Ted Roelofs of Kentwood, has been a general assignment reporter at Bridge since 2012 and has written extensively on health care in that time as well as prison and juvenile justice reform. Roelofs spent nearly three decades at the Grand Rapids Press where he covered politics, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rural poverty and mental illness among the homeless. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. Reach Ted at ted.roelofs@gmail.com
Candidates from the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, the Natural Law Party and U.S. Taxpayers Party would shake up the Michigan political and tax systems in unconventional ways
The Republican candidate for Michigan governor has shifted from Trump acolyte and hardline enforcer of conservative values as attorney general to a healthcare and women’s advocate this fall.
Treatment officials argue that state regulatory changes could close detox centers and force layoffs. State officials counter that centers need full-time doctors and certified providers to ensure patient safety.
A Democratic Governors Association PAC says Schuette’s office “OK’d” the deal that produced lead-tainted water in Flint, and that residents were harmed as a result of his office’s inaction.
Michigan lacks ER treatment with an opioid substitute that is saving lives in other states
Data obtained by Bridge show a spike in adults under 30 joining state voter rolls. But will young adults, who tend to vote Democratic, actually show up this fall? Or will they revert to form?
While it’s taken some hits, the Affordable Care Act is proving resilient. Premiums in Michigan are expected to flatten next year after years of spikes.
Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Bill Schuette offer Michigan voters a clear choice on healthcare issues. And nowhere are their policy differences more stark than on the Affordable Care Act.
With more than 100,000 unfilled jobs statewide, rural manufacturers often lose out in the scramble for skilled trade workers. Can added lures like company daycare, health clinics or cash bonuses turn the tide?
The Democratic and Republican frontrunners swamped their party rivals and now bring starkly different visions for curing all that ails Michigan
Can a Trump-centric platform win in November? Where do progressives go from here? Did Michigan pollsters redeem themselves? Bridge answers the burning questions from Tuesday’s primary races.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s official office calendar has plenty of blank spaces. Does this mean he wasn’t doing his job? Brian Calley suggests that’s exactly what it means.
From Michigan farmers to metal scrap recyclers to auto parts makers, trade wars on several fronts are taking a toll in a state uniquely reliant on foreign trade.
Democrats have ambitious programs to fix what ails Michigan such as bad roads and rotten schools. Republicans and Libertarians say they can address the state’s challenges without tax increases.
Build a Better Michigan had faced accusations it was a vehicle for “dark-money” contributions to the Democratic hopeful. Monday’s release showed more traditional union and progressive support.
The Michigan Democratic candidate for governor has been a strong voice for a well-funded public education system in Michigan. We check her voting record.
The Democratic candidate for governor has long criticized using state school aid funds for anything other than K-12 schools. Truth Squad explores the fine print.
Studies show prison education more than pays for itself by making ex-cons less likely to reoffend. But funding for prison classes may well run dry by next summer. Should Lansing fill in the gap?
A college prison collaboration between Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary offers hope, leadership – and a degree - for lifers at an Ionia prison.
Expensive systems in Grand Rapids and Detroit are performing below par. Another was axed in Lansing. What went wrong?
