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Invasive insects could infest 170M Michigan hemlock trees
Updated, 1:26 p.m., 8/26/19 Nature conservancies and the state of Michigan have been teaming up to save Michigan’s immense hemlock tree population. There are 170 million eastern hemlocks in Michigan that are at risk from an invasive insect smaller than a letter on this page — less than two millimeters in length. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid […]
Inside Michigan Government: All our video interviews with Michigan department heads
Last year was a sea change election in Michigan, electing new leaders for top statewide offices, starting with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Changes may have started at the top, but they’ve rippled through state government, as Whitmer has appointed new directors for most departments. For the last several months, the Michigan Advance sat down with seven […]
Michigan state police director discusses racial profiling, community outreach
In the face of continued scrutiny of law enforcement across the nation, Michigan State Police (MSP) Director Col. Joseph Gasper has made diversifying his agency a top priority. He says this is more difficult because there’s been an overall decrease in police applicants across all departments. In an exclusive interview, Michigan Advance talked with Gasper […]
Clark takes on PFAS, Line 5 as new environmental dept. director
One of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s first executive orders was to change the name of the Department of Environmental Quality into the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).* For EGLE director Liesl Clark, the change brings together her expertise in both energy and environmental conservation. In an exclusive interview, Michigan Advance sat down with […]
Gordon deploys Obama admin. experience in tackling PFAS, Medicaid work requirements
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon has stepped into his role at a time when the department faces crucial issues that affect Michigan’s rural and urban areas alike. That includes addressing everything from lead and PFAS contamination in drinking water and implementing new work requirements for Healthy Michigan recipients. In […]
Michigan prisons have undergone big reforms on Washington’s watch
Michigan Department of Corrections (DOC) Director Heidi Washington is the only carryover cabinet member from former Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration. She is responsible for the department’s 13,000 employees and approximately 39,000 prisoners housed in correctional facilities around Michigan. When then-Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer announced last year that Washington was staying on, she cited the “significant decrease” […]
Ajegba: Working with Whitmer ‘fix the damn roads’
The man in charge of carrying out Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s most famous campaign promise to “fix the damn roads” is Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Paul Ajegba. In an exclusive interview, the Michigan Advance sat down with Ajegba this month and talked to him about his background, how Michigan got into its infrastructure crisis […]
Meet Kolb and Eubanks, the leaders in charge of Michigan’s money
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last month proposed a $60.2 billion budget for the next fiscal year, which includes spending on everything from K-12 education to clean drinking water to the state police. As her negotiations with the GOP-led Legislature loom, the Michigan Advance sat down this month with two of the governor’s cabinet officials in charge […]
Slideshow and video of Whitmer’s first budget address
On Tuesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer presented her first budget to the state House and Senate Appropriations committees, which have oversight of the process. She was joined by Budget Director Chris Kolb. The Advance has reported in depth on aspects of the fiscal year 2020 budget. Here’s a roundup of our coverage so far, including background […]
Video: Lawmakers on gov. agenda of equal pay, auto insurance reform
As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ramps up to reveal her first budget next month, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, not surprisingly, are hoping to hear different things. The Advance interviewed legislators following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s first State of the State address on Tuesday. Democrats tended to praise her for highlighting long-term problems in state government like low […]
Photo Gallery: Whitmer’s first State of the State address
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave her first State of the State address Tuesday night in the Michigan House chamber after almost a month and a half in office. Here are some of the moments from her speech: