Demonic possession and lesbian farmers. Pickle jars and Tic Tacs. Bridge takes a walk of shame through the 2016 presidential campaign.
Ron French
Ron French is the senior enterprise reporter at Bridge Michigan, covering a wide range of topics including rural communities, federal policy impacts, education and public health. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter, and previously reported for newspapers across Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University.
Rooted in Okemos, Ron has become a true Michigander — complete with a family cabin Up North.
Posted inChildren & Families
For most students, the nurse won’t see you now
Michigan has fewer school nurses than almost any state. Some districts are getting creative to try to solve the problem
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Little action in Lansing to increase college degrees
A sobering report recommends a half billion dollars to improve college access. Lansing responds with a yawn
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
How other states are getting college dropouts to drop back in
From financial incentives to colleges designed for dropouts, states are finding ways to help residents get their diplomas. Could these programs help Michigan
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Michigan’s college dropout dilemma
Thousands of adults are just a few classes away from a degree. So why isn’t Michigan, so hungry for skilled workers, doing more to help them finish
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Over 28? You’ll get no student aid from Michigan
Obsolete state policies favor financial aid for young students over the older, part-time students who are increasingly filling college campuses.
Posted inMichigan Politics Watch
How long will Flint’s water chief remain unpaid?
Flint hired a former brigadier general to oversee replacement of its lead pipes. The Mott Foundation gave Flint money for his salary. So why hasn’t Michael McDaniel been paid? The answer tells you all you need to know about the slow pace of Flint’s recovery.
Posted inMichigan Politics Watch
Mott president on Flint: ‘You hit rock bottom multiple times’
Ridgway White says he is buoyed by the amount of philanthropic money flowing in to address Flint’s water crisis. But the Mott president tells Bridge he sees graver challenges in improving the city’s longer-term economic trajectory
Posted inChildren & Families
Beyond bottled water: Huge checks, slow progress test patience in Flint
Delivering pallets of water was the easy part. Now it gets messy, as various players jockey for position, balance competing interests and struggle with plans to repair the city and its people after a crisis like no other.
Posted inChildren & Families
Think America doesn’t give a damn about Flint? 15,000 donors disagree
15,000 donations have poured in to help Flint kids battling lead poisoning. One-dollar bills and five-figure checks arrive almost daily from schoolchildren and prison inmates, elderly widows and romance writers. Here are a few of their stories
