Watch Live: Bridge Michigan Issues Summit
Wednesday, Oct. 21 | 1–5:30 p.m. ET | Streaming live
Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, Bridge Michigan spent a year asking people across the state what matters most to them. On Oct. 21, Bridge journalists take those answers to experts, community leaders and policymakers, live from Detroit.
The panels look at why health care keeps getting more expensive, how housing costs and wages are squeezing family budgets, whether Michigan schools can prepare the next workforce, and what the push for data centers and high-tech growth means for the state's power and water. Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Henderson leads conversations on the races for governor and U.S. Senate. Veteran Detroit broadcaster Devin Scillian hosts.
Presented by Bridge Michigan, with media partners Detroit PBS and Michigan Public.
Program:
Welcome & What Michiganders Told Us
The Talent Pipeline:
Balancing Early Literacy with Postsecondary Goals Michigan wants a 21st-century workforce, but its K-12 foundation is struggling. The panel covers literacy, teacher shortages and chronic absenteeism.
Moderator: Isabel Lohman, Bridge Michigan.
Panelists: Dr. Judy Walton, Harrison Community Schools; Danielle Cover, Ferndale Public Schools; Dr. Venessa Keesler, Launch Michigan; Ryan Fewins-Bliss, Michigan College Access Network.
Election 2026:
The U.S. Senate Race With Stephen Henderson and Lauren Gibbons, Bridge Michigan.
Healthcare Affordability:
Why Costs Are Rising and What It Means for Michiganders Premiums are up, people are rationing medicine and medical debt is growing. The panel covers what's driving costs and what candidates propose.
Moderator: Robin Erb, Bridge Michigan.
Panelists: Marianne Udow-Phillips, University of Michigan Center for Health and Research Transformation; Dr. Deidre Hurse, public health researcher; Dr. Latonya Riddle-Jones, Wayne State University School of Medicine; Laura Appel, Michigan Health & Hospital Association.
How Well Do You Know Michigan?
A Live News Quiz With Joel Kurth, Bridge Michigan.
Political Promises and Pocketbook Realities:
Housing, Wages and Affordability Housing supply, zoning reform, taxes and stalled wages, and what candidates plan to do about them.
Moderator: Jordyn Hermani, Bridge Michigan.
Panelists: Dan Gilmartin, Michigan Municipal League; Dr. Tim Hodge, Oakland University; Dr. Natasha Pilkauskas, University of Michigan; Chelsie Wilkinson, Room at the Inn.
Election 2026:
The Race for Governor With Stephen Henderson and Simon Schuster, Bridge Michigan.
Innovation Collision:
Balancing High-Tech Ambitions with Energy and Water Realities Lansing is pushing hard for high-tech growth like data centers. Can Michigan's aging infrastructure and natural resources keep up?
Moderator: Kelly House, Bridge Michigan.
Panelists: Brenda Stumbo, Ypsilanti Township; Michelle Martinez, University of Michigan Tishman Center for Social Justice and the Environment; Dr. Erik Nordman, MSU Institute of Public Utilities; Jeff Guilfoyle, Public Sector Consulting.
Closing: What Comes Next.
Program subject to change.