Excitement came to Michigan, at least in some parts, in late 2012 when the Census Bureau proclaimed that Michigan’s population had increased over the previous year for the first time in seven years. Our total population was up to 9,883,360, but we knew little of its characteristics. We could surmise that we were getting older, […]
Michigan’s present and future face includes more wrinkles and more color
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links: Pensions, safety when studying abroad, and would you pay a penny of sales tax to help college students pay for school?
Conservative thinker and writer Josh Barro prescribes reforms that will displease conservatives and liberals alike when it comes to public pension programs and their weaknesses as exemplified by Detroit. How safe are your college kids when they study abroad? Probably safer than they used to be. More and more universities are hiring “risk managers” to […]
Posted inChildren & Families
In Michigan, a full-time job is no guarantee of good housing
BETTER HAVE GOOD JOB: A 2013 report says that the fair market rent in Michigan would require a renter to have a full time job that pays at least $14.77 per hour. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) The line began growing overnight, hundreds of low-income suburban Detroit residents hoping to secure one of 1,000 […]
Posted inChildren & Families
How high is rent in six Michigan cities?
(courtesy image/used under Creative Commons license) Finance guidelines say housing should not cost more than 30 percent of household income. But in 2013, thousands of Michigan rental households fall below that standard. Michigan Two-bedroom fair market rental: $768 Hourly wages needed to afford two-bedroom fair market rental: $14.77 Mean renter hourly wage: $11.62 Rent […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Michigan needs ‘master teachers’ who exhibit excellence, not mediocrity
Amber Arellano is the executive director at the Education Trust-Midwest, a non-partisan research and advocacy group working to raise achievement for all Michigan students. Imagine you are a Michigan public high school math teacher. A 15-year veteran, for years your students have learned nearly twice as much as students in your colleagues’ classrooms across […]
Posted inTalent & Education
New 2-1-1 phone program connects parents in need with local preschool enrollment offices this August
(Bridge illustration/A.J. Jonews) If you have a 4-year-old child and live in a household with low or moderate income, you are one call away from a great opportunity for your family. Michigan’s preschool program, Great Start Readiness, is a proven way to provide key social and learning skills that can greatly help young children […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
WHAT WOULD YOU PAY?: If ESPN were purchased as a standalone channel, fans of collegiate baseball and other sports would have to shell out $30 per month, according to one analysis. (Bridge archive photo) *Would you be willing to pay $30, each month, just to have access to a single channel? That’s the calculation of […]
Posted inPhil's Column
‘Aerotropolis’ project finally taking off; could provide much-needed lift for Southeast Michigan
Phil Power is founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan. “What could be the single largest economic development project in Michigan history has been sitting there, right under our nose.” That’s the first paragraph of a column I wrote way back in 2001. In it, I advocated prompt action by Michigan leaders to make […]
Posted inSuccess
Warehouse lofts in Grand Rapids fill fast due to affordable housing program
FOUND A HOME: Leigh Ann Cobb poses outside her new home, Baker Lofts in Grand Rapids, which she only was able to afford via a program that offers housing developers a tax credit to invest in affordable housing. (Bridge photo/Lance Wynn) For years, the massive century-old brick furniture warehouse stood vacant in Grand Rapids as […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Bridge Magazine apologizes to Speaker Jase Bolger
Dear Bridge Readers, This letter is a public apology to Jase Bolger, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. We are apologizing for poor judgment in the handling of a recent guest column Mr. Bolger published in Bridge. Mr. Bolger has not formally requested this apology. But, in the final analysis, we think we owe […]