Detroit and the state of Michigan face a multitude of pressing issues — from public safety to health care concerns. The Forum explores the problems — and how to solve them.
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Forum underwriter:
For downtowns large and small, new reality is taking shape
Jan. 25, 2024
2024
As newspapers shrink, new models for journalism emerge. Will it be enough?
FEB. 15, 2024
911 and mental distress — can more be done to avert tragedy?
March 14, 2024
Urban flooding is a rising threat. What can cities do to safeguard their futures?
April 15, 2024
Michigan wants more projects and jobs. Can it devise a better strategy to get them?
may 28, 2024
Michigan's schools rank near the bottom. Fixing that will take more than just money
June 13, 2024
Why this time could be different for public transit in metro Detroit
JULY 25, 2024
Ohio and Michigan are losing the battle for population growth — and it will only get worse
Aug. 19, 2024
In the Great Lakes region's biggest cities crime is down, but public fears of violence remain
Sept. 23, 2024
Ohio sprang into action after a toxic algal bloom crisis but Lake Erie recovery has been mixed
Oct. 14, 2024
Ohio sprang into action after a toxic agal bloom crisis but Lake Erie recovery has been mixed
Can anything stop hackers?Michigan wants companies to beef up cybersecurity measures
Nov. 14, 2024
Detroit's nearest neighbors worry the housing squeeze could soon turn suffocating
Dec. 12, 2024
Energy: Michigan endures more frequent power outages. Is there hope for change?
May 30, 2023
Teen labor: Teenagers are shoring up the state's workforce. Can lawmakers keep pace?
June 22, 2023
Auto insurance: No-fault reforms fell short of promised savings. Who's to blame?
July 20, 2023
Skilled workers: Want to fix Michigan's worker shortage? Make college make sense again.
Aug. 23, 2023
2023 lawmakers: Five pent-up priorities for Whitmer and Michigan Democrats
Jan. 30, 2023
Commercial blight: Detroit’s plan to do away with 150 blighted commercial buildings
Feb. 23, 2023
Black middle class: The fight for Detroit's disappearing Black middle class
March 27, 2023
Returning citizens: Newly released inmates face multiple roadblocks on getting hired
April 20, 2023
EV: The Midwest fell behind in the race for EVs. Now, it’s mounting a comeback.
Sept. 25, 2023
Population growth: Michigan needs more young people. Getting them won't be easy.
Oct. 19, 2023
Michigan got billions in COVID-relief funding. Where is it all going?
NOV. 16, 2023
Housing market forces in Michigan frustrate first-time buyers
DEC. 7, 2023
Cannabis industry: The forces behind Michigan's plummeting cannabis prices
Dec. 12, 2022
Teachers: Three root causes of Michigan's teacher shortage (and what could fix them)
Nov. 28, 2022
Elections: One change to absentee voting could increase trust, elections experts say
Oct. 24, 2022
Child care: How can Michigan improve child care? Be more like New Mexico
Sept. 19, 2022
Employment barriers: Why have so few benefited from the felony expungement law?
May 31, 2022
Climate migrants: How the Midwest can be a refuge amid climate change—if we prepare
June 23, 2022
Flooding: Metro Detroit’s flooding problem could get worse before it gets better
July 25, 2022
Gun violence: Michigan to spend $112 a kid on school security next year. Does it even work?
Aug. 22, 2022
Economy: Why winning knowledge economy jobs is more than writing big checks
Jan. 28, 2022
Hospitals: Battered by COVID, Michigan’s midsize hospitals head for financial crunch
Feb. 25, 2022
Roads: Why Michigan can't fix its 'damn' roads fast enough
March 24, 2022
Housing: Without enough affordable homes, Detroit's housing market is in crisis
April 22, 2022
State government: 10 ideas to make Michigan government more efficient, responsive
Dec. 10, 2021
Unicorns: How Michigan can build on success it’s seen with StockX, OneStream startups
Nov. 24, 2021
Incentives: Ford's lurch south renews debate over trading tax incentives for new jobs
Oct. 24, 2021
Transit equity: How metro Detroit's fractured transit system makes inequitites wider
Sept. 19, 2021
Pensions: Detroit's decade-long break from pension payments is coming to a close
May 23, 2021
Child care: Michigan's great start preschool program hurting child care industry
June 27, 2021
Pollution in the Great Lakes: Microplastics have become a major threat to our lakes
July 29, 2021
College: Schools retool remedial programs to pave quicker path to college success
Aug. 29, 2021
State of the State: Big ideas, big issues ahead of Whitmer's address
Jan. 24, 2021
Mental health: State's mental health system has many layers for those in need to navigate
Feb. 21, 2021
Education: More Michigan teachers weighing a departure from public education
March 28, 2021
Recycling: Michigan pioneered litter control - now recycling is down in the dumps
April 25, 2021
Forum underwriteR:
Caregiving: As the need for home care rises, pay for workers remains low
Dec. 13, 2020
Lame-duck agenda: The issues that may make this year-end session one like no other
Nov. 15, 2020
Election: Six points on critical issues facing the state that will be of national importance
Oct. 25, 2020
Mail-in voting: The unprecedented logistical challenge of mail-in voting
Sept. 27, 2020
Residency rules: Reexamining residency rules for Detroit police officers
July 26, 2020
Education: Path to education funding reform fraught with deals from the past
Aug. 23, 2020
Delivery: Liquor distribution snafu shows vulnerabilities of state 'monopoly'
Dec. 15, 2019
State budget: Pain, lessons in Michigan budget fight
Nov. 17, 2019
Medical bills: Are there solutions to surprise medical billing?
Oct. 20, 2019
Transit: New leadership revives push to get transit millage on the ballot
Sept. 22, 2019
Outer-ring suburbs: As the population rises, the demand for more roads grows
June 9, 2019
Chasing dollar bills: Medicaid cost-share payments fail to materialize
July 14, 2019
School: Is it time to rethink Michigan's post-Labor Day school start law?
Aug. 18, 2019
Roads: The road-funding divide is a canyon
May 5, 2019
Potholes: Amid boom times, potholes line Michigan's economic path
Feb. 10, 2019
'Cool Cities': Workers gravitate to locations that offer more than cubicle space
March 2, 2019
No-fault: Lawsuits tied to the state's no-fault auto insurance flood Oakland County courts
March 31, 2019
