Michigan Government

As city and state officials race to resolve the lead poisoning crisis in Flint, communication problems cause headaches and hard feelings

An epidemic of drug addiction has swollen the state’s sole women’s prison to near-capacity, leading to overcrowding complaints. Is there a better way?

In a blunt report putting the blame for Flint’s water crisis squarely on state government, a task force finds that Michigan gives too much power to emergency managers and not enough voice to local residents in distressed communities

Beset by financial woes, Flint’s state-appointed leaders kept charging high rates to the city’s impoverished residents even though the switch to the Flint River sharply reduced city expenses

The task force, appointed by Gov. Snyder, finds state agencies, including Snyder’s office, were "indifferent" to residents’ concerns. The report is also scathing on impact of emergency management law. Read the full report here.

Beyond Flint, experts say the state’s failure to upgrade its vast water and sewer systems means at least $17.5 billion in needed repairs. The cost of doing nothing may be even worse.

Grand Rapids used to tremble when heavy rains fell since downpours often meant nasty sewer overflows. Today, the city rests easier after investing in a long-term upgrade that reduces the odds that raw sewage will flood river waters.

Madison, Wisconsin, the nation’s first city to replace all lead service lines, discovered that to keep residents safe it had to replace all lines, not just part of them.

Questions about the state’s bungled response to Flint’s water crisis have led to a bipartisan push to make the governor’s office and legislature subject to the state’s public records law. Michigan now ranks at the bottom for government transparency.

Bridge breaks it down by party and county, in two interactive maps

We all tend to vote for one party over another. But we also are more likely to live, love and troll among fellow travelers.

Scrounging for used parts on the Internet, Michigan clerks say it’s time for new election equipment, if the state will pay for it.

Dennis Muchmore’s deep experience as the governor’s point man did not translate into solutions for Flint’s water crisis. A year in emails.

The release of additional Snyder administration emails reveals yet more aides to the governor who were alert to potential dangers in Flint’s water long before emergency measures were taken.

Snyder administration emails on the handling of the Flint water crisis point to some big policy decisions facing the state.

Southeast Michigan has tried, and failed, to craft a functional public-transit system that works – many times. Leaders hope the RTA’s master plan, to be revealed this spring, will turn the tide

The lessons of Cleveland’s HealthLine bus rapid transit are many, including the need for wide community support for the project to succeed. But officials say the return on investment has been worth it

A state-of-the-art water contaminant warning system protected more than 4 million people in southeast Michigan. But a few years back, communities began to pull out of the network, to save money. After Flint, was that a mistake?

After more than a year of misinformation, Flint residents say they can no longer trust anything the government tells them. Paranoia? Or history?

A 2010 federal audit expressed concern about shortcuts Michigan’s drinking water safety program was taking to save money. An expert testifying before Congress today concludes from the audit that water safety regulation in Michigan is “more broken than we think.