1/29/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - The latest census data is available, and Michigan is showing signs of growth. Nearly 28,000 new residents have come to Michigan in 2025, according to new census data. That’s a 0.3% increase.  Although the dataset didn’t provide county specifics, four out of 15 U.P. counties saw an increase in population from 2023 to 2024.   This is the fourth consecutive year the state’s population has increased.  Governor Gretchen Whitmer attributes the growth to an affordable, good quality of life in the state.

1/29/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Former U.S. Attorney Mark Totten announced Tuesday that he is ending his bid to replace the term-limited Dana Nessel as Michigan’s Attorney General.  The suspension of Totten’s campaign comes as a result of some unions endorsing another Democrat in the AG race.  Totten in a statement saying he doesn’t see a viable path forward in the race and is grateful for the support he has received. 

1/29/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - With a January 30th budget deadline just around the corner, proposed federal cuts could put nearly seven million dollars in nursing education and research funding at risk. The issue is raising concerns in Michigan, where hospitals are already facing staffing shortages, particularly in rural and underserved communities. The U-S House Appropriations Committee has moved to eliminate the National Institute of Nursing Research and most Title Eight Nursing Workforce Development programs. Ramona Benkert, dean of the College of Nursing at Wayne State University, says the cuts could jeopardize the pipeline of future nurse educators.

                    0:15  "The shortage for faculty is worse than the shortage for nursing. When you don't have funding to facilitate individuals to come back to graduate education to become nursing faculty – it worsens the downstream affects of fewer nurses coming out with an undergraduate degree."

Supporters of the proposed cuts argue they’re needed to rein in federal spending and shift responsibility for workforce training away from Washington, D-C and toward states, universities and health systems.