Ron French is one of eight journalists nationally to receive the fellowship at Princeton University. He will continue working at Bridge while participating in the fellowship remotely due to COVID-19.

COVID is spreading at Grand Valley through off-campus gatherings and students who become infected aren’t saying who they’ve been hanging out with, health officials said.

Republican legislators accused Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration of failing to adequately prepare for the pandemic. “20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing,” countered state health director Robert Gordon.

Gary Peters points to near-perfect attendance on votes and record of passing bills to rebut arguments from John James that he skips work. The claims are true but fail to mention most senators have sterling attendance records.

President Trump has cut refugees and curtailed foreign guest workers. Joe Biden wants to restore higher admissions for people seeking to escape persecution in other countries. Michigan has a stake in which candidate prevails.

So far, the wildfire smoke hovering over Michigan has not impacted regional air quality. But climate experts say it should serve as a sobering reminder that the Great Lakes State is not immune to worsening natural disasters caused by climate change.

Michigan law now allows clerks to process absentee ballots only on Election Day. Municipal clerks say that would be a “recipe for disaster” this year given an expected surge and would delay results reporting in a closely watched presidential election.

It’s time for Bridge’s name and logo to reflect our newsroom’s statewide mission and commitment to the place we call home.

Saying an upswing in COVID cases is “quickly becoming a crisis,” Ingham County health officer orders lockdown on 30 frats, sororities and other big homes. The mandatory order comes after the health department recommended voluntary quarantines for some 38K students.

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration and Republican legislative leaders said Monday they've agreed to a framework for the 2021 budget that will protect funding for K-12 schools and local governments despite revenue declines amid COVID-19.

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.

The public can now see what K-12 schools and colleges in the state have coronavirus outbreaks, thanks to new state reporting championed by Bridge Michigan and other media outlets. There are now more than 1,300 college cases.