News item: The Detroit International Bridge Company, which owns the Ambassador Bridge, wants to put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot, one that would require a statewide vote for the New International Trade Crossing bridge to go forward. There’s little mystery as to what this is really all about. The bridge company is entirely […]
Center for Michigan
Posted inTalent & Education
Journalism hall honors Center for Michigan founder
Speaking before the assembled guests at an induction ceremony of the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, Center for Michigan Chairman Phil Power told a story about how he got into the newspaper business. It was the mid-1960s. After studying at prestigious schools in the United States and Great Britain, the young Power had moved on […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Senate panel backs prison cuts
A month ago, CFM President John Bebow urged the Senate subcommittee overseeing prison spending to take pruning shears to the governor’s proposal for 2013 to spend about $2 billion on the Michigan Department of Corrections. “(C)ontinued re-engineering of the prison system in Michigan is another chapter in the theme of Reinventing Michigan,” Bebow told the […]
Posted inMichigan Government
'Issues & Ale' tackles emergency manager law
Do you like beer? Do you care about state policy? Well, come enjoy both at the next “Issues & Ale” event in Flint next Monday (March 26). Co-sponsored by the Center for Michigan (Bridge’s parent organization) and Michigan Radio, “Issues & Ale” is a continuing series of public forums to illuminate key issues before […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Five decisions for a more ethical state government
By Phil Power and Derek Melot/Bridge Magazine Time and again – not least in the recent Republican presidential primary election – we hear of the countless ways money has infested and debased our political system. And in countless community conversations held by the Center for Michigan, we heard from citizens who want reform, of the […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Young professional groups sprout to grow Mich. connections
Traveling around Michigan is one of the pleasures of running the Center for Michigan. You get a sense of the rhythm of communities and what trends are developing. One such positive development made the front page of the Battle Creek Enquirer this week: Young professionals banding together to find ways to build strong communities. In […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Better ideas in 140 characters or less
This week’s inaugural Center for Michigan Twitter chat on education, while it didn’t exactly melt the Internet into a puddle, was a success, enough so that we’re planning another one. Mark your calendars for March 28, noon to 1 p.m., hashtag #edchatmi. We’re sourcing the crowd to air common-sense solutions for boosting parental involvement in […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers” — Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th century English poet * What’s going on inFinland? The Center forMichigan is engaged in a statewide round of community conversations on how to improve K-12 education. Our outreach coordinator, Courtney Thompson, tells us that in sessions so far, one nation keeps cropping up for praise: […]
Posted inTalent & Education
A Wayne graduate and the class of whenever
The new year brought a new milestone in my life. I graduated from Wayne State University, with a master’s degree in communications/journalism. That fact, possessing a Wayne State degree as an African-American student, makes me something of a rarity, as Bridge’s coverage of the struggles of African-American students at Wayne makes clear. As expected, my […]
Posted inSuccess
Bridge, MLive team up to spread Bridge stories
Two leading Michigan media organizations announced a new partnership today aimed at bringing additional in-depth news and analysis to statewide readers. Beginning this week, in-depth reports and commentary from Bridge Magazine (www.bridgemi.com) will run in the statewide online and print news publications of MLive Media Group (www.mlive.com). The nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for Michigan launched Bridge […]