Quality of Life
Michigan is a great place to live. Bridge will report that fact often — and on potential threats to the assets that make it so.
Articles
Small-town Hastings ‘a good place to be from’
Southeast of Grand Rapids, Hastings is battling opioid addiction and other challenges as it maintains its easy-going character. Bridge pays a visit during its 2018 Truth Tour.
A Northern Michigan town waves as I-75 drivers barrel past
West Branch wants to become a destination for tourists and new businesses. Residents plead for more job training. And the town may even ditch its Victorian past. (With slideshow)
Plans on track for passenger train from Ann Arbor to Traverse City, group says
Booming tourism in Traverse City and interest justifies daily passenger trains from Ann Arbor through stops to Up North, study shows.
Michigan’s riding high. But a downturn is coming and the safety net is frayed.
A peak economy is the perfect time to expand job training and assistance. Instead, state officials are squandering the good times, experts warn.
Michigan falls short in frontline treatment for opioid crisis
The state, hard hit by opioid deaths, has a shortage of doctors trained to prescribe medication that’s critical to recovery.
Lansing provides sluggish response to Michigan’s rising drug prices
Expected bills aimed at skyrocketing drug costs face an uncertain fate in the Michigan Legislature
How other states are fighting prescription drug costs
From pressuring drug manufacturers to offer bigger discounts to seeking bulk sales from Canada, other states are taking aggressive steps to help consumers.
Did a Michigan campus narrowly avert a massacre like the Florida shooting?
We’ve all seen the horrible scenes from a Florida high school. But similar carnage may have visited Lansing Community College in November. But then a worried friend called police.
Aging area near Traverse City joins “village movement” to stay at home
Graying populations in regions across Michigan can benefit from grassroots membership networks that help with rides, nursing visits, and other challenges for older residents who want to remain independent.
An election divided them. A year later, they meet face to face.
We’ve followed Michigan residents with diverse political views since the 2016 presidential election. They came together in one room on a recent morning. Here’s what happened.
Trump and anti-Trump Michiganders meet: A photo story
Coffee, donuts, laughs and a few tears: a year after a divisive presidential election, voters meet to swap political views amid hopes they can work together on some issues.
Chemical Valley and the threat to Michigan’s drinking water
The Enbridge pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac gets all the attention. But a sprawling industrial complex in Ontario has a long history of chemical spills and botched communications with its coastal neighbors in Michigan.
Toxic chemical spill? Wait for our fax.
News of an industrial spill from Canada’s Chemical Valley can take a long, bizarre path before Michigan towns learn of poisoned waters.
New findings suggest serious threat to Great Lakes fish from, yes, Prozac
Antidepressants and other drugs are finding their way into fish and affecting their behavior.
Trump’s DACA reversal a nightmare to this west Michigan ‘dreamer’
Wilfredo Diaz came to America when he was 9. At 22, he may have to return to Guatemala because of a decision made by President Trump.
Mastodon teeth and iron lungs? Just another day at this Grand Rapids school (slideshow)
The Grand Rapids Public Museum School’s innovative approach to interactive learning was recognized with a $10 million innovation grant from Steve Jobs’ widow.
Upper Peninsula population plummets. One family’s struggle shows why.
Northern Michigan counties are losing residents at a startling rate. Jobs are scarce. And so is hope among some.
See how population is changing in your Michigan county (interactive map)
After lost decade, state sees slow growth. Check out how your county is faring with this interactive map.
A crusading attorney helped free a man framed for murder. They both ended up dead.
Leaving prison was supposed to make everything better. It was only the beginning of the troubles for an unlikely pair.
Fireworks, parades, and a partisan divide that won’t go away
The 2016 election exposed a gulf among Michigan residents. Bridge revisited 11 people and families we first profiled at Donald Trump’s inauguration to see if the past six months had changed their outlook. Both sides, it appears, are digging in.