Mike Wilkinson
Bridge Magazine
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Past articles by Mike:
What is Right-to-Work in Michigan? What to know about law, wages, jobs, union membership
Democrats are moving fast to repeal the law that allows workers to opt out of paying dues in union-represented jobs and still receive benefits. Here are facts that shape debate. → Read More
Michigan State shooting: University lacked security common on other campuses
A Bridge Michigan survey finds that automatic door locks, live video feeds are standard at several universities in Michigan. Several reforms are underway following a shooting that killed three students. → Read More
MSU police can’t explain 13-minute alert gap, remain mum on shooting details
MSU police offered a new explanation Wednesday for why it took 13 minutes after the first shooting reports to issue an active shooter warning to students. In that time, the gunman had moved from Berkey Hall to the MSU Union, where a third student was killed. → Read More
Classroom locks, active intruder training promised after MSU shootings
Interim President Teresa Woodruff announced a series of future security upgrades on Wednesday that range from restricting public access to buildings to school-wide training sessions following a deadly mass shooting Feb. 13. → Read More
Michigan State shooting: Alerts to students delayed as police rushed to campus
All on-duty officers rushed to the gunman, leaving no one initially to send an alert to students to ‘run, hide, fight.’ The text came 13 minutes after the first 9-1-1 call, as the gunman had moved to another building. → Read More
Michigan State weighs security plan after rampage. Here are some options
MSU is conducting a security review over the coming months. It’s a debate that seeks to balance the openness of a large, public university with keeping students and staff safe. Here is how other colleges have tried to protect students. → Read More
Michigan State sought to be leader in campus security. Upgrades came too late
MSU has a sprawling camera system, but officials needed three hours to comb through footage to find an image of the suspected shooter. The university is moving to live camera surveillance. → Read More
Michigan State dispatch logs: Anthony McRae spotted hours before he was caught
Within 20 minutes of a mass shooting, officers had multiple sightings of the man who police say killed three students and critically injured five others. A deluge of other tips may have diverted officers, the dispatch log suggests. → Read More
Michigan State shooter Anthony McRae had guns charge, run-ins with police
The alleged gunman is a 43-year-old who was charged with a felony in 2019 for gun possession. He had several run-ins with police over the years for traffic offenses and driving on a suspended or revoked license. → Read More
Michigan State University: Timeline of mass shooting, manhunt
Here are the known details of what happened in the three hours between first reports of a shooting at MSU and the death of the suspected gunman. → Read More
Michigan viewers cancel cable TV in record numbers in 2022, report shows
State cable subscriptions fell a record 9 percent, as Michigan mirrors a national trend. → Read More
Michigan public school enrollment stabilizing after pandemic exodus
Overall, enrollment fell by less than 1 percent, and data suggests students who left for private schools during COVID aren’t coming back. → Read More
Turns out, young voters didn’t sway ‘22 election in Michigan, records show
It made for a good narrative, but there was no youth surge in November, records show. In fact, turnout among voters under 30 fell from 2018, when legalizing pot was on the ballot, particularly among men. → Read More
Michigan loses 14K people a year to other states. It could be worse (and has)
Census figures show that Michigan’s net loss to other states, particularly the Sun Belt, is continuing. Retirees and educated young people are first in line, but the rate of loss is slowing. → Read More
College enrollments stay down in Michigan. Blame paychecks and the pandemic?
Community colleges sustain the biggest drop, but the percentage of recent high school graduates at four-year schools remains well below pre-COVID levels. → Read More
Michigan doles out millions in pork in secret. Will Democrats pledge reform?
Legislative rules allow lawmakers to allocate big money with the barest of details. Some Democrats want big changes. But others seem reluctant to commit. → Read More
COVID variant XBB.1.5 may be poised to sweep Michigan: What to know
The ‘most transmissible variant’ yet has hit the Northeast and appears headed to Michigan. Doctors say it evades immunity, but much remains unknown about the latest strain. → Read More
Michigan Republicans lost badly statewide, but scored big in county races
Despite a solid victory for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and fellow Democrats in the Michigan Legislature, Republicans increased their share of county commission seats, where maps are still drawn by local politicians. → Read More
Census: Michigan’s population falls a hair in 2022
Michigan’s population declined by a few thousand, but experts say it should begin to grow again in a few years. → Read More
Gerrymandering never died in Michigan. It still haunts county boards, foes say
Voters created an independent panel in 2018 to draw fairer lines for state races. Partisans, though, still control the process for counties, and some commissions clearly favor one party. → Read More