Author

Anna Gustafson is the assistant editor at Michigan Advance, where her beats include economic justice, health care and immigration. Previously the founder of the Muskegon Times and the editor at Rapid Growth Media in Grand Rapids, Anna has worked as an editor and reporter for news outlets across the country.
Peters, Slotkin, Meijer win in close contests
By: Anna Gustafson - November 5, 2020
Following a roller coaster of a day in which the political fates of several Democrats and Republicans running in Michigan shifted frequently, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) have won reelection. There were several competitive congressional races in Michigan, and the delegation looks like it will end up with […]
Doctors are ‘angry and frustrated’ about health risks of Trump’s Michigan rallies
By: Anna Gustafson - November 2, 2020
Michigan health care workers on Monday blasted President Donald Trump’s decision to continue to hold large campaign rallies in Michigan, including events in Traverse City and Grand Rapids, despite a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state and recently released research that links hundreds of COVID-19 deaths and tens of thousands of cases […]
A ‘trauma tsunami’: COVID-19 takes its toll on Michiganders’ mental health
By: Anna Gustafson - October 27, 2020
When a patient is dying from COVID-19, nurse Molly Nixon will hold their hand. She will tell them they are loved. And, often, she will be the last person they see as they take their final breaths. “I’m there with them as their last human contact; I’m the last person they see on this earth […]
West Michigan has been a key GOP stronghold. That’s now being tested by two congressional races.
By: Anna Gustafson - October 15, 2020
The 3rd and 6th congressional districts in West Michigan are, in some ways, a study in contrasts: They are a world of dense urban neighborhoods and cornfields that fill the horizon, of cars donning “Resist” and “Make America Great Again” bumper stickers, of Republican and Democratic (and occasional Libertarian and Green) political signs dotting yards […]
Duggan plans to shut down most of Detroit city govt. for 2 days to process ballots
By: Anna Gustafson - September 22, 2020
Citing concerns that President Donald Trump could attempt to declare victory prior to all absentee votes being counted in the Nov. 3 presidential election, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Tuesday that he will “basically be shutting down city government for two days” in order to place “all city employees at the city clerk’s disposal” to […]
COVID-19 has made immigrants fear seeking care, while Asian Americans feel Trump made them ‘targets’
By: Anna Gustafson - March 22, 2020
The phones have been ringing off the hook at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. The voices coming through are a chorus on repeat: I’ve been laid off. What do I do now? How do I feed my family? Am I eligible for unemployment? Will I be deported if I go to the doctor? What do […]
Hopes for a female VP run high in Grand Rapids as Klobuchar boosts Biden
By: Anna Gustafson - March 7, 2020
It was half a word — “tick” — that landed U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) the loudest cheers of the morning as she campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden in Grand Rapids. “I could not think of a better way to end my candidacy, as hard as that was to […]