Michigan is amid another surge of coronavirus inside prisons. Other states have taken to testing all corrections officers, but Michigan is relying on methods that some experts say are questionable and ineffective.
Bridge Michigan
Posted inCivic and Community Information, Emergencies and Risks (COVID-19)
Postal Service delays changes. Michigan, other states sue over slowdown
Michigan and other Democrat-led states on Tuesday sued the U.S. Postal Service over cost-cutting moves that may have contributed to mail delays. The Detroit postal district had the second-worst delays in the country from April 1 to June 30.
Posted inJobs & Economic Development
Study: Wage gap widens between Black, white workers, especially in Michigan
Both races make less than they did 40 years ago when adjusted for inflation. But wages for Black workers have declined more since the 1970s, in part because of a loss of manufacturing and widening gap in educational opportunities.
Posted in2020 Election, Civic and Community Information
Masks, sanitizer and absentee ballots: What to know about Michigan’s primary
Absentee voters are likely to make a big difference in an election marked by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Masks aren’t required but are encouraged, and there will be plenty of hand sanitizer at polling places. Here’s what else to expect.
Posted inEducation
Michigan’s Black-white college graduation gap is one of largest in nation
Black students drop out of Michigan colleges at a much higher rate than their white classmates. That graduation gap is third-worst in the country.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Coronavirus emptied Michigan’s jails without crime surge. Time for reform?
The number of inmates in county jails has fallen by half amid the pandemic and crime hasn’t spiked. Reformers say that’s proof Michigan should stop sending so many people to jail for nonviolent offenses.
Posted inJobs & Economic Development
Michigan unemployment system designed to slow payments working all too well
Michigan overhauled its unemployment insurance system nearly a decade ago to save money, root out fraud and make it harder for jobless workers to qualify for benefits. Now, with more than one million workers jobless, the state has flagged 1 in 3 claimants for fraud amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Posted inJobs & Economic Development
He took down Michigan’s unemployment system. Now, he’s struggling to fix it.
Four years before Steve Gray took over the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, he exposed a false fraud scandal that rocked state government and prompted reforms. Now, some lawmakers are calling for his ouster as he tries to fix a system crushed by record jobless claims amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Michigan’s eviction ban is ending, prompting fears of mass displacement
A moratorium on evictions is set to end Wednesday night. That has housing advocates on edge, as state officials have warned of up to 75,000 looming evictions.
Posted inCivic and Community Information
Michigan Democrats push to open police disciplinary files, limit immunity
The success of sweeping police reforms sought by Michigan’s Black and Detroit legislative caucuses may turn on how well private discussions proceed with House Republicans, who have taken steps to meet with the Democratic groups.