NEW LOOK, COURSE: The Ypsilanti and Willow Run school districts merged July 1 to form Ypsilanti Community Schools, a new district that’s embarking on a variety of operational reforms, including a longer school day and longer school year. (courtesy image/Ypsilanti Community Schools) Two Washtenaw County communities are taking a marriage born out of necessity […]
After merger, school districts bet on longer days, longer calendar to revive fortunes
Posted inGuest Commentary
With tough decisions, GOP lawmakers put Michigan on path for better future
DOING GOOD WORK: House Speaker Jase Bolger applauds a colleague in the Michigan House. The Republican from Marshall argues that the GOP majorities in the Legislature have been making tough decisions that will result in a better future for Michigan. (courtesy photo/Mlive.com) Why won’t politicians tackle tough issues? Why won’t the Legislature look long-term? […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Republicans hold the wheel, are driving Michigan into the ditch
WRONG WAY: The Republican majorities in the Legislature have enacted policies that harm Michigan families, schoolchildren and workers, argues House Democratic leader Tim Greimel. (courtesy photo/Michigan House Democrats) Republicans hold an absolute monopoly on power in the state of Michigan. With majorities in the House and Senate and with a Republican in the governor’s office, […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
*A perennial problem in Michigan elections will reach its yearly peak soon. August primary elections sneak up on voters who quickly find they might not have ready access to independent information about candidates and issues. Vote411 is an attempt to help. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the site offers ballot language, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
State leaders pledge fixes for leaky fuel tanks fund after audit finds cash diversions
LITTLE HELP?: Michigan’s effort to deal with leaking underground fuel tanks such as this one have been hamstrung by the diversion of more than $200 million in state money that was collected to address the problem. In the wake of a critical state audit, policy-makers are pledging reforms to the program to accelerate the cleanup […]
Posted inMichigan Government
West Michigan veteran challenged by neuron disease, VA bureaucracy that’s supposed to help him
FRUSTRATED BY DELAYS: Joel Smith shows some of the paperwork he has collected while trying to get assistance from the Department of Veterans Affairs for medical conditions he links to his service overseas. (Bridge photo/Lance Wynn) ADA – Joel Smith’s tangle with the VA bureaucracy is the stuff of which nightmares are made. A retired […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Delays plague veteran benefit requests around the country
MAPPING THE PROBLEM: This map by the Center for Investigative Reporting details the magnitude of delays in various Department of Veterans Affairs processing offices around the country. For full details, go to http://cironline.org/reports/map-where-veterans-backlog-worst-3792. Under fire for its growing backlog of disability benefits claims, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs last July set itself a goal: […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
One policy change can help end blight of abandoned property in Michigan
CURE FOR BLIGHT: Financial commitments commonly used in the mining, petroleum and telecom industries could, if applied to residential and commercial development, help bring an end to the scourge of abandoned buildings in Michigan, argue MSU’s Rex LaMore and Michelle LeBlanc. (Bridge archive photo)For decades, many U.S. communities have suffered from population loss and economic […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Apply brainpower to get better results from billions spent on education
Phil Power is founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan. The education industry in Michigan is facing a coming tidal wave of change — and the landscape is going to be re-arranged. Money may seem to many to be the major issue, but it’s not. According to Gov. Rick Snyder’s message to the […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
New reports ID five housing ‘hot spots’ in Michigan
Michigan’s housing stock is thinning, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which pegged the state as one of only two with fewer housing units in 2012 than in 2010. Neighboring Illinois is the other. But the state of housing is far from equal across Michigan. In fact, there are growing hot spots for housing – […]