Michigan transit agencies fear aid, revenue cuts in 202
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service [This story was published in The Detroit News] Lansing — Federal funding helped Michigan transit agencies stay in good shape throughout the pandemic. It’s the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, 2021, that transportation authorities worry about. “COVID-19 related…
Downtown businesses struggle as former customers work from home
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service This story was published in The Detroit News and Ludington Daily News. LANSING — Michigan downtowns are entering into long-term trouble, business experts say. “It’s not visible yet, but it’s clearly coming,” said Rob Fowler, the chief executive officer at the…
Michigan schools must write off student lunch debts to qualify for state grant
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — Only 13 school districts have applied for help in paying off school lunch debts of Michigan public school students with just days left before a deadline. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed $1 million funding to pay off student…
COVID-19 drives new initiative to support affordable child care
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — Advocates hope that a pilot program to split child care costs among businesses, government, and families in West Michigan will lead to a similar program statewide. “This program has potential to put Michigan on the map and…
Michigan universities lose $1.2 billion to the pandemic
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — Enrollment is down in almost every public university in Michigan, causing senior administrators to cut payroll to hold the line on tuition increases and meet new costs caused by the pandemic. “We expect $1.2 billion in financial…
COVID-19 adds to local government funding woes
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — The coronavirus is straining Michigan local governments already under strain for years. [The analysis was published in Lansing CityPULSE] Repeated cuts in funding and changes to statutory revenue have harmed local budgets since the early 2000s, according to…
Michigan prisons seek more funding as COVID-19 expenses rise
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — The Michigan Department of Corrections spends $3 million each week for testing and staff expenses related to the spike of COVID-19 cases in some prisons. [The analysis was published in The Mining Journal] ”It has already spent…
Northern Michigan real estate booms as builders struggle to meet demand
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — Michigan builders are prioritizing the construction of higher value homes to gain more profit, a market-driven in part by the pandemic. [This in-depth story was published in The Detroit News, Real Estate Voices US, Manistee News Advocate,…
Community colleges expect enrollment surge from COVID-19 essential workers
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — Thousands of coronavirus front-line workers are expected to enroll in Michigan community colleges under a new program that makes it free for them. [The analysis was published in Manistee News Advocate] “When you tell people the word…
Census faces challenges in Michigan, particularly in the north
By ZHOLDAS ORISBAYEV Capital News Service LANSING — Seasonal properties, vacant houses, the lack of internet, distrust of government and fewer census takers, not to mention the pandemic, are challenges to the 2020 U.S. census, especially in Michigan’s rural northern counties, census experts say. This…