Quality of Life

Have plankton-devouring Asian carp finally reached the Great Lakes? After years of trying to block the invasion, the answer is: Nobody knows. Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it needs another $18 billion to cut the carp’s march up the Mississippi.

Where they come from, what they do, and how they threaten the ecosystem of the Great Lakes.

A new form of DNA allows scientists pick up the trail of the invasive species from the slime or waste detected in water samples.

Nonprofit community hospitals, once a backbone of civic life, are increasingly selling out as health care changes make survival difficult. For-profits bring infusions of cash to hospitals and communities, but also concerns about costs.

Keeping a tally of the changing hospital landscape in Michigan: At least a dozen community hospitals in Michigan have been purchased since 2010 by larger health systems

Competition among hospitals tends to keep medical prices down. Other studies find that for-profit hospitals tend to invest more in services that make more money.

Since its closing in 2000, the iconic Leelanau ski resort has been a case study on how to turn a magnificent property into a rotting, unsellable eyesore.

Hearts are in the right place, but missteps dog efforts to sell the scenic resort.

A beautiful mountain is no longer enough to keep a ski resort in business in Michigan. Successful resorts include facilities and attractions to keep tourists coming year-round.

The state’s plan to reduce mercury and PCBs to safe levels in Michigan fish could take a half century, according to preliminary state documents obtained by Bridge.