Michigan trails only Florida in the number U.K. B.1.1.7 variant cases following the most recent outbreak tied to prep basketball games in Grand Ledge. Variants pose a greater concern as people travel more and spring break hits.

A bipartisan package is advancing to partially open the records of the governor and lawmakers. But critics say it is watered down with exemptions and allows officials to destroy records before they become public.

At a hearing Tuesday before a Senate joint committee, Canadian government, business and union officials said keeping the aging pipeline open would be a “win-win” for Michigan and Canada, while Democratic senators grilled them over safety concerns.

Devastating Midland floods would have been worse were it not for the sponge-like properties of a newly-restored wetland along the Shiawassee River. As climate change brings more intense rainstorms to Michigan, the incident is an example of how wetlands could help mitigate flood threats.

Changing climate threatens to bring more intense storms and worse floods to the Great Lakes region. In Grand Rapids, one park takes neighborhood stormwater runoff and stores it until it returns to the earth.

Governments are receiving a windfall unseen in decades, $5.9 billion to state coffers and $4.4 billion to cities, towns and counties. As communities eye neglected infrastructure and other needs, use this database to see how much is coming to Michigan communities.

If Opening Day were today, only 1,000 fans would be allowed in Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Tigers. That may change soon.

State officials and colleges are learning what marketing experts have known for years: “Free” is a powerful draw.

On March 30, Bridge Michigan Capitol reporter Jonathan Oosting will moderate a Zoom discussion with the ACLU of Michigan and Mackinac Center on government transparency and reform efforts in Michigan.

A year after some feared collapse, Michigan’s economy is weathering the storm but warning signs remain. Jobs in the hospitality industry, exemplified here by Mackinac Island, are down. Here are more than two dozen metics you need to know to understand the recovery, from average income and housing prices to debt and productivity.

The pandemic put more challenges onto women, who had to work, care for children and deal with other aspects of the virus. Now the shortage in the labor force is causing more workplaces to consider how to woo them back.

Local health officials in some counties welcomed the news that anyone over 16 could soon get the vaccine, saying they can get to more people sooner. But there was also concern seniors and other groups could be pushed behind the more computer savvy.