Rural Michigan

State regulators have shortened Michigan’s coyote hunting season from year-round to nine months, hoping to avoid killing parents while their pups are in the den. Not everyone likes the change.

Michigan is receiving $1.5 billion from an opioid settlement. Up North, experts worry that housing and worker shortages will make it hard to put the money to good use and help users.

The growth is small but conclusive: Northern Michigan areas like Crawford County, whose population had declined since 2000, gaining residents. West Michigan leads the pack, while metro Detroit is hit hard.

Environment reporter Kelly House will be joined by experts on March 28 for a virtual discussion on how climate change is impacting Michigan’s environment and culture.

National Park Service wants to wean off fossil fuels. That means switching to electric mowers at Pictured Rocks, solar at Keweenaw National Historical Park and discontinuing diesel generators on Isle Royale.

If Michigan is truly interested in lowering health care costs, lawmakers need to protect pharmacy benefits and pharmacy benefit managers.

Funding shortfalls mean more backlogs and delays. Some counties Up North have just one attorney handling all cases.

Several ski resorts in Michigan have announced that they closed for the season due to the lack of snow this winter.

The Small Business Administration is giving loans of up to $2 million to small businesses in Michigan affected by the lack of snow this winter.

Winter is changing in Michigan and may vanish in decades to come because of climate change. Bridge Michigan asked readers how they feel: Some see a wake-up call; others are relieved.

Before 2012, the black bear population was declining so the DNR began to limit the number of bear licenses it issued. A decade later, the population had grown 25% to over 12,000.

As winters shorten, the impact goes beyond skiing and ice fishing. Here are five ways the future will change.

Lost winters like 2024 may soon be the norm. That threatens so much of what makes Michigan unique, from ice fishing and snowmobiling to cross-country skiing and just traipsing in the snow.

An endangered Great Lakes shorebird that has survived earlier threats to its habitat now faces new challenges. Report a banded plover and learn more at the Great Lakes Piping Plover website.

Michigan could determine the presidency this fall. Trump supporters acknowledge some fatigue, but say he’s right on issues like the border and the economy.

The biggest obstacle for fire and rescue stations in rural areas is the distance between someone in need and the station.

Michiganders can join observers around the world and participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend.

A staple for centuries and ‘synonymous with northern Michigan,’ the fish are struggling to reproduce in the Great Lakes. So scientists hope to convince the whitefish to spawn in rivers, away from threats.

A 4.25-mile expansion of the popular Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Trail has prompted environmental concerns.

The plant could be a key for Michigan to realize its transition away from fossil fuels, but environmental groups are upset by the governor’s proposal to double the state’s financial support for Palisades.