Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 28-person population commission offers a broad blueprint to reverse decades of tepid population growth, calling on new investments in economy, education, people and communities.
Ron French
Ron reports on a variety of subjects across the state. Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron graduated from Purdue University. He reported for newspapers across Indiana before moving to Michigan in 1995. Ron lives in Okemos, and like the true Michigander he’s become, he now has a family cabin Up North. You can reach him at rfrench@bridgemi.com or 517-214-3636.
Posted inMichigan Government
Pay people to move to Michigan? Whitmer population panel mulls the idea
Communities (and one state) around the nation offer incentives for people — particularly remote workers — to move there. Michigan’s population commission is exploring a similar program here.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan’s draft population plan: Better schools, high-tech jobs, new taxes
Draft recommendations from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s population commission includes a laundry list of changes. And they’ll cost money.
Posted inMichigan Government
Ottawa mulls paying for concealed carry gun permits for county workers
One of Michigan’s most politically conservative counties is weighing whether to spend taxpayer dollars on handgun training and concealed carry permits for its 1,200 employees.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan is spending to fill critical worker gaps. Here’s what’s needed
Some worker shortages hurt more than others, and state leaders are rushing to try to make it easier to fill vacancies from paramedics to special ed teachers.
Posted inMichigan Government
Indiana is beating Michigan by attracting people, not just companies
Indiana leads the Midwest in population growth. Michigan lags. What can we learn from the Hoosier state? That building cities and towns where young people want to live and raise families can bring the economy along with them.
Posted inTalent & Education
West Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books wins tax support on 3rd try
The Patmos Library in Ottawa County was ground zero for a culture war over LGBTQ-themed books. After losing funding votes twice, voters approved support Tuesday to keep it open
Posted inBusiness Watch
Wine apprenticeships? Michigan’s worker shortage makes businesses get creative
Tired of not finding trained workers, some Michigan businesses are using state funding to grow their own with apprenticeships.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Can remote workers jump-start Michigan population? Yes, but roads go both ways
Young college-educated workers can live wherever they want. That gives lots of hope to Michigan, but it also is another reason to lose our best and brightest.
Posted inMichigan Government
After LGBTQ library fight, a Michigan town tries something new: compromise
Patmos Library, defunded last year in a battle over LGBTQ-themed graphic novels, will try for a third time to win taxpayer support in November. It if loses again, the library will be ‘crippled.’