BELIEVE OR LEAVE: A woman says U.S. immigration officials tell her that she has to join a church or her bid for citizenship will be rejected. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) *Land of the free?: “Margaret Doughty … is being told by officials that her application to become a naturalized U.S. citizen could be […]
Land O Links
Posted inGuest Commentary
Immigrants can help revitalize Michigan
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Michigan State University and its surrounding community of Lansing-East Lansing are among the Top 10 for largest international student enrollment in the United States. Each fall, more than 6,500 international students — 1,800 of whom are new to the university — arrive in East Lansing. And these growing numbers […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Detroit will not prosper without reversing population drain
Phil Power is founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan. Well, well. Kevyn Orr is now firmly in the saddle as Detroit’s emergency manager. Mike Duggan’s campaign for mayor has evaporated, leaving Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon in the driver’s seat. And Bob Ficano, the current Wayne County executive, is teetering on the brink […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
It would be nice to know size of classes in Michigan schools
A Bridge Editorial HOW MANY?: Michigan parents have no way to compare the number of students in their children’s classes to classes in other schools and districts, an information deficit the state Department of Education should quickly remedy. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Bridge Magazine recently conducted an exhaustive analysis of class size […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
To kill the gerrymander, elect better representatives
WHAT ROUGH BEAST? Oddly shaped districts, like Michigan’s 14th in the U.S. Congress, are the result of political power plays. But the solution isn’t necessarily to take politics out of the process, argues Brunch columnist Conor Dugan. Rep. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, has proposed legislation that would establish an independent, nonpartisan commission consisting of “regular citizens” […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Kids these days: Quick to click, but engagement lags
THE MILLENNIAL PARADOX: They might follow senators and presidents on Twitter, but when it comes to getting their hands dirty in politics, are young people in, or out? (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) My first serious disagreement with my husband was on our second date. It was about John Mayer. My guitarist husband said […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Mix school choice, state incentives and you get a $400,000 high-schooler
In Birmingham, the school district got $440,000 for one out-of-town high-schooler. In nearby Novi, the schools received $320,000 for an empty desk. That’s what you get when you mix a governor’s reform agenda with schools threading the needle between school choice and protesting parents. The two districts in Oakland County had long opted out of […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Look Ma! We’re doing it on three wheels!
THREE-WHEELIN’: TerraTrike employee Brandon Griffin, 29, of Caledonia shows off one of the firm’s creations on a trail through Cascade Township Park near Grand Rapids. TerraTrike is one of the 2013 “50 Companies to Watch” across Michigan. (Bridge photo/Lance Wynn) You can tell a lot about where the state’s economy has been and where it’s […]
Posted inQuality of Life
New century brings change to Michigan’s gender competition
CLICK TO ENLARGE On gender, the statistics always have been clear. More male babies are born than female babies – about 104 or 105 males per 100 females, in fact. Women, though have their own advantage: longer lifespans. At age 65, there are 108 females per 100 males; by age 80, the ratio is 143 […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Detroit’s art treasures represent legacy we must protect
By Maud Lyon/CultureSource NOT FOR SALE: Detroit’s artistic legacy was a gift and remains a public trust. It cannot be sold off like a company’s office equipment, argues Maud Lyon. (Bridge archive photo) For 128 years, men and women have given works of art to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Why would people give the […]