Some officials in Kalkaska and Grand Traverse counties have denied funding for needle exchange programs, arguing they encourage drug use. Such fears have been refuted by decades of research showing exchanges reduce HIV and other health problems and encourage more people to seek treatment.
Border businesses and the state’s tourism industry suffer as COVID limits prevent Canadian visitors for another month at least. And state residents with the travel bug or property in Canada also can’t cross. One official said it could be Thanksgiving before the border opens.
Author Angeline Boulley will join Bridge Michigan for a discussion of her debut novel, set in Sault Ste Marie. Join us on Zoom from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. July 27. Bridge members receive a free e-version of this New York Times bestseller.
The bill, which passed with Republican support and Democrat opposition, now heads to the House. It would require the state to appoint only Upper Peninsula residents to a body that advises state officials on wolf management policy. Wolves are only found in the U.P.
The once-sleepy community of fewer than 100 residents now sees thousands of tourists every summer weekend. As the crowds strain capacity, how can the town sustain outdoor recreation that has become its economic engine, without sacrificing its small-town charm?
Last year’s crush of visitors stunned businesses and this summer promises a sequel: from sold-out campgrounds to heavy demand for boats, kayak and bikes and, likely, more novice hikers needing to be rescued from state and national parks.
Federal guidance late last week that gave vaccinated people more freedom to go maskless left the state and private businesses scrambling to update their own rules.
After months of waiting lists and people frantic to get protected against COVID-19, public health workers are now waging a ground game to get Michigan to vaccinate the reluctant and hard-to-reach. Wednesday’s ship clinic illustrates the brutal challenge ahead.
In a letter Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put Enbridge on notice that if the company keeps operating Line 5 in the Straits beyond Wednesday, the state will pursue legal action to recoup any profits Enbridge amasses from “wrongful use of the State’s property.”
The Canadian petroleum company technically has until Wednesday night to stop piping oil through the Straits of Mackinac, according to the state of Michigan. But what happens if the company refuses to abide by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order?
A warming climate means trouble for northern Michigan’s boreal forests. By importing saplings common to southern Michigan, foresters aim to help trees get a head-start in building the forests of the future.
With Great Lakes whitefish in decline, commercial fishers say they’re fighting for survival against state rules that would put them out of business. But recreational fishing advocates say the commercial trade needs more regulation.
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine helped health workers reach rural and island residents, the homeless, agricultural workers and freighter crews — people more likely to need a single-dose vaccine. The vaccine’s halt Tuesday complicates the state’s path to herd immunity.
Activists fear a group that may make recommendations on a wolf hunt is stacked with partisans. Tribes and Upper Peninsula hunters have similar complaints about the panel.
Michigan plans to distribute thousands of doses of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine to public and private colleges in coming days, in hopes of immunizing students before they leave campuses as the school year ends.
With climate action on the state and national agenda, critics of Enbridge Line 5 warn that investing in new pipeline infrastructure undermines Michigan’s pathway to carbon neutrality. Experts say it’s not so simple.
