Left Behind – Rural Michigan's Dilemma

High up on Michigan’s Mitten, arthritis is creeping into the fingertips. Michigan leads the nation with the most counties with a median age over 50.

In far-flung rural Michigan, hardly anything is close by. It can be a problem for those in need of medical attention.

Brenda Greenhoe scours abandoned garages and backwoods lots in rural counties, bringing adrift children to school.

Is it better to keep low-income students together despite poor test scores? Or do they benefit from learning alongside middle-class children?

Across Michigan, communities are trying to craft restrictions on panhandling that don’t run afoul of First Amendment protections.

The story behind one man's sign.

Lake County competes for the unwanted title of Michigan’s poorest county. Like many rural areas across the state, Lake residents endure higher poverty, serious health and social ills, and little hope for the future.

Being poor is tough anywhere. But wanting for basics in Livingston County, the state’s most affluent, carries a different kind of sting.