The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed 31 cougar observations in 2025 and the number is expected to go up. That doesn’t necessarily mean there are more cougars in the state, but at least one family is established here.
Michigan sees record cougar reports in 2025
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan cities limit salt use because icy temps mean it won’t work, anyway
Michigan cities are limiting road salt and prioritizing key routes as extreme cold reduces the salt’s effectiveness. Northern Michigan is seeing record snow totals, with some areas already above seasonal averages.
Posted inMichigan Government
Unpaid medical debt? Michigan may soon limit how creditors can come after it
Unpaid medical debt is a national issue. A bipartisan pair of state senators hope to address repayment problems in Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch, The Center for Michigan
Bridge Lunch Break recap: Experts call for tougher nursing home regulations
During a discussion Wednesday with Bridge readers, two experts called for tougher regulations and laws around nursing homes.
Posted inTalent & Education
Ypsilanti schools warn parents to take precautions amid reported ICE detentions
Ypsilanti Community Schools is urging families to make care plans and know their rights as reports of immigration enforcement by bus stop emerge.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Don’t be fooled: The school smartphone bill won’t do much
If students have their phones in their pockets, the temptation to look at them in class will remain. The second issue is that allowing smartphones at lunch and in-between classes robs students of crucial face-to-face socialization.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Scientists trying to solve mystery of ‘rock snot’ in Michigan streams
Didymo — also called ‘rock snot’ because of its appearance — suddenly bloomed in Michigan streams in recent years, and scientists don’t really know why.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Hundreds of miles of new transmission lines planned in Michigan
Michigan’s largest transmission company wants to build more than 350 miles of new high-voltage power lines across the Lower Peninsula in the coming years, starting with a 50-mile segment near Lansing. Company officials tout more reliable and cheaper energy, but neighbors are wary.
Posted inMichigan Government
Former Michigan governors teaming up in ‘defining moment for civility’
Amid national tensions, former Michigan Govs. Rick Snyder, Jennifer Granholm, John Engler and Jim Blanchard are uniting in a bipartisan call for civil discourse.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan gains 28k residents, reversing losses to other states
For the first time in decades, more people moved to Michigan from other states in 2025 than vice versa, according to new US Census Bureau Estimates. International migration was the primary population growth driver.