(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 […]
Grand Rapids
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 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 – […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
A quick beginner’s guide to the world of Michigan craft beers
BEER SPLASH: Perrin Brewing isn’t as well-known as other craft brewers from the Grand Rapids area, writes Danielle Casavant, but it’s rapidly raising its profile among the ever-growing ranks of Michigan brewers. (courtesy photo/mlive.com) It’s hard to beat a refreshing beer on a warm summer day — and in Michigan these days, beer drinkers are […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Uninsured watch anxiously as Medicaid debate rolls on
HEALTH GAMBLE: Greg Hunt has diabetes, Addison’s Disease, a thyroid condition – and no health insurance. The Kent County man works and goes to school, but he has had to defer purchase of a prescription due to cost and has had major health bills that have gone unpaid. Advocates say Medicaid expansion in Michigan would […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Grand Rapids races ahead of state on teacher evaluations
(courtesy image/used under Creative Commons license) The old system of evaluating a teacher’s performance – a principal observing in a classroom – was not particularly effective, school administrators and teacher union leaders agree. The challenge is in coming up with a better system. A committee of education experts – the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Best, worst of Michigan communities’ fiscal ratings
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) David Hollister knows a bit about how public budgets work. He served as mayor of Lansing for a decade. Before that, he served two decades in the Michigan House, representing Lansing. And he says, “We need to recalculate how urban centers are funded.” A Munetrix review of data from […]
Posted inMichigan Government
New rankings find fiscal troubles for city halls across Michigan
TROUBLE AHEAD: An analysis by Munetrix found that dozens of Michigan communities were in troubling financial shape in 2011, with 2012 data still to be filed. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) While the financial problems of Detroit have captured the headlines this spring, a new analysis released today on government finance finds that […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Volunteers offer short-term foster care for families in crisis
Nothing matters more to Stephanie Murphy than her girls. So when the single Holland mother of three had a medical crisis in 2011, she felt backed into a corner. Her oldest, Alexis Borgman, then 13, could stay with her father, who had visitation rights. But she feared that her other two daughters — Aaliyah and […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
*Two Michigan suburbs are ranked in the top 10 nationally for offering the best in the way of suburban life. Hint: One is in metro Grand Rapids and one is in metro Detroit. Click through to see if your guess was right. UNCOVERED: Ice coverage of the Great Lakes is on a steady decline, says […]