Posts published in “Guest Column”

  When hospitals close or cut vital services in the wake of Medicaid funding reductions, there is one very clear reason why those decisions will need to be made: Because the federal government just slashed…

  Detroit factory workers wept. Church bells rang. Families gathered around radios. At the University of Michigan, Dr. Thomas Francis had just announced to the world on April 12, 1955, that the Salk vaccine to…

  A typical fall Saturday afternoon in Michigan. Thousands of fans flock to stadiums in Ann Arbor, East Lansing, and other college towns to watch their favorite team play football. An ordinary scene on college…

  The tide is turning when it comes to kids and smartphones. Teachers, parents and even children are realizing that having the internet in your pocket during the school day is a disaster. What algebra…

  Across Michigan, county sheriffs are on the front lines of the opioid crisis. We see its tragic impacts every day — in the faces of those who come into our jails battling addiction, in…

  Like many Michiganders, I’ve struggled to make sense of my medical bills. Recently, I found basic math errors on a bill. I felt a familiar dread — not just about the error, but about…

  As president of Iron Workers Local 25, representing over 5,000 active and retired iron workers across the state of Michigan, I’ve seen an American manufacturing renaissance thanks to federal clean energy tax credits. New…

  In May 2024, surrounded by colleagues, students and even my family, I was surprised in a schoolwide assembly naming me the 2024-2025 Michigan Teacher of the Year. As my hands literally shook with astonishment,…

  “I prefer studying alone,” the high schooler told me. “Why,” I asked. He responded, “Because I don’t have any friends.” My heart sank. In moments involving such a “heavy statement of truth,” I know…