Some MSU students have now survived multiple mass shootings. All have been changed by constant fear of active shooters
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 inTalent & Education
Michigan State shooting: Night of terror, morning of eerie calm for students
Students who had spent their lives preparing for active shooters experience the terror of one. Many are still shaken. Some wonder if they should return to school.
Posted inTalent & Education
Did Johnny write this or a robot? AI chatbots rock Michigan schools
Artificial intelligence writing generators like ChatGPT can compose school assignments at the click of a button. Is it the end of writing as we know it? An invitation to cheating? Or a handy tool like a calculator?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
With growing backlash to wind energy, Michigan turns to solar power
Michigan wants to increase renewable energy. Will solar parks spread across hundreds of acres meet less resistance than wind turbines taller than the Washington Monument?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Democrats eye renewable energy reform. A mid-Michigan county may be a model
After 40 years, Democrats assume complete control of Lansing in January and say they want to tackle climate policy. The experience of accepting wind and solar farms in Gratiot County could be a model for the state.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan GOP official: Shut down ‘by force’ public library with LGBTQ books
The Ottawa County Sheriff is investigating Facebook comments by a GOP congressional committee chair who called for the Patmos Library to be shut by “force” after the library refused to remove books with LGBTQ content.
Posted inMichigan Government
After LGBT book spat, Michigan family gives $100K to library they haven’t seen
The donation keeps the Patmos Library in Jamestown Township open longer after residents defeated tax requests over objections to sexually charged books. But the library’s fate is uncertain without public funding.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
A Texas lawsuit could stifle Michigan access to the abortion pill
Just when Michigan voters thought abortion rights were secure, a federal lawsuit filed in Texas by an anti-abortion coalition could curtail, at least temporarily, a medication used in 50 percent of procedures.
Posted inMichigan Government
Hate the flood of political texts? Here’s what Michigan can and can’t do.
Political campaign texting is annoying for those on the receiving end, but they’re a cheap way to reach potential voters. Michigan can’t eliminate them, but lawmakers and others can take steps to limit unwanted texts.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Mid-Michigan smacks down wind energy. Will it harm the state’s green plan?
Montcalm County voters rejected five renewable energy referendums and recalled several local officials who supported the plans. There is growing opposition to wind and solar farms as Michigan attempts to chart a green energy path.