 safety restrictions in most workplaces
Employers outside of health care settings now can choose whether to keep mask requirements, social distancing measures and plastic barriers to protect workers.
Posted inMichigan Government
This is it: Michigan to end gathering, mask restrictions on Tuesday
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says restaurants and venues can return to 100 percent capacity on Tuesday. Businesses say restrictions should have been lifted weeks ago.
Posted inBusiness Watch
A Michigan mall’s transformation: From Macy’s to self-storage
Storage units crammed with old couches and kitchenware are a long way from designer fashion. But as retail changes, so are the types of businesses that will survive in former anchor stores in the state’s malls.