‘It is not a living wage’ say advocates for higher minimum pay

Published in The Detroit News, Michigan Information and Research Service, Lansing City Pulse, Manistee News Advocate, Benzie County Record Patriot, Fowlerville News and Views (print), Big Rapids Pioneer (online and print), Sturgis Journal (print, front page) The Daily Reporter (print, front page), Hillsdale Daily News (print, front page), Montmorency County Tribune (print, front page).

February 2021. With renewed discussion of raising the national minimum wage to $15 per hour, some researchers and economists say a raise will likely benefit workers in Michigan, while opponents argue that small businesses may suffer and it would result in fewer jobs.

Justice advocates praise move to close private federal prisons

Published in Michigan Information and Research Service, Ludington Daily News, Manistee News Advocate (print, front page), Big Rapids Pioneer (print).

February 2021. President Joe Biden’s recent move to eliminate federal private prison contracts is just a first step toward improving the criminal justice system, some Michigan experts say. Abdul El-Sayed, former Democratic candidate for governor and scholar-in-residence at Wayne State University’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, discusses what he feels is the inherent corruption of private prisons.

Latest stimulus package offers ‘huge win’ for small towns

Published in the Michigan Information and Research Service, Leelanau Enterprise, Manistee News Advocate (print, front page, and online).

March 2021. More than a year into a COVID-19-related economic recession, a third major federal relief package is set to provide funding for Americans directly and to some local governments for the first time. How will the American Rescue Plan help some of Michigan’s smallest communities, those with fewer than 5,000 residents?

Social districts hope to draw summer crowds, stimulate local economies

Published in The Detroit News (online and print), Alcona County Review (online and print), Ludington Daily News (online and print), Bay Mills News.

April 2021. As warm weather approaches, some communities are creating “social districts” under a state initiative that advocates say will spur social and economic involvement in downtown economies.

Some therapists say virtual visits should last beyond the pandemic

Published in The Detroit News.

February 2021. As countless Americans face pandemic-related mental health struggles, many Michigan therapists and psychologists say the practice of “teletherapy,” or virtual counseling, is an adequate substitute that greatly expands accessibility.

‘We now have a seat at the table:’ Michigan tribes embrace new Interior secretary

Published in the Lansing City Pulse, Marquette Mining Journal, Great Lakes Echo.

March 2021. With the recent confirmation of Deb Haaland to lead the Department of the Interior, the nation has its first Native American cabinet member.

Crops grown under solar panels and pollinator habitats could be wave of the future

Published in the Michigan Farm News, Ludington Daily News, Alcona County Review (online and print).

April 2021. A new report about combining solar power and farming practices has advocates saying the practice could take hold in Michigan, boosting productivity while providing much needed refuge for bees and other pollinators.

On course for a ‘phenomenal year:’ Charter anglers hope for a boom in 2021

Published in the Marquette Mining Journal, Ludington Daily News, Traverse City Record Eagle (print).

March 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic has upended much business as usual in the last year, charter fishing ventures say they’ve experienced higher demand for their services and look to this summer with anticipation.

Michigan ranks average in reliance on federal funding, report says

Published in the Hillsdale Daily News (print, front page), Big Rapids Pioneer (online and print, front page).

April 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the American economy over the past year, a new report ranking the states based on their reliance on federal funding puts Michigan right around the national average.

Outlook mixed on Michigan’s effort to ‘fix the damn roads’

Published in the Petoskey News Review (print), Clare County Cleaver (print).

January 2021. With a new presidential administration and an expressed willingness for bipartisan cooperation from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, advocates of better roads and infrastructure say they have mixed expectations about increased funding and improved federal guidance.

‘We need true history and real history to be taught’: Black History Month education advocate

Published in the Lansing City Pulse, Manistee News Advocate.

February 2021. Educators across the state say they support Black History Month lessons and that they provide valuable information about Black accomplishments, despite some political efforts to end the tradition.

As religious attendance in Michigan decreases, churches close

Published in the Lansing City Pulse.

April 2021. Church attendance is down, and more houses of worship are predicted to close at an accelerated rate, a national report finds. Religious leaders say that the nationwide trend affects Michigan as well.

Extreme weather threatens aging water infrastructure

Published in the Great Lakes Echo.

February 2021. With extreme weather across the nation and the failure of water infrastructure systems in Texas, Michigan residents may be wondering if the state is up to dealing with extreme and unexpected weather conditions such as floods and tornadoes.

Disabled tenants in Detroit say they face significant problems, neglect

April 2021. Imagine waking up in a bathtub padded with extra blankets. Imagine having to seek medical attention and being left with scars up and down your arms after nonstop bedbug bites. Imagine doing everything in your power to get out of the situation, but the organizations designed to help you ignore your pleas. These experiences are commonplace for tenants with disabilities in Detroit’s federally subsidized housing, says Shea Campbell. 

St. Patrick’s Day, the pandemic and partying: students balance choices

March 2021. More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and with a second Saint Patrick’s Day in the midst of the crisis, East Lansing partiers weighed plans for the holiday and their worries about the virus.

Pandemic boredom drives students to make crafts

March 2021. As many of us have found ourselves with excess free time in the last year, some have turned to hobbies that they might not have considered previously. Some students have turned to arts and crafts for physical creations, as the pandemic continues to keep most activities online.

Plants improve pandemic experience

April 2021. As Michigan’s coronavirus cases continue to rise, some Michigan State students are eager to be quarantined with their favorite house plants.

“Extraordinary dialogue happening in extraordinary times:” MSU community members discuss Cornel West’s recent event

March 2021. Dr. Cornel West has held many roles throughout his career: Harvard professor, political commentator, social justice advocate, author, musician, two-time actor in The Matrix series, among many others. On Feb. 25, West spoke as part of Michigan State University’s annual lecture series through the College of Osteopathic Medicine, while professors and student organizers alike praised his knowledge on social and historical topics.

Online Model UN changes experience, increases access

April 2021. As the pandemic continues to keep many events virtual, high school and college Model United Nations conferences are adapting to the new format with mostly positive reactions from students and organizers.

“It’s the same education in a different space.” East Lansing prepares for in-person instruction

With Amber Higgins.

February 2021. As East Lansing prepares to bring students back for in-person learning for the first time, students and teachers alike are anxious to return to normal — but many recognize that it won’t quite be the same.

East Lansing Police Department faces oversight commission amid significant policy changes

February 2021. After many months of increased scrutiny and renewed conversations about the role of law enforcement in American society, the City of East Lansing has formed a study committee to put in place a permanent oversight board to work with the East Lansing Police Department on better serving their community.

Medicare for All in Michigan: What would it look like?

March 2021. With the recent introduction of a modest health care bill in the Legislature and a continued national discussion, the concept of “Medicare for All” remains championed by progressives as a way to deal with a health system that some believe is inherently flawed.

Dissecting the Democratic down-ballot disaster

December 2020. After a lackluster 2020 election performance, there has been significant debate within the Democratic Party about the place for progressive policies and whether those policies helped or hurt them in races across the board.

The new non-voter

November 2020. In the 2020 General Election, many young voters in key swing states are choosing not to vote out of a form of protest. This action comes after years of neglect from the two leading political parties and the belief that the “lesser of two evils” just isn’t good enough.

Greek Life in quarantine – targeted or miscommunicated?

October 2020. On Sept. 14, 2020, 30 Greek Life and rental properties in East Lansing, Michigan, were put under a mandatory quarantine by the Ingham County Health Department after a surge in COVID-19 cases. This was quickly followed up with the addition of 11 other houses on Sept. 17. Some students, now no longer under quarantine, believe that this decision unfairly targeted Greek Life and damaged their reputation.