After months of relatively few cases, the Upper Peninsula has seen coronavirus case counts soar, with most in the western part of the region along the border with Wisconsin.
Rural Michigan
Posted inMichigan Government
Unfazed by crises, northern Michigan embraces Trump record on jobs, abortion
Welcome to Missaukee County, where 3 of 4 voters backed Donald Trump four years ago and voters say racial injustice and the coronavirus aren’t pressing issues. Trump needs to dominate in such rural areas if he hopes to repeat in November, experts say.
Posted inGuest Commentary
First Person | I opened schools early. Then COVID struck. I stand by the call.
No doubt, the coronavirus is dangerous, but so is social isolation, writes a superintendent, whose district had the first student in northern Michigan test positive for COVID-19.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Coronavirus kept us home, igniting real estate frenzy in northern Michigan
Prices are climbing and competition is fierce as traditionally slow areas of Michigan become real-estate hotspots. No longer geographically tied to their workplaces and enjoying low interest rates, buyers are sparking a ‘feeding frenzy’ in northern Michigan.
Posted inTalent & Education
How a few coronavirus cases ended classes at a rural Michigan school
For every student that tested positive, there were dozens of friends or classmates found to be in close contact with them, sidelining them from the classroom as well.
Posted inGuest Commentary
First Person | Back to school in Michigan: Too new, weird and heartbreaking
An 11th-grader in Beaverton in central Michigan returns to school. Mask compliance is shaky. Emotions are raw. And students and teachers are doing their best to cope with a bizarre new reality.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Pandemic brings record crowds to Michigan parks. (And trash and trouble)
Parks, harbors, campgrounds and beaches are seeing big upticks in visitors this summer, as COVID-19 restricts summer travel options and vacationers embrace outdoor recreation for its built-in social distancing.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
$5 million in federal grants not a lot to solve Michigan’s rural opioid crisis
One mental health official says the funds “won’t go very far at all,” as the state’s opioid overdose rates start to climb once again after the coronavirus outbreak hit Michigan in the spring.
Posted inBusiness Watch
PPE turns into ‘tremendous’ opportunity for Reed City factory
Thirty jobs created during the COVID-19 pandemic is one sign that Reed City Group’s diversification into medical equipment is paying off.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Coronavirus has spared the Keweenaw Peninsula but may kill summer tourism
Untouched until now by COVID-19, this Upper Peninsula tourist haven needs thousands of downstate visitors to keep its economy alive. The opening of restaurants and bars may not be enough to save many of its businesses.