A devastating trend shows few signs of slowing, which means longer waits for an ambulance, distant maternity care and a brutal cycle that may lead more residents (and medical workers) to abandon rural communities.

Residents who depended on the hospital in tiny Haleyville agreed to pay hikes in sales and property taxes. Their sacrifice in tax-averse Alabama may portend what it will take to keep other rural medical facilities in business.

The governor is getting pushback from city activists. Meanwhile, it appears the administration may be able to dissolve the district without help from the Legislature if local officials balk at closing the high school.

With a few last tweaks (adding the Ten Commandments and a reference to sturgeon), Michigan’s controversial social studies standards are approved by a Democratic-leaning state education board

Governor signs executive order creating Census committee to better reach undercounted communities

Heavy rains are taking a toll on the collection of fishing shanties in the Leelanau Peninsula, eroding some buildings and flooding others. That’s accelerating a fundraising effort to preserve the buildings.

The anguish Benton Harbor is undergoing now was felt by Albion residents six years ago. Today, Albion students, attending a high school 13 miles away, are graduating at a higher clip.

The latest can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.

Researchers in Michigan and elsewhere are studying new ways to increase the lifespan of roads and bridges. Could recycled materials and new methods of mixing asphalt be the future? See our slideshow.

Michigan attorney general sides with Detroit children’s lawsuit against the state. ‘There are moments in our ... history when silence in the face of abhorrent circumstances is not an option,’ Nessel says.

The Republican-controlled Senate and House leave the Democratic governor’s big school reform effort out of their education budget proposals.

House Republicans intend to propose replacing Michigan’s 6 percent sales tax on gasoline purchases with an equal amount of gas tax, dedicating the revenue to roads. Some Democrats say they’re concerned about the impact of losing sales tax revenue on schools and local governments.