Even as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced limited reopening for the state’s battered bar and restaurant industry starting Feb. 1, she warned that indoor dining will last only so long as COVID remains under control.
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 inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan bars, restaurants can reopen Feb. 1 with restrictions, state says
The decision, which will be finalized in the next few days, comes as coronavirus cases decline throughout Michigan. State officials say the ban on indoor dining helped drive down rates. Others aren’t so sure.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Q&A: U-M researcher says Black businesses shorted in first PPP loans
Government programs should create an equitable playing field for business owners and entrepreneurs, Felix Kabo said of racial disparities his research team found in Paycheck Protection Program loans amid COVID.
Posted inBusiness Watch
New financial help for Michigan small businesses amid COVID
Emergency pandemic funding for small businesses expands this week, as PPP options broaden and state grant programs launch.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan restaurants frustrated by tentative Feb. 1 reopen date
‘Everything we’ve worked for is in jeopardy,’ says Andy French of Aubree’s Pizzeria and Grill. Feb. 1 is the most recently announced possible date for reopening, but state officials still have not released specific requirements.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Q&A: Help is on the way in 2021 for firms struggling in Michigan
The CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. says the business development pipeline is active – and important for the state’s recovery.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Q&A: Michigan nonprofits facing ‘uncertain environment’ in pandemic
Donna Murray-Brown, CEO of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, speaks to the challenges and opportunities emerging during COVID-19.
Posted inBusiness Watch
What COVID relief deals in Lansing, Washington mean for Michigan families
Here’s what we know about new legislation that, when signed into law, will help laid-off workers with extra cash payments and extended benefits.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
‘Nobody’s coming.’ How COVID is changing everyday life in Bay City.
The coronavirus struck hard in November, closing schools, cutting off incomes and putting an end to the notion that this mid-Michigan town could somehow elude a pandemic.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Owner of former Michigan Big Boy readies for COVID contempt hearing
Troy Tank has defied orders to close indoor dining at his restaurant in the Thumb, saying his economic survival depends on business as usual. But Sanilac County’s top health official wants the place closed amid a virus surge he calls “rampant.”