Rural communities face a tsunami of modern ills, from fading economies to children who can’t wait to leave. You can help Bridge document the hardship (and joy) of rural life.
Help Bridge chronicle the challenges facing rural Michigan
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan State
Michigan’s public universities show nominal gains in student scores ACT scores of incoming freshmen at Michigan’s 15 public universities changed little since 2001, except at two places: The University of Michigan, where admissions became even more selective, and at Ferris State, where the scores of freshmen in the 75th percentile of last year’s incoming class […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
A chill at the half-century mark prompts a new focus on life
Growing older brings its share of sorrows, but also a renewed appreciation of friends old and new. So raise a glass; your time's not past.
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Six paths to a freer Michigan
Everybody loves a list. Are these a half dozen ways to make a better Michigan? Our contributor thinks so.
Posted inQuality of Life
Oil lease proposed under 400-year-old virgin pines
The state may allow an oil lease under the largest stand of virgin white pine in the Lower Peninsula. Experts say drilling wouldn't harm trees. But critics fear a booming oil rig at Hartwick Pines State Park.
Posted inQuality of Life
How to comment on possible oil drilling under Hartwick Pines State Park
Revenue and jobs? Or undisturbed quiet? Make your voice heard on drilling proposals. Also, see if you live near a proposed drilling site.
Posted inChildren & Families
Free speech goes begging in Grand Rapids
Across Michigan, communities are trying to craft restrictions on panhandling that don’t run afoul of First Amendment protections.
Posted inChildren & Families
A day on the streets with a young panhandler
The story behind one man's sign.
Posted inChildren & Families
Down and out in Lake County
Lake County competes for the unwanted title of Michigan’s poorest county. Like many rural areas across the state, Lake residents endure higher poverty, serious health and social ills, and little hope for the future.
Posted inChildren & Families
Living poor, in a county of wealth
Being poor is tough anywhere. But wanting for basics in Livingston County, the state’s most affluent, carries a different kind of sting.